#only cristobal was missing in that first one

[meep-meep-richie]

The green suit😭💚

[isagrimorie]

For the character ask game: Seven of Nine

for the character ask game:

Seven of Nine

How I feel about this character

I love Seven of Nine. She's my favorite and in the top tier favorite Trek characters! She's complicated and has sharp edges, she started out as a villain and a Borg drone who clearly loved

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I ship her with a lot of people:

Janeway, Raffi, and Chakotay with the understanding they're both in love with a third person in the shadow (Janeway).

Ship them but see them more as friends, but still will read their fic: B'Elanna.

And then, out of left field -- but in a messy, toxic, totally fascinating I want to dig through and find out more: Bjayzl.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Her brothers: Tom Paris, Harry Kim, Cristobal Rios, and Jack Crusher.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I guess, first that as much as she's changed over the years -- when push comes to shove, under pressure Seven is still the same brusque, and blunt person underneath. 'Rude' as B'Elanna once described her. She's learned a lot in between that time but if she's pushed she's gonna default to that.

Despite the events in season 2 of Picard, I still believe Seven still struggles with her identity as Borg and Human. Season 2 only marginally addressed her issues about being Borg and Human.

Also, I... don't believe she's as emotional as some fanfics seem to portray her to be. This isn't just talking about new Picard-era fanfic, but I've been reading Janeway/Seven and there's some purple prose there about Seven that doesn't jive with how I see her.

Seven of Nine doesn't like the beach or sand, no matter how much David Mack wrote that in Firewall. I am actually not sure about his characterization of Seven in Firewall (or how he wrote the Fenris Rangers tbh but that's a longer conversation).

Finally, my most unpopular opinion: I always believe that Seven would have ended up in Starfleet. Fenris Rangers was a good long wandering road that Seven needed to do and explore. She needed to form her own identity outside of the Borg, and outside of Voyager.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Picard and Prodigy canon acknowledge Seven of Nine is an engineer and along with B'Elanna Torres, they were the reason why Quantum Slipstream Drive is a viable and working star drive.

I wanted to see more of Seven dealing with the xB in the Artifact.

I wish Picard season 2 had more than 10 episodes because I wanted more Seven and the Borg Queen -- they have unfinished business. Seven and Agnes bond and find they have more in common than not.

Seven telling Raffi onscreen about Icheb -- because by the way Raffi mourned for Elnor it felt like she didn't know about Icheb and honestly, Seven is not the type of person to share that grief. Or how she actually lost two sons. One and Icheb.

What I hope to happen Seven clashes with the Fenris Rangers -- the Rangers calling her out on switching allegiances.

I hope to see Seven assigned as a liaison with the Jurati Borg despite Seven's ambiguous feelings with the Jurati Borg. And Jurati Borg Queen.

Also, I want Seven to meet her mother -- de-Borg'd time has stopped for her physically so she only looks a little older than Seven. Mother Issues, hello!

Or, Seven meeting someone who is a foil to her an xB who is on the opposite end of her thoughts about being Borg. A good antagonist who isn't a bad guy for Seven to clash with philosophically.

I miss a good philosophical episode in New Trek, where the ending is murky and questionable and leaves it for the audience to parse the answers.

[justanoasisimagines]

Current Requests

Hey my lovelies, below is everything I have curently in my askbox. i'll update it frequently and I'll keep it as orgainised as possible. If you have any questions feel free to inbox me.

Once upon a Time

the first part is where the reader is under a sleeping curse by Rumplestiltskin and after Killian and the Charmings finally defeat him, Killian's kiss wakes her up, proving that they're each other's true love. (Requested by Anon)

The second part is where the reader has nightmares about the fiery room from her sleeping curse and Killian comforts her until the nightmares eventually go away. It's your call.

Mayans MC; 1. Continuation of my Hank Loza letters ( Requested by @encounterthepast) 2. Miguel Galindo - Spending family time with their family featuring their son cristobal (Requested by @fear-1206)

Twilight

Maybe you are waiting for Alice at the house and you start to have a panic attack? Carlisle senses it and helps? Maybe some neck kisses and checking your pulse? (Requested by

Harry Potter

.who has been looking for his twin sister for years (she was reported missing after Voldemort's attack). Harry later discover that the reader has been taken by Bellatrix who has always treated her badly. At the end the two siblings will be reunited. (Requested by Anon)

Seamus Fininigan Imagine - Seamus falls in love with the reader in a risky and unexpected way (Requested by Anon)

House of the Dragon

Aegon II Targaryen Headcanon - where blood and cheese happens to their child but reader manages to save their son and how the cope with it (Requested by @roselyhills

Pirates of the Carribean

Captain Jack Sparrow Imagine - could you write something where Jack falls in love with the reader and one day he sees her scars from the past, from the battles and her time as a prisoner? (Requested by Anon)

Game of thrones

Game of Preference Set A - who fell first who fell harder" preference with set A? You know the four options, "they fell first and harder" "they fell first you fell harder" "you fell first and harder" "You fell first they fell harder". With little explanations? (Requested by Anon)

Game of thrones Preference - How they react to you being like Magery Tyrell (Requested by Anon)

Game of Thrones Prefrence with barristan, stannis, post reek!Theon, jory, benjen, viserys III, jorah, tywin, tyrion, podrick, edmure, jaime, robb, grenn, pypar, joffrey, ned - where reader dies shielding them (and they are already in love with reader at that point) and they thought they lost her forever but they were resurrected? What would their reaction and feelings towards both their s/o's death and resurrection (Requested by Anon)

Eddard "Ned" Stark Headcanon - Being Ned's second wife after Catelyn dies (Requested by Anon)

Davos Seaworth imagine - The Onion Knight falls in love at first sight with the Black Wolf, the Pearl of the North. She is Ned's sister. (Requested by Anon)

Jaime Lannister imagine - Queen of the North and a Jaime Lannister who falls in love with her over time? The reader has accompanied Brienne and Jaime on their journey. They later continued to spend long periods of time together while the reader was imprisoned in King's Landing. She is a rare person who knows and understands Jaime's reality. Later, Jaime helps her escape. At the end of the road, they reunite at Winterfell (Requested by Anon)

Eddard Ned Stark imagine - I just wanted to ask if you could a fic where ned has to remarry after catelyn dies and he marries reader and all the kids start to cling to her and see her as a mother figure, like even Theon and Jon are clinging to her (Requested by @roselyhills

Jorah Mormont Fluff Alphabet (Requested by Anon)

Grenn Imagine - Secret relationship and she's the only girl on the Night's watch (Requested by Anon)

AEW

Ricky Starks Drabble - Having a sinus infection and looking after him (Requested by Anon)

Marvel

1.Romantic/Falling in love/ Dating - Headcanons (Requested by Anon)

Shadow and Bone

King Nikolai x Female Reader - Their expecting a child together (Requested by Anon)

Station 19

Jack Gibson x Female Reader Imagine - she is a trauma surgeon at Grey Sloan and she is overworking herself and kinda neglecting her relationship with jack. She is so burnt out it is getting hard to watch by everyone. Angst with happy ending (Requested by Anon)

[strongitsalifestyle]

Galapagos island off the beaten path.

5 days June 2019

Santa Cruz & Isabela

When you finally take your trip of a lifetime and visit the Galapagos Islands, you have the option of arriving at one of two islands: San Cristobal Island, or Baltra Island. The San Cristobal Island is very close to town, but landing at the Baltra Island airport means transferrin from Batra airport to Puerto Ayora.

Getting to Santa Cruz from Batra airport will take you around 40 minutes once you have crossed the Itabaca Chanel.

A bus will take you to the Itabaca channel. These busses are parked outside of the arrival terminal if by any chance there is no bus, just relax, one will arrive soon. You can place your bags in the baggage compartment, or carry them onto the bus with you. The bus ride takes around 5 minutes and drops you off at the Itabaca Channel which flows between Santa Cruz and Baltra.

At Itabaca Channel, you take your bags to the ferry, and place them on the roof! The cost of the ferry is 80 cents US for the crossing, and takes about 10 minutes. Great opportunity for some first pictures of the Galapagos: crystal blue waters, lush green foliage, and hot blue skies!

When you get off the ferry you have an option to take a taxi or bus.

Taxi: Taxis in Santa Cruz are white pickup trucks. The cost taxi from the canal to Puerto Ayora is $15.00. There will be drivers waiting at the dock offering to take you into town.

Bus: Several busses will be waiting here to collect passengers and take them into Puerto Ayora. The cost is $1.80, and the trip takes about 45 minutes. These busses are most often crowded, and there is no air conditioning.

The bus will drop you off at the main junction in town: Charles Darwin Avenue and Baltra Avenue. This is the “downtown”.

There is a supermarket, post office, children ́s playground and an outdoor sports court with a stage. From here, you can take a $1.00 taxi (white pickup truck) to anywhere in town:

Day 1 June 5

In SANTA CRUZ we stay at a 4 star Hotel El Descanso del Guia. Breakfast was in the rooftop! They had a beautiful pool right in front of out rooms. We were alittle far from downtown but we’re happy with our hotel choice.

We took a $1 cab into town which was 15 mins away as we walked we saw a dock with a playground . On the dock we saw a few seals, our first up close encounter. It was amazing to see that they where not scared of humans.

Day 2 Rancho Primicias giant tortoises underground with a lava tunnel June 6

$5 to get into the reserve weren’t too sure what that meant. Exploring Lava Tunnels, Galapagos. Did you know that Isla Santa Cruz has numerous lava tunnels? Galapagos Islands are volcanic. They exist thanks to millions of years’ worth of eruptions from underwater volcanoes until the build up of hardened lava reached the ocean’s surface.

That same day we to a hike to Las Grietas. Here you could view iguanas and sea lions.

We went to the downtown pier and looked for a water taxi that would drop off us there. We hiked to Las Grietas with no knowledge of what it was. We saw many birds on hike. Def a hidden gem on Santa Cruz. It was a narrow creek between stone wall, people swimming back and forth. Very scenic place you shouldnʼt miss it! We then went back to the water taxis pickups. We were then picked up and taken back the downtown docks.

DAY 3 June 7

We took a speed boat to Isabela, Galapagos. When we arrived we took a taxi to our hotel, Hotel Cally. The next morning we took a snorkel tour.

Los Tuneles Snorkeling Day

The Los Túneles tour is for you if you want to snorkel with sea lions, sharks, and tortoises under lava tunnels. If you’re only going to do one excursion of Isabela, this should be it.

It features snorkeling and a breathtaking trek across Los Tuneles, where, if you’re lucky, you may witness blue-footed boobies doing their mating dance.

When we took the excursion, we could get so close to the blue-footed boobies, snorkel with white-tip sharks, and enjoy the beautiful landscapes.

Day 4 June 8

We went for a tour of The Wetlands, we found a driver that charge us $100 to give us a tour of the Parque nacional galapgos.

First stop; complejo de humedales to do a partial hike to la playa del amor and la playita. Since we already went to Los Tunos on our snorkel trip we didn’t need to do the whole trail. The trail goes to Wall of Tears, also known as El Muro de las Lágrimas. Many people who do this trail rent bikes.

La playa del Amor is situated nearby to Túnel del Estero and Los Tunos. ... name of Albemarle Island, is the largest of the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. Playa del Amor: A small beach that reaches a small lagoon of sea water where you can enjoy a relaxing bath. It’s an ideal place for children. Nearby is a rocky coast where the marines iguanas are usually resting.

Second stop: La Playita. A small beach (literally by name) whose waters are great for spotting sea lions, sharks, iguanas, and marine birds, in addition to being a lovely spot to swim or snorkel.

Third stop flamingo lagoon.

The largest coastal lagoon in the Galapagos Islands and one of the principal nesting grounds for the great majority of flamingos, this salt-water lagoon near Punta Cormorant is the largest in the Galapagos Islands.

The Galapagos flamingo is one of the world’s most brightly pink flamingos. They have also adjusted to the Galapagos environment in novel ways in order to survive.

The Greater Flamingo is the only flamingo species resident on the Galápagos. The current population is estimated to be between 400 and 500 individuals

4th stop Trail to centro de crianza. The center was created to restore the tortoise population of the southern part of Isabela Island (Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul Volcanoes) and is currently home. This is a sanctuary and breeding center where their primary goal is preserving these beautiful creatures. Each island has its own version of a tortoise sanctuary with many different breeds of tortoises.

At this particular breeding center, they have over 800 tortoises and 65 of those are breeding tortoises. There are 5 species of tortoises in Isabella, but 2 only two of those species are currently breeding. Most of these tortoises are endangered.

Last stop the Mirador del mango; From this site you can see the southern part of Isabela Island and part of the agricultural area. Named Mirador del Mango because of the presence of several trees of this fruit. The attractiveness of the site is the landscape and the typical vegetation with several species of birds.

Day 5 June 9

We did a quick stop to visit Charles Darwin research center.

After that we headed to the airport back to Quito.

[chocolatebananapancake]

Paris - Santiago

After the drama of missing our flight to Chile the first time round, I am happy to report that our second attempt went off without a hitch. It was a long overnight flight (14.5hrs) but it was fine. A good opportunity to watch some movies and we both got more sleep than we expected. We arrived in Santiago blurry eyed but excited and keen to make the most of the one day we had. While we were waiting at passport control we spotted the Wu-Tang Clan, who promptly made their way to the front of the queue. Bit rude.

After checking into our hostel we decided to go on a self-directed walking tour in order to see the main sights. Santiago sits in a valley surrounded by the Andes mountains so there are great views from most places. One of the best viewing spots is atop Saint Lucia hill, though it took a sweaty climb in the afternoon heat to make it up there. The rest of the tour took us through Santiago's chaotic shopping streets, stopping occasionally to sit in a nice plaza or look at a nice statue. We also had our first couple of empanadas in a famous, 80 year old cafe. The last site on the tour is another, much larger hill, San Cristobal. We wouldn't be walking up this one but we took a funicular to the top to take in some more amazing views. After descending the hill we were pretty tired so went to one of the trendier neighbourhoods to have a few beers. It was a shame that we only got to have one day in Santiago but we were pleased with the amount of things we got to see. We were due to travel to the west coast the next day to go to Valparaíso.

Daniel

A 2 hour bus journey later we arrived in Valparaiso in the late afternoon. It is a port city known for its colourful houses, graffiti art, and its 42 hills. We were staying up one of the hills in an interesting hotel made out of old shipping containers, which was a new one for us. The hotel has a nice terrace giving great views of the sea and a good birds eye view of the cities colours. On our first evening here we went for a wander around the town taking in all of urban art. Barely a wall can be seen without some cool graffiti. We ended the day with a beer on a nice restaurant terrace.

On our full day in Valpo (as the locals call it) we decided to go on an organised walking tour which promised to show us the Valpo that tourists normally don't see. A local guide took us walking around the old town and gave us a bit of a history lesson. It was a major port during the gold rush days and many grand mansions were built there. However, the opening of the Panama canal took a lot of the money away from Valpo and this downturn, combined with a few earthquakes, has left the old town damaged and neglected. The guide then took us on a bus up the top of the hills were we saw lots more art and a former prison turned cultural centre and we learnt about life under the Pinochet dictatorship in the 90's.

After the tour we went to a nice Peruvian restaurant (it felt appropriate as we had originally decided on going to Peru before our plans changed) and then jumped on a bus to the neighbouring beach town, Vina Del Mar. Vina is more upmarket than Valpo and has all the fancy hotels and beaches. Our first stop was to a nice gardens which contained an old palace which was now an art museum. It was a beautiful palace and contained some great paintings. We also got to see one of the famous Easter Island heads at a another museum which was cool as we haven't got time to visit the island on the this trip. We ended the night back at our hotel with wine, pizza and some card games on the rooftop.

Valpo reminded us a lot of Naples if you've been there, gritty yet beautiful from the right angles.

As I write we are in the ariport awaiting our flight to Punta Arenas in the south of Chile - the gateway to Patagonia.

Daniel

[tiptopcruises]

Experience the Wonders of the Galapagos: The Best Galapagos Cruise Itinerary

The Pacific is home to the Galapagos Islands, which are some of the most important marine biodiversity archipelagos.

Rich in biodiversity, they can be classified as an aquatic haven. It is a stunning maritime landscape, and the atmosphere will keep you interested. For more information about the best Galapagos cruise itinerary, read on.

Galapagos is a destination worth visiting once in a lifetime, ebbed in the rich ethos of marine biodiversity. Galapagos is an excellent example of a place with much marine life. It is also a unique place for nautical life fans and people who like to travel to meet up.

The archipelago is made up of 18 islands and 107 islets. Only 4 are inhabited: San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Floreana, and Isabela. The main islands on the itinerary are:

Baltra: A barren and arid land, Baltra comprises annual grasses and vines. Its vegetation is limited to saltbushes, cacti, and palo santo trees.

Bartolome is a coastal haven where many different animals live, such as sea lions, stingrays, spotted eagle rays, white-tipped sharks, and black-tipped sharks. Underneath, you have snorkeling and hiking opportunities that provide extraordinary sights you can’t afford to miss.

Chinese Hat: The island’s name comes from its shape, which is like a Chinese hat. The island is known for its white coral sand beaches, where you can glimpse sea lions and Sally Lightfoot crabs.

Espanola: Find blue-footed and Nazca boobies, doves, albatrosses, sea lions, and more. Its dry climate means it is home to reptiles. You can find some excellent rara avis here.

Isabela: Classified for its rugged beauty and new periphery, Isabela is a gem find. Outstandingly characteristic of the Galapagos due to its wholly volcanic nature, it is also one of the largest islands in the group. Because of how the land is laid out, it is a fantastic place that shows the true nature of the Galapagos.

Mosquera: Flat and sandy, Mosquera is an exciting spot for wildlife lovers. Its enchanting landscape is home to herons, seagulls, and sea lions.

Ferdinara: Pink flamingos cover the landscape here. The island has white, sandy beaches that give the shores a beautiful cover.

Genovesa: A nest to innumerable species, Genovesa is rich in its bird population. Unaltered by man, it remains an abode for bird species, quietly preserving and silently providing.

Seymor Norte: Pass by Seymor Norte to catch a glimpse of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds. These rare birds are safe in the abundant wildlife trees in Seymor Norte. Marine iguanas and sea lions also contribute to the coastal biodiversity here.

Rabida: Sharks and manta rays can be commonly found here. Coves and cliffs comprise the terrain here, rendering some excellent views.

San Cristobal: Exuberant vegetation and coastal terrain can be seen herein. Adorned with freshwater lakes, it is home to some extravagant species.

Santa Cruz: Find marine turtles, white-tipped sharks, and leopard rays, among many more. This temperate island is home to many beautiful species, making it an excellent place for nature lovers to visit.

Conclusion

The Galapagos Islands offer a marine culture pilgrimage that you can’t find another way. To explore the best Galapagos cruise itinerary, contact us. We’ll ensure your travel follicles are stimulated with our cruise to this astonishing locale. Our first-class cruise itinerary is here to give you the adjourn you deserve. If you are ready to explore a plethora of nature and wildlife, contact us, and we’ll take you on the vacation of a lifetime. Get set to gaze at never seen eco-terrestrial experiences that will enchant you. The best Galapagos cruise itinerary is now here for you. So what are you waiting for? Contact us now!

To get the latest updates visit our blog and follow us on Facebook, Instagram.

Blog source: https://www.tiptopcruises.com/2022/12/experience-the-wonders-of-the-galapagos-the-best-galapagos-cruise-itinerary/

[imagineredwood]

“I’m just trying to keep the peace, querida.” Part 2

Summary: It’s a couple of days after the blowout and Miguel has some damage control to do.

Pairing: Miguel Galindo x female reader 

Warnings: Angst, emotional hurt/comfort, co-parenting, making up after an argument

Word count: 2.5K

I’m so happy that y’all were feeling this one! I love when I have an idea and write it down before I forget it lmao You’re comments were also so kind and sweet I really appreciate them 🥺 I’m not sure how many parts more i’ll do, maybe two? Just not today lol I cranked this shit out today with motivation that came out of nowhere. Thank you as always for reading and let me know how y’all feel about this part. I wanted to try and make up for the pain in the first part   🥰

Part one

Things had been tense since your conversation with Miguel, to say the least. There wasn't much interaction seeing as Cristobal was with Emily this week. Miguel had been focused on work to take his mind off of the guilt he felt and you had simply tried to ignore your heartache with other things. It was going on day three now and neither of you had exchanged so much as a good morning. As of now, you were both home though, Emily due to drop off Cristobal for the week any minute now. It was awkward and tense, Miguel sitting in the living room, the seat next to him empty. Usually, you were sitting right beside him, eager to see Cristobal again and embrace him after a week without him. 

Now you were upstairs. 

He had checked on you ten minutes ago to see if you were going to join him and you had denied. 'Don't want to intrude' you had said. There had been both sadness and sarcasm in your voice when you had said it, and you hadn't given him the opportunity to respond, moving to the bathroom to shower instead. Now Miguel was sitting there waiting for his son, alone. 

The doorknob turned and he stood as Emily entered, Cristobal in tow behind her. He ran at his father as fast as he could, new speed present in the now four-year-old. Miguel smiled and leaned down to pick up his son, hugging him to his chest tightly. 

"Hi, mijo. I missed you."

Cristobal nodded and hugged his father back as Emily walked further into the home. She smiled softly at the sight, but Miguel could see her eyes scanning the living room. Your car was out front. She knew you were home. Miguel ignored her and put Cristobal down as he began to wiggle his legs, asking where you were. His question didn't help the tension of the situation but he was too young to notice, Emily's smile fading as he ran through the house and upstairs, calling your name excitedly as he did. Emily took a few more steps toward Miguel, looking around the house that she once used to call home. Her voice was facetiously casual as she inquired about you. 

"Is she out?"

Miguel shook his head, keeping his face neutral. No matter what, you were still his fiancé and she was his ex. There was no reason for her to know your whereabouts. 

"She's upstairs taking a bath." 

Emily nodded, taking another step closer while Miguel stayed right where he was. 

"And how did she take our agreement?"

Miguel bit his tongue and forced himself to hold back, jaw tight as he responded. 

"She's doing whatever she can to make sure Cristobal is as happy as he can be. She always has." 

Emily nodded, though Miguel could see she was repressing a scoff. 

"As long as she makes sure she remembers she's only your girlfriend." 

Miguel leaned his head back, shoulders squared, his energy halting both Emily's advancing steps as well as her attitude. His voice was controlled yet pointed when he responded, reminding her of the reality she did not like. 

"She's my fiancé. We'll be married by the end of this year." 

She nodded, suddenly not interested in small talk anymore. 

"I just want what's best for our son." 

Miguel nodded once more, hoping that she would read between the lines. 

"Having everyone who loves him happy is what's best for him. Seeing everyone he loves be happy is too." 

Emily opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of her son's voice ringing out from the top of the staircase. 

"Found her!" 

Both her and Miguel looked up to see you standing there as well, Cristobal next to you, his hand holding onto yours tightly. You slowly walked down the staircase with him, watching him to make sure he was careful, Miguel looking back at Emily. She was able to conclude that his look was her cue to leave and she retreated, but not before calling out to Cristobal. 

"Come say by to mommy and give her a hug before she leaves." 

Cristobal nodded and rushed down the remaining few steps, running up to his mother and hugging her tightly, saying goodbye before turning back to you. You offered him a smile as he came back to you and Miguel, wrapping one arm around each of your legs, squishing himself between both of you. Emily said nothing and then turned around, heading to the front door. Miguel faced you and reached out to grasp your elbow, his touch gentle and reassuring as he squeezed then followed behind her to lock up. 

"Goodnight, Miguel." 

He only nodded and forced a smile, locking up the door behind her, knowing the guards would handle it from there. Turning around, he faced the two of you once more, watching as Cristobal hugged you around the hips. You smiled sadly yet ran your hand lovingly over his dark hair, happy to have him back but still plagued by the restrictions that had been placed on you. 

"I missed you, papa." 

The child nodded and looked up with you with wide, warm eyes full of love, teeth on full display with his smile. 

"I missed you too!" 

Looking up, you found Miguel watching the two of you and you cleared your throat, looking away from him and back at the child. 

"Are you hungry, baby? Do you want a snack?"

Miguel knew you were trying to get away from him and were using that as an excuse. With Cristobal nodding, Miguel interjected, stepping close to the two of you and then squatting down to his son's level. He smiled as he spoke, not wanting his son to know that anything was wrong. 

"Why don't you go pick out something from the pantry and we'll be right in, ok?"

He didn't need to be told twice, the ball of energy running into the kitchen to find a snack. With him gone, Miguel stood back up straight, stepping closer to you. You stayed looking at his chest, the air tense. It was his fingers grasping your chin ever so gently that brought your gaze up to him. He watched you for a few moments, taking in the slight circles under your eyes, telltale signs that you hadn't been sleeping well either. He figured, considering you had been sleeping in another room since the argument. There were a plethora of things he wanted to say, none of which would make things better. So he did all he could think of to reassure you. 

"I love you. You're important to both of us." 

You nodded, knowing that was the truth, but you didn't respond, and that was what worried Miguel. Feeling the distress coming off of him, you sighed and nodded once more. 

"I love you too." 

He knew you meant it, but the words felt hollow. Like you were saying them because that was what was expected. Miguel sighed, his hand still holding your chin. He had hurt you, and he knew that, but he just needed to make sure Emily was satisfied until you got married. Once you were his wife, he already had plans in motion that would take effect. He just needed time. 

Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to your forehead, closing his eyes as he let his mouth linger. He felt you settling into him some and he was thankful for it, releasing you so you could both join Cristobal in the kitchen for a snack. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was night now, Cristobal already fed, bathed, and put to bed. It had felt awkward, you no longer feeling comfortable simply doing what needed to be done for the child. You waited for Miguel's go-ahead with almost everything, and now something that used to feel so natural suddenly felt like a chore. You had stayed as normal around the child as you could, not wanting your adult issues to taint his happiness, but now that he was asleep and you were alone in one of the spare rooms, you could let down your façade. You heaved a sigh, pulling back the comforter on your bed before switching on the nightstand lamp. You shut the light on the overhead fanlight and then began undressing, taking off the clothing you had on for the evening and reaching for your PJs, no longer forcing a smile. There was a knock on the door just as you slipped on your top, your shorts still in your hands. The person on the other side didn't wait for you to answer and simply opened the door, cluing you into the fact that it was Miguel before you ever saw him. 

He entered quietly and closed the door behind him, offering a tight smile as you looked back at him. When he didn't say anything, you simply continued to put on your shorts, your fiancé coming around to sit down on the edge of the bed. You stood there looking at him, not sure what to do or what he wanted. He reached out to you then, palm up and waiting for you to place yours into his. When you didn't, he put his arm back down. 

"I'm sorry. For everything." 

You nodded but didn't say anything else, Miguel standing once more. He walked closer to you, your eyes shifting to look at him as he got closer. He stopped when he was toe to toe with you, hands coming up to rest on your shoulders. 

"I've decided that she can drop him off outside and I'll bring him in." 

You looked at him blankly and he clarified. 

"This is your house. You live here. This is your home. I'm not going to let her make you feel uncomfortable in your own home. I won't allow it." 

His tone was concrete and you nodded, his hands rubbing your shoulders comfortingly. 

"I'm sorry for how I went about it. I was stressed and worried, and I took it out on you. I wasn't gentle with you like I should've been. I apologize for that. I should've been more transparent. I promise I will be from now on." 

"Ok." 

Your voice wasn't harsh, nor was it happy. It simply sounded defeated, and Miguel tugged you into his chest. It took a few seconds but eventually, you returned the embrace, wrapping your arms around his middle. 

"I'm trying to do this smart, mi vida. Legally, for the most part, at least. I already have an attorney working on...the future. We'll get most of the custody, but we just need to be patient. Ok?"

He pulled away and looked at you, reaching to run his thumb over your lips. You didn't look as dejected anymore, but he knew the hurt was still there, no matter how badly you tried to hide it. 

"OK, Miguel." 

He nodded, taking a deep breath, extending the offer. 

"Do you want to sleep alone still, or can I join you?"

You contemplated it, missing the comfort and security of having him beside you, no matter how hurt you still felt. With a sigh, you spoke quietly. 

"I guess I'll go back to the room." 

Miguel shook his head, relief coursing through him. He had missed you, desperately. 

"We can stay here. Doesn't matter where we sleep. I just want you." 

His words didn't fix everything, but they did slightly soothe the ache of the week's events and turmoil. Reaching for the blanket, he pulled it back some more and motioned for you to climb in. Once you were laying, he covered you up, tucking you in before reaching for the lamp switch and shutting it off. He made his way around to the other side of the bed then, removing his own clothes until he was only in his boxers. He climbed in next to you and cuddled in closer, relishing in the feeling of you resting your head on his chest. 

He knew you were still upset, that feeling of betrayal fresh and sore. He hadn't meant to make you feel that way, but intentions don't matter when you hurt the one you love. He didn't place Emily above you, nor did he ever want to, but if that was how you felt, then he was going to do everything he could to show you that that wasn't the case. Resting his cheek against your head, he looked up at the ceiling, voice soft. 

"You'll always come before her, you know that right? I know I didn't act like it this week, but I do hope you know that." 

You shrugged, not bothering to lie. 

"It didn't feel like that. It felt like you were willing to take someone that I love away from me just to make her happy." 

Miguel nodded, understanding why you felt that way. He hugged you tighter to him and left a kiss to the side of your head. 

"I was just scared. I already wish I could have him with us every day, but I can't. The thought of her telling me she wasn't going to let us see him just..." 

He trailed off, before picking back up. 

"I could snap my fingers and have this whole thing go away. I know you must be wondering why I don't. I just want to do it the right way. She's still his mom, but so are you, she's just the one with the official title. It would hurt him not to see her anymore, just like it would hurt him not to see you. I just want him happy. Once we're married, our home will be the most stable place for him, I've already made sure that the judge sees that. We just have to let it play out, mi amor." 

You could understand where he was coming from now, see that he had a plan, and was trying to ride it out before it landed in your lap. It didn't make the situation ok, but it did help to soothe the ache you felt. 

"Wish you would've told me that earlier." 

Miguel chuckled lightly, the tension between the two of you lifting more and more by the minute. 

"Yeah, probably would've made things a hell of a lot smoother huh?"

For the first time in days, you laughed. It was quiet, but it was true, and Miguel was beyond thankful to hear it. A yawn broke free from him, and he finally closed his eyes, grateful that if nothing else at least he had smoothed things over with you as best as he could. He still had some work to do, but it was a start, and he would take what he could get.

"I cleared my schedule for tomorrow. You and Cristobal can pick out the entire day. Whatever you two want, we'll do it together. As a family." 

The thought made your heart feel warm and you closed your own eyes, looking forward to tomorrow.  

General taglist

@piccasoe @ateliefloresdaprimavera @gemini0410 @woahitslucyylu @my-rosegold-soul @that-chick212 @everyhowlmarksthedead @glimmerglittergirl @elcococruz @fanaticfangurl21 @encounterthepast @iambabyharry @svintsandghosts @starrynite7114 @saturnsaree @multiyfandomgirl40 @destynelseclipsa @sadeyesgf @queenbeered @iamthegraham @emoengelfurleben @all-the-boys-to-the-yard @otomefromtheheart @rosieposie0624 @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @beeroses @weirdosandhopelessromantics @kola95 @black-repunzel99 @xonickibaby @cruzwalters @myakai13 @mrsstevenbuchananstark

Mayans MC taglist

@dazzledamazon @abunnykisses @briana-mishell24 @angelreyesgirl @wrcn9fvlcver @peaches009 @capt-canadian @thesandbeneathmytoes @krysiewithak @darklingveracruz @appropriate-writers-name @cind-in-real-life @blessedboo @montanaraed @kkim120 @megapeacelovemusic-blog @emoengelfurleben @blowmymbackout @abby-splace @kola95 @black-repunzel99 @redpoodlern @xonickibaby @cruzwalters @myakai13 @mrsstevenbuchananstark @danimals1096 @po3ticb3auty​

Miguel taglist

@omg-mymelaninisbeautiful​ @maciiiofficial​ @jatriciaaa @black-repunzel99​ @ben-c-group-therapy​ @witchygagirl​ @xonickibaby​ @berniesilvas @myakai13​ @fanfictiontrash9

[sjnjournal]

Audrey Hepburn being fitted by Hubert de Givenchy for her film Funny Face, 1956. Photographed by David Seymour.

Audrey knew of Givenchy's reputation - she followed fashion with the same intensity that some sports fans devote to baseball. In fact, Hubert had first come to her attention two years earlier, when he was still an apprentice at the house of Schiaparelli, and she was in the South of France filming the light European comedy Monte Carlo Baby.

Her heart raced. Eight years before, in Holland during the war, she had been wearing homemade clothes, and now she was about to enter the rarified world of haute couture, where an embroidered blouse cost $3,000. It was almost too much to imagine.

It was time. Audrey was nervous about meeting Givenchy but forced herself past her fear. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her head, pulling herself up from the base of her spine as learned in ballet class, making herself appear taller than her five foot seven inches. A doorman pushed open the heavy glass door to the atelier. "Mademoiselle?" Roman Holiday would not be released in America for a month, so Audrey could walk the streets of Paris - or anywhere, for that matter - unrecognized. She smiled at the doorman and stepped inside. The air was hushed, calm with the fragrance of full-blown white lilies. Surely nothing bad could ever happen there.

'I'm here to see Monsieur Givenchy, please."

"Qui, Mademoiselle," the doorman said, and motioned for her to go upstairs. With a short skip, Audrey took the steps two at a time.

Darting up the marble stairs, Audrey had no way of knowing that this seemingly fated fashion meeting with Givenchy almost didn't take place. At first she had considered Cristobal Balenciaga to design her French costumes for Sabrina, but no one, least of all Gladys de Segonzac, married to the head of Paramount's Paris office, who arranged Audrey's trip to Paris, had the audacity to disturb him close to the showing of his collection. Indeed, the loyalty of Balenciaga's followers was so absolute that Mrs. Paul Mellon took to her bed for two weeks, literally, when he announced he was closing his studio in 1968.

Then, Audrey suggested, what about Hubert de Givenchy? Mme. de Segonzac smiled. An excellent idea! It turned out she was a good friend of Hubert's, and offered to make the introduction. Segonzac then called Givenchy and implored him to meet with the young actress. Although he was rushing to prepare his own collection, Givenchy agreed, "One day, someone told me that Miss Hepburn was coming to Paris to select some clothes for her new film. At the time I had never heard of Audrey Hepburn. I only knew of Katharine Hepburn," he remembers. When introduced to Audrey, Givenchy graciously his his disappointment. "My first impression of her was that she was like a very fragile animal. She had such beautiful eyes and she was so skinny, so thin. . . . And no makeup. She was charming."

- Excerpt from Audrey Style (1999) by Pamela Clarke Keogh

[thehammondlegacy]

Transcript under the cut

Previous / Next 

Willow Palace - 11.40 am

Louise: I’ve heard you are graduating soon, sir

David: Yes... It’s been a complicated journey, but I’m finally graduating

Louise: The Queen and Prince Cristobal must be very proud 

David: I guess they are...

Louise: Are you and His Royal Highness close, sir?

David: We used to be closer, but he’s been a bit difficult to reach lately

Louise: Why is that?

David: He- He’s been spending a lot of time at Hemlock...

Louise: It seems His Royal Highness takes his dukedom very seriously

David: Yes... Are you close to your parents, Miss Blythe

Louise: Yes, I am... But I guess we’ll have time to talk about them in the future. I was hoping to ask you about the girl His Royal Highness has been seen with yesterday

David: I... I was hoping to avoid the subject, but I guess you have the right to know. She’s not serious, if that’s what you are wondering

Louise: To be honest, sir, what I’m really wondering is if an arranged marrige is what you trully want. I’m sorry if I’m being improper, sir

David: No, you are not... I just don’t think I’ll be able to have a marriage like the one my parents have

Louise: May I ask one more question, sir?

David: Go ahead...

Louise: Why now? I mean, if Your Royal Highness wishes to have an arranged marriage, why do it now?

David: You mean why do I want to marry this young?

Louise: I can’t stop thinking what led His Royal Highness to make this decision while being so young. I wonder if Miss St.James passing has anything to do with this, sir

David: I-

Louise: I’m sorry, sir. You don’t have to answer... 

David: No, it’s alright. I believe it’s natural for you to want to know about her, but lets not discuss her today. I guess we’ll have a lot of time to talk about our past in the future...

Louise: I- I’m so sorry for what happened to her, sir. And sorry againg for bringing that up

David: It’s alright... Do you have any more questions?

Louise: I have so many, but I guess I’ll really like to know how is His Royal Highness planning on doing this?

David: My moter and I have been talking about it, and we both think it’s best to wait six months to announce the engagement. During that time we’ll have to be seen together several times, so everyone believes we are-

Louise: In love? So His Royal Highness wishes to keep the arrangement in secret?

David: Yes. It’ll be the best for everyone to keep it hidden. Only members of the royal family and foreign royals will know of the arrangement. Don’t worry, Miss Blythe. If everything goes as planned, everyone in Willow Creek will believe it. Now, would you like to see the throne room?

Louise: Yes, I’ll love to see it...

---------------------------------

David: To much for the first visit?

Louise: No... But I have to admit it’s very intimidating

David: It won’t be for too long. Once you become the Crown Princess, It’ll be less intimidating, I promise

Louise: I wonder if I can be that. I mean, a Crown Princess...

David: You will be. My grandmother will train you to become one, and I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from her

Louise: It’ll be an honour to be trained by Her Majesty, sir

David: I guess now there’s only one thing to ask, Miss Blythe... But I’ll do the asking now. Even though you have already agreed to become my wife, I believe the proper thing is to ask you and to hear your answer from your own month, so... Would you be my wife, Miss Blythe?

Louise: I will, sir... And I believe it’s Louise now

David: Then I guess it’s David from now on...

[mrsamaroevans]

TIGHTROPE PT. 2 | MIGUEL GALINDO

Fandom: Mayans M.C.

Pairing: Miguel Galindo x Female Reader. This follows from: Tightrope.

Request: Yes!

Words: 4,052.

Warnings: English is not my first language, so, sorry if there are grammar mistakes or if the redaction is poor.

A/N: Guys, without joking, I’ve been writing this since the first part was posted and that was nearly a year ago lol. But it’s finally here and I hope you like it! *Gif is not mine*

|| MY MASTERLIST ||

“Never sure, never know how far we could fall”

The past eight months, Miguel never felt so out of place like he was feeling by day four you were out of the house. He’s been feeling so bad not only emotionally because you were not with him, but physically ‘cause he started to catch a cold. His meetings with Potter were frustrating him even more and he was more tired than ever to have meetings with Los Olvidados or the MC.

He took a look at the last months of his life and he knew he had screwed everything up. Miguel hated himself for that; not Potter, not Los Olvidados or the MC. Him. He was the only one to blame for the situation his marriage was in.

That night when Cristobal was sick, he told you how sorry he was and promised you he would make an effort to be more at home. Two months ago, he had the chance to change the way your marriage was going and he didn’t do anything.

You’ve been together since you were sixteen. He knew about the loveless marriage your parents were living in because that was the reason why he had to work so hard for you to accept the first date. Miguel remembers how much you tried to avoid your feelings for him, how careful you were with every step of your relationship. He promised you he wasn’t going to hurt you and he didn’t. When he had to go to Cornell? You tried to break up with him, arguing about all the time he would be away with those pretty New Yorkers but he assured you, you were the only one who he could want to be with. Miguel did everything he had in his hand to make your long-distance relationship work, and instead of feeling away from him, you felt like nothing was different.

He did everything right back then, so right that when he proposed in the winter holidays of his fourth year in Cornell, you accepted without hesitation.

Why couldn’t he be like the twenty-two-year-old Miguel Galindo?

Miguel saw your face appearing on the computer’s screen and suddenly, he started to feel better. He texted you asking you to do a video call and felt relief when you accepted.

At least you didn’t want to avoid him the two weeks you were going to be away.

“Hey! How are you?” He asked and you smiled. Miguel loved seeing how passionate you were about your job, so he smiled for the simple fact of seeing you smiling.

“Fine,” you said “And you? You sound different,” you asked, a bit concerned.

“I’m catching a cold, but I’m fine,” Miguel said nonchalantly.

“There’s medicine in the cabinet of our bathroom,” you told him “You should take some before you feel worse”

“I’m better now that I’m talking to you,” Miguel said and you chuckled immediately “What?”

“You did it too soon,” you said and added when he frowned: “Trying to make me fall in your arms again”

Miguel laughed. He wasn’t trying that, he was just being honest, but now that you touched the subject…

“I know you said we’d talk about it once you come back, but…”

“And we’ll do it” you interrupted him and Miguel understood you didn’t want to talk about it at that moment “I had an interview earlier, that’s why I’m all dressed up,” you said, changing the subject.

“I think you look gorgeous,” he said, and when he saw the look you gave him, he laughed “And how did that interview go?”

Miguel and you talked about a bunch of stuff. You told him about the process of publication of your book and he listened to every single word that came out of your mouth. He didn’t realize how much he missed hearing you talk until now, and when you least expected it, you and your husband talked for three hours straight, something that hadn’t happened in so long.

“You know? This takes me back to those four years you were at Cornell” You said and Miguel nodded.

“Yeah… our old computers didn’t have this quality but, yeah, they helped us,” Miguel said and when he was about to say something else, he saw you turn your attention somewhere else.

“Oh, hi baby” he heard you say and Miguel knew immediately who was the person that walked in the room where you were “Just be careful, Lucy, please”

“I’ll come back as soon as it ends, Mrs. Galindo,” a feminine voice said and then he saw Cristobal in your arms.

“It’s okay, have fun” You smiled, and then the door got closed “You wanna see daddy? Look who’s there!” You pointed to the screen and Cristobal looked at it. A smile appeared when he saw his father and Miguel smiled as well.

“I miss you two so much,” Miguel said, feeling tears in his eyes at seeing you both smiling so wide, but, a thought he didn’t like at all came to his head.

You seemed happier now than in the past eight months and it broke his heart because he felt so alone. Every night he expects to walk in your bedroom and see you sleeping, kiss your head, —kisses you never felt— and lay at your side. But all that he finds is an empty and cold bed.

Miguel didn’t want a future without you and he knew he had to work really hard to keep you in his life.

||

“What are you thinking, Mickey?”

Miguel looked at his friend, he didn’t even realize he was that quiet and thoughtful. Nestor sat down on the stool next to his and looked at him.

“You miss her so much” Nestor teased once Miguel didn’t say anything.

“I do” Miguel nodded, he had a glass of scotch in his hand and when he took a sip, he realized it was already warm, so he left it aside “I fucked it up, hermano. We never had this distance before, not even when I was at Cornell… and it’s all my fault”

“Well, it’s a progress that you already accepted it,” he said and Miguel scoffed.

“At what damn moment” Miguel sighed and leaned his forearms in the bar “I feel like I’m losing her”

“She thinks the same about you” Nestor confessed, making Miguel look at him.

He should have expected it. You and Nestor started to spend a lot of time together since he was your driver. You met Nestor at the same moment you met Miguel, you were friends, it was obvious you would talk to him.

“You can’t lose her, Miguel,” Nestor told him “(Y/n) and Cristobal are the best things that have happened to you, not the cartel, not the protection you’re having from Los Olvidados… your family”

Nestor was right and Miguel knew it. Not anyone would stand his life and everything that comes with it, but you? You were there since the beginning, you never judged any of his decisions. He was so lucky to have you in his life, ‘cause people could talk shit about him, the cartel could be crumbling down, but at the end of the day, when he walked through the door of your home, you were there, welcoming him with a smile and a kiss. You were all that he needed.

“I know,” Miguel said, immediately “I have always known that, I just… I don’t know what happened, I’m trying to remember but… I can’t. I thought we were fine, I thought I was just working like before and then my son got sick and if I hadn't woken up in the middle of the night, I wouldn't have even noticed” he sighed again, summed in frustration “I didn’t want to be the absent father and husband my father was and here I am. My wife is miles away from me and she looks happier”

“Don’t you think is because you’ve been talking every day?” Nestor asked, raising an eyebrow at him “She loves you, Miguel. Never doubt about it… I’m going to the airport tomorrow for her, you wanna come?”

Miguel nodded. He would do all that it takes to bring his family back.

||

You had your son in your arms as the babysitter helped you with your suitcase. You missed so much your home that you were so happy that your days in New York came to an end, and for the giant smile Cristobal had, you knew he was also happy, even if he didn’t understand what was going on.

“Let’s find uncle Nestor, you’re gonna help me?” You asked, looking at your son’s face. He smiled at you and wrapped his arms around your neck.

“Over there, Mrs. Galindo” Lucy said, pointing away and when you turned around, you froze for a moment.

Miguel was there with Nestor, and when he spotted you, he started to make his way through the crowd to reach you. You didn’t know what to do for a moment, he surely surprised you ‘cause Nestor told you he had a meeting with Los Olvidados that day. You definitely didn’t expect him to be there.

“Look, baby… it’s daddy” you told Cristobal and he looked at where you were pointing “It’s daddy, baby…”

As soon as Miguel reached you, Cristobal stretched out his arms to his father, and being as happy as never in the last eight months, Miguel took him out of your arms.

You took the chance to turn to the babysitter “Lucy, thank you so much for helping me… we drive you home?” You asked, but she shook her head no.

“My brother is picking me up,” She said.

“Are you sure?” You asked again but she only nodded, “Thank you so much again… Cristobal, say bye to Lucy,” you said, grabbing your suitcase and caressing Cristobal’s back.

The babysitter smiled when Cristobal waved his tiny hand at her, and then she started to walk to look for her brother.

As soon as she walked away, Miguel used his free hand to cup your cheek and kissed you before you could object. You pulled back, frowning, and with a small smile on your face “Someone is too affectionate today”

“I missed you,” Miguel said “And I’m not talking only about these past two weeks…”

“It’s not the place, Miguel,” You told him, but stood on your toes to kiss his lips again “Let’s go home…”

Miguel held your hand the whole way home, he asked you about the flight and about your last two days in New York that you couldn’t talk.

“You’re too affective today” You whispered, looking at him and grinning when he caressed the back of your hand with his thumb. He smiled and turned to you “How’s your mom?” You asked to change the subject.

“Happy ‘cause you’re coming back,” he said “She also missed you two… I think Cristobal helps her with her treatment”

You looked back at Cristobal, who was busy playing with a stuffed bear in his car seat “I also noticed that… what did she say about the psychologist?”

Miguel sighed and you half-smiled, you didn’t need more to know what your mother-in-law thought about that idea “You know her, she doesn’t want to go to a loquero”

“Well, we knew she’d say that” Miguel nodded at your words “Maybe Dr. Kamen can convince her… I’ll talk to her, don’t worry”

Again, Miguel realized he didn’t deserve you. He didn’t know what he had done to have you in his life, you were too good to be true ‘cause even after all that distance, you were there for him, having his back like you had done since you were sixteen.

So he kissed your hand and you smiled.

When Nestor parked outside your house, Miguel leaned to the backseat to take Cristobal as you jumped off from the SUV and smiled when you saw Dita in the front door.

“You’re finally here, querida,” She said, walking to you and hugging you “How was your trip?”

“It was great,” You said, and as soon as Miguel appeared with your son in his arms, Dita’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh, mijo, I missed you so much” Dita smiled and Miguel let her take Cristobal in her arms “You must be hungry,” Dita told you and you couldn’t hide the fact she was right “Let’s go inside, lunch is ready”

That night, even though Miguel wanted to be with you when you bathed Cristobal, he received a call and couldn’t make it. You weren’t mad. You understood that besides his family, he also had other important things to take care of, also, you saw in his eyes that he wanted to fix things up. He didn’t want to lose you and you also didn’t want to lose him.

“Sorry for that,” he said as soon as he crossed the door of your bedroom. Cristobal was in his bed already and you knew he wouldn’t wake up until the morning arrives “I went to see Cristobal… he looks tired”

You smiled.

“Yeah… he was,” you said, taking your earrings off and leaving them on your bedside table. You were tired as well, you would put them to your jeweler tomorrow.

“You also are... We can talk tomorrow”

“No. I promised we would when we had time alone” You said, turning to him and patting the bed for him to sit at your side “What did you want to tell me?”

“I’m sorry” It was the first thing he said “I know I haven’t kept all the promises I made the day we got married. You’re the most amazing wife and mother out there and I haven’t appreciated you the way I should” he shook his head and leaned his head back looking at the ceiling “I used to say that I work a lot, but now I know that’s not an excuse. ‘Cause, you work a lot too and you haven’t neglected our son, our house, or our marriage… I can see it now”

Our marriage.

Those two words made you shiver. You have confronted him about Adelita’s baby and you were afraid that the words he used just confirmed your biggest fear. But he could see that in your eyes, ‘cause he started to shake his head.

“I swear to God, amor, that between Adelita and I never happened anything,” he said, grabbing your hands. There were tears in his eyes, afraid of you not believing him “I can see why would you think that and, unfortunately, I have nothing else than my word for you to believe me” you looked him in the eyes, you wanted to have proofs but how could you have them? You had to trust him “You’re the only woman I have ever love and that’s how it’s gonna be forever. You can trust me”

“I do,” You said after a few seconds “If you say nothing happened, then nothing happened”

“Nothing” Miguel insisted, sitting closer as one of his arms landed on your shoulders and kissed your head.

“Thank you for not ignoring my feelings,” you said with your eyes closed. You missed having him so close, the smell of his cologne taking you to all the happy memories at his side.

“I’m sorry it took me too long to finally see it” he got a few inches apart from you, so you opened your eyes and looked up at him. You couldn’t deny it, you were a bit disappointed for that action “And… I know this is not romantic but…” you leaned back to see him better. Miguel was nervous and the only times he was like that were, when he asked you for the first date, when he proposed to you and when your son was born “We’ve been married for ten years now, and if you want… I want to renew our vows”

You were surprised.

You didn’t know anyone who wanted to renew their votes. The only thing that you heard of marriages when you were young, was that they were so tired of being in them.

“Miguel…” you barely whispered when he got on one knee in front of you. His hand grabbed a small black velvet box from his suit coat and opened it.

“Would you like to marry me again?” Miguel grabbed one of your hands as you were still trying to find your voice “I can’t promise you I won’t make mistakes again because I’m not perfect, but I promise to always put you and my family first”

You smiled. Your eyes getting watery as you nodded.

Miguel sighed in relief and took your engagement ring off your finger to place the new one “I love you” he told you as he stood and the next thing he did was cupping your cheeks to kiss you.

You accepted his lips, leaned back, and held from his dress shirt where you looked for its buttons as the kiss went from sweet to passionate. It had been so long since the last time he touched you like he was doing it at that moment, and your heart melted when you realized that his touch felt the same as always.

But, of course, the moment was interrupted by Miguel’s phone.

“Are you kidding me?” He said, irritated at whoever he was talking to “Potter wants to talk now? Does he know what time is it?”

You sat in the bed and looked at him as he walked around the room. You bite your lower lip as you recognized Alvarez’s voice coming out of the device and from what you could hear, you knew Miguel had to leave.

“No… tell him I won’t go anywhere”

You walked towards him and stood in front of him so he could see you. Just by looking at your face, he shook his head, but stopped when you placed one of your hands on his chest “Go. They need you” you whispered.

Miguel covered the microphone and shook his head again “I got it, amor, they won’t interrupt us”

“I’ll be here when you come back,” you told him with a smile as you wrapped your arms around his middle and left a soft kiss on his chest. He didn’t understand how he could deserve someone like you “Go. It’s okay”

He sighed and gave in “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Miguel said kissing you, before walking out of the room as he buttoned his shirt.

Your eyes stayed at the door for a couple of seconds and when you looked down at your left hand, you smiled at seeing the new ring on your finger. If you wanted a proof, that could be. The butterflies in your stomach made you giggle while you made your way to the bathroom to take a shower.

Half an hour later, you were doing your skincare routine. You had a small smile while remembering the past weeks and how you were feeling things were changing just stepping into Californian ground. It all started to feel like before and you were not even afraid that things could change for worse. What happened today was proof enough for you to be sure that you could overcome anything.

You turned to your left when you heard the bedroom door being closed. After placing all the products where they belonged, you walked back to the bedroom just in time when Miguel was about to call your name.

“What happened? Potter just wanted to say hi?” You asked and Miguel chuckled at your joke as he was taking his coat off.

“I was in the car and I realized that I didn’t care what he wanted, so I asked Alvarez to come back,” Miguel said, unbuttoning his shirt and looking directly at you “I want to spend this night with you and nor Potter nor anyone is gonna interrupt”

“Amor… I was being honest when I told you it was okay” You told him smiling once he reached you.

“I’ll deal with him tomorrow” Miguel smirked and pulled off the strip from your robe “I love you”

Your hands cupped his cheeks “I love you too”

| ONE YEAR LATER |

The sky was bright blue. There were no clouds and the weather was perfect. Miguel and Cristobal were in the pool while you watched them from the bed in the tent Miguel asked to be built. They were having fun until the little one wanted some cookies from the kitchen and as demanding as his father, he wanted to go for them.

“We have fruit here,” You told your son, pointing at the bowls on the table as Miguel helped him to take his blue lifejacket off. Cristobal pouted and shook his head no.

“I want cookies” he insisted.

“Fine, just two,” you said and your son nodded. he grabbed his father’s hand and dragged him all the way to the kitchen.

You smiled watching them going inside the house. Their curls and swimsuits dripping water as they walked. There was no doubt that Cristobal was looking more and more like his father as the days go on.

The giggles of your son became louder as they approached the tent. You looked up from your phone and saw your son with two cookies in both of his hands. You turned to Miguel, questioning him with your gaze.

The expression on his face was saying “I couldn’t do anything”

“I said just two cookies, hun,” you told your husband once Cristobal sat near you.

“I told him so,” Miguel said quickly “Tell your mother what you told me”

Cristobal smiled when you ran your fingers through his hair “Two for me and two for little brother” he looked at you and then turned to the bassinet at your side. You couldn’t stop your laugh and neither did Miguel.

“But little brother can’t eat cookies yet,” you told him.

“Can I eat them for him?” Cristobal asked looking up at you with a big smile, trying to look as innocent as he could.

You looked at Miguel who didn’t even try to hide his smirk. Like father, like son.

“Fine,” you told him “but you’ll have to wait an hour before you go to the pool again”

Cristobal nodded too eagerly probably not knowing what an hour meant, and when Miguel was about to say something, your youngest son started to whine “Hey, little man. What’s wrong?” he asked taking the baby in his arms and trying to coo him, “I know, I know. You don’t want to see me now; you want your mami”

You smiled when Miguel kissed his forehead to place it in your arms so he could eat.

Miguel laid on the bed with Cristobal, they were close to you but not enough so they wouldn’t get you or the baby wet. He was having a conversation with his son, at least, the kind of conversation a three-year-old kid could maintain, which soon started to fade away and when you looked at them, you saw your oldest son sleeping on Miguel’s chest.

“He gave up,” Miguel said with a smile when he noticed you were watching them. One of his hands was on Cristobal’s back and the other in his hair “You want to try for a girl?”

You chuckled while patting your newborn child on the back “It’s been only six days since this little one came out of me… give me two years to forget the pain and we can talk about it”

“We have a deal here” He smiled at you and then kissed his son’s head “I think he likes being the big brother”

“Yeah, he gets extra cookies” you both chuckled at that “Today was wonderful”

“Every day at your side is wonderful”

“Ugh, cheesy” you laughed and Miguel looked at you pretending to be offended.

“I’m not taking it back, because it’s true” Miguel shrugged as best as the kid in his chest let him “I love you, you know it”

“Hun… I love you too”

Miguel stood there, lying in bed and looking at you and your sons. He was thankful that you had given him another chance, ‘cause he realized by looking at you three, that he couldn’t see his life without you.

“Hand in my hand and you promised to never let go”

Tags: @luckyharley1903​

|| MY MASTERLIST ||

[burningtacozombie]

earlier I went back and reread old anon asks I’ve gotten which then lead me to rewatching all the trailers from season 4 and there were things we either have missed back then or couldn’t explain/speculate on yet but can now: 

first: shoutout to this anon from early May who totally called Erin being killed. your worst case scenario came true but your brain power right there, holy shit! 👏

and not only have you been right about that, but you even called the exact moment! I went back to find said scene of Emily in the trailer and this indeed seems to be the motel where she checked in last episode so it could be that not only Miguel himself called her but he told her about Erin, in a very ruthless, brutal way at that, and how he has Cristobal now. we saw Luis take Erin’s phone before he went to shoot her. or from the look of her body, Miguel (and Luis?) could have visited her in person and assaulted her. that should do as punishment, right?

second: in the meeting with Alvarez and EZ, Soledad and Miguel revealed their warehouse to them which is filled under the roof with product. 

in the same trailer that has Emily’s clip, there was also this moment of an unknown person setting the whole warehouse on fire. so who could that be? one of the Mayans because Alvarez didn’t take the deal but felt threatened by Soledad saying she’ll take her offer to another buyer? is it El Banquero who has gone off the rails and now thinks that if he can’t run the family business, no one else will and he’s willing to destroy it all before letting his sister run the business one minute longer? was it Creeper, not as a Mayan but as being blackmailed into it by his federal agent girlfriend? or was it Adelita and that was what Potter wanted her to do? any other options, other ideas? 

[docpiplup]

@asongofstarkandtargaryen I saw a new article and a bunch of pics from the filming.

I translated the article:

Two huge hoists cut through the streets surrounding the Bank of Spain in Donosti, a stately building closed and waiting to change its use in the Gipuzkoan city where the Balenciaga art team (provisional title) has rebuilt the Madrid house of Cristobal Balenciaga ( Getaria, 1895-Jávea, 1972), his first offices in the capital and the Parisian workshops in which the designer developed his work when he left Spain for the French capital in 1937. That is the moment in which this ambitious production starts of Disney +, the first developed entirely in Spain, with which the company intends to establish itself as a creator on the unstable board of streaming operators. The story will reach the last days of the genius and will cover four different decades of the 20th century.

The history of Balenciaga began like this. One day, Lourdes Iglesias decided to show a sketch of what would later become the script to Xabier Berzosa, who agreed to become the project's executive producer. Berzosa, who had worked on the films Loreak, Handia or La trinchera infinita, proposed that the directors of the three, José Mari Goenaza, Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño, take the lead in the story and collaborate with Iglesias in the final development of the film. fiction –this is a biopic, yes, but not a typical one– . And they accepted. The only thing missing was to sell the idea to a distributor, and Disney + was the one that bet on them after a few meetings by Zoom. The trio, who have won 12 Goya awards throughout their career, dared to make the leap to the series. “It's something new in many ways because you have a lot more material to shoot, in different times and with a very large team. Change the dimension of the project”, confesses Garaño.

"Being such a little-known character, everyone has their own version and their Balenciaga, there is no unanimity," explains Iglesias. The truth is that the designer gave only two interviews in his entire life, there are hardly any photographs, there is only a thirty-second video recording in which he appears from behind and the entire production documentation process has been done through books and the story of those who came to know him. “We have informed ourselves a lot, we have read everything, we have surrounded ourselves with those who know the most about the subject and in no case have we been left over. We approach the story with a lot of respect”, adds the screenwriter. The responsibility is tremendous for a team that has decided to portray a character played by Alberto San Juan, who is accompanied in the cast, in which no key person in the designer's life is missing, by names such as Belén Cuesta (Fabiola de Mora y Aragón), José Bengoetxea (Nicolás Bizkarrondo), Adam Quintero (Ramón Esparza), Thomas Coumans (Wladzio D´Attainville), Gemma Whelan (Prudence Glynn) or Cecilia Solaguren (Virgilia Mendizabal).

"It was an irrefutable proposal, possibly the role of the greatest dimension that I have been given in my work in the audiovisual field," acknowledges Alberto San Juan in an office from the first Balenciaga offices created for the occasion. The actor walks the sets dressed as Cristobal Balenciaga would have done, with an outfit sewn from scratch by the series' costume designer, Bina Daigeler. "Cristóbal Balenciaga is a person about whom not much is known, but he is a very interesting guy not only for his value as a creator and as a technician in his trade, but also as a human being." The series will delve into aspects of the couturier's professional life, but also into other aspects of his personal life. Balenciaga married a woman, but lived what in today's eyes can be understood as two affective relationships with men, with the businessman Ramón Esparza and first with Wladzio D'Attainville, a Frenchman of Russian origin who was always considered the great love of the creator and whose death, in 1948, is said to have never been recovered. "The series deals with the contradiction, the conflict created from the prohibition of experiencing desire freely, when it does not coincide with the norm at that time in that society," explains San Juan. “He was a guy who wanted to live on the fringes of politics, no public acceptance in a political sense is known to him, ever, and in a very confusing period such as the Civil War in Spain, the Second World War or the invasion Nazi of France He lived in the contradiction of not wanting to get involved when the story involves you”, he adds. For Jose Mari Goenaga, that attitude towards life has a clear explanation: “We have always imagined his head to be tormented. For the fact of having to have control of everything, but also for living within a family that functioned as a protective helmet so that nothing escaped him. Cristobal Balenciaga existed at a time when expressing himself freely was completely penalized and clashed head-on with his strong religious convictions. “We have not stopped talking about homosexuality. Between us, with Alberto and it's something we didn't know how to give a clear focus to. We have chosen not to hide it, but he is a person who does not talk about this in the series, ”admits the director.

Beyond the twists and turns of the designer's life, Balenciaga will also show the work of someone who is still considered one of the best designers in history today. The costume work has had the aforementioned Daigeler as designer and Pepo Ruiz Dorado as costume designer. “Balenciaga is doing two projects at the same time. You have the normal shooting, which means making costumes for a lot of people, the actors, and there is also the aspect of having to produce all the shows and collections that appear in the scripts”, explains the designer. All the mythical designs that endure in the collective imagination will be in the series, from the tonneau silhouette dresses to the fisherman-inspired coats that the designer saw in his childhood. To do this, the team has had access to the archives held by the firm in Paris, to those of the Galliera museum in the French city and has had the advice of Miren Arzalluz, director of the Paris Fashion Museum and former head of collections of the Balenciaga Museum in Getaria. Even with that clearly invaluable help, it hasn't been easy. "We are facing a problem of fabric suppliers, because what is there now is not the same as it was before," admits the designer.

“Finding heavy wool is very difficult and many fabric suppliers are in London, and since Brexit it is super to work with them. Due to the pandemic there are not the same quantities, there are many that are out of stock, and then there is the issue of gazar [a textile created by Balenciaga in collaboration with the Swiss company Abraham], there is only one supplier and it is not exactly the same as the original ”, deepens. Although Bina Daigeler does not like to talk about numbers, about 200 replica dresses and the outfits of hundreds of participants in the series have come out of her head, assembled from original garments from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Those are In addition, the decades of the couturier's life in which the make-up director, Karmele Soler, has had to work to achieve a realistic Cristobal. “Making it go through all those ages is really complex, but we have tried not to have too much artifice. A subtle aging has been achieved, finding Balenciaga, but there comes a time when you have to abandon it and focus on Alberto”, explains the make-up artist just before checking that everything is ready for the parade that illustrates these lines.

The look at Cristobal Balenciaga that this series will offer has the approval of the renewed Balenciaga, from whom Berzosa acknowledges that they have only received facilities. The firm headed by Demna Gvasalia pays homage to the designer in its collections and has allowed access to the archives, but also to shoot outside the boutique that the brand has recently recovered and which served as the setting for the return to Haute Couture of the house after 53 years last fall. The interior, yes, has been faithfully reconstructed – the elevator covered in red velvet, the sofas or the clock that hangs in Paris are also there – in the Zinealdea studios in Oiartzun, on the outskirts of Donosti, thanks to the work of the director of art Mikel Serrano. "We have built a world that in some cases no one is going to be able to refute because there is no documentation either, but obviously trying not to turn it into a fantasy, to make it implausible," he says between shots.

For Disney +, the series represents a turning point in its strategy within Spain. They arrive later than other operators to their own production, so the project had to be up to the task. Sofía Fábregas, the company's vice president of original production, defines it as follows: “We were looking for something very big that would speak for itself about the commitment to original production that we are going to make. The idea was to combine local authorship with the international budget and that is the differential that we believe we can contribute”. Now all we have to do is wait for the final result, but don't be fooled. Balenciaga has taken years to start, it has taken its time with the shooting and promises to work as hard or more in its post-production, so it will not hit the screens until 2023.

[procrastinatorproject]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Trek: Picard Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Agnes Jurati/Cristóbal Rios Characters: Agnes Jurati, Cristóbal Rios Additional Tags: Meta, Developing Relationship, my take on Agnes and Cris's relationship, and why i think it works, Minor Character Death (Mentioned), Psychological Trauma

Title Inspired by @regionalpancake‘s glorious Downtime Drabble “You’re Light On Me”

A while ago, a friend confessed to me that they didn’t really understand what Agnes Jurati and Cris Rios see in each other. They felt the relationship seemed unmotivated and forced, and they didn’t really see why other people thought it worked.

I’ve seen this sentiment a few times since the show came out, and I’m not here to tell anyone they have to agree with the show-writers’ choices or like a relationship if it doesn’t work for them. But I recently reread the little essay I sent that friend in reply (after making sure they’d want to read it ;9 ), and I really liked it, so I thought I’d share it here.

When people say that the kiss between Agnes Jurati and Cristobal Rios at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1 blindsided them, I understand where they're coming from. I think the showrunners could have done more to make the developing relationship between these characters truly obvious, but for me, it didn't feel like the mutual attraction between Cris and Agnes came completely out of nowhere. Let me explain.

One of the big things about Rios’s character I find striking is that he wants to be stoic and cynical and misanthropic, but he just... can't do it. He tries! He's short, he hides behind his books, and he pretends he doesn't care about politeness. But the only people he ever swears at are Raffi, a very good friend, and the holos (which are a whole other matter, because there is all this self-loathing tied up in Cris's relationship with them). Over the course of season 1, it's pretty clear that Rios is rather good at reading people, and he wants to do right by them. He defers to Picard pretty much immediately and Soji looks at him pleadingly once and he decides to put his ship at risk for her.

Rios doesn't want to like people, he just can't help himself. He wants to be annoyed by Agnes interrupting his reading, but I think he finds her quirkiness disarming and charming. It's already visible in the way he looks at her on the bridge, when they talk about paper books. And then they go to the holodeck to discuss Picard's detour to Vashti. Since Agnes is the audience stand-in, she asks a bunch of questions, and instead of being annoyed or short, Cris patiently explains everything to her (after offering her a seat). Later, when Cris asks Agnes what she thinks about his outfit for the Stardust City caper and she says he's killing it, there's a beat there. He seems almost a little taken aback, either by her sincerity, or maybe by realizing he values her opinion. It's yet another thing they connect over it. (Also robot boxing. That scene is adorable)

With regards to Agnes… I think partially, she's leaning into her natural humour and quirkiness to appear non-threatening and not give herself away, but I also have another read on her behaviour. (This may partially be me projecting WAY TOO HARD, or, to put it more generously, applying some lived experience to what we see of Agnes's character, so your take on this might be very different. But this is what I see.)

When Agnes and Cris talk before they go off to have sex, Agnes is making jokes and smiling. To me, that doesn’t read as fake or a ploy to manipulate Rios, it seems real. And then when he asks, really asks, how she's feeling, suddenly there is this chasm of pain right under the surface. For me, the idea that Agnes has this intense psychological trauma and is dealing with it by finding joy in little things, like watering the plants, and reading papers, and flirting with the hot captain by completely wrong-footing him with a comment about her dad... it feels very authentic. And I can see how this guy, who pretends to be all uncaring and edgy but is actually a big softie not very far under the surface, and who smiles at her jokes and takes the time to explain stuff to her and listens to her babble, that's a nice distraction from the horrible things happening in her mind. Not in the sense that she's manipulatively using him, but in the sense that this kind of human connection gives her moments of light and gives her reasons to keep going, even through so much pain.

After Agnes kills Maddox, she is deeply, deeply conflicted over what she's done. To the point where when they’re leaving the Artefact, she basically says "I don't care if the world ends if I don't kill Soji. Let it all burn. I just can't do this anymore". And then here is this man, who's kind and caring and, yes, hot, and at first it's "I just want to feel something, anything, and he's here, he's half-naked, he's gorgeous". And Rios isn't necessarily opposed to a no-strings-attached fling. Because he keeps telling himself he doesn't get attached and he hates people and he's only ferrying them around because they're paying him. So it's a distraction with a woman who is quirky and witty and pretty, but it won't mean anything, and that's okay.

And then Agnes changes her mind, because she realizes having sex with Rios will make things more complicated. Or maybe because she thinks Rios deserves better. Or that she shouldn't have sex to distract herself from horrible emotional pain because that's kinda unhealthy.

So she pulls back.

And Rios, instead of being annoyed at missing out or feeling like she led him on, or any number of things, asks her how she's feeling. In a way that makes it clear (at least to me) that he really cares about the answer. And for a moment, Agnes lets him see the true darkness inside her. Because she can pretend it's about Maddox dying, she can pretend it's just about being a lonely nerd. She doesn't have to tell him how bad it really is, but she lets herself feel all of the bad emotions for just a moment.

And then she kisses him again, maybe to shut herself up or to distract herself, or because she needs the connection. And he doesn't have any illusion about what it is they're doing. He knows she's trying to feel better, he essentially tells her he knows it's a way for her to deal with her devastation, and he's okay with it. Maybe because he knows what it's like to feel hollow and terrified and need something, anything to cling to.

And at this point, I think they're both still telling themselves that they don't actually care about each other. Cris because he doesn't want to care about anyone ever again so he won't get hurt. (Which, again, he fails miserably at, but I think that's how he wants to see himself and why he treats his holos with so much disdain that Emil tells Picard "He doesn't get any nicer", even though we see Rios being kind to all the people on board.) And Agnes doesn't really have the brain space to allow herself to fall for anyone. She's just taking little moments of light and human connection where she can get them. And they both decide to have sex as a one-night-stand, just to make Agnes feel better for the night, just because they're both lonely and in pain. No deeper meaning behind it.

And then the whole tracker debacle happens. It takes three days to get to Nepenthe and by the time Agnes goes into a coma, they're still a couple days away at least. She doesn't wake up until Picard is back on board, which means she's out for a long time. Even though we don’t see much of the medical drama, we can assume she was very much at death's door. So, now Rios is faced with once again losing someone he feels somewhat responsible for. Someone he has actually gotten close to. And I think that moment and the fear it causes him might make him start to realize how much he actually cares about her.

And then when Picard and Soji are on board, they all sit down together and figure out the big mystery at the heart of season 1. And here is another thing Cris and Agnes find out they have in common: Both of their lives and minds got destroyed by Oh's machinations. Cris went against everything he believed in when he covered up what Vandermeer had done. He didn't actively kill anyone, but he feels like Vandermeer's death is his fault. His belief in the fundamental goodness of Starfleet was shattered when they threatened to blow up his ship. For Agnes, this kind of shattering of a truth she had clung to comes when she realizes she wasn't acting on the directive of the Head of Starfleet Security in a black-ops mission sanctioned by one of the most important institutions of the Federation. Instead, she was nothing but a pawn, used by Oh for nefarious purposes that had nothing to do with the greater good. The exact circumstances of their traumas are different, but they were both caught up in the same catastrophe and cover-up and it has marked them in similar ways.

I think this is one of the reasons Rios doesn't blame Agnes for killing Maddox. If anything, he gets more protective of her, e.g. by trying to stop Sutra from forcing another mind-meld on Agnes. You can see this in a more subtle scene, too: when Cris says goodbye to Agnes at Coppelius station, he reaches out to touch her face, but then he hesitates and proceeds with extreme gentleness and care. To me, that reads like someone very, very aware of the other person's trauma and possible triggers (forced mind-meld) and caring deeply about making sure she feels safe and has something good to counterbalance the horrible memories.

And finally, we clearly jump quite a bit in time at the very end of season 1. When our motley crew sets out from Coppelius, the Synth Ban has been lifted. Just imagine the bureaucracy that must have taken! That’s not something that can be overturned in a day. Also, Raffi and Seven have had time to connect, so I imagine in that time, Cris and Agnes, too, will have slowly figured out whether they're compatible and whether this relationship is something they might, very carefully and gently, endeavour together.

Because they have a compatible kind of humour, because they understand what it's like to feel deeply broken but to keep going regardless, because she's witty and quirky and he's caring and kind and they went through a very specific hell together, and they might be able to hold each other's hands as they slowly make their ways towards healing.

I’m going to do a metatextual thing here and quote an absolutely gorgeous drabble by @regionalpancake that, to me, encapsulates one very important aspect of the relationship between Cris and Agnes.

     Your Light On Me  

You’d forgotten just how it felt. To feel like you. A stranger, Last seen aboard the Ibn Majid. Proud, red trimmed shoulders, Bright pips, a polished combadge. You signed aboard, And found A different man signed off. You’re old enough to know, She cannot fix you. You wouldn’t want her to. That’s between Pops and you. That’s your work to do, Not hers. But Agnes? Preciosa. Something in her, Shines a light. Reminds you who you are. You have to find, Your own way home. But god, It’s nice, At last, To find, A gentle soul, To hold the lamp.

 Chapter 74 of Downtime

That. Right there. A gentle soul to hold the lamp. I think for me, that's what the relationship between Cris and Agnes boils down to.

They are broken people in a broken world, but by the end of season 1, they have found that they can hold each other while they try to put themselves back together. And what starts out as a fun, distracting flirtation, then turns into "meaningless" sex to stop feeling lonely and sad, finally becomes the beginning of a relationship built on shared trauma, but more importantly on kindness and charm.

I have no idea whether these two can make it work long-term, but I am very much on board for what we've seen so far, and I hope this can help a bit in explaining why.

NB: After I finished writing this a few weeks back, I remembered that there was a fic that came to very similar conclusions. Upon reread, I realized it essentially hits the exact same points I do here and does so absolutely beautifully. So if you want a truly touching in-universe perspective on this relationship, go and read Love Comes Softly by Be_Right_Back (@smhalltheurlsaretaken, or listen to the Podfic recorded by Thimblerig. I cannot recommend this fic highly enough!      

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ BABY FEVER ❜

Headcanons.

with Nestor Oceteva.

Request: HI. Daddy Nestor. As in Nestor being a new daddy to a child ❤

BY @chibsytelford

Warnings: none.

Word count: about 850

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: @angels-reyes

Masterlist.

You always tease him about how much he cried when you told him that you were expecting his baby.

“Ne—Nestor…?”

Your husband was sitting on the bed, with his head bowed and covered by two ringed hands. You could hear him sobbing, barely breathing and almost shaking a little. Just like a child. You never doubted about the fact that maybe he didn't want to be a father, because of all the times you have seen him playing with Cristobal, and making funny faces whenever no one expected. So you just gave him some seconds, kneeling next to him and placing your hands on his lap.

“When di—When did you know?” He just asks, uncovering his face slightly reddened.

Now you knew why he was really crying. He had been working too much the last weeks, and finding it that you knew it since more than one or two days it was going to break his heart, because he hadn't been by your side when you needed him.

“Emily took me to hospital this morning, while you were in Santa Madre. I called her last night, 'cause I didn't want to go alone, and I didn't want to tell you without really knowing it”. Giving him the results detailed on a medical report, he took it with trembling fingers, reading the ‘positive’ word once and again. “Two months, so… that means that we could know what it's going to be on the first revision. Next week”.

He kept reading that word for some long seconds, before putting it away to cup your cheeks into his hand to kiss you, standing you up.

“Thank you”. He said pecking your lips with clingy kisses. “Thank you for making me this happy, princesa. I love you. I love you more than anything. I love you with all my heart”.

Miguel screamed out for more than five minutes when Nestor told him that he was going to be a father. Of course, they had a party. And you weren't sure of who was more excited, if your husband or if your brother-in-law. At least, you had Emily to give you some advice, even if she used to have a babysitter always by her side.

Nestor tried hard to not come back at home later than six pm, to spend some time assembling your daughter's room. He wanted to do it all. Paint it, setting up the furniture, placing the clothes on the wardrobe. He didn't let you do anything, because he used to say that you have enough work of carrying his sweet baby.

He spoiled you more than you could ask him to, with all your cravings jumping around you the whole time.

“You okay, princesa?”

“What time are you coming home…?” You asked ashamed, biting your bottom lip, walking around the living room.

You were five months old pregnant, caressing your swollen belly with a hand, not wanting to bother him while working. Even if Nestor and Miguel told you to call them whenever you needed anything. You were really hungry but you didn't dare to drive at this point.

“I don't know. Maybe, ten minutes left. You feel okay? Is Anahí okay?”

“Yes, yes… We're okay, I ju—”.

“Sounds like she wants McDonalds”. You can hear Emily's voice at the other side of the speaker, behind your husband.

“Is that…?”

Now, Miguel is laughing, and that makes you chuckle feeling your cheeks burning.

“Yeah… Maybe”.

“Maybe?”

“Yeah, maybe I want two burgers with double cheese, and a lot of french fries”.

He didn't bring you only that. In less than twenty five minutes, he was at home with four burgers, double cheese, bacon and pickles; three large boxes of french fries with different sauces to dip in and a big Oreo McFlurry with extra chocolate syrup. You were about to cry when he stretched his hands towards you, before leaving a kiss on your forehead.

Of course, he didn't miss a single class at the hospital, to prepare you for the birth and the post-birth, keeping learning and searching things about it on Google whenever he was at home, lying with you on bed.

He was ready as fuck when you broke water.

Six hours after, he was able to hold his little girl between his arms, crying more like her.

Nestor became overprotective at the hospital. Whenever you looked tired, he kicked anyone's ass out of the room to let you rest.

“You need to sleep too”. You said yawning, watching at your husband looking more exhausted than ever, palming a side of the mattress.

Making him enough space to lie down by your side, he cupped you into his arms, with Anahí peacefully sleeping inside the crib. Caressing his forearms, you two fell in Morpheo's arms.

And when you were finally at home, whenever your daughter woke you up crying, he was the one who got up to bring her to bed. He had a power on her to calm her tears, just by singing her some song stuck on his head.

You didn't have any doubt that he was going to be the best dad ever.

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[ihavelovednone]

Emily & Miguel: Power & control

This post is long - REALLY LONG. I’ve tried to reduce it and separate it - but it’s not really working. So here goes. It’s centered around Emily and Miguel and the power imbalance between them and the abusiveness that he displays. I hope it’s somewhat interesting and not to hard to follow - if you read it in full that is.

The initial power imbalance There are several aspects in Miguel’s and Emily’s relationship that creates a power imbalance between them. First, and probably the one that relates to every other imbalance in their relationship, is the fact that she’s a woman. That doesn’t really need any further explaining. Women are generally seen as the weaker sex and there’s a long since decided role for women that still has deep roots in our society and in Emily’s life it’s very prominent. Dita displays dislike about Emily involving herself in the search for her child for instance. Devante uses a tone that reeks of aw, little girl and Miguel is somewhere in between wanting to be the sole provider and wanting her help.

One more obvious thing is the clear age difference between Miguel and Emily. It’s kinda like a spinn on the stereotypical old husband, young wife trope - except that Miguel, even though he’s no spring chicken, is still relatively young and very attractive. Kurt Sutter and Elgin James are so subtle in the way they decide use a stereotype without stereotyping that if you don’t look closely, you miss it. 

I think they met when Emily was in her final years of college or in law school and Miguel was in the start of his business career - the legal business that is. I have this idea in my head that Miguel tried really hard to impress her and she just rolled her eyes at him. Emily’s smart and strong, opinionated and a fighter, we’ve seen that in season 1 when Emily’s delivered info to Miguel about LO, called Devante out on his misogynistic shit and when she didn’t let herself get intimidated by Potter. She also found the info about the murder of EZ’s mother and called out Miguel’s hypocrisy in season 2. 

At the same time there’s an insecurity within Emily. She’s probably been told several times by her parents that she’s not good enough. When Emily meets Miguel the break-up from EZ is probably still lingering, even if it was awhile ago they ended in a way that never really gave them closure - she didn’t just loose her first love, she lost someone that was a security to her. On top of that she’d lost her baby (yes I say lost because I don’t think she’d have aborted it had the circumstances been different). This probably made Emily more susceptible to Miguel’s charm.

That insecurity is very apparent in season 2 when Miguel starts spending more time with Adelita. He used to worship the ground she walked on, she was his “touchstone” and all of a sudden his work is all about taking Potter down with the help of Adelita and Emily ends up being in the background. There’s a desperation in her actions in that season. She enters territories she’d never actually enter otherwise. She’s so desperate for the Agra Park thing to work because she never chose the cartel, she chose Miguel. 

There’s also a duality with Emily in season 2 - The cartel is, up until the kidnapping of Cristobal, in the background of Emily’s life. She didn’t see, she didn’t hear.  I think she stayed with Miguel in the hopes that he’d liquidate the cartel and go one hundred percent legit but now, he’s rising - he’s making more money and Emily’s spurring him on. Maybe because she wants to be more involved with him, close to him, move Adelita out of the way. She wants to feel needed. It’s a weird dynamic between them, like the abused wife that wants to please her man or something.

Never in control Miguel might’ve initially been a person she found to be what EZ once was - a safe harbor, a home, a lifeline. Not necessarily financial, more emotional. Emily sees Miguels way of treating her with loving words and gifts as affection, maybe she knows that there’s something else under the beautiful exterior, maybe she doesn’t. As Erin said, they choose men that are darkness personified, hinting that they seek it out, it comes naturally - almost as a way to punish themselves for not being good enough. Miguel’s affectionate behavior bleeds into darkness, or maybe his affectionate behavior is actually something sinister altogether - like he feeds on women wanting him, needing him, he uses it to get to them.

In the midst of her vulnerability Miguel displays behaviors of wanting for her to belong to him and no one else, and that’s dangerous and toxic. She doesn’t realize that behavior as problematic until season 2 - even though it starts in season 1 when he propagates to EZ that he need to leave Emily alone - because it complicates things. 

Emily’s very isolated. She has no friends, she’s got no one that’s just hers. Except for EZ when he gets out of prison, and even so, they’re not really friends either. They’re more in limbo than anything. And even though they’ve got a past - she’s got the right to spend time with whoever she wants. Or should have the right. Loyalty to a man does not derive from how few men you’re in contact with as a woman. Emily doesn’t need to go back to her man, or only stay by his side. She’s not Miguel’s property. She’s allowed to have relationships with other men - as long as she’s not actually cheating - and even if she wanted to - she’s could, it doesn’t warrant abuse of any kind.

His want for her to be a housewife - or work close by, offering her a job in his company - is toxic. Why? Well, she’s constantly under his watch, she’s doesn’t have the opportunity to make new acquaintances and friendships without those people having relations to Miguel. If Miguel were to demand information about what a person has spoken to his wife about - they’d tell him - in fear of loosing their job, or their life. Now, had Miguel not displayed other types of weird and controlling behaviors it probably wouldn’t have crossed my mind that she worked for him. It would’ve been fine.

Him having her ride with a platoon and not be left alone is, yeah, you guessed it: TOXIC. Freedom is not something that she has. You might think that Emily, just because she lives in an ocean of money and opportunity that she’s somehow free. She’s not. She has no privacy. And yeah, you could argue that Miguel’s cartel work is dangerous and therefore she needs to be protected - but at what cost? She’s constantly under the watchful eye of Miguel’s lackeys - which becomes more apparent in season 2 when Nestor’s following her every move without her knowing. They work for him - they abide to him. She doesn’t have the ability to do what ever she wants - and when she does, he abuses her, as seen in S01E05. As I said in a post that’s been deleted now: Miguel is, most of the time, abusive without actually doing it himself. He uses his staff to control her.

We’ve never actually seen Miguel give Emily any presents, probably because it’d be very stereotypical of him and Sutter and James want to avoid stereotypes. But I think he’d do something like that, considering his expensive taste in suits, cars and other things - I think he likes showing of how rich he is. 

Miguel comes of as one of those people who’d use presents to stifle someone. The wife’s mad? Get her a meaningless expensive present to shut her up and simultaneously tell her you care for her without actually asking how she’s feeling. She thinks you don’t love her? Diamonds, get her some diamonds. Diamond equals love. Him throwing all kinds of materialistic shit at her is toxic and it doesn’t matter how much he loves her because his behavior ends up being manipulative and controlling every single time. 

The comment you should be grateful feels like something that’d come out of his mouth to (and probably from people on the outside looking in). Not that many women get to live a life in luxury, he’d probably say. Like she should be grateful for something she never really asked for. 

Conclusion This became a long post - probably longer than all my posts so far - combined. There are so many red flags with Miguel and Emily - some of them so subtle you hardly notice them. In the first episode I thought they’d go the whole sugar daddy route which might seem cool and fun in theory. But it’s in fact a very common way for young women to enter prostitution so I’m glad they didn’t go that way with it and display it like it’s no big deal - it’s all fun, look at all the pretty things I get for being a companion. 

Miguel’s abusive behavior is subtle at times and yeah, he loves her and she love him, but it doesn’t matter when the relationship is so unhealthy. Writing this piece has given me a new perspective of the two as well. Emily’s desperate to not loose Miguel - why? Most likely because she’d be on her own otherwise and she’s not really ready for that and Miguel’s behavior is probably something he’s picked up from his childhood and I’m not sure he’s always aware of it. Miguel very insecure. Let’s be honest, no man comfortable within himself would ever restrain a woman’s social circle, career or freedom to roam. 

[breanime]

The boys reaction to their teenager taking their car or motorcycle without asking

Billy Russo: Billy is disappointed and pissed. When he finds out that his daughter took his Rolls Royce Wraith, his mind flashes back to all the preppy, spoiled bastards from his childhood--and he would be DAMNED if his kid turned out like that. Billy takes away all of her privileges and makes her work part time at Anvil for a year to keep a better eye on her. He also gives her a long, stern talk that has her in tears by the end of it. “I love you, but this is unacceptable” is the line that really gets her. 

Logan Delos: Logan is more worried for her safety than anything else when he finds out his son took his car. The car was a self-driving, incredibly safe car, but still. However, he stole a LOT of cars (and money and watches and drugs) from his parents when he was a kid, so he goes a little easy on him. You, however, do not, and Logan is both impressed and turned on with how you handle the situation. 

Jax Teller: You DO NOT take a biker’s bike, so when Jax finds your son at a diner with his bike parked outside--he and Opie barge in and embarrass the shit out of him. “You think you’re tough huh, stealin’ my bike? Get your ass up--you’re gonna be cleaning toilets with a toothbrush till your hands are covered in shit! Let’s go! Oh--go ahead and tell your little girlfriend it’s over, cause your ass ain’t seeing the light of day for at LEAST eight months! You little shit!” 

Coco Cruz: Coco rips your daughter a new one in Spanish, and she keeps a brave face until they get home, then she’s crying and sobbing and telling him how sorry she is. It kills her to upset him, and Coco gets LOUD when he’s angry. At one point, you separate them; you send Coco to the backyard to have a smoke and sit your daughter down in her room for a very serious talk. Coco can’t even look at her for a few hours, which breaks her heart, but finally he relents. “I was so fucking worried,” he says, hugging her as she cries in his chest, “don’t ever do that shit again, mi vida.”

Angel Reyes: As soon as your daughter sees Angel and the MC pull up as she’s posing for selfies with his bike, her face pales. Angel is so pissed, he’s calm, and that terrifies her. He barely speaks, even when you all get home, and it’s that silence that has her crying and apologizing. She gets put on a strict punishment, and she goes to all of the guys at the MC and apologizes to them too, for breaking biker law. Angel forbids her from so much as TOUCHING his bike for the next few months, and--just for extra measure--he won’t allow her to get her driving permit until he thinks she’s responsible enough...which takes a while. 

Miguel Galindo: Miguel never has and never would put his hands on his sons, but when he’s pulled out of a meeting by Santo Padre PD and told his sons had been caught joyriding one of his cars, the thought does cross his mind. Miguel is pissed. He gives Cristobal and your son a scathing talk that has them both in tears, and he proceeds to rip his security detail a new one for allowing them to sneak off in the first place. It takes a lot of bowing, scraping, and apologizing to get Miguel to ease up on the boys, but he does...eventually. 

Nick Amaro: Nick notices his car is missing right away, and he tracks your daughter down quickly. He yells like he’s never yelled before, and she cries like she’s never cried before, hiccuping out apologies as he rages. You eventually calm them both down, and you and Nick sit her down and explain how, not only was this a crime, it was dangerous as well, and she agrees, apologizing more. She’s grounded, obviously, and the whole thing scares her so much, she doesn’t even want to drive again until she’s well into her 20s, which wasn’t his intention, but eh. Nick will take it. 

Johnny Tuturro: When your son sees how disappointed his father is at his actions, it breaks his heart. He hates that he lost his father’s trust, and he feels awful. He cries himself to sleep that night, and the next day, you and Johnny can tell. Sighing, Johnny pulls him up from his seat and wraps him up in a warm hug. “I love you, son,” he says, meaning every word, “I’m disappointed in you, yes, but I love you. I’m always gonna love you, man.” 

Rio: The door slammed, and you stood up. Rio’s car had been stolen, and he and Marcus had gone out looking for it. Your daughter, as far as you knew, was at a friend’s house studying...but she was walking through the door, crying. She and her secret boyfriend had been the ones to take the car. Marcus, you later learned, had punched the shit out of the boyfriend as Rio simply glared at your daughter. He was so pissed, he was quiet, and he stalked to your bedroom, slamming the door behind him. It took a full 24 hours, a heartfelt apology, and the surrender of her cell phone to get Rio to soften up. And when he did, he reminded your daughter how much he loves her and how he expects better of her. It’s a good speech, which Marcus follows up with “and if I see you with that douchebag again, I’m gonna break his jaw.” Poetry. 

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Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! This was more intense for the bikers than for everyone else. 

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