#seems like the resident will probably get renewed

[vnards]

>dinner's ready!

Price was grumpy. There was a tightness in his shoulders he couldn’t release and it had been driving him mad. He was at work, taking his 7th lap of the forest today, trying to run off his extra energy. But no matter how hard he tries, there’s been a smell in his nose. As he makes his way back to the ranger’s station, a grumble emits from him unknowingly.

Ever since his last visit to the store, there’s been this itch under his nails and a tension in his neck that just wouldn’t go away. Nothing he does gets his mind off you. Off your smell. “Dammit.” Price grumbles under his breath and leans back in his chair, wiping his eyes, as if he can make everything go away.

There’s footsteps outside the ranger station that catches his ear and a quick glance at the clock makes him sigh in relief. Marcus walks in, throwing a polite smile John’s way as he heads towards the back, getting ready for his own shift.

John couldn’t be more grateful to be able to get out of here. He quickly starts shutting down his things and begins packing. “Long day?” Marcus asks as he comes from the back of the station.

He grunted in response, “It was fine.” He quickly dismisses.

He hears a pause come from Marcus for a moment. Damned humans and their stupid social rules.

The former military captain tries again, remembering he only got the job because of Marcus’ good nature. He clears his throat again, “I think I may be coming down with something.” He says instead.

“Yea,” Marcus starts, “It usually takes a while to get used to the mountain air.” John falsely agrees, simply wanting to get out from under scrutiny and judgement. “Maybe you should take the weekend off.” He suggests.

That gives Price pause for a moment. He doesn’t want to misuse any good graces with Marcus, but with the coming winter, he would not look a gifted horse in the mouth. “I can still come in on Sunday,” He offered.

Marcus thought it over for a moment, “Yea, that sounds pretty good.”

Price smiled politely, a renewed vigor gave him enough momentum to grab his stuff and head out.

…

Price lumbered around the forest aimlessly. The sky was a light grey, but despite that, the trees gave an enchanting look and feel. He was in his bear form, finally able to stretch his legs and enjoy the mountains in which he resided in. He hasn’t had the chance ever since he’s moved to the area and the serenity he feels makes him feel truly at home.

No orders to give. No gunfire raining over him. No crushing weight on his shoulders. He can meander as slow as he wants. Scratch his back for as long as he wants. Even pick the berries without a care in the world.

There were a few hikers out in the late afternoon. Probably coming from work. Families with their dogs mostly. Everyone gave him a wide berth, some taking pictures, but most too scared to move until he’s ambled his way further. He’s not out to scare anybody so he leaves them alone.

Until that smell.

The bear sniffed the air again. Certain of the familiar scent. A pleased rumble began in his chest, heading a direction further into the woods and closer to the river.

Price didn’t even realize that he had changed directions. Simply moving as his bear asked without question. It wasn’t until he got closer that he came to and realized something was off.

Your smell got stronger. The hints of a floral and rich scent beckoning him. And Price followed.

John was able to take in your scent fully with his nose this time and it was even better than the last. Honey. You smelled like fresh honey mixed with a salty air and a floral scent. Bodywash, maybe. He was so distracted, he missed another scent in the air.

He traveled for about half a mile, paying no mind to the other hikers that had spotted him. The rushing of the river began a craving for fish. Price thought he saw salmon on one of his routes. As the clearing came up, there you were.

Sitting at the edge of the river, squatting to look under the water was you. You were out hiking it seemed, your backpack too light for anything else. John watched you in silence. It seemed the tranquility of the forest extended even to you. Almost adding to its beauty.

You threw you head back and gave a hearty laugh. What a wonderful sound it was. The trance Price basked in was interrupted by a stranger.

A man, walking closer to you from behind. He was about the same height as John, but not nearly as muscled or big. Not nearly as strong as Price. He was on the younger side, but still a threat nonetheless. The bear readied his stance, ready to intervene at a moments notice, when you turned your head and spoke to the man. You knew each other. And by the way the man put his hand on your back and sat next to you, it seemed you knew each other better than just friends.

Price had to focus on staying hidden in the trees. Watching. Observing. Calculating his next move.

He could shift back and approach the “couple,” giving some bullshit excuse for interrupting them. Maybe you’ll pick me over him. The thought pleased him, but no. That wouldn’t be enough. You were too smart to believe anything he’d come up with.

His mind ran a mile a minute, trying to figure out what to do. He could leave. Neither of you had spotted him, his fur helping him blend into the foliage, keeping him concealed. And as the two of you sat on the edge of the river, looking over the horizon, none the wiser, the stranger said something that caught your attention. Price got down lower, his years of stealth being an innate skill drilled in his bones.

Your voices were too soft for him to hear. But as the man touched the soft skin on your cheek and leaned in carefully, the bear roared, an anger carrying Price forward into the clearing and disturbing you both.

“Oh shit!” The man was on his feet in an instant, spotting the bear immediately. The look of confusion on your face was adorable. But the pure fear that replaced it tightened something in his chest. The big, bad bear had made himself known and there was no going back. So Price led into it with full force.

He raised onto his hind legs to his full height, his eyes never leaving the man that dare touch what’s his. The frustrations from the last few days came forth. The itch for violence that was always under his skin reaching a tipping point that he released in a bellow.

The call of the wild.

It didn’t take the man long to get to his feet and start running the other direction. He hadn’t even looked back to see if you would follow. A coward. He sneered.

Staying still under the scrutiny of a beast like him, you were too stunned to move. The pure fear in your eye was enough to tell Price everything he needed to know. You were smart not to run in front of a wild creature.

As the coward continued to run, further than necessary, Price might add, and once the threat was deemed safe enough, the bear dropped back on all fours. He let out a chuff of annoyance as his attention turned back to you as a sniffle caught his attention.

Price wasn’t close, but he could still see the tears growing along your tear line, threatening to fall. John almost felt bad about scaring you the way he did, but he knew there was no point fighting instinct.

So instead, he laid down on all fours, his arms and leg splayed out under him and put his chin on the ground. He hoped you knew what he was trying to do, look as non-threatening as possible. That was his mission.

You stood up on shaky legs, unsure of what to do with this strange bear’s behavior. You’ve of course have had tips you’ve picked up over the years on what to do when you encounter wild animals in these mountains, but the blood coursing through your veins wipes away any memory of them.

But…there’s something different about this bear. You can’t put your finger on it, but you trust your intuition and you get a burst of courage.

Price has to focus on staying still, but he can’t deny the burst of excitement in his stomach as you take careful steps closer. His eyes never leave you, watching your confidence grow with every step as you come closer to him.

Mission successful.  

Something speaks to you. You’re unable to tell what has come over you. Walking up to a wild bear after being abandoned by Tim. There’s a flame of anger that begins to start, leaving you like that, but you tamp it down in favor to focus on the wild bear in front of you.

The bear chuffs again, it doesn’t sound threatening, but you stop anyway. What you are you thinking!? There’s still a possibility of being mauled by a bear out in the middle of the mountains because you walked up to it? The thought doesn’t get any less crazy.

You’re about to turn back around when you examine the bear again. He hasn’t moved. Staying still as you approached him. It’s like he knows. You can see it in his eyes, something human about them. You finish crossing the distance to the bear, close enough to touch.

Price makes sure to not make any sudden movements, but he does lift his head up closer to you, seeing if he can get lucky twice. At his insistence, you finally reach your hand out to him, close enough to gently pet his head.

Price was in heaven.

Your hands are soft against his skin. Softer than his fur even. Gentle. John knew you’d have a gentle hand. A pleased rumble starting in his chest. Something he hasn’t done in years and it feels good. It feels great.

“You’re not so scary, huh?” You giggle lightly, your nerves settled after the adrenaline wore off.

Never for you.

You get a burst of courage and reach a little further, reaching behind the bear’s ears. Price melted.

He wanted more. He needed more.

He tilted his head to the side to allow you more access behind his ears. He can’t think of the last time someone showed him so pleasantly. The bear leaned over completely, laying on his side and showing you his belly as you make sure to show the other ear as much attention as the first. So thorough. Such a good girl. The pleased rumbles grow louder.

A flick of the bear’s ear causes him pause and suddenly sits up. You are able to move out of the way and step back, remembering you don’t have any protection on you incase this bear changes it’s mind. But he had other concerns.

The sound of a truck rumbling through the trees on the ranger’s path he took many times that day. How could John forget the protocol for spotting large animals? He’s never been so reckless before.

A new tension replaced your fear, concern as the truck came in sight. “Go,” you told the bear, “they might hurt you. Shoo, shoo.”

No one has never shooed away John Price before. He knew the protocol for a sighting and Marcus wouldn’t shoot him unless it was a last resort, but who was he to deny an order from his pretty little bird? He raised up, shaking his fur a bit of any debris and sticks he accumulated. He checked on you one more time. Your hands were still shaking, maybe from adrenaline, maybe from fear, but you looked more stable. Better. “Go,” you insisted again.

He chuffed again, but followed your orders. As Price worked to blend back into the words, he knew one thing for certain.

He will never let you go.

-been thinking if it would be easier to set up all my works in one place if it'd be helpful?

(edit: I did it -> list)

#captain john price #cod mw2 #john price x you #john price #vnardshoard #price x reader #bear!price

[imustbenuts]

there's 2 fun facts you can infer about AITSF and AINI that isn't spoken about in game if you know enough about japan (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AITSF)

1. mayumi started her diner likely in the 1980's, before an economic crash happened

when you first meet her (iirc), one of the things she says about her diner is that it was opened 30 years ago, and quote,

this line seems weird if you know nothing about it, but there was a major economic crash in the 1990s that still has lingering effects to this day.

in short, the banks were so over leveraged into the stratosphere that loan interests were crazy low, and everyone was wealthy and partying until the bubble popped. when it did, it was catastrophic, resulting in the 1990s being known as 'the lost decade'. new graduates couldnt find jobs and people struggled a lot. corporations suddenly stopped hiring fresh graduates. the perception of the 'safe salaryman life' began to see its death in this decade, it was painful.

anyway, mayumi pulling through this era really does mean the diner was doing GOOD. like, CRAZY GOOD.

spoilers: and this also means date was likely part of the lost decade. born 1977, it would've been 1995 when he reached 18. he would've graduated into a landscape of poor job opportunities, so being a civil servant (a cop) would've been a safe choice aside from his own possible motivations at the time.

speaking of.

2. date's car is stupid expensive. like, stupid, fucking, shouldn't-even-be-driven expensive. (potentially over 3k usd every 2 years minimum*)

so. in japan, cars are allowed to be on the road after passing an inspection. 車検 shaken, as it is commonly called, occurs every 2 to 3 years depending on the type of car it is. since the Ford Falcon is a common car, it would have to be inspected every 2 years.

all this system is in place to ensure the integrity of the car. in another way, shaken incentivizes people to renew their old cars for newer, more efficient models. the avg lifespan of a car in japan seems to be 12 years, and also, most people living in tokyo actually don't own a personal vehicle.

now, due to how shaken works, it would cost between ¥100,000 (US$747 rn) and ¥200,000 (US$1495) to renew... for newer cars. for older cars, it's more. plus, each time a car inspection fails, it'll cost even more time and money to get that shaken approved.

i've found someone claiming that driving a 1992 Porsche 911 964 RS meant paying ¥400,000 (US$2990 rn). (link) (EDIT: this was written in 2014)

now, best case scenario for Date's car being a '89, his shaken would cost maybe slightly more than ¥400,000 (US$ 2990 at time of writing) every 2 years. also again, this does not take into effect whether his car would actually fail inspection and require a fix or replacement to its parts, leading to even more costs. so yeah, potentially far more than ¥400,000.

but! one thing about his car is that it seems to be modified, seeing as how a certain someone's (plural) vehicle in AINI is also modified. it's probably safe to assume that there's some degree of tinkering going on under ABIS'/MPD rules bending.

so, this means date's vehicle is either bleeding him dry, or is being paid with taxpayer's money, or shaken isn't a thing in uchikoshi's mind. i'd like to believe in the former, because this means date has

been blowing ¥400,000 every 2 years on his stupid fucking car

been blowing ¥¥¥ on cabaret club

blew ¥1,000,000 (US$7,473 rn) on his stupid fucking audio system

his mountain of porno mags???

feel free to draw your own conclusions about the economy of AITSF, the pay of ABIS agents, and his residence:

#aitsf #aini #ai the somnium files #mayumi matsushita #kaname date

[rnelodyy]

I've had a horrible thought...

So... Grimwalkers are not exactly easy to make. Especially because, as we can see from this screenshot, the ingredients required are SUPER rare.

Galdorstones only exist in the Looking Glass Graveyard, which Belos doesn't know the location of, and where most of them still reside, considering the amount the Glandus kids were able to find in "Through the Looking Glass Ruins". Palistrom wood is so rare that new Palismen aren't even being made anymore. Stonesleepers are so rare they're thought to be extinct. Selkidomus scales are probably the easiest to come by, but still really hard, and we've never even heard about who or what Ortet is, let alone how easy it is to get your hands on their bones.

But Belos has made TONS of Grimwalkers. At least 16 of them, in fact, if not more.

Belos knows how rare these ingredients are. He knows that some of them, like the Galdorstone and the Stonesleeper lungs, are not renewable. Yet he doesn't seem to be actively looking for them, even Graye's dialogue while in the illusory Looking Glass Graveyard in "Labyrinth Runners" implies that they'd just be a neat gift, not an infinitely valuable resource.

And from what we can tell from the paintings of him killing the previous Guards, at least two were killed by Belos's staff, one was petrified, and one either drowned in quicksand or was buried alive. None of those methods would inherently destroy the stuff they're made of, Stonesleeper lungs are built to handle petrification, and the Galdorstone would already be a rock, easy to dig out of the ground or chip out of a statue.

So, uh... Hey, Hunter! Hope you enjoy knowing you're not only a clone, but that your body is made at least in part out of the recycled bodyparts of your murdered predecessors!

#the owl house #toh hunter #toh belos #toh grimwalker #the owl house spoilers #hello owl house fandom i am new here and i bestow angst upon ye

[torreshalstead]

It Seemed Like a Good Idea - Chapter 20

Summary - Hailey’s US visa was due to expire, which normally wouldn’t be an issue as the CPD would get it renewed but due to a backlog of paperwork, this wasn’t possible. This meant Hailey was faced with the real possibility of having to leave the country, her job and everything she held dear. That was until Jay offered up a solution which would allow her to stay in Chicago, in Intelligence, with him - they could get married. Getting married was a good idea, right?

Chapters - 20/21

Chapter Title - The Marriage

Notes - I can’t believe this story ends next week, but I really hope you enjoy this chapter, it’s one of my favourites ❤️ AO3 Link

The pale morning light shone through the open curtains of her, no, their, bedroom. Closing the drapes had been the last thing on their minds when Hailey and Jay had returned to the apartment the day before.

Hailey smiled to herself as she buried her face into the warm chest that she was currently utilising as a pillow, relishing the feeling of the large arms tightening around her in response to her small movement. She didn’t know if Jay was awake yet, couldn’t see his face from her current position but had no desire to pull herself away from him enough to be able to peer up at him. Instead she let her eyes fall close again, her fingers mindlessly tracing patterns across the bare expanse of skin under her head.

‘It’s a good thing I’m not ticklish,’ came the sleepy voice of Jay from somewhere above her. Hailey chuckled softly but didn’t stop her movements. She was happy. And after how long it had taken them to get to this point, she didn’t want to upset the balance by pulling away from him now - no matter how much she wanted to seal her lips to his and slide her body on top of his for a repeat of the previous evening's performance.

‘Sleep well?’ He asked, and Hailey felt him stretch his neck to drop a soft kiss onto her hair.

She hummed in response. She had slept like a baby in his arms, feeling warm and safe and just a little exhausted.

‘Good,’ he murmured, letting his hand start to drag down her spine in a featherlight touch, her skin erupting in goosebumps in its wake.

‘Don’t start something you can’t finish Halstead,’ she sassed, pressing a kiss to his chest and letting her lips linger briefly before pushing up against it so she could look at his face. His eyes were still closed but the smile that had taken up residence on his face since their admission in the hospital room was still firmly present.

‘If I start it, wife, I intend to finish it,’ he said, opening one eye to look down at her before grinning and tugging her onto his chest so he could reach her lips and press a chaste kiss to them. ‘But we should probably talk before we do any more finishing,’ he grinned and Hailey chuckled.

‘We didn’t talk enough last night?’ She asked, remembering back to the night before.

‘We could have done more talking, but something else seemed to take precedence,’ he smirked, clearly recalling the same images she was.

‘Well I think at this point we were legally obligated to consummate our marriage, no?’ She said, starting to press open mouth kisses to his jaw. She had learnt after some thorough investigation that it was one of Jay’s most sensitive points, and she knew it drove him crazy.

‘So that’s all last night was, a legal obligation?’ He asked, his voice turning husky as his hands tightened on her hips, she could feel his fingers biting into her sides.

‘It was anything but,’ she responded softly, letting her mouth find his and allowing him to take the lead. His kiss was soft to start but quickly turned mildly possessive, his tongue seeking out hers and not relenting until she had to break apart to breathe, her forehead resting against his as she gulped in the much needed oxygen. The man took her breath away, what could she say.

‘Good,’ Jay said, kissing her again briefly. ‘Because you’re not an obligation to me Hailey. I didn’t marry you because I thought I had to. It was because I wanted to.’

Hailey smiled softly and tucked her head back into his neck, breathing him in and letting herself consider her next words carefully. They’d only just admitted their true feelings to each other, she didn’t want to scare him away already. But concealing what they wanted hadn’t worked great for them recently so she licked her lips and said what had pushed its way to the front of her head and wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

‘So will you marry me again?’ She whispered, not sure he could even hear her from where her mouth was closely pressed against his neck.

‘I’d marry you again in a heartbeat, Hailey,’ Jay said in response, like the words came easy to him, a decision he didn’t even need to think about.

‘I’m serious Jay,’ Hailey pushed herself up so she could look at him again, needing to look him in the eyes to be sure.

‘I am too Hails,’ he said, his emerald eyes reflecting nothing but love back to her in the warm morning light.

‘Our last wedding was because we had to,’ she said tentatively. ‘I want us to have one because we want to.’

‘Really?’ Jay asked, the sleepiness to his voice evaporating quickly as he smiled down at her. She nodded in response, a shy smile on her lips. ‘I think that’s a great idea Hails.’

‘You do?’ She said, her eyes wide with joy, the nerves she had experienced about bringing the idea up to him disappearing immediately.

‘I do,’ he said, kissing her swiftly. ‘Hey look, I’m practising already,’ he said with a laugh and she couldn’t help but giggle in response.

‘You’re an idiot,’ she said but it didn’t stop her from kissing him again, still not completely over the fact that she could kiss him anytime she wanted. She had spent far too much time over the past few months wanting to do exactly that but having to put the brakes on every time the urge hit her. Not anymore.

‘Your idiot,’ Jay said against her lips as he rolled them over so she was underneath him, pushing up on his forearms to stare down at her.

‘My idiot,’ Hailey agreed, pulling him down and relishing the weight of him on top of her as she cradled him between her legs and prayed their alarm clock wouldn’t interrupt them. She had plans with her husband that she intended to see through to the end.

—————————————————————————

‘You seem very chipper today,’ Kim remarked when she found Hailey in the break room a couple of hours later. ‘Thought you’d still be mad at Jay for getting hurt again.’

Hailey shook her head, lifting up her steaming mug in an attempt to conceal the grin that was forming on her lips. ‘He made it up to me,’ she said with a playful shrug.

‘Okay that’s more than I need to know,’ Kim said, shaking her head with a smirk.

‘I didn’t say anything,’ Hailey said defensively but her eyes were shining wide and her eyebrows had given her away.

‘You didn’t need to, Mrs Halstead,’ Kim sassed and Hailey couldn’t hold the laughter that bubbled out of her. ‘It’s written all over your face, as clear as day.’

‘Firstly, it’s still Upton,’ Hailey said, although the thought of taking Jay’s name, at least in their home life, had crossed her mind. This was the second time someone had called her it and she had to say, she liked how it sounded. ‘And secondly, I’m an innocent party in this. My husband got hurt, and he apologised for worrying me. Nothing else to say.’

‘Nothing else to say my arse,’ Kim whispered as they were joined in the break room by Trudy. ‘Hey Sarge,’ Kim greeted her warmly. ‘Don’t you have your own coffee downstairs?’

‘You know this is the only coffee in this place that doesn’t taste like hot garbage Burgess,’ Trudy said curtly, holding out her mug which the young officer filled up without further comment. ‘Now why are we talking about your arse?’

Hailey and Kim burst out laughing.

It was shocking to Hailey how much her thoughts of her fake marriage and visa worries, combined with her buried feelings for Jay had wormed their way into her life since they had started. But now, all her guards were down and she was able to enjoy life again, laughing with her colleagues and not worrying that she might inadvertently give the game away with something she said or did. Now the only thing to give away was that she and Jay were renewing their vows, but they had decided they wanted that to be just between the two of them.

Their previous wedding, no matter how much they both had actually enjoyed it, had felt like a show, an act, a ceremony with a very specific purpose and that purpose hadn’t been a celebration of their love. But they had decided that morning whilst they were letting the hot water of the shower rinse the sweat off their bodies, that this time it would just be for them. It felt like coming full circle to Hailey and Jay seemed to agree.

They had agreed once again to write their own vows, but speaking from the heart this time instead of writing what sounded good for the Immigration Department. Hailey hadn’t told him that her previous vows had been the truth, that everything she had said to him at the altar had come from her heart. She would write something this time even better, and that little secret would stay with her.

They had also agreed to go on Saturday morning the week after next, they had rung the court and booked their slot. There was no need to rush as Jay had said, they had their whole lives ahead of them now. No visa deadlines to worry about, although Hailey’s working visa would still expire in three years time, she’d be eligible to apply for citizenship at that point so they would cross that bridge when they came to it. They weren’t going to wear the suit and dress from the previous time, they would just go in their jeans - far more them, Hailey had said.

Jay had announced he had a surprise for her after the wedding but he refused to give her any other clues so she was still in the dark. She trusted him though, with her life and with her heart. So she knew whatever he had up his sleeve, she would love almost as much as she loved him. That comment had led to them squeezing in another round before having to leg it out the door to make sure they weren’t too late to work and Hailey having to shove her hair up into a ponytail as Jay had run his hands through it one too many times for it to look acceptable whilst down.

She knew the time would fly leading up to their renewal but she couldn’t wait. It was what every little girl dreamed of right? Marrying their best friend. For Hailey she had already married him once, but she was getting to do it again. And this time when she told him she loved him, he’d know it was the truth.

——————————————————————————

‘And I have to sleep on my own tonight because?’ Hailey asked as Jay stood firmly by the door to the spare room. They hadn’t used the room for the past week and a half since Will had locked them in a hospital room and made them reveal their true feelings for each other, it was the stuff romance movies were made from and Hailey smirked anytime Jay brought it up. But he had told her that morning that he’d be sleeping in there tonight and would see her the following morning.

‘Because it’s tradition Hails,’ Jay said with a smile. He should have known his wife wouldn’t take his idea well. He knew she slept better when he was there and he did too. But he still hadn’t written his vows and he needed some time alone to get them finished. He couldn’t turn up to the court empty handed, not when he had a million and one things he wanted to say to her.

‘But we are already married Jay,’ Hailey argued, her hands firmly on her hips in a way that made Jay want to drag her into his arms and show her just how married they really were.

‘I know, but we’ve already done this thing in completely the wrong order and the Catholic in me thinks we should do at least one thing right,’ Jay said with a wink.

‘Fine,’ Hailey said with a huff but Jay could see her smirking. ‘But I can assure you what I had planned for you tonight was highly un-Catholic and you’re firmly missing out,’ she sassed back and stormed off into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Jay chuckled to himself as he shut the bedroom door behind him as well, god he really did love that woman.

Now for the hard bit, trying to write his vows. Again.

Sitting down on the bed that had been his since they had moved into the apartment, he absent mindedly opened the drawer in his night stand. A crumpled piece of paper greeted him. Smoothing it out, he read the words on the page. The words he had scrawled in an untidy hand. The words that were still the truest thing he had ever said.

——————————————————————————

Walking into the courthouse hand in hand with Jay felt differently from the last time they were in the cavernous space. The only nerves Hailey had this time were in relation to the piece of paper tucked into the back pocket of her favourite jeans. None of the negative thoughts that she had felt the previous time were coursing through her, she was happy. She had thought Jay might have laughed at her when she said she wanted to marry him again, but if she’d have thought a fraction longer she knew there was no way Jay would do any such thing when she was speaking from the heart. He never made her feel bad or guilty or embarrassed about her emotions, he was there by her side, supporting her and encouraging her to feel. She squeezed his hand and when he glanced down at her she smiled, he bent down to give her a quick peck on her lips before squeezing her hand back and leading her over to the reception desk in the middle of the room.

They only had to wait a couple of minutes before the judge let them in. They had opted to use the court appointed witnesses this time, wanting to keep this moment just between the two of them. It felt nice to have a secret that they were keeping just because they wanted to, because it was special and private. Not because of the repercussions should the truth get out.

‘You ready?’ Jay asked as they walked into the room behind the judge.

‘Never been more so,’ Hailey responded with a smile. And it was true, although she was still a little nervous as to Jay’s reaction when she said her vows but it just felt right.

Although she had sassed him the previous evening, she was glad he had made the decision to sleep in his old room. It had given her the privacy to work on her vows. However every time she looked at the piece of paper, her mind remained empty. Unlike the first time she had tried to write vows when the pressure of what they were doing had threatened to overwhelm her, this time she was unsure how to convey just how much Jay meant to her in just a few words.

After 20 minutes of staring at a blank sheet of paper she had decided to get into bed and read her book for a bit, hoping the change of environment would allow the blockage on her vow writing abilities to be relieved. When she had reached for her book, the same book she had been reading for months. Funnily enough being a cop and engaging in a fake marriage didn’t leave much time for literature. Even so, when she opened the book to her last read page, the piece of notebook paper she had been using for a bookmark fluttered down.

It was her original vows.

The ones she had worried were too true and would show everyone just how much she loved Jay. The ones that were still true. The ones that still illustrated exactly how she felt about the man sleeping in the next room. It was a risk using the same vows. She knew that. He could think it was cheesy, or lame, or a short cut. But Hailey knew in her heart it was her way of telling him how she felt about him, how she had felt about him for months.

Placing the vows carefully on her nightstand and the following morning when she tugged on her jeans, she folded the piece of paper and carefully slid it into her back pocket.

‘I believe you have both prepared your own vows for this renewal?’ The judge asked and Hailey and Jay both nodded. ‘Okay Hailey, if you would like to go first.’

Hailey let go of one of Jay’s hands to retrieve the vows and taking a deep breath, began.

‘Jay, I never thought we’d end up here.’ Hailey glanced up at Jay and watched the realisation dawn on his face. She smiled softly and when he squeezed her hand, she knew he understood. ‘Our path hasn’t always been the most smooth, or the most conventional, but there is no one else I would want to have shared it with.’ They both let out a small chuckle at this, Hailey’s own tears had started to fall and when she looked up at her husband, she saw the wetness building in his eyes as well. ‘You are my best friend, my partner both at work and at home. You make me feel safe, you always support me and you’ve always got my six. You make me laugh, even when I want to cry and you’re always there to do our thing when things get hard. I am forever grateful to have you in my life, and I look forward to all we have to come together. I love you Jay Halstead. And I always will.’ Hailey finished and before she had a chance to even fold the paper back up, Jay had pressed his lips to hers in a firm kiss. She knew what he was trying to pour into it. It was the same thing she had tried to put into her words and she was so thankful he had understood. That he now knew exactly how she felt.

‘Jay,’ the judge interrupted with a little cough.

‘Sorry Judge,’ he said bashfully, wiping a stray tear away with a grin as he separated from Hailey. He looked like the naughty kid in class who got caught trying to make a fool out of himself but didn’t care because the pretty girl in the corner had laughed.

‘If you’d like to read your vows now,’ the judge smiled. Hailey imagined they were not the first couple to kiss before instructed to do so, and she was certain they wouldn’t be the last.

Hailey watched as Jay’s cheeks reddened a little as he pulled his own scrap of paper from his pocket and began to read.

‘Hailey, you’ve been my best friend for years now, but somewhere along the way, you became something else.’ Hailey took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes wide and her hand flew over her mouth. She knew those words. Had heard them before. ‘You became the person I always wanted in my corner whenever things went wrong, but also the person I wanted to turn to when things went well.’ She couldn’t help it when the tears continued as Jay spoke. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. ‘You’re the person I want to share my life with, all the big moments and the small. You’re the most beautiful person I know, both inside and out and I am so lucky that you agreed to share your life with me. Hailey Upton, I love you. Yesterday, today, and forever. I’m yours.’

They had both been so stupid, so blind to ignore what had been glaringly obvious and staring them both in the face. A small part of her begrudged it. That they had wasted months dancing around their feelings and concealing the truth when they could have been happy together. But as she looked at Jay through her tearfilled eyes in that courtroom and he smiled back at her, she realised that they were happy. Sure, there was a bit missing, a bit they hadn’t realised they could have had. But she hadn’t been miserable, far from it. Being his wife, even in name alone, had made her the happiest she had ever been.

That was until now.

Now she thought she might be one of the happiest people on the planet as she strolled out of the courtroom hand in hand with Jay and relished in the fact that she never had to let him go again.

Getting married to him for the purpose of a visa had led them to this moment. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and it had ended up being potentially the best idea that either of them had ever had. They were now man and wife, and no visa, no job, no deportation threat was going to take that away from them.

‘Ready for your surprise?’ Jay asked her softly as he helped her up into his truck.

‘Not sure anything can top this,’ Hailey admitted, keeping him close with her hands cradling his face from her position in the passenger seat. ‘But do your best,’ she said with a smirk, tugging him close and sealing their lips together not caring that people were walking past. He was her husband and she could kiss him whenever she liked.

#upstead #hailey upton #jay halstead #chicago pd #upstead fic #hailey x jay #one chicago #chicago pd fanfiction #upstead fanfic #chicago pd fanfic #upstead fanfiction #chicago pd fic

[itsasweater]

HSMTMTS thoughts before season 4

So I recently finished my re-watch of season 1 through 3 before the final season airs so that things are fresh in my memory. I wanted to make a couple of posts on my thoughts on the seasons in general and possibly some specific topics like the characters themselves. This one will be about each season.

Season 1:

I hadn't seen this season since when it originally aired and let me just say, it was kind of a grind to watch. I feel like the season didn't really start until the Homecoming episode which was ep 5. I also forgot this season had 10 episodes. The whole Nini/Ricky/EJ triangle storyline didn't really hit for me. Ricky's home problems with his parents, everything changing around him (which he clearly hates) and how he dealt with that was probably the best storyline of the season, as sad as it was to see his character go through it. The music in the season was decent, Nini had some really good. I think a lot of nostalgia comes in to play with the way people talk about season 1, it is overhyped. I also think a lot of it has to do with the very weird Jolivia obsession that still to this day for some reason resides in the fandom, I see the PFP's and twitter user names smh. Overall, new shows tend to struggle out of the gate and need a while to find the right path so I'm at least glad that they got more seasons to continue that journey instead of being cancelled like many shows do without getting the chance to do so. It certainly seems like they were not sure whether they would get renewed or not after season 1.

Season 2:

It really is a shame that this season has the most episodes because I feel like it is definitely the weakest season. It was a struggle to get through this season on the re-watch. I appreciate what the cast and crew went through while filming this season though because I know they started filming in Feb 2020 and stopped in March because of the pandemic and had to return towards the end of 2020 until March of the next year with under strict conditions. So, maybe the pandemic played a role in the quality of the season but I feel like this was even the casts least favorite season with the way they talked about it. Nini's YAC storyline felt out of place and just didn't keep me engaged, the lighting for this season was also very dark lol. I do think this season did a nice job of continuing to show Ricky's struggle with his home life from season 1 and the fact that things were still changing in his life which the show continues to mention just how much he hates that. Ashlyn getting the leading role as Belle was nice and her dealing with her insecurities about that was good. The season Finale fell flat though, it seemed rushed and I think it was ranked as the worst episode in the whole series. This season did however have 2 of my favorite songs of the whole show, the trio of Kourtney, Gina and Ashlyn coming together to sing 1-2-3 was great. The 4 main characters (Nini, Gina, EJ and Ricky) singing Second Chance was so good, they meshed well together.

Season 3:

This season is probably my favorite. I know some people in the fandom don't feel the same about the season because it felt different from the first 2 but I think that is a good thing. Sometimes shows need a change of pace and they did that with this season. Making it a summer season out of school at a camp was something different and the show had a different tone because of it. It was definitely more lighthearted compared to season 2 and the cast seemed to have had great time filming together. Also going from filming in Utah to filming in LA was probably a nice change for the actors since most of them are based in LA. I know the whole documentary storyline thing was an adjustment for people but they clearly had a plan for it to be a springboard for the plot in season 4 and connect them together. Besides that, Kourtney's anxiety storyline was a highlight for me as I'm sure lots of people could relate to her, the phone call with her mom was great and I'm interested to see if they touch on this more in season 4. Some of the disappointment in the season comes from favorite characters not being in it like Seb and Big Red which is understandable but it's also realistic that not everyone in the group would go to the same camp in the summer, when people usually have different plans. Also, the show clearly felt like they weren't as important to tell the story in season 3 which was used too set up season 4. It was nice that Big Red, Seb and Miss Jenn did make cameo's though, with how big the cast is and the length of the episodes that are not that long it's hard to fit everyone in with meaningful storylines. The additions of Maddox and Jet this season were probably the best new characters that the show has added during the 3 seasons, the actors playing them are great as well and seem to have really bonded with the cast which is really nice to see. WDYKAL was probably my favorite performance of the season, it was very non Disney like lol The tension and chemistry was kind of crazy lol I feel like they could have shown more of the Frozen performance but Kourtney playing Elsa was also a great moment in the season. I'm really excited for season 4 because they seem to be going with a really META storyline for the season and I'm excited too see how the documentary from season 3 has affected the characters.

Anyways, this turned out longer than I intended it too but these are my thoughts on each of the 3 seasons after my re-watch, I will probably make a couple more posts on singular topics like the characters or the ships later. I'm always up for discussions, so if you have anything you want to say please do. I know this place can get out of hand when discussing this show within the fandom but I have thicker skin than most and I don't mind having a discussion but I also understand I'm not the norm lol

If you have read all of this, thank you. If you at least read the title of the post, thank you. Even though you will not see the thank you lol

#hsmtmts #ricky bowen #ashlyn caswell #highschoolmusicalthemusicaltheseries #kourtney greene #ej caswell #nini salazar roberts #hsmtmts season 4

[proosh]

proosh i need to request lietpru always. just some kind of misfortune for the most pathetic men on earth.

God bless this request. I’m new to writing Pruliet but I’ve got a couple of concepts bubbling around in there for later fics that I may or may not eventually get to. We’ll see. Until then, hopefully this scratches the itch! I initially joked around with the idea of making every mention of Ivan's house be. like that. But eventually decided it was a bit too on the nose. You're welcome to still imagine it for the best effect, though!

Pairing: LietPru/PruLiet Prompt: some kind of misfortune for the most pathetic men on earth Rating: M for mature Length: ~520 words lol whoops Content Warnings: Uhhh offscreen abuse, a pretty fucky power dynamic, hurt/minimal comfort, they’re both just kind of dicks to each other

Ivan’s house had been an estate manor, once upon a time, but now it was home to only ghosts and rot.

Gilbert haunted the halls in the witching hour because the buzzing in his bones wouldn’t let him rest and it was better to stalk the shadowed passageways than be left freezing in bed fruitlessly searching for sleep that wouldn’t come.

In a house full of people who had learned how to be very quiet, the sound of creaking floorboards might as well have been a gunshot in the pitch darkness and Gilbert came sniffing after it like any other hound might: A dark shape was leaning heavily against one of the walls of the hallway, poorly trying to muffle his sounds of misery.

Gilbert tilted his head to the side, and the figure seemed to finally notice his presence a few feet away and flinched back with a hiss. “You– What are you doing here–”

Tolys’ face was pale, unnaturally so. It made the dark ring around his eye and covering his cheek stand out. There was the scent of copper that cut through the mustiness of the old house. He was glaring at Gilbert despite his apparent distress and that was enough to make him smile and decide to approach.

“Same could be asked of you,” Gilbert said lowly, because the house echoed and you could never know who or what might be listening. He was not the only restless ghost in residence. He grabbed Tolys’ chin despite his quiet hisses of displeasure and resistance. 

He’d been backhanded. Viciously so, enough that the side of his face was a mass of bruising and his cheek had split black and bloody. From the way he chewed at his lip and tried in vain to escape Gilbert’s grasp he was probably in a considerable amount of pain – A broken cheekbone, perhaps. 

Tolys was glaring at him ineffectually.

“Congratulations. You’ll live.” He smiled at him with all of his teeth, and it renewed Tolys’ struggles to try and push him away. Idiot. That would only make it hurt worse.

“S-stop touching me, let me go–”

“And where will you spend the night, hm?” Gilbert had him against the wall now, crowding and pinning him. “Back to the others? So you have to endure them cooing and worrying and babying you?” His lip curled derisively and Tolys had stopped fighting and was instead regarding him with animal wariness. Gilbert sighed dispassionately.

“Bunk in my room and let me stitch you up. You’ll be healed by the morning and we won’t have to talk about this ever again.”

Tolys seemed unconvinced.

“...Ever again.”

Gilbert shrugged.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. Ever again.”

It was enough for Tolys to haltingly, begrudgingly nod his agreement, even if he didn’t seem terribly thrilled about the idea. He didn’t need to be thrilled about the idea. Gilbert was not offering him sympathy but instead a measure of pity and dignity, and such a debt was an awful thing to swallow.

Not that they would ever talk about it, of course. That would be against the deal.

#pruliet #lietpru #hws prussia #hws lithuania #mine #hope you like it!! #my fic #from the askbox #my writing

[homomenhommes]

STORY: Serve and Protect

This story features law enforcement, woodland scenes, and conversations about the urban renewal of post-industrial towns, so it's obviously intended for mature readers and those of a sensitive nature should stay away. But the rest of us ordinary folk who like gay porn, and of course any hypno-addled post-people who feel a deep calling to inhuman servitude, should enjoy it just fine.

Written under the direction, and in the service, of hungkinkbot2024.

***

"Yeah Frank, you wanted to see me?" Tony's head craned in through the door, a tired grin on his 35 year-old face.

"Sit down," Frank motioned. "I have an assignment for you, undercover stuff. Lots of overtime, definite promotion if it goes right."

Dropping heavily into the chair opposite Frank's desk, Tony smiled. "I haven't heard anything I don't like yet."

"We're getting to that."

"You know that new place on Kimbolton Street?"

"Wha, the fag place?" Tony's lip curled with disgust.

"Yes, the gay bar."

"Oh fuck Frank--"

"Hear me out before you run out of here screaming. We have it straight from the mayor's office he wants the place closed, and preferably bulldozed for a car wash or self-storage by the end of the year. When it first opened last year, everyone assumed it would close quickly. The area just doesn't have a gay population, particularly that kind of gay population, to support a business like that. But the crowds have been building, steadily. Two months ago, the owners approached the company that owns the defunct department store across the street about using their lot for overflow parking on the weekends. Rumor is, they're thinking about expanding. But the worst is, Sally at the real estate office is saying there's been inquiries--"

"Inquiries?"

"Some of the bar's clientele is looking to buy homes in the neighborhood."

"Like, couples?"

"Not in the sense that you and I think of couples, no. And best we leave it at that. But the consensus is, things are at a tipping point. Either we act now, or pretty soon the character of our town is going to start to change beyond our control. We've already tried the drug angle, and the liquor license angle, but the owners of this place seem to be able to catch whatever it is we throw at them. And they know all the officers we've sent their way. But you're new, and you've been on homicide, so we're thinking a fresh face might catch them off guard."

"So what do you want me to--"

"Go there. Find something illegal. Hell, make something up if it's halfway plausible to a jury picked from the Baptist Church. Try to get evidence if you can, and if you can't we'll work with what we have."

"So you're asking me to--"

"Don't say it, but you get the idea. If that bar's closed by summer you're a hero and the mayor will probably do for you whatever's going on in the men's room there--"

Tony's jaw fell in shock. "So how far do I go with this?"

"How far should I know? We don't expect you to get your cherry popped. And like I say, come up with the right story, and this may not take very long at all."

"Can't I just stay on homicide?" Tony pleaded. 

"Sadly there's a shortage of people killing each other in this town, and you have to earn your supper, so, off to the fag bar with you."

"Fuck," and with that Tony let off a low sigh.

"Do yourself a favor and hit the gym a few times before you go out there. And get yourself some cologne and some underwear your mother didn't buy for you. This isn't for that slut you've been seeing who works at the Hallmark Store who drinks a thousand calories a day in cosmos."

2.

The new bar was in, like most everything else in this faded factory town, a building repurposed from its original use. First the ground floor had been a feed and seed, with the upper stories devoted to the owner's residence. Then, a florist, then a tailor's, the second and third floors sitting empty until finally the whole building fell into decrepitude. 

When carpenters first showed up to restore the building, the locals were actually excited. Even when the black windows went up, and the sign in the strange lettering saying simply CODE, the neighborhood was on balance positive and curious. It was only opening night weekend that optimism turned to horror.

The clientele's gear had sent the town's ministers and grandmothers rushing to consult the state criminal code. But sadly, peaked caps, chaps with jeans underneath, and leather vests violated no laws. Still, a good number of the local community were looking into it.

At 10pm on a Friday, Tony was hanging back from the door, watching the people enter. Some of the outfits were pretty wild. He was worried what he might do if a man made a pass at him. Or what he might do if he ran into someone he knew. But then, whoever he ran into would have as much to explain as he did.

Time to be a cop, he told himself, and barreled in, showing his driver's license at the door before filing into a line for the bar. Though he had a few extra pounds on him, he immediately felt eyes on him in the place.  It made his skin scrawl. The music was some driving, grinding techno nonsense. He quickly realized his discomfort was showing.

A drink would help. He found a narrow space at the crowded bar. Frank had a point, he realized: where were all these fags coming from? There had to be more gays in this place than the nearest five counties combined.

"First time?" With a start, Tony realized the bartender was talking to him. 

"Ah," he panicked, "I'll have a gin and tonic."

"Sure thing buddy. And nice shirt. I didn't realize the International Male catalog was still a thing."

Tony didn't see what was wrong with his shirt, and didn't say anything as he put his money down and collected his drink. Relaxing a bit, he figured he would explore. Someone would have to be doing something illegal somewhere in this dump.

He was no further than five steps past the bar when he heard a voice to his left: "You seem tense."

A thin handsome man, maybe ten years older, grinned at him. Tony returned it, best he could: "Ah, work stuff."

"What do you do?" the man asked, drink in hand. Only now did Tony realize he wore a gray leather uniform shirt and breeches.

"I'm a financial advisor," he lied, horribly. He realized he had no idea what he would say if this guy asked him anything about stocks. What did ETF stand for again?

"Oh, that's wild, you look like a cop to me," the man replied. Which, coming from this guy in his police-state outfit seemed outrageously funny.

Tony just blushed. And the man laughed: "Oh, got it in one try, didn't I? It's okay, everyone has to have a master somehow."

"Well it's okay Mr. Cop, nobody is going to bust your secret to your friends back at the station. I mean, though there are antidiscrimination laws this day and age, this is a pretty conservative town. It might not go down too well."

"No, it wouldn't," Tony laughed, but then almost immediately his face fell.

"So," the man kept at him, "why do you look so stressed? Didn't meet your traffic ticket quota?"

"Ah," Tony fumbled. "I've never been to a place like this before." That much was true.

"Then you definitely need to relax." 

"So what's your name?" Tony tried, gamely. 

"Just call me sir."

"Really?" Tony chuckled.

"Really."

Tony waited for something more, but sir said nothing else about it.

Finally, sir asked, "so what's your name?" 

"Jared," Tony lied. 

"That's a nice name Jared," sir cooed back, as if he was not fooled for a moment. "So are you always this stressed?"

"I'm fine, really," Tony answered with a nervous jerk of the head.

"No, let's get you relaxed," sir countered, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder and squeezing.

Finally Tony got it. This might be his ticket. "Uh, sure. What do you have?" Suddenly Tony was aware why he had never been chosen for undercover work before. Great white sharks biting at chum were more subtle.

"There's a patio area out back. It's a bit chilly, but there's a nice fire pit and it's much less noisy and crowded. Follow me." With that, sir turned and went, not even waiting for Tony's answer. 

Startled, Tony sprung into action and followed sir out the rooms that obviously had held the previous businesses' storage and inventory.

Finally they were outside on the clear, chilly night. The large fire pit roared. Deep couches were arranged around it. Tony saw one couple talking, the elder man leaning in to the younger's ear, his hand on his knee. Two other guys were stting out there by themselves, watching the flames, oddly quiet. Tony assumed they were off their heads on drugs of some kind.

He was definitely getting somewhere.

"So, what do you have?" He asked again, once again bringing to his own mind the great white.

Sir chuckled as he sat down on the only completely unoccupied couch, which looked thick and comfortable. "Just this," he said, pulling out two ear buds from his shirt pocket and holding them out in his hands.

"So, music?" Tony laughed, sitting down next to sir.

"Yeah, music. If you choose to see it that way." Tony didn't know what to make of that turn of phrase.

Sir handed the ear buds to Tony to put in. Tony looked at him disapprovingly. "These are clean, right?"

Sir's face soured a bit. "I promise."

Tony obediently stuffed one into each ear. "Is it more of that techno stuff? Because that really isn't for me." 

A long intake of breath from the cold night air was the next thing he felt. The outdoor lights at the bar had been turned on, people were filing out and leaving. Some of the solitary men who had been out there when Tony and sir walked outside were being rousted too. 

"Dude, you awake?" the kid with the broom in his hand was standing over where he was sitting on the deep couch. "You can't stay here. The bar's closed. You have a place to go, right?"

Shocked, Tony shook himself to. "Yeah yeah yeah, I'm going." And with that he stood up. The sir guy was nowhere to be seen. 

Only then did he look down and see, crumpled in his fist, a sheet of paper. He could just barely read it in the floodlights outside the bar. "You seemed to need sleep so badly I didn't want to wake you. I'm having people over Thursday at 7. Feel free to come." And at the bottom, an address barely four blocks away.

Not bad, Tony thought, for a first night's effort. And with that he stuffed the note in his pocket and walked out.

2.

The next few days Tony tried to figure out what being gay entailed, apart from the obvious. He streamed some HBO shows that seemed authoritative on the matter and realized how badly off his closet was to the purpose. He discovered new words like Grindr, Tumblr and Onlyfans. He learned about tops and bottoms, doms and subs, and why the people at the bar all dressed like they were in the Hell's Angels when he was willing to bet they were actors and florists in real life. And he found it all kind of distasteful, but at least he wasn't handling dead bodies like work usually required of him.

Then on Tuesday he came in from lunch to check his office email. There was one from an outside address with an unfamiliar personal name. Curious as to how it made it past the filters, Tony clicked on it.

*

boy-

I hope work is less stressful for you today than it was the other night. Sometimes we need others to take the burden of responsibility for us. It's alright for you to do so. Below is a link to a relaxation game that will help.

Sir

*

Tony rage-typed three responses, each one angrily asking how sir got his work email, and why he thought it would be appropriate writing him there. But each time Tony realized if he did so, he would lose his connection into this subculture. At the same time, his curiosity about the link grew.  

Eventually he clicked on it, albeit with the sound off. It was harmless enough. Just patterns, words and colors. A clock in the corner counted down to ten minutes and then it spontaneously closed, leaving Tony disappointed. He realized in passing he had been massaging himself through his uniform pants for a good while, but then shook to and got back to work.

He clicked the link at home two or three more times that evening. He ignored Izzy's—his girlfriend's—messages about coming over. He knew she would ask him about work, and either he would have to lie or it would be this whole big thing with her.

Instead, at the end of the night, he wrote back:

*

Dear Sir,

Thanks for the link. All the same, I'd appreciate it if we kept our communications off my work account. I saw your note about Thursday, and I'll see you then. Looking forward to it!

* 

Then he hesitated. His first instinct was to write the name he had given him the first night, Jared. But if sir had written the work email, he knew his real name was Tony and that he had lied. He was at a loss. So in the end, he just signed it boy, which he knew Sir would like anyway.

3.

Exhausted from his new gym regimen, Tony unlocked his door and stepped in. What he saw was so surprising he let the bag of groceries fall to the floor. He heard the eggs break in the carton.

"I talked your super into letting me in."

Sir was sitting there in his living room, in his favorite chair, no less. By his feet was a large duffle bag.

Tony was not about to hide his surprise or anger. "Well I'm going to have a fucking word with him. What the fuck is this?"

"I just thought I'd come over and we'd have a talk."

"Isn't Thursday a good enough time to talk?"

"Perhaps," sir said, holding a framed picture of Tony and Izzy she had given him for his birthday. "But there's no time like the present, really."

"Fuck," Tony steamed, "do you have any idea how inappropriate this is?"

Sir gave him a sly smile. "Well, you can always call the cops if you like."

"So what is this about?"

"First, have you been enjoying the relaxation exercises at the link I sent?"

Immediately, Tony felt his anger start to deflate. "Well, yeah."  

"And are you?"

Tony let a petulant breath out, "Yeah."

"Alright then. Clean up your mess and we'll begin some that you'll like more."

"No way," Tony answered as he went to get a dish towel and started wiping away stray bits of egg and shell that had escaped the bag, and putting his vegetables and other groceries in the sink to be washed. "I had plans tonight."

"You were right. You had plans. And now you're doing this."

"But I don't want to."

Sir gestured to the living room couch. "Sit or lay down, whichever is your favorite."

Tony put the eggy dish towel in his washing machine, then came into the living room.

"Why don't you leave, instead?"

"When we're done." 

"I can't believe this." 

"Well," Sir added, "while you're not believing, take off your clothes."

"Fuck that," Tony snarled, as he removed his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. "You really do think I'll just do anything you say!" Sliding out of his button up, he took the t-shirt beneath.

All Sir could do was quietly chuckle.

Then Tony unbuttoned his pants and kicked them away.

"Underwear too."

"Goddamn it!" He stepped out of his underwear, the new briefs he had bought, and kicked them away too.

"I hate to edit out your hostility, because it really is darling, but you do understand from now on some semblance of proper courtesy and deference is going to be expected, correct?"

"I have no fucking idea what you're talking about?"

Sir laughed again. "We'll work on that."

Then sir zipped open the duffle and pulled out this long canvas thing Tony didn't recognize. "Hold out your arms."

"What is that?"

"Hold out your arms."

"No," Tony cried, and held out his arms while sir slid the straitjacket up them. "No, no, no!"

Sir pulled the jacket around his shoulders, then started fastening the buckles in the back. "This can't be happening." 

"Fine, then it isn't happening if that's what you want to tell yourself."And with that he pulled the last strap into place, fastening it between Tony's legs. Then sir secured the arms at Tony's sides. 

"Very nice." Then he walked back over to his duffle bag, and pulled out a VR headset. "This is going to be a guided exercise. You'll have the benefit of the visual stimulus like you have in the videos, but I'm going to be here helping you, directing you, and maybe asking a few questions along the way."

"No, no, no!" Tony was ranting now. Though he noticed he didn't struggle, and didn't pull away, though he had a full thirty pounds on sir.

Sir stepped behind Tony, pulled the headset into place, and quietly informed him, "when I tell you to look, you will look."

"No," Tony mewled, pitifully.

"Look," sir insisted. Then, holding his hands at Tony's shoulders, he sat Tony down on the couch.

For a few minutes there was nothing. Images flashed on the screen. Tony could not say what they were, but his cock got only more erect. Sir said some things, but he could not say what they were, either.

"Are we relaxed now?" Sir asked.

"Yes?" Tony answered.

"Then let's begin. What were your sergeant's instructions to you regarding Code?"

4.

Frank sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "So, nothing. Nothing at all we can hang on this place. Nothing to so much as justify a visit from the fire marshal?"

Tony bit his lip, apologetic: "I mean, I ran into the same basic issue everyone else did. They have cameras up everywhere in that place. They record everything, and it's all uploaded to an off-premises server. So they have a record of them not breaking the law. Moreover, if I were to create an issue—plant something, provoke a fight, engineer a situation—they would have that on camera too. And the cameras are out of reach. Those old buildings have high ceilings."

"Okay, I'm going to have to think more about this. We have to come up with something. The mayor wants to get this situation resolved soon. Apparently, the hotel out on the interstate is getting a lot of new late-night business from this place. Basically the problem is snow-balling."

"So what should I do?" Tony asked, worried. "I mean, I can try to force things, but if we're caught making something happen on our side, it'll just leave the department open to legal action--"

"No, no, you're right. We have to be careful," Frank added, smoothing back his jet-black hair. "Keep trying to find something. Be vigilant. Moreover, be on the lookout for opportunities, a way in which if the right people said the right things, we could close the place for good and send some of these fuckers to jail. Think dissatisfied employees, angry drunks willing to make up a story, that sort of thing."

Tony nodded. "Sure thing."

"And I hate to tell you," Frank added, "but if we can't find something, I'm going to have to send you back to homicide."

"I understand." 

"Okay, well, it's late enough as it is. You go ahead and get out of here," and with that Frank forced a smile.

"Okay." Tony stood, and walked to the door to leave.

"Oh one thing. Tony, have you lost weight?"

"Gotta look the part, Sarge!"

"Ha ha ha, that's the spirit." And with that, Frank shooed Tony out the door.

As soon as Tony was out the door it felt relieved. It pulled its phone out of its slacks pocket, stopped the recording it had made of the meeting with Frank, and sent it to sir via text. 

Within seconds a text came back from sir. Its eyes passed over it but did not register consciously what it said. Its thumbs typed out a message but it had no idea what it said.

More and more, there were things it had no access to. Things it heard, things it saw, even things it said, that it was not allowed to know or to understand. These things were filtered, or blocked by its own consciousness, which was now essentially a tool of sir inside its skull.

It made it hot to think about the betrayal of it by its own mind, its reduction from him to it, its descent into being a mere automaton with a perpetual hard-on and a vacant stare.

It would have to ask one of the hypboys to help shave its asshole. Tonight it would be on stage, it would wear the latex skin with the latex sheathe in the ass that went all the way inside, and it would spear itself with the dildo in front of all those men, the drones, the hardcore perverts, the hypnocurious, the suburban dads trying to figure out how to make their wives like that. It would wear a featureless hood, of course, but they all knew who it was. It was the thing that used to be a police officer but now only pretended to be. It was their guardian snitch, their own inside man, who was not a man any more at all.

It remembered the first time it had been on that stage, driving the dildos up its ass, squatting so low, demonstrating its abasement, watched by a ring of men, some in leather uniforms, some in catsuits,some in blue jeans worn straight from work at the tractor dealership, all leering, some with mouths agape, while they were serviced by catsuited anonymous drones, the backs of shining black heads rising and falling in rhythm against the men's crotches.

It adjusted itself inside the chastity cage it wore all the time now, which itself was concealed inside the latex singlet he wore to work, the bare arms and legs a concession to the possibility somehow they might become visible. But sir had already drilled it with the story: if its latex trueskin was revealed at work it would just tell its fellow police that as part of the undercover it was rushing a fetish club, that they expected the chastity and fetish gear to be worn all the time, and it didn't know when it might run into one of them.

Its cock pushed against the cage it was locked inside. It pinched. That made it harder. It was horny all the time now, and so needy, and so submissive, and so stupid, and it all seemed like a spiral that would go on forever. Tony came up on his desk. Sitting directly across from its desk was Jimmy, forehead cradled in his hand, poring over paperwork from the day's arrests, baldspot clearly visible.

The words, which were sir's, just came to it and forced their way out its lips. The thing formerly Tony had no choice in the matter, it just transmitted as instructed, with no thought or reservation. "Hey, Jimmy. You seem stressed. You wanna try something cool?" 

5.

"Get the fuck up!"

Tony shook itself to, and blinked its eyes open. Its brother was standing there in its bedroom.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" It cried out, as if it were human.

"What the fuck am I doing here? What the fuck am I supposed to do? You haven't answered a text in three weeks! You missed Estelle's birthday party yesterday afternoon, without so much as a call or an explanation as to why. I called Izzy last night to check up on you, only to find out you had dumped her over the goddamned phone!"

"I'm sorry, Louis. Work's been--" Tony started.

"Work's been shit! You can't put on some kind of act like it's "Special Victims Unit" or some bullshit when we all know there's not been a crime problem in town since Dad died!"

"Look," Tony struggled, "I've just been going through some--"

"You're pale as fuck and look as if you've lost weight. Is it drugs? You swore to me when you joined the force you weren't going to be that kind of cop!" Louis was thundering, shaking, almost in tears.

"No, it's not drugs. I promise."

"Then fucking what!" Louis screamed.

"Can you just dial it down some?" Tony pleaded. "I'll tell you what. I'll come over this afternoon, see Estelle, make it up to her, we'll have a good time, maybe grill some steaks. And then if you still want, we can talk about things."

"Like I don't know when you're fucking stalling."

"Just let me get up, get a shower, make some coffee, and then we'll talk, okay? Please." With that, Tony reached for its phone, eager to see if there was a message from sir, and just as eager to see if sir might have an idea for how to deal with this situation.

"We'll fucking talk now!" And with that Louis yanked the covers off the bed. "Well Jesus fuck."

There, in front of him on the bed was Tony's naked body, metal cage encasing his cock, attached to a ring behind his ball sack, the steel base of a plug clearly visible in his asshole.

"What is this? What is all this?"

"I told you I had been going through some shit, man." Now it was Tony's turn to choke back tears.

"So, are you gay now?" The passion had drained out of Louis's voice.

"It's complicated." Tony didn't actually know the answer to the question. Homosexuality was an orientation that belonged to a subset of humans. If it was no longer human, it could no longer lay claim to such human descriptives.

"Do you have someone? You know, in charge of you?" 

Tony was certain it was not supposed to betray its relationship with sir to anyone, certainly not its emotionally distraught brother. "I really need to ask you to leave."

"And I need to know if someone fucking owns my brother!" He howled.

"Just please, go." 

And with that, Louis stomped out. Tony heard the front door slam hard behind him. Finally alone, it realized after a while it was softly crying.

6.

Tony was stomping through the forest alone, in the fading light of day. The duffle it carried was heavy, but it knew that the destination was just over the next rise. It had been listening to one of sir's less demanding programming scripts, perfect for time by itself while it was performing some activity.

More and more, it thought of itself as unoccupied and bored if it didn't have the scripts going in the background while it performed some task or other. Work, devoid of the scripts for eight or nine whole hours at a time, was becoming more and more painful. 

But Tony also understood there were drawbacks to constantly listening to sir's scripts. For instance, it distracted it from ambient noise in the physical environment that it would be better to pay close attention to. Tony keenly understood this when his ears finally picked out the sloshing of feet through deep leaves that were not its own, but were some mere paces behind it. 

Alarmed, Tony swung around. There, maybe thirty feet behind it in the failing light, was Louis. 

"You're following me?"

Louis acted calm, though it was plain he had been crying. "I want to see where you're going. I want to make sure you're safe."

"You can't come with me," Tony begged. "This isn't a place for you." Tony, as deep within sir's programming as it was, winced at the thought of this pollution finding its way to its brother, a family man, happily married. Sir wouldn't think twice about converting Louis into another drone. And though it knew it eventually would inform sir of Louis's discovery of the whole situation, it wanted as much as its programming to permit to warn Louis off, save him, and save his family. "Just please take my word for it. You need to go home now. Forget what you saw at my house this morning. Forget everything."

"How long have you had these feelings?" Louis gulped. "To be hurt, dominated?"

"Just go home, Louis. This isn't for you."

"Just, no bullshit, tell me where you're going. Right now." Louis was calm, but still adamant.

"There's an abandoned veterinary hospital out by the old highway. It has everything we need. Examination tables. Hoses, Pens. We park on the other side of the woods on private property where it's not visible from the road."

"And the bar in town?"

"Is the decoy. Nothing real happens there."

"So what happens if I go with you to this place you and your new friends have out here. Am I going to find myself in one of those pens?"

"Maybe," Tony answered, stone-faced. Almost certainly, it thought to itself.

"Only one way to find out," and with that Louis started walking. He strode calmly past Tony and kept going. "Well come on," he called back behind him.

"Don't," Tony squeaked.

"Well if they're too awful for me, why aren't they too bad for you?" Louis's tone was accusatory. "Here's what I don't get. When we grew up, pretty much all we had was each other. And I thought we shared with each other everything."

Louis turned and walked up to Tony. It was dark now. "So," Louis continued, "why couldn't you tell me this? Why couldn't you share this with me?"

What Tony wanted to say was that it didn't have these feelings until a few short weeks ago, when the programming made him into it. But that same programming wouldn't let him answer.

"Goddamn it, tell me!" Louis yelled.

"I--" Tony started, then stopped. 

But Louis grabbed Tony by the bare arms, as it only wore a t-shirt in the slight chill, and started walking it over to a tall, straight pine tree. 

"What are you doing?" Tony tried to pull away, but the programming that had made it so deferential kept it from resisting at all.

Reaching the other side of the tree, Louis yanked Tony's arms forward so that each one was on opposite sides of the tree and his chest was pressed close against it. Then he pulled from his coat pocket a bungee, which he wrapped tight around Tony's wrists, binding him against the tree. Louis tied off the bungee in a knot that Tony was finding distressingly secure.

"What's this about?"

Louis then approached him, unbuckled Tony's belt, unbuttoned the front of his jeans, and slid them down his ass almost to his knees. Then he pulled the belt out of the loops of the jeans and began to fold it in his hand.

"Do you have any idea," Tony croaked out. "If I had known you were like this--"

Tony's arm went all the way back, and the first strike of the belt on Tony's bare ass made it yelp in pain. "If I had known, you were like this," he repeated.

The belt struck his ass again, and even for all the programming  on welcoming pain, Tony flinched and mewled and started to cry. "If I had known you were like this I wouldn't have wasted all these years!"

The belt struck again, a third, a fourth, a fifth time. "Fuck," Louis howled. "What have I been doing with my life?"

"I asked before," Louis snarled, bringing the folded belt up to the wincing Tony's face. "Do you have someone whose in charge of you? That you serve? No lies!" Then the folded belt made its sixth, seventh, and eighth strikes.

"Yes," finally, Tony conceded, as the programming raged against its violation of the protocols in divulging its secrets.

"But he doesn't own you, does he?" Louis howled in rage, administering the ninth, the tenth and eleventh strikes. Tony had no idea what to say to any of this. 

"Because the only man in his world that can own you, little brother, is me."

Finally, in the dark of the woods, Tony could hear Louis shift his feet, and his arm fall to his side. There would be at least a break before the belt would fall again on its bare ass. But then he heard Louis's belt buckle, his zipper, and spit from pursed lips landing on his palm.

At some point in the belting the plug in Tony's ass had shaken itself out. In passing, Tony felt the necessity to find it and retrieve it before leaving wherever they were, a ridiculous concern to have in the moment. But now he felt his brother's cock pressing against the trapdoor of his hole.

"This?" Louis leaned forward, and whispered in his ear. "Is mine, and it always will be."

And with that the long thrusts started. Tony had always known its brother was not a slight man, and the plugs and dildos had only been so much preparation. It winced, and quaked, and squealed. and tried to arch its back to take the cock better.

Louis slapped Tony hard on the ass as he rammed his brother, so newly meek and dispassionate. He had never desired a woman like he wanted Tony right now. The thrusts were all the way from the bare tip to his full and heavy balls. 

Whatever behavior restraints had been controlling Tony were lost now, Louis thought, as he heard his brother moan and curse uncontrollably at the motion of the cock through him. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Louis reached the vinegar strokes, and with a series of wild spasms came inside his brother. Limp now, he pulled his cock out. Tony felt semen run down its inner thigh. 

Louis went to the other side of the tree to untie Tony's wrists from the bungee. "So, I want you to go ahead and take your pants the rest of the way off. Your new friends, in their rotten veterinary hospital, I want them to see what I did. I want them to know what I am to you. And I want them to understand that whatever they did to you, however you got to be this way, sweet little brother, your pussy is mine."

"Yes," Tony nodded, mind reeling. 

Louis packed his filthy cock back in his underwear, slicked back his hair, tucked his shirt tail in and buttoned his pants. "You know, I think this could be a turning point in our relationship. We really don't spend enough time together. My wife's family has a really nice fishing cabin. It gets used only maybe like twice a year. We could go up there, you know. Have some man-time, if you like."

"Yes," Tony said again, numb.

Louis sighed, and in the dark Tony could imagine there was happiness in his voice. "So, we better get on with it. I need to meet your new friends and have a friendly conversation with them. But first, lay on the ground face up, and open your mouth."

+

+

[goddess-aelin]

Little Did I Know

Chapter 5- The Ride

Masterlist | LDIK Masterlist

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: none!

Aelin woke up with a renewed sense of purpose. She actually woke up before anyone came to do it for her. She got dressed and decided on the way down to breakfast that she was going to go for a horseback ride, instead. She hadn’t done a morning ride in years, always having some lesson or meeting to attend to. But she missed them. The crisp, cool air helped to soothe her senses and clear her head.

Plus, it helped that she could spill her guts to her horse and no one would be ever the wiser.

She was about to enter her horse, Kasida’s, stall when she heard soft murmurings coming from one of the other stalls. She peeked around the corner to find a familiar head of silver hair.

She quickly pulled back into her own stall, not because she didn’t want to see him. Quite the opposite. Her traitorous heart started beating faster.

Before she could move, his head peeked around the corner of her stall.

“Oh, hey. I didn’t expect to see anyone else out here this early.”

“Rowan! Hey. I haven’t been for a morning ride in a while and decided it was a nice enough day.” She paused, a bit of awkwardness overtaking her. They were on better terms but that didn’t mean they were best friends now. “Is that your horse?”

“Yeah, I brought her with me when I came here. Figured with how beautiful I’ve heard Terrasen is, it would be a good opportunity to get some trail riding in.” He shrugged, as if embarrassed.

She was slightly warring with herself. Should she ask? No, he probably wanted privacy. Screw it, she was going to ask. “Do you…maybe want to go for a ride this morning with me? I was just about to head out. I just have to get Kasida here all saddled up.”

“I’m impressed princess, saddling your own horse.” He must’ve realized how it sounded because a millisecond later, he was turning to her, eyes wide. “I didn’t…I mean–”

She chuckled. “Rowan, it’s fine. I know what you meant.” He relaxed at that. “It’s not every day that a princess saddles her own horse. But I’m no common princess.”

An amused smirk overtook Rowan’s face. “No, you definitely are not.” She gave him a smile in return and continued to adjust the saddle on Kasida.

“Ok, I think I’m all set! Are you ready to go?”

“Yep, let’s go.” They set off at an easy pace, taking in the nice weather. Aelin breathed in the smell of the Oakwald, the fir trees awakening something in her that had been dormant for many years. Or maybe that was the man riding next to her. Or maybe it was the pine smell of said man riding next to her. How ironic that he smelled like her home. Almost as if he was destined to be there.

They traversed the steep path of one of the closest mountains of the Staghorns in a comfortable silence. Orynth was tucked nicely into the mountain range, making it easily accessible to residents. Many paths were made so that people could enjoy the views without traversing the dangerous landscape.

The ride to the closest lookout seemed to take almost no time at all. They stopped and tied the horses to the posts that were installed there.

“Wow. I don’t even know what to say.”

“It’s amazing, right?”

Rowan let out a huff of breath. “More than amazing. It’s…it’s…amazing.”

Aelin laughed loudly. “You have quite the way with words.”

Rowan actually blushed at that statement. “Shut up.” The corners of his lips rose in answer to her own.

Aelin had planned to linger up here for a bit, taking in the silence and beauty of her native land. She supposed she didn’t have to change those plans just because Rowan was with her. So she proceeded to grab her blanket from Kasida’s saddle, laying it down on the flattest part of the lookout, which happened to be the rocks near the edge.

“What are you doing?”

“Calm down, you Buzzard. I’m just enjoying the view.” She patted the blanket next to her. “I brought some snacks, too. I was planning on staying up here for a while.”

Rowan slowly sat next to her, as if he was nervous she would change her mind. “Do you come up here often?”

Aelin giggled. “That sounded like a pick-up line.”

Rowan blushed once again. She found that she greatly enjoyed making him blush. “I didn’t…I didn’t mean it like that.”

She put her hand on his. “I know, I know.” Gently, she removed her hand and went back to staring at the Staghorns. “I don’t come up here often, though, no. I haven’t been up here in a very long time. But I woke up and it was just…calling to me. It sounds dumb but I just felt like I needed this.”

Rowan looked at her tenderly. “It’s not dumb. If you’re being a sap, I’ll admit something sappy in return.” Aelin quirked her eyebrow as if to say, Oh? He gave her a smile in return. “I feel like I’ve been looking for this place my whole life. Now that probably sounds dumb. But this place is incredible. It’s like freedom made physical. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place and thought, ‘home.’”

Rowan looked away so he was unaware that Aelin just continued to stare at him. But she did. She stared at this perplexing man, trying to figure him out. And she also looked at him with a bit of guilt.

“Rowan, I…I’m sorry.”

His brows furrowed. “For what?”

“For forcing you into this situation. Here you are talking about freedom while sitting here without any freedom to choose your path in life. Because of me.”

“I know I said some horrible things the past few weeks. But they weren’t true. I would never blame you for something like this. It’s all Queen Maeve and the lords of Terrasen. I don’t think either one of us ever had a choice.”

For some reason, his words made her feel worse. Firstly, because it was sad to think that both of their lives had been taken from them. Even if it wasn’t a death sentence, she would’ve much preferred to marry Rowan of her own volition, not because someone told her to. And secondly, while he didn’t blame her, his words were not an admission of wanting to marry her. Which meant that she still didn’t know exactly what his expectations for their marriage were. She supposed there would be other times to discuss. The conversation had gotten too morbid for her tastes.

“So, your favorite color is green, huh? Did you know that’s the official color of Terrasen?” Rowan’s answering laughter sparked something in her. She would be happy to hear that as many times as she could.

They sat on that ledge for what felt like hours, though in reality it was probably closer to just one. They talked about the mundane- favorites, likes and dislikes.

“Ok, here’s a good one.” Rowan’s disposition was unlike anything she had seen from him before. He was relaxed, almost as if he forgot about their situation. “What would you be if you could be anything in the world? Apart from a princess, of course.”

Aelin tapped her chin, thinking hard about his question. “Probably a healer. I have absolutely no knowledge of basic first aid but I think I’d be great at helping people like that.”

“I could see it. You don’t have the most patience. But I could see you being a surgeon or something high-stakes like that.”

“What about you?”

Rowan’s answer came immediately, as if he had thought of this before many times. “I think I’d probably do a trade. LIke carpentry or masonry or something. Something with building things. I like that more physical work rather than sitting in meetings or at a desk.” Aelin nodded, she could see it. “Although, when I was growing up, there was this guy who sold meat on a stick in the Doranelle streets. He was my idol when I was younger and I wanted to be just like him. He’d be singing every time I saw him and the meat on a stick was just the best.”

“Meat…on a…” Aelin could barely hold in her laughter. “On a stick?” That did it. She burst out into raucous laughter.

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it!”

Aelin held up her hands in a placating manner. “I’m not knocking it. I just…do you mean a kabob?”

“No, no. It’s not a kabob. It’s so much more than that. It has different kinds of meat. And the stick sort of adds to the flavor.”

Aelin could not stop laughing. She already knew he was handsome but ranting like this, something that he was obviously passionate about, made him look cute, too. “Sounds like a kabob to me.”

“One day. One day, I’ll take you to Doranelle and buy you meat on a stick. You’ll see then.” If Rowan realized what he said, he gave no inclination. Aelin was secretly delighted that they were on these good terms, thinking of the future.

“I’d like that.” She gave him a secret smile, which he returned in kind. Things weren’t perfect, but they certainly were looking up.

A/N: sorry for the long wait guys! I’m hoping this shows up in the tags 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 you’ll have a few more fluffy chapters before the fun starts 😈

Tagging:

@cretaceous-therapod @morganofthewildfire @tomtenadia @live-the-fangirl-life @charlizeed @violet-mermaid7 @euphoric-melancholyy @kritical24 @rubyriveraqueen @dealfea @wellofnothing @ayaashryver @anna-swims @leiawritesstories @whoever-you-choose-to-love @holdthefrickup @heirofflowers @bananaanna23 @thecrispypotatochip @shanias-world @rowanaelinn @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @hanging-from-a-cliff @fantacysoup @swankii-art-teacher @thegreyj @fromthelibraryofemilyj @westofmoon @lovely-dove-zee @books4eva04 @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @backtobl4ck @dreamer-133

#my fic #rowaelin #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass

[nokingsonlyfooles]

The website is migrating and so is my eyeball! (Updates!)

I got myself a clean bill of eyeball alignment! I am within normal range! It does still take me longer to focus because my left eye tries to "go exo" (which means "pull farther to the left," just like my political alignment!) but after a little over 9 months of practice, I'm able to straighten it out. I am, apparently, a hard worker and a fast learner. The doc didn't think I'd be able to fix it this well!

So I'm down to doing maintenance exercises, and I will need to deal with the effects of my age-appropriate presbyopia. Bifocals and progressives are a no-no for me. That's like an obstacle course, and my eye can't take it. That means [drumroll please]... LASIK and reading glasses! I need another checkup to confirm I'm a good candidate for the laser, and then I'll get me some surgery. Hopefully before the end of the year!

Now, as far as story updates go, it looks like your patience will be rewarded with a 12-pack! It probably won't all be illustrated, as I'll need some time for the surgery/new glasses, but I should be able to get you the text in a legible format!

The website is migrating servers today, from the one with the wishy-washy TOS to one that says "Porn OK!" and costs $102 FOR FOUR YEARS. After that, it'll go up to $4.99 a month for one site, but that's still less than I was paying before. My mortality can now be expressed in Hostinger contract renewals! I may live to pay for my webspace 10-15 more times! Max!

Technically, if we don't count labour, materials, and all the years spent in the red, I will be making a profit for the first time ever with just three Patrons! Thank you!

...And, of course, once I get my Canadian residency, I will be burning that Patreon page to the ground and building a new one that seems "family friendly" and has no adult-oriented history or flags. The naughty extra content will go on the site, available for free DL or name-your-price. I will probably lose that one Patron who never talks to me, but I think they've forgotten about that subscription and I don't feel great taking their money in that case anyway. Onward and upward! I hope I can replace them with more new supporters! (Or maybe they're still paying attention and they're just shy. That's cool too!)

In the immediate future, I will get an email notification when my site's all moved, and then I can see what needs fixing. Stuff needed fixing already, due to various updates, so some repairs are inevitable.

Nevertheless, if it's not too much of a disaster, I'm eyeing October 3rd as a restart date. Then you get (potentially) 12 weeks of content! Wow! Then I'll take however long a break I need to illustrate it and fix whatever else broke. Hopefully, I can keep working my my backlog of Tin Soldier illustrations too, but that's on the back burner.

All you Tumblr followers who are here because you like the stream of other people's content I curate: This is a threat. I am only here to get readers for my serial. I will do whatever else I need to put up with to get readers, but if I don't get any, I'm done and onto something else that might work. Y'all don't have to pay for it if you don't want, but I'm trying to build a community for some very patient and supportive people. I don't want to spend spoons for no community. I do not have a lot of spoons to spend.

People are doing complicated internet things to the site today, so no links yet, but once I bang it back into shape, I will get back to begging for attention in the best ways I can.

#updates #long post much happen wow #tin soldier and soldier on

[bemtevis]

the sin of sincerity

With nowhere to go, Kamala stumbles upon Alastair. They get along much better than expected. Ch. 1: tell me the truth... Ch. 2: ...so I don't have to lie

This theory comes from this post by @melanielocke, pls check it out!

CW: spoilers for chain of thorns, allusions to period-typical homophobia; let me know if I missed anything.

     Ariadne walked a couple blocks before realising she had nowhere to go.

     Crap.

     Don’t panic.

     She considered her options. Going back was out of the question, of course. Renting a hotel room, too, would be difficult, seen that she had no money. She had no friends or relatives, no favours to call in, no idea where to go next… crap, crap, crap. Do not panic.

     Okay, she was panicking. Her pace became unsteady and her breaths choppy, creating clouds in the chilly London weather. Ariadne stopped for a moment, leaning against a wall. If only she weren’t so dependent. If only she had bothered to build connections outside her engagement. If only she was more like… 

     Anna.

     Maybe Anna would laugh at her and shut the door on her face. Maybe she’d have a look through the peephole and refuse to let her in. Maybe she was with another girl right now. Maybe. But it was better than going home.

     Ariadne got up with renewed determination, which lasted minutes before being crushed. As she approached Anna’s flat, a sound filled her ears: music, coming from the inside. She was probably throwing a party, or receiving a private concert from a pretty girl. Of course she was. She was Anna bloody Lightwood, and her life hadn’t stopped because Ariadne’s had.

     She sat down on the steps, burying her face in her hands. Panic was rising up her throat again when a familiar face approached her.

     “Miss Bridgestock?” 

     It was Alastair Carstairs, her ex-fiancé’s ex-friend, or whatever he was. Charles had never told her, but she had her theories. They’d made friendly conversation in the past, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he disliked her. But then again, he seemed to dislike everyone.

     “Mr. Carstairs,” Ariadne greeted, then cringed at the roughness of her voice. She cleared her throat, doing her best to sound casual. “Good evening. I was just out for a stroll. You know how it is.”

     His eyes found the holdall beside her and he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Heat filled her cheeks. She had to get better at lying.

     “I see,” Alastair said with practised politeness, a tone she knew all too well. “I was doing the same, actually.”

     An idea occurred to her. 

     “There’s a restaurant down the street,” she burst out. “Have you had the time to visit it? Lovely place, really. I could show it to you, if you’d like. Or not. That’s stupid isn’t it? Crap.”

     “No,” Alastair interrupted, and she felt the urge to crawl into a hole and never get out. He clarified, “I haven’t had the time to see it.”

     Relief washed over her. “Oh. So… would you like to accompany me?”

     He nodded. His brashness, she realised, was simply a much better cover for awkwardness than her stammering. 

     “Let’s go, then.”

- - -

     The restaurant really was lovely. 

     Less fancy than Alastair would’ve assumed was the taste of the Inquisitor’s daughter, which was a plus. They ordered their food and made a poor attempt at small talk.

     How Alastair found himself in this situation was a mystery. His only plan was to visit the Fairchild residence to check in on Charles. Nothing much had happened between them since the man’s injury; their relationship was now fragile, and any sudden move could shatter them. Not to mention the advisal against physical activities, sex included–he guessed that was the main reason Charles hadn’t made a move.

     But then, he’d found Ariadne Bridgestock at Anna Lightwood’s doorstep, with puffy eyes and a bag in hand. He saw the despair of a broken person in her eyes, the same he saw in the mirror every morning. He couldn’t bring himself to ignore her.

     An awkward silence had installed itself between them. 

     “You were crying,” Alastair said, giving up politeness. It wasn’t a question.

     Ariadne was silent for a moment, but when she spoke, her voice didn’t waver. “I was. Are you going to ask why?”

     “Do you want me to?”

     The answer came promptly. “Yes.”

     “Alright. Why were you crying?”   

     She told him everything, from the beginning. Her father’s absence, her mother’s concern, the papers she’d found in his office. Information about the Herondales and the Lightwoods, she said. Errors and problems so small, it was strange that the Inquisitor took interest in them. Alastair’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the name Lightwood. He bit his tongue to avoid asking if there was something about Thomas.

     “And there’s more,” Ariadne said, withdrawing a sheet of paper from her coat and handing it to him. Its edges were burnt and much of it was illegible, but its contents were undeniable. “A blackmail letter.”

     Horror dawned on Alastair as he read it. 

     “I have not one guess as to who the target is,” Ariadne said, but Alastair barely heard it. 

     Aligned in our views–

     The secrets which you believe well hidden–

     Some people are sentimental–

     He felt sick. To think he was heading straight to him, completely unaware of this whole ordeal…  

     “Alastair? Are you okay?”

     His attention snapped away from the letter and he met her gaze, brown on brown. 

     “This letter was unsent, correct? Is there a chance your father didn’t go through with the blackmail?”

     “I’m pretty sure that’s an early draft. He must’ve sent a later version.”

      Alastair closed his eyes. “I think I know who this is for.”

     The waiter chose that moment to serve their food. He told her his theory while they ate. 

     He knew of Ariadne’s preference for women, and was positive she knew of him as well. There was no reason to be scared. Still, he spoke in a low voice, glancing around for eavesdroppers. He didn’t know how Bridgestock had found out about them, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

     When he was done, she was quiet for a moment. 

     “That makes a lot of sense,” she said, then frowned. “The Herondales and the Lightwoods are like family to Charles, aren’t they? Do you think he’d do that to them?”

     Alastair recalled the way Charles talked about his family. Charlotte was emotional and unreasonable; Henry, unambitious and shortsighted; Matthew, immature and shameful. He didn’t think Charles’ family held a privileged spot in his mind. 

     “Yes,” he answered simply.

     Ariadne nodded. “I believe you. Godamnit, Alastair. I’m so sorry. I have no idea how my father found out! It’s awful that he’s using your secret like that… quite ironic, too.”

     She chuckled, but it was bitter. Upon his questioning look, she elaborated, “My mother was very unhappy that I’d gone through Papa’s files. We got into an argument, and I lost my temper. So I told her. My secret, that is.”

     Alastair was filled with sympathetic dread. She narrated the events of the night, and his chest tightened further. The thought of his sweet mother doing the same to him… Ariadne had no idea how strong she was.

     “So I ran,” she concluded, staring down at her now empty plate. “I have nowhere to go, but I won’t go back. I refuse to.”

     She raised her chin, daring Alastair to doubt her. He didn’t, not for a second. He was convinced she could walk through fire if she put her mind to it. 

     “I understand that the last thing we want right now is a scandal,” Alastair said, “but you could come to my place. Until you have somewhere else to go, I mean.”

     Ariadne smirked. “I’m sure that would go well. ‘Yeah, I slept at Mr. Carstairs’ house, but it was not like that! You see, I actually like women, and he does not!’”

     That punched a surprised laugh out of Alastair. “That’s a good way to avoid a scandal,” he remarked, thinking briefly of his sister. “Just create another one.”

     She laughed, then stopped. Cautious hope lit up in her eyes, and she bit her bottom lip. “Nobody needs to know where I am. I doubt Mama would make my escape public anyway. So, if you were being serious, I would love to stay at your place. Thank you.”

     He nodded, still smiling. She had brought him a strange kind of levity. It was different than what he’d felt in the Sanctuary; that had been a dream, and like a dream it ended. Ariadne’s presence was different, grounding, easy. Weird, but not unpleasant. 

     They made their way to the Carstairs residence, a comfortable silence between them. Despite the tragedy surrounding their circumstances, he couldn’t shake the feeling something great had just begun.

I don't actually remember my taglist, so bear with me: @melanielocke @stxr-thxif @sheisbeautyweareworldass @cant-think-of-anything @littlx-songbxrd @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @zaaharaa @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer

#no I don't think sona would react like flora ok not at all #we love sona in this house #second fic of mine in which a character goes to alastair instead of their love interest #that's so powerful of me actually #ariadne bridgestock #alastair carstairs #kamala joshi #the last hours #chain of thorns #chain of thorns spoilers #chot spoilers

[jess-moloney]

Funny you mention if Jess would’ve had trouble bringing her dog to the States. I’ve wondered about what kind of visa she’s on. What kind of visa she has or if she has permanent residence in America. I would assume her “business” is a front to keep her in America. If that’s the case, the money laundering theory works because there’s no way Ice Studios is legitimate. Since no one knows how long she’s lived in America exactly, maybe that was her plea to Jamie to “manage” him if she is in any official capacity. If a visa was running out possibly. I don’t know. But, it doesn’t seem like she has consistent work to show the government other than whatever capacity she’s involved with Ice Studios. I don’t know enough about visas to know for sure, but she has a business license renewed yearly in England and “owns” half of Ice Studios in America. It’s possible she’s lived in America long enough to have citizenship, but I don’t know. Everything she does is shady, but you can’t fake a visa.

I doubt she has citizenship I think she'd have made a post about that. She may travel back to England on short trips long enough to get a work visa renewed and expedited (periods when she's quiet).

There is a type of visa she could have (work Visa) that doesn't require her to have a job offer to be able to get one because it's reserved for people like her who are an entrepreneur or I suppose highly skilled. She does half own a business in the US (at least on paper). She'd also be considered some sort of independent contractor or business owner because of this. That would make it much easier on that end. Expedition fees aren't very high either. If you have the money, know the right people, and make the appointments at the right time she could just be on an endless cycle of these work visas.

There are also fiance visas which allow you to stay even longer if you have intent to marry a citizen but I don't think Jamie is one either. Does anyone know? I'm sure he has no problem proving that he works in the States/gets work and he'd probably fall under the same visa she does because he's highly skilled and an actor. In fact, I'm guessing there's something totally different for that as the studios or whoever he works for more than likely takes care of it for him, and/or he's sponsored by them. However, if he's not a citizen it still wouldn't explain her visa even if she was his agent since she'd still have to keep renewing it. She would not be able to renew her Visa within the US.

So, either she somehow has citizenship (which I don't think she does but I could be wrong), she takes short trips back to England periodically that we don't know about and renews it then, or she's on an expired Visa most of the time and no one bothers to check because they really wouldn't unless she committed a crime or something. Since she doesn't work any normal job it's not like she has to show it to an employer or have it on record. This probably allows her to stay in the States for quite a long time without having to do any legal paperwork to keep her visa current.

#jess moloney #jamie campbell bower #jamie bower #mail

[skye-huntress]

RWBY Volume 9 Reaction

Episode 5: The Parfait Predicament

A reminder that my asks are open, whether it is related to this episode, RWBY in general, or even some other topic

So instead of dying, Ever After residents “ascend” and come back with renewed purpose

The Red King’s purpose was “to play the game and win no matter the cost” and when Alice beat him, he ascended and became the Red Prince, and he became even more mean-spirited and underhanded.

And with the Herbalist, he struggled to fulfil his own purpose when Ruby failed to answer his questions.

I think I’m starting to see why humans in the Ever After tend to cause chaos wherever they go no matter what they do, and why things react to Ruby differently than the others

Perhaps Alyx omitted certain details from her story, or perhaps the story was edited after the fact. It’s not like anyone would have believed it was anything but a story.

Nose hairs? Glad I don’t have to eat it

I don’t think all three of you need to go with the cat? Blake, you just want to stick with Yang, and Weiss is just looking for an excuse not to go look at nose hairs

Guess we’ll leave the most emotionally vulnerable of you in the care of a mouse who can’t stay awake for more than five minutes

The return of Penny’s sword, and one of my suspicions seems to be panning out. It’s not Crescent Rose that has been lost, it’s Ruby who has lost sight of a part of herself.

We have what appears to be Alyx’s knife, though why would that still be in the Ever After if she had already moved on, unless she intentionally left it behind. The girl had supposedly given up her saddest and happiest memories for it, so that certainly raises questions to why she would do such a thing.

Is Summer’s image on that blade to imply that it used to be Summer’s weapon? If that’s here, then maybe she ended up here, too. This was a possibility I had considered, there’s more than one way into the Ever After, but it would have probably only have happened after she confronted Salem, so I have a disturbing hypothesis

Seems the blacksmith’s workshop wasn’t entirely there, not that the laws of space or time seem to apply much in the Ever After. There’s a chance Ruby will come across it again

The Curious Cat may be a Cat Most Curious but they are still a Cat that does Cat things

Ruby’s crest is a symbol of a promise from her mother? I know they share the same crest, but I didn’t consider the crest itself was the exact same. I think it’s safe to say when Summer left it, but I wonder what the promise was exactly. We’ll probably see that crest again when Ruby is forced to examine how and why she chose to become a Huntress

So if they eat too much of the parfait, they might get too big. I wonder if someone was tempted to eat just that little bit more to end up slightly bigger

So anyone the Jabberwalker consumes does not ascend, meaning it is effectively the only being in the Ever After that can kill the other residents. It’s like it’s the Ever After’s version of a Grimm

The Cat can give other beings a new purpose? I believe I’ve said this before, but this Cat clearly has a deeper purpose than just being curious

There’s the Rusted Knight, and yes, as soon as I got a good look at his shield that confirmed who he was, but that didn’t explain the “Rusted” part

So there’s only supposed to be one Jabberwalker, and Neo clearly did something to it and now she can make multiple copies. And I have a suspicion that even these copies can all do the same thing. It’s probably not a coincidence, they attacked the place Team RWBY were, Neo is probably still hunting them and she’s even more dangerous than ever.

Seeing another place destroyed as they are forced to flee is having a particular affect on Weiss. Unsurprising, given recent events.

Of course, I can’t not mention that after the Jabberwalker fight, Weiss was the one to get Ruby moving, while after observing the destruction, it was Ruby’s turn to do the same for Weiss. They are partners, after all.

It’s seem people were right about the Rusted Knight’s identity, although I don’t think anyone had an older Jaune on their bingo cards. I kind of figured it might be the case since his weapons were the same, but were covered in rust. He fell last, but he seems to have been here a lot longer than anyone else. In fact, it is entirely possible he is the same Rusted Knight from Alyx’s story

That makes it all the more noteworthy that Team RWBY all arrived at the same time and found each other almost immediately. There’s a bond that draws them together that isn’t shared by Jaune or Neo. Neo’s desire to kill Ruby is probably the reason she showed up the same time she did but ended up in a much darker place, close to the only creature in the Ever After that can apparently kill

Back to my hypothesis about Summer Rose. I’m sure I’m not the only one to consider this but what if she is the Jabberwalker. It’s similar to a Grimm in how it consumes life, but it has some level of intelligence, and it’s voice sounds a little like the Hound’s. After arriving in the Ever After, perhaps it changed her and since time doesn’t to affect when you enter the Ever After, she could have arrived before Alyx or Jaune. And if Alyx, Jaune or whoever else “killed” her, she’d probably just “ascend” and come back. However, if my theory is even partially right, there is a way Ruby can fight off the Jabberwalker even without a weapon, the only thing holding her back is herself

#rwby #rwby9 #rwby9 spoilers

[emmashouldbewriting]

Another theory about their house, which seems most probable to me is that they rent/lease. Like clockwork, every 2 years, we have the same story... They didn't like the house, or they want to move for privacy, or they outgrow the place. Makes more sense that they have 18month leases and then simply move. Cotswolds 2 yr lease. Frog ore renewed every 3 years. Vancouver island 6month lease. Tyles Perry 6month/1 year. Montecito 18months (or a year given that the rumours started a while back).

It's much easier. Makes more financial sense. They arnt very cash heavy apparently so lease would be practical. And the hope ranch places would be in their budget now if they are buying this time around. Also makes more sense as to why they keep renewing frogmore and want to keep it as their UK base.

See you have to remember one thing about the Harkles - when something is really happening in their lives, they manage to keep it an absolute secret. Noone gets to know till they drop the bomb. But otherwise it's just constant PR grandstanding and rumours. Their house situation is too much of grandstanding, their slef image is associated with owning such a big, mega property. So it's quite likely that they don't own that house and just use it for clout.

I agree with this. The only thing Meghan couldn't stick for 2 years was UK citizenship.

They keep Frogmore Cottage as their UK residence because Harry must be domiciled in the UK to be a Counsellor of State - King Charles has already made it clear he wishes to change how they are appointed and I hope he follows through.

I honestly believe that they cannot stay anywhere for longer than 2 years because they leave scorched ground wherever they go. Meghan is incapable of maintaining long-term relationships without paying the other party, and Harry is woefully ignorant of how the real world works because he's never had to learn it.

@gimletagain was kind enough to give her excellent opinion on the financial situation regarding their move to Hope Ranch (??).

I don't think they own their houses. I think they rent with a contractual stipulation to say they own it. Rich people do what rich people want, and Harry can absolutely pull those strings.

[thistransient]

- My ARC application was accepted! I paid the fee! As far as I can tell, if I want a physical card I need to go pick it up at immigration or something (there seems to be an electronic option but that’s no fun now is it?). On one hand, my dreams of residency are finally realised! On the other hand it’s very short-term and completely contingent on my studies, so I’m essentially still living in three-month increments. I am probably going to keep taking class til March cause I didn’t go through this epic bureaucratic slog just to have an ARC for one semester (and I would like to finish the textbook we’ve just started, as it’s finally challenging and I feel like I’m consistently learning new things instead of just solidifying a base with some occasional unfamiliar words.)

- Speaking of semesters, I’m now finally on break. I was hanging on by the skin of my teeth for a while there, but yesterday I came home and had the energy to do battle against the long-accumulating dust bunnies in my room. I can’t relax entirely because I still have to write an end-of-semester oral presentation plus the speech for this competition I did end up signing up for, self-study the chapter I’ll be missing over break (it’s on the vocational school system so I’m not too aggrieved about skipping it), research grad program applications, read doctor reviews in Mandarin and re-enter those treacherous waters, not to mention organise a trip down south cause I need to get out of the city. Or at least my apartment. Which reminds me I need to renew my lease, largely because it’s still tolerable, the bathroom set-up is a rare find, and I just can’t be arsed to look for a new place right now.

- In general though I feel like I have a somewhat viable plan for the future, which in turn makes me very skeptical because whenever I’ve felt that way in the past some shit hits the fan. Or could it be that I’ve spent so much time dealing with the shit-fan that my plans now are devised with some hard-won wisdom and experience, and the expectation of attainability is slightly less naïve and more reasonable? Time will tell, time will tell.

#i was really losing it for a while there tho #6 months has generally been my limit #makes for a very spotty resume #but at least i know what's going on now

[radioactivecallista]

The drivers license renewal system in my state is fucked up, and I’m not even going to get into the fucked-up-ness of appointments just to renew a license and all the requirements for that, and the months-long wait for the next one. I’m going to bitch about the smaller problems that could VERY EASILY be solved if anybody wanted to actually make things better. Clearly they do not.

1. Print the new license on-site instead of making the person wait up to 10 business days to get it mailed. My old employer could make new security badges in 30-60 seconds. You can have a printer at every DMV (probably two printers, given the low reliability of printers in general) and make the new cards right there.

2. Failing that, put an official seal on the temporary printed license. Maybe have it notarized or something like that. Because nobody accept temporary licenses for anything. They have some limited function, I guess - if you get pulled over you can say “see, my license isn’t expired, it was renewed last week” and maybe the cop will check and then not ticket you for having an expired license. But you can’t use it to pick up medication that requires an ID, you can’t buy alcohol with it, you can’t really use it because everyone is like “lol how do I know it’s not fake.” So put some special seal on it and make it a crime to copy the seal, and amend TABC, drug, banking, etc. laws so that if someone accepts a temporary ID with the seal and it otherwise seems legit, they can’t be held liable if it turned out to be a fake, the person with the fake is the one who gets fined.

This whole thing is stupid. I need to pick up a Schedule 2 prescription. I can’t pick it up until my new license arrives in the mail because an expired card with a current, valid paper card isn’t good enough. Fuck you. I’ll live, but I’ll be in more pain than necessary because it’s not bad enough to justify an expensive hospital trip but it’s still very unpleasant and an unnecessarily cruel situation brought about by overly picky ID laws and shitty procedures. And by the time I get my license I’ll probably have healed enough from the antibiotics and acid reducers that the painkillers will be pointless.

I DID try to get in before it expired in March. In December the closest appointment I could get was mid-March, but then they didn’t accept my proof of residency and legal status (seriously?) so I had to do it over and the next available appointment - 30 miles away! - was June. Next one locally was late August, nope no thanks, I’ll just travel a bit. Also they didn’t even ask me for proof of residency at the second place but they did make me prove I wasn’t an “undocumented immigrant.” First of all, it’s a driver’s license, not an application to run for President in 2024, so who cares? Second, I’ve had a license in this state since 1997 - why do you suddenly give a shit now about where I was born? It doesn’t affect my ability to drive. I could have been born on the Moon for all it matters, I clearly passed my driving test and eye exam.

#licenses #license renewal #texas #rant #ideas

[danielleverboski2b]

Danielle verboski

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