#many danes don't know the story behind it

[esmealux]

Okay, but you have to read the lyrics of this Danish song, which was written by Jens Rosendal in 1981 when he fell in love with a man

Background: In 1981, Jens Rosendal wrote the poem "Du kom med alt det, der var dig" (You Came With Everything That You Have and Are) when he fell head over heels in love with a man. It was a turbulent time becuase he was living a family life with his wife and three kids. Men there was no way around it – Jens Rosendal couldn't hide his feelings any longer. He had to give in to love at the age of 50. He decided that while he might be able to keep his secret for all of his life, he didn't want to be buried with it. Jens Rosendal has said that he for the first experience that he really could love and that he therefor was a real person - that he has the biggest gift God can give us: Love! That was the occasion for writing this song.

[pretty much directly translated from Højskolesangbogen.dk because I couldn't say it better myself]

The song is included in Højskolesangbogen, the Danish Folk High Schools' songbook, and is so widely known and popular in Denmark you don't even understand. It is sung, in church, at so many weddings - all kinds of weddings. You can bet your ass it's going to be sung at my wedding too. Here are the translated lyrics:

You Came With Everything That You Have and Are

You came with everything that you have and are and blew away every blocked path and what a spring it was! The year when everything became strong and clear and wild and full with the speed og spring thaw and everything screamed: live!

I stormed out to buy beer yes, the old, stiff foal of winter ran out on green meadows and you became warm and bright and drunk and your hair was pure gold like the sun – hidden for too long

And flowers opened up and saw that the sky became vast and blue and the moment had been created for joy Your fist was warm and good and you were beautiful and full of courage so beautiful that I had to cry

Our Lord himself invited people for a celebration and kissed every awestruck guest in the halls of love With eyes, wondering and blue we just saw and saw and saw and swallowed the speech of life:

That life is worth living in spite of doubt and great trouble in spite of all the things that hurt And love will always persist and no matter what the entire world says it will have our hearts

Based on translation by HinKyto on lyrictranslate.com, moderated by me. There is an official English translation of the English version in Højskolernes Singalongs, folk songs and hymns, but you have to buy a physical copy.

If you wanna know what it sounds like in Danish, here's the national women's choir singing it:

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Note: requested by anon. I am afraid it is not exactly what you hoped for, but this is what felt right to me for this story. I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: mention of slavery, scars, hints to past (sexual) abuse (no details).

pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

summary: Sihtric wants to earn your trust.

wordcount: 4,1k

Masterlist

'Why are you being nice?'

Every time you closed your eyes to find a little rest, you were back on the ship with your brother, Finan. Back on the big, horrible, stinking, slippery, old slave ship. The scars on your back a permanent reminder of the suffering you endured. Your brother truly tried to keep you as safe as possible, along with Uhtred, another man on the ship, but even they couldn't always protect you. 

It has not been that long since you all were rescued by Uhtred's men, a true blessing. And since your brother decided to stay loyal to the half Saxon, half Dane, you stuck around too. It was hard to try and live your own life again. You carried far more scars than those visible to others, and you didn't trust anyone apart from your brother and Uhtred. All you did was hide in the little hut that you had been provided with. You never showed yourself amongst the others and had your brother help you out whenever you needed something.

'You have to start living again, little sister,' Finan said one day, while he checked up on you, 'you can't always keep hiding. I promise you, not everyone out there is a bad person. Uhtred's men are trustworthy, you can safely eat with us all or join us for a drink in the alehouse sometimes.'

You shuddered at the thought of being surrounded by so many men, drunk men nonetheless, so you thankfully declined.

'It is not healthy to isolate yourself,' your older brother warned, 'you've suffered enough. Know that we are here to help you to find yourself back again.'

'I don't know who I am anymore,' you whispered bitterly.

And it was true. You remember who you once were, though. A fun, outgoing young lady who loved the attention of men and the taste of ale. You had a craving for adventure, and more than once you'd been in trouble with your brother, after being caught doing this you shouldn't. But that wasn't you anymore. Not after the ship. Not after strange men had touched you and whipped you when you refused to please them.

But deep in your heart, you knew that your brother was right. You couldn't always live completely secluded, even if you wanted to. Whenever people would see you in town, many stare at you, knowing you are "that slave girl, with the brother". And they know you rarely showed your face.

Weeks passed since you were rescued, but the nightmares continued. You realised in order to create new memories, which would eventually replace the bad ones, you had to get amongst people again. And so you finally decided to somewhat join Uhtred, Finan and the rest of the men from a safe distance. They all ate around a campfire, while you sat separated from them. 

You watched them with big, cautious eyes, and flinched at every sudden movement or whenever someone raised their voice for some harmless banter. You admit the distant company lifted your spirits slightly, but you felt uneasy when you noticed one particular young man of Uhtred's crew kept gazing at you. He was a handsome young man, you could not deny that, and if you had encountered him before your life on the ship, you undoubtedly would have tried your chances with him. But instead of giving him a sweet smile or an innocent bat of your eyelashes, you shrunk and averted your eyes when the young man got up and slowly walked over to you. You swallowed hard when he closed in, and when you cautiously backed away, he stopped walking. He held his hands up carefully, showing he did not mean any harm. But regardless of his intentions, you got up on your feet and quickly moved back into your hut, and you closed the door behind you.

This continued for weeks on end. You joined the men from a safe distance, knowing your brother and Uhtred kept an eye out on you, and you quietly ate your dinner. You soon found out the handsome young man, who also kept his eyes on you, was a Dane called Sihtric. Finan had told you that he was a loyal warrior who also had a rough past, in his own way.

'You can trust him,' Finan said as he handed you some porridge.

'What does he want from me?' you asked before you walked back to your regular spot, away from the group, 'he keeps looking at me, why?'

'Aye,' Finan snickered and then winked, 'I think he likes you.'

You grimaced with a blush on your cheeks and turned on your heels, back to your safe spot. And it didn't take long before you felt Sihtric's eyes on you again. But before Sihtric could make another attempt to approach you, you had already shoved your food down your throat and made haste to get back into your hut again. 

And Sihtric watched with sad eyes how you disappeared into your safe haven. He didn't know what to do. He was already thankful Finan had told him your name, and what a beautiful name it was, he thought. Sihtric understood it would take time before you'd even allow him to get close, and even longer before you'd talk to him. But this had already been going on for weeks, and Sihtric felt hopeless when he saw you leave without a single word again. He was so intrigued by you and, dare he say, even in love with you, despite never having exchanged a single word. He never had he seen someone who possessed such beauty like you, but he had also never seen anyone whose eyes were as empty as yours. He was desperate to get to know you ever since he first laid eyes on you, and he felt an overwhelming urge to protect you as well.

And the next day, when you joined the men again from your safe distance, Sihtric grabbed the bowl of food that Finan filled for you out of his hands, and he walked up to you. You stared at the approaching Dane with big eyes, and you felt a rush of heat shoot through your body. Before the handsome man could tower over you and possibly intimidate you, he crouched down and kept some distance for a moment.

'Hi,' he said, then smiled shyly.

You found his voice to be pleasantly soft and warm, and the blush on his cheeks was rather adorable too. But you didn't respond with words, and he figured you weren't planning on either.

'My name is Sihtric,' he continued when you kept staring at him, 'I- I'm part of Lord Uhtred's-'

'I know who you are,' you cut him off with a whisper.

'Oh,' Sihtric breathed and averted his eyes, feeling embarrassed.

A somewhat awkward silence lingered. Until he looked up at you again and held out the bowl with porridge to you, and you flinched to his sudden movement.

'I'm sorry,' he said immediately and froze up, 'I mean no harm. I only wish to bring your food.'

'I don't want your food,' you said, suddenly feeling resentment towards him, and any other man you could think of, except for your brother.

You knocked the bowl out of Sihtric's hands and ran back to your hut, leaving the Dane behind feeling bewildered and defeated. He grabbed the now empty bowl off the ground and sulked back to the campfire, to the rest of the men, where he sat down.

'Don't worry,' Finan said to Sihtric, who had seen what happened, 'it's nothing personal.'

'I know,' Sihtric sighed, 'I'm only concerned because she has to eat.'

Finan agreed and said that you would probably come back in an hour or so, when everyone else had left. It wouldn't be the first time you'd eat whatever was left in the pot above the smouldering fire, when no one else was around anymore. 

And Sihtric was determined to wait for you.

You peeked through your little window and cursed internally. You were starving, and all the men had left the campfire by now, except for the curious Dane. You contemplated going to bed with an empty stomach, but then you remembered you promised yourself to never do that again after the ship, where you had learned the true meaning of feeling starved.

Reluctantly, you quietly opened your door and tiptoed outside, towards the small fire, hoping to find some leftover food still. Whether the food was warm or cold wasn't any of your concern, you weren't a picky eater anymore. 

Sihtric watched you approach and he slowly perked up. You kept your eyes on him while he tracked your movements all the same as you closed in on the cooking pot. And when he saw your eyes widen in surprise, finding the pot completely empty, he cleared his throat.

'I saved you some food,' Sihtric said, and when you met his eyes, he held out a full bowl of stew to you.

He expected you to ignore his gesture again, like earlier, and you definitely contemplated running home again, but you were so hungry it was almost painful to your empty stomach. Very slowly you neared Sihtric, who kept his arm stretched out to you, offering the food. You cautiously took the bowl and sat down several paces away from him.

'Thank you,' you mumbled and devoured the still pleasantly warm food.

'You're welcome, my lady,' Sihtric smiled friendly.

'My lady,' you scoffed with a full mouth.

Sihtric gave you a questioning look.

'I mean no offence, lady.'

'Why are you being nice?' you suddenly snapped.

The Dane was caught by surprise and wasn't sure what to answer. He couldn't possibly admit he thought you were the most beautiful lady he had ever seen. He couldn't confess that his thoughts often wandered to you at night when he was alone, in his bed. He couldn't just tell you how he ached to hold you in his arms and kiss away your trouble, for he was still just a stranger to you.

'I… I just want to get to know you,' Sihtric eventually said, which wasn't a lie either, 'I get along well with your brother, and he has told me things about you-'

'He told you things about me?' you furrowed your brow.

'Yes,' Sihtric continued to run his mouth, 'I just wish to… maybe I- I could… look after you.'

You stared at Sihtric. One part of you wanted to get angry, perhaps that was the old you. Because how dare a man think he has to look after you. But the current you, the fragile, scared and hurt you, was somehow moved upon hearing these words. After everything you have endured on the ship by the hands of men, here you had a young man in front of you who had made sure there was some food left for you, and just merely wished to look after you. Perhaps he wanted something in return eventually, you knew the possibility was there, and yet you weren't appalled. But you were still unsure how to react, so you didn't respond. 

You finished your food in silence, then thanked him with a faint smile and quickly found your way back to your hut again, while you left Sihtric behind feeling like that happiest man alive, as he had finally made some progress.

The following weeks your short encounters with Sihtric continued to occur. Sihtric would eat and make sure he held enough food back for you, while you would wait until all the other men had left the campfire. And every day Sihtric would wait for you. 

Slowly but surely Sihtric noticed you'd come closer. Where you backed away immediately the first days, you now sat barely an arm's length away from him. And as time progressed, you also started to exchange more words, and you couldn't deny you loved the Dane's little jokes he occasionally made.

You felt at ease with Sihtric, you realised. He didn't put any pressure on you. On the days you wanted to talk, he happily listened. On the days you didn't want to talk, but wished to be distracted from your thoughts, he would gladly tell you some stories. And on the days you just wanted to sit in silence, Sihtric was quiet while keeping his eyes on you.

And on those days he often felt hopeless, as he saw the pain and lingering fear in your eyes that you had taken with you from the ship. And he wanted to take it away for you. He wanted to take all your pain and worries and fears, he would endure it all for you if it meant you would finally feel happy again. But he didn't know how. Until one evening, when you had been quiet again and a tear rolled down your cheek, Sihtric carefully reached out for your hand. And you didn't pull away. Instead, you allowed his hesitant, gentle touch. And you sat in silence, holding hands, until you returned to your hut again, alone.

Sihtric continued to hold your hand on your quiet days. And as more time progressed, he also started to reach out for your hand on the days you were more talkative, and on the days you simply wanted to hear him speak. And sometimes, very rarely, when your emotions overwhelmed you and you couldn't bring yourself to leave your home, Sihtric would just leave the food at your door, hoping to see you the next evening again.

Eventually, you grew fond of his touch, his company and his kind gestures, and one night you caught yourself wondering what it would feel like to have his arms around you. Little did you know, Sihtric had wondered the same for months already.

And you finally found out what it was like, to be embraced by him, on the night before he had to leave. On the night before your brother would leave, along with Uhtred. Sihtric had told you after you had finished your food that he was to leave with Uhtred, to Dunholm. You knew you wouldn't join the men and had to wait until they returned. At night, you shed a tear for your brother and for Uhtred, as you were worried and frightened for their wellbeing. And for the first time in a very long time, you shed a tear for a man you had grown fond of. You shed a tear for Sihtric, not only because you were worried, but also because you knew you would miss him somehow.

And the nights seemed to last forever after dinner, when you weren't sitting with Sihtric near the fire. You shed tears in the dark, in your bed, because you longed and ached for his touch and the warmth of his arms around you. And each night you dreamt of the last time you had seen him, before he left. You dreamt of the way Sihtric had held you tightly in his arms, then gently cupped your cheek, and had pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. 

'I will come back, I promise,' Sihtric had whispered.

And yet you feared you would never see him again, as the seasons passed, and you only received news of your brother and Uhtred, but no one shared word of Sihtric.

8 months later.

It was already late when you heard commotion outside your hut, but you couldn't be bothered to take a look. It was one of those days on which you were a little overwhelmed by your past again, although today was better than yesterday. Moments after the cheering you had just heard outside, you were startled by a sudden knock on your door. You peeked carefully through your curtain, and saw the back of a man as he turned to look over his shoulder. You frowned, not recognizing the dark, short haired man who was lit up by the moonlight, and you crouched back to your bed. You weren't in the mood for any visitors this late, especially not any male visitor you didn't seem to know.

But the stranger at your door was eager to receive an answer, so he kept knocking.

'I know you're here. It's me,' he said, 'it's… it's Sihtric.'

You perked up in bed.

'Sihtric?' you gasped, jumped out of bed and ran to the door.

You opened the door with haste, but your smile faded when you laid eyes upon… Sihtric? The Dane noticed your confused face and he chuckled nervously, while clutching a bouquet of white flowers in his hand.

'I- I know. I look different, huh?' he said, pointing at his new haircut.

You stared at him with big eyes. You recognized him again, even though his hair was short and freshly shaved at the sides, and he looked more mature than the last time you had seen him. The tattoo on his neck was clearly visible now, and you noticed it ran up the side of his head. He looked different and yet the same, except he carried himself with more confidence now, and you wondered what had happened to him during those months he was away from you. And Sihtric gazed at you with big eyes too, almost forgetting how to breathe, and then he remembered the flowers.

'Here,' he smiled, holding the bouquet out to you, 'I bought you flowers. I- I hope you like them.'

'Oh,' you breathed, and your cheeks warmed up when your fingers lightly touched his hand as you accepted the flowers, 'thank you,' you smiled, 'd-do you want to come in?' you asked shyly.

Not long after Sihtric set foot in your modest hut, you felt his strong arms around you and fell into his warm embrace. You held each other for what seemed like hours, sitting in front of your fireplace, talking about everything that had happened the last eight months. Sihtric was surprised how open you had become, but he didn't know you only opened up to him, and still avoided others as much as possible.

It wasn't easy for you, and it took you months to finally trust the Dane, which you had only realised when he was gone. You had missed him so much it became painful, and you swore that if he would ever return again, you wouldn't waste any more time and stop closing yourself off from him. You had realised you needed him. And if you were completely honest, you even wanted him.

'I'm happy you are here again,' you confessed after a while, his arms still around you.

'And I'm happy you are still here,' Sihtric smiled, 'my lady.'

'My lady,' you mumbled with a chuckle.

Sihtric hummed softly and squeezed you in his arms.

'I… have missed you,' he whispered, 'not a day went by I didn't think about you. Or worry about you-'

'Why did you not write me?'

'I, eh…' Sihtric chuckled shyly, 'I can't read or write. And I didn't want your brother to, you know… I didn't want him to know how much y- you are on my mind.'

'I understand,' you smiled and looked up at him.

'I'm sorry,' he said, 'don't think I forgot, or that I did not want to write. I would have written you countless letters if I could,' he smiled as he looked down into your eyes.

'Sihtric,' you breathed, eyes darting between his mismatched pair and his lips, 'kiss me,' you suddenly blurted out.

Sihtric opened his mouth to speak, surprise on his face, but then he cupped your cheeks gently, and softly pressed his lips onto yours. You froze at the feeling for a moment, a feeling you used to love but became unfamiliar overtime. And Sihtric broke the kiss when he sensed your tension.

'If… if it's too much-'

'No,' you whispered, 'please…'

You stared at him, and soon, his lips crashed back onto yours, capturing you in a slow, firm kiss, which gradually became more passionate and heated as the seconds passed. Sihtric's soft hums and moans against your lips made your head spin, and you didn't realise you had longed for his touch this desperately until you felt his hands slide down from your neck to your waist.

Without his lips leaving yours, he laid down on the furs in front of the fire while he carefully pulled you on top of him. His big, warm hands moved further down your body, and he slowly snuck his hands under your dress, moving up your thighs while softly squeezing your smooth, warm skin. After a while, you sat back up, pulling Sihtric with you, taking his face in your hands while your tongues met in another breathless kiss. It was only when Sihtric brought his hands up to your shoulders, to push your dress down, that you froze when you felt his rough fingertips touch the scars on your back.

You abruptly broke the kiss and backed away, pulling your dress up again.

'I- I'm sorry,' Sihtric said, bewildered, thinking he had startled you by possibly moving too fast for your liking, 'was I t-too much?'

'No,' you said, not daring to look into his eyes, 'it's just my… my scars,' you whispered, 'I'm afraid you will be… disgusted.'

Sihtric frowned, then reached out and took your hand.

'You think your scars will disgust me?'

You nodded, still avoiding his eyes. Sihtric looked at you for a moment, then got up and started to untie his leather belt. As the leather fell on the floor with a thump, you looked up, only to see him take off his tunic, leaving him in nothing but his breeches. You were taken aback by his physique, and a blush coloured your cheeks.

'My lady,' Sihtric said softly and sat down in front of you again. He took your hand and placed your palm on his scarred torso. 'I am not bothered by your scars,' he whispered, slowly moving your hand up to his shoulder, allowing you to feel the scars that reached up his back, before he turned to show you the permanent reminders of his past he carried with him.

'Sihtric,' you gasped softly, tears crept up in your eyes as you studied his damaged skin.

Scarred, yet still beautiful, you thought.

'Your scars do not make you any less perfect to me,' he said, as if he could sense your thoughts, 'and I wish to see them.'

Sihtric moved to sit behind you, brought his hands up to your shoulders again, and waited for your permission. After you had given him a shy nod, by glancing back over your shoulder, he carefully pushed your dress down your arms, exposing your bare skin to him. He gently traced your scars with his fingertips, sending a pleasant shiver down your spine. Then, unexpectedly, you felt his lips on your previously broken flesh. One kiss first, then another, and you closed your eyes when you felt his hands on your arms, while he left soft, open mouthed kisses all over your back, adoring each and every healed scar you earned on that ship.

'I want to take away your pain,' Sihtric whispered in your ear, after he had pulled you back against his chest, his fingertips tracing mindless figures on your bare arms.

'I want to make you forget everything that happened to you there,' he breathed, lips grazing your ear and neck, 'I want to love you, I want to make you mine,' he pushed your dress down to your hips as you sat on the warm fur, and he wrapped his arms around you, 'I want you to be mine.'

'I want to be yours,' you whispered and sniffled softly, finally feeling safe and loved again after so many seasons of pain, fear and loneliness.

'I promise to keep you safe,' Sihtric whispered as he moved to face you, and cupped your cheeks, 'I promise no one will ever lay a finger on you again,' he said as he looked into your eyes, 'I promise I will love you, and only you, my lady,' he chuckled softly when you made a face to his last words, 'I want you to be my lady,' he smiled, 'I will protect you with my life, I promise, if you will allow me that is.'

'I allow you,' you whispered, moving your hands up into his short, soft hair, pulling him closer to kiss his lips again. 'You're all I could think about,' you confessed, 'every day, every night…'

'As were you,' Sihtric said, undoing the remaining clothes you were both still wearing, 'as were you, my lady, on my mind daily and nightly.'

'Love me,' you murmured against his skin, as your face was buried in his neck.

'Always,' Sihtric promised, and positioned his body in between your thighs, pulling a warm fur over both your bare, scarred bodies, 'I will always love you,' he said, and then finally made love to you.

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[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles Leclerc

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 10/? Word count: 2602 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 8. Call It What You Want

Matilde sat in the airport, waiting for her flight to leave. She was seated in the business class lounge, enjoying a cup of coffee. Well, she couldn't really enjoy it. The events of yesterday played through her head; from the perfect race and victory, to the moment in the restaurant. Even though it hurt, she still had a fun night with Max and her former colleagues.

"Hey," a voice said, he sounded surprised.

Matilde looked up and a smile came to her face. "Hey," she smiled at Kevin, who took a seat next to her. "Going home?"

The Danish driver nodded. "You too?"

She nodded. "It's my mum's birthday tomorrow."

"Ah, that's sweet. Congrats on your win, by the way! Your first victory as team principal and the first victory for Ferrari this year!"

A weak smile came on her face. "Thanks."

"Hangover?" The off reaction didn't go unnoticed by Kevin.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Something like that."

He smirked. "You will remember this one forever."

"And if I will," she muttered. The good and the bad, she thought. "How was your race? P11, P10?"

"P10, quite average. It was an alright weekend. The track is fun, but the entire show around it... Not a big fan, to be honest."

"Yeah, Miami is something else. I wonder what Las Vegas will be like," she mentioned.

"We are Danes, we keep it low profile."

They both laughed.

"Where are you seated?" Kevin asked.

Matilde looked at her ticket. "2A, you?"

"8H," he replied. "I don't know if it is me, but it's quite funny that in America, we get paper boarding passes, and in Europe, or flying from Europe, we have them online. Or it's me, my subconscious preference."

"No, I have it too. But I don't know. Also, when going through security here, we have to remove our shoes. I have never done that in Europe. Bizarre how many things are different between continents." She took a deep breath. "It makes travelling interesting and fun."

Matilde and Kevin made their way to the gate when it was almost time to board. They had to wait for just a few minutes, because the crew still had to arrive after a short delay on their side. Matilde's eyes fell on the crew of SAS, who now arrived. A smile came on her face, and tears flowed in her eyes. One of the stewardesses happily smiled as well and excused herself from the crew, just like one of the pilots. Matilde stepped towards the inflight manager of the flight.

"Mati," the stewardess said and embraced her daughter tightly.

Matilde closed her eyes, not saying anything back. She was so relieved and happy to see her mother after five months. More tears welled up, but she was fighting against them.

Freja pulled back, looking at her daughter. Matilde opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sweetheart..." Freja found herself in a difficult situation as well, trying to hold back the emotions as well. She stroked a piece of hair behind Matilde's ear and placed her hand on Matilde's cheek. "I'm so happy to see you. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Matilde whispered, not wanting to bother her mother before the flight and her job with her issues. "I'm so happy to see you, too," she said and smiled. "I didn't know you were on this flight."

"Coincidence," her mother smiled. "We will talk once we are in the air, okay?" She let go of Matilde and looked at the man who sat on the bench; she assumed it was a friend of Matilde's. "Are you flying together?"

Matilde looked behind her, at Kevin. "Yes, but we're not seated next to each other. He's a friend of Lars."

"Since when does Lars know Kevin Magnussen?"

"Lene is friends with his wife," Matilde smirked, thinking how ironic it was.

Freja looked impressed and introduced herself to the Danish driver. While they had a quick chat, Matilde greeted the pilot with a hug, happy to see him as well. The stewardess and pilot excused themselves and boarded the plane.

"Parents?" Kevin asked curiously.

Matilde nodded. "Mother and stepfather," she exclaimed. "She says it is a coincidence that she's working on this flight, but I know she planned it like this."

"Parents..." He smiled. "It's adorable." He looked at her. "This might be a personal question, and if you don't want to answer it, it's fine. But do you still see your father?" Kevin looked waitingful at her. "Lars doesn't really talk about this family, as you probably know by now."

A comforting smile came on her face. "Yeah, Lars is really private. But we all still see our dad. My parents divorced twenty-four years ago, and they're still friends. Mum met Emil through work, and they try to work on the same flights since they got together."

"Did they get together..?"

"Oh, no. A few years after the divorce."

"And your dad?" Kevin's eyes grew round. "Sorry, I'm asking way too much."

She shook her head. "It's okay, it's not like I have issues talking about it. My dad has a girlfriend, Astrid. They met two years ago. It's complicated, but it is what it is," she said and shrugged. "How are Louise and Laura, by the way? And how is the pregnancy going so far? You're having another girl, right? "

"They are both doing fine, and yes, we're having another girl." A smile came to his face as he continued to talk about his family.

* * *

Since it was a day flight, Matilde didn't manage to get any sleep. She planned to do some work on the plane, but ended up watching some movies. Her mind kept drifting off to last night. She got up from her seat and walked through the aisle, passing Kevin, who sat on the other side of the cabin. Their eyes met, he smiled, she nodded. Once she got in the galley, she waited for the bathroom.

"Mati," Matilde's mother said when entering the galley. "How is everything?" She closed the curtain.

"Fine, a whole new experience in business class," Matilde replied and playfully smiled.

"You've never flown business class at SAS?"

"No, economy is all I could pay for, and Red Bull could book for me. Now Ferrari books business class for me. Well, not this flight. I happened to get an upgrade?" She raised her eyebrows. "On this flight only? Not the first flight?"

Her mother smiled. "That is weird, lucky you."

"Mum, you didn't have to do this."

"You are the team principal of Ferrari and flying economy? A woman like you should fly business class. And it is a pleasure to have my daughter in business class on my flight," her mother proudly said and nudged Matilde's shoulder.

Whenever Matilde or her brothers were on the same flight as their mother - which wasn't often, they flew economy. And they grew up appreciating the small things, they didn't bother to fly business. Matilde wanted to ask Ferrari to book economy tickets, but she didn't dare to ask because she understood that by booking business class, she could properly rest or work during a flight. But flying business class wasn't in her nature.

"Still... This is a flight for a private event."

"Still. At least you're not flying private." Freja handed over a bottle of water. "How was yesterday?"

"Aren't you supposed to work?"

"We are mid-flight, all the passengers are served, and now we get on a break."

"Oh, yeah, that is right." Matilde took a sip of her water. "Well, go get your break. It's important."

Her mother proudly smiled. "You sound like a real boss, a caring boss."

A fragile smile came on Matilde's face. "I will tell you all about this weekend once we are home."

"Of course. Unless you want to say something now?"

"No, no, it can wait. You should take your break."

"Okay, sweetheart. By the way, are you driving home with Emil and me? After the plane lands, we have a quick debrief, and then we are free to go. It's okay if you want to go home. Are you staying at mine or your dad's?"

"It's your birthday tomorrow, so I was hoping to crash at yours?"

"Yes! Of course. You're always welcome."

"And if I can drive home with you? I think that's fun," Matilde smiled. "We're going to the same destination, after all."

Freja nodded. "I will share the plans after my break, yes? And you go to the bathroom, it's free now."

Matilde laughed. "See you soon." She stepped into the toilet and did her thing. When she stepped back into the galley, her gaze fell on Kevin. Business class was almost empty, and so was the seat next to Kevin. Without thinking too much about it, she sat down next to him; only the aisle was in between them. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

He sat up and smiled. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

She licked her lips and looked around her. "Well, uh, I don't know if you're the right person to ask this, but yeah... From my experience, we did things differently... but when you're going out after a race, celebrating a...perfect result... do you ask Steiner to join? Or other Head of Departments?"

A frown came on his forehead, and he crossed his arms. "We don't have those results often, but... Yes. Why?"

Matilde slowly nodded. "Exactly," she mumbled. She looked down and saw that her hands trembled slightly.

"Why?" Kevin asked again.

"I'm telling you this in confidence, okay?" Matilde said and looked at him.

"No one will know about it; whatever you have to say, I promise."

"No one in F1," she repeated. "I'm struggling with this thought, but...uhm, the team went out to celebrate the win and P2," she told him. Kevin nodded. "Without me." Tears filled her eyes. "And I don't know if it was their intention, like, not to invite me. As in, they didn't want to celebrate it with me. Or if this is how it goes at Ferrari."

A concerned look came on his face. "Oh, wow. Matilde..." He didn't know what to say. "Why is that your thought?"

"Things are not going smoothly with the team and me; there's still a lot of friction. And I'm still an outsider, which I get; I'm new, young, a woman, still learning to speak Italian. But this weekend... It felt like we bonded, like we finally became a team. And I was, am, still proud of this weekend with all the performances, but then I got a message from Leclerc, asking where I was at their celebration. Coincidentally, we were in the same restaurant. I was with Gemma, and we ended up at Red Bull's dinner. And then I saw the team celebrating the great results."

"But didn't they go out with the team and... I don't know, perhaps the crew only?" Kevin asked, trying to understand it and trying to soften the blow for her.

Matilde shrugged and wiped away a tear that was rolling over her cheek. "No." She looked in front of her. "Everyone was there, except me. But why would Leclerc text me, asking where I was? If it was a crew-only dinner, then why would he text me?"

He showed a weak smile. "I don't know. I'm trying to find some reasonable excuses, to make you feel less shit. You know, I know my crew often goes out as well without inviting the board." He scanned her face. "But the message from Leclerc doesn't make sense. But why were you with Gemma at the Red Bull dinner?"

"I kinda forgot," she said, more tears rolling over her cheeks. "I had so many emotions, and everyone was texting and calling me and asking me things. I asked a mechanic, and he said that they would stay in, because they all had an early flight home the next morning," she rattled. "And then Gemma showed up and asked if I wanted to join her. Next thing I know, I was doing shots with Max." She ran a hand through her hair. "I was thinking of throwing lunch or something after the days off, but I'm not too sure about it now."

Kevin nodded and took a deep breath. "This is not nothing..." He didn't want to say too much; what if he said something wrong? Or gave her an idea? "Did they see you?"

"I sent them champagne."

Kevin straightened his face. "You did what?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, but what the fuck was going on? It didn't make sense. And I wanted to let them know I was there without actually standing next to their table," she blurted. When she thought about it now, it was a bold move, a dick move, but it was genius. "And I told the waiter to say that I gave them my compliments."

"Matilde..." He looked impressed and disapproved at the same time. "This is so..."

"Not me? Yes, I know. But I already had alcohol in my body, and I just... I don't know, I was so confused and disappointed. And when the waiter pointed at me... You should have been there. They looked like they had seen a ghost."

Kevin couldn't help it, but laugh. "It is such a dick move, but such a great move. You can't do this. This is not professional."

"It's not professional to invite everyone, but your team principal. And I get it; it's awkward, but I'm not awkward. Half of the team is older than me and more experienced than me. And it's not like I don't know how to function in a team." She shrugged.

"But how did things go at Red Bull?"

"We would go out for dinner first, often with Christian and the board. The team would go to a club, and Christian and the board often would go back to the hotel; sometimes, they would join. Or we would go out without Christian and the board, team only thing, but they would know. Or they declined the invitation. We were very open," she said and dried her eyes when her sight became blurry. "It was asked... And everybody had a choice. I know things work differently at Ferrari, but this was the last thing that I expected." Matilde shook her head. "We still have to bond and stuff, apparently, but I honestly thought we bonded well over this weekend, and I was just so proud to lead this team." Warm tears left her eyes again. "They didn't invite me for a reason."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She sniffled. "But it's good to know that this isn't normal. Or that this is the way Ferrari operates. The text of Leclerc still doesn't make sense."

"Well, I know that this isn't normal."

She got up. "God, I'm sorry you had to see me having a breakdown," Matilde embarrassedly laughed and dried her eyes. "It's the lack of sleep, hangover and yeah... But thanks for listening. I won't hold you up longer from whatever you wanted to do."

"Matilde, this is a serious issue. I'm not saying you have to go to the board and say something about it, but you have to talk about it. If you say nothing, they will think this is normal, and it's definitely not normal," Kevin mentioned. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly, just to let her know that he was there for her. "Let me know how it goes." He gently let go of her hand.

She nodded. "I will, thank you. Really," she said and walked away, back to her own seat.

Kevin was perplexed and processing the words he just heard. Should he do something about it? Or did her team have other intentions? Either way, he knew he had to text her brother when they landed, sharing his concern. 

Next chapter

[mswyrr]

The reason why lucy/max initially feels so youthful together so far, like kids with a first crush, and why they don't have sex yet, is that they're both "maidens" in a narrative sense:

The Maiden Arc is the fundamental coming-of-age story. It is the story of a character who has left behind the Child archetype (which we will discuss later in the series when we reach the Flat-Arc or “resting” archetypes), but who has not yet individuated away from her family and into her own autonomy. The Maiden represents sexual awakening and conscious burgeoning. Hers is that fraught period—recreated in so many YA novels—when the person is learning who she will become and, perhaps most poignantly, what she is willing to risk to become that person. [source]

They're starting to break away from authority, but they're both still obedient to authority & brainwashing when they meet and start to fall for each other. They're going to separate to dance with their shadows (Lucy with Cooper and Max with the Brotherhood/Dane) and figure out who they truly are - then meet up again.

To be clear, I'm not saying they're in any way actually "children" - they're both adults! But their relationship to authority and community continues to be that of "maidens":

There is no guarantee she will accept the risk. As with all of the arcs, there is no promise she will fully commit to and complete her arc. Although we all grow up physically and assume adult responsibility, the inner arc may remain uncompleted long into our lives. The obstacles the Maiden confronts are vast because true individuation is often perceived as a threat by the tribe in which she exists. [source]

They didn't have sex because it wouldn't have been as their sincere selves? They don't know who they are yet! They're still trapped in a "youth" phase - and now moving into fully incorporating their shadows and knowing themselves & what they want phase. They're only going to get together after that.

And as I mentioned in a previous post, this show (so refreshingly!!) actually includes sex and povs on it as part of characterization - so the fact that they're both "virgins" in a way due to brainwashing--Max doesn't even know his own body let alone what sex is! And Lucy was brainwashed to think of "breeding" as her obligation and purpose - she's only done that and casual sex, never fallen in love and "made love"--plays into why they haven't had sex yet and that, once they're more fully formed as their own people, they will come together in that way.

It's a well written romance arc. A bit of the dynamic where a "childhood crush" couple meets, are separated, and then meet again and falls in love as adults who know themselves and what they want - but in a sped up timeline because they're both on parallel coming-of-age arcs. IMO in the final lyrics "my echo, my shadow, and me" - the shadow is Cooper for Lucy and the Brotherhood for Max and they are echoes of each other - with both similarities and differences.

Side note: even when a canon is writing a romance well... it's still valid and fun to play in non-canon ships because art is for playing and exploring! And I am a multishipper, so please don't bring negativity toward any ship to my post.

[saberamane]

So I haven't put too many of my thoughts on Valhalla out, aside from my frustration on the anomalies, so heres some things I've liked so far, found, or otherwise want to comment on.

First off, I have to mention some 'false advertising' I've noticed. In the store section there's a 'weekly free gift' thing. This is wrong, it's more of a free gift every 7 days you start up the game. I played yesterday, the first time in well over a week, and it said I still had 2 days until I could collect my weekly gift. So 'weekly gift' is not accurate.

I really like the standing stone things, they're pretty cool. The cairns have been a bit problematic in some aspects, but not too bad.

I finished all the beast hunts. They were all cool and interesting, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed about the 3 wolves one. Only 1 head is mounted in the long house. It would have been better imo if all 3 wolves were included.

The black shuck was awesome. I wish there was more English folk legends included in the hunts and not just oversized local wildlife.

The mystery things are usually cool, I just wish they acted more like mini missions and had general goal markers and not just 'look around the large oak tree' told to me by a note or person.

The raids are pretty fun, just wish there wasn't so many things to upgrade that I need so much exotic supplies for.

Fuck those skull curse things. In general they're fine, but the fact that your movement and sight gets impaired is annoying. You want me to solve how to find and destroy this skull thing while it's hard to see and move? Not fun.

I wish the horses had more variety that's not part of a set locked behind money. You get black, graying (the dark dappled one), a dark brown, brown/white paint, and a white horse with black mane and tail. Where are the gold horses? No buckskin, palomino, cremello, pearlino. At the very least buckskin is naturally occurring in wild horses and should be available, right? And don't get me started on the Roan coats.

So yeah, horse variety for free is not great. There are plenty of raven ones though and I really like them.

Now, something I've noticed in game that makes me believe that female Eivor is the 'canon' choice:

For one, I've noticed at least twice where, while playing as male Eivor, an NPC referred to Eivor as 'she' or 'her', and this is during main story requests.

During a recent story quest where I'm helping the alderman reunite with a childhood sweetheart and getting his wife back to france, you request the help of a 17 y/o Dane named Rollo. During most 9f the quests with him, he is shown as being about Eivor's height, maybe a small bit shorter. The very last cutscene shows Rollo as suddenly being a lot taller than Eivor.

This has happened several times. In game Eivor is on par or slightly taller than those around him, but in cutscenes he is suddenly MUCH shorter. This is both annoying because it's inconsistent, but also seems like the development was rushed or people just didn't care about this detail.

But also, if Eivor is supposed to be Odin reborn, why would he be so short? Even if you played female Eivor, they should be taller than average. Kassandra was noticeably taller than pretty much everyone she met, and when I did the mission where you run into Kassandra, Eivor is was not shorter than her. Thisnlack of attention to detail is just... bad.

Ok, rant over. Overall liking the game. Sigurd has been a dick on screen so far, but I blame Basim for that. Just found out Sigurd had his arm cut off, oof.

(Forgot to add, I loved the hidden ones bureaus, very cool. And if someone knows if Reda is in Mirage, without spoilers, I'd love to know. I'm surprised he's still alive AND a child. Is this ever explained ?)

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 21- Lorelai’s Graduation Day, Aka Lovesick Stepcousins In The Big City, Part 3

I'm cheering Rory on as she leaves school grounds, leaving these 35 year old classmates in the dust, and as she manages to pull it off under the eyes of two teachers or administrators. Yes yes yes! Well from here on out it's going to be pure Literati appreciation with only minimal anger and rage, you know, my usual shtick. That being said, when that happens I start to sound a little disjointed, like, this episode is so pure and precious and enjoyable that I really don't have much snarky commentary on it and I can just watch it. What am I without my snark powers?

Destiny awaits. In one of many examples of what I call "Gilmore Girls Poor"*, which is a term I coined myself for how AmyShermanPalladino views lower/middle class/urban/city life, Rory manages to end up in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in another dimension. The Alternate Dimension, 100% white, Spotlessly Clean, Nearly People-Free New York City Bus Terminal where she stared down a scary dude without being stabbed and she was offered a locker to store her book bag. (*More examples of GGP: In season 4, Jess is 19 years old, a high school dropout, and is living in a clean, rat and roach free, enormous New York City apartment with working utiltiies and large windows that in today's housing crisis people would murder him to get, he just needed a bed frame and to pick his shit up off the floor but we are supposed to believe its a crack den; Rory and Lorelai live in a beautiful home and eat take out and restaurant food every day on nothing more than an innkeeper's slary)

This was cute. Rory the little mouse getting ignored by city folk. I love it so much.

I think AmyShermanPalladino inserted this smoking guy to make it look like Rory was in a rough part of town. Someone finally gives our little mouse an abrupt answer on how to get to Washington Square Park where she can meet her stepcousin and her destiny.

The little smirk before he turns around! And then, and then...and then...the big grin when he sees her!

I am STARVING for stepcousins!!!!!! ..And the Emmy Award for the whitest words ever spoken on teleivison goes to Alexis Bledel, as Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls:

Baring his naked forearms like a saucy strumpet. Book sticking awkwardly out of his back pocket. He either finds the smallest books or has the roomiest ass pockets that he keeps pulling that off. How does he do that?

This is all so precious and pure I could die.

He is RAPT with attention listening to her silly stories. Show me where Dean or Logan ever paid this much attention to her telling one of these stories.

We know, Bubs. We know :(

Red alert! Red alert! Our first display of physical contact!

Jess says he eats from this hot dog cart every day. Let's unpack this: 1) Holy child neglect, Batman! I mean, Liz Danes. You can't even make your kid a peanut butter and jelly sandwich once in a while? This boy is feral. These are survival hot dogs. This may be all he can afford to eat on his own. 2) How are you still as skinny as a rail? 3) How's your blood pressure? 4) Where are you getting the money?

This sweet bubba unquestionably paid for Rory's lunch like a true gentleman.

I refuse to acknolwedge any sort of Behind the Scenes Hollywood mumbo jumbo like "Milo wasn't ACTUALLY eating the hot dog" or “umm, it’s a prop hot dog”. i am firmly committed to a scenario where everyone on the set for this episode was like "Milo our precious vegetarian baby boy we will get you a tofu hot dog to eat"

Ending this chapter with this adorable face.

[popcorn1989]

Uhtred x reader for your prompt list with 21 please?

Notes: Priests so many priests..... and I laughed at my own story while writing it. I'm going to hell.

Pairing: Uhtred x Reader

Warning: Nothing, Nah, maybe sex content, but nothing written out

Summary: Where is the priest called Albert? You and Uhtred set off and soon find him, but Uhtred is more surprised by you than by the priests.

"So this is the village?" asked Uhtred standing next to you, your horses tied to a tree behind you. "Village?" you asked in surprise, looking down at the farm, which was more like it for you. There wasn't much here, a small chapel, two larger houses and four small ones.

There was a stable next to the chapel and you saw a granary. But that's all there was. "Well, if you say so" You looked at him, "So shall we? Albert is supposed to be there, and only he knows where the princess is."

Uhtred's face contorted "When I see it like this, it makes me sick to go down there" You knew exactly what he meant, again you let your eyes wander over the people. There were only priests, monks, novices and everything male, in short, the village was as Christian as those left behind by King Alfred.

"Let's just get this over with" you said and were about to walk down the hill when Uhtred grabbed you by the arm, "You know I go through a lot, Honey, I love you. But this…" he nodded towards the village"…is a bit too…"

"A bit too Christian?" he nodded, his face twisted again. "We just have to ask if Albert is there … And then we'll talk to him and go" You reasoned that if two half Danes came to this village, the priests would start reciting prayers to you. "Hide Thor's hammer" he did as you said and also hid your amulet under your shirt.

"Or should I have asked Finan or Osferth, darling?" he raised his eyebrow, he hated it when you were alone with those two, he even told Osferth if he touched you again he would be missing a few fingers, it was a joke wasn't it?

"I'll be fine" he said looking at the horses "We'll leave them here" the walk down the hill was still the easy part of it all, but as you got closer to the village a happy looking priest was already coming towards you "Praise God" he just spoke and kept walking. Astonished, you look after him, but you don't lose any more thought about it as you pass the first house.

For what you saw did disturb you a little, a priest opened the small door and had to bend down to get in, the novice laughed and slapped the frontman on the buttocks. You stopped abruptly "Did you see that?" you asked Uhtred, but he had just looked to the other side "I was about to ask you the same thing" when he turned to you.

Even after asking, he did not tell you what he had seen. But it must have left him speechless. You shrugged your shoulders, everything normal here, you thought and tried not to let yourself be distracted from your mission, but Uhtred was the complete opposite.

"I wonder…" he said as he pointed to two novices standing so close to each other as if they were about to pounce on each other, but nothing more came out of him. "They're having a feast," was all you replied, and Uhtred looked at you in wonder. Everything is normal here.

A priest had just come out of the chapel, holding his clothes wide over his legs. "Priest?" you actually wanted to ask him about Albert, because most of the priests were "busy" but he ran past you.

"Forgot something, praise the Lord and repent" he just shouted, you looked towards the chapel, if the priests were gathering there, maybe Albert was in there.

"Well, I'm telling you, something's going on here" Uhtred said, walking so close now that you almost had trouble walking properly. "You're not usually like this, they're priests, everything's normal here" you shrugged again as you stopped at the chapel with the uncertain Uhtred.

In front of the chapel was a priest, unlike the others, dressed all in black, his nose so high that he could hardly see you, but he saw you. He began to cough, acted, and you could see that immediately.

"We are looking for a priest called Albert," you said, Uhtred next to you was very quiet and had his eyes on the stable. "Albert? No, no, I don't know that name," the priest said in a pointed voice, but he looked nervous. "We know from King Alfred that he is here. He said, you meet here for prayers and to do penance".

The priest nodded quickly "He is a good king" was all he said, beside you Uhtred began to pat you on the shoulders. But you did not respond to him "Then send for Albert or I will ram the door down" You saw the priest think and swallow hard.

Beside you, Uhtred kept patting your shoulder until he got fed up and grabbed you by both shoulders and turned in the direction he was looking.

You actually wanted to say something to the priest, but you were speechless at the sight of the two priests who were in the stable next to a horse, one above the other and intertwined, doing something that you could never imagine. They were priests!

You gaped at the priest in front of the chapel, who was beginning to sweat. You try to catch yourself quickly, and you did it extremely well. "If you don't let us in and bring us to Albert, I'll tell the king what you're really doing here." The priest wiped his wet forehead.

After waiting, slowly he nodded and opened the door, he invited you inside. From within came Lust screams and - God I repent-cries… Uhtred grabbed your arm and brought his face so close, you felt his breath on your cheek, "You know I love you and we both already have seen and experienced a lot…." he looked at the door.

"Do you really want to go in there?"

You nodded, of course you wanted that, that's exactly why you came and to find the princess, who liked to run away, this was your only option, because Albert had helped her and knew where she was.

You looked at your loved one with wide eyes and nodded. "And you're coming with me!" you said, taking his arm and pulling him with you. It was hot in the chapel, you were a little surprised because there were hardly any candles. You block out everything you saw.

A priest being slapped on the bare bum by another with a riding crop and moaning in lust, a priest on his knees in front of another doing him a favor while the other moaning read him the Bible, a novice lying at the table, naked, and surrounded by other men and a number of other scenes that you didn't see or fade out, Albert was important.

Uhtred, on the other hand, looked from side to side, wide-eyed, whenever he stopped you dragged him with you. His breath caught when he saw a priest hanging on the cross and being sprinkled with candle wax by a priest.

And then you finally stood in front of Albert. To your surprise, he was tied together with several ropes, his best piece was already red from the ropes and was whipped by a novice.

No one saw you or noticed you but Albert, who now looked at you both with a twisted face. "Where's the princess?" you asked confidently, as if what was going on here was normal.

The priest swallowed, ordered the novice to stop. It took him so long that you lose patience "Tell me immediately where the princess is, Alfred wants her to come home" at the king's name the man became different "Ehm … in Sussex" you nodded

"That was easy ... keep going," you said to the Priest, Uhtred was quiet the whole time, probably blinded by the impressions. "Give my regards to my king and tell him I'm praying for him" you knew what he meant, he didn't want any of this to get in the ears of the king "I will" you said, because everything was normal here.

Confused, Uhtred followed you outside "Ehm" he cleared his throat "I've seen a lot, but that….." you turn to him and said "Everything's normal here, I don't know what you mean"

He gave you that look that said you couldn't mean it. But it was only with the horses that he found his language again. "I don't know what I find more frightening, the priests, or that you are so, so good at handling this situation…I mean…"

You started laughing, "Have you seen the priest on the cross?" at first he was amazed, but then he laughed with you.

[invisibleicewands]

Take Two with Lizzy Caplan

As actress Lizzy Caplan Zooms from her Los Angeles living room, a massive fiddle-leaf fig tree looms behind her. She takes no credit for its Seymour-like size. "I don't know anything about plants, and we don't even live here half the time," she says giving props to the woman who takes care of such things when Caplan decamps to London for the other half with her husband, British actor Tom Riley, and their toddler, Alfie.

Last year, a few months after Alfie's birth, that schedule was disrupted by a six-month residency in New York while she played the pivotal role of Libby in Fleishman Is in Trouble. After wrapping, Caplan had a few weeks to move the family back to Los Angeles and begin shooting the Paramount+ series Fatal Attraction for the next four months. And aside from coming down with Covid between jobs, she loved every intense minute of it.

"I had Alfie without either of these roles being locked in, and then when he was just a few weeks old I decided to do both of them back to back, which is such a rare occurrence: to know what I'm doing for a full calendar year," she says. "It was a godsend, honestly, to know just where we would be in the world with this new baby. It was a very strange year, and the challenge was everything that I hoped it would be. It's a moment where your identity is in such flux, and you don't know where it's going to land, and for me, figuring out how to be a mother alongside getting to feel creatively fulfilled in the job that I love was incredible."

First came Fleishman. The FX on Hulu limited series from showrunner Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who adapted it from her novel, is ostensibly about Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg), a put-upon Manhattan doctor whose wife, Rachel (Claire Danes), disappears, leaving him with their two kids and a mountain of questions. He tries to navigate his new normal with help from two college friends, Seth (Adam Brody) and Libby, who also narrates the story.

But as the eight episodes progress, the focus shifts to Rachel and Libby. "What's impressive about it is that it fully works as that fake-out, Upper East Side of New York story on its own," Caplan says. "You think that Libby's telling you a story about her friend going through a divorce, but the reality is, she is facing down her feelings about her own life and middle age and getting older and all of it, and then it makes you cry."

She doesn't usually watch her own work, but in this case, she rewatched it. "I'm in awe of all my castmates," she says, beginning with Eisenberg, with whom she starred in the 2016 film Now You See Me 2. "I give Jesse credit for shouldering it all, only to recede into the background for the quote-unquote 'important' parts. It's an egoless performance, as well as being my favorite performance of his; he's so exceptionally wonderful in it. I'm impressed by Claire, who sat on the sidelines and let everybody think about her [character] in a certain way, only to have this one episode to try to change everybody's minds. That's a scary idea for many actresses: 'You're going to be reviled for six weeks.' Adam Brody played a character that could have been two-dimensional, and he infused it with so much. Everybody showed up trying to make the piece better and nobody was looking out for themselves."

Caplan isn't on social media but became aware of the show's buzz in her own way. "It's been a while since I've done something that got so much feedback from friends and family. And they all felt exactly how Taffy wanted them to feel, every step of the way. What she's done is masterful."

Reached by phone in New York, Brodesser-Akner is equally effusive. "People in my life tell me to shut up about Lizzy Caplan," she says immediately. "I won't stop talking about how wonderful she is. When she is part of your project, she feels so wholly in — intellectually, physically — that she changes the nature of the project. Literally, this was a character based on me, and after day one, it no longer was. It was this wholly new creation."

Caplan was the only actress the first-time showrunner had in mind for the role. "The entire role of Libby is that you never see her coming, and with Lizzy Caplan, you never see her coming." Meanwhile, the actress had written to her friend and Masters of Sex executive producer Sarah Timberman, who was working on Fleishman, to tell her how much she loved the book — and that she wanted to play Libby. When Brodesser-Akner heard that, "I felt like I had manifested it," she says. "She's a very famous person that we all think is our great secret."

Ever since Caplan's first role, at the age of fifteen, in the NBC cult series Freaks and Geeks, her career has had a slow build. She won acclaim as the goth outsider Janis Ian in the hit film Mean Girls, while feeling like a Hollywood outsider in real life. She dyed her hair blonde and sprayed on a tan in an effort to fit in, but it was her 2009 role in Party Down that was the turning point. She shone as the sardonic (brunette) comedian Casey in the Starz series, along with a murderer's row of actors on the rise. But the show couldn't find an audience and was canceled after two seasons — until this year's reboot. (Heartbroken she couldn't join season three, which conflicted with the Fleishman shoot, Caplan did manage a surprise cameo in the finale, and hopes a fourth season will allow her return. Starz has yet to announce a renewal.)

Even with the greater attention (and Emmy nomination) for her turn as Virginia Johnson in Showtime's drama series Masters of Sex (2013–16), she has somehow remained an under-the-radar fan favorite. "It's the best version of doing this," she notes. "It's not toxic, it's very loving and people are very respectful." She adds that with Masters of Sex, "I did get an influx of women of a certain age stopping me on the street to tell me about their sex lives, which I really enjoyed."

When she comes across a project she loves, as with Fleishman, she reaches out to let the creators know. The first season of Hulu's Castle Rock moved her to email cocreator Sam Shaw, a writer on Masters of Sex, to tell him she was a huge fan. "I'll assume that's what led to the next season coming my way." The horror series was populated with characters from Stephen King's oeuvre; for season two she was tapped to play psychopathic nurse Annie Wilkes.

That role was first played to an Oscar win by Kathy Bates in the 1990 film Misery, which almost deterred Caplan. "But since somebody's choosing to believe that I can pull that off, well before I believe that myself, I'll swing the bat." Playing Annie, in turn, gave her the courage to take on the role Glenn Close embodied so memorably in the original Fatal Attraction feature. "Annie Wilkes loomed as large in my brain as Alex Forrest did."

Fatal Attraction showrunner Alexandra Cunningham, who developed the series with Kevin J. Hynes, first met Caplan six years ago. Caplan, a fan of Cunningham's series Dirty John, asked if they could meet up for lunch, which turned into a four-hour chat. "She's genuine and she's smart and she's funny and she's interested and she's lively, and she's got great stories, but she wants to hear your stories, and that really sticks with you," Cunningham says. "When somebody who's really good at acting is also just the greatest hang, I'm immediately like, selfishly, 'I've got to figure out how I can capitalize on this.'"

When Paramount reached out years later with the concept of reimagining Fatal Attraction, Cunningham thought the role of Alex would be perfect for Caplan. "She was always in the back of my mind, but you've got to come correct to Lizzy. It's got to be something that really checks a lot of boxes. This is a person that anybody would kill to work with, even if they don't know how great she is to be around." She had no doubt Caplan could take on the iconic part and make it her own. "The more Lizzy does, the more she can do. I believe nothing more fervently than that."

Updating the 1987 erotic thriller meant reimagining Alex. Despite Close's great efforts to portray her as a deeply complex woman who suffered from mental illness, the film made her much more malevolent; the ending was reshot to suit test audiences' desire for vengeance. Close has been open about her regret with how the role and outcome were changed, and Cunningham was determined to rectify that in the series.

Caplan was fully on board. "We were instantly on the same page about the kind of story we were setting out to tell," Caplan says, adding she still loves the film. But watching it, "I feel an unbelievable amount of compassion for Alex. All of the work Glenn Close did is right there on the screen, and Alex deserved the ending that Glenn Close wanted her to have; it was just a different time."

That compassion informs her performance. "It's not my job description to label somebody evil or crazy. It's my job to figure out how to make this person feel like the decisions she is making are the only sane decisions — that everybody else is crazy." The series reveals a shift not entirely unlike Fleishman's. We initially see the affair and its repercussions from Dan's perspective (as played by Joshua Jackson). As we pivot to Alex's version of events, the reframing is eye-popping.

For all the reassessing, Caplan notes that the film was a wild ride, "So this should also feel fun and scary." And Jackson (The Affair) was the perfect partner. "I adore Josh. I'm so happy that it was him," she says. "Both of us have done shows with a lot of sex and nudity and we know how to navigate that without it being weird, and find the humor, which is everything when you have to shoot scenes like that." Their fight scenes were another story. "I felt far more terrified and vulnerable with those, and they were horrible to shoot, but I always felt really safe with Josh." The two also bonded over being new parents.

Speaking by phone from London, Jackson is heartened to hear of Caplan's trust in him. "We had some deeply uncomfortable days, and to allow yourself as a woman and a stranger to be that vulnerable to a man, and being excellent all the time, I'm just super impressed with her," he says. Those scenes were so painful, he adds, "There were definitely some nights when I went home and it took some time to shake off what we were putting on camera," a feeling exacerbated by being away from his family for the shoot.

Caplan used to have a hard time letting go of her characters, but since having her baby, she says, "It was weirdly easy to slip into that mindset while at work and very easy to slip out of it when we were finished. That made doing Fatal Attraction a very different experience than it would have been had I done it years ago."

She has no projects ahead of her at the moment, beyond flying back to London in a few weeks. "I'm just chillin'."

Brodesser-Akner would be happy to remedy that. "Lizzy told me about having lunch with another producer, and I wanted to throw myself on her like a grenade and say, 'No, stay with me!' I want her to enact everything I write for the rest of my life." Caplan's portrayal of Libby, the apparent supporting role that turns out to be the center of the story, still astonishes her.

"Lizzy figured out how to slow her roll and then pull it out in the end," Brodesser-Akner says. "I've been to a lot of opera, and I have not seen anyone pull off an aria like she did." But that's Caplan's forte — a star in stealth mode.

[softquietsteadylove]

What about a summer camp story?

Gil is the new head of the cafeteria. He's cooking for the children and camp supervisors. One time he asks one of the supervisors, Sersi, why this beautiful, statue like woman never eats. Sersi tells him her name and that she never eats in the cafeteria because the food was awful before Gil came. One Day when Gil meets Thena personally for the first time, he can convince her to try his food in the cafeteria.

✨🖤Hugs and Love🖤✨

"There's nothing in there but flour and cornmeal."

The statuesque woman startled, rushing to pull her head out of the pantry like a camper trying to sneak a snack back to their bunk.

Gil chuckled, "everything that's already made is either in the fridges or in the cabinets over the flat top."

She nodded silently, no apologies to be made over being caught red handed, "well, I'll-"

"You can have whatever you want," Gil rushed before she could make her escape. "Anything you like--just tell me."

She cleared her throat, maintaining what dignity she could after being found out. "I was looking for any tortilla chips leftover from chili night."

"Right," Gil nodded, looking down at the late night prep he was getting done. He set down his knife, "because you don't eat the cafeteria food."

He had noticed, of course. It would be hard not to notice the one face who never, ever entered the lunch line. Even the busiest counsellors like Dane and Sersi still had to sit down for dinner at some point. But the elusive activities director always walked around with a power bar or a protein shake in hand, it seemed.

Sersi had told him that the food was particularly horrid before he came to be the camp cook. Many of them had their reservations, and Thena wasn't one for dining communally anyway! He shouldn't take it personally, was her point.

But he was more than curious about the reclusive creature who took the kids on hikes and helped them with archery and volleyball and soccer.

She gave him a more standoffish look, still keeping her hands clasped behind her in her camp t-shirt and white denim shorts. He had never seen her in anything else, even early when the counsellors might grab breakfast in their pajamas before the rambunctious pre-teens rose for the day.

"I hope you won't take offense."

Gil swiped his hands on the towel tossed over his shoulder and faced her more fully. "You say that, but I'm pretty sure you won't even try a bite of anyone else's food."

She shrugged, "I'm not a food sharer."

Gil nodded, "right. That scared of it?"

Her shoulders rose faintly, like a cat arching its back for a fight. "You didn't have to sample the food of your predecessor. You would swear off the stuff as well, I think."

He snorted, "that bad?"

Thena gave him the driest look he had seen from her yet, and that was really saying something. "I brought enough power bars to sustain me for months."

Gil rolled his eyes, although he had to admit, she had one hell of a resolve. "You would rather survive on dry, crumbly protein bars than even try my food?"

"They are not dry."

"Crumbly though," he countered, and she accepted the rebuttal. He walked closer, "there must be something you'd be willing to try. Doesn't have to be anything the truck drops off, although I'll have you know that I don't make shit that comes frozen in a plastic bag."

Thena eyed him in return, still cautious but obviously too intrigued - or hungry - to avoid it. "You don't?"

Gil huffed, snapping his towel off his shoulder and tossing it onto the counter, "not on my life! I refused to take the job unless they changed their supplier and I was allowed to use real food. That shit's not good for kids anyway."

That seemed to sway the obstinate woman slightly, who at least drifted closer to the end of his prep counter. "Well, what do you make, then?"

"Do you not even pay attention to what's on the board?" Gil sighed, although he could guess the answer already. He crossed his arms, "of course not."

"I have other things to do," Thena crossed her arms as well, "I don't just have one age group to manage. It is, in fact, all the little devils who do the activities."

Gil smirked; she called them 'little devils' but here she was, same as the rest of them, spending three whole months at some camp in the woods so the kids could have some outdoor enrichment and three meals and a bed while school was out.

"So?" she prompted, her eyes flicking down to the green onion he was chopping. "What is that for?"

"Well, these are for something else," he shook his head at her prickly demands. "You can freeze them while they're fresh so they stay firm as a garnish for some crunch. But I can make you some eggs if you want."

"Eggs?"

"Eggs," he nodded, "y'know, usually a chicken lays 'em but you can get other-"

"I understand the concept!" she bit at him, although maybe it wasn't as scary if you weren't under the age of 13. "I'm asking if they're real!"

"Real eggs," he vowed, moving to the fridge as if she were holding a weapon for him to produce the evidence. He pulled out two from the wholesale flat he had in the fridge. "See?"

She pursed her lips at his demeaning demonstration.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. At least she was fun, this Goddess of War he had heard so much about. "You want something to eat or not?"

He wasn't sure, but he would bet that her stomach was winning the argument against her head.

She relaxed her stance slightly, fingers tapping against the end of the counter. "Could...scrambled, please?"

He knew there had to be a human under that shell. And she was hungry, "yes, ma'am."

Now she was the one to roll her eyes.

Gil turned the burner on, though, tossing a little nob of butter into the pan.

"The food truly was horrid, last year," Thena began her confession as he waited for his pan to reach an appropriate heat. She looked down at her hands. "It disagreed with me on several occasions."

That was what made her so much more resistant than the others. Gil smiled, "and here I thought you were being shy."

She scowled, "I'm-"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he waved it off, cracking his eggs and scrambling in the pan with chopsticks, "sorry. The last way I would describe you is shy."

Thena relaxed somewhat, and he discovered that it was possible for those sharp little shoulders to slouch. "I know I'm the only one who feels so strongly about it."

"I think that mass produced, bagged and canned shit would turn anyone's stomach," Gil offered more gently, keeping his eggs moving on the heat--her eggs. He smiled, "I don't blame you."

Thena drifted a little closer still. "I'm sorry, Gilgamesh, for being so unfair as to not even try anything you've made."

He shrugged, only looking at her briefly while working on her eggs, "hey, it's okay."

She paused, maybe not having expected her forgiveness to come so quickly.

"Also," he chuckled, pulling her very soft scramble out and spiralling the sheet of eggs onto a plate. He added a few of his green onions, just for the sake of it, "it's just Gil."

She pursed her lips at him again, but accepted the plate of eggs, swirled into a peaked cyclone. She gave him a slightly less unamused look, "showing off?"

He gave her his most charming grin, "gotta impress first time clients."

Thena rolled her eyes at him, cutting off the smallest piece possible with her fork.

"Oh, come on!"

She glared at him for interrupting her snacking, but took the small bite for what it was. Her eyebrows raised, and he noticed their darker colour in comparison to her almost white-blonde hair. "Hm...not bad."

Gil kept his eyes on her as he reached forward with his chopsticks. She didn't stop him--even moved the plate back closer to him. He took a bite for himself, "not bad--they're good!"

Rather than argue with him again, the statue of a woman took another bite, with another smile, "fine, they're good. Happy?"

Gil smiled as well, watching as Thena took larger and larger bites, probably starving for decent nutrients after all her smoothies and power bars. At least he knew what to make for tomorrow morning's breakfast. "I'm getting there."

[thatwritingho]

Kloktober Day 12

Use an OC/Self-insert

Finally, I'm posting the bios for Olive's siblings in the Momento Mori universe!

I don't have the energy to write anything new, but I was able to polish these up enough to post! Detial of the bios is completely reliant on where they appear chronologically in the story, and how far out I've outlined, so theres some variation in length. Eventually I hope to go back in and flesh them out more, but for now, enjoy!

As always, please let me know what you think🥺

Clove Axworthy

(birth name Soon-hee Choi)

Birthday: November 17th

Age: 30, twin sister of Olive

Height: 4’11 

Gender: Cis female

Sexuality: Lesbian

Ethnicity: half Korean, quarter Japanese, quarter Mexican

Country of Birth: South Korea

Education/Career: Has a phd in bioengineering as well as biomedical sciences. Works at a branch of the Axworthy company based in Seoul which focuses on prosthetics engineering. She invented and patented the designs of Dick Knubbler's eye replacements and Dr. Twinkletits arms, as well as performed the installation surgeries on both.

Personality: Rule-abiding and driven, Clove decided early on that trying her best to fit in and appear as normal as possible was preferred to being ostracized for her ASD. This was only reinforced while in foster care as a desperate bid to improve the chances of finding a permanent home. Masking has became second nature, and though she can't seem to blend in as much as she wishes to, she succeeds enough to be satisfied. Like Olive, Clove is naturally inclined towards kindness, and truly desires to help others, which is a driving factor behind her career goals.

History: They were very close when they were younger, Clove being more adept at social situations and found masking her asd came much easier to her than it did Olive. She therefore had an easier time making friends, and would often be the one to drag Olive along for play dates and outings, as she felt safer with her sister by her side and didn't want to leave her behind.

The twins were separated while in foster care, but reunited once adopted, though a wedge had formed between them that they were too young to understand; Clove having not experienced the same violent trauma that Olive had. This made dealing with her sister's emotional issues a difficult task, especially considering Clove's own unresolved trauma surrounding losing her parents and being parted from her sister, going into foster care totally on her own.

Due to Clove's views on conforming for survival, she was very disapproving when Olive began to take on a more alternative style, not understanding her sister's fascination with the macabre and growing interest in dark themes, as this goes against the rules she has set in her own head. She also has a difficult time accepting Olive's lifestyle choices due to the danger involved, finding her sister's actions reckless and concerning. They frequently fight over this, sometimes not speaking for months, though they always make up eventually.

Clove is similar to Olive in many ways; they share an interest in all things math and science, and can feed off of each other to inspire new ideas and breakthroughs, Clove often calling Olive for advice when stuck on a project. She adores animals, and has 3 Great Danes she loves dearly- Apple, Blueberry, and Grape(yes, singular).

Clove doesn't like metal- its sad but true.

.

Violet Killian ne Axworthy

Birthday: August 29th

Age: 34

Height: 5’8

Gender: Trans woman

Sexuality: Lesbian

Ethnicity: Romani

Country of Birth: Bulgaria

Education/Career: studied marine biology and oceanography, works as a Marine Field Scientist

Personality: Very, very type A, highly organized and meticulous, keeps a bullet journal. Very fun and personable, everyone she meets is a friend. Naturally mischievous, and developed a rebellious streak as a teen that she never quite grew out of. 

History: Gets along with Olive best out of all the siblings, also hates their adoptive father with a fiery burning passion. Forced into med school by him, but she quit and pursued her passion to get a marine biology degree, much to his disapproval. Has little contact with her family other than Olive and Mavuto.

Drinks a lot of wine, not uncommon for her to have a bottle hidden in her oversized purse "for emergencies." Is an alcoholic but hides it behind her fun personality and organized nature. Struggles with depression and OCD tendencies, and is trying to start replacing alcohol with therapy, though its slow going.

Met her wife Nova through Olive, fell in love quick and married within a year. They are very in love🥰

.

Dorian Axworthy

Birthday: April 16th

Age: 31

Height: 5’10

Gender: Cis man

Sexuality: Bisexual

Ethnicity: Quarter Japanese from his dad, the rest of his ancestry is old money British

Education/Career: Doctorate in finance, well respected in his field.

Personality: The only biological child of Alistair. Can be rather arrogant and self righteous, but has his moments where his kindness shines through. Feels like he has something to prove due to his father heavily criticising him his whole life. 

History: Olive and Dorian were very close as children, and he greatly helped her to come out of her shell when she was first adopted, and was the first person she was able to open up to about the trauma she had suffered from her parent's death and through her time in foster care. Dorian was a very sweet child, and wanted to do all he could to help his best friend. 

Unfortunately, this gave Alistair the perfect opportunity to manipulate his son into influencing Olive for his own benefit. He convinced Dorian, who was desperate for his father's approval, that the experiments and harsh training Olive was put through were in her best interest, and encouraged him to help lead her toward that path. This eventually caused quite a rift between the two as they got older and Olive began to realize she was only being used, while Dorian refused to see it. 

Despite this clash of opinion, Dorian still cared for her deeply, and was devastated by her suicide attempt as a teen, the event shaking him and causing him to realize his feelings for her had grown from that of best friend into something more. He was very instrumental in her mental healing process, and the two ended up dating for a few years while in college. But as they started to get older, and Olive began to lean more and more toward her revenge plot, they grew apart, Dorian becoming frustrated with her dangerous goals, and they suffered a rather nasty breakup, Olive leaving for Tokyo soon after they split.

Dorian moved back in with his dad for a while after this, and Alastair used Dorian's frustrations with Olive, as well as his heavy admiration for Alistair's accomplishments and contributions to the scientific field, to win his son back over, very negatively skewing his view of Olive in the process.

Unfortunately, this has caused Dorian to begin to excuse the torment Alistair put his siblings through in the name of scientific advancement, and he attempts to downplay how bad Olive and Dewi's childhoods were, and chooses to ignore how his father manipulated him as well.

Despite it all, though, Dorian still loves Olive and wants her back. He can be rather manipulative himself, and knows how to play her emotions, which he has no qualms over doing. The two got back together briefly as adults, once Olive came back to the states after retiring from the yakuza, and it once again ended badly, Olive finally realizing he had no issue with manipulating her into whatever he wanted, and that despite how much she still loved him, their relationship had become toxic and needed to end.

.

Mavuto Axworthy

Birthday: March 7th

Age: 32

Sexuality: Gay

Height: 6’2

Gender: Cis man

Ethnicity: Chewa

Country of Birth: Malawi

Education/Career: Neurosurgeon, head of the West Coast branch of Axworthy Industries

Spouse: Abraxas

Kids: Vesper, Scarlett

Personality: The most stable one out of the family. Fun loving and easy going the majority of the time, though he tends to be a bit of a worrier, and wants everyone to get along and be a big happy family. 

History: Quickly became best friends with Violet after adoption, and the two are still very close. Overall he is very agreeable, and does his best to see the good in everyone. Can deal with Dorian's manipulative nature the best out of everyone, tries to give him the benefit of the doubt, even when he doesn't entirely deserve it. Always trying to get them all together for "family bonding," which no one ever agrees to. 

Met his husband Abraxas in med school, the pair dated for a few years before marrying and adopting two little girls, Vesper and Scarlett, ages six and ten. Their family is one of love, support, and happiness- everything he had hoped for he and his siblings to have.

.

Dewi Axworthy

Birthday: June 26th

Age: 26

Height: 5’3

Gender: Genderfluid, uses feminine pronouns 

Sexuality: Bisexual, preference for men

Ethnicity: Indonesian

Country of Birth: Indonesia

Education/Career: Self taught malicious hacker for an undisclosed organization 

Personality: Very chill, though a bit of a loner. Dewi tends to keep to herself, and self isolates as her main coping strategy. Between depression, CPTSD, and working late nights, she’s perpetually exhausted, and has a bad habit of drinking too many energy drinks just to stay awake when she needs to. She throws herself into her work to avoid thinking about her problems.

History: Born mute, underwent multiple failed experiments to the hands of Alistair to “correct” it, one of which left her with a large, horizontal scar going across her throat, which she hides with a plain black choker.

She has an interest in robotics, which she and Olive bond over and discuss new designs together, though she tends to get caught up in her own projects.

Said "fuck school" and taught herself information technology and network security, became an international malicious hacker for an unamed underground agency. As the only other one involved in illegal activities, she and Olive have an understanding, and she doctors all of Olive's official documents/edits data available on her to keep her difficult to track. 

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Hart and Hunter - Chapter 41 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Dane Hunter

Some time later, with the moon just minutes from setting, Julian concludes his narrative.

Eirnín and her fae had listened carefully, as had the rest of us... some offering extra details at various points and some remaining silent throughout.

At my side, Chief Coleridge keeps her thoughts concealed behind an impassive expression.

It's the mask of a cop, trained not to betray weakness through feeling.

I wear that mask, too... out of reflex and habit and I consciously let it drop.

It probably accounts for at least some of the communication problems I've had with Julian and I don't need to wear masks around my mate.

Finally, his story at an end, Julian looks up at Eirnín hopefully.

"Will she be able to return?" he asks.

Frowning, Eirnín wipes tears from her eyes with delicate fingertips.

"She may return when she will and she knows this," she says.

"The war is long over... her father would welcome her back with open arms, as would I. Alas... my children are both noble and ill-fated, it seems."

"I don't understand," he says.

"She remains in the Shadowlands as a guardian," Eirnín says.

"As much as an act of repentance. She hopes to right the wrong she committed in this world by protecting it from afar. At least, that is what I surmise, from what you have told me. I wish I could ask her to her face."

Julian hesitates and then, reluctantly, he produces the dishcloth-wrapped journal and hands it to her.

"What is this?" she asks, unfolding it carefully.

"Rhiannon's own words," he says.

"I can't read it but maybe you can."

She studies it carefully, turning the damp pages with exquisite care.

"It's in a cipher," she says.

"The runes are written out of order and as such they make no sense. Even if you knew them, you could not understand what they said."

"Why would Rhiannon write her journal in Fae runes and then write the runes themselves in code?" Julian asks.

"Who was she hiding from?"

"Everyone," Eirnín says, with a sad smile.

"She is a warrior, born and bred. She trusted only her closest allies... her brothers, her kindred. When they, too, betrayed her, it is a wonder she should ever learn to trust again."

Doubt clouds Julian's face and he looks as if he might reach for the book but Eirnín laughs lightly and tucks it in her robes.

"Fear not," she says.

"I shall study this with care and hopefully, in time, discover whatever secrets my daughter saw fit to conceal in such a way. I shall fulfill her promise to my son and to those who followed Darragh's lies to this tragic end. They shall not escape punishment but they shall be shown every mercy our justice can spare."

Personally, that doesn't sound reassuring to me but Julian merely nods.

I suppose Darragh's soldiers wouldn't have helped us if they expected to receive harsh sentences in return.

"And Rhiannon?" Julian asks.

"Is there any way to send her a message? Let her know she can come home?" Eirnín nods.

"Perhaps. You have brought me great joy, as well as great sorrow, Julian. To know my daughter is alive and well, after these many years, is as sweet as my son's death is bitter. I would very much like to see her again and shall do all I can to reach her. As she told you, there are other doorways... other places to pass between realms... but the one here was unique in its stability. A shame it must be destroyed."

She sighs.

"Couldn't we leave it a while longer?" he asks.

"Go back and try to find her?"

Eirnín shakes her head.

"I imagine she has already done the work on her side. The way is closed. And now..."

She rises and looks at the sky, where the bottom of the moon now rests on the horizon.

"We must part ways again, unless..."

Turning to look at Julian, she raises her brows hopefully.

"Faerie is a safe, restful place. You would be welcome there."

My heart momentarily freezes but Julian shakes his head.

"Sounds like a nice place to retire someday but this is my home and if Rhiannon is a guardian in the Shadowlands, then my mate and I will be guardians here."

Eirnín nods and kisses his brow.

Then, with a wave of farewell, the Fae depart, guiding the children through the doorway to a new life and bearing Halloran's body home.

Then the moon sets and the sun rises and the world is quiet.

[its-lovelyhappycollection]

Celebrating 54 years of Scooby Doo!

54 years ago was the premiere of Scooby Doo Where Are You? And ever since then, we've had a wonderful journey following our favourite great dane and his adventures across the globe, solving mysteries and putting bad guys in jail.

To celebrate, let's share our favorite top 5 Scooby Doo movies and our favorite Scooby Doo series.

I'll start

5. Scooby-Doo Frankencreepy.

Boy, this was a good movie, it opens with a few scenes from Scooby Doo Where Are You? And the gang remising about their pervious victories then the bigger mystery is introduced. The opening sequence is also really interesting as instead of having a song, it has really intense and mysterious music as well as voice overs of the gang and their past villains, showing that this movie will be slightly diffrent and even giving us a hint for the end.

Then finding out that the people behind the mystery were a really some of their old villains was intresting. I really hope they do something like this again because Lilia said "everyone you've ever unmasked wants revenge!"

If they do this plot again, it'll be funny if the villain was like :you don't remember me? I was the one who did so and so" and the gang is like "sorry, we've done this so many times that it kinda blurrs together"

It was also really funny how Cuthbert Crawley basically pulled off a superman when he was pretending to be Velma family's lawyer.

4. Scooby-Doo Monster of Mexico

This movie always gives me the chills, they really did a good job with the chubracabra, making it look really scary despite knowing the ending.

It was also intresting as the mastermind behind the whole plot was never introduced until the unmasking, besides the occasional signs, we never saw the person in the film, and that made it really intresting and mind blowing.

3. Scoo-Doo Stage Fright

This is a good movie, good soundtrack, good story, good characters. It was just awesome!

The best part though it was it was not 1 person behind the mask, but several people, at least 6 (I think), and how they each had their own separate motive to being the phantom, leaving the gang unsure of who the phantom really was. Except maybe Dick, he was always nervous around shaggy and Scooby.

It was also interesting to see Fred and Daphne kiss, but leaving them unsure of where to go next, how they don't know if the other person like likes them or if was just heat of the moment. And them uncomfortable of talking because they don't want to ruin the friendship and make things awkward.

2. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island

Boy, this movie is good, not only did it regnite the Scooby franchise, but also it contained real supernatural monsters, from real zombies to werecats. That was a really good diffrence than some cheesy mask, plus the zombies look really creepy. 

Also the fact that the gang split up due to being bored with guys behind the mask for some real estate scheme or getting a billion dollars, seeing that it orignally started because Simione and lelia wanted revenge on Morgan Moonscar for killing their friends and family to doing it just so that they could keep on living.

and how the zombies were scaring them off just to save them from the same fate before they could finally rest in peace

Honerable mentions:

Scooy-Doo Pirates Ahoy!

Scooby-Doo and pirates, need I say anymore? 

Scooby-Doo Camp Scare

While I personally don’t like camping myself (you try spending every birthday up until grade 6 getting bitten by mosquittios) but camp scare is a really good movie, how a small traditional camp is struggling to get more campers compared to the larger camp filled to the brim with modern equipment. And how they’re trying to scare everyone out of camp before blowing up the dam, and seeing Sccoby drive never gets old

Scooby-Doo meets Batman Brave and Bold

Batman is one of my favourite DC superheroes and its funny seeing Batman trying to figure the gang out, “Scooby, go left!”

“Reft, Rot it!” *turns right* “he doesn’t know directions, does he?” “well, duh! He’s a dog!” 

* after scooby and shaggy trick some villains with their classic roleplay* “there’s no way that should have worked” “just roll with it”

But honestly. seeing the gang work with the World’s greatest detective was awesome to watch

1. Scooby-Doo WrestleMania Mystery

I don’t know much about wrestling, but the fact that the actual wrestlers came and voice acted their characters was pretty cool, even if I didn’t know any of them. 

Just like most Scooby mysteries, there was very little clue as to who was behind the ScareBear attacks, making the reveal really shocking (as always).

But yeah, overall good storyline, good motive and the fact that Shaggy and Scooby have been waiting for the perfect oppertunity to get the gang to do something they want with pictures of them being bait, but my favourite line really takes the cake.

“you mean you didn’t pack any luggage?!“

“what’s the big deal? We all wear the same exact clothes everyday!” 

Plus the cameo from the YJ girls and the fact they were able make a sequel to this film is amazing!

Alright, those are my favourite Scooby-Doo movies, and my favourite Scoby-Doo tv show is:

Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated. This will always be my favourite Scooby-Doo Tv series. I got up early every Saturday/Sunday just to watch it. 

Right from the beginning it was hinted that there was a bigger mystery with the locket Daphne found and the mayor reacting to it, showing that he’s hiding something. And the end of the episode when Mr. E says how they never should've brought the locket back up and it ending with "the real mystery has just begun"

Then with Ricky Owens and Cassidy Williams living in Crystal Cove without the mayor knowing, the subtle clues or hints in some episodes that eventually link to the big reveal (the dog dies, Alice may, etc) and more importantly the gang going through their own personal problems that caused tensions to rise up and the gang to briefly split apart. them getting back together, their bond stronger than before and how power, money and treasure truly corrupts people until you don't even know who they are anymore. the og MI is a perfect example of this, each one of them slowly lost themselves to Nibru and it eventually led to their downfall (except angel, she’s the only one who didn't deserve to die), just like their predecessors. 

It was quite creepy and scary in a few episodes, making enjoyble not just for kids, but anyone!

But it also showed the gangs complicated relationships with their parents, showing that not all tv parents are great. Both of Velma’s and Fred’s parent/s (yes, the mayor is technically Fred’s dad, while he did steal him, he still raised him to be a great man) were both obsessed with getting more tourists to get to crystal cove, Daphene’s parents had high expectations of her that she felt like she couldn’t live up to and Shaggy’s parents were...more or less alright. the only thing I really remember about them is sending Shaggy to Military camp.

Plus, the gang didn’t travel from town to town, they stayed in their hometown of Crystal Cove and went to High School, and found out that most of the people behind the mask were part of the town, that’s also what made it intresting. We got to see more character development from the gang, from Fred realising his feelings for Daphene, to a sassy Velma to Daphene not being the damsel in distress, and Shaggy and Scooby more or less stay the same, but they do get more confident in themselves.

Then with it ending with them destroying the entity and everything gets rewritten as the perfect paradise. Fred obviously growing up with his birth parents, Daphene no longer having the high expectations of her parents and them approving of her and Fred’s relationship, Velma seeming won bunch of science awards with Hotdog water and Shaggy apparently being a talent chef. Not to mention a few important reoccurring getting a happy ending, such as the sherriff and Mayor Nettles getting married and having kids, Fred's adoptive dad being a high school coach and having a happy life.

Then it ending with the gang leaving crystal cove to go and solve mysteries, linking in to several Movies (as in the sword and scoob, they seem to hail from cystal cove) 

Plus, it also had a few costumes of the gang’s previous mysteries, Charlie the Haunted Robot, Space Cook and so much more. 

and it was supposed to have a third season, but it got cancelled

So yeah, this series will always stand out to me, espically since Be Cool Scooby-Doo aired after this was finished, and the art style in that is SO ugly!

OK, so i’m done, now comment or repost with your Scooby-Doo favourites! 

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

I don’t want to overwhelm you cause I know you have several requests on top of your stories, but if you don’t mind I’d like to store this request idea in your box for a future date otherwise I will forget it.

Occurs in season 4 episode 3 where Cnut takes Mercia. The reader is Sihtrics wife, pregnant but he doesn’t know that she is pregnant cause he hasn’t seen her in so long. She was residing in Mercia, welcome by Æthelfled because her mother outlawed her in Wessex since she’s like Uhtred a Saxon Dane, part heathen. Anyways when Cnut and his men savage Mercia, Brida finds her trying to flee and Brida let’s her go escape. Walking in the woods for hours the reader is in a lot of discomfort, sore, cold, wet, tired, and about to give up hope. Suddenly, she sees Hæston and “his kinsfolk” caravan and begs Hæston to help her, maybe offering the promise of a reward. He obliges, he’s always liked her anyways so it wasn’t difficult to deny her but he was disappointed to see Sihtric’s pip in her belly. She hops in the cart and they travel in the woods for awhile and run in to Uhtred and his men. Sihtric is surprised to see her, she hops out and he’s panicked to her appearance disheveled, thinking Hæston did something to her but she explains and it’s just a really fluffy, emotional reunion and pup announcement.

Warnings: mention of pregnancy and some distress as reader worries about baby's wellbeing for a moment.

Pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: see request!

Word count: 2.9k

Note: thank you for this request! I hope you enjoy it :)

Taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylas-the-grim @heimtathurs @bubbles-for-all-of-us @valeskafics

'I hope he hurries.'

******************

'You're Sihtric's woman,' Brida grinned as she held you at knifepoint, 'are you not?'

'Please,' you cried, 'don't do this.'

'You carry his pup?' she asked as you held your baby bump.

'I do,' you sniffled.

'Does he know?'

'He does not,' you let out a sob, 'please, spare me.'

'How far do you think you'll get in your state?' Brida laughed.

'I don't know, please, Brida,' you begged, 'please let me go.'

Brida looked amused at your begging. It was almost sweet, she thought. While Cnut was busy bringing havoc upon Mercia, Brida had seen you try and escape their wrath. But she had been quick to follow you when she thought she recognised you. She knew killing you would hurt Sihtric, which would in a way harm Uhtred. And that is all Brida wanted. To harm Uhtred as much as she could. As much as he had harmed her.

'Brida, please, for the sake of my child,' you cried on your knees, 'let me go.'

'Is this your first pup?' she asked.

You nodded as tears ran down your cheeks, 'I know you want to hurt Uhtred, but not through me and my child, please.'

Brida sighed, she did feel for you, knowing what it's like to desperately want to be a mother. And now, knowing she was pregnant herself, Brida too, would have begged as you did now.

'Fine,' she snapped, 'run. See how far you can get.'

****************

And you ran. You ran until the night fell, you ran until your body was hurting, you ran until you threw up. You eventually fell asleep against a large tree trunk, until the first rays of sunlight woke you up. And then you got back on your feet again. And you walked. You walked until your feet were bleeding and until you fell down to your knees. In pain, in tears and locked into the tight grip of fear. Fear for your pup's life, fear for your own life, fear for the lives of those you left behind in Mercia, and the fear for your husband's life, who had no idea you were pregnant. You wiped your dirty hair out of your sweaty face and then placed your hands onto your belly.

'We will find a way, I promise you, little love, I will see your face. I will. And so will your father.'

And you sobbed at the thought of Sihtric, your beautiful husband. Gods, you missed him. So much. He had been away for so many months and you would do anything to be with him now. To be in his arms, to feel his lips on your skin and his voice in your ear, telling you everything would be okay. That he would take care of you. That he would take care of everything. And you prayed to the gods for help. And almost immediately, as if you had been heard and your prayer was answered, you heard voices chatting in the distance. You looked up and saw a group of people further down in the woods, but they seemed to be approaching. You jumped up and ran again, as fast as you could, holding your baby bump as you sprinted through the forest.

'Help!' you called, 'please, help!'

You saw how the leading man ordered his group to halt. You quickly understood they had no idea if this was a trap, so you stopped running and approached slowly as you kept yelling.

'I wish no harm! Please, I need help. I am a woman in need!'

'A woman?' you heard their leader chuckle with an accent, and for a moment you worried you were yelling to Cnut and his men as they started their approach again, until the man continued, 'and how may I help this woman in need?'

That sounded like Haesten and, even in all your despair, you rolled your eyes at the thought of that man. You stopped and fell down to your knees.

'I- I need to rest. I…,' you hesitated, 'I- I am pregnant!'

And upon hearing those words Haesten jumped off his horse and walked over to you.

'Where is the father of your pup?' Haesten frowned and he crossed his arms as he closed in on you.

'He marched months ago, he is not aware,' you said as you kept your head down.

'And how did this woman in need end up here?'

'Cnut-,' you let out a sob, 'Cnut has taken Mercia. I ran. I've been in the woods all night.'

'On your own?'

'Yes. I have no one, please,' you finally looked up at him as he stood before you. And his eyes grew big when he saw your face and his arms dropped lifeless next to his body.

'You're Sihtric's woman,' he gasped, 'is he… is he the father?'

You nodded and gave him a weak smile. You worried this knowledge may not work in your favour. Haesten has always had a thing for you, which everyone knew, and you feared that he'd just leave you in the middle of the forest now, on your own.

Haesten sighed and looked down at you, 'we could have had beautiful pups together, lady,' he shook his head and then he helped you up, 'but come, you can travel with us. You can get onto the cart we carry with us, in the back.'

'Where are you heading to?' you asked, cautiously.

'Heading North, but nowhere in particular, lady,' Haesten grinned, 'I am a free man! I have no land anymore. Which reminds me,' he said and paused for a moment, 'your husband had some part in that.'

You were startled at his words and knew it was over for you. You took a step back and Haesten threw his hands up innocently when he saw your worried face. 

'I- I promise if you help me, you will be rewarded once I find my husband.'

'Hey, I am not going to hurt you, I swear it, afterall,' he said and looked at your belly, 'I am a family man!' Haesten laughed and nodded towards the two boys a little further back. Cnut's sons.

*****************

You don't know how long you've been laying in the cart, being a part of Haesten's travelling gang, but you have at least been able to get some rest. But that was the only thing you got. You still looked and felt dirty. Leaves stuck in your messy hair, dirt on your face, arms, hands and in your hair too. Your tunic, once beige, was now a dark grey colour and your shoes were falling apart, which is why you had blisters all over your feet in the first place, and when no one was looking, you tossed whatever was left of your shoes out of the cart into the bushes. And as you felt your pup kick inside your tummy, you dozed off again.

********************

You were woken up by the men murmuring among each other. You rubbed your eyes and opened them as you laid down, trying to hear what was so interesting that made the men all whisper. And then you heard Haesten.

'Uhtred Ragnarson!' he laughed, 'I thought I could smell something rotten on the air!'

You jumped up after hearing Uhtred's name, but you were too far in the back of the travelling company to see if he was actually there.

'We should kill him now, Lord,' Sihtric said, 'while we have the chance.'

'Sihtric,' you whispered with big eyes. You would recognize your husband's voice anywhere, no matter how far, and you quickly shuffled your way out of the cart, running barefoot past all the men and women you'd been travelling with for a few days.

'I've had enough of fighting Danes,' Uhtred said bored, 'even weasels like Haesten.'

You saw Uhtred mounted upon his horse as you pushed yourself past the others, making haste to your husband, who you hadn't seen yet.

'Uhtred and his pretty boys,' Haesten said, 'looking so sad and far from home. It seems fate has brought us together, again. Your men,' Haesten continued, 'look like ragged dogs in need of meat and we have plenty. Speaking of meat,' he turned to Sihtric, 'your wife has quite some on her.'

'My wife?' Sihtric snapped.

'She-,' Haesten started but was interrupted by your screaming.

'Sihtric!' you shouted when you finally saw him, 'Sihtric!'

Sihtric's eyes darted with panic and confusion over the crowd Haesten travelled with, until he finally laid eyes on you. Despite your worn out appearance, he recognised you immediately.

'My love!' he shouted, dismounting his horse as fast as he could and he ran towards you.

'Sihtric!' you cried. Your feet gave out under you and you fell to your knees, feeling twigs and pebbles cut into your skin.

'Darling,' Sihtric said, not able to hide his shock and concern when he crouched down in front of you and saw the state you were in, 'what- what happened?' 

You tried to catch your breath and his eyes darted all over you, before he could bring himself to cup your cheeks, 'My love, tell me what happened! Did Haesten threaten you? Has he taken you with him by force?' he looked down at your belly, which was carrying his pup for 7 months already without his knowledge, 'has he touched you? Did he touch you!?' Sihtric almost yelled as tears filled his eyes, 'say something, my love, please!'

'Sihtric,' you whispered and looked up into his eyes, and the sight of his mismatched pair was enough to make you sob. 

Without asking any more questions he wrapped you in his arms.

'It's okay,' he whispered as he held you tight, 'I'm here, sweetling. You're safe, I promise. Just take it easy. Talk when you are ready.'

Sihtric kissed your temple before he carefully picked you up in his arms, carrying you over to Uhtred, Finan, Osferth and Young Uhtred. And you don't remember, but it had only taken you seconds of being in your husband's arms before you fainted.

'What is she doing with you?' Uhtred asked, concerned, while everyone watched how Sihtric carried you in his arms as he tried to control his emotions.

'It's quite a story,' Haesten smiled, 'we camp here tonight. Join us! And I will tell you.'

******************

You felt a little dizzy when you opened your eyes. You found yourself laying on comfortable furs inside a tent, but the bright light of the sun was hurting your eyes, as it shone through the open entrance. You groaned at the bright light and immediately heard something fall over as Sihtric jumped up, knocking over the wooden stool he had been seated on, and rushed over to you.

'My love,' he whispered, kissing your chapped lips gently, 'are you okay, beautiful?'

'Y-yeah,' you sighed quietly, 'just a little dizzy.'

'Here,' Sihtric said as he took a cup and brought it to your lips, 'drink some water, you need it.'

You sipped from the water and had to admit it indeed made you feel a little better instantly. Sihtric put the cup down and quickly took your hands.

'M-my love,' he stammered, looking at your belly as he swallowed hard, 'w-who-,'

'Yours,' you interrupted your husband, 'Sihtric, it's yours.'

'What?' his eyes grew wide, 'a-are you sure? Haesten said he… he humped y-'

'No!' you yelled, in shock and disgust, 'he has not! By the gods!' you cupped Sihtric's cheeks as his lower lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears, 'darling, please listen,' you said, trying to not let your own tears get the best of you, 'Cnut and Brida attacked Mercia. As I tried to escape I was stopped by Brida. I feared she would take my life, but she spared me. And then I ran. I wandered the woods for one day and one night, until I crossed paths with Haesten. You know he always had a thing for me,' you chuckled lightly as a tear rolled down your cheek, 'he was disappointed to hear that you are the father of the pup in my belly. And he said that me and him would have made beautiful pups together. He probably just told you that he had humped me to fool you. Believe me, my darling, I only ran into Haesten a few days ago.'

Sihtric looked at you and sighed with relief, not knowing what to say. You understood he was overwhelmed and also feeling guilty that he hadn't been there to help you through your pregnancy, up until now, so you took his hands and placed them on your belly.

'Do you feel that?' you smiled as the pup in your belly kicked like crazy, like knowing that the father was finally there, and you looked at Sihtric's face to see his reaction.

'Gods,' Sihtric let out a soft sob as he smiled upon feeling his child in your belly, 'it's… it's ours?' he looked up at you with tears in his eyes.

'It is, Sihtric,' you smiled as tears rolled down your face again, 'you will be a father soon.'

'I will?' he said in disbelief, looking at you for confirmation once more.

'You will be the best father, I know it, my love,' you whispered. 

Sihtric suddenly laughed and shook his head, finally understanding everything you just told him.

'I will be a father,' he chuckled lightly, and then he carefully grabbed your face and kissed you, 'I will be a father,' his eyes grew ever wider and he kissed you again. Then he ran out of the tent and threw his hands up as he shouted again. 

'I will be a father! Lord!' Sihtric exclaimed as he ran to Uhtred, 'I will become a father! Finan! Osferth!' he ran over to the other man, 'I will be-'

'Aye! We heard ye,' Finan laughed, 'a father, yes! We'll drink to that tonight!'

******************

After Sihtric had shouted at everyone who would listen that he would become a father, he had made his way back to you. And he carefully cleaned you up as much as he could. Picking the leaves out of your hair and washing out the dirt with some fresh water. Then he went to find some rags, and a clean tunic for you, and he carefully cleaned your face, arms and your hands. When he removed your tunic to clean up your legs, and to get you into the fresh piece of clothing, he looked sad upon your bruised knees.

'Oh, my love,' Sihtric whispered sadly, carefully cleaning the bruises before he kissed both of your knees softly.

'I will survive,' you smiled at your husband's tenderness, which you loved so much.

'But you're surviving for two now,' he smiled and kissed your tummy, 'you need to be extra careful. Promise me.'

'I promise, darling.'

You couldn't help but blush, brushing your hand through his dark curls as he rested the shaved side of his head onto your belly, as if listening to the pup. You felt so blessed to be his wife and even more blessed to become a mother to his child.

'Sihtric,' you chuckled lightly after a moment, 'I am a little cold…'

'Oh, gods,' he blushed, I'm sorry.' Sihtric smiled shyly and quickly dressed you into the clean tunic he found. Well, found, he had to pay Haesten some sort of reward apparently, and Sihtric bargained for clean clothes to be thrown into the deal. 

Your man was not always thinking everything through, but when it came to you, his mind was as sharp as ever.

After Sihtric had you dressed again, he grabbed a large fur and took your hand, walking you outside. It was already dark and a little chilly when you joined the men around the campfire. Sihtric sat down first and pulled you carefully down onto his lap. He pulled the warm fur over you and wrapped his arms around you, underneath the fur, and leaned his temple against yours, occasionally pecking your cheek as he listened to the men discuss their plan of attack to stop Cnut and Brida. 

But Sihtric stopped listening rather quickly when he got distracted by his wife. You mindlessly trailed your fingers up and down his biceps as you heard the men around you speak.

'I've missed your strong arms, my love,' you whispered, 'nowhere I feel safer.'

Sihtric hummed softly in your ear and you heard him chuckle lightly, squeezing you gently in his arms before you felt his hands move up under your tunic.

'Sihtric,' you gasped quietly, feeling his rough fingertips trail up the inside of your thighs.

'Yes, my love?' you felt him smile as he kissed your cheek again.

'Don't,' you giggled when he traced his fingers lightly over your undergarments.

'Okay, darling,' he chuckled, 'I won't. But I've missed you too, my love.'

'And your time will come, dearest,' you teased and laced your fingers with his, moving his hands up along with yours onto your belly, 'but first we need to get your pup out,' you chuckled.

'I hope he hurries,' Sihtric grinned.

'He?' you frowned. Your husband didn't see it, but he knew you did so by the tone in your voice.

'Yes,' he smiled, feeling the pup kick again, 'can't you feel it by the way he kicks? Such force, like a warrior already. He will be a fighter!'

'Which a little girl can also do,' you reminded him of how he loved your bravery.

'Yes,' Sihtric chuckled in your ear, pausing to kiss your temple as he rubbed his warm hands softly up and down your bump, 'and I promise I will give you a girl, my love. After our boy is born.'

[mcu-fan-fics-blog]

Vormir

One shot

(Death of Reader)

Reader x Avengers

Word Count: 1500 approx

Vormir (Endgame spoilers kind of)

First story on Tumblr feed back is welcome. Don't judge too harshly. Hope you like it.

It hadn't been long after Scott came back to the compound that you finally had hope. It's been the longest five years of your life. You lost, and no one was okay with it. But here you are with renewed hopes and prospects in sight. 

"Right so we're splitting up into three teams, no room for errors." Everyone nods understanding, taking in every word coming out of Steve's mouth. You'd been paired with Clint, Rohadey, Nat, and Nebula. You noticed something was off about her since you walked in.

You didn't know her very well but enough to know something was off. You pulled her aside when everyone was off getting  their suits. "You know something we don't… What is it?" You say firmly taking her off guard. "Y/N one of you isn't coming back… Vormir the Soul Stone has a price. A soul for a soul."

You take a step back shaking your head. "There's got to be another way… I can't lose anymore people." She takes another step forward. "There is no other way." You sigh nod your head affirmatively. Nebula speaks again. "We should tell the team." She begins to walk off and you stop her. 

"There's no need to burden them with that choice… I'll do it." She makes a double take looking at you like you're crazy. She begins to talk you out of it when again you interrupt her. "Listen tell them that… I- I love them, I know we'll win in the end we always do." She nods and gives you a firm handshake. You nod and walk off towards the rest of the team. 

After Steve's very encouraging speech you couldn't be more solid on what you were about to do. The time travel thing was very much a weird experience. You very cryptically say your goodbyes. Rohadey didn't think much of it and hugged you goodbye. Again you nod at Nebula. You take you separate ways and you begin to climb. 

You decide to take a break when Natasha notices you scribbling on your notepad. "Y/N what are you writing? You seem very intrigued." You chuckle lightly and show her your list. 

Time Travel must do's 

Go to a bon jovi concert

Go to Oj Simpson's Trial 

Kill baby Hitler. (Maybe?) 

She huffs out a laugh. "I mean the first one is a maybe the rest seems a little ambitious. Don't you think" you sigh looking at the sky. "Let me dream Nat." Clint chuckles reading what you wrote from behind Nats shoulder. "I would go to the first world series and experience it in all its glory." Clint remarks. You raise your eyebrows at Nat. 

"You see Clint gets it… What would you go back in time and do?" She sighs deeply and thinks about it. "I don't need to go back in time… I have everything, well we will get them back and all will be right again." You nod, the lack of words not letting you reply. Clint sighs. "We best be on our way, we don't want to be here too long." Clint shudders when you pet one of the weird critters crawling around. 

Disgusting Clint mumbles thinking you wouldn't hear him. You laugh shaking your head while giving Nat a hand up. You make it to the top when suddenly a hooded figure appears. Red Skull you remembered him from one of them many stories Cap had once told you. What you didn't expect was him explaining the current predicament. You all sit in silent contemplation. 

When Clint starts up again. "There's got to be another way." Nat immediately shuts him down. "There's not, it can't be a coincidence. Thanos came with his daughter and left without her." It was like they forgot you were even there crossing you off immediately. They have this whole little talk about who deserves it and who doesn't. You should have stopped them earlier but you were scared. 

You stand and declare "I'm not doing it." Making them stop to look. You continue not giving them a chance to respond. "I have a list, a life, a family I want to get back." You say as you walk towards the edge. "Plus that's a long way down… it looks like it'll hurt." Clint laughs. "We weren't expecting you to." Nat however catches on and begins to sprint towards you Out of instinct you stun her and she's out on the floor. You carried her to Clint. 

You give Clint a look and continue. "It has to be me… you have your family to get back to. And Nat… Nat's finally going to be happy again." Clint shakes his head disapprovingly. "Y/N look at what I've become,  I don't deserve my family." You sigh "you deserve them more than anyone on this planet Clint. I'm not one to judge you on the worst mistake you've made. Remember when you found me?" 

Flashback 

2009

You were fighting off local law enforcement when suddenly you see an arrow being shot towards you. Nearly missing you, you turn to face your assailant. "Well, well, well who do we have here? SHIELD agent Clint Barton. To what do I owe the honor." Clint is in defensive mode ready to kill you at any moment. 

"Hey listen I would really like to get back home… please don't make this any harder than it has to be." He says honestly catching you off guard. You look out on your rampage / massacre then turn back to Clint. "You want me to make it easy? What makes you think I would do that? Look around this… this is all my doing."  He sighs, once again surprising you.  

"I simply don't want to kill you, looking around I can see you have talent. What would you say if you could do this legally." You tilt your head clearly intrigued by his proposal prompting him to continue. "See I've studied you Y/N… all of these 'rampages' as you call them never end in innocent lives lost." He sees the confusion on your face and decides to go more in depth. "I can either vouch for you at SHIELD where you'd get to be a paid professional assassin not to mention you'd be killing the enemy, or I could kill you right now." He says bluntly. 

"Well when you put it like that it's hard to say no Barton. How's the wife and kids?" You mention casually causing him to jump a little. "How do you know about them… answer me!" You sigh "it was just a hunch… either way your family is very lucky to have you." He calms down letting go of his grip on you. "Come on we better leave before the big guns get here." He starts walking away but stops when he notices you didn't follow suit. "See I was kinda waiting for the big guns… big corrupt family tearing, did I mention corrupt guns." 

He smirks and nods. "All in a day's work… My wife would really like you. You'd fit in perfectly with Nat." He says casually while you start to notice the reinforcement. You move your head to point out the threat and you both follow suit and disarm mostly you were killing but he didn't mind. You liked that he didn't judge. And as he promised he vouched for you, gave you a real chance even, let you meet his family. Who you loved, would do anything for them from the moment you met them. 

End flashback. 

You put your forehead on his. "If you have another kid he or she better be named after me." Clint laughs the tears forming on his eyes. You continue. "If not get a dog, and name him after me. But make it like a badass dog, a Great Dane or maybe a Rottweiler. Not a Chihuahua, badass Barton you hear me." He nods unable to contain the tears. 

"Here… it's for the kids. This was a good run Barton, better than I could have ever imagined." You hand him your note pad. You turn towards Nat and her eyes are open but she's unable to move. You wipe your tears. "I'm sorry red, make the most of it okay. Tell them I love them because they'll all be back. I believe in you." Before you chicken out of jumping you ran towards the ledge. Just before jumping you turn and see Nat regaining her senses nodding at you, her tears evident. "Something badass Clint…"

You sprint off looking up at everything you're leaving behind. Nat, Clint, his family, the team. Then you think of everything they'll get back: Wanda, Sam, Bucky, Peter, T'Challa. It makes you smile. You noticed Nat attempting to save you but Clint holds her back. Your facial features soften "its okay let me go." You mouth to them both. Feeling the impact make its way with your body. You're painfully aware of everything breaking until it's just darkness.

[artxyra]

Ok so I don't know if your still taking requests but if you are it's daminette and marinette is over so the whole wayne family and her are chilling and they think they hear someone so they do a heartbeat scan and they count an extra one so they're searching they manor and they're on guard they alfred ask all the girls if they're pregnant and the guys are nervous because one of them could be a father so they scan all the girls and they find out mari's preggo and it's a whole chaotic ordeal

Note: Sorry this took so long, I was trying to figure out the best way to tell this story and I finally got the idea after watching TT episode Fear Itself. 

Whoever’s idea was it for the family to watch a horror movie during a fucking thunderstorm, Marinette just wants to end their lives. She was having a good day despite feeling sick in the morning, so being informed that tonight’s movie was horror-based was interesting. The majority of the time, a horror movie wasn’t a bad idea, but the moment the film ended, and the lights randomly shut off, the screaming begins.

For a house filled with heroes vigilantes, they sure do know how to scream and act like they’re in a horror movie real quick. Marinette could feel the need to throw up grow as the sense of someone watching her suddenly grows. At first, she thought that it was Damian or any of his brothers, but how could that be when everyone disperses the second, they heard movements that were not from either of them. Damian was reluctant to leave Marinette to her own device, but since the manor was so large splitting up was the best option.

“Come on, Mari, you’re Ladybird, stuff like this is nothing.” Marinette murmurs to herself in an attempt to keep her nerves at bay. That doesn’t go well, as the creaking noise suddenly fills the hallway. She sure hopes that it’s the air conditioner making those sounds. Marinette was slowly regretting not taking Alfred’s lead and follow him to the kitchen, at least she knows the kitchen area better than the damn halls. The amount of time she still gets lost in the halls just to find the gym is an outlandish number.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Clenching her teeth, she fumbles to unlock her phone. Despite using it as a flashlight, she also didn’t want to accidentally turn the only source of light off. The second her phone unlock, thunder and lightning decided to join forces making her jump at the sudden flash of light and a loud boom.

“I am so killing Jason…” She mutters. Finally, she is able to see the notification. It was a series of messages stating clear and the location. There were at least five out of the nine that were currently in the manor. They had invited Duke, but he opted out the second he realizes who was picking out the movies. Apparently, any movie chosen by Jason could only mean bad things and Duke, surprisingly, wanted nothing apart of it.

The creaking noises remain active, something that made walking down the hall and looking for a potential intruder much more difficult. Had the creaking stops, this would have been much easier to delegate which room needs searching.

Back downstairs, the Bat-family all decided to meet up in the living room. Marinette had yet to make an appearance. Damian was growing impatiently worried for his beloved, so much that he was practically stabbing the ground with one of many katanas.

“Master Damian,” Alfred chastised seeing the new marking on the floor. Great another reason to keep buffering the floors at least twice a month. Alfred knows that everyone’s worries were running high. They still had yet located the cause of the sound—a potential intruder—and it’s not like they would go into the Batcave without a problem, but they didn’t want to take that chance.

“She should have been here by now,” Damian grumbles placing the sword back into its sheath.

“Demon, we’re talking about Pixie, the girl literally has problems getting to the gym every once in a while, and that��s with light.” Jason’s words slowly dawned on the family. He’s right. Marinette may be officially apart of the family now, but the designer literally stays in like five places within the manor: hers and Damian’s room, the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom nearest to her, and the Batcave. Beyond those options, it’s better for Marinette to have a guide, which is usually Titus, and sometimes Alfred when he doesn’t have anything to do.

“I got the tracker ready, sir. Should I place it on heartbeat mode?” Alfred shows them the tracking device with a knowing look on his face.

The Batbros race to the device only for Tim to grab it and put it in the right settings.

“Hold on, wouldn’t it better to search for heat signatures?” Dick asks—well he was thinking aloud for the most part.

“Ideally yes, but the readings can become messy if we’re all in the same room or if what we are dealing with doesn’t radiate heat. It’s best to go with a pulse or in other words a heartbeat. Got any more questions, Dick.” Tim states glaring at his oldest brother. They were all worried about Marinette, but it was upped times ten. “Now are we going to try and find ‘spresso and whoever even dared to enter the manor?” Tim was a man on a mission. In fact, they all were.

No one dared to object to Tim’s claims. Damian was impatiently tapping his feet against the ground, and soon there were thirteen pulsing dots going off the tracker. Tim mentally did a headcount, with him included there were nine people in the room with him which means four of the dots are in unknown locations.

“So, which one do we follow?” That was the question on everybody’s mind.

“We go to the one that is alone, with a faint pulse.” On the device, several feet away is a flickering dot as if there was some interference in picking up the heartbeat. It wasn’t stable.

“Damian, where are your animals?” Barbara asks typing away on her phone. She may not be at the bat-computer, but she can still manage with Wi-Fi and a portable device.  

Damian wasn’t sure where his animals are. He knows for a fact that Alfred the cat was in his room, Titus disappears to hang out with Ace every now and then. The rest of the animals are most likely outside in their miniature houses that he keeps at the manor for nights like these.  

“No time to argue, we got to move.” Tim was already ahead of the family following the path guided to him by the tracker.

The bat-family follow the strange signal until they reach a dead end. All the doors were shut, and the thunder was booming with no means to stop. They haven’t seen or heard from Marinette since they disbanded earlier that night. Soon, the faint pulsing signal grows stronger as they approach the final door. No one, aside from Alfred, could remember what was behind that door. It was a bedroom.

“Whoa” Tim yelps, looking down at the tracker. There are now twelve pulsating dots on the device. They all filter into the room. It was practically empty which put them all on edge. Marinette was somewhere in the manor and now there were in an empty room with no clues on where to start.

Using their flashlights, they scan every inch of the place and still found nothing. Alfred takes the device away from Tim who protested but when he realized that it was Alfred he calms down.

“I don’t think there is another person in the manor,” Cass states looking around the room. She was eyeing the large wardrobe. If her hunch is correct, then she knows where the newest pulsing signal is coming from and that makes her giddy.

“I concur with Miss Cain.” Alfred walks over to the second door that is in the room and opens it revealing a certain black Great Dane wagging his tail happily yet protectively. He barks but upon seeing his owner, he calms down. “It appears that one of the signals is Titus and with him being her it only means that Miss Marinette is in this room. Perhaps in the wardrobe.”

The second the word “wardrobe” escapes the butler’s lips, all the bat-bros rush over to the item. Damian was quick to open it and there she is. Marinette’s small enough to fit comfortably on the base and stay hidden had there been any clothes on the rack. In her arms is a small pup, probably the intruder that has been haunting them. The pup’s nails are long and need to be cut. Marinette was sleeping which made it easier for Damian to scoop her into his arms.

The pup wakes up and begins barking yelping up a storm causing Marinette to stir in Damian's arms. Her eyes flutter open and a yawn escapes her lips.

“Is it morning already?” She yawns once more rubbing her eyes. Damian shakes his head causing Marinette to pout and try to find comfort in Damian’s arms to fall back to sleep to, but the pup in her arms wasn’t having it. “Oh quiet, you.” Marinette laughs and tightens her hold on the pup.

“That doesn’t explain the strange pulsing signal?” Steph states looking over Alfred’s shoulder and once more a signal was faltering without a constant beat.

“That’s because I believe, Miss Marinette is currently with child.” Alfred places the device down for everyone to see. “We have the heartbeat tracker on pulsing signals that can be easily translated to a heartbeat. If Miss Marinette, is indeed with child, the interference to this signal is the pulsing from the fetus.”

Alfred pause for a second giving everyone to process the news. Damian’s exe. was broken as he stares at his wife with love and shock. The rest of the family, aside from Cass, was blinking away the shock. Five, four, three, two…one. Then they all break out in shouts of excitement.

“Oh my god, we’re going to be uncles!” Dick exclaims bouncing in place. He even wraps his arms around Damian, who was still frozen and gives him a side hug knowing full well that he can’t protest.

Jason looks like he was about to kill someone—more or less Damian for a matter of fact. Marinette was his sister in everything but blood. Yes, he’s excited for the incoming member of the family, but he doesn’t know what to do.

 Tim was trying to wrap the news around his head. He hadn’t had any coffee since before the movie night started and with the power being off, there’s no way for him to make his usual late-night cup of coffee.

“Will you shut up; I’m trying to sleep here,” Marinette growls bring the attention back to her. Damian did the only thing that came to mind, he places a kiss upon her lips. Marinette moans and she would have playfully hit him had her arms weren’t holding the pup.

“So, no one is going to question how a puppy got into the manor?” Steph asks pointing to the pup still in Marinette’s arms. She was tempted to coddle the pup and leave the room to return to her own and news come back to life in the morning.

“Titus’s doggy door, most like. I won’t know until I check all the cameras.” Barbara says wheeling herself over to the couple, “Congratulations Damian…I’m going to bed.”

“We are so talking about this in the morning,” Dick claims as he walks out the room pushing Jason and Tim along with him.

Soon it was just Marinette, Damian, and the dogs alone in the room. Damian had a few options to consider, stay the night in this room or walk through a series of halls to return to their own bedroom. It’s late, so he chooses the former. Placing Marinette on the bed was easy once the newly introduced pup jumps out of her arms and onto the bed.

He makes sure she’s comfortable before joining her. Titus curls at the foot of the bed barking at the pup to come to him to which the pup did. Damian pulls Marinette into his chest and whispers, “Thank you, Angel,” into her ear.

“You’re welcome, Demon.” Marinette murmurs back before going off to sleep.

Who would have thought that this is how his family would find out that Damian and Marinette were expecting? This would go down as the best accidental reveal in their family history.     

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[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 17, "Dead Uncles and Vegetables", Part 2

Read part 1 and all other episodes in my pinned post. Luke is giving Lorelai the run down on the Life and Death of Uncle Louie, which is terribly un important. Think it's funny that he doesn't tell Lorelai about the existence of his family members until there's a crisis like his uncle croaking. Lorelai didn't know he had a sister or nephew until Jess was practically on his doorstep. Frankly, the life story of Liz Danes is infinitely more fascinating than Dead Louie's. I have to make a small correction: in the previous post, I stated that Teach Me Tonight was the next episode, but there's actually another wonderful, glorious, absolutely pointless filler episode next. That one where Richard helps Rory with a project for the Chilton business fair and Madelyn invents the Amazon Alexa a full 12 years before Amazon does but Rory sidelines her invention because no one at Chilton knows how to build a robot.

I can't think of a more gruesome place to spend the afterlife. If I happened to die in The Hollow, I would come back and haunt you. I'm gonna haunt you so hard, Lorelai Gilmore. You, Dean. Boom, haunted.

A little healthy competition for Taylor Doose. Just a warmup before Walmart eventually moves in and flattens both markets.

Love Miss Patty. Back at the Inn, Michel notices the 9 rooms that Lorelai reserved for Luke but there is no credit card on file to pay for said rooms. What's that sound? Could it be the sound of Lorelai Gilmore’s gross financial irresponsibility? Could it be that Lorelai just gifted Luke 9 free hotel rooms with no way to make that money back for the Inn?

Ha!

To bring everyone up to speed on the low stakes drama currently under way: Sookie is planning her wedding, and after a fateful soup tasting, Emily has wormed her way in to the wedding planning. Lorelai is predictably miffed. I fear that a day without a Miffed Lorelai would throw the Earth off it's axis.

For at least the second time in so many weeks, Lorelai has just up and left work in the middle of the day to help Luke do something and no one tries to stop her, on top of that she is leaving her real job to go work another job filling in for Luke.

Lorelai Gilmore is an HR rep’s nightmare. Meanwhile at the diner: the war for small town economic dominance rages on between Taylor and the gentle farmer's market hippie, while Lorelai works behind the counter and Rory....

WHHHAAAAA???! First Rory paid for her food, now she's working.... a job??!

Gross. Kirk just ordered lunch, Lorelai is about to bring Luke a turkey burger, and another customer asked Lorelai if they were still serving breakfast, so are we to assume it’s like, around 11am? And Rory is not in school. My word! She pulled a Jess and skipped school to work! It's even funnier when you think about how Luke is basically nobody to Rory at this point but some dick her mom is quietly chasing and her mother pulls her out of school to wait tables at his restaurant. (before anyone says "maybe it's a weekend", Rory was in her Chilton uniform just moments ago). Taylor, observing Miss Patty across the street at the farmer's market: "Since when does Patty eat so much fruit?" This is the woman who told 15 year old Rory that plums were better than sex.

Taylor is quaking in his cardigan, he knows deep down that at any moment his power and stranglehold over Stars Hollow could be usurped in a blink. Hippie: My market is so busy I don't have time to take a break and eat a meal. Taylor: A well groomed businessman with a good staff can afford to take a break now and again. Kirk:

The exquisitely timed, deadpan delivery of this line delighted me #TomatosSign #KirkMayBeATouchNeurodivergent

In other Low Stakes Drama, Lorelai has gone upstairs to bring Luke his lunch. He informs Lorelai that none of his relatives are coming to Dead Louie’s funeral, and they both pretend to be sad about it. Jess is nowhere to be found, so I guess unlike Rory, he’s at school, not jerking off for once.

Luke laments the lame excuses that his no good relatives gave for skipping Dead Louie’s funeral, like “I can’t miss work.”

If only they had the generous “Leave work in the middle of a shift to go help the diner guy” PTO package that the Independence Inn provides to Lorelai.

Luke begins the ol’ “name and shame the family members who have stood me up” and to no one’s fucking surprise Liz is among the funeral skippers who isn’t answering his calls (and at the same time isn’t seizing this opportunity to visit her own son and brother).

Oh Liz Danes you are SO getting haunted.

Now this just throws more Confusion Dressing onto the Dead Uncles and Vegetables Salad. On top of the "Rory gets pulled out school to chase her mom's Dick Goals", Jess also isn’t at school, and Luke says he’s…playing basketball. Ha ha ha. From the fantastical imagination of one Miss AmyShermanPalladino, who bought us “Dean likes/knows how to read”, comes its thrilling sequel, “Jess plays sports!"

Okay. Okay. Nothing is as creative or fantastically fictional as “Dean being literate”. And that being said, I could see Jess shooting hoops, I guess? Like maybe he spent time at the parks and playgrounds of New York City to blow off a little steam. Maybe it’s not a terribly ridiculous notion.

Anyhow, much like “I was playing football with my friends” ala the big fat lie in Swan Song, Rory just accepts this statement without question and then calls him a "little punk". Why? The hell did he do? First ya'll are mad he's causing "mischief" and now he's found a wholesome activity to keep him occupied and off the mean streets of Stars Hollow and you're still mad.

That brown shirt looked fucking stellar on him and he had to go and ruin it with a poofy lifejacket. 2000's fashion, man. I love how there is clearly nothing for Jess to do plotwise so they made up this z-plot where Rory keeps getting mad at him for taking time off from work, as if it matters to her, and as if he doesn’t have the most solid work ethic in Stars Hollow and shouldn’t be allowed take a break and play his little basketball game if he wants.

The low stakes drama continues: Jackson shows up at the diner and is not pleased about the intrusion on his wedding…by his fiancée’s coworker’s mother, of all people. I’m sure he had a lot of questions for Sookie about that.

Poor Jess. I'm sure he tried so hard to hold onto that fleeting moment of bliss today, a brief time when he was free, playing basketball, by himself most likely, skipping school, no one bothering him, then Rory shows up and drags him back to work/home for some reason and then Luke forces him to go to a town meeting, He never even got any time to jerk off. I don't understand why Luke goes to these things. Clearly any time there is a meeting he is there not of his own free will, so what are the terrifying consequences for staying home?

Here sits a defeated man. Taylor: You're late Lorelai, I banged this meeting in a half hour ago. Lorelai: Ooh, dirty. Miss Patty's reaction:

Dirty old bat. I love her.

Das a good question.

Tell me again why he should care about The Town? Why should anyone care about The Town? Fuck Stars Hollow.

The many faces of Milo. What a cutiemuffin gumdrop. Ah the famous scene where many claim to see Milo mouthing "I love you" at Alexis across the seats, to me it just looks like he's chewing his lip. The way he is looking at her is incredibly precious and adoring nonetheless. Lord, I think I just popped an ovary. Ow. Camp I Love You, Camp Lip Chewer, I respect you both, now let's just meet in the middle where we can all agree Dean Forrester sucks. To be continued.