#it’s always the grey jacket montys too

[piepiepiemag]

imagine the scenario: i’m using ascendant midas, zooming with my car towards reckless railways. my map shows me ares’ medallion. i go towards it. there are no items around it, indicating a fight, just a medal next to a bush.

“suspicious…” i say “…but shiny!”

i get out of the car and grab it. motherfucking MONTAGUE jumps out of the bush and shotguns me to death. "ughhh You....." is all i can say.

[itsonlybaby]

𐙚ᣟ݂﹒𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝐣. 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲﹒

◜♡﹒﹒𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭﹒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭﹒𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

wasnt sure if you wanted smut so if you do just send another req and ill gladly make a pt 2, tysm for the request!

John Murphy - Dropship

꒰ ୨୧ ꒱ ⸝⸝ Murphy was always protective of you, so when he thought Jasper sparked an interest in you- he was quick to shut it down. ﹒ 　 ⊹ 　⤷ cw: sfw, kissing

Being an engineer meant I had to be around Monty and Jasper whether I liked it or not- and I did like it, they were my first two friends on the ground. Other than Murphy.

Murphy and I had been friends on the Ark before we got incriminated, he was my best friend. We always did everything together. Stealing, pranking, once even blasting music through the intercoms. I always smiled at the memories, they were the only good ones I made on the Ark.

I'd like to think Murphy was still my friend, but most of his old self had been glossed over with the new ego of being Bellamy's 'second in command' as they called it. I think Bellamy knows more than half of these people trust Murphy, or well they did. Bellamy could've been easily taken over without the title, now that people were more afraid of Murphy given his recent history.

What happened to 'whatever the hell we want'?

With Murphy playing leader, I was left with Monty and Jasper. I enjoyed their company greatly- as weird as they were. Out of the two, Jasper and I had been the closest, though, I knew nobody could take the 'best friend' title away from Monty. Not that I was shooting for it, anyway. I had my own things to worry about, things most people in this camp couldn't care less about; Murphy.

I was sitting by the campfire next to Jasper and Monty, it was a cold day, the sun was resting behind grey clouds and only peeking through every now and then. Jasper must've noticed how my nose turned color because he unraveled himself from the jacket that was previously hiding his lanky body and wrapped it around my shoulders.

I smiled at his gesture, not knowing a certain someone was looking, "Thanks, Jasp."

Jasper gave me a warm smile in return, "You need it more than me," While the gesture was sweet, he in fact needed it more. The fire didn't look like it was helping anybody.

"Have you guys seen Murphy?" I muttered. I had been meaning to talk with him and catch up on how he's been. I missed our small talks. With him playing leader he's been too 'busy'.

Monty's eyes began trailing something behind me, "Walking into the dropship, why?"

It took me a few seconds to get what he said, the coldness from before melting away as I hurriedly handed Jasper his jacket back and left- leaving them questioning.

My demeanor appeared nervous, I wasn't sure how he viewed me anymore with his new act. We hadn't sat down and talked since we landed, I was sure he had already forgotten about me. But you don't know until you try, right?

Moving past the red tarp we used as a door I saw no sight of Murphy, I was about to give up when I heard a loud slam from the level above. It had to of been Murphy.

I swiftly made my way up the ladder and pushed open the hatch with a loud grunt.

"Murphy?" I asked as I stood up and dusted my hands off.

"Look who it is." A voice came from behind me, his tone was full of annoyance. I wasn't sure if the annoyance was towards me.

"This was a bad idea." I said, heading towards the hatch.

Murphy sighed and threw his head back, "Bored of flirting with Jasper?"

His sentence made me stop in my tracks, no way he thought that, right? He couldn't possibly think me and Jasper were more than friends, no offense Jasper. I felt anger bubbling in my chest as my face conformed to one of confusion as I tried to think of how he could've possibly came to that conclusion.

He took my silence as a sign to explain, "Where's his jacket?" The dots seemed to finally connect, he was jealous of Jasper.

Murphy was jealous of Jasper?!

No offense Jasper.

A wave of relief hit my body as I let out an exaggerated exhale, which only seemed to annoy Murphy further. I was relieved that's the only thing he was frustrated with, I'd never expected to see Murphy jealous over somebody interacting with me. I knew he was protective but I didn't think he was that protective.

"Me and Jasper are just friends, Murph," I said, my shivering hands going unnoticed by me.

"Friends don't sit that close, I see you guys talking like all the time," Murphy expressed, his brows furrowing as his voice grew more stern. He started walking closer to me and I took a few steps back, my back hitting the cold metal wall which sent shivers down my body.

"What're you doing?" I ask, my voice wavering.

"What I should've done a long time ago," Murphy's hands reached for my cheeks, the warmth of his palms engulfing them as his lips met mine.

I was shocked but I wasn't planning on moving away, I swore Murphy could've heard how fast my heart was beating. After a few seconds, my eyes fluttered shut and I leaned into the kiss, bringing my arms up around his neck only pushing him in more.

His body was flat against mine, the closeness brought a nice warmth to my body. His lips felt rough against mine and his nose fit cozy next to my nose.

I didn't have any thoughts, my mind went blank, and the only thing I was thinking about was how good Murphy tasted. My hands ran through his hair and his fingers ran across my jawline. Murphy was the first to pull away, leaving me feeling a sense of loss and emptiness- already missing the way his lips felt.

Murphy smirked almost like he sensed how I felt, he leaned into my neck and began sucking, leaving traces of him all over my neck. I gasped out at the feeling, but I didn't complain, I wanted people to know I was Murphy's.

After a while, Murphy finally felt satisfied with the amount of markings he made, not that I could see.

"Now everyone will know who you belong to," He gave me his classic shit-eating grin, clearly feeling full of himself as he admired the hickeys he left.

"Shut up," I said with a smile.

"Make me," He said, shrugging off his jacket and placing it into my hands, "Next time, just ask."

His fingers trailed along my jawline again, stopping at my chin and swiftly pulling me into another quick kiss, causing me to form a blush on my cheeks.

I was his.

◜♡﹒﹒𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭﹒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭﹒𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

˖ㅤㅤ۫ㅤ ˚ ۪˓ @ taglist. ৎ ᐟ ۫

@yokolesbianism @itzdarling

[docrotten]

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1970) – Episode 190 – Decades Of Horror 1970s

“Right! Bring in the perverts” They always make for a good police lineup. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they get their Giallo on with Dario Argento’s first shot at directing, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970).

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 190 – The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

An American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of attempted murder – and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.

  Director: Dario Argento

Writers: Dario Argento; Fredric Brown (novel, The Screaming Mimi, 1949) (uncredited)

Produced by: Salvatore Argento (producer); Artur Brauner (executive producer: CCC Filmkunst) (uncredited)

Music by: Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by: Vittorio Storaro (director of photography)

Film Editing by: Franco Fraticelli

Selected Cast:

Tony Musante as Sam Dalmas

Suzy Kendall as Julia

Enrico Maria Salerno as Inspector Morosini

Eva Renzi as Monica Ranieri

Umberto Raho as Alberto Ranieri

Renato Romano as Professor Carlo Dover (credited as Raf Valenti)

Giuseppe Castellano as Monti

Mario Adorf as Berto Consalvi

Pino Patti as Faiena

Gildo Di Marco as Garullo

Rosita Torosh as 4th Victim (as Rosa Toros)

Omar Bonaro as Police Detective

Fulvio Mingozzi as Police Detective

Werner Peters as Antique Dealer

Karen Valenti as Tina, 5th Victim

Carla Mancini as Girl watching TV

Bruno Erba as Police Detective

Reggie Nalder as Needles, Yellow Jacket Assassin (uncredited)

With his first feature directorial effort, modern horror master Dario Argento immediately showed off his skill, precision, and artistry. Often looked upon as the rise in popularity for Giallo films, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) would set the bar for all the pre-slasher killer mystery thrillers for over a decade even giving the father of the subgenre, Mario Bava (The Girl Who Too Much, 1963; Blood and Black Lace, 1964), a run for his money. While Argento adapts many influences into his first of a series of films known as the “Animal Trilogy,” along with The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), his film would in turn influence many films for decades to come. Some of those films would be directed by his peers such as Bava and Lucio Fulci. Others who would pay homage would be the likes of Carpenter and de Palma. Jeff, Doc, Bill, and Chad gather to discuss the film, its creators, and its mark on the genre.  

At the time of this writing, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is available to stream on a multitude of streaming and PPV services including Kanopy, Tubi, Prime Video, and Screambox to name a few.  The film is also available as a Blu-ray and as a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Chad, will be The Dunwich Horror (1970). Yog-Sothoth, anyone?

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

Check out this episode!

[sillytorch]

Okay buckle up everyone! I made a tweet thread about this topic but I hate the formatting on Twitter so here we go!!

So the reason why I'm holding very closely to the whole "Neo's illusion of Roman theory" is b/c of a few things

1: Neo's motive is to avenge Roman. She doesn't just miss him. She's even trying to base her identity on him. Her original outfit is based on a cosplay of a female Roman Torchwick Monty's friend SoulFirePhotos made. Like see in the pictures, Neo's original outfit is basically a recolor of that cosplay. From the coat tails, to the corset, to even the necklace.

Her new outfit has even more elements to Roman's outfit. Long jacket with three buttons, long gloves, even the same grey scarf and hat (which I'm starting to think that hat is not a spare, but Roman's actual hat. But I'll explain soon)

She desperately trying to fit in the Roman's shoes (or clothes) Her scarf is assymetrical and haphazardly tied compared to Roman's symmetrical scarf (almost looks like a bowtie)

Even the hat Neo wears is too big for her. In some shots, you can see that where her head meets the hat, there's lots of extra space there.

Almost as if it's a hat meant for someone with a bigger size than her... I wonder who did that hat originally belong too... (Who’s to say, Neo found Roman’s body in the wreckage and found his hat and repaired it/cleaned it up?)

2. Whenever Neo answers someone's question about someone, her response will always be by turning into said someone.

Who's to say that when Neo and Ruby confront each other, Ruby asks "Why are you doing this?" and Neo makes an illusion of Roman as her answer?

We saw Neo make illusions VERY quickly when fighting Cinder and appear right before her.

And Neo looked very fine there until we see the real Neo all dirty and worn, wearing Roman's hat. She did make a wall of an illusion to help Roman escape when we first see her:

3. Miles said in a fan interview when asked about how Roman built his criminal empire "I can't talk about that" but he tries to answer the question with "I like-" and has a pondering look on his face then says "I can't talk about that either. Sorry!"

In a Reddit AMA on December 2nd, Eddy answers someone asking about whether we'll see Roman again.

And while I personally think he's dead, Eddy's answer is kinda both vague and teasing don'tcha think? He KNOWs a lot of people love and wanna know more about Roman.

And with Neo back and the writers being very vague about Roman, there's somethings cooking involving the topic of him. What and when will it be? Who knows? But one thing (hehe one thing...) is for sure, we might learn a bit more about him and Neo at some point.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Don’t Worry, Be Snappy!

Summary: Amber finds herself stranded on a boat with Mike Weiss…and as anything where Mike is involved, it all gets a little crazy!

Warnings: Bad Language words.

A/N:  As it is past midnight here in the UK here it is!

BEWARE- This is utter, utter nonsense. You’re about to get an insight into exactly how stupid mine and @icanfeelastormbrewing​ ‘s minds and brain storming sessions really are. But it made us laugh, and we hope it makes you laugh too.

Written especially for @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ for her birthday! Happiest of days to you Ambi, we love you lots!!!

Fic Song: Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bob Marley 

Now listen to what I said, in your life expect some trouble, when you worry you make it double. But don't worry, be happy, be happy now

 The problem with Mike Weiss is, well, just that he is Mike Weiss. Total crackpot, in more ways than one. Which was why Amber found herself one sunny July afternoon sailing down a literal creek without a paddle as they searched for his pet alligator. Mike had been struck by a sudden idea the previous night that it would be nice to take Snappy to the Everglades- “So he can associate with his own kind, learn so alligator social skills”

Of course, despite Mike’s protests to the contrary, Snappy was instinctively a fucking wild animal. So as soon as Mike had dropped him into the water he had slunk off into the weeds and completely ignored (again, not surprisingly) Mike’s calling of his name.

“Why did you let him go Mike?” Amber groaned, laying back on the bench in the boat.

“I was high, ok?” Mike sighed “Seemed like a good idea.” He chewed the inside of his cheek a little as he glanced around, hands on his hips “Here Snappy, Snappy.” “Yeah, he’s mingling Mike…there’s no fucking way we’re A- gonna find him, or B- he’s gonna come back!” “I love what a positive, always look on the Brightside kinda gal you are.” Mike shot her a look as he steered the boat carefully down the small reed lined stream.

“I’m a realist.” Amber sighed, still looking up at the clouds “You should try it sometime.”

At that point the boat they were on gave a little stutter and Amber sat up to see Mike glancing curiously at the controls.

“Erm…” he looked around “It broke.” “What do you mean it broke?” “Well it was working…” Mike rolled his eyes “And now it’s not.” “Fucks sake…let me try.” Amber sighed. She stood up, shoved Mike out of the way and she turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. With a groan she looked at him, her hands on her hips “I TOLD you we should have taken my fucking canoe.”

She flopped down back into her seat with a growl.

“Someone’s cranky” Mike whispered and Amber glared at him.

“You know what, I am, you’re right.” She pointed at him “You’re a dumb dork, who does dumb dork things, like letting an alligator go free in the middle of the swamp in FUCKING FLORIDA!”

Mike opened his mouth to say something but the sound of another boat engine drew their attention and they both turned. Amber’s eyes were instantly taken by the man steering the boat who was dressed in a white shirt and a dirty pair of jeans. His wind ruffled hair was stuck up slightly and his eyes were hidden by a set of aviators. A small girl with blonde hair sat besides him, a ginger cat on her lap and behind her perched a woman with long, reddy-brown hair, a pair of glasses also over her eyes.

“You guys alright?” the man asked as they pulled up alongside them.

“Yeah, this dumbass managed to strand us here.” Amber jerked her hand over her shoulder.

“Frank did that to us once.” The young girl grinned and the man who had just stopped the boat besides them looked down at her.

“That was the one time my repairs let me down.” He shook his head.

“One time too many.” She quipped.

Amber snorted, “I like you kid.”

The little girl smiled “I’m Mary, this is my uncle Frank and his girlfriend Fliss.”

“Nice to meet you all.” Amber smiled. “I’m Amber and this is Mike.”

“Want me to take a look at it?” Frank asked, nodding to the boat “I do it for a living so…”

“Be my guest.” Mike said, and Frank nodded, heading to the back of his boat.

“So what are you doing here?” Mary asked.

“Mary stop being so nosey.” Fliss sighed.  Mike gave a chuckle.

“We’re looking for my pet alligator…”

“Yeah Idiot Boy here set him loose. Thought he needed some alligator time with other alligators…” Amber rolled her eyes.

“You have a pet alligator?” Mary’s eyes widened. “Frank, can-“ “No.” Frank cut her off as he turned round, a length of rope in his hand.

“It can live in the pool!” Mary pressed

“Absolutely not.” Fliss looked at her and then their attention turned to Mike as he gave a chuckle.

“Can’t keep em in a pool kid, chlorine…not good.” Mary paused and then grinned “We can build him a lake in Monty’s field…” “The hell we can.” Frank snorted.

“Ah go on man, make the little girl happy!” Mike smiled. “They make great pets…”

“Clearly they don’t.” Frank grumbled, looking Mike up and down before he frowned at the man’s ridiculous shirt and trouser combination. Fliss grinned.

“Nice boots” she said, gesturing to Mike’s cowboy specials.

“Thanks!” Mike flashed her a cheeky grin and a wink.

“Shame about the rest of it.” Frank quipped, as he tied a length of rope to the side of the stranded boat, securing it to his own so he could hop over onto the deck.

“You’re calling my outfit out?” Mike scoffed, gesturing with his hand to Frank’s loud yellow and black Hawaiian print shirt “Exhibit A your honour.” “Clearly this is some sort of shit outfit competition.” Amber mumbled.

“I feel you sister.” Fliss grinned “Are you two…erm…together…or…” “Never seen him before in my life.” Amber denied and Fliss laughed.

“What the fuck Amber?” Mike protested.

“He just turns up from time to time when he has the munchies and eats all my Sour Patch Kids.”

“That’s not the only thing I eat.” Mike grinned and Frank let out a snort.

“Yeah, sure.” Amber rolled her eyes before she looked at Fliss and Mary, dropping her voice “He also eats my dog, Tikka’s, food.” “Frank ate one of Fred’s catnip treats once.” Mary said and Frank shrugged, not taking his attention of the engine of the boat.

“I wanted to see what the fuss was about.”

“You were drunk” Mary retorted.

“That was the night you came home saying the leprechauns had stolen your jacket.” Fliss said.

Mike grinned “I see leprechauns a lot.”

Amber shook her head “Jesus Christ…” she mumbled.

“Ok, I see the problem.” Frank smiled, stranding up and turning to Mike “You’re out of fuel.”

Amber blinked as Mike turned to her, giving her a small shrug and an innocent, boyish smile as she exploded “What the…you didn’t think to CHECK?” “I thought they were electric.” Mike shrugged.

“God you’re an idiot…should have brought my canoe.”

“You know, that’s the second time you said that.” Mike looked at her.

“Really, well here’s the third…” She snarked “I. SHOULD. HAVE. BROUGHT. MY. CANOE!”

“Ok, we can give you a tow back.” Frank said, moving back to climb into his own boat. “Get you back to the centre.” “No can do.” Mike shook his head, “Need to find Snappy…” “Yeah, erm…” Fliss pointed to something that was approaching them, a confused expression on her face “I think he may have already found you.” They all turned and as they watched Snappy sail past their boat led on an Alligator shaped pool inflatable, being pushed by an extremely good looking man in a wet suit. He glanced up at them, smiling, his teeth white from behind his beard and he flicked his long hair back out of his eyes.

“Leave no gator behind.” He said simply, as he continued swimming past, Snappy basking on his inflatable.

Amber blinked, looked at the can of coke she was holding and turned to Mike “What the fuck did you put in this?” “Nothing…” “And why am I suddenly cold?” she frowned.

“Cold?” Frank looked at her “It’s like 90 degrees…in the middle of Florida.”

“That may be, but I’m still cold…” she frowned “And why is it going dark…”

****

Amber sat bolt upright, her head colliding painfully with the bunk above her, breathing deeply as she looked around. The light and warmth she had been feeling had been replaced with dark and cold, the blues and greens of Florida swapped for the dark greys and browns of the train…

“Hey…” a familiar voice said and she turned to look at Curtis as he sat up besides her “You ok baby?”

“Yeah, I just had the strangest dream.” She said as her man gently rubbed between her shoulders as she began to explain to him what she’d been dreaming about. He arched an eyebrow, sniggered occasionally and then snorted with laughter, a rare thing for Curtis Everett, when she told him about the inflatable alligator.

“And Mike, Frank, the Diving guy…they looked a bit like you. Which is odd.” She finished shrugging.

“Well I’m clearly on your mind.” Curtis quipped as he lay back, arms folded behind his bed as he gave her a sinful look “And you should be on my face so I can wish you a happy birthday properly.”

Amber grinned and shuffled round to straddle him before she stopped, her hands falling to his chest.

“On one condition.” She smirked.

“What?”

“Take your beanie off first. It gives me a rash.”

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness Chapter 51

The Schnee-Shinra analogue is already there so let's let the good times roll. You'll find that Monty did most of the work for this crossover for me, at least in the now, phase.

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

My friends were in Atlas after less than a day. It had hurt to be thousands of miles away from them. I waited out on the landing pad for them with Penny. She'd been overjoyed with the news that Ruby was on the way.

The plane set down and my friends came waltzing out.

"Penny?!" Ruby called. She dashed forward and the two met in an enormous hug. I felt a touch snubbed but only a touch. Penny had been killed after all. Ruby was right to worry after her.

"It's so good to see you again, Penny. I thought you were dead!"

"I was!" Penny chirped. "My father rebuilt me."

"Just like that?"

"It wasn't that easy. They are limits to it. But suffice to say I'm back and more combat ready than ever!"

Penny hovered in place on jets from her legs, spinning once, before she landed again.

"That's incredible, Penny."

"My father worked very hard on my new body. He didn't want me hurt again. But enough about me. How have you been Ruby?"

Ruby's face fell.

"Ruby… is something wrong?"

"Yes. A lot." Ruby croaked out. I took that as my cue. I walked forward and put a hand around Ruby.

"You heard about Jaune didn't you, Penny?" I inquired.

"The turncoat?" Penny asked.

Ruby let out a noise of protest.

"Penny, Ruby and Jaune were together."

Penny raised both hands to her mouth. "Oh no. That means..."

"She's still recovering," I said. "It was a short time ago."

"Don't worry, Ruby, I'll help you anyway I can."

"Thank you Penny. And Weiss, how were things up here?" Ruby asked, desperate to move on in the conversation.

"They were fine. The whole operation went smoothly. How were things in Argus?"

"We were attacked by these three girls. They were after the relic."

"The relic…? But…" I trailed off.

"We don't know either. Ozpin says it's enemy disorientation."

"You're all alright though, aren't you?"

"Yes, the fight was short and they were focused on their objective. So we all made it out okay."

"But if the enemy doesn't know that they already have the relic what does that mean?" Penny asked.

"It means that they don't really have it," I realized. "They don't know where it is."

"That's what Ozpin thinks too," Ruby agreed. "He's just not sure what to do about it."

"Maybe General Ironwood will have an idea," Penny said. "Here he comes now."

"James," Ozpin greeted. "It's good to see you again."

"And you as well old friend. I have to confess that I feared the worst when Beacon fell," the General responded. He looked visibly relieved and at ease. More so than I'd seen him when I'd delivered the news of Ozpin's return.

"I think we all did," Qrow said.

"Qrow…" the General walked up and looked like he wanted to embrace the raggedy man. Qrow pulled a flask and eyed the General back. The General did a double take and stepped back and looked Qrow up and down. "What happened to you? You were injured. Your legs..."

"I picked a bad fight and got saved by some kids." Qrow rolled a shoulder and looked away. "It happens."

"Well it's good to see you in one piece." Ironwood acknowledged with a nod of his head. "All of you."

"This is a warm reception and so on but I'm afraid there is much for us to discuss. The relics and the maidens, I take it Ms. Schnee filled you in on our end but what about yours. Is the staff safe? And what of the winter maiden? When you sealed the country's borders I feared the worst for you. I thought you may be slipping as Leo did."

"Yes, come with me. Conversations like this are best handled behind closed doors." Ironwood agreed. He led the way off the airstrip.

We followed him into Atlas Academy and to the headmaster's office. The academy was all cool blues and greys laced with silvers. As much of Atlas was.

It was as though the entire city had formed a coalition and which colors they wanted to convey to the world and this was it. The cityscape was laced with those same colors in primary. If my friends thought it was just I and Atlas Academy which embraced them, they would be sorely mistaken.

"Ah here we are." Ozpin said as we entered the headmaster's office. It had a scenic view over Atlas and notably not over Mantle. "Let's start with the winter maiden."

"She's safe. She's in a bunker not far from here. The current plan is to transfer her power to Winter Schnee. The only person Fria is allowed to see each day is Winter," Ironwood responded. "I considered using the same process we were going to use with the fall maiden but this seemed more elegant."

"Very good James. Well done. That means that the relic of creation is safe?"

"It is. And I have more plans. Some for getting communication back up and running between the kingdoms. I plan to use Amity as a satellite. I've already begun to modify the colosseum for this purpose. Using dust supplies to keep it airborne, I believe we will be able to restore communication between the kingdoms."

"Incredible James. This is what you've been working on? You've been very busy."

"Yes. It has been difficult. Listen to me complain like I was the one who was killed. I'm sure you have all had a rough time of it. Ms. Schnee implied as much."

"No more than you," Ozpin disagreed. "This plan of yours is incredible. I couldn't ask for more, except of course…"

"Except what?"

"Opening the country, James."

Ironwood sighed. "I needed to keep her agents out of the state."

"This won't stop her agents. They'll find a way in. The only thing the embargo does is escalate tensions."

"After Amity goes up I'll lift the embargo and open the borders."

Ozpin tapped his staff. "Good enough. I won't press you. When will the satellite launch."

"Four months is the target deadline."

"James you've done so much. I was wrong to put you in the same category as Leonardo."

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

We were put to work by General Ironwood. I had been right when I said there was no shortage of jobs coming our way.

We worked closely with another group. Ace operatives they were called.

Weeks went by and I watched Ruby get better. The missions were good for her. She grew strong again. And I found myself in love with it. My heart ached for her so much my chest hurt. I knew it would be too soon for her but I knew at some point I needed to tell her how I felt, lest I start avoiding her. She would be able to tell something was off with me.

She had a sixth sense about such things.

Her short hair was cropped to one side in a wolfish fashion. Her hood was done lower on her corset. She was beautiful. Tragedy had turned her into a woman just as I saw it had once turned Jaune into a man. Or whatever it was he became. My feelings about him were obtuse and deeply confusing. I imagined it was worse for Ruby so I kept my mouth shut about it.

I still could see the laughter in his eyes that early morning in Mistral. How could I forget it? Sure he had a harder edge to him but underneath it he still seemed soft.

I knew what Blake thought. I even knew what Yang believed. But even so… even so…

"What's our mission today?" I asked in the briefing room. My older sister was there staring at a data pad.

"You've all been doing great work…" Winter began.

"Here it comes," Yang said.

"So the General believes it's time you had a break. Take the day off. Do whatever it is people your age do to relax. It's as important as fighting the Grimm."

"There it is," Yang finished. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She had a thicker jacket on than she used to wear and longer pants, too.

"What about you? Will you be getting any R and R?" I asked.

"Not today. A prisoner break just occurred and it requires my attention. A new face in Atlas our soldiers identified as a 'Cloud Strife.'"

"Never heard of him," Ruby murmured.

"Well he's working with another person of interest. Neapolitan."

"Her we do know," Yang's eyes narrowed. "I fought her once."

"You did? You are certain?" Winter was surprised.

"The umbrella girl? Sure did. Back when she worked for Roman Torchwick," Yang said. "She nearly killed me. Could go for some revenge." She punched her fists together for a resounding clank .

"Well she's working for someone new now. She has a new boss. This Cloud Strife character. I don't want you to worry about it. It's becoming my responsibility, however." Winter tapped away at the pad.

Working with my older sister has been a good experience so far. She always shared the big mission details with me where she could and no one was hiding things from us which was a nice change of pace. We were persons of interest too. Just for the good team. It was nice. It was where we belonged. Doing the most good possible.

"If you say so," Blake mumbled. She'd cut her hair as well. She also changed her outfit to better match the cold of Solitas.

"I do. Go out and relax. Hit up a club and dance or visit one of our movie theaters." The words seemed awkward coming from my sister's orderly lips. But orders were orders. If they wouldn't assign us a mission then we had little choice.

"I might just stay in tonight," I said. I might bathe or find a good book and light some candles. Maybe both.

"I'll join you," Ruby murmured. "If you want my company, that is."

I nodded in her direction. I'd been dodging her a little but I did always want her companionship. Besides… this might be my opportunity to talk to her. I had to tell her how I felt at some point. My heart raced a little. Out of a combination of excitement and fear.

"I might go out and dance. I heard of a club some of the men sometimes hit up when they have the day off," Yang said. Yang was used to that kind of life. I remembered she used to go clubbing back in our Beacon days and before.

"I'll go with. If that's all right. I'm not much of a dancer, though." Yang nodded at Blake.

"I can show you some moves. Pretty girls like us just need to avoid moving our arms around like idiots and we look fine," Yang told Blake. "I'm sure you'll look good."

Blake looked away, a tad embarrassed. She rubbed her neck with one hand as she sat in one of the briefing room chairs. "If you say so."

"I do, just relax and enjoy the ride. You're on the Yang train now."

"Can I get off or…?" Blake trailed off. There was a laugh in her voice, however.  

"Would you want to?" Yang challenged, a little red on her neck and in her cheeks.

"Perhaps not," Blake blushed. Yang offered her a hand and pulled her out of her seat.

I watched them with a contented feeling in my heart. I'd seen them dance around each other with a small amount of trepidation. They were my team. It was my place to worry about their feelings. Looking at them now I realized I had little to be concerned about. They were approaching the other with care and a little respectful fear.

They would be alright. They were taking their time in exploring each other. That was better than fine.

I just wanted the same to be able to be said for me.

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

I washed at my neck with a wet, warm cloth and sighed. True to myself I'd lit some candles and was sitting next to the bath with my scroll, just dipping my feet in the warm water while I washed my bare back with the rag.

I was wearing my loose nightgown and had my hair still back in its braided ponytail.

I moaned as I dipped the cloth in the water and rubbed at my shoulders. It was good. I held my scroll in one hand and read on it. I knew Blake would say something about an analogue page having superiority but I was a digital girl. That is how I liked to read and it's the hill I would die on.

I moved the cloth against my stomach and shuddered a little as I read from my scroll. It was waterproof so there was really no risk. I even showered with the device everyday to sanitize it. Scrubbing it down with soap like any other part of my body.

Lavender candles were blooming around me. Just two or three. Enough to set the atmosphere while I worked the cloth against my pale skin and let out little noises.

I dipped the cloth in the water and ran it up my long smooth legs. I let out another tired groan.

"Ah…"

There came a knock at the door.

"Weiss it's me…" Ruby's voice came in soft and mellow.

I was decent so… "Oh? Come in Ruby."

She did, closing the door gently behind her. She was in her night clothes too, and she looked like a treat in them.

I turned away and went back to washing myself down with the textile. I felt Ruby watching me for a long moment as I eased it against the skin of my shoulder and back where I could reach.

She sat down behind me and stuck her fingers against my scalp. "R-Ruby." I partly protested.

"Yes, Weiss?" She asked. She slowly started to undo my braid with deft fingers.

I leaned back into her touch as she worked gently against my skin. She was sitting with her body in contact with my own. I could feel her aura. A soft red which matched the tips of candles and the far reaches of her bangs.

I set my scroll down by my side, the device slightly forgotten as Ruby worked undoing my braid.

"I used to braid Yang's hair when we were younger. I've got some practice with long hair. Your hair is so pretty, Weiss," She said, her voice came in low, soft, and sensual.

She worked quietly. Unfastening the bobby pins that held my braid tight one by one. I shuddered as she worked. My head slowly became less and less taut. As she toiled she'd place the bobby pins on the counter by the bath with soft metallic clinks .  

I could smell her aura. Roses and a touch of something sweet like cinnamon. I breathed it in deep with the scent of the lavender candles. It made me feel light headed, even more so than my hair becoming less rigid and unbound did. Or maybe it was the combination of the two.

Soon my pale hair was all hanging free and the pins I used to fasten it we're all in a small pile by the bath. Her task complete she took the rag out of my hands and dipped it in the water.

She rubbed it against my back softly, in all the corners I couldn't reach. Under my shoulder blades. Near the clasp of my bra. I felt her work her way under the string of it and let out a noise I was partly ashamed of.  

"Oh…"

I felt my face flush with heat. I knew a rosy pink would be coloring my cheeks and the beginning and end of my neck.

She rubbed at the back of my neck with it and I pressed back against her.

"I missed you Weiss. You've been so far away from me lately."

"I missed you too Ruby," I choked out.

I couldn't help it. I turned around and took her face in both my hands and kissed her with temperature.

I think she was surprised for a moment but then she gave in and leaned in with a tired drawn out moan.

"Mmmhmmm...mmhmm...Weiss..." She whimpered.

She whispered my name against my own lips and it lit something in my chest. I brushed one hand against her hair and grabbed the back of her head right with it.

Do it again.

I thought by degrees.

Moan my name again.

For a moment her tongue brushed against my lips. I let my own out a little and where they touched they burned like fire.

"Ruby…" I purred.

I felt her aura flare up and my own did too. I wondered briefly what my own resonance felt like. Her's felt good. Really really good. It touched mine all over and I leaned in a little more. Her aura dazzled against my own flesh and essence. Blazing against my skin and the very heart of me, it was like nothing I'd ever felt before.

A rose petal fell from her aura and landed on one of the wax candles. It burnt up.

My hand touched the inside of her thigh.

"Weiss wait." She broke it off, the burst of the petal burning seemed to be the trigger for it for her. That or my touch. "I'm not ready. I'm not there yet."

I knew she wasn't. I'd made my move anyway. I looked away with some shame.

"I will be. I promise I will be," she tried, hurriedly. Like it was her fault.

"I know you will Ruby. I just wanted you to know." I whispered. "Whenever you are ready I'll be there. And even when you're not I'll still be there for you."

"About Jaune…" I said nothing, just waiting for her to finish. "I-I never thought I'd have to experience life without him. But I feel that way about you too. I don't want to imagine my life without you. I'm just so worried about him."

She was crying a little.

"I understand," I told her.

"You do?" She sounded shocked. Like she was sure I wouldn't have been able to get it.

"I do," I promised. "I think I know how you feel. You were-are attracted to the both of us," I corrected mid-sentence.

"Yes." She whispered. She wiped her eyes and I helped her. "I'm just so confused. Especially with what happened to him."

"I was a little confused as well," I confessed.

"You were?" She sounded incredulous. "But you never liked Jaune."

"I told you I started to see what Pyrrha and you were on about towards the end. He was so hard, yet soft in the center."

She laughed. An honest sound.

"You saw it too, then. What made him so great."

"I also see what makes you so great." I wiped her tears away and kissed her cheeks without passion. "I was… confused a lot. Especially when you told me you were both having sex. I still am confused."

"We'll figure it out." Ruby whispered. "Together, you and me. I just need more time."

"Whatever you need, Ruby."

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

-WG

[dylanobrienisbatman]

The 100 Aesthetic/Preferences Tag

Tagged by: @blodreina-noumou my babe <3 This was super fun! Thanks!

This is a tag game about AESTHETICS, not content, plot, characterization, etc. Just keep that in mind.

Rank the seasons from favorite to least favorite: 2>3>4>1>5 6

2 - we got grounder aesthetics, we got ark aesthetics, we got moutain men aesthetics, and it was all melded together so well, the world felt cohesive and awesome! Plus the murphy through the desert situation? peak t100.

3- C’s terrible look in the beginning aside, this season had some of the best outfits, the coolest sets (polis storyline? lame. polis as a set? awesome). Also, you cant deny, lexa knew what was up when it came to aesthetics.

4 -the slow descent from the lush green to the yellowing radiation soaked death trap was so well done, plus i loved the aesthetics of the lab and the island. 

1 - Murphy’s spiked jacket, bellamy’s pilot look (i will fight you all he looked great in the pilot), raven just... in general, the ark + the grounder, all the grounder looks, ANYA, just over all this season had a lot of great looks and aesthetic moments, but it didn’t feel as cohesive as the later seasons

5 - honestly it had a lot of great Moments™ but the over all aesthetic was very dull. besides eden we spent the season in a grey bunker or a tan desert, or in a metal ship, very little warmth or colour, it was lacking that sort of ‘untamed forest of the irradiated world’ vibe that i loved in s1-s4

6 - i didnt watch, but clarke’s dresses looked tacky and cheap, i hated the overly made up hairstyles + makeup that emori, echo, and raven had (and also kind of octavia?), the anamoly looked relaly cool from what i saw but in general its like they decided that ‘civilisation’ meant they had to make everyone feel ooc and it was weird.

Rank Clarke’s hair each season from best to worst: 1>2>4>3>6>5

1 - soft waves, half up (function + fashion) she seemed young and innocent. A+

2 - a continuation of that soft look from s1, but a little more wild. it wasn’t up anymore, she let it loose, which felt symobolic to her character arc. very nice.

4  - again, i liked her hair soft, long, and just natural. she looked like a young girl with too much weight on her shoulders.

3 - the dreads were... ugly and bad. but later in the season, her long hair done up slightly in like braids and stuff, very nice.

6 - I hate the bob, but in s6 it felt a little less.. choppy and weird?

5 - i legitimtely hated her hair all season.

Rank Bellamy’s hair/beard each season from best to worst: 2 > 1 > 5 > 3 > 4 > 6

i loved the beard, but i also loved the clean shaven s1 look a whole lot. in s2 and s3 he looked older and more mature, and a little wild, which was awesome. i think he looked his best in s3 but this is about hair/beard specifically.

The real debate: Bellamy in the blue shirt or the tan?

BLUE.

Clarke’s blue dress or pink dress?

I thought they both looked cheap and bad, but the blue was less bad.

Favorite Raven season: Raven has always looked awesome, but i really enjoyed her s3 situation. 

Raven’s ark vest or red bomber jacket?

BOMBER. JACKET.

Raven’s ponytail or her s6 look?

- Ponytail, hands down. that beachy, loosely curled and shaken out shiny situation looked so overdone for what this show is, it was cringy.

Favorite Octavia season: S4 she had a lot of excellent looks.

Octavia’s hair in s2 (the braids) or s4 (the ponytail)?

- I loved the ponytail!

Blodreina or Skairipa?

Skairipa for sure

Favorite Murphy season: s2 in the desert was excellent, s1 murphy with that spiked jacket and general greasy boy look was awesome, but s5 murphy, cleaned up and with his hair cut? perfection.

Murphy with long hair or short hair?

Short hair absolutely!

Favorite Monty season: I liked his short hair in s5, he finally got a chance to look grown up.

Favorite overall episode: I loved the episode in s5 where Murphy, Raven, Emori, and Echo went on their little mission. the outfits were awesome, the snowy scenery was dope, the lighting was so good, all in all loved that. Also the ep in s1 where Raven blew up the bridge, when they were all sick? the whole aesthetic of the forest was amazing, and i love a well done plague/illness which they crushed, especially the way we got to see how Raven was seeing things,the world sort of spinning and blurry, etc. plus that bridge was always a dope setting, so old and dilapidated, covered in overgrown plant life? i always loved the signs that mother nature had totally overtaken mankind’s creations. 

Favorite scene of all time: Echo saving them in s4. The whole look she had on (the CAPE?!?! COME ON!), the bloody horse, the snow, the yellow colour, the fighting, the splattering of blood across the white ground... excellence.

Biggest wish for s7: ... it needs to look less like what a child imagines a fairy tale castle would look like. stop with the overdone makeup, the dresses for no real reason (or if youre gonna do dresses, make them actually... idk... nice? like you nailed it with Emori, why did clarke look like you bought her dresses at forever 21?).

Tagging: @nightbleeder @teeandsnowflakes @thelittlefanpire @the-most-beautiful-broom @raven-reyes-of-sunshine and anyone else who wants to!!

[13-reasons-ideas]

Finding Peace in Another Part 13

A/N Here it is guys. This is one of the first parts of Finding Peace I wrote. Please be kind and of course as always feedback is appreciated. I cannot wait to hear what you guys have to say. TW: non-graphic description of suicide relating to sibling passing. Much love

I woke up early again, knowing that today was going to be hard enough without my boyfriend being a jerk and ignoring me. I decided to wear my favourite grey shirt, that just so happened to make my boobs look great. I paired it with a pair of light wash skinny jeans and Jake’s old leather jacket. It was far too big on me, but it felt good to wear it. Like I was that much closer to him today. I turned my phone back on and saw a text from my dad saying he would be home later this week. Montgomery had sent me a couple of messages last night, obviously drunk given the content and the time. I also saw that Bailey had texted me. I just rolled my eyes and ignored them all before I grabbed my bag before running out to my car. I tried not to notice his car wasn’t in front of Bryce’s anymore. When I got to school, I went straight to my locker trying to avoid talking to anyone. I heard Mr. Porter calling me, but I just walked faster, pretending I didn’t hear him. I grabbed my things hoping to avoid any of my friends. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky. I heard Scott call my name and I knew I couldn’t avoid them any longer. I looked up and pulled Jake’s jacket tighter to me. “Hey guys.” I spoke softly, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, fearing crying if I looked at anyone. As Scott and Matt got to talking about something and tried to get my opinion, I looked up and caught Zach’s eye. I saw a look of what I hoped was recognition pass his eyes. He could tell I didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.

“Hey Becca, did you figure out that homework for Coach in history? I could use a hand with it.” He asked me, discreetly jerking his head to the side.

“Uh, yeah I think I got it. Did you want to talk about it now?”

“Sure. We can walk to class and talk about it.” He told me before grabbing my hand and walking off. I heard Monty scoff as we walked away. “Want to talk about it?” Zach asked when we got out of ear shot.

“Six months.” I mumbled, still looking at my sneaker clad feet, hoping he would understand what I meant. I assume he did because I felt him pull me into a tight hug. I buried my head in his chest and felt a few tears fall. I pulled away from the hug and we walked the rest of the way to class in silence. I sat silently in class and Coach never questioned it. Porter must have told my teachers I wouldn’t be engaging today.In English Tony tried to talk to me but I just shook my head, not even having the energy or emotional capacity to utter a single syllable word. He took the hint and left me alone through class. As we walked to the cafeteria, he finally spoke to me “Nice leather. Where’d you get it? It looks lived in.”

“Yeah. It’s kind of old. It belonged to someone close to me.” I said quietly, indicating that I wasn’t going to go any further on the topic. He nodded and threw his arm around my shoulder.

“You sitting with our favourite hot head today Becca?” I thought for a second before responding.

“No. I think I’ll just sit with you guys today. I just don’t really want to talk to anyone. I have to text him though.” He nodded as I pulled out my phone to text Montgomery. ‘I need to talk to you. Can you come over after school? It’s important.’ Before I hit send, I showed it to Tony and he gave me a thumbs up and I sent it. When we made it to the cafeteria I looked to see if he got it, briefly checking my phone for a read receipt as well as looking for him at the jock’s table. He looked up and caught my eye before nodding at me. I felt my phone buzz and checked it. ‘Yeah. I’ll meet you there. You okay?’ I sent back a quick ‘yup’ and sat with my friends, not wanting to go into any more detail via text message. I did not look at my phone again for a response. The rest of the day went by in a blur. I didn’t really pay attention to any of my classes and excused myself from Peer as I was told I could do that occasionally. I made my way home before school let out and opened a beer. At first, I wasn’t sure if it would be for him or for me. I eventually decided that it would be for me and downed half of it in one go, while I waited for Monty to get to my house. A small part of me hoped he was still being fussy and bailed on me. I knew what was coming, I just didn’t feel like dealing with it today.

It had been six months. Six months to the day since my brother... my best friend, the PB to my J, the James “Bucky” Barnes to my Steve Rogers... died. And of course, today was the day that Montgomery and I had our first real fight. And of course, it was about Alex. And what Alex did. Or tried to do. We had been fighting for over two hours already.

“I don’t get why you care so much Becca. He’s just a kid who can’t handle going through some shit.” He said to me as I poured myself a glass of wine. Probably more wine than I should have poured for one glass. Not like dad was here to notice it being gone. Setting the bottle down, I turned to him and glared.

“Can’t handle going through- are you fucking serious Montgomery? You think it was just ‘some shit’? You have NO IDEA what it’s like.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, his gaze cool and calculating, obviously trying to pick his words carefully.

“Really? I have no idea what going through shit is like? Then tell me why I’m here every other week needing your medical expertise.”

Taking a large sip of my wine, I muttered under my breath. “It’s not the same.” I saw him roll his eyes and grab his bag, taking his time to set out his required materials for the paper he had due next week, which of course he hadn’t started yet. He didn’t want to have this fight anymore than I did. We sat in silence for a long while. He worked on his paper while I cleaned up from dinner. After some time alone with my thoughts, I whispered quietly not turning to face him. I didn’t think he would hear me. “A while ago, you asked me what the most painful thing someone had ever said to me was.”

“Yeah. And you said, ‘maybe we can talk about that some other time.’” He replied, distractedly. I could tell he hadn’t looked up.

I turned to face him, trying not to cry. I didn’t want him to see me cry. I didn’t want to fight with him anymore. “It’s some other time.” That got his attention. His head shot straight up and he looked at me, his eyebrows raised but his eyes had softened. Whether it was from the silence or the change in my tone I wasn’t sure. I took a breath and played with the hem of my shirt. “The most... the most painful thing that someone has... has ever said to me.” I paused taking a deep breath. I heard him get up from his chair and walk around the island to face me. “It was my dad. He said it.” I murmured trying to avoid saying it.

“Okay.” He said simply, knowing that I had to get it out, it was just going to take some time.

Taking a deep breath again, I continued, slowly looking up at him starting at his feet. “The most painful thing someone has ever said to me. It was when I got home from a coffee date with friends. My dad was putting on his coat so I assumed he was going out to-” I paused again, my throat constricting as a lump began to form. “To look for Jake. But he wasn’t. He uh...” I paused yet again, feeling tears well up in my eyes. I cleared my throat as Monty reached out to me, taking my small hand in his large one. “I noticed he seemed to have been crying. He looked at me and said ‘they found your brother. He’s dead.’ My whole world stopped at that moment. My heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. We found out from the police constable that he took all of our mom’s leftover pain pills. So that. That is the most painful thing someone has ever said to me. And that is why I care about what happened to Alex so much. Because I could never forgive myself if I let it happen again.” I finished, as he pulled me tight to his chest and held me close as I sobbed.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Rebecca. I didn’t know. I didn’t understand. I was upset that you were spending so much time with Alex. I was scared you would decide you didn’t want this anymore. I’m so, so sorry. Please forgive me.” Montgomery pleaded, his chin resting on my head as he rubbed my back. After a few moments I looked up at him, my face tear stained and tried to smile at him. Standing on my tip toes, I reached up to kiss his jaw softly.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know. I’m sorry for pushing you away and fighting with you.” I wanted to forget about my feelings again and make up for our fight. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I had a feeling Montgomery would agree. I kissed down his neck and found that spot behind his ear, when he suddenly picked me up and sat me on the counter, knocking over my long-forgotten glass of wine. I stopped kissing him long enough to pull off my shirt and struggle with his. Once they were off, he mirrored my previous actions on me. As he kissed down my neck, nipping and sucking certain places, I heard the door unlock and open. Freezing, he stopped kissing me and we both turned, seeing Zach standing there. He must have been coming to check that I wasn’t drinking myself into a stupor or something equally reckless. I had forgotten I gave him a key to the house. Zach’s jaw was almost hitting the floor due to his shock. We all stared at each other, frozen and unable to move. His eyes were constantly moving between Montgomery, myself, and trying to avoid looking at my state of undress, but his eyes were drawn to our states as he put the pieces together.

[khalessi34]

Mr. Sandman (Steve Rogers x Reader!)

Summary: Steve Rogers meets a man with an offer he somehow can’t refuse. 

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader!

Warning: Swearing, I think? Lol’s 

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Steve Rogers leaned against the bar never taking his eyes off his friends, Tony slapping Bucky’s back as the soldier shifted uncomfortably under the billionaire. Natasha sitting beside Bruce watching the interaction as even more people shuffled onto the penthouse above the Avengers tower, some charity event he thought. A small clink of glass took his attention turning around he found the brown drink waiting patiently for him, hesitating for a moment he swung the bitter alcohol down his throat. 

“Captain America!” His head snapped over to the side watching a man with a mop of black hair and gray eyes stumbling his way, “My, my if it isn’t my lucky day to spot the man the myth, the legend!” He slapped the super soldiers back ignoring the slight glare the man gave him, “Why are you ever so alone?” 

“Are you okay sir?” The man furrowed his brows for a moment before a sly smirk made its way onto his face almost lazily, “Are you?” 

“As much as I’d like to answer that question I’m not here for me, I’m here for you!” His hand rested under his chin and his grey eyes took in the man, dirty blond hair matching his beard and blue eyes like the sky. Why this man was still single troubled the younger man to dismay. 

“Maybe you should go sit down,” Steve bit the inside of his cheek glancing sideways at the man who continued with the sly smirk, “You’re not gonna stop, are you?” 

“Nope” He popped the p taking a swing of his drink which somehow the Captain hadn’t noticed he had ordered, “Look, Mr. Rogers, I am what some people call a genie or devil or whatever it is you want.” 

“Are you?” Blue eyes met grey as he glared even more, “The devil?” 

“Depends on what you’re willing to wish for.” The smirk turned into a bright smile as the man looked around the room before leaning into the man's ear, “I can help you, Mr. Rogers, would you like to go back to Miss Carter?” Steve stiffened clenching his jaw narrowing his eyes, “Or would you rather I prevent the falling of dear Mr. Barnes that fateful day?” 

“You have 5 seconds to leave this building before I make you leave.” The black haired man threw his hands up in surrender taking half a step back. 

“I’m just trying to figure you out, Mr. Rogers, I am trying to help you become less lonely in this,” He waved at the mingling people around them, “Era that you seem to loath to be in.” A pause, “Let me help you make you happy.” 

“If this is some sick joke I won’t be part of it,” Steve hissed standing straighter but the man only sighed leaning over the counter, “Who put you up to this?” 

“Fate.” He mumbled taking another sip of his drink, “She can be a real bitch sometimes you know? ‘Go, Monty, go help the people’ and I’m like ‘Why? I’m bored out of my mind but you know, exercise is not for me.” Monty, that was his name, it wasn’t familiar with the captain but most of these people were unfamiliar to him either way. 

“I told you to leave the building,” Steve gripped his shirt yanking him up to his feet but it didn’t seem to bother him the slightest. 

“Alright, I’ll leave this damn party but you have to tell me what you want Steve, I can’t help you until you tell me the deepest darkest desires you’ve always wanted.” The super soldier stopped for a moment, what would be the harm in telling this man something, anything at all. Would it really be harmful to ask for such a thing? “That's it, go on Steve, tell me what you wish for.” 

“I...” 

“Oh, and before you wish for anything you have to say, Mr. Sandman, don’t ask its part of my contract.” Steve clenched his jaw tightening his grip on his shirt before something stopped him, what did he really want? Did he want to go back to Peggy or stop Bucky from becoming the Winter Soldier, did he want to go back to a skinny little kid in Brooklyn and forget being Captain America? 

What did he really want? 

“Mr. Sandman,” He whispered staring into Monty’s eyes ignoring the delevish smile he gave him, “Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, make her the cutest that I've ever seen,” Monty cocked his head to the side watching the blond man glance at the ground, “Give her two lips like roses in clover..then tell her that her lonely nights are over..” His voice cracked as he continued to sing the song, “Sandman, I’m so alone, don’t have nobody to call my own..” 

Steve glanced up but found no one, he had vanished, anger fell to the pit of his stomach as he realized he had foolishly opened up to a stranger. He felt used and stupid and as he began to turn around he felt someone bump into him, you. 

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“Come on (y/n)! Those people aren’t going to serve themselves!” You ducked your head under the arm of another waiter almost dropping the expensive dish worth more than your rent. 

“Yes Mr. Hans, it won’t happen again Mr. Hans.” You smiled apologetically running back into the party trying hard not to trip as you walked around. 

Ever since you got this job 2 months ago you had felt like life wasn’t giving you a break, always throwing curveballs trying to trip you. It was even worse when you had to train as a waiter hoping somehow you’d raise enough money to pay for your college tuition. As if life couldn’t have been worse you felt your entire body suddenly stop, something was calling out to you, a soft melodic voice urging you to stop. Scoffing at your imagination you swung around too quickly and bumped yourself against a brick wall but this wall suddenly reached out to you.  

“Oh my God! I am so fucking sorry! I didn’t mean to..” You trailed off as your eyes suddenly rose to his face, oh god why me? staring back at you was Steve Fucking Rogers, “Mister Rogers, sir, Captain, sir, I am, oh god, please don’t fire me.” His brows furrowed in confusion until he looked down and noticed his shirt was covered in thick soup. 

“(y/n)!” Your eyes widened at the sound of your name, your supervisor stomped over to you, a scowl etched on his face, “How dare you?! I told you not to fuck up and this is what you do?! Well, guess what? You’re fired!” A small whimper left your throat and instead of crying, you gripped the dark jacket of the uniform. 

“Oh yeah? Well, I quit so you can’t fire me!” You threw the jacket at his fuming face throwing your hands up and flipping him off but before you could walk away strong hands gripped your wrist. 

“It wasn’t their fault, I was the one who bumped into them.” Both your head and your supervisors finally noticed the tall man covered in soup, your features pulled back into a slight frown, “I’m sure you wouldn't want to fire someone over a mistake that wasn't theirs?” 

“Mister Rogers, sir, you shouldn’t want to protect a silly waiter?” You scoffed loudly and you now noticed the bundle of people making their way over to discussion, one of them being Tony Stark. 

“Like the man said, it wasn’t their fault.” Tony’s voice held a firmness most people wouldn’t have heard as they gawked in admiration, you being one of them. You honestly did not expect your day to be like this, having Captain America and Iron Man defend you with such determination, “Is this really how you treat your employees? Embarrassing them in front of customers because if so then someone should fire you.” His eyes turned on you and studied you for a second, “Kid you want a new job?” 

The question took you by surprise that you somehow felt your head bobbing quickly making the older man smirk before turning to your supervisor. 

“There you have it champ, she’s with me so why don’t you leave my building?” Mr. Hans fumbled over his words then turned around running into the kitchen leaving silence in his wake, “Is this a party or what?!” The rest of the guests clapped loudly allowing the music to resume blasting through the speakers. 

“You okay?” A gruff voice suddenly reminded you of what had gotten you into this situation, “Is there anything I can do for you?” 

“I..What? I’m the one who dropped soup on you.” Steve Rogers shrugged picking up the bowl and placing it on the bar counter, “ I really am sorry for what happened.” 

“Don’t be, at least this got you a new job.” He chuckled deeply sending your heart pounding in your chest, “Want a drink?” Your eyes met his and somehow you felt better, the soft hue of blue gave you comfort, maybe this odd turn of events wasn’t so bad. 

“Yeah, why not?” Both of you smiled at each other staying close throughout the rest of the party unknown to you the mop of black hair and grey eyes that watched you. 

Mr. Sandman bring me a dream...

[johnmurphysass]

The 100 Ask Game

I was tagged by @thelittlefanpire @mamabearsdontthink @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold

1. What Station on the Ark would you be from?

This is a hard one. I don’t really know which one I would belong in. I mean I can be cocky and say that I belong in Alpha just based on my leadership role as a supervisor. Or I can go with the less cocky answer and say Factory station because of my time helping others.

2. What would you get arrested for on the Ark?

I would get arrested for being one of the ones that steals to help others.

3. Would you take off your wristband when you landed on the ground?

Depends on how serious my crime is and if they need to know that I’m alive. Okay let’s be real here for a second...if Bellamy Blake asked me to take it off the wristband it’s going in the pile with the rest.

4. What would the necklace Finn would make for you look like? (Clarke: deer/Raven: a raven duh..)

I think a cat

5. If you could resurrect any MINOR character who would it be?

Oh boy that would be a hard one to answer...Wells or Roan but I don’t think that Roan counts as a minor character.

6. Create a squad of 5 characters to go on missions with. Who are they?

Clarke, Bellamy, Murphy, Raven, and Monty.

7. What Grounder Clan would you belong to you?

I would probably belong to Flokru just because of their peaceful nature

8. What would your name be in Trigedasleng? (example: Octavia=Okteivia…just make it up!)

Tricia=Treesha (I really don’t think that looks right)

9. Thoughts on Finn? Some people hate him, and others love him, so I’m curious

You know in the beginning I didn’t mind him and when I say that it was definitely the few episodes before Raven came down. Then he became an irritating mess that just needed to go.

10. Be honest. How willing would you have been to take the chip without knowing all the horrible things it does?

Oh man I probably would’ve just to be like the cool kids and not have to deal with everything that I have going on but then again there is the whole unknown that I couldn’t handle. So probably not

11. What character do you relate to most?

John Murphy. Alright, Alright pick your jaws up off the floor. I relate to him on so many levels. There are a lot of things in my background that give me the ability to understand him. I am in a good place mentally and emotionally but that wasn’t always the case. 

12. What character do you like the least?

Echo...I just have no use for her. Also just an FYI my dislike for TT bleeds into my dislike for Echo not the other way around. 

13. Describe your delinquent outfit. (Would you wear something like Murphy’s jacket with the spikey red shoulder patch or have a trademark like Jasper’s goggles? Be creative, yet practical)

I’m wearing black leggings, combat boots, dark grey henley that is over sized. I would probably have a signature jacket of some kind. Probably more like a zip up hoodie or a pull over. I mean that is basically what I wear everyday. 

14. Favorite type of mutant animal?

Those butterflies are beyond beautiful. 

15. What would your job be on the Ark?

I would be a social worker or counselor

16. Would you have willingly pumped Ontari’s heart if Abby asked?

For Clarke absolutely. If Abby just needed me to probably not. 

17. If Lexa wasn’t Heda, but she was still alive then who would have made the best commander?

Roan

18. How would you act if you ate the hallucinogenic nuts like Jasper and Monty?

My lazy ass would just sit there and just ride the trip

19. How would you have dealt with Charlotte’s crime? A more John Murphy approach or Bellamy Blake approach?

I would probably approach it like John Murphy because I am prone to rash decisions.

20. Who should have been the Chancellor, if anyone?

I don’t like the idea of Chancellors but I think that Clarke and Bellamy have the capacity to lead together.

21. Would you have been on Pike’s side like Bellamy or on Kane’s side? Or Clarke in Polis?

I would probably be Clarke in Polis, advocating for the entire group. 

22. Mount Weather had a lot of modern commodities. (example: Maya’s Ipod) What is the one thing you would snatch while there?

Books that people only ever talked about but that I could finally read.

23. What would your Grounder tattoos look like? Hairstyle? War paint?

I would be covered in tattoos but they would be tasteful in their design. I definitely could see the tree of life etched on my back with stars flowing down my arms. I would probably have my hair braided to keep it from becoming a tangled mess of frizzy curls. I don’t think I would have war paint. I don’t like things on my face lol

24. Favorite quote?

“If I’m on that list, you’re on that list” - Bellamy Blake

25. If all of the characters were in the Hunger Games, who would have the best shot at winning?

Octavia

26. Least favorite ship? Favorite canon ship? Favorite non canon ship? NOT INCLUDING CL OR BC OR BE

Least: Kabby

Favorite canon: Marper

Favorite non-canon: Murven 

27. A song that should be included in the next season? If there had to be another guest star like Shawn Mendes on the show, who would you want to make a cameo?

Where We Are by Billie the Kid. And I think that I would love to see Hozier on the show to make a cameo

28. What would you do if you were stuck in the bunker with Murphy for all that time?

Oh boy that’s a lot to unpack. There would be braiding each other’s hair, talking through trauma, alcoholic mothers, singing, and dancing. It would basically be one giant slumber party where we lot our minds together.

29. Your an extra that gets killed off. How do you die?

I’m getting an arrow to the face.

30. A character you’d like to learn more about and get flashbacks of?

I want more story on Indra and Emori.

31. A character you’d bang?

Ummmmm...the majority of them let’s be real. They’re all gorgeous and fun in their own way. 

32. Would you stay in the Bunker? Go up to Space? Or live on your own in Eden?

Eden

33. In the Bunker, would you follow Octavia? What would you do to pass the time underground?

I think you have to follow her or die. I’m gonna live especially after all the shit from before the bunker. I would probably be making babies and cute ones cause we know I’m good at that one. 

34. What crime would you commit in the Bunker that lands you in the fighting pits?

Having too many babies...

35. Up in Space, who would you bond with first? Who would be the most difficult for you to get along with?

I would be with Murphy. We would take turns on who got the empty side of the ring. Echo would be the most difficult for me to get along with because she shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I will forever be salty about that one.

36. How long do you think you would last on Earth by yourself?

I think that I could last pretty well on my own. I don’t really like being around people and if I don’t have to be even better. I would probably spend my days sleeping and exploring.

37. When the Eligius ship lands what do you do?

Run...always just run

38. Favorite Eligius character? Least favorite?

Diyoza is definitely a favorite. Least favorite would have to be McCreary. 

39. Would you Spacewalk?

Hell fucking yes

40. Would you prefer to eat Windshield Bugs, Space Algae, or Bunker Meat?

Space algae

41. Would you start a war for the last spot of green on earth? What would your solution be to avoid it?

I would find a way to cohesively live together with the prisoners/criminals or find a way to get the Eligius IV logs open

42. Would you rather dig out flesh-eating worms or stick thumb drives into bullet holes?

Have to go with the thumb drives into bullet holes. I would not want to touch those worms or be accidentally killed by them.

43. Are you willing to poison your sister for the Traitor Who You Love? What would you do to stop Octavia?

In a heartbeat if I thought that was the only way to win.

44. Would you go to sleep in cryo or stay awake like Marper?

I would go to sleep like a baby

45. Who are you waking up first to explore the new planet?

I’m taking Clarke, Bellamy, and Murphy..

Tagging: @lieutenantshaw @peterstarkss @nvermindiseeyou @bettsfic @ghoulbrothers @peraltiagosclarke and whoever else wants to do it

[dragonloverdoran]

Struck to the Bone

~2k words, mentions of violence, smol Lief

There are ghosts in Del.

By now, Endon has lost count of the times he has caught a glimpse of familiar palace folk within the city's crowds: a shock of orange hair just like Lady Elisa’s, perhaps, or Captain Jessop’s crooked nose, or Min’s kindly smile.

Oh, he knows they cannot be real. Sharn never notices any of it, and she is much sharper than he is. Barda says that whoever he sees must be distant relatives at best. Neither of them ever manage to hide their concerned looks quite well enough.

Besides, in his dreams he watches his people sprawled out on the palace tiles, life draining out of them in rivers of red. He sees their shattered tools and instruments and weapons, and he hears their desperate warnings to a king who has already abandoned them. It is only when the warnings turn to curses that he can awake, a weight in his heart telling him his dreams are true to the bitter end. 

In this way, he reminds himself that these ghosts are nothing more than illusions, mere tricks of a guilty mind. It doesn’t stop them in the least.

An execution, the Grey Guards shout, their fists thundering against the forgehouse door. Come to the palace to witness our first midwinter execution! Entertainment for all the family!

A chill seeps into Endon's soul. Braced against the other side of the door, he waits until the raucous laughter fades down the street, reaching for his coat only when he is sure the Guards will not batter down the timbers. Sharn has already passed Lief his thick jacket and a knitted hat. 

Once the boy is bundled up, Endon places his hands on his son's shoulders. “Listen closely, Lief,” he says, willing his voice not to shake. If he panics, he cannot expect his son to stay calm either. “You have grown much since the last execution. You are now tall enough to be able to see the event without being on my shoulders. That means you must stand on your own, near the front, and the Grey Guards will hold you responsible if you happen to catch their eye.”

The words taste like ash in Endon’s mouth. No child should have to be told such things; no child should even know of the kind of evil that the Grey Guards wreak in the heart of the city. But having spent all nine years of his life under the reign of the Shadow Lord, Lief is already far too familiar with the process of public execution. He nods solemnly.

“Do you remember the rules?” asks Endon.

Lief begins to fidget. “Keep your head down,” he murmurs. “Face the platform. Stay silent, no matter what you see.” 

Three simple rules. Not unlike the ones in the forge, which Lief can rattle off with the speed of an auctioneer, and which are just as vital in keeping him safe. Endon breathes a sigh of relief and releases the boy.  

But after he takes the keys off the hook, Endon turns to see Lief’s cheeks flushed red, words tumbling out as quick and sudden as the tears in his eyes. “Father, I’m going to bring Monty along. I know I’m too old to play with him and he’s balding and needs repairs and I should have fixed him up ages ago, but no one will see, and no, I’m not going to say why I need him and I don’t care what you think about it.” Lief folds his arms, mouth turned sharply downward.

Endon pauses, not knowing how to reply. What has he done, he wonders, to make Lief think he would disapprove of a child’s fear, especially now? He wants to tell him that he is the last person who can demand bravery, but speaking of that would not help at all. Instead, he kneels down and embraces his son.

While Lief weeps into his collar, Endon looks around for Monty. A charming little thing despite its loose threads and rough patches, the toy kin has never been too far away. Sharn, ever-knowing, disappears into the bedroom, emerging a few seconds later with Monty in hand. Letting go of his father, Lief snatches up the furry creature and stuffs it awkwardly into his pocket, his cheeks still burning.

Sharn tuts gently, sounding almost calm. Endon knows better. Her rueful smile is tight, and as she does up her coat buttons he can see how white her knuckles are. He has learnt long ago that if his strong, courageous wife is afraid, then he has no chance at keeping the fear at bay.

“Soon it will be over,” he says. 

It is all the comfort he can offer. This time, he cannot keep the crack out of his voice.

In happier, more ignorant times, the stretch between the palace’s great hall and the garden wall was known as the Place of Peace. Magnificent feasts and parties had been held there every other month, weather permitting. Jesters and musicians brought laughter and joy to all in attendance, surrounded by candles so plentiful that it had seemed as though he and Sharn danced among the stars. 

Now, as they enter the Place of Punishment, he clutches at her hand once again. Truth be told, it is a far more apt name than the old one, for the word “peace” is a poor substitution for “easy manipulation of a foolish king”. The high platform that now stands before the people of Del makes no such pretenses about its nature. Adorned with rows of fang-like stakes, previous executions have patterned its wooden slats with layers of red-brown spatter. Bones old and new are strewn around the square, fragments crunching underfoot like gravel. Above it all, the Shadow Lord’s red mark flies high in the sickly air.

“If a tick is tall enough to gawk, they’re tall enough to squawk,” chortles a Grey Guard as they pass. “Hear that, Teak 7? Came up with that one myself. I sure hope someone refuses to watch the show.” He hefts a gigantic club in one hand, and Endon quickly averts his eyes.

All too soon, they are pressed against the backs of the crowd gathering at the foot of the platform. Endon takes a peek at Lief. The boy’s jaw is set, and he has a vice-like grip on Monty, hidden within his pocket. True to the rules, he stares straight ahead before pushing forward and disappearing into the crowd. Beside him, Endon feels Sharn squeeze his hand twice. Our son. She too has seen him go. 

Endon recognises neither the names nor the faces of the condemned. For others, perhaps, that could make it a little easier to watch the agonising deaths unfolding in front of them. They are able to believe that this cannot happen to them, as long as they keep their consciences clean and sufferings silent. It is too late for him. His people are here because of his failures, and a part of him goes with every poor soul slaughtered in his place.

Soon after the executions are complete, a tug at his sleeve announces Lief’s return. The poor boy looks about as ready to faint as Endon feels. “Mother, Father,” he whispers, “I dropped Monty somewhere near the front. I’m going back to get him, but you have to come with me. Please?”

Startled, Endon turns to Sharn.

“Well, let's go,” she says quietly, her mouth forming into a thin line. “Even the Guards have had their bloodlust sated for today.”

She is right, as always. Most of the Guards are busy directing cleanup and traffic. The rest are clumped in groups, discussing the details of the killings with schoolboy enthusiasm. Either way, none of them are paying real attention to the citizens, who are leaving as eagerly as they dare. He glances at Sharn again. She nods, so he takes a deep breath and follows their son. 

Pushing through the throng, Endon cannot help but feel like a fish swimming upstream through the River Del. Where Lief is able to squeeze between people with ease, and Sharn with only a little more effort, he is jostled left and right, his bulk hampering his progress. Using more force, he quickly finds, does nothing but yield him angry looks. With every second that passes, the others get further and further away.

He is midway through his umpteenth apology when a peculiar stillness draws his eye. A few paces away, the crowd ebbs and swirls around a lone man, standing nearly a span taller than his neighbours. His nose and mouth are covered with a dull green scarf, and a pale scar winds its way across his cheek from beneath the cloth. Where most have their heads bowed, his is held high and proud, the dark hair tangling about his shoulders his only sign of motion.

Endon blinks, half expecting the man to be seized before his eyes. Armed or not, boldness such as this is beyond foolish. Surely it was obvious that attracting attention here would be rewarded violently, yet the man makes no attempt to blend in. Still, there is something else odd about this man that gives him pause, a half-formed thought evaporating before Endon can properly seize hold of it. His chest tightens. Whatever he has forgotten, it is important. Trying to regain his line of thought, he finds himself pushing closer. At the very least, he should warn him of the danger.

The stranger, Endon surmises, is some kind of seasonal traveller. Besides the ill-informed attitude, the cut and fabric of his clothes are better suited to some thorny path than Del’s cobbled streets. Beneath the dense cloak, the man’s frame is as lean and strong as Endon’s own- fitness greater than the city’s hunger often allows. From this distance, he can guess at the features behind the scarf; a couple of steps more and he can speak to him, even reach out and touch him. 

And then Endon looks at the stranger’s eyes, and he thinks better of it. Dread darting suddenly through his nerves, he sees that there is neither touristic curiosity, nor sadness, nor even fear within them. Nothing but fury, bright and savage, fixated on the Guards as though they could combust with a stare. 

He had been mistaken. This was not the madness of ignorance, but of hate: all-consuming hate, hate that mattered more than love of home, of family, of life itself. Endon had felt echoes of it himself ever since the world ended nearly ten years ago. It was agonising and self-destructive, he knew, but it filled the void left when it seemed all else had been torn away. And even he had been fortunate, for whatever had befallen this man, there was nobody beside him to keep him grounded, as Sharn and Lief did. Nobody to tell him what had happened to the pottery workers, who had been possessed by the same feeling not too long ago. Nobody to prevent him from being a danger to himself and others, a spark waiting to set the forest around him alight.

Endon is backing away when the half-formed recognition returns to him complete. It is as good as a punch to the gut; in an instant, it buckles his knees and squeezes all the air out of his chest. No, it cannot be, he thinks numbly. No, he has never loved anyone who could possibly muster such rage. But, try as he might, he cannot deny that that hair, that build, that proud, stubborn stance, that curve of the nose and those dark, dark eyes are so very much like…

The dear name is on Endon’s lips before he remembers that it is he who wears it now. Heart thudding, he chokes it back. Calling out his own name in the Place of Punishment- what an absurdly stupid way to ensure the Shadow Lord’s eternal rule. He should know by now he cannot trust his own sight, not when it comes to those who had misguidedly cared for the king he had been. But of all the visions he had seen, this one was not so impossible, was it?

Trying to still his racing thoughts, he shuts his eyes and begins to count silently to ten.

“Jarred?”

Endon jolts at Sharn’s voice. The square is clearing, and for a moment he thinks she has seen the man too. But the stranger-who-was-not-a-stranger has vanished, and it is himself that she gazes worriedly at. Without another word, she loops her arm around him, steadying him as she has so many times before. Lief stands nervously behind her, clutching a dusty Monty like a long-lost friend.

Suddenly exhausted, Endon shakes his head and lets it drop.

“I promise I won't lose him again,” mumbles Lief, misunderstanding. He does not take his eyes off his beloved kin.

Endon swallows, trying to push away memories of similar promises he had made and broken a lifetime ago. “I am sure you will not,” he says, and takes Lief’s free hand in his own. 

[bees-for-the-wildmother]

The 100 Ask Game

I was tagged by the wonderful @thehundredtimesobsessed​ forever ago (or what feels like it, but I’m finally getting around to it today.

1. What Station on the Ark would you be from?

Probably Agro. My mom’s side of the family definitely has a green thumb.

2. What would you get arrested for on the Ark?

Umm...theft?

3. Would you take off your wristband when you landed on the ground?

No. No, I would not.

4. What would the Necklace Finn would make for you look like? (Clarke: deer/Raven: a raven duh…)

DRAGON!  Dragons are my favorite.  Followed by red pandas, but I feel like a dragon would be better (I already own a few dragon necklaces).

5. If you could resurrect any MINOR character who would it be?

Roan kom Azgeda - I miss him. <<< Same.  Possibly Wells, but I became much more attached to Roan (probably because he had more episodes)

6. Create a squad by of 5 characters to go on missions with. Who are they?

Bellamy, Clarke, Raven, Monty, and Murphy.  (This was basically pick your five favorite characters for me...)

7. What Grounder Clan would you belong to?

Podakru - the Lake People...I’m just going on that based on where I live, i.e. a place where there are lakes

8.  What would your name be in Trigedasleng? (example: Octavia=Okteivia…just make it up!)

Shilbi, I think that’s what they’d do with it.  I literally looked up to see if they even had a “sh” sound in their language; right when I was about to lose hope and resigning myself to “Silbi” or the like, I found a phrase with “sh”.

9. Thoughts on Finn? Some people hate him, and others love him, so I’m curious

I didn’t like him from the beginning. I didn’t hate him initially, but he got two people killed yet survived his own idiocy or taking off his seat belt. I thought he was going to be a detriment to their survival because he would take stupid unnecessary risks to show off.

10. Be honest. How willing would you have been to take the chip without knowing all the horrible things it does?

Probably not.  My dad yells and me and my mom because we always need answers to motivations and the why of things.  I don’t think I would put something in my body without fully knowing what it is and the ramifications of taking it.

11. What character do you relate to most?

I want to say Harper, but also some Clarke.  In Harper, I see a lot of the traits I like about myself; in Clarke, I see a lot of the traits I don’t like about myself.

12. What character do you like the least?

This is difficult...I feel like it’s a cop out to say one of the villains of the show, but it’d probably be Cage Wallace.  I don’t know who it’d be out of the people who are still alive.

13. Describe your delinquent outfit. (Would you wear something like Murphy’s jacket with the spikey red shoulder patch or have a trademark like Jasper’s goggles? Be creative, yet practical)

Charcoal grey jeans with a forest green v-neck t-shirt that has those criss-crossed strips of fabric, a dark brown leather jacket, and brown combat boots.

14. Favorite type of mutant animal?

...I don’t know...a mutant fox?

15. What would your job be on the Ark?

Probably like historian, archives, or teacher or something (based on my real life career path).

16. Would you have willingly pumped Ontari’s heart if Abby asked?

Yeah, I’d do what I have to.  Probably would be admiring the ceiling as I did it, but I’d do it.

17. If Lexa wasn’t Heda, but she was still alive then who would have made the best commander?

I don’t know.  I feel like it there was a more ruthless, battle ready heda, the 100 (and the rest of the Ark) would have been in a worse position.

Wait! An answer came to me when I was looking at question twenty:  Lincoln!  My friend and I liked to joke that Lincoln was one of the few characters with a head on his shoulders and realistic ideas and expectations for relations.

18. How would you act if you ate the hallucinogenic nuts like Jasper and Monty?

I’d probably just be giggling, at EVERYTHING.

19. How would you have dealt with Charlotte’s crime? A more John Murphy approach or Bellamy Blake approach?

Definitely a more Bellamy Blake approach.

20. Who should have been the Chancellor, if anyone?

Monty.  Monty is another character who had a good head on his shoulders.

21. Would you have been on Pike’s side like Bellamy or on Kane’s side? Or Clarke in Polis?

Kane’s side. No question.

22. Mount Weather had a lot of modern commodities. (example: Maya’s Ipod) What is the one thing you would snatch while there?

Maybe a kindle if they had that.  They probably would have different books than the Ark had, or the grounders.  Give me all the books.

23. What would your Grounder tattoos look like? Hairstyle? War paint?

Probably a couple tribal tattoos on my arms, maybe connecting with something spanning my shoulders and upper back.  Definitely ALL the braids; I already wear braids in my hair a lot, but I think they would just get more intricate for the grounder style. Some nice, swirling black warpaint around my eyes when I have to go to battle.

24. Favorite quote?

For someone who regularly collects quotes (though usually from books), I don’t actually have one.  But a quick internet search and choosing quickly, I’ll say a favorite is, “I say, screw fear. I’m telling my own damn story.” (Bellamy Blake, 1.13). It reminds me a little of my one of my favorite song lyrics, “I’m the hero of the story; don’t need to be saved,” from “Hero” by Regina Spektor, which is actually a pretty decent song for the show.

25. If all of the characters were in the Hunger Games, who would have the best shot at winning?

I’m gonna go with Clarke.  She’s smart and tactical and she does what she has to do. But if it came down to a straight up fight, probably Luna; she’d have the knowledge to survive the land and the talent to survive the fight.

26. Least favorite ship? Favorite canon ship? Favorite non canon ship? NOT INCLUDING CL OR BC OR BE

Miller/Jackson - It just came out of nowhere, with no build up, and I like to see how things unfold, especially relationships, and so I’m being stubborn about them trying to tell me it’s a thing. Zaven - All I wanted was for Raven to finally find someone who could make her happy and show her what she could should have. So, yeah, I’m in denial and not the happiest person right now. (I haven’t even watched the new season yet--I know, I know, I’m a horrible fan, but I was sick and then busy catching up on life--and this is something that got spoiled for me even though I’ve been trying to avoid tumblr for a week; I blame Critical Role for encouraging me to go on Tumblr last Thursday) Minty - I found the ship in fanfiction and jumped on board quickly and happily.

27. A song that should be included in the next season? If there had to be another guest star like Shawn Mendes on the show, who would you want to make a cameo?

I’m going with the song that I actually used as a title to one of my fanfics, “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots. (I also just am bad at knowing songs, so this I’ll stick with what I already know fits with the story)

Celebrities, another of my knowledge downfalls--seriously, if you ever want a guaranteed win in a trivia game against me, go with Pop Culture as the topic.

28. What would you do if you were stuck in the bunker with Murphy for all that time?

Play card games? Drink? There wasn’t a whole lot to do.

29. Your an extra that gets killed off. How do you die?  

You wouldn’t actually see me die, I’d just be one of the bodies bloody and lying on the ground.

30. A character you’d like to learn more about and get flashbacks of?

I think it’s actually Echo and/or Emori, both would be best; I’m curious about everyday life on the ground before the timeline of the show.

31. A character you’d bang?

Can I say all of them? If I have to select someone I‘d choose Bellamy, Clarke, Raven, or Roan. Basically the same answer as Toni.  Ooo, I’m adding Lincoln to the list, too.

32. Would you stay in the Bunker? Go up to Space? Or live on your own in Eden?

Assuming I could survive it (nightblood), Eden. I need my green and I don’t mind being alone, though I’d probably still talk to the radio or the animals or plants.

33. In the Bunker, would you follow Octavia? What would you do to pass the time underground?

Yup. I’m a follower.  Read, draw, think up stories.

34. What crime would you commit in the Bunker that lands you in the fighting pits?

These questions keep asking me questions with the assumption that I am not Lawful Good down to my core.  I have no idea what law/rule I would willfully break and what the circumstances would have to be for me to do it.

35. Up in Space, who would you bond with first? Who would be the most difficult for you to get along with?

Harper, no doubt about it. Probably more so Murphy wouldn’t get along with me.  He’d catch me making a face at something he said, and I didn’t honestly mean anything by it, my face just reacts, and he’d hold a grudge against me for a while.

36. How long do you think you would last on Earth by yourself?

If I had survival skills (know what to eat, how to find it, etc.) probably a long time. If I tried it at this exact moment, not very long at all.

37. When the Eligius ship lands what do you do?

Run, hide, observe, freak out. I don’t know.

38. Favorite Eligius character? Least favorite?

Shaw.  (Why must all the good ones go?) Vinson, he was creepy AF.

39. Would you Spacewalk?

Assuming I could do it when it wasn’t illegal, yeah!

40. Would you prefer to eat Windshield Bugs, Space Algae, or Bunker Meat?

Windshield bugs. I was about to say Space Algae, but then I thought about the texture it’d be, and I’m pretty sure it’d be the texture that makes me gag when I try to eat it.

41. Would you start a war for the last spot of green on earth? What would your solution be to avoid it?

Yeah no, I don’t want to go to war.  I would try to work out a way to share it.

42. Would you rather dig out flesh-eating worms or stick thumb drives into bullet holes?

I think I’d stick a thumb drive into a bullet hole.  The first is turning my stomach to think about, but somehow the second isn’t doing the same.

43. Are you willing to poison your sister for the Traitor Who You Love? What would you do to stop Octavia?

 Gut reaction against it, but that’s because I love my sister and she’s the sweetest.  But if she did what Octavia did and had that personality, probably, as long as I knew she wouldn’t be killed by it. What they did seemed to work...?

44. Would you go to sleep in cryo or stay awake like Marper?

Sleep in cryo.

45. Who are you waking up first to explore the new planet?

Clarke and Bellamy, Raven and Shaw, Murphy and Miller. <<Same, probably Emori too, she’s resourceful. 

I’m not gonna tag anyone because chances are they already did this while I’ve been avoiding Tumblr and so I missed their answers. But if anyone hasn’t done this and wants to, please tag me in your post!  I want to see what other people have to say!

[aroaceassociates]

VFD LGBTQ+ Headcanons

Happy Pride Month to all of my LGBTQ+ followers. When you think of how far you have to go, remember how far you’ve come, and all those who came before you. Whether you’re out or not, you’ve made it here, and you should be proud of that. 

In celebration of this month, I’d like to present some headcanons and thoughts on Lemony’s generation of VFD, back when they were in training. As usual, I’m mostly focusing on the book versions of characters, although I included Jacquelyn because...why not? (I think I’ll probably do similar posts about the younger ASoUE generation, as well as the citizens of Stain’d-by-the-Sea, at some point later this month.)

VFD has a reputation of being generally pretty good when it comes to LGBTQ+ things—its members operate primarily outside of whatever society they happened to be stationed in, so this tends to be true regardless of the branch

So back in the days when Lemony’s generation were still undergoing their training, VFD HQ in the City was a safe place in more ways than one

Lemony may never have met Qwerty before his apprenticeship, but some of the older members of that group did—Gregor, Ish, the Denouements, Jacques and Kit

Dashiell Qwerty, who was always open about his orientation and gender, who wore pronoun pins (he/him/his or they/them/theirs) and pride buttons (aromantic, bisexual) on his jacket, who did a lot of work in educating people both within VFD and without about LGBTQ+ identities and community issues

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gregor, Kit, and Frank, who grew up with Qwerty as a role model, were the first in their generation of involuntary volunteers to start questioning

Gregor (trans guy) and Kit (pansexual) figured things out when they were fairly young, even if it took a little more time and research for them to find the right words; Frank continued questioning for years to come, but eventually became alright with not knowing—he was never as quick to label and categorize things as his brothers were

VFD raised neophytes and apprentices to seek out information; as the older members of the generation became teenagers, more of them did just that

Kit, who had learned early on that she liked people regardless of gender, took it upon herself to become an expert on LGBTQ+ terms so that she could help support her friends (and her brothers—she was the one to suggest that Jacques look into aromanticism and asexuality)

Dewey, Jacques, Miranda, and Gregor worked to expand the VFD library to include more materials on LGBTQ+ identities and history

By the time the slightly younger volunteers (Beatrice, R, Lemony, Josephine, Monty, Sally, Hector, Olivia, etc.) started looking more into LGBTQ+ orientations and identities, their branch of VFD had a fairly strong support network in place

Of their circle, R was the first to come out (first as a lesbian, later as grey-ace as well), followed by Monty (aroace)

Beatrice and Josephine came out at the same time, because Beatrice told her friends that she was bisexual and Josephine was surprised into immediately reacting with “wait, so am I!”

The next round of VFD kids to grow up (Gustav, Larry, Jacquelyn, etc.) looked up to all of them the same way the older ones once looked up to Qwerty

Kit was still the one to go to if you were looking for broad information, but since she often wasn’t around, Beatrice or Hector were always willing to help

The same was true of Bertrand after he joined; he’d also help you write love poems (platonic or romantic or whatever) in exchange for a high-five

Georgina Orwell came so close to asking him to help her write one for Josephine when she had a crush on her but just...couldn’t bring herself to do it. The price was too high.

Dewey and Jacques were the experts on LGBTQ+ history, and could (and would) tell you about anything from City protests to political movements to prominent LGBTQ+ figures from centuries past

Monty, Hector, Thursday, and Lizzie (Lizzie Haines absolutely joined VFD in the years after ATWQ, just on account of who she is as a person) did a lot of work in intersectional issues, specifically in providing support and information for LGBTQ+ people of color and neurodivergent and disabled volunteers

Gustav worked with them on their various projects once he was older

They also focused on furthering LGBTQ+ rights outside of VFD

On a similar note (even if she didn’t join VFD until during the events of ASoUE), Justice Strauss pushed LGBTQ+ issues throughout her legal career, although it wasn’t until later in life that she started questioning her own gender and orientation

Because of the constant relocating the VFD members went through, as well as the flammability of material belongings, most of them didn’t have many possessions growing up, but amidst worn copies of books packed tightly into small suitcases were more than a few pride pins, flags, etc.

Other volunteers made due with nail polish in flag colors; at least one of those who volunteered at an older age opted to get the VFD eye tattoo in a rainbow color scheme instead of the standard black

It was probably Lizzie Haines

When the City started hosting pride celebrations, volunteers from both side of the scism showed up, and there was always a sort of mutual truce until it was over

The same went for protests

As they got older, drifting apart and back together, all of them took comfort in exchanged letters, coded messages, and other reminders that they were not alone, as members of both a secret organization and the LGBTQ+ community

[scyre]

ayy its ya girl c! i’ve done up a little draft with the slight changes that were made now that we’re living in the moden au!! please read more for ... more.

DESMOND SAYRE

monty might not love social media and technological advances but they changed his life. his family still sucked, always grasping for power and rejecting change, but at least he didn’t feel as alone... not when he could text his friends and get immediate answers back from them. not having the time to dwell and sink in self pity really helped him.

ya boy also didn’t have to live his life thinking something was wrong with him bc he wasn’t sexually attracted to people like he was supposed to. he had access to google, he learned what asexuality and the spectrum was, and he knew more about himself and didn’t have to just ... not know.  i think this made him sleep around less, get to know people a bit more, and while he’s still not an open kind of guy he didn’t really date much. it did however mean he stayed with laurel way longer than he should have... put up with way more crazy than he would have in the past.  

he has instagram but never posts. seriously, he has one post from a year ago. he does like things though and is always commenting on posts. sometimes nice, sometimes not. he doesn’t have facebook, twitter, youtube, or snapchat. he thinks the snapchat filters are dumb and ruin perfectly good pictures. he also hates selfies and thinks they’re dumb.  why does he even have insta? it’s probably the only way to stay up to date on hogwarts gossip. 

i do think because everything online can be so negative, and escalate so quickly, monty never would have came out and admitted that he was bisexual/demisexual except to the people he’s told in canon. it’s still something he plans on taking to his grave and obliviating out of anyone who knew.  the gay shame is real. get a grip boy.  

i think he’s definitely got the aesthetic of like... the guy with gauges in his ears, maybe he has his eyebrow pierced, and he definitely still has the nipple piercing. i think he probably has more tattoos, exclusively wears leather jackets, combat boots, and ripped jeans, and wears a lot of plain colored shirts or black shirts. he still loves black. he will always love black. he wears a lot of it. 

he hasn’t appropriated a lot of muggle culture into his day to day. i feel like he only got a phone in the last year and is awful at remembering to check it.  it’s probably an older model too because he didn’t care what they gave him and it’s slate grey with no case because he lives on the edge. yolo.  he doesn’t have any muggle cars or anything like that but he definitely has a netflix account and television because why not.  his favorite show would probably be something like the good place.

ya boy still flunked out of hogwarts because that’s just how his life goes. he’s repeating his final year and you bet ya ass people tweeted about THAT for awhile. we love vague tweeting.  

PHOENIX VASQUEZ

phoenix’s childhood is still relatively the same; he was adopted by the vasquez family. however, adopting wasn’t as easy as it had been back in the day because lycanthropy wasn’t as frowned upon in this decade as it would have been before. while people didn’t love it, it wasn’t something that meant no other family was interested, or other people weren’t willing to bend red tape.  which means nix didn’t move around as much as a kid because his parents were able to keep working at their jobs in the states!! they only moved to the UK when he was fifteen as his grandmother was sick.  so basically he moved to and started going to hogwarts in year 5 instead of year 1.  

personality wise, nix is very similar. he’s still very awkward, very quiet, and is a genuinely nice person to everyone he meets. he’s more often about his lycanthropy as his parents never begged him to keep it a secret and it’s not uncommon for him to be making werewolf jokes at his own expense. he thinks it’s funny. 

technology!! nix loves snapchat. he’s not huge on technology bc he’s kind of a hipster -- he still uses ballpoint pens and notebooks, doesn’t own a computer and only has a dinky phone that texts and calls. no data. he can only use snapchat when he’s near a wifi hotspot so you’ll sometimes see him getting frustrated with his phone when it starts buffering and flopping. he DOES borrow a friend’s computer to upload podcasts though because he’s a podcaster!!!  he has a podcast called ‘howlcast’ and he does reviews of mainstream media depictions of werewolves and compares them to the reality. he also interviews lycanthropy specialists, advocates, and famous lycanthropes to talk about the werewolf experience. he kind of loves it?? he puts out an episode a week and does a Q&A on twitter straight after the episode goes up for any fans of the podcast. 

nix doesn’t have a luxury broom or any of those fancy toys that the rich kids usually sport. he likes his regular ‘ol magical broomstick and doesn’t think a suped up car is something that he needs in his life. he good. 

modern 2018 phoenix also died his hair a bluey teal color! he thought it was fun and tbh he is living his best life.  

LAUREL DIAN

laurel’s family aspire to be the kardashians.  they have a b level reality show, think something on tlc so they have their little cult following that laurel  l o v e s.   she loves the attention and loves the perks that come with it.  

her aesthetic is probably like.. forever 21 / hipster / hippe chick.  she wears a lot of crop tops, high waisted skirts, floral prints, lace, etc. everything .. and i mean everything ... is accentuated with red lipstick. that’s her aesthetic x 100.  she has an iphone with a bedazzled phone case and probably drives a really compact car.  her broom would be luxury too and she’s definitely on tinder select looking for cute boys (or girls) to bring home with her.  

as for social media.. she has her hand in a lot of different platforms. she prefers facebook over most of the other ones. she also loves pinterest and is always pinning home decor ideas, cooking ideas, etc.  she’s a feminist and sjw when it comes to twitter. it’s not uncommon to see her beefing with someone on twitter because they’re trolling or being rude/racist/sexist/etc.  she loves tearing people a new asshole when they decide to spread their hate online. fuck off trolly boys. 

she’s been in two high profile relationships in her life. the first was with monty sayre and that was a fucking nightmare.  a lot of their relationship was caught on screen and its cringey whenever people tweet her pictures of monty and his new fiancee, or share photos of the two of them from when they were together.  she might have dumped him but that doesn’t mean that she wants to be reminded of it all the time 

she still works with dragons and they are frequently featured on her instagram, snapchat, and on the show.  some of them even have their own little cult followings. its weird but kind of beautiful, 

PIPPA CARSTAIRS

pippa being born in the 2000′s is the best thing that ever happened to her. truly. britney? christina? pink? oh my god she’s living. she loves pop music, loves concerts, and has a passion for professional cheerleading bc it's a legitimate sport now y’all! it’s her dream to be a professional cheerleader. maybe in the magical world if quidditch has them now?? we just dont know. 

her aesthetic is blair waldorf chic. maybe a little more revealing.  she definitely still wears heels, ignores dress codes, and always has her hair straightened perfectly.  she is very very good with makeup -- think contouring and all that jazz.  she looks like a million bucks literlly every day. it’s incredible. 

pippa has a luxury car. i’m thinking it’s probably an suv?? she definitely would want something bigger and not your typical girly girl car.  i’m thinking a black cadillac escalade. she doesn’t have a broom bc she still hates flying and heights. fuck that shit.  as for technology, she’s got it all -- snapchat, twitter, instagram, youtube, etc.  she also definitely has a youtube channel dedicated to beauty tutorials and has thousands of dedicated viewers. she’s done everything from contouring, costume make-up, etc.  her channel is especially popular around halloween as she does a special called ‘the twelve days of pippaween’ where she does different costume makeup every day for 12 days. her most popular to date is ursula from the little mermaid!  she also definitely has the latest iphone, macbook, etc, and it’s probably all rose gold. she’s a rose gold girl. 

currently in the middle of an instagram war with her ex boyfriend. they’re both shady as fuck with their vague posting on finstas and it’s mESSY.  we love a good mess!!!!!   (this good be a good wanted connection if someone wanted to be her messy ex for the AU!!) 

ALARIC ROWLE

i feel like wizards having access to technology changed things significantly for rowle. he was able to track down his birth father’s parents much easier and probably moved back to the UK when he was much younger. he definitely learned more about the war and was drawn into anyone whose narrative reflected what he wanted to hear -- that his parents were martyrs and that the dark lord had been in the right the whole time. 

he definitely kept dueling. when his hand acted up, i think he would have been so desperate to fix it that he would have given into muggle medicines and treatments. he probably wears a splint on his wrist and his wandwork isn’t AS quick as it could be but he’s still one of the top duelists in the country. seriously, ya boy was good. him getting to continue being awesome might make him less of a douche. maybe.  he definitely competes bc glory and loves every minute of it. a rowle who is less grumpy and super cocky? we stan. 

he’s definitely a reddit troll. i feel like there’s a death eaters subreddit or something and he basically lives there and talks to other death eater sympathizers, former, or whatever, and slowly await the return of the ‘great days’.  think alt right but .. y’know magical.. ugly.

he still teaches dada bc initially he needed money to pay off some wicked crazy medical bills for all the specialists and acupuncture and weird shit he did to fix his hands.  even with the money he earns when he’s duelling, he’s in debt up to his ears.

i think he still has the scars that marr his face though bc as much as he will use splints or salves on his hands he is not gonna fucking undergo plastic surgery in the muggle world. he’d rather choke. 

ANSEM WARBECK

ansem warbeck deserves social media. he is living his best life. he is definitely the guy who is constantly using ‘find my iphone’ bc he lost it, has a cracked screen because he forgot to buy the shatterproof screen protector, and changes his netflix password weekly bc he can never remember what it was. he’s also the snapchat king. i’d say he has 100+ streaks with as many people as he can convince to keep it up and he sends angry snaps when you ruin his streaks. they’re like his babies. one time he was running a fever and still managed to make streaks. there’s no excuse. 

he still works as a curse breaker but i feel like he’s really like... stepped up gringott’s social media game. i feel like he took it upon himself to get them an instagram and is always uploading picture of whatever ‘cool’ treasure they can find. griphook keeps telling him they’re going to get robbed if he doesn’t stop bragging but ansem never listens. 

the warbeck family is probably one of the few that have not acclimated to the technological changes at all. they won’t have anything to do with electricity, social media, or anything of the sort and look down on people that do.  so ansem with his luxury brooms and his waffle iron are basically sacreligious to his family and his mom always cries whenever he talks about these things. it’s a whole Thing and just reinforces that arson is the best and ansem is the Worst. 

[justagirlwritingherlilheartout]

The twin (2)

Summary: One day every teenager imprisoned  on the Ark was send to Earth to see if it was survivable for everyone else. There were exactly 100 of them and they were forced to leave behind everything they knew, their parents and their life and go and live on a planet that everyone thought was unsurvivable because of the  radiation it was exposed to almost a 100 years ago.

Kellina Griffin was one of them, this is their path to a whole new world.

2. Why's that miss Commander

''Here goes nothing.'' Kellina smiled and squeezed Octavia's hand. ''On to a new adventure.'' Octavia agreed and they both smiled as the countdown started.  The journey from the Ark to Earth was short but Adrenalin filled. There were literally people flying in the air, sadly a life was lost because of it.  Once they landed her and Octavia were the first to get out of their seats and ran to the drop-ship's door, where Octavia was reunited with her brother.   This was so surreal for Kellina, seeing the two siblings Mrs. Blake told her so much about.  Life has finally started to look like life again and not just a silhouette of waking up, spending the day in a grey room, going back to bed.  Of course that wasn't all she did, while she was imprisoned, she read books that the guards sneaked in, she sang, she talked to the guards...   It wasn't that bad, it just wasn't a life that anyone would want. ''We have to get to Mouth weather, there's everything we need, we wont be able to survive without the resources that we will be able to find there.'' A blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a worried expression on her face. ''And I'm guessing you're in charge, right princess?'' The long haired guy that sat next to Kellina  on the drop ship said. ''No, but we do need to get there.'' She replayed.  ''Oh I see, Your parents boss around everyone on the Ark and you intend to boss around everyone down here.'' Octavia's brother joined them. ''My mum is a doctor, and my father gave his life for us. All they do is help. And right now we need all the help  we can get.'' The blonde said.  ''Yeah, sure, Griffin, your last name doesn't mean anything down here.'' Bellamy said and walked away.  ''Clarke? Clarke Griffin?'' Kellina  asked shocked, stepping forward.  ''Yeah?'' The girl turned around and looked at her sister, without knowing who she is. ''Oh my god, it's really you.'' Kellina said, fighting back tears.  ''I'm sorry do I know you?'' Clarke asked taking a better look at the girl  in front of her. The girl was shorter than her probably around 5'5" and she had a similar body type to hers.  She had long wavy brown hair with blonde highlights in it. Her eyes were brown and they reminded Clarke of her mother, which she thought was only a coincidence till she looked at the girls smile that resembled her mothers smile exactly. Well the girl in general resembled her mother.  "I'm Kellina.. Griffin." The girl said unsure of herself.  "What? No that's impossible. They said you died before you were born." Clarke said confused, but not able to deny that she looked like a mix of her and her mother.  "I'm pretty alive, last time i cheeked." Kellina cracked a smile. "You are so beautiful. Does your mother look anything like you?" "Thank you, but no she looks nothing like me. You never saw her did you?" Clarke asked sadness in her voice. "Never, well you saw her like for five seconds today but i was in to much shock to register what she looked like." Kellina shrugged. "Well she is pretty similar to you, except taller and with brown hair." Clarke smiled touching her sister hair.  "Really?" Kellina's Eyes sparkled in happiness. "Yeah." Her sister nodded. "Wow i can't believe i have a sister." "It's pretty surreal, isn't it?"  "Surreal is an understatement." They both laughed. As the Griffin sisters, Octavia and a couple other kids who's names Kellina learned were: Jasper, Finn and Monty; decided to go and look for some fresh wather the sisters decided to get to know ech other a little bit better.  "Wait so why were you imprisoned."  Kellina asked. "Trison." Clarke said making her sister raise her eyebrow, urging her to continue. "Our father discovered that there is not a lot of oxygen left on the Ark and he was killed because he wanted to tell that everyone. And i knew as well, so that's why I'm here now."  "Oh, I'm so sorry Clarke."  Kellina said looking at her sister sympathetically. "Yeah, me too." Clark nodded. "We're here!" Octavia shouted as they reached the river. "Who wants to go for a swim?" She asked as she took of her jacket and her pants and ran in to the water laughing. The sight of her left the guys speechless, well not that anyone could blame them, she was gorgeous.  "Octavia! Look out!" Kellina shouted as she saw a huge snake like creature swimming towards her, but she was too late. The creature already garbed her by her leg and started to swim around with her in its mouth.  "Octavia!" Everyone screamed in horror, but Kellina ran to the age of the click and  rolled a big rock in to the Water, hoping it will distract the creature, which it did. It let go of Octavia and the guy named Jasper jumped in and grabbed her, pulling her out to the shore.  Everyone ran to the two, Clarke and Kellina kneeling next to her.  "Are you okay?" Clarke asked as her sister grabbed Octavia's pants from before wrapping them around the wound to stop the bleeding and then grabbing a stick and tiding that to her leg for support as well.  "Okay that should do for now." Kellina said looking up at Octavia. "Thanks, but i thought you were locked up your whole life." Octavia looked confused. "I was... Why?" "Where did you learn that the?" "Your mother was always bringing me books and some of them were medical books, after she stopped coming the Guards snak in books for me to read as well. And i had more than enough time to re read every book at least ten Times, so i guess i did learn something from them." Kellina smiled. "We should probably go now, so you can rest." Everyone agreed and just as they all got up to leave a Spears came out of nowhere and it hit Jasper, making everyone hide.  Looking back they saw that Jasper disappeared. "We have to go, we can come back for him later." Finn urged everyone.  And they took off. Finn helping Octavia and the rest running to the drop ship.  It was already night once they reached the drop ship, which slowly started to look like a base. ''O! What happened? Are you okay?'' Bellamy came running and lifting Octavia. ''I'm fine, I was attacked by this snake thing, and then Jasper saved me and Kellina  took care of my leg.'' Octavia explained. ''Thank you.'' He said turning to Kellina, who just nodded a simple ''No problem.'' ''We need to go and look for Jasper.'' Clarke said, panic in her voice.  ''Not today.'' Bellamy ordered. ''He's hurt we have to help him!'' Clarke insisted.  ''Clarke, I agree with Bellamy, it's night and if we go after him now, we could end up hurt as well. We wait for daylight and then we go and bring him home. Okay?'' Kellina  said her hand on her sisters shoulder, calming her down.  ''Okay.'' She nodded. ''I like the Brunette princess more.'' Bellamy smirked and winked at Kellina. ''She has strategy and well she's not bossy as the Blondie over here.''  ''Careful, Blondie is my sister and me both know where your tent is, you might wanna sleep with an eye open.'' Kellina smirked back. ''Well my tent is always open for you.'' He said his eyes drifting from Kellina to Clarke.  ''Uff, you took that sooo wrong, you sure you're not blonde yourself?'' Kellina  winked back and hooked her arm trough her sisters, before walking away. ''The way you talk reminds me so much of the way our dad used to.'' Clarke smiled a sad smile, which her sister returned.  ''How about we share a tent, we have 17 years of room sharing to make up for.'' Kellina suggested, trying to cheer her sister up.  ''Of course, but don't be annoying.'' Clarke joked. ''What else are little sisters for.'' Next morning Kellina woke up before her sister and went out to get some water and when she returned Clarke was awake as well. ''Oh look the sleeping princess awakens.'' Kellina  smiles. ''Have you been hanging out with Bellamy?'' Clarke playfully glares.  ''Nope, he's all yours.'' Kellina giggled. ''Speaking off, I saw how he was looking at you yesterday. I think he thinks you're hot.''  ''Yeah right.'' Clarke shoved her away before laughing and getting dressed.  ''Well let's let time tell.'' Kellina said before going out of the tent. ''Bellamy!'' Kellina  waved her hand which made the guy walk over to her. ''Yes?'' ''What are we going to do about Jasper?'' ''Well I was thinking of grabbing Murphy  and going to get him, if he's even still alive.''  ''I don't think that'll work.'' Kellina shook her head. ''And why's that miss Commander?'' Bellamy teased. ''Well since you asked so nicely.''  Kellina smiled. ''Neither of you know where he was taken, and as far as I know nor do either of you know how to give him medical attention of you do actually find him.'' ''Okay good point, but I'm not letting you or your sister go alone.'' ''I was not getting at that. I think we do need someone who had some sort of a weapon, so you, since i saw you have a gun.''  ''Oh do the commander and the princess need me as their body guard?'' ''Once again no, and you will not use it, unless it will be absolutely neccecery.'' ''And why's that?'' Bellamy looked confused.  ''Because we don't know what are the people who took him like. They could be just scared or protecting theirselves.'' ''We'll see.'' He agreed, but Kellina  knew he didn't really mean it and she knew she is going to have to keep an eye on him. ''Okay so we leave in 15 minutes, I'll grab Murphy and you grab whoever you need.'' Bellamy decided before they separated.  Fifteen minutes later Bellamy had Murphy by his side and Kellina had Clarke and Finn with her.  ''Why is the sky walker here?'' Murphy asked. ''He wanted to acompanate Clarke.'' Kellina  explained quickly. ''Let's get going now. After walking for a good hour they finaly found Jasper, hanging from a trea, he was hurt annd neather of them knew how to save him. ''Clarke you help me untie him, two of you come bellow us so you can catch him. Okay?'' Kellina came up with a plan on the spot and didn't see the tall glass moving, hinting them that there is something or someone in it.   ''Okay, let's do it.'' The Griffin siblings climbed up and untied Jasper and Murphy and Bellamy caught him. ''Hey look out!'' The sound of Finns voice made them all look at the tall tiger in the grass.  ''Everybody stay where you are!'' Bellamy said reaching for his gun with cat like reflexes but he didn't seem to find it. ''Bellamy! Shoot it!'' Kellina shouted before she heard a gun shot being fired but it didn't came from Bellamy, it came from Finn. ''Finn?'' Clarke panicked as Finn missed his second shot.   ''Finn throw the fucking gun!'' Bellamy shouted as the tiger started to get closer.  But Finn froze. ''God damn it.'' Kellina said to herself and jumped down, making the tiger look at her. She ran to Finn, took the gun from him and threw it to Bellamy. And it that moment the tiger jumped on Kellina and Finn who stood behind her.  They all thought the two of them were dead, but the tiger did not move an inch after he landed on top of them. Filled with the Adrenalin, no-one noticed that Bellamy had shot the wild cat mid-air. ''Thank you.'' Kellina said after Bellamy helped her up. ''No problem, just humbly serving my commander.'' He joked.  ''Well I guess we have dinner now.'' Clarke joined them with a smile.  ''This is going to be a feast!'' Kellina smiled, before turning to the rest of them.  ''Okay, someone has to carry Jasper and the rest of us have to carry the tiger. Any volunteers?'' Kellina asked looking around. ''I-'' Finn opened his mouth, but Kellina cut him off. ''No, you have no say in this! You'll carry the tiger, I wont let you put more lifes at risk.''  .

Request here!

Masterlist here! AN: Hey guys, hope you like this story, I know it's not much, yet. But I do really enjoy writing it.  ps: I'm changing a cupple of scenarios, hope you don't mind too much. as always please tell me what you think. Love you all

[ncfn]

Nothing Comes from Nothing Part 5: Excerpt

“David, I’m pulling up to Regina’s now. I’ll talk to you later. Love you,” Mary Margaret said with a smile before ending the call and tossing her cellphone into her purse. Slowly, she pulled her Jeep Grand Wagoneer into the relatively snow-free driveway. Hopping out of her car, she quickly retrieved a pot of chili from the backseat floorboard and briskly walked toward the house. She smiled friendly enough at the two men loitering under the breezeway between the house and the garage, sharing what looked like a cigarette. Without a fuss, she entered the house. Stomping her booted feet on throw rug in the mudroom, she quickly traversed the short hall and slipped into the kitchen. Upon seeing her daughter, her smile became genuine, again. “Hey, Emma, I didn’t think you’d still be up after your doctor’s appointment this morning.”

Startled by her mother’s sudden appearance, the blonde closed the pantry door. “Hey,” she greeted, wandering toward the large pot being placed on the stove. “I just got a new cast,” she explained, lifting her right arm slightly. It hurt but was bearable.

“That’s a good thing, right?” the brunette inquired as she turned on the stove. “I made chili for everyone,” she stated proudly as she adjusted the gas to the desired temperature for reheating.

Emma deflated slightly at the mention of chili, remembering her mother’s last attempt at making it. Maybe she could pawn it off on the guys Monty posted around the house. “Well,” she said, feigning interest in the chili by lifting the pot lid, “I don’t have to wear a trash bag when I shower, anymore.” She flashed a goofy smile while putting down the lid. “I’ve been downsized to a store bag!” She pointed at her right arm. The fresh cast was only half the size of the old one. No more sling pinching her neck was also a very good thing.

“Oh, Emma,” the school teacher sighed, shaking her head. She tentatively reached out and touched the sheriff’s right hand. “Do the pins hurt?” The idea of little pieces of metal purposely put inside her baby was nightmarish. Of course, her daughter’s flippant attitude about the whole procedure didn’t help.

“Not too much, right now,” the blonde replied nonchalantly with a shrug. She didn’t want to give her mother a cause to linger. It always set Regina in a snit.

“Good, good.” Mary Margaret looked around the kitchen. Finding a large spoon stored with several other utensils in crockery on the counter, she went about stirring the chili. She casually asked, “Where’s Regina?”

Cocking an eyebrow, Emma resumed her search for a snack, this time in the refrigerator. “She’s in the living room, torturing Henry by playing a video game.”

“Regina plays games?” the brunette asked with a funny look on her face. She put the spoon down and replaced the lid on the chili. She frowned with keen remembrance of begging her stepmother to play with her when she was still a child. Regina had usually given in to her pleas, but Mary Margaret had trouble believing it of the woman she currently was.

“Yup,” the blonde answered, closing the fridge and grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl on the counter. After a satisfying bite, she chewed until she could talk. “We played Mexican Train for several hours last night.” She took another bite. “They wanted to play Skip-Bo, but I told them no.” She wiggled her right hand’s fingers. Any card game was a pain for the time being.

“Don’t you think you’re getting a little too…,” Mary Margaret started, then paused to collect her thoughts. She took off her gloves. “I don’t know, comfortable with this situation.” She couldn’t deny how content her daughter had seemed since things had settled down after the accident.

Taking another bite of apple, Emma regarded her mother very carefully. They’d been getting along fairly well during her convalescence. After she swallowed, she asked in an even tone, “What do you mean?” If she could get comfortable, shouldn’t she? They were stuck like this, after all—till death, right?

“I’m probably just overreacting, but there’s been talk amongst certain circles about the true nature of your partnership with Regina,” the school teacher hedged gently, not wanting to unduly upset her daughter. She took off her heavy coat and draped it over a stool back. “Not everyone believes you’re bound by a magical tether and that perhaps your relationship revolves more around the . . . romantic.” Holding her hands up, she immediately cut off any impending outrage by her daughter. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Regina being the evil queen, not really, anyway, just more with her being a queen and you being a princess.”

“What the hell, Mary Margaret?” Emma exclaimed incredulously around her bite of apple. “So, are you telling me that the Enchanted Forest is homophobic?” Of course, that would explain the chip on Mulan’s shoulder, but the warrior wasn’t from the forest. Or was she?

“No, that’s not it at all,” the brunette smiled warmly, glad her daughter seemed willing to hear her out. “A majority of people accept that love comes in many guises—True Love, especially—but Royals are sometimes required to make sacrifices for the greater good of the kingdom.” She watched Emma warily. “Marriage has always been a means of maintaining peace throughout the kingdoms. The joining of two houses by blood has solved many problems over the centuries.”

Narrowing her eyes, the blonde stared at her mother for a long moment before saying, “Well, this isn’t the Enchanted Forest, or medieval Europe, or whatever.” She shook her head and took another bite. “Not that I’m surprised,” she muttered, vaguely remembering snippets from a long ago college history class, from the History Channel or maybe from some movie…. Swallowing, she didn’t hold back her ire. “So, is that how the royals justify being assholes? Is there some sort of socioeconomic guide to bigotry?”

“Emma!” Mary Margaret chided with a hiss. Hiding her honest surprise, she turned to check on the chili, again. It smelled like it was starting to burn. “Every world is plagued with intolerance on some level, but the people of our world take great comfort in the hope of finding True Love.” She paused and smiled wistfully before adding, “The hope of finding happiness is a powerful thing.”

The blonde wasn’t having any of that destiny nonsense. “Don’t tell me you agree with those assholes over at the school.” She still couldn’t believe that the principal had caved and permitted the development of a nobility curriculum. It effectively segregated the children.

Mary Margaret shook her head in denial. “It doesn’t matter what I believe—.”

“Bullshit,” Emma almost snarled, tossing her apple core in the trash. “Those people are just pissed off that they’re not getting their way with the mayoral election.” Royals were for the greater good, yeah right. She pointed angrily at her mother. “You’re a royal,” she accused.

It was no secret that David was tied in second place with Albert Spencer in the paper’s election polls. And the sheriff wasn’t dumb. She saw the disappointed and yearning looks on her father’s face that silently asked her why she hadn’t endorsed him. A part of her believed they would blame her for his loss.

“As are you and Mitchell Herman,” the school teacher snapped back, slamming down the pot lid. She turned and faced her daughter with hands on her hips. “You endorsed him, and he wouldn’t let Sean see Ashley.” Her nostrils flared as she continued, “For all intents and purposes, he sold Alexandria to Gold.”

“It wasn’t like I had a lot of options,” the blonde sneered, rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms and immediately regretted it. The pain was sharp and slightly nauseating, but she didn’t show it. “At least he’s being reasonable and trying to embrace this world’s mentality. He even made Sean get a job at the cannery. It’s not like they can live off taxing the peasants, and he knows it.” With enough experience of being a meal ticket, she wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone and sure as hell wasn’t going to treat another person like one. Unable to keep her arms crossed, she let them drop to her sides and tried to ignore the deep ache in her right wrist.

Shaking her head, the brunette pleaded, “Don’t you see, Sweetheart? That’s part of the reason why we can’t stay here. That’s why we have to go back to the Enchanted Forest. It’s where we belong.” All of this strife was unnecessary and hurtful for everyone. Reaching out, she took a step toward her daughter. “It’s who we are.”

“I can’t live like that,” Emma said, shaking her head and retreating a step back. Her right wrist bumped into the edge of the countertop. She yelped and cradled the cast to her chest, tears welling in her eyes at the sharp pain.

“Oh, Honey,” Mary Margaret cooed. Instantly, she tried to pull her daughter into a hug, but the blonde pulled away, shaking her head.

“I think you should leave now,” a baritone voice instructed from behind them.

Whipping her head around to face the interloper, the school teacher wasn’t expecting to see the intimidating form of Montague Elmwood. She swallowed, noting how his broad, muscular frame filled the doorway. “Monty,” she greeted softly. Hearing running water, she turned to see Emma at the kitchen sink.

The blonde splashed cold water on her face, valiantly refusing to get sick. “Just go,” she rasped. “I’ll text you later.”

Monty lifted his chin and turned sideways. His message was clear.

“Alright,” the brunette sighed, grabbing her discarded apparel. Quickly, she fastened her jacket and slipped on her gloves. She was acutely aware of Monty following her down the short hall into the mudroom and, finally, outside. Fuming all the while, she now allowed herself to get mad. Almost to her Jeep, she spun around and stomped back toward him. How dare he force her away from her own daughter!

Clearly indifferent to her approach, he merely crossed his arms and watched with piercing grey eyes. His cropped, light brown hair moved in the breeze. He stood an imposing figure in the frigid cold in only a flannel, button-down shirt and faded jeans.

Scowling, Mary Margaret demanded, “What happened to you? You were one of my father’s bravest and noblest soldiers. How could you serve her?” She pointed angrily at the house, no longer concerned with keeping her voice down.

“You should leave, Princess,” Monty repeated the order, turning back toward the house. Using her childhood title was all the respect he would afford Snow White, anymore.

“Don’t walk away from me!” she barked with regal authority, seizing her opportunity for answers. “I am your queen.”

Anger flared as he spun around to face the woman he had come to loathe. “You are not my liege,” he gritted out of clenched jaws, unfolding his arms. However, his fists remained tightly curled. Luckily for her, he made no move to close the distance between them.

Seeing the passion of undying loyalty in his eyes, the school teacher was confused, if not conflicted, by it. “Has she taken your heart?” she whispered in pity.

“I am of free will and clear mind,” Monty intoned, lifting his chin defiantly.

Mary Margaret frowned at the pride she heard in his voice. “This doesn’t make any sense.” She shook her head. “That woman is responsible for killing hundreds of people. Entire villages were murdered, and yet, you choose to blindly follow her.”

“Don’t mistake my devotion to Her Highness for blind obedience,” he quietly corrected. Facing her fully, he decided to entertain this conversation, but he remained mindful not to betray his queen’s confidences. “Death was unavoidable, but some were offered a choice.”

“A choice,” Mary Margaret scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Death by either sword or axe isn’t much of a choice. She killed people for being kind to me.” There was no coming back from murder, and now, Regina was magically tethered to her daughter, tainting her.

Tilting his head slightly, Monty regarded her curiously for a moment. “And you believe yourself above the mantle of a killer?” he questioned. “You sought refuge amongst those people. You allowed them to welcome you into their homes.” He almost felt sorry for her sheltered naivety. He thought the years living as a wanted criminal amongst the common folk beyond the Dark Forest would’ve shattered her privileged worldview. But clearly, he had anticipated far too much. Probing further, he asked, “What did you expect to happen after she sent a huntsman to kill you? Those people didn’t die for their kindness. They died because they disobeyed a royal decree and for harboring a known and wanted fugitive.”

With a furrowed brow, she answered, “I didn’t think she’d aimlessly kill people.” Mary Margaret continued in a condescending tone, “Of course, she did kill my father.” Pausing briefly, her anger flared again. “He was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die.” The pain over the loss of her parents bubbled up from deep inside her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she unflinchingly met Monty’s scrutinizing gaze. “My parents were good people, and they ruled their kingdom fairly and justly.”

“Then, Princess, you truly had no idea of what happened within your own home,” he replied. His voice took on a cold, hard edge. Turning away, he walked toward the side door and placed a foot on the steps. Opening the door leading into the mudroom, he paused and looked over his shoulder at the school teacher, saying, “You shall not enter this house unannounced again.”

Taken aback, Mary Margaret balled her fists at her sides. Her anger flashed as she immediately replied with, “You won’t keep me from my daughter!” Watching as the door closed, she roughly wiped at the hot tears streaming down her cheeks with the backs of her gloves and ignored the ever present guards with their accusing stares. She quickly got in her Jeep and drove away, all the while praying something could be done to free Emma and save her from that monster posing as a woman.

Monty, who was far less emotional after the short and heated discussion, pursed his lips and gritted his teeth as he returned to the kitchen. His first opportunity to put that privileged, coddled princess in her place had been squandered because his queen, who had teetered on the brink of madness for years, had requested Snow White be left alone for Emma’s sake. He sighed and realized he shouldn’t have even engaged her in conversation. He vowed not to do so again.

Upon seeing the distraught sheriff, his eyes shifted between her and the kitchen windows behind her. “Damn it,” he whispered. It was exactly the type of situation about which his queen had expressly warned him.

Suddenly, Henry bounded into the kitchen, sliding in his socked feet across the tile in front of the fridge. “Just grabbing a soda,” he chirped. Yanking the door open, he quickly spotted the red can of Coke and snatched it. “Mom’s getting ready to kill a dragon!” He slammed the door shut. The contents on the shelves rattled as he bolted back out to the living room.

Cradling her casted wrist to her chest with a small Ziploc of ice, Emma whispered, “Is it true?” She swallowed then cleared her throat. “What you and Mary Margaret were talking about?”

“Partly,” Monty answered uneasily, finding it hard to read the blonde. Twisting to look down the hall and, not seeing the boy, he took a hesitant step further inside the kitchen, keeping the island between them. “You have to understand, she’s not the same person, anymore.” He glanced around the room. “This place,” he nodded toward the living room, “that boy, have been good for her.”

“Yeah, I get that,” she admitted, biting her lip. When she saw Elmwood visibly relax, she firmly asked again, “But is it true?”

“I shouldn’t even entertain this conversation,” he grudgingly said, noticing something indistinctive in the sheriff’s green eyes. His posture went rigid, again, debating whether or not to simply walk away.

“Look, I know how to read between the lines.” Emma jabbed her left thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the driveway. “And that outside just raised a bunch of red flags.”

“I cannot betray her trust,” Monty whispered, not wanting to be overheard. And if he was honest with himself, he was conflicted.

“And I’m not asking you to, but I need to know the story, the whole story.” She stopped and shook her head. “I’m working with only half a playbook here, Monty.” She needed to hear the things people didn’t think she needed to or the things they didn’t want her to know.

He seriously considered the sheriff’s request and he almost decided to throw caution to the wind. However, his sense of duty ultimately won out. Frowning, he quietly explained his decision, “As beneficial as it would be to help you understand her, it’s not something I can share in good conscience.” And then, he left to check on his men and to warn them against responding to any similar demands from the blonde.

Watching Monty leave the kitchen, Emma mentally cursed herself. She had thought they were developing a nice, working relationship. After all, he no longer looked at her in disdain, at least. Sighing, she walked around the island to the fridge and grabbed a Coke. She put the can on the counter, popped it open and drank a third of it. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered into the can’s mouth before taking another swallow.

Again, she was faced with a serious choice, one that had far-reaching consequences. The easiest and tried-and-true solution was simply to run. She had almost ran away from all of this before Henry ate that turnover. But she couldn’t run, not physically, at least. She huffed in annoyance. Things were far too complicated, and she hated it. She hated that it wasn’t simple. She hated that she couldn’t blindly follow her parents’ lead. She hated that she found herself really liking Regina in spite of everything.

Taking another swig, she frowned as she stared off into space. Her mind drifted back to that day in the hospital, the day that had changed the whole kit and caboodle. She thought about Henry dying and how she had kissed him, saving him with True Love’s kiss. She thought about how utterly distraught Regina had been in the hospital supply closest and in Henry’s hospital room. Then, she thought about the woman’s astonished relief when the boy had woken up. There was something more about the moment, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. One thing she knew for sure, though, was that everything wasn’t as it seemed, and no amount of wishing would make it simple.

“What on earth is that smell?” Regina asked, entering the kitchen from the hall. Without pause, she went to the stove and turned it off, removing the lid and warily stirring the pot of chili. She poked the bottom, feeling large clumps of it stuck to the bottom of the pot.

“Oh crap,” Emma said, snapping out of her daze. Her bag of ice fell onto the floor. Carefully, she stooped to pick it up. “Mary Margaret dropped off some chili a little while ago.”

“I didn’t realize she was here,” the brunette commented as she sniffed the contents and tentatively took a small bite from the spoon. She frowned, noting the beans were severely under cooked, and a burnt flavor had already permeated the dish. “I don’t know if we can salvage this.”

Shrugging, the blonde wandered over to the stove. “No big deal, I was just going to pawn it off on the guys, anyway.” She smirked, wondering if the guards would have feigned praise or fed it to the stray cats.

Looking over her shoulder at Emma, Regina quietly asked, “Is your mother still here?” She strained to listen for anyone else’s presence in the house. She despised the idea of an unescorted Mary Margaret wandering around her home.

“No,” the sheriff said, chuckling. “Monty chased her off a little while ago.”

Sighing, Regina returned the utensil to the spoon rest and the lid to the pot. She would have to discuss what happened as soon as possible with Monty. It was only a matter of time before the infuriating woman once again became a nuisance.

Clearing her throat, Emma shyly acknowledged, “Thanks for letting her come over here and visit.” She flashed a bashful smile. “It can’t be easy with all of these people invading your privacy.”

And, oh boy, were there a lot of people in and out of the house since the accident: Mary Margaret, David, Archie, Ruby, Alexander, Widow Granger, Anton, and Mrs. Potts. And then, there were all the Crows Guard members milling around outside, guarding and patrolling the property. Emma was honestly surprised how nervous they made Regina, especially considering they were all her former guards.

With a noncommittal sound, the brunette glanced forlornly at the pot of chili. It wasn’t suitable for a dog, at that point. She walked over to the refrigerator and searched through the various Tupperware containers. “Where’s the rest of Anton’s chicken and dumplings?” she asked, frowning. That had been quite enjoyable.

“I gave it to Jason when he came in for a break last night.” The blonde tried not to wince upon hearing the soft, sad sigh. She knew Regina was tired of eating takeout, but their last attempt at actually cooking something turned out to be an all-around disaster with her broken wrist, Regina’s impaired mobility, and Henry’s general unwillingness. “I can call Ruby or have one of the guys go grab something,” she suggested.

Rolling her eyes, Regina reminded her in a light but scolding tone, “They’re not your personal errand boys, Miss Swan.” She grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl and a paring knife from the block. “Besides, Ruby’s bringing sub sandwiches and Lord of the Rings tonight.” She absently sliced off a chuck of apple and put it in her mouth.

“Lord of the Rings, huh? Isn’t that like a home movie for you?” The sheriff smirked, clearly amused with her joke.

“I’m not talking to you,” Regina sassed before cutting another bite off the apple and walking out of the kitchen.

Emma snickered as she followed, her previous woes forgotten. Teasingly, she said, “Hey, you can’t eat that in the living room. Those are the rules.” She grinned when Regina glared at her, standing in the archway to the room in question, eating her apple.

“Mom, hurry up,” whined Henry from his place on the floor. He sighed as she took another slice of apple. “Can I play for you?” he asked brightly.

“No,” the brunette said around her bite. She swallowed and nodded toward the television. “I’ll be dead, on fire, chased by sabre cats, or some other manner of unpleasantness in five minutes.” She smirked at her son’s dramatic sigh and floor roll.

Laughing, Emma walked around Regina and stepped over Henry. She sat down in her chair, the smile never leaving her face. Picking up the video game box and reading the back cover, she half listened as mother and son chattered about the game. Eventually, Regina disappeared and returned back to the sofa, resuming the game—much to Henry’s relief and excitement.

This, Emma thought as she watched Henry try to point to something on the screen without blocking Regina’s view. This is the Regina Mills I choose to believe in.

FF.net / AO3