#series: i love you 115

[wedreamedlove]

[FIC] I Love You 115 (14/115)

Rating: M Characters: Osborn/Reader Word Count: 1587

Summary: Saturday mornings are for sleeping in and deepening the bond between a couple.

A/N: Inspired by the clip below, コネクト by あすとら on Twitter, and the factoid from the official Light and Night artbook that Osborn will involuntarily sleep face down in environments where he feels safe and relaxed.

Sunlight shines through the window walls, gilding everything in a gentle gold and providing just the perfect amount of light and warmth for you to read comfortably on the couch in the air-conditioned house.

Or rather, it would have been perfect if you haven't been staring at the same sentence for five minutes now because the emptiness in your stomach is too distracting. It doesn't help that, in the background, you can hear the family pets push their bowls around as they chase after the last crumbs of their lunch, making you hungrier.

Why haven't you eaten yet? Because you're waiting for Osborn to wake up.

For the past month, he had been overseas preparing for and participating in a cluster of races set on the same continent; meanwhile, you had an important project deadline to meet and this prevented you from taking time off to fly over and see your boyfriend. Naturally, both of you messaged and video called whenever possible with the time difference, but this physical separation only made the longing deepen. On the last day, after seizing the highest amount of points without much suspense, Osborn skipped out on all the celebrations and flew back to you on the earliest flight possible.

However, despite all this effort, he still returned home in the middle of the night and you only remember him giving you a kiss on the forehead before he collapsed in bed next to you and fell asleep within seconds.

And he's still sleeping even now.

Of course you want to let him rest as much as possible but, as your stomach rebels against you with another hunger pang, you finally give up on reading to distract yourself and check the clock for the fifth time. It's almost noon and you decide it should be fine to wake Osborn now.

You get off the couch, sliding into your slippers, and then make your way to the bedroom.

Quietly pushing the door open, the bedroom looks just like how you left it this morning. The curtains block out most of the light, causing the whole room to appear dim and cozy, and nothing can be heard except for Osborn's even and peaceful breaths.

The only difference in the bedroom seems to be that, after you got out of bed, Osborn had abandoned his pillow to grab yours and rolled onto his stomach to bury his face in it. The blanket had slipped down to pool around his waist and his entire back was exposed. You reflexively swallow at how, even in such a relaxed state, the definition of his muscles can easily be seen as well as how all the lines of his body are compact and lithe, from his slender waist to his broad shoulders. Like a predator, even when at rest it isn't difficult to imagine the explosive force lurking in that body.

You walk up to the side of the bed and you aren't able to stop yourself from reaching out to place your hand on his shoulder blade. His skin is extremely warm to touch and feels nice against your cool hand. The muscles are pliable in his relaxed state but still resist against you when you press down slightly and trace the line of his shoulder to his bicep and then down to his elbow.

As your palm slides across his forearm, you hear Osborn inhale deeply from the pillow, his body stirring, and by the time you get to his wrist, he twists his hand to catch you and intertwines his fingers with yours.

You laugh at the awkward position this puts his arm in and lean down to nuzzle his shoulder.

"Mm?" The questioning note comes out mostly from his nose, but it still manages to carry the husky rumble of having just woken up.

"Hungry." You explain in a hushed voice and gently bite his shoulder.

You know you didn't put any force in the action, but Osborn still hisses through his teeth and turns his head to reveal an eye that looks at you with affectionate amusement. "So, you're going to eat me instead?"

"Not yet, but I'll give it serious consideration if you don't get up right now. I've been waiting for you to have lunch together."

Osborn releases your hand so that he can turn himself onto his side and now you can see the smile on his lips that reaches his eyes even as he fakes a yawn and says languidly, "I don't know... the bed is really comfy, I might need something to motivate me to move."

After being together for so long, how can you not know what your boyfriend is aiming for? As you move closer to his face, you see his eyes fall shut naturally, which suits you perfectly, because just as your breaths land on his lips you turn your head to the side and peck the corner of his mouth. Giggling with pride, you attempt to escape out of the room.

The keyword being "attempt".

Sure enough, your professional racer-cum-bounty hunter boyfriend's reaction speed cannot be underestimated because his hand grabs your wrist just as you turn away and, with a force that can't be refused, he pulls you onto him and catches your lower lip in his mouth with a low growl. "That's not even remotely close enough."

Osborn surges up to slant his mouth over the rest of yours and devours you.

His tongue sweeps into your mouth that was already parted in surprise and wraps around your tongue to pull into his mouth, where he sucks on it. The tip of his nose nudges against your cheek as he presses into you, like there's still too much distance between you two despite how your lips rub together, and the breath from his nose scorches as it splays over your skin. It's only when you start to feel your tongue go numb in his mouth that he releases it to slip his tongue back into your mouth to taste your every crevice, making you tremble whenever he strokes over a sensitive spot.

You don't remember when your positions switch but you suddenly feel the contrast of your back sinking into the soft bed and something hot and hard nudging against your inner thigh when Osborn's pelvis settles into the cradle of your hips.

He releases your mouth to hear your quivering gasp when he rocks against you before he kisses you again. The pleasure that races through your whole body makes you boneless and you can feel the saliva in your mouth creeping out of the cracks of your joined mouths, except Osborn swallows this liquid greedily like he really is trying to eat you.

"Os..." You whimper breathlessly.

Osborn pulls back just enough to suck on your slick and swollen lips again and again, and the wet pops as he releases your lips sound abnormally loud in the quiet room as he asks between pants, "Can I?"

The flush on your face deepens when you feel him thrust his hips lightly and the cloth of his briefs, which have already turned moist at the front, slides against your thigh. Just as you open your mouth though, your stomach beats you into answering and growls angrily.

Both of you freeze at this inopportune noise and you can practically see the desire to consume you struggle against the desire to take care of you in his eyes, which have already darkened into a deep ocean-green, until finally helplessness overtakes both emotions and he drops his head into the crook of your neck, exhaling hard.

You reiterate matter-of-factly, "I'm hungry."

Osborn must feel you shaking with silent laughter because he pinches the skin of your neck in his mouth and grinds his teeth on it, making you reflexively pull up your shoulders and yelp as you try to escape the tingling pressure.

Eventually, he releases you after leaving several more marks like this on your neck and shoulder. "Looks like I have to fatten up my meal first before I can actually eat."

"Are you calling me fat?" You try to twist the flesh of his shoulder in objection but grow even more upset when you can barely get any skin between your fingers from the tight spread of muscles that shift and contract underneath your hand as he wraps an arm below your bottom and lifts you up one-handedly into his chest and gets up out of bed.

"Where did I say that? I'm saying you're way too light and need to eat more. I'm about to suspect that a certain someone lied to me when they said they were eating all their meals on time while I was away."

You cough loudly and turn your head to give a sonorous kiss on Osborn's cheek. "Boss Osborn is the best! I can't wait to see what you make for lunch!"

"Tsk, that was the clumsiest change in subject I've ever heard, but who made it so that I always fall for this move every time?" He turns his head to present his other cheek to you. "One more and I can consider forgetting what I just said."

You smack another resounding kiss on his other cheek as he requests and swing your foot as he does drop the subject and carries you into the kitchen. A day only officially begins after the two of you share a meal together and, from the looks of it, today is going to be a wonderful day.

[yyh4ever]

Yu Yu Hakusho "Attention" Sticker Collection

The Yoshihiro Togashi Exhibition - Puzzle ended in Osaka last Sunday, September 3rd 2023, and now it is heading to Fukuoka, from November 18 to January 14, 2024.

New Fukuoka Venue goods (Yu Yu Hakusho, Level E and HxH) have been introduced on the Official Site, including this beautiful collection of fifteen Yu Yu Hakusho Stickers.

Price: 550 yen each (random) / 8,250 yen (BOX with 15 types)

They are called "Attention" Stickers, because each sticker comes with a scene from the manga filled with seriousness, humor, or emotions! Let's check each one of them:

1 - Yusuke Urameshi

"Attention to the Straight Right" (右ストレート注意)

It's a famous scene from the Black Chapter Arc (Yusuke VS Murota), where Yusuke thinks: "I'll throw a straight right jab at him" (chapter 120).

2 - Kazuma Kuwabara

"One-sided Love" (愛の一方通行)

Scenes of Kuwabara from the Dark Tournament (chapter 75): Kuwabara defeats Rishou right after seeing Yukina in the crowd; and Kuwabara having his wounds treated by her. Poor Kuwabara, is it really an unrequited love? :P

3 - Hiei

"Cooking" (料理中)

It's a cute illustration from the opening of Chapter 172 (SPECIAL DAY). In this chapter, Hiei gives Mukuro a birthday gift. So cute Hiei cooking his friends with his own fire. ^^

4 - Hiei

"Attention to Forgetfulness" (もの忘れ注意)

Hiei's famous scene and line from the fight with Bui: "I can't go back anymore, I forgot how to wrap it back up." (Chapter 98)

5 - Kurama

"Warning" (警告中)

That's a famous scene from the confrontation with Kaito (chapter 115). After taking the souls of Hiei, Kuwabara, and Botan, Kurama was really mad at his high school colleague, warning him: "I will kill you by any means necessary."

6 - Koenma

"Ready to Escape" (脱出準備完了)

Hahaha, it's Koenma and the famous "Escape Rocket" he wore during the Dark Tournament Finals.

7 - Genkai

"Liar Alert" (うそつき注意)

That's when Genkai lied to Yusuke XD

In order to pass Yusuke her Spirit Wave Orb, Genkai tells Yusuke his final test is to kill her. Yusuke thinks about it, but eventually says he can't do it. She tells him that was the first part of the test and that she would not give her power to someone who would kill her. Goofy Genkai is hilarious :P

Yusuke is so pissed at her that he says he's ready to do anything. Genkai then changes to a serious tone: "Don't forget what you just said".

8 - Puu

"Watch Your Head" (頭上注意)

Puu just being Puu, flying over and landing on Yusuke's head. Puusuke is too cute.

9 - Younger Toguro

"Danger! 100% out of 100%" (危険！100%中の100%)

A very famous scene from chapter 110, when Younger Toguro displays his "Full Power: 100% of 100%!!!".

10 - Yusuke & Koenma & Hiei

"The Moment of Choice" (選択の刻)

This is one is of my favorites scenes. It's from chapter 174 (Do or Die), the last mission of Yusuke and the guys. Regardless of which button Yusuke chooses to press, Genkai (Puu) stays by Yusuke's side. But, the cutest moment is that we can also spot Hiei and Koenma behind a wall, supporting Yusuke's decision. They would have died along with him if necessary.

11 - Shinobu Sensui

"Laughing Hysterically" (爆笑中)

A scene from Chapter 143 (The Ultimate Aura), when Sensui finally shows his main personality "Shinobu" and the Sacred Energy (seikouki). That hysterical laugh is scary.

12 - Kuwabara & Yusuke & Hiei & Kurama

"Feeling Nagomi" (和み中)

The Japanese word Nagomi (和み), reflects the state of being comforted and relaxed in a harmonious way. This scene from chapter 149 of the guys laughing in a very chilled out state is one of my favorites from the entire series. Yusuke was not only alive, but was reborn as a youkai, descendant of the mazoku!

13 - Keiko & Yusuke

"Proposing" (プロポーズ中)

A scene with the famous Yusuke's line "Let's get married" (chapter 157).

Yusuke promised Keiko to return from the Demon World in 3 years, then they would get married. According to Mr. Yukimura, Yusuke would say such a thing every time he had a quarrel with Keiko. I wonder if he was serious this time XD. Anyway, he ended up returning in a year and a half. But, I believe that by the end of the manga when Keiko was finishing high school, or a little later, they would marry eventually.

14 - Kurama & Karasu

"Counseling" (カウンセリング中)

One of the sexiest moments of the series is Karasu trying to give Kurama a hair treatment XD. "Are you treating your hair?" (chapter 89).

15 - Sakyo & Younger Toguro

"Alcohol is not good" (アルコールNG)

The scene where Sakyo proposes a drink to Toguro, but he refuses: "I don't drink alcohol, orange juice if you please." (chapter 93)

Kanpai 🥂

[isaacforalpha14]

Imagine # 115 Sam and Dean Winchester

A/N: This has been in the works for a while. I absolutely have loved Supernatural since the show started. I love both Sam and Dean and it’s so hard to choose which is my favorite. So, this is a selfish write just to get me back into the swing of things. It’s going to be a mini-series. I am not sure how long it’ll be but there will be different things to choose from on how you get an ending for Sam or Dean. 

Pain; the emotion rippled throughout his system like a poison. Released from his heart in a bittersweet continuous trickle, infecting each nerve in his system as warm tears blurred his vision. Bobby Singer is dead; for real this time, no resurrections or ghostly visitations, just dead. To say it was difficult to let him go is an understatement; he thought he'd done it the first time yet as the vibrant flames enveloped the flask, contorting the metal into a liquid mound, it hurt just as much as when he watched the life leave his body in that hospital bed. Richard ‘Dick’ Roman, the leviathan leader extraordinaire, seared a target on his forehead the minute Bobby took his final breath. The Winchester brothers would never stop until the leviathan paid for his death. They’re distraught; torn into pieces by the death of a man that was closer to them than their own father. However, if there was anyone that felt this loss harder than Dean, it was definitely you; Bobby Singer’s only blood relative, his child. How could he ever fix this for you?

“I am so sorry.” Dean’s soothing baritone reaches your ears in a whisper, warm breath tickling the flesh of your tear stained cheek as his calloused fingertips brush a strand of hair behind your ear. He wraps your trembling frame in a sympathetic embrace, nuzzling his stubbled face into the softness of disheveled hair as your fingers clutch at his cotton shirt in tight fists. “I am here for you.” He places his forehead against yours, nudging you like a loving kitten before he continues. “I’ll always be here for you when you need me.” Dean’s body releases an involuntary shutter, goosebumps spreading across his limbs, thankfully hidden underneath his smoke gray button up, as your warm breath mingles with his due to the close proximity. He knows it’s terrible timing, he shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea, but he wants to tell you how he feels. He wants to be honest, to pour out his heart, in case the plan doesn’t work and this kills him. You had to feel something for him, right? 

“Y/N.” The somber tone of Sam Winchester’s voice interrupts the moment, pulling away from Dean, your lower lip quivers as you meet the younger man’s gaze. He’s heartbroken by the sight; the impish glisten to your beautiful eyes is replaced with sorrow, tear stains reflecting off of your soft cheekbones, supple lips quivering as you fight the sob from creeping up your throat. He furrows his brow in concern, opening his arms in a silent invitation to seek comfort from him. Dean coughs, ignoring the pang of sadness that causes his chest to ache the moment you crash into his younger brother’s arms and sob against his brown plaid shirt. He’s cradling your head in the palm of his hand, threading his fingers through the soft tendrils of hair as he gently shushes you, mumbling words of comfort into your ear that his brother can’t quite hear. 

Sam glanced over his shoulder, Dean’s tattered boots retreating up the cellar stairs without a word, his stout footsteps the sole interruption of your sniffles and sobs against Sam’s clothing. He knew something was bothering his older brother, obviously not just the loss of Bobby again, but something he wasn’t sharing. Maybe it was a mixture of grief and anger, he knew that Dean wanted revenge against Dick Roman but there was just a hint of something else that lingered in the air when he was around. He blinks away the thought, forcing himself to focus on the moment so he could be present for you. You needed him. “You want to go for a drive?” He offers in the faintest whisper, almost as if he raised his voice you’d shatter like delicate glass. 

“Y-Yeah.” You stammer, sniffling as your fingers clutch at the sleeve of the plaid rolled up to his elbow. “Can we get a coffee from town?” Your pitiful tone made his heart skip, a smitten smile quirking his mouth as he nodded and placed an affectionate kiss on your forehead. 

“Of course, we can, princess.” The nickname brought a sad smile to your face, butterflies tickling your abdomen as you grasp his much larger hand in yours, intertwining your fingers. There’s always been a place in your heart for the Winchester brothers, a magnetic connection you’ve shared with both of them, and yet, despite moments like these you could never be certain if either of them possess feelings for you on more than a platonic level. Neither had ever gone further than smitten glances and flirtatious banter. To say it’s difficult to love someone when you don’t know if they feel the same is an understatement, but it’s even worse when you’re in love with two people and you have no idea how either feels about you. 

Everything went wrong in the worst way, the ‘plan’ appeared to work but before there was even a chance at feeling satisfaction in the win, the happiness that might’ve been just disappeared. Kevin Tran had told you and Sam about Dick Roman’s ‘creamer’ that would wipe out thinner people. He made you guys promise to blow up the laboratory before leaving the building, you three had just burst through the lab doors when you spot Dick Roman with the specialized bone weapon in his neck; Dean standing before him watching as he gurgles and struggles to maintain his meat suit facade, Castiel standing behind him watching the scene as he prayed they’d succeeded and it’s when the sounds stop and a weird ripple pulses from Dick Roman that you knew something was about to go wrong. Sam’s breathing is labored as he begins to back away, broad frame pushing you back into Kevin as he tries to gesture for you to retreat.  The atmosphere around the monster’s silhouette begins to ripple in stronger waves, you were about to scream for Dean to back away when his concerned willow irises met yours, he mouths something you don't quite understand before Sam’s arms wrap around your body and he shields you from the sudden explosion. 

There’s Leviathan goo covering the entire lab, the tar blood dripping off the walls onto the pristine floors. Peeking around Sam’s broad shoulders, you can feel your stomach drop as you’re met with nothing. Dean and Castiel are just gone. You’re frozen in shock, ignoring the exchange between Sam and Kevin as the hunter tries to figure out what’s happened and Kevin just tries to urge you to leave. Crowley appears and you can feel yourself losing it, you’re trembling, mind racing, throat unable to form words as you purse your lips feeling the bile rise from the pit of your stomach. Just like that, Crowley exchanges a few select words with Sam before he snaps his fingers, Kevin disappears with a couple of demons and then he himself just vanishes. 

“Breathe, just breathe.” Sam’s soothing voice murmurs, warm palms cradling your cheeks as his charming hazel eyes meet yours in a concerned gaze. He knew about the panic attacks, Bobby had confided in him years ago about how you’d been on medication for anxiety ever since your mother’s death. Sam is no stranger to comforting others in times of distress but he’s never been present for an episode like this. He vaguely remembers reading about panic attacks, he’s desperately trying to wrack his brain for anything that could help you in this situation. He lands on distracting you; or maybe it was his subconscious urging him to finally be honest with you about how he’s always felt now that he had you and you alone. 

The sound of frazzled breathing dissipates, instead being replaced by a gasp as Sam’s delightful mouth meets yours in a tender and cautious kiss. With a subtle groan, your body instinctively relaxes, pressing yourself painfully close to his broad muscular frame as your fingers grasp at his chestnut hair and you find yourself kissing him in return with the feelings you’ve tried to hide over the years. Sam sighs through his nose, the kiss becoming more heated as he gets caught up in the moment. He’d definitely succeeded, you were distracted, but now so was he. The distant splat of leviathan dripping from the lab walls onto a surface somewhere in the room is what had brought you both back to reality. 

“We should... w-we should go.” Sam offers in a murmur, clearing his throat with a deep cough, warm pink hue brightening his cheekbones in the most adorable manner. “We can figure out what happened to them. Someone has to know something, right?”

Wrong; it’s been four strenuous months since that fateful night at Richard Roman Enterprises. There hasn’t been a sole indication that whatever happened to Castiel and Dean wasn’t- fatal or reversible. Sam found himself toeing the line between losing himself to the pain of his brother’s absence and the paralyzing need to keep a suffocatingly tight grip on you in fear of losing the only person he has left. Sam’s need to be protective seems to have worsened as his feelings for you became like a tsunami tide; his heart was lulled into the calm waters of the affection he’s held for you since he can remember, only to be devoured and swept into a chaos of domestic dreams and a relentless wave of love that crashed into his heart with no warning. He’s always been smitten with you, but now, he was hopelessly in love. He remembered the promise he made to Dean vividly, if anything happened to either of them then the other was to live a normal life. An apple pie life. He’s never considered the promise before but now, with you, everything is different. 

“C-Can I ask you something?” Sam clears his throat, rubbing the palms of his hands against his jean clad knees as you place a cold beer bottle on the battered motel coffee table, a dulled thud interrupting the tension filled silence. There’s something strange about his demeanor, something that spreads a hollow nerve in the pit of your stomach as you offer him an unsure nod. “Will you sit here with me, please?” His warm voice trembles, gesturing to the empty space on the sofa with his signature puppy eyes. 

“Sammy.” There’s a beat of silence as you gnaw on your lower lip and contemplate how to broach the remainder of your thought. “Is this about Dean? I-Is he..” 

“No.” He rushes, placing a comforting hand on your thigh as he meets your gaze. “I m-mean, I don’t know if he’s-” He pauses with a pained expression, before scooting closer to you and brushing his calloused fingers across the delicate flesh of your cheek, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “Dean and I made a promise to each other. If anything were to happen to either of us, the other is to find a way to be happy. Move on and try to live a normal life.” There’s a coy smile that quirks his mouth, warmth creeping up his neck as he intertwines your fingers before continuing. “I want to do that with you.” 

“Give up hunting?” There’s confusion in your tone as your heart hammers against your chest. Were you hearing him right? Give up on helping people? Give up on Dean?

“No more hunting.” He swallows the nerves, heartbeat drumming in his ears as he hopes to God that you’ll agree. “Just me and you, we can settle down somewhere. We can find a house, a normal nine to five and maybe-maybe, i-in the future, we could get married?” It’s impossible to ignore the startled expression on your face, he’s uncertain whether it’s leaning toward a yes or a no, so he hopes pleading his case can sway you. “I am in love with you.” His confession is tender, voice so gentle that you feel a warmth spread through your chest as you meet his beautiful hazel eyes. “And I think that you know that. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids but I never thought you’d feel the same. So I kept it to myself, continued being the best friend that I could be to you and just enjoyed the time we spent together.” His massive hand squeezes your thigh, the other playing with your fingers as he continues. “Things have been teetering on the line between friendship and more with us since our kiss,” He hesitates, cradling your face as his thumb brushes your bottom lip. “I finally felt like you might’ve had feelings for me too. If I am wrong, and you don’t, if I am just reading too much into this, tell me now.” The sofa releases a squeak as he shifts his weight, leaning dangerously close as his forehead meets yours. 

"Sammy." The lighthearted giggle and dazzling smile caused Sam's heart to skip a beat, the contagious laughter coaxing an amused chuckle as he wrapped his lean muscular arms around your waist, pressing your back against his toned stomach. "We're never gonna make it to the lease signing if we don't choose a color." 

"I am content with whatever you choose." He mumbles in your ear. "I just want you to be happy, baby." 

"Samuel William Winchester, you promised." The adorable pout directed over your shoulder softened his expression, heart skipping as he met your gaze with a smitten smile. He released a sigh, reaching toward the paint chips in your hand and plucking the card with a gray hued blue. 

"This." He murmurs into your hair as he wraps his arms around you once more. "There, the promise fulfilled." 

"Thank you." It's almost impossible to keep from smiling, the terms of endearment still felt fresh and made your heart flutter. He's always called you princess but since that day in that stale half dilapidated motel when he expressed his love for you, he's really taken to calling you sweet names like babe, baby, love and honey. There was a sole instance that he'd called you sweetheart and something in you broke. He instantly noticed you tense and a sadness glistening in your watering eyes that broke his heart. He didn’t want to admit it then but he knew the reason; Dean. So he’d silently promised himself he would never call you that again. Sam never wanted to be the reason for your pain, even if it was unintentional.   

“Have you put any more thought into the lease time frames?” Sam questions, releasing you from his tight hold to push the shopping cart toward the next aisle. There’s hesitation in your response, he can sense the tension that looms in the air as the squeaking from the shopping cart wheels goes silent and he’s watching you with a curious tilt to his head. “Baby?” 

“Sorry.” You whisper, gnawing on your lower lip. There’s still no answer to his question and it’s starting to worry him that maybe you’d changed your mind altogether; you didn’t actually want this, want him. He leaves the shopping cart, fingers tugging the soft cotton sleeve of your peach cardigan as he urges you to come closer to him. The emotion reflecting in his hazel eyes causes you to frown and place the palms of your hands against his stubble covered cheeks. “I know that look, Winchester. Don’t do that. It’s nothing you did, I promise.” Pressing an affectionate kiss to your delicate fingers, he nods with a sigh of relief, ushering you to the shopping cart to continue the journey to the registers. “I was thinking about my dad and I just didn’t want to ruin our trip.” 

“It’s perfectly okay to miss him.” He responds with an empathetic smile in your direction before greeting the cashier and placing the items on the conveyor belt, fishing his wallet out of his jean pocket. “I miss him too.” The remainder of the shopping trip was silent, it wasn’t that you thought Sam would judge you for thinking of your father but you didn’t want to have to admit that you were afraid of returning home. That’s why you’d agreed to rent a house with Sam about two hours driving distance of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There’s a piece of your heart that yearned to return home, like being on the junkyard property line would help you feel like a part of your father was still here with you. Yet, the wounds were still fresh and it was hard to grasp that he really is truly gone. 

“Are you okay, baby?” Sam’s concerned voice is barely heard over the rumbling of the Impala engine, his fingers interlacing with yours as he lifts your clasped hands to his mouth, pressing an affectionate kiss upon your knuckles. 

“Mhmm.” There’s a subtle squeak from the leather seats as you scoot closer to his massive frame, nuzzling into his side as you enjoy the ride to the place you’d be calling home for a while. The cassette tape peeking out of the radio catches your attention, there’s an uncomfortable knotting in the pit of your stomach, a pain you’d often get when you focused on reminders of Dean. Sam is humming, you’re uncertain of the song but it takes everything within yourself to keep from pushing the cassette tape in and turning the radio on. Neither of you have been able to bring yourself to turn it on since Dean’s been gone. Swallowing the sadness, you try again, as you have each day since their disappearance, to pray to Castiel. It still hurts each time that the prayer is answered with radio silence. Sam makes you that happiest you’ve been in a lifetime but with Castiel and Dean still missing it feels like pieces of your heart have just vanished. The most painful part of the ordeal is the unknown; are they in pain? Are they in danger? Are they dead?

Sam Winchester could never have envisioned this; feeling comfortable enough to let someone in wholeheartedly, to allow himself the pleasure of falling hopelessly in love and nourishing the dream of a happily ever after. This is everything he’s ever wanted; this is perfection. The morning sunlight radiates from the bedroom window, revitalizing warmth descending upon the bare and exposed flesh sprawled across the mattress. The muscles in the hunter’s tanned arm were roused as he twirled a strand of hair around his finger, the movement provoking a content sigh as your foot grazed his leg in a gesture of instinctual fondness. There’s sleep evident in his movement as he savored the astounding happiness that devours his heart, his enamored hazel eyes hypnotized by the serene expression on your face. You’re beautiful; he’s always thought so however in this intimate sense of domestic bliss, bare skin wrapped in the floral print sheets, conquered by peaceful slumber due to  the previous night's love making, he couldn't help himself from equating you to a goddess of celestial perfection. Aphrodite; in flesh and bone gracing him with the blessing of her presence. Then a realization hits him in the depths of his stomach as his heart skips; he’s ready. He wants this to be the rest of his life. This has been the best year of his life and everything in him is aching to spend the rest of it with you by his side. He’s going to propose. 

[pancakes4two]

lhh time yaaaaaay!

also unrelated but i’m SO happy fine line was added back to the setlist 🥹 it better be staying for the residency shows too

previous parts from this series can be found here!

yourinstagram

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yourinstagram biiiiig festivities on the calendar for tonight! #21 🎉🌟

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harrystyles Happy birthday to meeee

yourinstagram we’re getting old 😫😫😫😐😐😐🥴🥴🥴

yourbff DONT PARTY TOO HARD YOU HAVE A MIDTERM TMRW

yourinstagram don’t u worry i’m the dd tonight 💞

annetwist

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annetwist When Y/N tells a joke in the middle of your trying to get a nice birthday picture with H! Love these kids with my whole heart ❤️

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yourinstagram thanks for all your help with the surprise!!

harrystan4 bro he’s so gone for her😭 look at his smile

harryfan1 so happy he’s happy 💞 thank u anne and y/n for always giving him so much love

harrysfinsta

Liked by niallhoran, yourinstagram, and 5 others

harrysfinsta Y/N wanted me to post and prove that I’m still alive after yesterday’s festivities. Here’s me drinking water, awake and kicking.

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niallhoran Y/N HE’S LYING HE’S SO HUNGOVER WE HAD TO HOSE HIM DOWN TO GET HIM OUT OF BED THIS MORNING

yourbff not a single thought goes on behind those eyes…

yourinstagram take better care of yourself or suffer the consequences 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

yourinstagram

Liked by harrystyles and 115 others

yourinstagram “hey is this seat taken?” - harry styles’ attempt at flirting with the person he’s been dating for the past 5 years

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yourbff i don’t know if i like him for you anymore tbh… this joke was the final straw

yourinstagram i don’t know if i like him for me anymore either…

harrystyles I can see your comments FYI

yourinstagram love u ❤️💞💗❣️❤️‍🔥💗

harrystyles Impressive switch-up…

yourinstagram

Liked by harrystyles, niallhoran, and 99 others

yourinstagram just so you’re all aware, h wanted me to caption this with “nightmare on the green, freak in the sheets.” i wish i was joking.

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niallhoran Hahahahaha good one

yourinstagram why are you encouraging this behavior

harrystyles Thanks for making me feel seen, Niall.

yourbff some things don’t need to be shared on the internet harry

harrystyles Really? Didn’t know that…

yourinstagram

Liked by yourroommate and 68 others

yourinstagram everyone say hello to our newest roommates calmrry 🧘‍♂️😌 and angrry 😡😾

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girlfromyourschool these pics are so cute! where are you guys headed for the summer?

yourinstagram we’re actually just gonna chill at home for a bit! gonna use this break from the road to relax and do nothing

girlfromyourschool sounds like fun!

yourroommate i heard these guys don’t even pay rent…

yourinstagram no way, i heard that too

harrystyles Fake news…

[ethocomments]

in the comments of lp episode 387 exiled by minecraft there's speculation as to whether etho's sudden and disastrous ability to travel 64 blocks in the overworld per 1 block in the nether (instead of the normal 8:1) is a glitch, or him trolling us, and additionally whether he got trolled by a commenter. i am here to settle the debate for once and for all.

in the intro to the episode, etho spends time messing around because he's totally out of ideas for the day. he still has the 115 levels from the previous episode and decides to go look for an ice spikes biome a viewer had told him about a while ago because his ice tray is (probably) broken due to biome changes. but he gets sent to 22,400 -88,000 instead and has to kill himself to get home.

can't find the comment again but someone alleged he admitted to trolling or maybe taking advantage of a glitch he'd already known about, but i can find no such tweet (just the automated one linking to the episode on upload day).

this is true; MC-56799 was resolved in snapshot 14w32a, a month and a half after etho's episode. some commenters reported similar glitches, although at least one is a separate bug related to eating/sleeping while entering nether portals which causes you to teleport to the overworld's coordinates in the nether.

funnily enough, both MC-56799 and its merged ticket MC-56804 link to etho's ep 387 as proof. the only other video footage uses Etho's seed and the exact same coordinates as in his LP episode, so it wasn't etho's newfound video editing skills that are the cause. (it also means that etho and his viewers are pretty much the sole reason the bug got fixed when it did.)

unfortunately, I've found no footage of a 64x nether travel glitch that isn't using etho's seed and specific coordinates; if this ever happened to you during 1.7 or its snapshots, i'd love to know because it's weird as hell.

lack of other situations causing the glitch makes it hard to tell, but this theory is compelling especially. etho says that a viewer told him there was an ice spikes biome there, so if he did get the coords from a viewer that person was either trolling with the glitch or trying to help.

it turns out there was an ice spike biome in etho's seed in 1.7 at the correct overworld coordinates for the portal he builds, as pointed out by someone in the comments.

anyway, it turns out that etho really didn't secretly develop immaculate acting skills but it was one big coincidence. i'd love to see who told him about the ice biome but god only knows how many episodes prior that might've been or even if it was on the LP and not another series.

if etho prunes his world download chunks, this one survived perhaps because he revisited and lingered trying to figure out what the hell happened, so you can (allegedly) teleport to 22,400 -80,000 and see the remains for yourself.

thanks for reading this extra-long, extra-niche episode of ethomythbusting.

this is the most interesting thing to me about the glitch, that it may be related to issues with glass panes rather than coordinates - but i simply don't have the time to load up pre-1.8 snapshots just to test a bunch of random nether portals at different coordinates etc. when the bug is fixed. i just love discontinued features.

lack of tweets:

seed map:

[simsinlowspace]

Freetime Posters - 12 Nature Hobby Posters

Happy Saturday everyone! It's the weekend, so it's time for the second set of Freetime hobby posters. This week's hobby is one of my favorites, Nature! Swatch, info and download under ye olde cut!

Like the last set, these are on @linacheries’ wonderful 4t2 conversion of Simsza’s National Park Prints (mesh is included) and feature a dozen designs made with Flaticon elements + a bunch of Simlish fonts. They're all inspired by locations, features, items and Sims from the game.

Translations:

Grow

Veronaville Birdwatching Society

Autumn Colors

Riverblossom Hills Garden Club

Yuku haru ya / Tori naki uwo no / Me wa namida (Spring is passing / the birds cry, and the fishes' eyes are / with tears) I read and write a lot of haiku; this is one of my favorites by Matsuo Bashō.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep... Taken from another favorite poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

McGreggor Farm 115 Old Farm Road, Riverblossom Hills Inspired by my favorite kilted Sim, Leod McGreggor from Riverblossom Hills

Lost Willow Park Since TS2 lacks any dedicated fishing lots, I borrowed the name of one from TS3's Riverview

Adventure Awaits

Lovely Ladybug Loft Advertisement for the in-game item

Contrary to what you believe, Gardens are easy with our seeds! Inspired by Opal Contrary, nature enthusiast from Desiderata Valley (whose surname was just perfect for this bit of advertising copy lol)

Top: Greaves Greener Gardens | Bottom: where the grass is always greener For the Desiderata Valley nature community lot

A numbered swatch is also included for your convenience.

Icons are by Freepik, photo3idea_studio, justicon, max.icons, AmethystDesign, luvdat, Jesus Chavarria, Good Ware, ultimatearm and Smashicons, and used with much appreciation as always! <3

DOWNLOAD (SFS) ~375KB...hooray! 🎉

Lots of love, Spacey

UPDATE: Now that this series is complete, here is a master list of all the posts, plus a single download link for all the posters. All swatches are included, and files are sorted into folders so you can easily keep just what you like:

Tinkering Nature Arts & Crafts Fitness Science Cuisine Sports Games Music & Dance Film & Literature

DOWNLOAD ALL THE POSTERS (SFS) Recolors are ~8.5MB

You can now also get all the designs on BV's Travel Keeper!

[servants-hall]

All Creatures Great and Small producer Yvonne Francas gives an inside track on the Christmas episode

All Creatures Great and Small is heading back to our screens for a Christmas special, which is due to be full of seasonal joy and high emotion.

"It’s a journey of love, kindness, and warmth," reveals the show’s producer Yvonne Francas, as What to Watch catches up with her for an exclusive chat to get a sneak preview of the upcoming episode, airing on Channel 5 on Thursday 21 December at 9 pm. It will air on PBS Masterpiece in the New Year after the fourth season.

Set at Yuletide 1940, it sees caring vet James (Nicholas Ralph) spending the festivities away from both Skeldale House and his heavily pregnant wife Helen (Rachel Shenton) as he is training with the RAF.

Here, Yvonne Francas spills the beans on the All Creatures Great and Small Christmas special…

All Creatures Great and Small’s Christmas episodes are always a delight. Is there a pressure to produce something that's heartwarming for the show’s fans? “Yes, we want to deliver something special. It took 12 to 14 days to film and a couple of months to prepare. It's a pressure but a lovely one to have, because I’ve not worked on another show that’s as loved by its audience.”

How would you sum up this episode? “It's about the absence of people, because James and Tristan [his fellow vet played by Callum Woodhouse] are away at war and everyone is missing them. But it’s also about community and family coming together. There’s romance and joy, and wonderful animal stories! We even have a fight over who’ll be Father Christmas – Siegfried [Samuel West] doesn’t want that position!"

How is James feeling about being apart from Helen for Christmas? “James would love to be with Helen, but he's having to accept what serving means, because the people he is with are in the same boat and desperate to get home but they're not allowed…”

And Helen is heavily pregnant now. What has it been like for Rachel to wear the prosthetic bumps? “We’ve used several prosthetic bumps for Helen in this series and Rachel had an advisor, who used to be a midwife. But Rachel’s amazing and completely gets it!”

We hear the RAF base has an avian mascot that James needs to treat. Is there anything you can reveal about that? “Yes, the men need their mascot to be fit, as it gives them confidence to do their job. We chose a bird, because it echoes the RAF wings. It’s beautiful and we sent Nick for training to familiarise himself with handling it.

“We also have our regular animals at Christmas like Jess and Dash [Skeldale House’s dogs], Tricki-Woo [Mrs Pumphrey’s beloved pooch] and Oscar the cat. Humbug, who plays Oscar, loves being cuddled! We have another dog too, who isn’t friendly, and Carmody [James Anthony-Rose] deals with that…”

What was it like filming the airbase scenes at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, near York? “It’s so authentic. We brought in a Nissen hut and located three planes that still exist that would have flown to train airmen at the time and they flew around for us. I sat in one and you do feel exposed to the elements.

“For the RAF costumes, we used a costumier and also sourced some through our military advisor Taff Gillingham. Nick enjoyed wearing his, it gave him a different demeanour. He looks the part. In one scene, he had to run in the uniform, overcoat and hat and he never complained, even though it was June!”

Was it tough keeping everybody cool when you were filming? “We had around 115 supporting artistes throughout the Christmas episode, with many in coats and scarves for the party. As it was summer, when we were outside, we had shaded areas and cold drinks and Melissa Gallant, the executive producer, brought ice lollies! Then, in the studio, fans were on and doors were open when we weren’t shooting.”

And what can you tell us about the Christmas community dinner that kindly housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) organises in The Drovers Arms? “The war affects what they can provide, although Mrs Hall finds an ally who puts their hands on more food and it’s a wonderful spread. Our art department researched what they’d have been able to get hold of and Bethany Heald, our home economist, created some amazing food.”

How hard has it been to recreate a wartime Christmas? “The art department did research online and in books and magazines. We have paper angels and crepe paper banners because people made their own decorations then and our production base is opposite a Christmas tree farm, so we chose lovely trees.

“There’s a big one in Darrowby’s square and the special effects people created fake snow, which they sieved onto the ground, and they used foam when it needed to come out of the sky, which was supplemented with online visual effects. With roaring fires and carols too, the episode does feel Christmassy!”

The Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small airs on Thursday December 21 at 9pm on Channel 5 and it will also be available on My5. It will air on PBS Masterpiece early next year.

[atopvisenyashill]

The Dornish Prince Who United The Seven Kingdoms

aka my “who the hell was Myriah and Maron’s father” meta

Like many of the ruling princes and princesses of Dorne, we have very little information to go on when trying to piece together this Unnamed Prince of Dorne. It’s equal parts odd and frustrating, because this Unnamed Prince was one of the most important figures in Westerosi history and yet we don’t have a birth date, ascension date, marriage information, birth dates for his children, a death date, or even a name.

And yet this is the man who stopped Daeron the Young Dragon’s conquest of Dorne only to successfully negotiate a cease fire between Dorne and the Six Kingdoms as well as a marriage contract for his heir and daughter Myriah with Baelor the Blessed. His influence lives on in his son, Maron, who furthered his father’s peace negotiations by meeting with Daeron II and agreeing to enter the Seven Kingdoms at last - but with a Targaryen bride and more than a few concessions. Daeron’s shortsightedness in dealing with Dorne leads directly to the Blackfyre Rebellions but you can’t deny that Maron at least was a shrewd negotiator because he and his people came out of this negotiation having given up very little. Myriah, for her part, is a well loved Queen despite racism in Westeros against the Dornish, and goes on to have several children with Daeron, who she seemed to love.

So…who the hell was Maron and Myriah’s father? Well, looking at the series proper, the world of ice and fire, and fire & blood, I’ve come up with two theories on him.

Theory One: The Marence Martell Theory

Marence is the son of Aliandra and Drazenko (or possibly, he’s the son of a second husband).

Theory Two: The Qyle Martell Theory

Qyle, the younger brother of Aliandra and only son of Qoren Martell, takes the principality when Aliandra dies childless.

Let’s delve in…

The Facts

Aliandra Nymeros Martell is born in 115 AC so any siblings must be born after this date.

Aliandra's younger brother brother Qyle (and their younger sister Coryanne) is old enough to disapprove of Aliandra's flirtation with Alyn Velaryon in 133 AC.

Aliandra and Drazenko Rogare married during the Lysene Spring 134.

Drazenko died in 135 under suspicious circumstances (it's because his family was acting up see: The Fall of the House of Rogare)

Now a little bit of speculation here...

The Small Council is desperate to marry off Baela in 132 AC (when Aliandra is 17) bc she’s unruly and mean and does hot girl shit, so they’re not gonna betroth her to someone much younger than her, because they need this girl to get laid and calm down.

Qyle is brought up as a potential match. If Aliandra is 17, he could very well be 16, or near enough, and an option for her to marry. This would make his birth year 116 and make him 42 at the Submission of Sunspear.

If Marence is Aliandra's only child by Drazenko, born in 135 AC, it would make him 23 during the Submission of Sunspear.

If The Unnamed Prince of Dorne Is Marence Nymeros Martell

This is interesting for a few reasons. For one thing, it puts Marence of an age with Aegon IV, who was also born in 135 AC during the Lysene Spring as well. It makes sense that Baelor, with his cousin Aemon already on his mind due to his captivity, would see a man roughly the same age as one of his male cousins, and think of Aegon's recently born son, Daeron II, as the key to smoothing things over.

Baelor eschews marriage, not just with his sisters, but in general, and while we don’t have his POV to see what he was thinking about an heir (if he was even thinking of it), given the precedent of uncles and younger brothers usurping female Targaryens, and Baelor’s own *waves at the Maidenvault* nonsense about women, it seems likely Baelor viewed his uncle as his heir and not Daena the Defiant, and thus betrothing the first born son of Viserys’ first born son to Myriah, Marence’s first born daughter, ties everything together neatly.

For Marence’s part, this plan is incredibly risky. Daeron and Myriah are around 7 and a lot can change in the ten years it will take for Myriah to reach the age of majority. Maron could die, and there’s no guarantee Marence can have another child before he himself dies. Myriah could die and throw the whole plan into question. Marence’s people did just torture the everloving hell out of Aemon (and while the Wyl's are a bit notorious for being super violent towards invading forces, we have no idea whether Marence encouraged that the way Aliandra and Deria do, or if he discouraged it the way Nymor does), and Viserys might not be too fond of the plan. But this is Aliandra’s son. This is the son of a goddamn Rogare. High risk plans with little hope of succeeding are their lifeblood and it's clearly a chance that may be worth taking if he wants to finally calm down the warring.

And being Aliandra's son, it's even possible she told him stories about her relationship with Alyn (hopefully not the sexy ones but who knows). Perhaps he's thinking that this might work out, if Baelor can come here and forgive him after they tortured Aemon and killed The Young Dragon, if his mother could find something worth respecting in Alyn. It's a young man's dream for a better, less violent future for his people and for his young children.

If Marence is the Prince, it also means he dies pretty young. Maron is ruling Prince by 174 AC, so even if we push the death date to have happened the very first month of 174 AC, it means Marence is just 39 years old when he passes. He lives long enough to send his daughter to an unknown fate in a still hostile kingdom, to see Baelor die, Viserys II die, and Aegon the Unworthy take the throne and make overtures at continued war while Mariah is essentially a hostage in King's Landing, and now, with only his young son Maron to protect her and to protect Dorne. A wild, risky life with a sad, early death; just like his mother Aliandra.

If The Unnamed Prince of Dorne Is Qyle Nymeros Martell

Firstly, if it's Qyle, I can 100% see why he kills Daeron I and tortures Aemon; we already know he dislikes the other kingdoms of Westeros and after spending years being forced to make nice because of Aliandra, who dies childless and passes the principality to him, an older, hardened Qyle may decide there is no point in trying to make peace with these people. He takes a page out of his ancestor Meria's book and decides to fight dirty and to the last man. Why on Earth would he trust them, why on Earth would he confine himself to the rules of their game? Even without dragons, these people insist on destroying his home so he will fight them until his last breath.

And then this deeply pious seventeen year old (the same age as Aliandra when the principality passed to her!) shows up barefoot with all the hostages who are mostly unharmed and asks to make peace. And now Qyle is approaching middle age (being like 44 at this point), looking at this very odd mirror to his deceased older sister, who is asking him to put aside all anger. There's no charming flirtation or coy words like what Alyn offered Aliandra nor is there the threat of violence and subjugation like what Daeron offered just a few years before. It's a risk yes, but when faced with this bloody-footed seventeen year old and the release of the hostages, it might seem like a risk that's worth taking.

And again, if we push his death date to the first month of 174 AC, it means Qyle is 58 years old. Hardly old by our years, but it's more than several other notable rulers get in ASOIAF. Old enough to have seen relations with the Iron Throne go up and down and when he dies, the future is uncertain yes, but he's spent his life trying to make things better in the only ways he knows how.

SO THAT'S THE UNNAMED PRINCE OF DORNE.

I think both scenarios are interesting and they both seem likely! I hope one day we know a little bit more about this elusive character, as well as about Myriah and Maron - did Myriah resent the marriage her father arranged for her? Did she resent having to give up her claim to the principality or did she see this as a chance to gain further power? Clearly, Maron believed in continued peace making through marriage because he agreed to marry Daenerys as an adult; how close was he to his father then? Was he devastated by his father's death? Did he love Myriah and write to her the way Oberyn and Doran loved Elia? If he is Qyle, and older when he has children, does this impact how he sees them? And if he's Marence instead, and had children young-ish, does that impact their relationship? How does he even die???

Much to think about and I hope we get concrete answers one day!

[lightbluetown]

well, i'd only been here for 115 days

that's not to say i'm leaving. of course not. the chokehold this series has on me can't be put in words

i'd never been in a big fandom before. or an active one. every story i've hyperfixated on has been over for like a decade. i miraculously got obsessed with ofmd right before its second season. the excitement i felt throughout the month of october is something i'll always remember fondly

a lot happened in these 115 days. ofmd helped me through some of the darkest times of my life. i don't think i would've made it through without it. stede immediately became one of my favorite characters of all time (if not my #1) and i watched every movie and tv show in rhys' catalog. i got to know all the other incredibly talented people in the cast and crew. i got to admire seemingly infinite amounts of fanart and fanfiction. i got to witness other fans' passion for the show. i got to get angry at pointless drama and i got to feel catharsis when i saw people put my complicated feelings into words. i got to smile when i felt like i couldn't. i got to feel truly and completely seen and loved as a queer person

it wasn't even 4 months. but it meant a lot to me

thank you all

[libertyreads]

Book Review #115 of 2023--

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Rating: 4 stars.

Read from September 8th to 10th.

One of my most anticipated new releases for the year has finally come out and been read. I'm seriously considering getting rid of my Barnes and Noble membership because this bad boy didn't make it to my house for over a week after release. Though there was a holiday in there so maybe we don't make any rash decisions. This is the fourth book in The Inheritance Games series and it follows two of the Hawthorne Brothers as they attempt to help out non-Hawthorne family members.

It was so refreshing to dive into this book. If you're a fan of the series you already know that there are a ton of riddles, games, puzzles throughout and I loved getting back into this world and attempting to solve the same puzzles as our main characters. I also love how this took two really different characters and gave them both an opportunity to be examined by the reader. I don't think anything in this series so far has given me a chance to dive so deep into who these characters are, how they think, what they feel, and their history. Jameson and Grayson have this thing where they work really well together but they also highlight each others differences. So, I loved the depth of character exploration in this one as well as the ability to see through their eyes. I also really loved the setting for Jameson's adventure in this one. It's starts in this sort of secret society in London and eventually finds its way to a beautiful castle. Grayson's adventure is set in Phoenix, but there are still plenty of riddles to solve there too. I don't know. There's just something about the Hawthornes and something about this world of unbelievable wealth and power and how each brother wields it. I can read book after book about these characters.

I felt like this one was sort of explaining things to the reader a little too much. At one point Jameson is in the secret society and is going to play 21 and a new character says 'Bonne Chance' to him as she walks away which the narration then goes on to explain to the reader means 'Good luck' in English. Having taken French for several years felt like I was being talked down to. Now, not everyone has taken several years of French, but I felt like context clues also gave this away? There are definitely times in this series when I need the author to explain to me how these brilliant characters have solved these riddles. But there are also times when I've been given enough context or can figure it out myself and don't need to feel like it's being dumbed down for me as a reader. I hope that makes sense. It definitely felt like I was solving some clues and then having them explained to me anyway. While we do get the world of The Inheritance Games expanded, I felt like the cast of characters got smaller. We do meet new characters but I missed seeing Alisa and her weird entanglements with the Hawthorne family. We also didn't get Libby in this one at all. Which is a little sad since we share a name and so many other things. Let me live vicariously through the character who is basically me except she also gets a rich cowboy. Haha.

It's the world of the Inheritance Games and I'm always down for it. I'm so excited that these adventures don't end here.

[wedreamedlove]

[FIC] I Love You 115 (13/115)

Rating: T Characters: Osborn/Reader Word Count: 1588

Summary:

A/N: I hope you don't mind that I combined these two into one and added it to my series!

You wake up without warning, disoriented for a moment upon seeing an unfamiliar ceiling, before you remember that you spent last night at Osborn's apartment for the first time.

Groggily rolling over, you bury your head into a pillow that carries the minty and citrusy scent of the bergamot mint wash that he and you used yesterday (and isn't it a surprise to learn that the black cedarwood scent you associate with him is actually his cologne?). It takes your sleep-addled brain a minute to realize that there's something, or more like someone, missing—namely, the human-shaped furnace that is your boyfriend.

You pull yourself up, calling out through a yawn, "Osborn?"

There is no response.

Your mind sluggishly recalls that you felt a pair of lips brush across your forehead, hands tuck the blanket around you tighter, and a quiet voice telling you that he was going for a morning run and would be back with breakfast. Having still been mostly asleep, you just grunted in acknowledgment and curled deeper under the blanket.

Reaching over to the bedside table, you grab your phone to check the time. It's half past seven, meaning Osborn is probably still out running and that it's too early for you to be awake, which raises the question of why you're suddenly awake at this time.

You furrow your brows as a sense of intuition and vague feeling of stickiness makes you slip off the bed and head to the bathroom.

...

Ten minutes later, you find yourself finishing up blow-drying your underwear and staring at a bloodstain on the bedsheet with a feeling of dismay.

Yes, that's right, your menstruation came a week earlier than expected and it just had to happen while you're at Osborn's place. You consider pulling the bedsheet off, washing it, and then also blow-drying it before replacing it on the bed, but you aren't sure if you can do this in time before Osborn returns. Plus, what if the mattress is stained too? The dull ache in your stomach is also eroding your motivation to move more than you have to during this time.

In the middle of your indecision, you hear the last thing you want to hear at this time, which is the front door opening, and before you can think on it you put on your underwear with a sanitary product and sit down on the dirty bedsheet, wrapping yourself up in the blanket to hide the bloodstain.

You only realize the stupidity of this when you hear footsteps approach the bedroom door and then Osborn quietly opens it to see if you're awake or not.

"Lazy kitten, still in bed? Time to get up before your breakfast turns cold."

You shake your head, still huddled in the blankets.

"Hm? Not getting up?" The smile in Osborn's voice is larger than normal, like he's in a really good mood, as he comes over to crouch beside the bed and pick you up.

You struggle in his arms and try to stay on the bed. "I don't want to get up."

Thinking that you're just acting cute, Osborn uses some more strength and teases you, "Sleeping too much isn't good for you either. Here, I'll even carry you to the table."

Feeling Osborn lift both you and the blanket up, you react without thought. "Put me down!"

THWACK! The slap you give to Osborn's arm is louder than either of you expected and he reflexively pulls back. Both of you freeze in a stunned silence before you burst into tears and you see the shock in his eyes from the slap instantly turn into panic.

Osborn automatically reaches out to you again but hesitates before touching you, as if unsure of his welcome, and it's only when you lean forward to grab him that he pulls you off the bed and into his chest, stroking your back with a hand. "I'm here, I'm here for you."

The last thing you want to do at this time is cry but, thanks to being that time of the month and your earlier stress about how to deal with the bloodstain or explain it, your emotions peaked and your tears broke out of their dam. It's not that you're embarrassed about menstruation in and of itself and if you met someone who turned their nose up at this ordinary physiological phenomenon you would kick them out of your life; however, dirtying someone else's things by bleeding on them makes you irrationally feel as if you failed at something, like being a proper woman.

Osborn changes to patting your back gently with what seems like endless patience and it's only after your crying trickles down that he asks, "... Can you tell me what's wrong?"

You sniffle and try to bury your head deeper into his chest. In response, Osborn tightens his arms around you but you can feel him weighing whether or not to press the question in the silence.

Finally, he lowers his head, pressing his jaw to your temple, and exhales as he curls around you more, like he's trying to separate you from the world and bring you into his body where he can protect you from everything.

"Please."

His voice is low and hoarse as if he were the one who went through a crying session instead of you, and it's also one of the rare times you hear a tremor in his voice, which ultimately makes you give in so as not to make him needlessly worry.

You lean back to create some distance and use your forearm to wipe roughly at the tear tracks on your face, but Osborn's arm around your waist prevents you from standing up and so you can only point at the bed where the bloodstain is in clear view after the blanket had slipped off when he pulled you down into his chest.

Osborn turns his head to follow your finger, but the moment he sees the bloodstain he whips his head back and asks with panic, "Where are you hurt?"

He removes his arm around your waist, like he's scared he might have been pressing on an injury, and lifts you to your feet while getting up himself so that he can look you over. You shake your head mutely and feel your face heat up as you pray that you don't have to put it in words.

A wheel seems to turn slowly in Osborn's head but you see the moment realization hits him when his eyes dart down to your abdomen. You're unsure of what to expect next and, sure enough, his next action catches you by complete surprise when he leans down and places an arm around your waist and the back of your knees to lift you easily in a princess carry, making you exclaim and clutch his shoulders.

Osborn strides over to the living room couch and sets you down on it gently before grabbing the throw on the back of the couch. "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Is that why you were crying? I read that hot drinks help, give me a moment and I'll make something for you."

Bewildered at his rapid fire questions, you grab his wrists as he finishes tucking the throw around you to stop him from running off to the kitchen. "I... I got your bed dirty."

"Accidents happen," Osborn raises an eyebrow, "Unless you're telling me it wasn't an accident?"

"It was! But..."

"But?" Seeing you go silent again with an awkward look, he manages to guess what you want to say. "But it's blood? You make it sound like I haven't bled on my own bed before."

Osborn appears to regret these words the moment he says them because he presses his lips into a thin line.

You don't know what sort of expression you're making when you're reminded of his dangerous bounty hunter identity and the admittance that he had been wounded before on commissions, but it must not look very good because Osborn's tense expression instantly softens.

"Little crybaby," he says this in a helpless but affectionate voice, "Don't cry. Look, aren't I safe and whole right here? And I don't accept those kind of commissions anymore."

His fingertips that softly wipe the tears at the corner of your eyes makes you unable to help but ask, "Osborn, why are you so good to me?"

"Dummy, if I'm not good to you, who am I supposed to be good to?" Osborn shifts his hand up to poke your forehead in exasperation.

When you jut out your lower lip at this uncalled for attack, he chuckles and leans down to brush his lips over the spot he poked and then moves down lower to give a quick peck on your mouth.

"Alright, sit there, get cozy, and don't move. Just leave everything to your Boss Osborn for today."

...

Some time later, while you nurse a cup of hot chocolate, you watch as a 185cm tall and broad man returns to the apartment to deposit a bag of sanitary products on the living room table and then bustle around the house, pulling out the damp bedsheet from the washing machine to hang outside on the clothesline on the veranda to dry in the sun, and then enter the bedroom with baking soda and a cloth. It occurs to you that, just like Osborn said, this isn't his first time dealing with bloodstains and he might even know more about removing them than most women.

[progmanx]

I'm gonna lay all of this out right now so it is on the record, and I probably should have done this last week when I actually saw that Ch115 of Black Lagoon was out (and that apparently all of the previously untranslated ones had been translated officially on Viz in like March??? Is the series ending or are they just doing this for everything?) but hear me out:

Majeur is Yukio's older sister.

Okay. I'll explain. I know, "just because they are both from Japan doesn't mean they're related!" and I agree. This would not have crossed my mind if not for the GIANT KABUKI TATTOO on her upper body.

We're gonna circle back to this. Keep it in your brain. Also, I can't believe it but Rei Hiroe actually crafted a scenario where swimsuits were entirely necessary to the story.

That is not a joke. We're gonna get there. Need to set some things up for you.

Majeur apparently had a younger sister according to her former comrades, and the previous Auriculaire (the blonde that kept screaming Majeur was a lesbian) was someone she was so protective of she is still not okay about her death in "L'homme Sombre".

I do not have Vol 12 digitally, so trust me on this one.

I must've read 114 and 115 about fifteen times at this point because I kept finding little things that are so damned interesting (that's a different discussion but no surprise I love it) and at first I'm thinking "well this is the calm before the storm" because that's a no brainer. The comparisons between Revy and Majeur, and the little jokes about "it'll be confusing if one of us dies because we both have tattoos, are Asian women, and you want to ALSO have two guns?" and just a ton of other small and large things would, in any other story, be giant death flags for Revy.

I don't think that's where we're going. I think it's somewhere WAY more interesting considering we already know Majeur's #1 priority is survival and has no real loyalty to Balalaika.

Because all of these little pieces (the diving, teaching her to tie the rope, how the city works; basically everything she ever taught Rock and a few things she learned from Rock...) start to add up about Revy's growth as a person, and how many callbacks and connections are being made to the entirety of the story, combined with Revy breaking up a barfight before it starts between Majeur and Eda (holy shit???) and it paints a picture that is screaming right in our face.

Classic Hitchcock suspense. The bomb under the dinner table that the guests don't know about, but we do. We don't know when it will go off. Only that it will.

Gonna hit you with some stuff.

I don't think it is an accident that Revy's "dream" is wanting people to shoot her in the face and not the back, because she sure as hell lives by it.

I don't think it is an accident that Revy explicitly mentions she has been to Japan in front of Majeur and recognizes the word kabuki (remember!!!) I don't think it is an accident that Majeur is about to say her name at the end of 113 and Rock stops her, trying to be a "cool guy" because on the one hand he is correct, you can be someone else.

Start over. He did. Revy did. Dutch totally did. Balalaika did. Feng did. On the other hand, narratively, what is the one name that exists for a Japanese person to have that would carry any significance?

The one name that the only two people in existence would hear and have a visceral reaction to, as they are the only ones who know what actually happened?

Washimine.

Yukio Washimine.

It gets better, though. Remember that kabuki tattoo? I could go into what each one represents, and they're pretty neat, but more importantly...

He's quoting the play "Sukeroku". Listen, you don't do this TWICE. You don't show us this super specific thing TWICE and not have it be a giant neon sign. This is no damned accident, and it makes sense.

Jane came back. Roberta came back. Why not Tokyo? Throw in Takenaka (this would be INSANE and I am so here for it) and you've got the full set.

Majeur asking about honor when she's taken hostage by Rock, Revy, and Shenua and Rock's response being "That's a mafia thing" suddenly has quite a bit more weight to it.

We know the Washimine group were without a proper leader for a long time, which is what lead to their desperation in calling in Hotel Moscow to deal with the Kosa Kai. A teensy bit of conjecture, but "things happened" is probably about "my dad, the Yakuza boss, was murdered and I fled the country"

Why did Yukio stay behind? Could be that they're half-sisters. Same dad, different moms. Could be a lot of things.

Yukio took up the mantle, Chaka got his hands chopped off, Balalaika holds Rock at gunpoint in a parking garage, etc. We know that story; it's absolutely amazing and needs no reiteration even this many years later.

What does this mean? Why does this matter? Well, Majeur and Ginji both went up against Balalaika and Revy. The latter is dead because he had a reason to live; he wasn't focused on survival.

Majeur? She lost her Yukio. The first time was literal. The second time was in Nigeria. She stopped trying to go after Balalaika and Revy because there wasn't any point to it. She had no one to protect. No one to fight for.

And there's one more thing...

Yeah, man. I think this is essentially Yukio back from hell itself to take revenge on Balalaika. Revy's just the one who shot Ginji. She isn't responsible for the complete eradication of the Washimine group, and she has been trying to help Majeur because she obviously sees way too much of who she used to be in her.

Rock helped Garcia with Roberta, and they told him to fuck off...and rightfully so. It got dark. What dragged him out of the funk? Helping himself, Feng, in a way that was far less destructive and much more productive. What I imagine some have forgotten is that Revy also had an expy (this whole series is just parallel and intersecting character arcs and foils with the strangers who come to down I love it so so much) that told her to fuck off just as much, if not much more effectively and painfully: Fabiola.

Fabiola never needed her help. She just thought she did. Majeur actually does benefit from Revy's advice because, shockingly enough, she isn't filled with nearly as much hate or bitterness as she used to be.

Feng and Majeur were basically the 'second chances' for Rock and Revy respectively, after "The Dance of Death". Take it back further, and this whole thing really could have been trying to make up for how things went down in Tokyo, as Yukio and Ginji were far more explicit and direct foils than Roberta, Garcia, and Fabiola ever were.

And this isn't even getting into the Balalaika side of things. That's a whole other conversation. God, I love this series so damned much!

Revy making a bet with Balalaika with Majeur as the---oh, shit, right, I don't have Vol 12 digitally, but you just have to trust me that Hiroe did bring the "people are like dice" concept again, but it was REVY who did it. It was when they're driving Majeur after she starts talking, and Revy responds with something like "Why do you care? You already threw your dice."

Majeur has direct access to Balalaika at some point in the future. She has the perfect ticking time bomb of a motive to want her dead, and Revy's gamble might make Majeur too well connected and too skilled to be stopped before it is way too late.

No idea how this will pan out, but I fucking love this series.

[luciddreamslikeelectricity]

What are some good older iron man comics. I would love to read them. I am not too fond of heavy abuse depictions so I prefer the lighter stuff. I read the civil war comics but I didn’t like it so much. As for Maria, I read few comics with her and she was a good mother to Tony. I wish we see more of her. Maybe after the I AM IRONMAN, other writers start to include her.

I didn't like Civil War (the main event) either. I thought the tie-ins and Iron Man's solo series are fairer to the character, but it was a terrible event for him overall.

Iron Man reading list:

⎊ Tales of Suspense (1959) #39 - Iron Man's origin story

You can read tales of suspense #40 - #99 if you can tolerate the sexism, racism etc. of that era. This series is the one that introduced Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, and they're honestly a lot of fun sometimes, despite not always having the best quality of writing.

⎊ Iron Man vol 1:

This volume has 324 issues and it can get intimidating (I avoided reading it for years) so I'll try to list the best runs.

Gerry Conway (35–43, 91–97) He has a great voice for Tony and I love the characterization.

Bill Mantlo (78, 86–87, 95–115, Annual #4) - this is a very good run - a must read, in my opinion, and extremely underrated. Issue #78 tells us the story of why Tony stopped making weapons. Mantlo put in a lot of work to humanize Tony & his relationship with Whitney Frost (Madame Masque) is amazing.

David Michelinie (116–157) - he introduced Rhodey (issue #144 tells us the story of how he met Tony) and a bunch of great characters like Bethany Cabe, Mrs. Arbogast and Justin Hammer. He also established Tony's alcoholism in Demon in a Bottle and made him travel to the past & the future with Doctor Doom (#150 and #250). His run also has some light-hearted moments and you can start with this one - a lot of people do.

Dennis O'Neil (160–208) - he explored Tony's alcoholism in much more detail than Michelinie and his run gets very heavy at times (especially issue #182) (tw for suicidal ideation, depression and alcoholism) but Tony's recovery is depicted very well, too, and his portrayal of Tony, even at his worst, is very empathetic and respectful. Also, Rhodey becomes Iron Man in this run and O'Neil characterizes him very well. This is a very important Iron Man run.

David Michelinie (again) (215–250) - If you liked his writing, you can check this run out as well. It contains the Armor Wars storyline, which is a very important arc that contributed to Tony's character a lot (It's also the first time he clashed with Steve Rogers over differing ideals).

Len Kaminski (278–318) - This is the run in which Rhodey became War Machine (he even got a solo series by the same writer, which is very good). This is also the run which established Tony as a (verbal and emotional) childhood abuse survivor and the issues that depict it are issues #285 - #288 (Tony relives his childhood memories, which include memories of his father's abuse and I'm not sure how heavy it can be classified as, but it can be triggering to some people, certainly) and #313 (This one is more disturbing as it features Tony telling the story of how Howard made him drink alcohol as a very young child at an AA meeting - it's also immensely satisfying and it's a great issue, overall).

⎊ Tony is a major part of Avengers vol 1 and West Coast Avengers (1985) as well.

⎊ Marvel Graphic Novel - Emperor Doom

⎊ Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) - issues 2, 8 (Squirrel Girl's first appearance!), 9, 12-15 (issue #13 is especially good)

⎊ Marvel Fanfare #4

⎊ Iron Man vol 3 (1998)

Kurt Busiek (1-25, Annual 1999) - This is one of the best Iron Man runs ever. You could totally start with this one if you want to- Tony's characterization is amazing in this run, Happy and Pepper are part of the main cast again and they got some great development in it, Carol Danvers is featured heavily in it and this run has some of the best writing she's got and this run has some very good Black Widow moments as well. If you've heard of Rumiko Fujikawa, this is the run that introduced her.

Frank Tieri (31–35, 37–49, Annual 2001) - Tiberius Stone is a very fun character and this is the run in which he was introduced. It's very good.

Mike Grell (50-66) - This run shows us more of Tony's philanthropist side and I think it's essential reading for Iron Man fans. This is also the run in which he reveals his secret identity in order to save a dog.

⎊ Iron Man: Bad Blood is a great mini-series by David Michelinie that also features Rhodey (he isn't a huge part of Iron Man vol 3, unfortunately) and Justin Hammer.

⎊ Iron Man: Legacy of Doom is another great mini-series by David Michelinie and is the final story in the Camelot trilogy (featuring Doctor Doom).

⎊ Avengers vol 3, Avengers/Squadron Supreme '98 and Avengers/Thunderbolts #1–6 (2004)

⎊ Iron Man/Captain America (1998 Annual)

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Fluffy Fridays—Chapter 175: Of Werewolves and Anatomy Scans

Fluffy Fridays—Chapter 175: Of Werewolves and Anatomy Scans

Pairing:  Captain Swan

Summary:   A series of unrelated, fluffy one shots featuring Killian Jones and  Emma Swan and the relationship that makes us all swoon. Will contain  both canon and AU stories. My contribution to Operation Rainbow Kisses  and Unicorn Stickers (aka, my attempt to drown out the season 4 finale  angst with ridiculous levels of fluff.)

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32) (33) (34) (35) (36) (37) (38) (39) (40) (41) (42) (43) (44) (45) (46) (47) (48) (49) (50) (51) (52) (53) (54) (55) (56) (57) (58) (59) (60) (61) (62) (63) (64) (65) (66) (67) (68) (69) (70) (71) (72) (73) (74) (75) (76) (77) (78) (79) (80) (81) (82) (83) (84) (85) (86) (87) (88) (89) (90) (91) (92) (93) (94) (95) (96) (97) (98) (99) (100) (101) (102) (103) (104) (105) (106) (107) (108) (109) (110) (111) (112) (113) (114) (115) (116) (117) (118) (119) (120) (121) (122) (123) (124) (125) (126) (127) (128) (129) (130) (131) (132) (133) (134) (135) (136) (137) (138) (139) (140) (141) (142) (143) (144) (145) (146) (147) (148) (149) (150) (151) (152) (153) (154) (155) (156)  (157) (158) (159) (160) (161) (162) (163) (164) (165) (166) (167) (168) (170) (171) (172) (173) (174)

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list): @sailormew4 @annaamell @flslp87 @emmateo26@bethacaciakay @ultraluckycatnd @ineffablecolors, @ilovemesomekillianjones @kat2609 @brooke-to-broch @missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthaven @charmingturkeysandwich @jennjenn615 @laschatzi @kimmy46 @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @daxx04 @nickillian @a-rose-for-a-savior @gillie  @britishguyslover @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirst @kmomof4  @linda8084 @golfgirld @captain-swan-coffee @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @laughswaytoomuch @deathbycaptainswan @allyourdarlingswans @killiarious @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 @therooksshiningknight, @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree

(ao3) (ff.net)

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

Warning:  This one’s so fluffy it may make your teeth rot.

“Yeah, so I’m having a lot of abdominal pain,” Leroy said loudly to the receptionist of the Storybrooke Walk In Clinic, which shared a wing of the hospital with the OB/GYN ward.  “Feels like my bowels are all twisted. Maybe if I could empty them fully I’d feel better, but I’m all stopped up.”

Emma rolled her eyes as she sat with Killian waiting eagerly for their big prenatal appointment.  “I don’t know about you, babe,” she said, squeezing her husband’s hand, “but I can safely say that is more than I ever wanted to know about Leroy’s bowels.”

Killian laughed, bringing their joined hands to his lips and giving her hand a quick kiss.  “Quite so, love.  Almost makes me long for the days where we were so busy chasing the latest villain, we didn’t have time for such mundane things.”

She chuckled, determinedly pushing aside the small kernel of insecurity his statement brought up–fear that Killian would grow bored with a mundane Happily Ever After and leave her for further adventure.  She knew she’d never completely rid herself of the insecure inner child who’d never mattered to anyone and didn’t think she ever would, but she wasn’t that child anymore.  She was an adult with many, many people who loved her and who she loved.  She wasn’t going to let her insecurities ruin her idyllic life.

Inside, she felt the small flutters of their baby moving and kicking away, and she placed a gentle hand on her slightly swollen belly.  She’d only just begun to feel their little magic bean, and every time she felt the sensation, it was like magic.

“Everything alright, love?” Killian asked, eying the way she held her belly with concern.

“Absolutely wonderful,” she said, beaming a smile at him.  “The baby’s kicking!”

Killian placed his hand next to hers and was still for a moment, before shaking his head.  “I do wish I could feel it.”

Emma reached up and cupped his cheek.  “All in good time, Killian,” she said.  “Just wait a few months, and this little guy or girl will be waking you up at night with their kicks.”

“You’ve no idea how much I look forward to that,” Killian said, with a bright smile.  “Now explain to me again what is so momentous about this particular appointment today?”

Emma had reached the twenty week point in her pregnancy last Monday, and so today was the day for the big anatomy scan ultrasound.  She’d opted for a 4D ultrasound, because she couldn’t wait to see her baby; really see it, beyond the grainy images standard ultrasounds provided.

Nor could she wait to see Killian’s reaction when he got to see his son or daughter for the first time.  She had no doubt he would declare it to be magical, and come to think of it, maybe he wasn’t far off.  Imagine being able to use sound waves to see your baby inside!

She’d had her first ultrasound at her first doctor’s appointment at seven weeks.  She’d been alone that time–not that Killian wouldn’t have dropped literally everything to be with her, but because….well because she didn’t want to get her hopes up.  They’d been trying for a baby for so long, and there had been a few times her period was late that they’d really believed they’d succeeded.

Only for the pregnancy tests to all come back negative.

The disappointment had been hard on both of them, and so this time around when she missed her period, when she started feeling nauseous and fatigued, even when she took a positive pregnancy test, she was afraid to believe.  She’d decided to get verification before she got Killian’s hopes up yet again.

Her heart swelled as she remembered that day, Whale doing the ultrasound himself and showing her her baby on the screen and the strong beep of his or her little heart. She’d never forget the look in Killian’s eyes when she showed him the indistinct still the ultrasound tech had printed out and then explained to him what he was looking at.  Happy wasn’t a strong enough word for it.  He looked like a man who’d been given the greatest gift of his life, and the kiss he had given her afterwards, tears streaming from his eyes, would go down in history as one of the best kisses in the history of the kiss.

“So today’s the big day, isn’t it?” Leroy said cheerfully as he took a seat next to Emma in the waiting area.  “Lot’s riding on this, you know.”

“....a lot’s riding on my prenatal appointment?” Emma asked with a raised brow.

“Well, yeah,” Leroy said.  “Dwarves and I have a pool, betting on whether you got a boy or girl in there, the size, birth date. The works.  I went girl all the way.  Just a feeling.  The winner of the pool gets all his meals at Granny’s paid by the rest for a month, so I’m counting on you two.”

Killian rolled his eyes.  “We shall endeavor to ensure your meals are properly paid for, dwarf.”

Leroy shrugged and for a moment was silent as he watched Storybrooke citizens slowly filter in and out of the waiting room.  “Lots of people coming into the clinic today,” he mentioned idly.  “You know why it is, right?”

“I’ve no doubt you’ll soon enlighten us,” Killian said, putting an arm around Emma and leaning back in his chair.

“It’s that big forest fire up north,” Leroy said, “makes the air quality here really bad.  You know it’s the werewolves that caused it, right?”

“The were….what?” Emma asked.

“The werewolves!” Leroy said.  “Somebody was up there hunting them, and as everyone knows, if you don’t catch a werewolf the right way, they catch on fire and then become REAL werewolves.  Gotta be what happened!”

Granny, who’d come in complaining of a sinus infection, slapped him upside the head before really laying into him as he continued to plead “I don’t mean good werewolves like you and Ruby!”

“Never a dull moment around here, is there love?” Killian asked with a grin.

She laughed along with him just before a nurse called them back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Killian sat on his living room couch, looking down at the photo he held and feeling his eyes mist again.  This was her; this was his daughter.  The level of detail available on these 4D ultrasounds was incredible.  Love like he’d never felt rushed on him yet again.

Emma plopped beside him, wrapped an arm around his waist and set her head on his shoulder.  “She’s cute, isn’t she?”

“She’s gorgeous, love,” he answered softly, almost reverently.  “Looks just like her mother.”

Emma chuckled.  “She does kinda look like me, doesn’t she?  Except for when the ultrasound tech first focused on her face and she raised one eyebrow.  She was her father’s daughter all the way there.”

“She’ll be the best of both of us,” he said, running a finger across the image.

He’d had many singular and unexpected experiences since he first came to the Land Without Magic, but he knew that never in all of his days would he forget this day.  He remembered the tech slathering Emma’s protruding belly with a slimy, gelatinous substance and then running a strange looking wand all around.

He’d been curious about the procedure, wondering how it all worked, but then his daughter’s image had appeared on the small moving picture box the wand was connected to, and everything had fallen away.

This was his child, his and Emma’s, the physical embodiment of their True Love, and she was perfect.  He watched as she smiled, yawned, waved her arms around and kicked. She was an active one, their little magic bean, and she’d likely lead them a merry chase.

The tech had taken her time, examining their child and monitoring her progress.  “Everything looks good,” she said.  She’d gone on to give them the news that their little cygnet was a girl. She’d congratulated them, printed them out a few pictures from the scan and then taken her leave.

“You’ll spoil her rotten, Killian,” Emma said as he leaned down to kiss her, still overcome by the news they’d received, even all these hours later.

“Aye, that I will,” he agreed, “but the gods help any suitor who breaks her heart!”

“This kid is lucky to have you for a father,” Emma said, eyes fixed on their baby’s first picture.

“Not nearly as luck as she is to have you for a mother.”

“We are pretty great together, aren’t we?” Emma asked with a grin.  “We must be if we can make someone like her.”

“The road has been long,” Killian said, “and far from smooth, but we’ve made it; we’re a family.  This may be the greatest adventure of our lives, but I can’t wait for it.”

 Notes:

–So apparently pregnant Emma is all I want to write about lately.  I just really, really wish we’d gotten to see more of CS’s happily ever after!

–This story was inspired by real life events.  My allergist’s office is in the same building as an urgent care center.  Last week, while I was waiting the obligatory 30 minutes after my shot, an old man came in and went into way too much detail to the receptionist about his abdominal pain and bowels.  He then proceeded to take a seat next to this woman who looked to be in her early twenties.  He began talking….and pretty much never stopped, and the things he said….well, let’s just say, I wasn’t exaggerating Leroy for comic effect.  This old man told the (very much uninterested in the conversation) young woman that the recent forest fires in Canada were a result of people hunting werewolves.  He stated matter-of-factly that if people try to kill werewolves the wrong way, they catch on fire and then become REAL werewolves.  (What were they before being incorrectly hunted?  He didn’t say.)

–Naturally, this rather bizarre incident immediately left me with one burning question: How can I turn this into a CS au?  And here we are!

[shugokairifatewin]

I was going to wait until Chapter 116 released to give a full length rant, but it's been eating at me the last few days and we really need to talk about Chapter 114 and 115 of Seraph of the End. As always, spoilers ahead, be aware! Unpopular opinions also ahead; I'm pretty heated about this one, just a warning!

*~*~*~*~*

Let me start by saying I am hurt. I am offended. And I am betrayed. Because Kagami really over here hyping up this whole family-always-sticks-together BS with Guren and Yuu and the rest of Squad and even Mika jumping in there like yeah this is my family, and it's great and it's wholesome and we're making progress-

Only to turn around one (or two? I can't recall) chapters later and plunge a sword through Yuu's heart - and mine as well.

Mika has always always always been my favorite character. He has suffered. He has died, he's come back. He finally freaken started finding peace of mind as Yuu's demon. And I would fight wars and burn worlds for this man to have some damn peace and happiness with his boyfriend best friend and family. And Kagami TEASED US with that glimpse of happiness and acceptance and then CRUSHED IT.

And frankly it makes me sick. I'm so done with the greedy ass manipulative people who have been twisting knives in the backs of my favorite characters for YEARS of this story now.

This whole damn time, Guren KNEW that Mikaela was going to have to die AND HE HAS MANIPULATED THE EVER LIVING SHIT OUT OF YUU KNOWING THIS. This whole fucking time, he's been saving this kid, keeping him alive, feeding him false hope and bullshit about family this and keep living because some day you'll find a reason again that - ONLY FOR THIS INGRATE TO KILL THAT VERY REASON OF EXISTENCE FOR HIS OWN ENDS! I am hot mad about it.

Guren has always been a rollercoaster character for me, love and hate and despise and love again and pity, but this shit is unacceptable. Sure, he wants to save all of humanity and that's a noble goal but the means to an end he's used is absolutely unforgivable.

I'm going to feel terrible for saying it but I hope Yuu razes them all to the ground. He has been used and manipulated, treated like crap left and right and frankly I don't blame him for going off the deep end. In fact, I'm cheering you on my guy.

Moving on from my intense, undiluted fury at Guren and the crappy way he's treated Yuu and Mika, who literally just want to live their best lives in peace, I am broken and in pieces over Chapter 116. I haven't cried this much since Mika died and turned Demon.

To see this expression on Mika's face while Yuu is crying is literally enough to rend my heart in two.

And then when Mika started crying too, I LOST IT. I almost threw my phone I was so emotional. KAGAMI WHY

I FEEL PHYSICALLY UNWELL. My boys are crying 🥺 they are hurting and I cannot handle it.

And can we talk about how we got to see Mika grow from suspicious, angry Vampire who only cares about Yuu and making sure he's okay to caring, compassionate Demon who would give up his life for all of humanity? Only for Guren to not even bar an eyelash at killing him? I just can't.

AND WHEN MIKA TELLS HIM THEY'LL BE TOGETHER FOREVER -

MIKA DESERVES HAPPINESS. YUU DESERVES HAPPINESS. SHIKAMA DOJI AND ANYONE ELSE BE DAMNED THESE TWO DESERVE A FREAKEN A CHANCE TO LIVE THEIR LIVES.

IF GUREN SURVIVES THIS SERIES AND MIKA DOESNT I'M GOING TO RIOT IN THE STREETS.

THEY HAVE BEEN HURT ENOUGH. LEAVE MY BABIES ALONE.

This has been weighing on me for weeks now. I needed to get it off my chest.

That is all.

[gyldowen-draws]

✨ Goal Round-Up✨

I had a few art goals for 2023, so let’s see how I did!

Illustrate a scene from my fic series: ✅ Though not the fic series I was expecting! I still want to illustrate a scene from my Rhys and Yor series, as well as make more chapter art for my bg3 fic.

Learn how to digitally paint: ✅ I'm really really happy with my Lies of P painting, and I definitely want to continue practicing this skill in 2024!

Practice poses and hands with studies: ❌Though I did get a lot of practice drawing hands with my beans.

Make an art tutorial video: ❌I got about halfway done with my underwater rendering tutorial and then ran out of steam. Maybe I'll get it done in time for MerMay this year lol

Create 100 pieces by New Year’s Eve: ✅ I drew 115 in 2023!

✨NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS✨

Here are my goals for 2024:

Practice poses and hands with studies

Make an art tutorial video

Practice animation

Create 100 pieces by New Year's Eve

A huge thank you to all my amazing followers and supporters, you all inspire me and make being an artist on Tumblr so much fun! Love you all 🥰