#with a line half-borrowed from robert frost

[lafiametta]

Daughter as a Helnik one word prompt, please? 💕💕

More Wandering Isle AU, where they do, in fact, live on a farm (partially inspired by this gorgeous poem)

The sound of laughter and delighted squeals greeted him as he stepped through the kitchen door, followed by the warm aroma of yeast and cinnamon. 

Nina was standing at the counter, apron tied around her waist, and in her arms was Dasha, erupting in giggly hiccups as she pounded her tiny hands along the floury surface. White puffs emerged with each blow, billowing across both mother and child, turning the countertop—already a scene of chaos—into a wintry war zone. 

“Are you helping Mama?” Nina cooed as she bounced Dasha in her arms. “Oh, yes, that’s very good.” 

Dasha had dark hair, like her mother, but her eyes were Fjerdan blue, and each time they blinked at him it tugged at a secret place in Matthias’s heart. 

He kissed both of them on the cheek and then stepped over to the basin, eager to wash the dirt and sweat of the bright afternoon off his hands and face. 

“The southern wall looks good,” he told Nina, as he wiped a damp cloth across his forehead. “Should hold until the winter, at least.” 

Matthias had gone out after lunch, saddled up one of the ponies and ridden down to the bottom of the lower field, where their land touched Old Faolan’s. He had seen the three of them in town a few days earlier and warned Matthias that a portion of the rock wall that divided their properties was near collapse—or at least attempted to, as Matthias’s grasp of Kaelish was still rudimentary at best. Nina thankfully stepped in to translate, and then invited the old man over for tea the following afternoon for his trouble. 

“It’s his wall, too,” Matthias had grumbled in Ravkan. “Don’t see why he can’t tend to it.”

Nina smiled, a dazzling one he knew was mostly for the benefit of Old Faolan. “Good walls make good neighbors, my love,” she murmured. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that?”

It had taken an hour or two under the warm sun for Matthias to set the wall to rights, mostly by hauling stones back into place and adding a few on top for good measure. Their sheep were wily beasts—when they were not being irrepressibly stupid—and needed few excuses to wander far from home. 

Nina wiped Dasha’s plump arms free of flour with the bottom of her apron, holding her a little tighter as the child began to squirm. “I think this one’s ready for a little nap, hmmm?” She glanced over at him expectantly. “Can you take her? I need to finish up these sweet rolls.” 

The dough had finished rising and was sitting in a bowl atop the counter—along with every other spoon, pan, and canister in the house, all of it in a state of complete disarray. Matthias, as always, held his tongue when it came to the way Nina ran her kitchen, so different from the way his mother had when he was a boy, everything spotless and in its place. This was Nina’s domain and, like Nina, it was at turns unruly and untidy and utterly brimming with love.  

Matthias took Dasha from her, feeling her warm body grow even heavier as he curled her against his chest. She was little more than a year old, on the verge of walking and talking and all those things he wanted desperately and at the same time hoped would never come. Her face nuzzled along his neck and he began to croon softly to her in Fjerdan, a worn childhood melody whose last few verses he could not fully recall. 

She was half-asleep by the time they reached the top of the stairs. 

He laid Dasha down in her wooden cradle, letting her hold two of his fingers as he watched her eyelids slowly droop and close. It was getting too small for her, he realized, and soon he would need to build something bigger, something with sides so she would not escape as easily as the sheep. The old cradle—well, perhaps it could be put away somewhere, in case they needed it again. 

Matthias wasn’t sure if Nina wanted another child. He, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to give Dasha a host of brothers and sisters, and to fill the house with the patter of their feet along the floor. In the end, he knew, it would not be up to him, but still, he hoped. Nina’s pregnancy had been difficult at times—having another heart beating inside her body had been a source of some disquiet for her—and the birth had been an ordeal neither of them wished to remember. There was also the question of Dasha: would she be Grisha, like her mother? They would not know for many years, and even though the war had been over for some time, a part of it scared Matthias, a cold hand around his heart. 

For now, though, he would let his daughter sleep, his lips pressing softly against the crown of her head before he stood to go. 

Downstairs, it smelled heavenly, even as the mess seemed to have increased in an exponential fashion. Nina was leaning over to put the last of the pans into the oven, the delectable curve of her hips on full display, wisps of dark hair curling along the back of her neck. Even half-covered in flour, her apron smeared with stains, she was completely irresistible. 

He gave her a moment to close the oven door before pressing her back against the counter. Her hands flew along the edge to steady herself, and then migrated upwards to his cheeks, holding him there as their lips met in a warm, inviting kiss. 

After a moment, they paused to breathe, Nina pulling away just long enough to take one look at him and begin laughing. She held up her hands, flour from the countertop coating her fingers—and, Matthias could only assume, his face as well. 

She shook her head, green eyes sparkling. “Saints, I’ve made a mess of you.” 

“You’ve been doing that since the day we met, I think,” he said, grinning, and then lifted her up to sit along the counter, clouds of flour escaping from under her skirts. Nina’s eyes turned round with shock, only to gleam with a familiar hint of mischief—but before she could enact some reprisal, Matthias pulled her close and pressed his mouth to hers. She sighed and melted against him, arms curling tight around his neck. 

He kissed her there in that absolute wreck of a kitchen, kissed her hard at first, then slow and sweet, and even with his heart near full to bursting—for Nina, for Dasha, for everything they had and all their silly sheep—he had no intention of ever letting go. 

[send me a one-word Helnik prompt]

#helnik #nina zenik #matthias helvar #shadow and bone #six of crows #fanfiction #helnik fic #anon asks #with a line half-borrowed from robert frost

[bluboothalassophile]

HfaB Universe Openings

Hello,

It has come to my attention that DC has been slightly disappointing us fans. So I’ve thinking to expand on it to the other super families DC has to offer. But I’ve also realized that this undertaking is a wee bit too big for me to do by myself, so I’m thinking to open the Hopes for a Bastard Universe to a few writers who are interested in this undertaking.

The families I’m offering for adoption are the Supers, Flash, Arrows, and Aquas.

The expansion rules are simple, the goal is to smooth out the inconsistencies of DC, and to create a smooth out the interactions of the characters. 

To join, those interested will direct me and my co-judge, @bookaholicpt, to the samples, and together we will select the writers who are most interested in joining. Feel free to tag or message me so we can go investigate your writing.

Now, the goal is open communication between the writers so, yes, there are some ESTABLISHED points from what I’ve already written for the Hopes for a Bastard Series, Rooftop Dances, Oceans Away, Parent Trap, Run Of Your Life, and Chemistry. But other than what little of the external families has been established free creative licence with the families.

Rules for Once In:

No Killing Characters Without Consulting

No Cheating On Married Characters Without Consulting

All Ships Must Be Consulted On, There Are A Few Endgames Already Set

Characters can have one-sided crushes, at the writers discretions

NO Major Events (death, marriage, cheating, relationships, sex, etc.) Impacting On OTHER Families Without Consulting The Impacted Family

Friendships, Team Ups, and Borrowing of Other Characters Must Be Consulted On.

NO CHARACTER BASHING! None. You can dislike a character, I dislike some, but there will be no character bashing. If there is to be character bashing, then you, as the writer, will have to work on selling this through actions, writing, and not just senseless bashing.

No OCs, unless you bring valid reasons for the OC and the OC is not the main of the story, DC has a plethora of characters at our disposal so please, dig into using those.

Now, the winners of this little competition will be offered a single page, black & white, comic panel by, @chromium7sky, who has kindly offered this.

Now, I have the Bats, and Outlaws obviously, as I work on the Hopes for a Bastard Series and Rooftop Dance Trilogy. So if you wish to use the Bats for the story, you need to speak to me about that, but I know the Bats are friends with other superfamilies so I won’t be hording them; to a degree. Same with the Outlaws.

IF Presented with a GOOD Plot Idea for the Titan Teams, or JL Teams, then we will discuss building on those. But to take a Team, with Cross Over Characters means presenting an ACTUAL Plot for those kinds of stories.

Super Families for Adoption:

Aqua Family:

Family Members: Arthur C., Mera, Orm, Garth, Dolphin, Kaldur’ahm, Tula, Arthur Curry Jr., Koryak, Lorena M.

Arthur and Mera are married, they do have a strong marriage

Garth is the exact same age as Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson, and they are friends

Garth is friends with Dick, Roy, and Wally

Kaldur’ahm is gay or bi, depending on the writer’s preference

Garth can be in a relationship with Tula or Dolphin, or a love triangle if you can pull it off

Koryak was born before Arthur was married to Mera and before Arthur was Aquaman and King of Atlantis

Arthur Joseph Curry is the same age as Damian Wayne

Arrow Family:

Family Members: Oliver Q., Felicity S., Roy H., Emiko Q., Tommy M., J. Digg, Artemis C., Connor H., William C., Walter S., Lian H., Detective Q. Lance, Dinah L., Mia D., Cissy K.

Oliver and Felicity are married with a strong marriage

Laurel and Tommy were engaged

Laurel is dead

Moira is dead

Thea is dead

Dinah L. is Detective Lance’s youngest teenage daughter, half sister of Sara and Laurel

Emiko is bi

Tommy is foster father of Cissy and Mia

Lian’s second dad is Jason T.

Roy’s joked on ‘husband’ is Jason T.

Roy is a recovering addict

Mia does have HIV

Artemis is half Vietnamese and Jade’s younger sister

Artemis is marrying/married to (depending on where in the HfaB timeline) Wally West and mother of Irey W. and Jai W.

Flash Family:

Family Members: Barry A., Iris W., Detective J. West, Wally W., Cecile H., Jenna W., Bart A., Jay G., Joan G., Wallace W., Floyd L., Zoe L., Suchin L., Irey W. (depending on HfaB Time Line), Don W. & Dawn W. (depending on the HfaB Timeline), Caitlin S., Cisco R., Harry W., Jesse Q.

Joe has had two wives, Francine & Cecile

Francine is dead and white with red hair (yes, this change was to accomidate Wally West I’s appearence of being white with red hair)

Wally West I is related Iris through her older half brother Robert [deceased] who was mothered by Francine

Jay and Joan Garrick are from Earth 2, which was destroyed

Barry and Iris are happily married

Harry is from Earth 3

Bart is from the Injustice Future (will elaborate to the person who adopts the Flash family)

Bart does not talk about the future

Bart is gay and aware he only likes guys

Irey is from the future

Caitlin is Killer Frost and a JL doctor with high security clearence

Wallace West II is related to Iris West by her younger brother, Daniel who is on Suicide Squad

Floyd Lawton adopted Wallace and lives in Central City with Wallace, Suchin, and Zoe

Iris had a set of twins first; Don and Dawn (depending on HfaB Timeline

Irey is from the future, she’s live with Wally and has a twin in her time; Jai

Super Family:

Family Members: Martha K., Clark K., Lois L., Jon K., Kara Zor-El, Kon-El, Karen Starr, Christopher Kent, Tanya Spears

Clark Kent and Lois Lane are married happily

Jonathan Kent is dead

Jon is Clark and Lois’ son

Kara is also adopted by Clark and Lois, they’re her guardians, not parents; Kara is still Clark’s very young cousin

Kon is adopted, yes, it’s a conflict in the family

Kon and M’gann are expecting twins (family feelings on that is open for interpretation)

Power Girl, a.k.a. Karen Starr is posing as Kara’s older sister

Karen is a lesbian

Karin is from Earth 2, which is destroyed

Chris Kent was adopted after Raven’s connection to the portals and Phantom Zone went haywire in Holiday Express Shipping

Tanya attends MIT

Characters of undetermined sexual orientation can be up to the writer. If a character is obviously gay, bi, lesbian or asexual then the writer will decide, but share to the rest of the writers, about this decision. Race and religion are not to be toyed with, unless that’s still unknown, but for the most part these are known. Try to stay true to the origins of the character, but alterations can be made but please inform us of these alterations.

The goal of opening the HfaB Universe is to create this to be a smoother world than the DC universe, we’re smoothing it out and fixing it. Because frankly I can’t be the only one tired of this shit. So if you’re interested, tag me, or talk to me and present samples. @bookaholicpt and I will work on deciding the winners of this.

#bluboothalassophile #hello reader #hopes for a bastard universe

[randomaldiarytranscriptions]

1836 Thursday 15 December

7 35/..

12 5/..

No kiss fine frosty morning – hard frost – Fahrenheit 32 1/2  at 8 1/2  a.m.

out 1/2  hour with Robert Mann and 3 puddling moving puddling in the lowpool – breakfast at 9 10/.. to near 10  Ann did her French –

Holt and Joseph Mann came a few minutes before 10 – had finished measuring at Shengdon head Holt – will come again on Friday – came this morning about the Long goit – had measured all to where they are pulling up now in the 3 corners piece belonging to Pump – reminded me of the alteration in the price - yes! quite right – I well remembered all about it – Holt to consider the matter well even – whether an inclined plain would pay or not – if any doubt about paying not to be done –

some while with the gardener sodding up to the rock-work at the top of the rock-bridge – and ordered my own 2 carts off to Hippenholme quarry for stone for finishing the low pool – Robert Mann and his men to go and help to loaden – (they went once in the morning and once this afternoon) – the rest of the day brought John for the gardener and carted away the cellar pass stuff –

off to Halifax (by the Lodge) down the old bank to Mr Parkin’s office met his boy in the old bank with a note asking the prices bid by Womersley for the stone and farm – Mr Parkins not at home –

saw Mr Adams for about 1/2 hour – stone 7/6 per yard Farm £40 per annum asked if they had written to Mr Turner (Mr Graham’s attorney) no! said I had hardly sent off my note last night when I found I could not be sure of the money by the 7th of next month – might have it when by the 19th instead but could not be sure till the 30th of april – told Mr Adams to delay the payment till the 1st of may –

he said hey would be glad unless they had got a good security ready which was unlikely at 4 per cent – I observed this remark without seeming to observe it – said I had been twice disappointed about the money – desired to have the account of what Messes Parkin and Adams had paid in account to Nelson - £200 or £300 that I should be glad if they could let me put off paying them this at present – I should be able to settle every thing by the 1st of may – said I was not certain but thought I should be glad to have £2000 for 3 or 4 months –

Adams said it could not be had for less than 5 per cent no! said I, that is the least I expect . Adams said Mr Wainhouse was a monied man perhaps he might advance it did not know his views – I said £1000 would do and if the sum was only £1000 I would take it till 1 May at the interest required (this according to their terms not mine) or keep it afterwards as Mr Wainhouse might think best – Adams desired me to let them know if I should want the money or not – I asked if it would be inconvenient to Messers Parkin and Adams to go on paying what might be required for Nelson’s account till I could settle it – For what they had already paid and not Greens expected I of course expected them to charge 5 per cent – I should leave them their account to settle –

Adams said I only had the thousand for 3 months (according to law any rate of interest may be charged if the time be only 3 months) a promissory note would be enough – I said yes! that the money would be safe enough even if any thing happened to me – my will would be left at Hainleys – there was my navigation stock and I had business made a sufficient portion of my estate liable to my debts – Adams would of course under stand the feeling which would make me better pleased to have the thousand from them than from a friend – I would not call up my friends if I could help –

Adams looked significantly as if perhaps au fait at all this said he knew I could have the money without any difficulty – evidently supposing I had alluded to Adny -

from Parkin and Adams’s went to the bank – glad to find Mr McKean himself in the bank – had not expected finding him on a Thursday but happened to be in Halifax and called to say that I was much obliged by his letter received last night – he sent Mr Davidson away I saying it was of no consequence but McKean evidently or seemingly writing it on his own account – said he had written with great regret but was obliged to write – they were but a branch – the head at Leeds – the directors had found (said he in a low tone) almost all the customers have like myself (this said as if much worse than myself) over drawing their credit and the bank wishing to appear as well as it could in London he had been obliged to write to all – did not wish to inconvenience me – very sorry very civil – I said I had merely wished to explain why I had so over drawn and asked for and brought away the extract from my journal – said Mr Davidson had possibly misunderstood me about the £1600 – I had told him that it was unfortunate that I had that sum to pay on the 19th instalment but that I should try to delay it and in fact I had delayed it till the 1st of May – I would do the best I could – pay something into the bank before the cut of the year if I could but at any rate would not draw up them again till I had paid something – would do the best I could –

from the bank went to Mr Gilmore’s about 11 3/4 where Ann had been about 5 mins (had been at Nicholson’s) – sat with her making out a few of her list of difficulties, till about after 2 – then to the Post Office 2 letters one for Ann from her sister one for me from Messers Gray solicitors York – the lady���s money secured on landed property lately sold – will not be paid till April – cannot make any advice before that time unless by loan from her banker – reluctant to incur this obligation – must pay 5 per cent – but if she did borrow would I pay the 5 per cent –

on returning was a little while with Robert Mann and co – then sent them off to loaden the carts – and on their return from the quarry sent them to ride the old oak timber brought by mark Hogarth from Hill top – had brought 3 loads today –

after sending off Robert Mann to the quarry came in and read my letter from Messers Gray and wrote in answer that I would pay the 5 per cent and commission; and that in consequence of arrangements made this morning., one thousand would be enough but that I should be sorry to lay their client under my disagreeable obligation to the banker and commenting up the whole time being ready by the 30th of April, I would wait for it till that time –

out again about 4 p.m. – musing how to do the lower pool – difficult but think I see my way at last – walked 1/2 hour in front of the house to warm my feet – then in the cellar pass – dug out up to the house wall and ready for opening into the west tower –

dressed – copied into my business letter book the note written last night to Messers Parkin and Adams and my letter to Messers Gray which I have just this moment had the mortification to find lying on my desk – I called but not sent –

dinner at 6 1/2  - Ann read French – coffee – I read a little of the Quarterly Revue that came last night – the excellent article on Lord Mahon’s history of England from the peace of Utrecht to that of Aix-la-Chapelle very interesting work and critique –

from 8 1/2  to 9 1/2  wrote all but the 1st half line of today – very fine hard frosty day Fahrenheit 40°and raining and highish wind now at 9 40/.. p.m. then till 11 siding in my study very rainy windy stormy night –