#���she wants to blow up the world”

[fastandcarlos]

Save The Day : ̗̀➛ Carlos Sainz

summary: your shopping trip couldn't have gotten much worse, until a stranger approaches and swoops in to save the day

“Excuse me, is everything alright? You look in need of some help.” 

Your eyes flickered up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, noticing a man stood just beside you. You were walking all over the place as you tried to push your daughter’s pram, balancing your shopping bags in both of your hands, barely able to walk in a straight line as things stopped to drop out onto the floor. 

You smiled shyly across at the man as he picked the bits that you had dropped off of the floor. Once he’d put them in a bag he took the bags from both of your hands, walking by your side. Walking immediately felt easier as you focused on pushing the pram out of the store and over to where your car was parked. 

The man carried your bags with ease, the strength easily defined in his arms as he walked at your pace. You didn’t quite know where to look as you walked, feeling his eyes watching over you. 

“Where’s your car?” He asked you, watching you point to your small car that was hidden by a much fancier looking vehicle, a car far too expensive for the area where you lived. 

There was a shade of embarrassment in your cheeks as you walked, feeling slightly humiliated that you weren’t able to carry your bags. Trying to balance all the weight was hard, but you were stubborn, and liked to think that you could take on the world all by yourself. 

“I’m just here,” you told him, reaching into your bag for your keys. 

You opened up the boot, going to take the bags, only for the man to swerve you. “Allow me,” he grinned, easily lifting the bags and placing them in the back of your car. 

You stepped back as he did so, watching as he carefully let go of them. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that for me, most people just walk straight on by.” 

“Well, I’m not most people,” he told you, a wide smile on his face. “Most people are assholes, it’s human nature to help someone when you see them struggling, or in my eyes at least.” 

You offered him a grin as you unbuckled your daughter’s pram to start getting her into the car. “Saying thank you doesn’t really feel like enough, there’s got to be something that I can do for you.” 

His head shook, taking a step back and watching as you took your daughter into your arms, hearing her let go of a squirm. You hated taking her out when she was asleep, but at this point you couldn’t wait to get home and forget about your struggle. 

“She’s beautiful,” the man whispered behind you, leaning across and tickling against her tummy, bringing a smile to her face again. “I bet your mummy and daddy feel like they won the lottery with you,” he added, only to watch your smile drop, eyes landing on the ground. 

“I-it’s just me,” you stuttered, immediately hearing the man mumble several apologies beside you. “Don’t be sorry, I’m used to it by now. Most of the time I’m alright, the two of us make quite the team,” you smiled, not wanting him to feel bad for you. 

It didn’t stop the man feeling guilty for making his assumptions, sensing that you found things harder than you were letting on to him. 

As the two of you fell silent, your daughter soon began to get quite unsettled in your hold. You quickly tried to settle her, bouncing her in your arms, but as a gust of wind blew through the car park, your eyes soon darted onto the sight of her pram beginning to blow away from you. 

“I got it!” The man shouted, running down the car park and quickly grabbing onto it. 

“You really are saving the day for me today, aren’t you?” You smiled. 

He looked around and found the brakes of the pram, quickly putting them on. Before you knew it, he had managed to collapse it down, placing it into the back of your car too, making sure not to squash any of your shopping. 

“You must have had some practice doing that before.” 

“No,” he smiled back across at you, “but I assumed it can’t be too hard to figure out. I’ve not really got any experiences with babies, although I’d like to,” he carried on, surprising himself that he suddenly decided to confess such a thing to someone that he barely knew. 

You didn’t quite know what to say as he spoke, offering him a sympathetic smile. You weren’t expecting him to be so open with you, leaving you a little loss for words. You almost felt bad for standing in front of him with your daughter in your arms, as if you were showing off that you had something that he seemed to want.  

“Does your partner not want children?” 

His eyes widened at your question, unaware that you had dropped yourself in it almost as much as he had done with you only a few moments earlier, feeling bad when his head shook at you. 

“I don’t have a partner,” he told you, scratching nervously over the top of his head. “I’m going through life on my own currently, that’s why I have so much time to help other people when they’re in a mess.” 

“Well, you definitely saved me from one today.” 

He was glad to have been able to help you out, but now he found himself unable to take his eyes off of your daughter. There was something about him that seemed to be drawing her to him too, her eyes watching him closely every time he moved or spoke. 

“I didn’t even get the chance to introduce myself, I’m Carlos by the way.” 

“I’m Y/N,” you smiled back across at him. 

“And who’s your little one?” He asked, poking your daughter’s tummy again. 

A giggle came from her that left you both grinning. “This is Luna,” you told him, “although I think you might be able to call her your biggest fan judging from the smile on her face.” 

“Well, I like to keep my fans happy, so do you think Luna would like to hang out again sometime?” Carlos offered, “I mean, only if that’s something that her mummy would like to do too.” 

“I think she would,” you smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “and I don’t think her mummy would mind either if she got the chance to see you again, maybe coffee sometime?” 

Carlos nodded in reply to your offer. “I’d love to grab a coffee with you, well, the both of you. How about I give you my number and you can let me know a time that works best for the two of you?” 

“Yeah, that would be good,” you told him, walking across to place your daughter into her car seat so that you could take Carlos’ phone from him. 

His smile was wide as he passed it across, “make sure you text yourself from my phone so you have my number too. You can save my number as the guy who saved the day.” 

“You’re a bit of a hero, aren’t you?” You smiled. 

“Well, I certainly try my best.” 

˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ! ´ˎ˗

[thewistlingbadger]

All the shade in the world when we say we want complex women characters we want more Ellie Williams and other characters whose actions make our insides twist, not frustrate us. We want characters that we hold beloved to become corrupted by fate but still have the opportunity for some redemption.

Caitlyn Kiramman is an interesting character, but she does not fit the bill for the "complex female characters" we desire. Jinx, Vi, and Mel better fit that bill. All three of those women have given us reason to both love and despise them. Many a difficult conversation have they been the subject of. And to me personally Cait just falls flat. And I don't think it's her own fault I think it's the writing. Season 1 cait is 🔛🔝 but season two cait? I understand that she's grieving her mother, HOWEVER, we barely saw any interaction between the two of them and the little that we did see showed us that she wasn't fucking with her like that/they had a complex and somewhat negative relationship. Imagine how the season opened with Cait actually finding her mom's dead body. We would all feel sick, and we'd all pity her. Or imagine had we been given a flashback between her and her mother when she was a child in the garden, having a good time. Or imagine how they just even mentioned the fact that their relationship was strained. Losing a parent is bad, what makes it worse is having unfinished business with that parent (which is why people love the story of Ellie Williams, it's why we understand why she wants to go after her father's killer other than the fact that the killer murdered her father). Caitlin only having one motivation to go after jinx, to descend into hell, to avenge her mother is not even. "Jinx killed mom now I kill Jinx" there's nothing compelling about that. We've seen the story several times.

Just to give a direct comparison.

Jinx's dad was a man she had an extremely complicated relationship with and this relationship was showcased throughout the season. The fact that she essentially lost her sister and killed her father at the same time is what pushes her over the edge. We completely understand why she's going to burn the world down because the show told us over and over and over again. Jinx always manages to lose the people she loves the most, and this time it's happened directly by her own hand.

Jinx's missile only kills three people, blows up a building, and inspiresb fear in the hearts of pilties and amazment in the hearts of Zaunites. Her actions were bad, but ultimately very few people actually suffered from her actions. The council only lost three people, it's not like pilltover's governmentless now (like how zaun is). The damage to the building wasn't that bad and it's easily repairable. And overall from her actions alone the citizens of pilltover are still safe.

Now let's look at cait. She's actively ruining the lives of zaunites by mass gassing them (we also how many kids were on the street. We all know how many homeless and disabled people there are in zaun. Now they're all negatively affected due to cait's lust of vengeance) and by arresting them when they've committed no crime. She's parading around the city with deadly weapons, under the authority of which she does not have! Cait abuses her name and her position as an enforcer to DEMAND that the council follow her plan. She had absolutely no right to storm into there and act like she had the power to call shots. What's even more gross is that she completely lied to them! Her goal was never to locate jinx, it was always to kill Jinx. If she truly cared about bringing jinx to proper justice, she would have ensured she be brought alive. If she truly cared about dismantling shimmer, she would have done that first bc A. Vi knows exactly where the factory is and B. According to silco, the last attack already cut the supply in half. It would have been easy to finish that off. Caitlyn acts like she's judge, jury, and Executioner the entire time she's down there. Her prejudice increases exponentially AS does her willingness to he openly prejudice. She literally refers to Vi's countrymen as animals, and accuses vi of being disloyal several times! and must we truly mention the assault she did? Must we mention that she was willing to kill a kid? That's a line jinx herself has not even willingly crossed yet, and she's practically crossed all other lines.

At the moment Caitlin is not a character who's doing the wrong things for what she believes is the right reason. She's acting out of complete selfishness. Even jinx, who committed an act of terrorism, didn't do it for herself. She did it for her dad, who worked so hard to bring down piltover and didn't live to see it because he refused to trade his daughter for Independence and peace.

So these are just only a few reasons why people don't support her this season. And her level of oppression, arrogance, and maliciousness is exactly why people are calling out those who defend her, because the majority of her defenders are privileged and white.

"We want more complex female characters" you can't even handle an angry, grieving daughter who just had her mother killed by her future wife's sister, shut the fuck up

[strawberrykidneystone]

unexpected protection

summary: this was not how the mission was supposed to go, but with sevika curling herself around you, it was hard to complain

a/n: i’m such a sap for sevika this is embarrassing

tags: fluff, canon violence, explosions mentioned, kissing

thank you for the request anon!!

ao3 version

you were supposed to keep an eye on isha while sevika and jinx fought with cait and vi. somehow, the little shit slipped down the balcony while you were busy watching the fight while trying not to bite your nails in worry and was now she was holding a gun to vi’s forehead.

you cursed under your breath and quickly vaulted down the wall with your gloved hand trailing down the concrete to slightly slow you down. sevika was definitely going to give you an earful after this. you landed close to the switch where the main explosive that the four of you had set up earlier was waiting to be flipped, and now seemed as good of a time as any.

yet no one moved a muscle, no one wanted this kid to shoot that gun. well of course until cait had shot the gun out of the poor kid’s hand. jinx had already decided to sacrifice herself and made you promise to take care of the kid, you were not going to break that promise.

as you turned your head to set the explosive off, sevika beat you to it and flipped the switch, quickly followed by a deep boom. jinx yelled out something that was quickly lost to the wind, a strong enough gust followed the blast that it was close to knocking you off of your feet. you watched as vi and cait were sent flying back, looking around desperately for your own anchor. the only reason you weren’t sent flying was because of your position behind a huge concrete block in front of you blocking the air from taking you away.

suddenly, you felt an arm around you that pushed you forward against the block. you recognized sevika immediately as she curled herself around you, pushing her body against yours while she clung to the wall with her mechanical arm. her flesh arm was wrapped firmly around you shoulders to the front of your chest. you hands came up and clung to her arm, shaking with the intensity of the wind trying to blow the two of you away. your heart was beating so loud that you could hear it in your ears and you hoped she couldn’t feel it hammering against her arm. you stole a glance at her face, needing to ensure that she was alright. she had her eyes closed tightly and was muttering to herself, it almost looked like she was praying.

shit, she was praying.

you took a deep breath and leaned your forehead against her arm, reassuringly squeezing your hands around her bicep. she dropped her head down to meet the crown of your scalp, you could feel her lips pressing against your hair and her warm breath puffing through her nose. it felt like she was burying her nose in your hair, but you just chalked that up to the strength of the wind jerking the two of you around.

you had never been this physically close to her before, only exchanging playful shoulder checks or nudges at best. now though, this felt oddly personal, very odd for sevika as she usually treated you with indifference most of the time. being this close to her felt so natural, her warmth enveloping you as it effortlessly radiated off her. you couldn’t tell if it was her natural body heat or if her mechanical arm was overheating, but you savored it regardless. sevika just felt… safe. she was always a rock you could count on, even after silco died, she let you hang around the last drop, trusting you enough to let you attempt to fix her broken arm. fine, you’d admit it, you had a huge crush on her. how could you not???

after what felt like hours, the wind finally subsided. you heard sevika’s mechanical arm unlatch from the block with a satisfying crunch. you let go of her arm and she surprisingly stayed crouched down in front of you, keeping her flesh arm planted by your head.

you wiggled around and faced her, as soon as you met her eyes the rest of the world began to melt away. you reached up and cupped her cheeks, eyes darting briefly to her lips before locking eyes with her once again. she pushed herself forward and crashed her lips into yours with such passion and ferocity, it nearly knocked you on your ass. you swung your arms around her neck and met her passion tenfold, pressing your lips so hard into hers that you’re pretty sure you forgot how to breathe. her flesh hand wrapped around your waist and gripped you so hard that her nails were digging into your skin while her mechanical arm lay dormant to the side. in this moment, there were no enforcers, no top side threats, nothing could bring you down from having sevika sliding her lips against yours so perfectly, you’d swear your lips were made solely to kiss her.

you broke the kiss when you started to feel so lightheaded you thought you were going to faint, a dazed smile adoring your face as you looked up at her. she looked frazzled, which was very unlike sevika, and was panting just as hard as you. she rested her forehead against yours and caught her breath while your hands tangled in her hair, still sweaty from the fight.

“i didn’t know how much i wanted to do that until i almost lost you,” she whispered with an unfamiliar, yet not unwelcome tenderness laced in her voice.

you giggled and shook your head, kissing her nose, “better late than never i guess.”

a half-smirk crept onto her lips and she snorted, looking at you with nothing but adoration in her eyes. as she leaned in to kiss you again, a dramatic groan sounded from the other side of the building.

“can you two stop making out? we have to go before the enforcers come back!” jinx yelled out from a higher ledge, isha clinging onto her leg.

“yeah yeah one second brat,” sevika snapped, with no actual bite to her voice. she pressed one last soft kiss to your lips before standing up, offering her flesh hand down to you. taking her hand, you stood up and laced your fingers with hers, and gave a quick nod to jinx.

“let's get out of here.”

[theonottsbxtch]

I LOVED YOU FIRST PT2 | FC43

part one

an: not even gonna leave an an, i always had a part two lol

wc: 5.2k

Franco found out she was dating Angelo via an Instagram story. A fucking Instagram story.

But that was almost three years ago now, and Franco tried to let it go, god did he try. He was getting married now, after all. He had to forget about what could have been.

The engagement ring on his finger felt heavier than it should. Not because he hadn’t once thought it was right—he had. Or maybe he just convinced himself it was right. They’d been together for four years, maybe more, he stopped counting. She was beautiful, poised, easy to love, easy to fit into his world. That’s what he’d told himself, anyway.

But now, standing in the grand suite of the London hotel they’d rented for the weekend, Franco stared out the window at the city below, watching the lights flicker in the distance. He hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was missing. Not that he had any right to be questioning it. After all, he was about to get married, wasn’t he?

The last three years had been a blur of wins, podiums, and post-race parties. Formula 1 had been a dream realised, his face plastered across billboards in every country, every magazine with his name next to the headlines. He’d travelled the world, earned millions, lived a life many envied. But somewhere along the way, his heart had wandered.

And the truth was, despite the glamour, despite the fame, the money, he couldn’t shake the thought of her. The way she’d looked when she told him she loved him first. The way her eyes had glistened with unshed tears that night in Monza—before she left for good. The way she’d walked away, no longer the girl he took for granted. It was like he could still see her disappearing down the hallway of the hotel, leaving him behind, a shadow in her past.

What if I had chosen her?

He thought about that too often. But it was too late. She was gone. She’d moved on with Angelo, the guy who was everything Franco wasn’t—steady, grounded, someone who could give her a love that wasn’t tied to racing, fame, or endless, mind-numbing travel. And that fucking Instagram story—her laughing, the two of them in a café in Buenos Aires, arms around each other, looking so effortlessly happy—had been the final blow.

That was the last straw.

And now, three years later, here he was—about to get married, with the wrong person. He should have been thrilled, but something about it gnawed at him, like he was suffocating in a life that wasn’t his own. She was everything he thought he wanted. She’d followed him to every race, always the perfect girlfriend, the perfect partner. But the truth was, he wasn’t sure he loved her anymore. He wasn’t sure he ever had.

She had been the easy option. She fit into the world he’d built for himself—the shiny, public life, the world of sponsorships and media appearances. She had the right background, the right education, the right looks. She was what was expected of him. What people saw when they looked at a successful F1 driver: the perfect match, the ideal woman.

But the reality was that whenever he closed his eyes, he saw someone else. He saw her. The girl from that small village in Argentina, the one who’d loved him first and probably would, even when he didn’t deserve it. Even when he hadn’t been able to see it for what it was.

He hadn’t thought about her for a while—not in the sense that would make him ache, not the way he used to. He’d buried that pain under the chaos of the last few years. But it was like a low hum in the back of his mind. Every time he saw Angelo’s name pop up, or when he’d hear a new story about her from people back home, he couldn’t help but wonder how her life had turned out. Was she happy? Was she still with Angelo? Was she finally over him?

He could only imagine the life she’d built without him—the kind of life she deserved.

But now, standing on the edge of a new chapter of his life, Franco wondered if he’d ever be able to move on. Because, no matter how many laps he raced, no matter how many trophies he collected, it always came back to her. And now, with his wedding on the horizon, he couldn’t help but ask himself: What the hell had he been doing this whole time?

His phone buzzed on the table, snapping him back to the moment. His fiancée. A text: “Hey, I made reservations for dinner tonight!”

He sighed and stared at the screen of his phone, fingers hovering over the keyboard. 

He knew he shouldn’t, it was ridiculous. It was stupid. He had no right to send her an invitation, not after everything. He hadn’t heard from her in so long, hadn’t even thought about reaching out beyond those painful Instagram stories and the passing updates from mutual friends.

But, for some reason, there he was—typing out an invitation to his wedding.

It’s the right thing to do, he told himself. She was a part of his past. She had been the first person to love him unconditionally. They’d spent too many years growing up together not to extend an olive branch. Besides, she had a life now, a life without him. Maybe it was selfish to think she would even want to come, but maybe, just maybe, she deserved to know. She deserved to hear it from him, the way things had turned out.

He hit “send” before he could overthink it any more. The words felt hollow as they left his phone, but there was no going back now.

It was a quiet afternoon in Buenos Aires. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a soft, golden light through the windows of their apartment. She and Angelo had just finished dinner—nothing fancy, just pasta and wine—and now she was curled up on the couch with a book in her lap, one of the many cosy rituals they had settled into over the past couple of years.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She glanced at it, seeing a notification from her email app. The subject line made her pause.

Wedding Invitation: Franco Colapinto.

She blinked, feeling her chest tighten before she even opened it. It had been so long since she’d thought about him—since Monza, really. It was a chapter of her life that had closed the moment she walked away. But the sight of his name brought it all rushing back. The summers spent racing bikes down dirt roads, his smile so effortless, so wide. The way he’d looked at her before everything changed.

Slowly, she opened the email, feeling a strange mixture of nostalgia and disbelief.

I hope this message finds you well. It’s been a while since we last spoke, but I wanted to reach out and invite you to something important. I’m getting married in three months' time, and I wanted to personally invite you to be a part of the day. It wouldn’t feel right without including you.

I understand if you’re unable to come, but I thought it was important to extend the invitation.

I hope everything is going well in your life.

All the best,

Fran

She stared at the message for what felt like an eternity, the words swimming in her mind. There were so many things she could have said, but the only thing she could focus on was the feeling of her heart, beating a little faster than it should. A soft ache settled in her chest.

Three years had passed. She had moved on, found a life she was proud of—one that was stable and calm, filled with love from Angelo, whose steady hand had never wavered, who had been everything Franco couldn’t be. She had built a future, and it was more than she had ever expected for herself.

And yet, the invitation sat there, a reminder of what had been. Of the boy she had loved, the boy who had never truly seen her. Of the boy who she had walked away from.

She set the phone down for a moment, leaning back against the couch. Angelo’s gentle snoring filled the living room from the slightly ajar door, a quiet reminder of the life they had made together—together, with no ghosts of the past lingering between them. But even as she sat there, she could feel the sting of Franco’s message, the painful reminder of how much had been left unsaid.

She thought about the wedding. How strange it felt to be invited to something so intimate, something so final. It was a life she would never be a part of. A life that wasn’t hers to claim, never was. But part of her, deep down, still wondered what had happened. Was he happy? Was this really the life he wanted? Or was this just another easy option for him? Another decision made out of convenience?

Why am I even asking myself this?

She shook her head, her lips curling into a rueful smile. She knew she didn’t want to go. There was no reason to go back to that part of her life, not now. Not when everything she had built with Angelo was exactly where it needed to be.

The following morning, the soft clink of Angelo’s keys echoed through their small kitchen as he got his things ready for work. He was already dressed in his crisp suit, his tie neatly adjusted, preparing for another day at the law firm. She, on the other hand, was in her scrubs, packing her bag for her shift at the hospital.

She was tying her trainers when she saw him glance at her, his eyes focused on his phone.

“Hey,” he said, his voice casual but tinged with curiosity. “You seem a little quiet this morning.”

She shrugged, setting her bag down on the counter. “I’m fine. Just tired, I guess.”

It was only a half-lie. She had hardly slept last night after receiving Franco’s invitation. The words had stuck with her, gnawing at her thoughts, replaying in her mind like a loop she couldn’t escape.

“What’s up?” Angelo asked, watching her intently, his brow furrowing slightly.

She hesitated, then sighed and reached for her phone, pulling up the email Franco had sent her. She handed it to him without a word.

Angelo read it in silence, his eyes scanning the screen. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but somehow, she already knew that he would have an opinion on it.

Finally, he set the phone down and looked at her, his expression unreadable for a moment. “He’s getting married, huh? I didn;’t believe it when I saw it on the news.” he said softly.

“Yeah,” she replied quietly, as if the words themselves felt like an admission. “I guess he thought I should know.”

“You’re not planning on going, are you?” Angelo asked, his voice laced with concern.

She shook her head, biting her lip. “He’s my past now. It doesn’t matter. It’s… it’s not something I need to revisit.”

Angelo nodded, his eyes softening as he stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her face. He knew how much Franco had meant to her—how he had once been the centre of her world. But that was years ago. And he had never once doubted that she was now his world.

“I haven’t seen Franco since we were sixteen,” Angelo said, his tone thoughtful. “I know things between you and him ended... well, the way they did. But maybe it might be good to go. For closure. For you, if nothing else.”

She met his eyes, her gaze wavering. “Closure?” she repeated, almost incredulously. “I don’t need closure, Angelo. I moved on a long time ago.”

“I know,” Angelo said, his voice gentle but firm. “But I think sometimes it’s easy to say we’ve moved on, that we’re over things. But there are pieces of our past that stick with us, no matter how much time passes. Maybe seeing him—seeing that life—will help you put the final chapter behind you. Don’t you think?”

She was quiet for a long moment, turning the idea over in her head. It made sense, in a way. The past had never quite been put to rest, even if she had buried it deep. Maybe it wasn’t about Franco anymore. Maybe it was about facing what had happened, about finding peace with it, once and for all.

“I don’t know,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I don’t want it to mess with what we have, Angelo. I don’t want to go and be reminded of something that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Angelo smiled softly, taking her hand in his. “It won’t. I promise. You’re the one I want, mi amor You’re the one who matters. Whatever happened back then, whatever Franco was, that’s not us. It’s not our life. But if this is something you think you need to do, then I’ll be there with you. I want you to have the closure you need.”

She felt a warmth spread through her chest at his words. Angelo had always been like that—steady, understanding, and so patient with her. He never pushed her to forget, but he also didn’t hold her to the past. He was the one who made her feel safe, who built her the life she was proud of, and the thought of him beside her through whatever this was made her feel like she could take on anything.

With a slow, hesitant breath, she met his eyes. “You’re right. Maybe it would be good to go. I don’t know what I’ll feel when I see him, but I think... I think I can handle it now.”

Angelo smiled, squeezing her hand. “Then we’ll go. Together.”

She nodded, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. The decision was made, and it was time to let go of the last remnants of the past. Franco and his life—whatever that was now—could stay in the past, but she wouldn’t be running from it anymore.

“Thanks,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. “For always being here.”

“Always,” Angelo replied, his voice warm. “Now go. You don’t want to be late for your shift.”

She smiled at him one last time before grabbing her bag and heading for the door. The wedding was still months away, but somehow, her world felt just a little bit more at peace now.

Three months later

The morning of the wedding, the soft rays of the sun filtered through the curtains of their hotel suite, casting a warm, golden glow across the room.

She stood in front of the mirror, smoothing down the fabric of her dress as Angelo adjusted his cufflinks in the reflection behind her. The air was filled with a quiet sense of anticipation. It had been a few months since she agreed to come to the wedding, and now, standing in this luxurious hotel in the heart of the Mediterranean, she could feel the surrealness of it all.

She was here. With him. With Angelo.

He caught her gaze in the mirror, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “You look beautiful,” he said, his voice tender.

She smiled back, her heart swelling with a quiet joy. Angelo was always so calm, so steady, and he knew exactly how to make her feel loved without needing to say much. The simple moments like this were the ones that made her certain that their life together, their future, was the right one.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. He was perfect in every way. “You look handsome, as usual,” she added with a smile.

He chuckled softly. “I try,” he teased, adjusting the hem of his suit jacket before stepping forward to take her hand. “Are you ready for this? I know it’s been a long time coming.”

She nodded, squeezing his hand. “Yeah. I’m ready. It’s just… it’s strange. You know? We’re not the same people we were three years ago. And I feel like I’m finally letting go of that past. I just need to do it, for me. And for us.”

“Whatever you need, you have it,” Angelo said, his voice unwavering, filled with a quiet strength.

She smiled at him, grateful for his support. They had come so far, and no matter what happened today, she knew she was in the right place.

“I’m going to step outside for a second,” she said, pulling away from him gently. “I’m going to grab a photo of the schedule. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” Angelo replied, watching her with those warm, reassuring eyes.

She stepped into the corridor of the hotel, her heels clicking against the polished floor. She pulled out her phone, navigating to the event details to snap a photo of the ceremony’s schedule. The hallway was quiet, save for the distant chatter of guests below and the hum of preparations for the wedding in the distance. The excitement was palpable in the air, but in this moment, everything felt calm.

That was until she heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching from behind.

She turned around, feeling her heart give a small, unexpected jolt when she saw him.

Franco.

He was standing there, half-dressed in a black tuxedo with his shirt untucked, sleeves rolled up, his tie still loose around his neck. He looked just like he did three years ago—handsome, dishevelled in the way that made him seem effortlessly charming.

Her stomach tightened.

“You came,” he said, his voice soft with surprise. 

She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say, before forcing a calm smile. “I said I would,” she replied evenly. Her heart beat just a little faster, but she kept her expression neutral.

He looked at her, his gaze a little more intense than she remembered, and she couldn’t quite place the mix of emotions flickering in his eyes. There was something unspoken there, something she hadn’t expected.

“I didn’t think you’d follow through,” he added, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

She didn’t know what to make of that. She shrugged. “I thought I’d at least be polite.”

A silence stretched between them, uncomfortable and thick with everything that had been left unsaid over the years. Franco’s gaze drifted toward the floor for a moment before he looked back up at her, his jaw tense, and his voice was almost pleading when he spoke.

“Can we talk?” he asked, his words hesitant.

She hesitated, feeling her pulse quicken. She didn’t want this. Didn’t want to go back to the past—didn’t want to open that door again.

“I’d rather not,” she said, her tone firm, though her heart was beating harder than she cared to admit.

Franco’s expression softened. “It’s been three years. Three years overdue, don’t you think?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply, the weight of everything hanging between them. She didn’t owe him anything, and yet, a part of her—perhaps the part that had loved him—knew there was still something lingering. Something that she hadn’t been able to shake off.

She finally gave a soft sigh, one that carried all the weariness of the years that had passed. “Fine,” she said quietly, her shoulders sagging slightly in resignation. “But just for a minute. I don’t have time to rehash everything.”

“Thank you,” Franco murmured, stepping forward as he gestured down the hallway. “My room’s just down here. I won’t keep you long.”

They walked down the corridor in silence, the weight of the moment sinking in. She wasn’t sure what she expected from this conversation, but she knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Not for either of them. When they reached his room, Franco opened the door and stepped aside to let her in.

It was a modest suite, far removed from the lavish ceremony unfolding just downstairs. The quiet of the room seemed to accentuate the tension between them. He closed the door behind them, his movements slow and deliberate.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, his voice distant as he turned to face her. “Water? A drink?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

There was a long pause. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly nervous. For the first time in a long while, he seemed uncertain.

“So…” Franco began, taking a breath, “I guess this is awkward, huh?”

“Yeah,” she replied, her voice steady, but her insides were churning. “A little.”

Before she even had a chance to settle with what she was doing, he shot her straight to the heart with the words that came out of his mouth.

“I never meant to hurt you,” he said, his voice quiet. “I know I did, but that wasn’t ever my intention. You were always there for me, and I should’ve done better. I should’ve realised…”

Franco ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture that was all too familiar. He seemed to be gathering the courage to say something, but when he spoke, his words were not what she expected.

“I should’ve told you,” he started, voice low, almost regretful. “I should have told you that I loved you.”

She blinked, her chest tightening as she took in the weight of his words. “Don’t,” she said quickly, cutting him off. Her voice was sharp, a defence mechanism against the rawness he was trying to expose. “You can’t do that. You can’t come here and say things like that after all this time. It’s... it’s mean.”

Franco’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t back down. “I should’ve told you,” he repeated, his voice thick with something she couldn’t quite place—guilt, perhaps? Regret?

She shook her head, unable to stop herself from responding. “Why are you still with her, then?” Her voice trembled slightly, the question feeling more like a challenge than a simple inquiry. She thought of how excited she must be right now getting ready, while he was confessing his love to his childhood best friend. She wondered whether she knew.

He didn’t answer right away, and when he did, his eyes flickered away, as though he was ashamed of the truth he was about to speak. “It’s easier to pretend to love her,” he admitted, his voice flat. “It’s easier than facing the truth.”

“Than what?” she asked, her words cutting through the air, her eyes locking onto his. “Than admitting you love me?”

The silence that followed was deafening. Franco’s eyes darkened, and he stepped closer, a hesitation lingering between them. He opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he exhaled deeply, as if trying to gather the strength to continue.

“You don’t understand,” he said softly, voice barely above a whisper. “I was scared. I didn’t know how to handle what I was feeling. I still don’t.”

She looked at him, biting her lip, trying to keep herself from breaking. “You can’t do this,” she said, her voice cracking with frustration. “You don’t get to walk back into my life now and make me feel like I was some... some second choice. You don’t get to say things that undo everything we went through.”

Franco’s gaze darkened, but his next words were even more dangerous. “Say it, and I’ll leave her,” he said, his voice low and intense, as if he were testing her. “Say you want me the same way you wanted me three summers ago, and I’ll do it. I’ll walk away from her. I’ll choose you.”

Her breath caught in her throat, her heart stuttering in her chest. The temptation was there—familiar, painful, and so very dangerous. She could feel that old longing tug at her, the part of her that had loved him so fiercely, so deeply. But this wasn’t that girl anymore. She wasn’t the girl who would wait around for him to realise what he’d lost.

“I can’t,” she whispered, feeling tears prick the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “I can’t do that anymore. I’m happy now. I’m happy with Angelo.”

The words felt heavy on her tongue, and for a moment, it felt like she had to convince herself of them. But as she looked into Franco’s eyes—still searching, still wanting—she realised that she meant it. She really did.

Franco’s face fell, his expression a mixture of frustration and defeat. “You don’t understand,” he said again, the words sounding more like a plea. “I never stopped loving you.”

She took a step back, shaking her head, trying to clear the emotions that were spiralling inside of her. “No,” she said firmly, her voice resolute. “You don’t get to say that, Franco. Not now. Not when I’ve spent three years getting over all of this. You don’t get to come here and break my heart all over again.”

For a long moment, they stood there, the space between them filled with unspoken words and unresolved tension. But it was over. It had to be.

“I can’t undo what happened,” she added softly, her gaze not leaving his. “But I’m not that girl anymore. And I’m not going to be someone’s second choice.”

Franco didn’t say anything. He just stood there, staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. The weight of everything they’d been through hung heavy between them, and it was clear now that nothing could fix it. Not words. Not promises.

She turned to leave, her hand on the doorknob, but before she could step out of the room, she paused, glancing over her shoulder one last time.

“I’m happy now, Fran,” she said quietly, her voice steady despite everything. “And you need to figure out what makes you happy too. But I can’t be part of that anymore.”

She opened the door and stepped out, not looking back, not giving him the chance to say anything more.

The wedding was beautiful.

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the guests who had gathered for the wedding. The ceremony was set to take place on the terrace of the luxurious hotel overlooking the sea, the soft sound of waves lapping against the rocks below barely audible amidst the murmur of excited chatter.

She sat there, a few rows back from the front, Angelo by her side. The venue was beautiful—everything that was supposed to be perfect for a wedding. The guests were in their best attire, the flowers were arranged in pristine perfection, and the atmosphere felt like a dream. But something was off. A low hum of anxiety had been building ever since the music started, and she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Franco was supposed to be standing at the altar now. But he wasn’t.

She stole a glance at Angelo, who was sitting quietly beside her, a reassuring hand on her knee. He could sense her unease.

“You okay?” he asked softly, his voice almost drowned out by the gentle clinking of glasses and conversations around them.

She nodded, but her eyes drifted nervously toward the aisle. “I don’t know,” she murmured. “Something feels wrong.”

The minutes dragged on. The officiant glanced at his watch, confusion spreading across his face as he leaned over to whisper something to the bridesmaids. There was no sign of Franco, and the guests were beginning to exchange worried glances. The tension in the air became palpable, the excitement of the ceremony suddenly replaced by a growing sense of discomfort.

After a few more minutes, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She turned to Angelo, her voice barely above a whisper, but her anxiety was thick in her words. “Do you think he’s going to come?”

Angelo squeezed her hand gently, his gaze soft and understanding. “I don’t know, cariño. Maybe something’s happened. He’s probably just... running late.”

But as they exchanged those quiet words, it became clear that it wasn’t just a delay. The guests were shifting in their seats, some starting to murmur under their breath, the ceremony now holding a sense of surreal anticipation.

And then, just as the whispers reached a crescendo, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind. Everyone turned, their heads swivelling as they saw him—Franco. He was walking down the aisle, his face pale, his expression one of guilt and uncertainty. He wasn’t in a rush, though. It was as if he was taking his time, as though he had already made a decision.

The room fell silent as Franco reached the front. He looked out at the gathering of faces—his family, his friends, all of them waiting for the moment when he would say "I do." But he didn’t speak immediately.

He was struggling with the words, and she could feel the weight of the tension from across the room. Her heart raced, confusion and disbelief washing over her as she watched him take a deep breath, his eyes scanning the crowd before finally locking on the bride’s family sitting in the front row.

“Excuse me,” Franco’s voice broke through the silence, shaky but loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m sorry for the disruption,” he continued, his eyes darting nervously between the bride and the guests. “I... I can’t do this. I can’t marry her.”

The air seemed to stop in that moment. His words hung like an echo, the shock rippling through the crowd. She couldn’t look away, her heart pounding in her chest as Freddie stood there, his face flushed with embarrassment, his hands trembling at his sides.

“I’m sorry, I thought I could,” he went on, his voice quiet but steady, “but I can’t marry her when I love someone else.” His gaze shifted to her, and for a split second, their eyes met. The pain, the regret, the history of everything they had been—it was all there in that single glance. But she didn’t feel anything but exhaustion. It was like watching someone else’s dream unravel.

The guests were murmuring, unsure of how to respond. His bride, stood by the doors he’d just walked in from, ready to walk down the aisle frozen and unmoving. Shelooked like she was about to collapse, her face pale as she took in the words that no one had expected.

“I’m sorry, I just—” Franco continued, his voice breaking, “I can’t do it. I can’t go through with it. I’m sorry. I—I just can’t.”

Without another word, he turned and began to walk away, stepping down from the altar, leaving the bride standing alone, abandoned in front of everyone.

The room was filled with stunned silence.

Angelo reached for her hand, squeezing it gently as the reality of what had just unfolded sank in. She didn’t know how to feel—didn’t know what to think. Her chest ached with a strange mixture of relief and guilt, but most of all, there was a numbness that began to set in.

And then, just as quickly as Franco had walked away, he was gone, disappearing behind the closed doors of the venue, leaving a trail of shock in his wake. The ceremony was over before it had even begun.

She couldn’t help herself.

The guilt she felt in her stomach was strong.

It was her fault.

the end.

an: actual an, im sorry guys! i was feeling sad so i wrote this muahhah

tags: @obxstiles @charlosvibesonly @zestytimbit @taygrls

[samandcolbyownme]

Ahh hi! I love your writing 💜 you're so amazing

I was wondering if you could do something with Colby where he is secretly dating the reader who is a popular but smaller YouTuber. She's making videos while on vacation, acting like she's on her own but she is really with Colby and one of her videos accidentally shows his arm and people know it's him because of his tattoos. You can choose how it ends

Warnings: strong language, secret dating, kissing, mostly fluff

Word Count: 2.5k | unedited

ﾟ:*࿔❀𓆉︎❀ ࿔*:･ﾟ

You walk over to the counter, propping your phone up against your glass, “I’m actually having a great time, thank you for asking!”

You smile as your eyes scan down over the live chat that keeps refreshing with new questions and comments.

“Right now I am currently In Honolulu, in a few days, I’m going to close out my trip by flying to Maui and spending a few days there.”

“Stay safe.” You read, “I am staying safe! Everyone here has been so welcoming and just overall so sweet!”

“Have you gotten any leis?” You nod, “Yes, I have. When I first landed and then- here.” You walk over grabbing the floral rings from the table, “I have this one, which is a pretty purple, and then these two yellow ones and then this one, I think is my favorite.”

You hold up the pink and white one, “I love it here. I might not come back to the states.” You joke, laughing as you lay the leis back down, “I’m kidding. I’m kidding.”

You read the chat, nodding your head, “Yes. I am traveling by myself.” You tilt your head, “Why? Um..” you shrug, “Honestly, I have no idea. Just for the thrill of it, you know? If I don’t see the world now, I might never get to.”

“Oh! The video. Yes. I will get that out tonight, I think I’m going to go down to the beach and finish editing it. I’m almost done. So..” you point to your phone, “Be on the lookout for that!”

You pick your phone and grab your glass to the a drink, “Oh my god, yes I will be careful about not getting a laptop tan line. That would not be flattering at all.”

You glance over at the balcony, “Oh, before I get off of here, I want to show the ones who missed it in my first live..” you walk over, “This beautiful view!”

You turn your phone around, showing off the view of the beach, “Seriously, though.” You laugh as you turn your phone back around, “I don’t think I want to leave.”

You blow kisses, “Thank you for joining me on this beautiful morning here in Hawaii.” You let out a sigh, “I’ll post that video here in a little while, so just sit tight. I love you!”

You end the live and immediately head for your bedroom.

“Is the coast clear?”

You smile as you nod, “Coast is clear.” You open your arms as Colby walks over to you, his arms wrapping tightly around you, “Sounded like a good live.”

“Yeah, yeah. About a thousand viewers, nothing big.” You lean back, pressing your lips to his, “Plus with the time difference, some people are probably still sleeping and what not.”

“Still, you’re getting up there, baby.” Colby smiles, “I like your little vlog videos.” He smirks, “Especially when it’s a video of you running into the water.”

You laugh, shaking your head, “I’ll give you that view in real time if we go get something to eat before heading to the beach.”

“Oh anything you want, sweetheart.” Colby nods, giving you a smile, “I’ll go climb a tree to get you a coconut myself.”

“I don’t think you need to- well.” You think for a second, “It would be hot seeing you climb one of those trees.”

He laughs, “alright, alright, before you get too invested in that. Come on.” He presses his lips to your forehead and you walk out to grab your beach and laptop bags.

You make your way down and into the car, “I’m going to do like a little video of us driving down the road, if that’s okay with you.”

Colby pulls his shades down and furrows his brows, “Baby, this is your show. If you want me to dance, I’ll dance.”

You smile, “I know, I just like to give you a warning before I just start recording.” You huff, “I don’t like hiding, but I’m just not ready for-“

“Hey.” Colby cuts you off, taking your hand into his, “I’m not in any rush. I like our own little bubble, okay? You don’t have to worry about me, I’m not going anywhere.” He brings your hand up to his lips and presses a kiss into your knuckles, “I love you.”

You squeeze his chin with your hand, “And I love you.”

You bring your phone up, “I’m on my way to get something to eat right now, but just look at how breathtakingly beautiful the streets of Hawaii are.”

You flip the camera and pan it across the sky, “Oh look, there’s a double rainbow.”

You flip the camera back around and let out a sigh, “I love this place!”

You end the video and look over at Colby, “but I love you more.”

You can see his sunburned cheeks turn a deeper shade of red and he smiles like an idiot, “There’s no way you love me more than I love you.”

ﾟ:*࿔❀𓆉︎❀ ࿔*:･ﾟ

As you’re working on editing your video, you see a blue object slowly come into your peripheral. You look over, doing a double take before you realize it’s Colby holding the glass.

You look up at him with a smile, “thank you.”

He nods and walks around to sit on the lounger next to you, “Mhm, thought you could use a drink.”

You nod, “Yes definitely.” You laugh slightly, “Sorry, I must have been so zoned out, I would have came with to get it.”

He shakes his head, “You’re fine, babe.” He smiles, “How much more do you need to do?”

You sigh as you sit up, “I just need to finish the outro, but I have to add music to certain parts. Shouldn’t take too much longer.”

“I think a small break wouldn’t hurt.” He tilts his head with a smirk, “Right?”

You close your laptop and stand up, moving to sit in between his legs, your back pressing against his chest, “No, a break wouldn’t hurt at all.”

He wrap an arm around your chest, his hand resting on your shoulder as he sips his drink, “We have to make this a yearly thing. Just you and me, getting away from everything.”

You nod, “I couldn’t agree more, babe.”

Colby’s phone rings and he picks it up, “Hey.” You look back at him and you see Sam on the screen, “How’s Hawaii. Hey, y/n!”

“Hey Sam.” You smile, “How’s LA?”

“Not as good as where you guys are at. Bring me with next time.” Sam laughs and you nod, “I’m sure something can be arranged.”

“Colby. Your girlfriend is the nicest person in the world.”

“I know.” Colby laughs, “What’s up, man?”

You go back do focusing on the water crashing against the waves, the birds swooping down to land on the sand.

Your mind was so much ease right now, you really meant what you said about not coming back to the states.

Hawaii was your favorite- or, hold on, second favorite place in the world. The first, being right where you are now.

You rest your head against Colby’s arm and let out a content sigh as you bring your phone up to take a few selfies.

Colby notices and smiles, posing for a few before retuning to his FaceTime call with Sam. You smirk slightly, setting your empty glass down next to you, “Hey I’ll be right back.”

You stand up and Colby tilts his head, “Where ya goin’, babe?”

“To the water.” You smirk and turn around, slowly walking away then picking up your speed by running towards the ocean.

You knew Colby was watching.

After a few moments of wading in the water, you feel hands slip around you hips and you smirk, “Hey.”

Colby pulls you back to him and tightens his arms around your torso, “I’d be okay if we never went home.”

You nod, “I also agree to that.” You laugh slightly and turn around, your arms moving to go around his neck and he lifts you up.

You press your lips to his a few times before just hugging him.

“I really need to get that video done.”

“Do you want me to help you?” Colby offers and you nod, “If you want.”

That turned into Colby laying his head on your ass while you laid on your stomach to work on the video.

You didn’t mind, you actually preferred this.

Every now and then you’d get a little smack or a squeeze or even a playful bite to your one cheek and you couldn’t help but giggle.

Colby moves up beside you, “How’s it coming?”

“I think..” you let out a sigh, looking over at him, “I’m done.”

“There we go.” Colby reaches up to hit play, “Oh yeah, I love that intro.”

“It’s just my silhouette in the sunset, Colby.” You laugh as you look over at him and he looks back, “Yeah, but it’s you, and I love everything about you.”

You fight back a smile as you lean in to kiss him, “Alright. I have to post this, then I’m all yours.”

ﾟ:*࿔❀𓆉︎❀ ࿔*:･ﾟ

After another couple, uninterrupted hours at the beach, you and Colby decided to head back to the hotel.

“Are you able to spend my last few days on this trip with me in Maui?” You look over at Colby and his brows move in towards one another, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know.” You shrug, “I didn’t know if you and Sam had any preplanned adventures or anything.”

“No.” He chuckles while shaking his head, “We both agreed to take a few weeks off, and mine, I plan on spending with you.”

You turn your head towards him, a smile on your lips, “I love that.”

He smiles, “What do you want to do for dinner, baby?”

You grab your phone, “Dammit. I was going to look up a place, but my phone is dead.” You set your phone in your lap, “But we can go to that beach one?”

“Oh, yeah!” He nods, “I heard about it, but I can’t remember the name of it.” He reaches into his pocket and sighs, “Mines dead, too.”

“Isn’t that our luck.” You laugh, taking his hand into yours, “Well figure it out.”

Once back at the hotel, you plug both of your phones in move to get ready for dinner, “Should I wear the floral pink one, or the flowy purple?”

Colby spins around and tilts his head, “Mm, I think the purple one.”

You nod, setting it down so you can change. Colby walks up behind you, his hand sliding down your sides, “You’ll look beautiful in anything, though.”

As you spin around, you press your lips to his and he smirks within the kiss. Just as the kiss depends, your phone vibrates and doesn’t stop.

“Is that..” you mumble within the kiss, “Mine.. or yours?”

“Not sure.” He mumbles back, kissing down your neck, “I think..” he leans back, glancing from the phones to you, “Both?”

You walk over, sitting down to grab your phone.

Sam: You guys are in trouble

Sam: I take it you didn’t watch your video back before posting it?

Tara: GIRL you need to check how many views you have right now

Tara: Your video is doing absolute numbers!

Tara: I didn’t know you and Colby were saying anything to anyone yet!

“Um. Why is Sam saying we’re in trouble and why is Tara saying she didn’t know we were saying anything yet?” You look up at Colby and he shakes his head, “I don’t.. what?”

He walks over to sit next to you, reaching over to grab his phone as he looks at yours, “we watched that video back together, there was nothing of me in that, though?”

“Right, like I just-“ You swipe out of your messages and go to your YouTube, “Hold on.”

You go to the comments and your heart skips a beat, “Your arm.” You look at Colby, “the video I took of the double rainbows, you can see your tattooed arm.”

“Oh shit.” He stares at you and you both fight back laughter, but neither of you can hold it, so you break.

“Oh shit.” You laugh, “Well, I mean.” You shrug, “I guess the cat’s out of the bag then right? We don’t have to date in hiding anymore.”

Colby brushes hair from your face and holds your head, “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” You nod, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I know we’ve talked about it before and how we both agreed to wait to say anything.”

“I’m scared, don’t get me wrong. Your fans can be ruthless, but at the same time..” you reach up, holding his cheek with the palm of your hand, “I know you love me, and I know that that is all that matters.”

He nods, “That’s right.” He pulls you in, pressing his lips to yours gently, “I love you, and you’re the most important thing to me. If they don’t like it, they can fuck right off.”

You smile, nodding your head as he stands up.

“If you want, I can go get dinner and bring it back?”

You tilt your head, “No. I want dinner on the beach. Nothing is ruining that for us.”

He smiles and nods, “Okay. I’ll finish getting around.”

You nod, turning your attention back to your comment section.

User.one: WAIT WAIT WAIT THE ARM IN THE CAR PART AT LIKE 01:15!!!

↳ User.two: I’d know that arm anywhere. The tattoos are a dead giveaway

↳ User.three: a DEAD giveaway

User.four: wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait

↳ User.five: y/n really just summoned a whole ass fandom in just a few hours this is insane!

User.six: y/n is in Hawaii right now!?!? WITH COLBY!?

↳ User.seven: that would be correct!

User.eight: OHHH I love this

↳ User.nine: ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO

User.ten: Colby did say he was taking a few weeks off from him and Sam’s videos didn’t he?

↳ User.eleven: Yeah, but that really isn’t anything new. They always do that.

User.twelve: so she WASNT alone! No wonder she felt safe, she has Colby there! Oh my goddddd I’m going to explode help

“Hey.” Colby comes in and sits next to you, “Are you okay?”

You look up at him, “No one is freaking out.” You shake your head, “I know I shouldn’t be feeding in and reading them but I can’t help it.”

“It’s okay.” He nods, “There isn’t always going to be nothing but good comments, but do you remember what you said to me?”

“That.. you love me, and nothing else matters.”

He nods, “Right.” He smiles, “It might be new to them, but it doesn’t change us.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to your lips, “Everything will simmer down, and they’ll just have to accept that you’re my girl.”

ﾟ:*࿔❀𓆉︎❀ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Thank you so much for reading! I love you all! Catch you in the next one! 🖤

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I agree it clearly started with the queen passing away, he saw the reaction she got and noticed the difference immediately. But I actually think the nuclear thing that completed tilted his world was the double diagnoses earlier this year. I think that was the first time he saw a massive opportunity that would have given him a platform that really rivaled William on the world stage and William would have gone away willingly for nearly all of it. I think he really ramped up negotiations to try for access back, and we saw so much in the lead up to his 40th. But nothing worked and now we’re seeing A reaction.

I suspect that one of the underlying more complicated feelings he had was anger towards Meghan’s reaction about Kate diagnoses. Harry’s PR was clear and very different than Meghan’s earlier this year, it was direct in wanting to re connect and check in and help. Where as Meghan’s was pissed she didn’t know and then she released ARO which failed because she wanted all the attention.

I don't think I agree with you on Harry seeing the two diagnoses and William's stepping back to care for his wife and his father as an opportunity to build a new platform. I think Meghan certainly saw that (she did launch ARO as soon as it became clear Kate was "out of competition") but I don't think Harry felt that way, because he didn't really do anything different or start any new projects.

I think the impact of the diagnoses in January was Harry realizing for the first time how totally out of the family and cut off he was. Because remember, when Philip died, Harry was included. When The Queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, the Sussexes were included. When Her Late Majesty died, Harry and Meghan were included. When Charles had his coronation, Harry was included.

Harry was not included when Charles and Kate announced their cancer diagnoses. In the "before," Harry probably would have been among the first people that Charles and William confided in. But now? Harry learned about Charles's diagnosis only an hour before we all did and Harry learned about Kate's diagnosis exactly when we all did. That had to be incredibly devastating for Harry, and everything he's done since then - for me - lines up with Harry trying to get that "in" back and trying to demonstrate to the rest of us that he has that "in" back.

After all, just imagine the blow to his ego that the whole world sees how irrelevant he is that his own brother doesn't include him anymore when 9 years ago, William named Harry as one of the top five people he turns to for support.

But no sympathy from me. It's the consequences of his own actions smacking him head-on.

[cilil]

Hi, do you have any advices for budding writers on AO3 or here?

Hey! :)

I've given this some thought and compiled what I hope might be some helpful pointers, but if there's anything else or anything specific you want to hear more about, feel free to ask again. Also I'm assuming this is about the amazing craft of fanfic and not, uh, building a platform or whatever (I wouldn't be very helpful with that, I'm a nobody x)).

Share what you feel comfortable sharing.

So since you're asking about budding writers on AO3 and Tumblr, I take it you're at a point where you feel comfortable sharing your writing online, which is amazing. Nevertheless, I feel the need to once again mention (just for anyone who may be in the same or a similar situation) that it's completely alright not to be comfortable with it (yet) or not to share everything you write. I share almost everything simply because I'm annoying and it makes me feel accomplished and since I've grown pretty comfortable with it, I might as well; but not everyone feels that way and feelings also change. It's completely alright to write just for yourself or a small circle of friends.

Don't worry too much about "being good".

I will be the first to admit that I deeply relate to struggling with perfectionism when it comes to writing (and other creative pursuits). However, as someone who's been reading fic for many years, tends to be into quite niche and obscure things sometimes and is rarely spoiled by big fandoms' abundance of food, I want all writers, especially new ones, to know that you don't have to write the most amazing, perfect, publishing-ready pieces. What matters is your passion and creativity, which will show in your writing regardless of skill level. Not to mention that fic is free and in fact a tool for many to experiment.

That's not to say you can't strive to improve or be good - by all means, I find it admirable if you want to hone your craft and make progress as you continue to write. Just don't let perfectionism ruin your fun and stifle your creativity.

How to get better without trying overly hard.

Aside from just writing, writing and writing (that is the most important part though), how do you improve without making it a point to do so? Well, if it works for you to read/watch guides or you enjoy specific writing exercises, that's great, but one thing that I find gets overlooked a lot in writing spaces is simply: Reading. Just reading for fun.

I find that I often discover little things in other people's writing that I really like and then I think to myself "wow, that's really neat how they did that, maybe I could take a page out of their book" (pun intended) and make it a point to pay attention to these things when I write. Essentially, it's like creating a nice patchwork blanket which is your style, made up of your own voice and preferences as a writer and cool stuff you picked up on the road.

Let me just name some examples, which, yes, are also an excuse to shamelessly blow some writer friends of mine a well-deserved kiss of appreciation. @sauron-kraut writes incredibly polished short stories with beautiful wording and atmosphere that have a lot of little hidden things to discover and dissect, and I want to steal her ability to set the stage and hide those easter eggs. @a-world-of-whimsy-5 is an absolute legend when it comes to writing medieval and medieval-adjacent stuff, and I learned so much from her fics. @i-did-not-mean-to has a way of writing with such esprit and wit that I always end up in a good mood after, a style of narrative voice I've adored for over a decade, and I've greatly improved my humorous writing in particular thanks to her. @crackinthecup has the marvelous ability to craft extremely emotionally evocative scenes, which have encouraged me to be more courageous and experimental in my sentence melody and structure. @tragedybunny has a way of writing that reminds me of coming home to a warm and comfy place, and I will find out how she did it and how I can do it as well.

So as you can see, it can be super helpful to compare notes with your fellow writers. Never be discouraged by someone else's ability; instead learn and expand your own.

Feedback, criticism and community.

Let me just get one thing out of the way: You don't have to take criticism from everyone. Or at all. As far as I understand, the fanfic community has come to to agree that we're doing this for fun and don't give criticism unprompted/when we aren't sure it's wanted or welcome. As a general rule: Take criticism from those you would also seek advice from. Ask for feedback if you feel comfortable, and if not, that's a valid boundary to have and I will gently smack anyone who presumes to pick apart writing that was made for fun and generously shared with the community for free.

The community aspect, however, should be taken into account on other fronts. While I won't tell anyone they have to interact and believe that, in an ideal world, everyone's writing would just speak for itself, it is helpful to engage with the community. Things you can do (both on Tumblr and AO3 if also applicable/possible) include: Respond to people interacting with your works, interacting with other people's works (for example while you're doing your reading sessions and looking at other writers' styles) and just overall being present, being talkative, going with the flow.

Again, this is not a must. But I will say that pretty much all of us want positive responses and interactions on their work and that just won't work if you expect everyone to show up for you all the time and never show up for anyone else. Engagement, passion and community are our "currency" in the absence of money and reciprocity is an important element of that. A lot of friction and complaints in the fanfic community regarding lack of interaction or entitlement are rooted in misunderstandings of this fundamental principle.

But don't take this in a cynical manner. Seek out what you enjoy, share the joy and passion and you'll make friends just accidentally - which is the part that I find makes fandom on AO3 and Tumblr so much fun! (I don't even want to be a "traditional" author anymore, I want this instead😁)

Find your groove and groove along.

Lastly, make sure your writing is fun for you or else it'll become a chore and eventually get ruined for you as a hobby. This is unfortunately a continuous task as your needs and interests shift - for example you might be in the mood to do an entire drabble challenge one month and during another month you feel so drained that you couldn't do another one. Or you might want to write something different for a change. Or whatever it may be.

Either way, one recent lesson I've learned is that I got too tied up in obligations and it left no space for spontaneous inspiration, so I never got to write what I wanted to write in the moment and it pushed me quite close to burnout. Do yourself a favor and always hold that space for yourself. In practice, this could for example mean that you do one event and on the side write this cool new idea you had, instead of doing three events - which is fun and games until it starts getting too much and you don't have time for your passion projects.

Finding your groove also includes the whole technical aspect, such as which writing programs you use, which device (or none at all), where you write, how to make yourself comfortable, how to get in the right headspace for things. I would also like to encourage all of you to be a bit crazy and whimsical about this: For example I've gone to the perfume store, picked out a scent for a specific character in a specific scene and sniffed it while writing the description several times now. Do what it takes. And say goodbye to your squeaky clean search history - you will research some weird stuff just to get that one line right.

So yeah, these are just my random thoughts on fic writing and what has been helpful in order for me to have lots of fun with this hobby. Happy writing!

[leupagus]

On Taash

I think one reason people keep pretending that Taash's character is badly-written is because they remind them of what they were like as a young adult: blunt, convinced that they were always right (and everyone else was stupid), and flailing around for an identity that didn't hurt. That often makes for an unpleasant person to be around, and someone who at times is even unlikable. But we never see the beam in our own eye while discussing the splinter in someone else's, so I think there's a certain degree of "well I certainly wouldn't yell at my mom like that!" (You would, honey. You would.)

IMO, Taash is one of the best-written companions in Veilguard precisely because they are thoughtless and callous and blow up at people for no reason at times. They're trying to figure their shit out! They got voluntold to work with the Veilguard without any warning, under a leader who's a complete stranger and alongside people she's never met and often has fundamental conflicts with. They've got an extraordinarily complicated relationship with their mom, who gave up her entire life and culture and place in the world out of love for them, but who withholds approval in a way that so many of us can relate to. They're confronting the wrongness of their old gender expression (woman), then embracing a new one (nonbinary) almost as soon as they learn about it—which is how a LOT of identity works, remember? Remember learning the term "trans" or "bisexual" or "genderfluid" and thinking oh shit that's me? It's relatable, but it's still uncomfortable as hell. Considering all that Taash has on their plate, including hiding a fundamental aspect of who they are (their dragonbreath), it's a wonder they're as stable as they are.

As for the conversations about their identity that people are claiming are "cringe" or "unrealistic"—my babies, I have listened to more people talk through their gender and sexuality journeys than you've had hot dinners, and let me tell you they often sound a LOT like Taash. That's not a bad thing! But it's like learning a new language—or heck, joining a new fandom—where you use the unfamiliar terms in clumsy ways and want to talk about it all the time, even to people who aren't fluent. (Taash talks about other shit too; yes, a lot of their quests touch on their gender, but a lot of them don't and frankly expecting someone who's only just figured themselves out to not talk about it is...kind of cruel. Of course Taash isn't a real person, but man I hope you people complaining about how often you have to "deal with" Taash's gender conversations don't have any friends who have trusted you with those conversations.)

Taash is extraordinary in so many ways—the way they talk to Spite directly like a kid who needs firm boundaries; the possible romance they have with [spoiler]; the nuanced and emotional way they talk about dragons; the way they care for birds and refugees and anyone else in their orbit, if they're allowed to. They are one of my favorite companions (although right now it's kind of a seven-way race between all of them), and I have snort-laughed at more of their lines than any other companion by a country mile.

It's just a shame that so many people saw a reflection of the more grating parts of their own personality and so decided that Taash is badly-written, instead of considering the possibility that they are simply badly-heard.

[inamindfarfaraway]

YES

The Little Match Girl and Tiny Tim are meant to be best friends. Impoverished kids? Check. Doomed by the narrative, the failings of classist society and their fragile health? Check. Saved by Scrooge’s intervention? Check.

(The retelling of The Little Match Girl takes place on Christmas Day and night instead of New Year’s Eve, hence the crossover lining up in “Christmas Day” since she’s alive at that time, meaning that her death is an AU where Scrooge doesn’t reform. So he’s free to rudely bump into her “in the fading light between day and night” in “Buy a Match” instead of being at Fred’s party. She and Tim both die in the same bad timeline! Adds a new layer to Scrooge taking one of her candles and blowing it out in “Be the Light”.)

But Tim has two amazing parents and a large, loving family. LMG only has her abusive dad; her grandmother is dead and her mother isn’t mentioned, and probably left or died before she could remember and grieve her, unlike Grandma. In the original fairytale, it’s stated that her fathe will beat her if she comes home empty-handed. Scrooge also had a dad who was neglectful and “pretty cruel”, sending him away a lot as a kid, an unmentioned mother and a different female relative who he directly mourns, his sister. “And the Little Match Girl was left all alone”/“I see a boy sitting all alone”. They can bond over their tragic backstories! They can figure out what it means to have and be a good father together! And Bob and Emily can teach them both how good parenting works!

A scene in A Christmas Carol that’s rarely adapted is the Ghost of Christmas Past showing Scrooge how Belle’s been without him in her life: fantastic! She has a nice house, a happy marriage and loads of children. He’s struck with longing for that domesticity and familial love. An excerpt:

And now Scrooge looked on more attentively than ever, when the master of the house, having his daughter leaning fondly on him, sat down with her and her mother at his own fireside; and when he thought that such another creature, quite as graceful and as full of promise, might have called him father, and been a spring-time in the haggard winter of his life, his sight grew very dim indeed.

‘Belle,’ said the husband, turning to his wife with a smile, ‘I saw an old friend of yours this afternoon.’

‘Who was it?’ ‘Guess!’

‘How can I? Tut, don't I know,’ she added in the same breath, laughing as he laughed. ‘Mr. Scrooge.’

‘Mr. Scrooge it was. I passed his office window; and as it was not shut up, and he had a candle inside, I could scarcely help seeing him. His partner lies upon the point of death, I hear; and there he sat alone. Quite alone in the world, I do believe.’

‘Spirit!’ said Scrooge in a broken voice, ‘remove me from this place.’

Ebenezer Scrooge. Canonically. In the original novella. Wants a daughter. If in the VHS Christmas Carols universe, the Little Match Girl survives and Jim gets his watch back, it’s only fair that Scrooge gets a daughter of his own!

So uh AU where Scrooge adopts the little match girl and he finds out about Della being Belle's daughter and then Scrooge, the match girl, Della & Jim and the Cratchits all become one big happy family?

(I love them all sm)

[nast--ana]

PART 10

"GHOSTS OF THE PAST"

"At first it seemed to you that it would be faster to get to the destroyed amusement park than to the "Lake", but with each step everything around you gradually began to darken, and the park itself began to move further and further away from you, until it completely disappeared into darkness. Soon you couldn't see anything but your own hands and feet.

- Damn it!... My head! How it hurts!... - you stopped abruptly, feeling a strong pressure in your temples. There was an unpleasant ringing in your ears, and you began to stagger from side to side.

-W-Where am I? How did I end up here?! It's so cold here, we need to get out of here soon!

Shivering from the cold, you were about to go into the darkness, when suddenly you heard someone crying bitterly. You looked around in fright, but there was no one nearby.

- Who's here? Come out, I won't hurt you! Honestly, honestly...

There was a deathly silence for a minute, then approaching footsteps were heard and an unfamiliar figure appeared out of the darkness. She looked like a queen's chess piece, but she was very different from the other participants you had previously seen: she didn't look creepy or scary, but rather...Is it okay? At the sight of her, you gasped and staggered back in fear. For a moment, you thought you saw a ghost in front of you...the ghost of this Circus's past.

- no...There is no way for me to enter the world of the living...-Sobbing, the figure said, wiping away tears with a hand that was wearing a white glove.

- Who are you?! You... Are you a g-g-ghost?- The Queen did not answer anything, only began to cry even louder.

- Hei ! He's coming for you!...

- Who? Who are you talking about?You stammered, unable to take your eyes off the ghostly figure.

- Caine ! He's the one who dragged you here...And if he finds you, he'll turn you into a bloodthirsty monster! We need to run, he's on our heels!...He feels where you are. This is his abode and he is the master here...

At these words, a shadow flashed behind you, blowing a gust of cold wind over your body, which made you hug yourself and tremble even more. Panic gripped you with renewed vigor; you clutched at your hair again, feeling it getting harder and harder for you to breathe every second.

Noticing this, the figure's gaze softened noticeably. Apparently, she realized that she was pushing you too hard. Kneeling in front of you, she gently touched your shoulder with her ghostly hand.

- Don't be afraid, I'll explain how to survive and escape from here...Just listen to me carefully...- her words calmed you down a little and, removing your hands from your head, you looked up at her, preparing to hear what she would say to you.

-You're going to the amusement park right now, right?- you nodded approvingly-...If you enter it, there is a high chance that you will be hunted immediately. You can hide in the surviving stalls, as well as in them you can find something to defend yourself with...

- I get it. I hide in stalls and look for weapons in them...- you repeated to yourself.

- Try to be quiet, any noise can attract the attention of monsters... Otherwise, they'll find you and give you to Caine for torture-...The figure continued...-And most importantly- if you help the participants, they will come over to your side. But keep in mind: the more participants you have on your side, the more fiercely Caine will hunt you...

- Okay, I'll do my best..Thank you... um..- you hesitated a little, not knowing how to address the mysterious figure.

- The Queenie...- smiling sadly, she said, - Call me the Queenie...

Averting her eyes, she sobbed again.

-Is there anything I can do for you, Queenie?-You asked softly, wanting to comfort her in return. The queen looked at you with tears in her eyes.

- what? Do you really want to help me?- a ray of hope flashed in her eyes - Save my soul! You have to erase the circus with all of us. If you succeed, we can finally find peace...

- "We"? Are you not alone here? Are there other ghosts in this circus? But where are they?

- They're hiding...

Realizing that now the fate of not only the living, but also the deceased people is in your hands, you got to your feet and resolutely said:

- I will definitely wipe this circus off the face of the earth and set you free! I promise!

you were already thinking of asking how to get out of this darkness, but the queen stopped you in mid-sentence.

- Wait! They've changed... They got angry at everyone and lost their minds. Now they wander around the park and look for a living body to break free…

- (Oh my God... This is still not enough ...)- it flashed through your mind.

At that time, someone whispered behind you, followed by voices and eerie laughter. The queen, clearly realizing what it was, began to hurry you up by pushing you in the back.

- Run! They're coming! They're very close! Run! Run!...And don't look back!

You didn't have to be asked twice. After taking one last look at the Queen, you took off and ran as fast as you could.

Soon you saw how the darkness around you gradually dissipated and the outlines of an amusement park appeared. But before you could even catch your breath, you heard someone's ghostly whisper. Remembering the queen's order, you hid behind one of the stalls, covering your mouth with both hands so that God forbid you would not make too much noise.

Deep down, you knew that everything that had just happened to you was nothing more than hallucinations... well, or at least that's what you hoped..."

[cierraonline]

What Are You? A Middle Schooler?

Chapter three - 01x02 Light Bulb

Warning - sexual themes ( 18+ Ideally | 16+ realistically )

masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

Following instructs that the Kindergarten teacher gave, almost every class in the small school found themselves in the gym/lunch room in where it waa nothing from chaos. In on corner you have Melissa trying to teacher class with Barbaras class behind them going over how to read time. Gregory and Janoine trying to go over spelling, the gym class playing basketball. And Siren’s class spread out trying to finish their thirty minutes of reading and taking notes. 

“I made this mess, and I need to fix this,” Janine vented to the substitue teacher. 

“Okay, but fix this how?” Gregory looked around the gym at the consequences of the teacher’s actions. “It seems very outside of your skill set. You should probably just wait for somebody to get to it…” 

“I don't want to wait for someone to get to it,” Janine disagreed. “You know, our children have

needs that deserve to be met. And I'm going to fix this. Nothing is going to get in my way.” 

“What if you have to climb another ladder?” Gregory mentions, pointing out roadblock that can possibly get in her way. “Those seem very tricky for you.”

“No. Not today.”

“Aren't you going to lunch, Janine?” Melissa askes as the other teacher besides Janine and Jacob walk to the door to leave for lunch. 

“Uh, no. I'm gonna stay and help the lunch ladies with lunch.”

“If I don’t like you then I know for sure they don’t,” Siren speaks up, wanting this let’s figure out what Janine doing process to go faster so she and her wife can go in a empty parking lot and have her stressed relieved. 

She always coming in the kitchen saying "hello" and whatnot. It's unsanitary. - Culinary Staff

“Is that what you're really doing?” Barbara looks at the woman for answers. 

“Yes! And maybe trying to get the lights back on,” the short teacher avoids eye contact.

“Would you give that a rest? What do you want? To make the whole school blow up?” Melissa directs the girl. 

“No. Plus, I can't,” She shakes her head. “Luckily, the school was built as a bomb shelter in World war II, so…”

“Let it go,” Barbra commands. 

“Okay. I will.” With that the teachers will lunch plans walk away. 

“You're not gonna let it go, are you?” Jacob asked the teacher in questioning.  

“No, I'm not gonna let it go, Jacob, okay?” She answers. “I need to right my wrong.”

“Okay. Well, count me out.”

“I never counted you in.”

“Well, then count me in, because I don't have any lunch plans.”

“Okay. Come on,” the teacher duo walks through the swinging doors to only find Siren standing on the other side with her arms crossed.

“Whatever fucked mistake you make next better be resolved before I come back from afternoon lunch one-man,” Siren tells them.

“One-man? W-what is that?” Janine looked confused. 

“What are you a middle schooler?” Siren squinted her eyes. 

“I- I think she means her and Melissa are going to go have sex in their car,” Jacob whispers calrification to the confused teacher who eyes widen in realization.

“You guys are dorks,” Siren rolled her eyes. “Go and hurry up and play failed Bob the Builder and then actually have someone fix it. I don’t need to come back stressed after I got destressed.” With that Siren walked away heading for the double doors that led to the outside world. 

“Hurry up, the nearest Walmart is 10 minutes away from here. Which means 10 minutes there and 10 minutes back leaving only 20 minutes left to eat you out and 20 to actually eat food.” Melissa honked the horn to her car at her wife who she felt like was taking her slow time getting to the car.

“Don’t rush me or you get nothing,” Pulls o the passenger door handle and jumped in.

“Yeah right!” Melissa rolled her eyes. “As if you run anything in this relationship. Now buckle up and get my snack ready for me.” 

XXX (Caution Graphic Links)

“Sit on my face now, ” Melissa turns off the car after putting it in park and reclining the driver’s seat.

“Ugh I’ve been waiting for this since Janine opened her mouth,” Siren flung off her underwear as her pants were already sitting somewhere in the back seat. Melissa licked her lips and helped her younger wife sit on her face and when Siren soaking pussy made contact with her mouth, she dived in as if she was eating her grandmother’s cooking.

link

She took Siren’s recently waxed clit between her lips and started sucking it with hunger. Siren moaned with her left hand hitting her hand on the roof of the car and her right hand clutching onto Melissa’s red locs. “F-fuck..!” Siren moaned as Melissa was nibbling, bitting, flicking her tongue, and sucking on her clit like it was the best lollipop in the world.

Melissa guided her tongue further down until it was right at Siren’s pulsating hole and plunged it in, making Siren yell out at the sensation. “Fuck, mommy!” 

link

“Yeah, you like that bambina,” Melissa mumbled into the girl’s walls before continuing to lick on the velvet surface. “You gon make a mess on my face, huh?” Melissa feels Siren pulse and twitch, which made her smirk and give a harsh smack to her wife’s brown round ass. Siren decided to take control by riding Melissa’s face as the Italian woman’s hands were massaging her ass like it was a stress toy. In hunger and cravings, Melissa’s tongue went even deeper to where she was curling her tongue so she could hit Siren’s g-spot which she did successfully which was assessed by the younger woman’s jerking movement that caused her to tighten her hold. Siren’s thighs started to tremor and Melissa could feel her walls clenching around her tongue rhythmically, so she had to use her jaw to really put the work in and make her precious bambina cum. “ Be a good bambina and cum for mommy,” Melissa whispers, giving her wife eye contact. Soon after, her hard work paid off and Siren closed her eyes tightly as her essence poured into her wife’s mouth while some smeared on Melissa’s face as she was always a messy eater.

Melissa hummed in approval and used her lips to pull on Siren’s clit before realsing and spitting the given essence back onto her Siren’s pussy. “Ahh!” Siren gasped at the sensation. “Can you give me one more babygirl?” She asked and Siren nodded. “Good bambina, get the towel from the back, place it on my lap and sit facing the wheel.” The older woman directs her much younger wife. Doing as told, siren retrieved the thick blue towel that’s get cleaned weekly due to the frequency of them having sex in the vehicle. Placing it over Melissa’s work pants, Siren sat in the position she was ordered. Melissa slid her fingers back into Siren, this time with more force and speed than before.

link

The spouse moaned, the sound vibrating in her chest as Melissa pushed in deep, filling her more than she could have imagined while being in a car and not their bed. Her walls tightened around Melissa fingers, clenching with each thrust as you built up a rhythm that left her gasping, still sensitive from her last orgasm. 

“More,” Siren whispered, the word slipping out like a plea. “Please… I need more.”

The raw need in her voice spurred Melissa on and complied without hesitation. The Schemmenti woman could see how much Siren was aching for it, her body craving the kind of release that came not only from pleasure but from being overwhelmed, from being taken. With a smirk on her face as she watched her wife through the rear view mirror as if she was watching a movie and angled her fingers upwards, finding that perfect spot deep within her, and began to stroke it with every thrust, sending sharp jolts of ecstasy through her. Siren’s breath hitched, a choked moan escaping her lips as her hips bucked, seeking more of the relentless pressure Melissa provided.

“Is this what you needed, bambina?” Melissa asked, her grungy voice low and rough as she watched Siren come undone once again on top of her. “For me to fuck you like this?”

“Y-yes, mommy!” Siren whimpered, coming down from her high as Melissa quickly pulled out her fingers. “Mhhm.”

“When we get home, go straight to our room and get Demon,” Melissa lifts Siren’s chin up to make straight eye contact while her other hand was softly rubbing the young woman’s clit up and down. “Mommy wants to finish this later. Now wipe yourself and get your clothes back on.”

“Wipe for me,” Siren mumbles, trying to get her breath back under control. 

“So fucking spoiled,” Melissa roled her eyes, being smirking, grabbing the towel that’s on her lap and wipe Siren’s vagina a little harshly which caused the woman to wince. “Ouu, mommy’s sorry bambina,” Melissa cooed in the woman’s ear before reaching over in the middle compartment to retrieve baby wipes. Opening the package she takes a wipe and wipe the fluids from between Siren’s leg and another one for her face. 

XXX

Before walking into work, she took a deep breath, knowing that the second she stepped inside, a new problem would surely arise, thanks to the unpredictable antics of Janine and Jacob.

“Ooh.”

“What in the... What's going on?” A blast of hot air smacked the group returning from lunch as they walked into the building.

“What in the world?”

“It’s so hot! My hair’s gonna frizz!”

“Janine, what did you do?!” The senior teacher spotted the new teachers emerging from the janitor’s closet, their clothes dusted with black dirt and their faces drenched in sweat. “Lookin' like who shot John.”

“Barbara, look, I know you told me to let it go, but I couldn’t,” Janine began, her voice pleading for understanding. “Jacob helped me open the breaker.”

“It was a chance to support a strong Black woman,” Jacob, the white teacher, offered his perspective under the harsh glares of the other teachers.

“The breaker?! Janine!” Melissa exclaimed, unable to fathom what had possessed the petite teacher. “You can't do this stuff! What had you come to work today and lose your mind?”

“You do realize that we’re technically in trouble now because the building violates health codes, which means we could be shut down until this gets fixed…meaning none of us are getting paid,” Siren glared at Janine. “You basically created a heat wave.”

“Look, I... I just have…” Janine’s words began to falter as her vision blurred.

“Oh. Ooh. Okay.” The teachers next to Siren moved closer, ready to catch her.

“I feel lightheaded.”

“Are you okay? Did you eat today?” Melissa questioned. “Because I know you didn’t have lunch.”

“And you didn’t have any breakfast,” Jacob added.

“Okay. We’re losing her. Do I have your consent to slap you?”

“Ooh, can I do it?” Siren raised her hand, but her godmother promptly smacked it down.

“Oh!” Janine collapsed to the floor.

“There she goes. She’s out.”

“Y’all feel this heat?” Ava joined the teachers huddled around the unconscious Janine. “Oh, my God! She’s pale like a zombie! You know, they eat the hottest people first. Let me back my tasty ass up.” She took a few steps back, holding up a flashlight as if warding off evil.

“Okay, I’ll get some water from the fridge…uh, hopefully it’s still cold!” Jacob dashed toward the teacher’s lounge.

“Oh, my God! My branzino!” Realization struck the red-haired woman. “Barb, excuse me!” She nudged her friend aside and hurried after Jacob. “I’ll be back! She’ll be okay!”

“What do we do?” Barbara asked, looking between her goddaughter and Gregory.

“I guess we gotta call the nurse for her,” Siren said, pointing to Janine’s unconscious form, “and hold class outside until Mr. Johnson comes back and fixes this mess.”

For the rest of the day, classes were essentially canceled, and everyone was outside, reveling in the freedom as a burst fire hydrant sprayed cool water into the air.

“They’re so happy,” Melissa observed, watching students play and shout with joy. “He’s climbing again.” From the corner of her eye, Siren kept watch, ensuring her students were well-behaved and not attempting to sneak off campus.

“Oh, look who’s back in the land of the living,” Melissa noted as Janine finally joined them outside.

“Who opened the fire hydrant?” Janine asked.

“Well, as Melissa would say, snitches get stitches,” Barbara replied with a knowing smile.

“That’s correct, but I’m not talking to you on account of you killing my branzino,” Melissa stated, keeping her gaze forward and not meeting the younger teacher’s eyes. With a determined look, she cleared her throat, then got up and walked down the steps to join Gregory.

“So that’s it, huh?” Janine asked, taking the now-empty seat. “I gave it my all, passed out, and ruined the school day?”

“Oh, you tanked. You tanked, Janine,” Melissa replied. “You took the whole school down with you. It was impressive.”

“Look, I know I should’ve stopped,” Janine began apologetically. “I’m sorry. I just felt so bad when I saw that look on Melina’s face this morning.”

“You don’t think it kills us to see those faces every morning?” Melissa’s tone softened, almost comically. “What, are we made of stone? You’re not the first person to feel things, kid. We care.”

“How do you and Barbara stop yourselves from caring too much, if that’s even possible?”

“Because it’s the opposite,” Melissa removed her sunglasses, looking directly at Janine. “We care so much, we refuse to burn out. If we burn out, who’s here for these kids? That’s why you’ve gotta take care of yourself. What’s with you today, anyway? You’re normally bananas, but…”

“I don’t know. Just some stuff at home, I think.”

“Oh. Okay.” Melissa nodded in understanding. “See, that’s another thing Barbara and I learned. All that at-home stuff? You’ve gotta…” She clicked her tongue. “Leave it right at that door. Otherwise, you open up a whole 'nother Panera’s box of problems.”

“I think you mean Pandora’s box,” Janine corrected gently.

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s Panera’s box.”

As the day ended, and the children were picked up, the teachers clocked out, ready to leave. Siren had plans and wasn’t about to let anything interfere.

“Oh, hey, guys! What’s up?” Jacob called out, spotting Janine and Gregory heading toward the building.

“Hey,” Gregory greeted. “We’re just going to get something to eat.”

“Oh. Great. I’ll join!” Jacob announced.

“Oh.”

“After-school crew!” Jacob cheered, crafting a nickname.

“Ooh, ‘Afterschool crew.’ I like that,” Janine joined in.

“Hey, Siren!” Jacob called out, spotting the teacher trying to slip away unnoticed. Caught, she took a deep breath, praying for a miracle.

“We’re all going out to eat; you should join us,” he offered.

“Na—”

“Yeah, you should totally come,” Gregory agreed, stepping behind her and gently guiding her toward the group.

“You’re so going to pay for this,” Siren muttered to Gregory, pulling out her phone to text her wife that she’d be late. She received a reply hinting at a playful “punishment” when she got home—but Siren shrugged; it wouldn’t be the first time. As the group walked, the lights suddenly turned on, startling them.

“You touched the lights, didn’t you, Janine?” Mr. Johnson appeared, dressed in work clothes and holding his fishing gear, glaring at her.

“Yes,” she admitted, sheepishly.

“Good thing I got me a system,” he replied, humming a few lines from Boyz II Men.

taglist @jules19sstuff @babytakeittothehead @calibabyyyy @crybabysdeadbunny @toxicslut-1 @starstruckdinosaurcandy @delulu-lesbian @notmeellaannyy @mystical-april @severia21 @hwh-dawn @bone-app-the-teeth @casualfoxwitch @lordfarquad-k @honeypiperpizza123 @gwendolinechristierulez @pinkininja @oculusalien @zendayasredbottoms @tacoboutstuff @jules19sstuff @siyuziii @christiniawcb @riddlette13 @thebignunfun @xxloveralways14 @lordfarquad-k @rhearipley-69 @danversrailme @amberg1998 @zzzz-zzz1 @htttpcasti @lidiyabest @wwelovergirl @lesbianpoetess @jamiemundy7773 @pixelorange06 @steampunkprincess147 @brbblog123 @h3artss44le @harajukub4rb1e @billiesrighthand @natasha29romanoff @deathvidal

[halfwayunder]

Caitlyn Character Arc Theory! ("the 3 Caitlyns")

I've had some thoughts on the "3 versions of Caitlyn" that I think we'll have seen by the conclusion of the show and how the final act of season 2 will show us Caitlyn in her completed character arc. Caitlyn 1: the first season

This is the Caitlyn we see in season 1. Optimistic, hopeful and a bit naïve or sheltered you could say. Always seeing the good in people and has an abundance of empathy for the people of Zaun. Fighting is a last resort (not that she's unwilling to defend herself, but if she can resolve it peacefully she will) and killing is also not something she is keen on. (As shown by her intentionally only disabling Sevika's arm despite her trying to kill Vi). Caitlyn 2: the second season (act 1 & 2)

This is the Caitlyn we see develop in act 1 of season 2, after the death of her mother and who I think we'll see for most/half of act 2 (I believe the seeds of her realizing she's becoming someone she doesn't like will form in act 2). Fuelled by grief, revenge and anger. This is the first time she's experienced true loss in her life and she does not cope with it well. She starts by blaming it on the actions of one person, Jinx, like her season 1 self would do, but subsequent attacks on Piltover lead to her generalizing Zaun and her empathy for them runs out. Violence is now her first option and she is more than willing to kill people (she was ready to blow that one gang account's head off during questioning even). Caitlyn 3: the second season (act 3) Completed Caitlyn

Now this is basically pure theory as I write this in the wait between act 1 and act 2. But, I believe this will be Caitlyn at the end of her character arc. Having realized the error of her ways, soul-searched, discovered Ambessa has been manipulating her, looked at her family legacy and its positive impact on Zaun (the filtration system she once weaponized) and concluded that her mother would not want her to go down this route. She has taken responsibility for herself and reconciled (see: had very rough and passionate reconciliation sex) with Vi. We do know that Cait and Vi will reconcile and be on the same side at least based on the trailers. She may have been confronted with the consequences of her decisions on ordinary people in Zaun near the end of act 2 and be horrified. Or just realize this naturally once she 'snaps out' of Caitlyn 2. This restores (most) of her season 1 empathy for the people of Zaun. I say most because as I allude to in the paragraph after this one, she isn't naïve like her season 1 self anymore, and knows now that while the people of Zaun should be respected as human beings and given the best chance possible at a safe, prosperous life like those in Piltover. There are elements in the undercity whom still seek to do harm (justified or not) and need to be treated with caution. It's not blind optimism or compassion, but it's the most a person can give in the real world, not the sheltered one she was raised in. This Caitlyn has the best of both previous iterations and is a Caitlyn who has confronted and (mostly) bested her demons. She has the hope and kind spirit of season 1 Cait, but the pragmatism and toughness of season 2 Cait. She is still willing to kill, but only if necessary, not at will. If confronted by another threat like Jinx, she won't hesitate to take the shot, much like Caitlyn 2, only now it isn't a decision made from anger or a desire for revenge, but dedication to protect as many people as possible like Caitlyn 1. She has managed to wrangle her emotions of grief and rage and learn from them. There may be a scene near the end to show this growth when Jinx inevitably appears and Cait's anger flares up again, only for Vi to assure her for one last time that she's got it, and Cait agrees to let her go fight Jinx on her own. Now, of course most of this is guess work! But, I think it would make sense from a narrative perspective for this to be Cait's arc. I don't believe the writers would want to have her just become a full on antagonist and end her story as a villain, it'd be immensely disappointing for the audience and not up to their standards. And I think this would be a very satisfying way to conclude her character development. (I'm also basing some of it based on her appearance in act 3 lmao)

[atangledfate]

Lanolin was trying her best to keep calm, but the threat that Sonic might snap and cause an all out war between GUN and Restoration was insane. She was trying to devise some way to ward off GUN and now she had to worry that Sonic might just blow everything! not that she wasn't pissed about Amy to! but there was a difference between being angry about it, and getting people killed because of it! She was just about to order her people to openly try and stop Sonic when Blaze's voice popped in her head making her stop cold in her tracks.

" Hold on a second Belle..."

She looked up as if that would help her see Blaze better

" Blaze? That's good! how did your negotiations with GUN Go? Listen i know i've shoved alot on to you. But can you go keep your eye on Sonic? He found out about Amy and he and Surge just whipped past us... and I just have this bad feeling that he's gonna do something stupid... and Surge is over there trying to calm him down! and if i know her she won't be gentle! we need Sonic level headed... "

She turned to look at Belle with a little bit of a calmer look on her face as she at least had hope that Blaze could stop Sonic if it came to it. Between her and Surge it shouldn't be an issue right? But then this was Sonic if he decided to go all out who knew the damage he could cause right?

" I just asked Blaze to keep an Eye on Sonic... she also sent us some help so here is hoping its enough. Now... Maggie, go see what you can arrange with the our big friend up there. We just want her to be imposing, till GUN takes the hint "

The Wisp Saluted Lanolin and zipped up toward the big Wisp to begin negotiations. Maggie had been part of the war for some time and had lost some friends when Eggman attacked there home world. Which led to them being more invested in the war. but much like Lanolin they tried to avoid it for a long time, and there genuine loss was something they bonded over. But much like Lanolin they could be direct, and unyielding at times.

" ☝︎❒︎♏︎♋︎⧫︎ 💣︎□︎⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎✏︎ 💣︎♋︎⍓︎ ♓︎ ❒︎♏︎❑︎◆︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎ ♋︎ ❍︎□︎❍︎♏︎■︎⧫︎ □︎♐︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎❒︎ ⧫︎♓︎❍︎♏︎✍︎ ❄︎♒︎□︎⬧︎♏︎ ♌︎♏︎●︎□︎⬥︎ ◆︎⬧︎📪︎ ♒︎♋︎❖︎♏︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎🙵♏︎♎︎ ❖︎♋︎●︎♓︎♋︎■︎⧫︎●︎⍓︎ ⧫︎□︎ ❒︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎□︎❒︎♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎ ♒︎□︎❍︎♏︎📬︎ ✡︎♏︎⧫︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎ □︎⬥︎■︎ ♒︎□︎❍︎♏︎ ❍︎♋︎⍓︎♌︎♏︎ ♋︎⧫︎ ❒︎♓︎⬧︎🙵📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎⍓︎ ♋︎❒︎♏︎ ♒︎□︎◻︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❍︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♋︎■︎♎︎ ⬥︎♓︎⧫︎♒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❍︎📬︎ ❄︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎❒︎ ◻︎❒︎♏︎⬧︎♏︎■︎♍︎♏︎ ♋︎●︎□︎■︎♏︎ ❍︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎ ♎︎♓︎⬧︎⬧︎◆︎♋︎♎︎♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎⬧︎♏︎ ⬧︎⧫︎❒︎♋︎■︎♑︎♏︎ ◻︎♏︎□︎◻︎●︎♏︎ ♐︎❒︎□︎❍︎ ♓︎■︎❖︎♋︎♎︎♓︎■︎♑︎ "

Blaze was left with a rather sour taste in her mouth after that short interaction, though it only showed that Amy was correct about this Abe. Though she still had her options, and perhaps it was time to call in some reinforcements of her own. The feline harnessing some of her power before opening up a portal. The moment she did a large knight that might even make people like Storm look small walked through. They wore heavy armor and a helmet which covered their face. On their right shoulder was a emblem with the seven Sol Emeralds with the red on in the center slightly larger. "Were you, waiting for me to open a portal?"

"Your mother had a vision of you needing aid in the future a week ago and requested I wait at the palace gates on this day." The voice was deep, though still feminine. "How may I be of service your Highness?"

"Of course she did. Even though she is long retired from her role of training me to be guardian she still can't help worry about me." Blaze had taken role while her mother shifted her entire focus on running the Sol Empire as such is their way. Though he mother always had the ability to peek into the future, and this allowed her great advantages. "Give me a moment." The feline would sit on the ground, crossing her legs.

Blaze would begin sensing where everyone was, picking up that Lanolin seemed to be heading towards the west check point with a group while the other went to the east. "Head to the east check point, though don't engage unless The Restoration does or they attack you. I shall guide you while speaking to Lanolin."

"At once you're highness. If they are foolish enough to engage me in battle I'll make them regret it." The knight bowed before rushing off at a rather impressive speed for someone of their size.

Blaze would start guiding the knight as best she could with the limited knowledge of the base, though would also connect to Lanolin mental. "Lanolin, can you hear me? If you can I have requested some aid from my world and have them heading to the opposite check point."

===========================================================

"Well, I've seen those two fight before, at least for a small bit so I don't think they were. It does seem like Surge was simply trying to catch Sonic. Though that is the real question. Why?" Belle nor Lanolin didn't have to wait long as Tails voice came on the intercom and began to try and talk Sonic down. Seemed like this was a moment where the hedgehog was mad which surprised her. The tinkerer never thought he was the type to be angry.

"Then I'll try to calm him down while you keep heading to the check point. With any luck I should be able to rejoin you with Sonic and Surge behind me. Gaia knows we'll need both of them calm and collective to try and get GUN to back off." Belle didn't want any fighting to break out, though if it comes to that having those two work together would be good.

[hypnoneghoul]

OKAYYY LET'S GO /ref, time for my fantasy au ramble!!! this au is an universe of my own creation, for my own book so 'tis copyrighted, bitch /silly, and then i felt the urge to put our ghouls in there so i did and I like it eheheheheh anyways! folks that wanted to be tagged: @lopsidedghoul @justrandomghoul @delusionalbitchinthehouse @ghoulelegy

The continent called Erlaria is divided into three parts, one of them is the Kingdom of Bellimar, inhabited by elves. The elves can be divided into 7 categories based on their magic:

Adan are fire

Naidan are water

Kellan are energy

Haidan are healers

Moran are darkness

Dewdrop Tareva, son of the king Carandael is an adan. He should be a kairan and not an adan, but he got sick when he was still developing his magic and it didn’t form properly so he’s “just” a very powerful fire elf

Zalean are materiality

Kairan, which is a power only reserved for the royal bloodline of Bellimar (the Tareva family). They have all these powers combined

The characters:

Rain Ravelan is a naidan, he’s Dew’s partner and the main general of Bellimar

Aeon Naurlar is a moran

Aether Naurlar is a haidan

Mountain Nyarin is a zalean

Swiss Aderthad is a kairan

Rain lost his parents when he was young and because his father was the previous main general he was close to the king and Dewdrop, so Carandael took Rain in after his parents died without a question. He and dew basically grew up together

All of them except for Swiss live at court under the king of Bellimar, Carandael. Dew and Rain are friends with Aeon, his half-brother Aether and Mountain who all have different jobs at and around court. They all met quite young

Swiss is from a different kingdom—Valun. Everyone outside of Valun thinks it doesn’t exist, that it was obliterated in a war between gods centuries ago. It didn’t, obviously—the queen Meira Aderthad (Swiss’ mother) hid it with powerful magic and now Valun is hidden, but doing quite well. One thing is that the time flows a little differently, there

Swiss should’t be a kairan and yet he’s more than a kairan. The elves in Valun have different powers and Swiss has all the powers from both Bellimar and Valun—something a mortal wouldn’t be able to take, only a god

It caused a lot of complications when he was young. He nearly died a couple times, his mother saved him with some crazy magic by taking some of his power and basically turning Swiss into two separate people, so then there was Swiss and Shadow

It stopped the issues for a while but didn't really fix anything, and it ended up in a big fail and Swiss basically…well, he died

He doesn’t know it for a while, but he dies, and then his mother saves him by channeling the lost power from the other part of him and then she sends them both out into the world far away from each other. If they met again and merged, a deadly amount of power would be released

Meira didn't really ever care about swiss’ wellbeing, she needed his power for her own goal: bringing back an ancient god, Keres, who...turns out to be Swiss’ father

Meira is really one of the gods, Alvah, and she and Keres had Swiss—that’s why he’s so powerful, but because he was shoved into a mortal vessel by Alvah it messed it all up

Some time into his wandering of Bellimar Swiss finds himself being taken in by a human family. He loves them and thinks he’s finally found his place, but it doesn’t end well. He accidentally blows up half the city, killing his adoptive father and around thirty more people. He gets taken into a high security magical prison—Colfort—after that, and spends over a year there. It’s secured with malachite, a stone which takes away elves’ powers, but for obvious reasons it doesn’t work the same on Swiss

Bellimar is at the verge of war and it’s certain that they would lose, so Dew (the prince) and Rain (the general) go see Swiss and offer him a deal—save Bellimar and he’ll be free

Dew is cocky, though, and accidentally triggers Swiss. There's a big boom and Dew is gone. disappeared

Swiss escapes before Rain can get him, and he, of course, assumes Dewdrop is dead. He swears to take vengeance and all that shit, goes after swiss and eventually finds him, but only because Swiss wanted to be found

Swiss easily overpowers him and tells Rain to stfu and listen to him. He says they'll take a blood oath—Swiss will save Bellimar and then give himself up for the general to kill, or do whatever he pleases with. Rain agrees, even though reluctantly, because, yeah, he wants to avenge Dew, but Dew wouldn't want his beloved kingdom to lose the war, right?

Yeah, so that happens. Swiss saves Bellimar (he meets Mountain around then), but then Rain realizes there’s nothing left in the world for him without Dew, and he actually grew to like Swiss, whether he likes it or not, so he doesn’t kill him. He even decides to go with him (and Mountain) to stop Meira from doing more fuckshit magic

Long story short, they fail

Well, first Swiss meets with Shadow and they merge back into…just Swiss

In Balkee (the capital of Valun), Meira stabs swiss with a magical blade with Keres’ blood on it in an attempt to bring him back. It doesn’t look like it worked at first, so she gets angry and shoves him into a coffin with the dagger still in him, and Rain and Mountain into a dungeon

They manage to escape soon enough and they take Swiss in the coffin with them back to Bellimar. Alvah/Meira can’t reach them there, she can’t leave the magical borders of Valun

It takes Mountain and Rain a while to figure out how to wake Swiss up, and when they finally do the world is a mess. Turns out keres did come back and has been messing the kingdom up and spreading chaos

Swiss waking up gives him even more power and he gathers an army of the dead, putting the continent into a huge ass war. Swiss takes over the court in Odrea because king Carandael is a bitch and doesn’t want to fight because he thinks his only heir is dead, so what’s the point

Some time later it turns out that Dew did not die when Swiss disappeared him, he actually ended up in Alvah/Meira’s dungeons and has been stuck there for a while, but also managed to finally escape. He finds Rain and they reunite and its sappy as fuck

So all our guys are together in Odrea now (the capital of Bellimar where the court is) preparing to face Keres

Swiss expects he will have to die because 1) he’s the only one that can face him, and 2) their power is linked, so that might be the only way

Keres is smart, though, he is the god of darkness, death and chaos after all

He uses his legions of the dead he conjured up to get rid of most of the kingdom’s armies and defenses, so that he would have a clean road to the capital where Swiss is. Keres wants to kill him, so that he doesn't have to share that power and has no competition

The war is bad. Really bad, a lot of people die. Rain nearly dies

He’s got his magic and he might just be the best swordsman in the kingdom, but he also (a little stupidly, but honorably) insists on fighting amongst his people instead of leading them to death from the sides, so…

The throne room is barricaded with Mountain’s magic

The king is dead, Dew is crying over his body

Dew, Rain, Aeon and Mountain are the only one’s left there and they have no idea what the fuck to do

Rain considers, though, and he realizes that no matter what happens, the Tareva bloodline must survive and...well, Dewdrop is the only one left

He begs Aeon and Mountain to get Dew out of there through some secret tunnels while he fights off the bastards that are about to break into the throne room. Keres wants to kill Dewdrop, too—he doesn’t want any competition and he doesn’t know that Dew isn't a kairan, that he only has one power

Dew wouldn’t agree to it in normal circumstances and he would fight not to be taken away, but he’s mad with grief over his father already, so it’s easier than it should be for Aeon and Mountain to haul him away

One thing, though...when Mountain gets away, the barricades will fall. He knows it and Rain does, too, but getting Dew out—the only remaining hope for Bellimar and the love of his life—is his priority

Aeon and Mountain get Dew away. Mountain’s power allows them to melt through the walls so the enemy wouldn’t even be able to go after them that easily, but Rain is still going to hold them back as much as he can, for as long as he can

He sits on the broken throne with his sword and simply waits. The enemy is banging on the huge doors as Mountains magic indeed does slowly melt away but then...then it gets quiet and the magic drops

Rain knows exactly what that means

Keres opens the doors and steps into the wrecked throne room, looks over the dead guards here and there and then on Rain

“Nnd who are you?” Keres asks

“Nobody important to you unfortunately”

“You’re that...that stubborn general. Are you not?”

“Probably” Rain scoffs. Keres actually admires his attitude to the certain death standing right in front of him

“I like you,” he admits, “and that’s why I’ll let you dirty your sword before I kill you”

“Sounds good to me” Rain shrugs and gets up from the throne. Keres fold his arms on his chest and moves back to lean against the wall to watch Rain slaughter his soldiers

Rain is good, even Heres is impressed

He gets bored after a while, though, and Rain is getting tired. He doesn't notice that the god has moved and joined the dead that are attacking him (they’re sloppy, it’s the number of them that gives them the advantage, btw)

Rain lifts his sword to slash through a couple of them, but it’s Keres that’s there

He grabs his sword in hand and twists Rain’s arm away before stabbing him

Rain screams out, but not in pain. He screams out in anger

It makes his magic burst and, for some reason, shocks Keres (it shocks him because it’s the pure naidan power, which means Rain is a descendant from one of the gods). Just for a split second, but it's enough for Rain to grab a dagger with his free hand and stab it into Keres’ neck

He falls, and even though rain knows he’ll come back, he’s proud of himself—he managed to slow him down

Rain pushes him off and stumbles backwards. He uses his sword like a cane to get himself back to the throne, but he can’t get himself up those couple stairs that are there. He collapses onto them and waits for death

He’s bleeding out fast, so he’s barely conscious when someone barges into the throne room where he’s the only one left (semi)alive. it’s Swiss with Aether

Swiss felt keres “dying” and Rain’s power bursting and it turns out that when Keres temporarily dies, all his living-dead soldiers fall with him, so Rain managed to put the entire battle on hold

He’s started telling Aether what he wants him to forward to Dewdrop, he’s sure he’s done, but Aether heals him at the very last minute and gets him out while the enemy is...well, dead

Only Swiss stays in the palace, waiting for Keres to wake up

He could’ve at least tried to kill Keres while he was kinda dead, but Swiss didn’t want to do it like that

He wanted a real fight and if he dies, that’s fine. He doesn’t see himself having any different purpose. He doesn’t mind

And he does get a real fight

The last time two gods fought it ended up with a whole continent splitting into a couple islands, so it’s a huge release of power

The capital gets obliterated, turned into a crater. Thousands of people that are escaping turn and gasp as it all goes up in flames

Swiss’ friends know what it means and they’re sure he didn't survive. How could he?

They cry—Mountain the hardest, hating the fact that Swiss has died without seeing his value or getting any real happiness or love in his life, and that he didn't get to say goodbye

The survivors from that destroyed part of Bellimar all get onto boats provided by Maldae (an island on the west) and they escape there

It’s weeks after the battle and Mountain simply can’t stop thinking about Swiss. He swears he can still feel his magic lingering around. He doesn't take no for an answer and ends up getting onto a pirate ship that would take him to the ruined city of Odrea

What he finds there is not what he was expecting

He was expecting...well, nothing. A hole in the ground with everything dead around it, not even any ruins of the once glorious city

Mountain finds Ddrea nearly fully rebuilt; he runs around it frantically because it reeks of Swiss’ magic and–

“Mounty?” he hears when he runs up the new palace’s stairs. He turns and crumbles to the ground, just violently sobbing right away because–

“You’re alive” and yeah. Yeah, Swiss is somehow alive

Keres is gone, Swiss is alive and he’s been fixing what got ruined

A few months later the city is ready to welcome back its people, those that do want to come back

Mountain and Swiss get married and move to Valun (that is now uncloaked) to rule there, and Rain and Dew get married and rule Bellimar

and here's the map of erlaria for reference! and if anyone would like to read some more of it or have some questions about the lore or some ideas then feel free to storm my inbox heh

[xxnashiraxx]

With Stars to Fill My Dream (13) - Moving Through the Silence Without Motion

Whew- sorry, this one took longer than anticipated!! I was on vacation last weekend and couldn't make the last-minute changes I wanted to make that would have allowed me to post on Tuesday, but it's all done now! ☺ Back on schedule!

✧˖ Release Schedule: Every 2 Weeks ˖✧

Summary: The camp deals with the aftermath of their encounter with the dream visitor, and a certain fluffy friend joins their odd group of misfits. Ofelia experiences another embarrassing predicament, and their party finally enters the goblin camp to face down the three leaders and clear the way for the tieflings in the Grove. Branded by a priestess, rediscovering the luxury of coffee, and sharing a sweet opportunity with her favorite fanged companion aren't enough to cushion the blow of reality all while Astarion tries to sort through emotions he would rather not address.

Pairing: Astarion x female!Tav

Warnings: 18+. Mentions of past abuse and trauma. Canon-typical violence and gore.

Word Count: 7,603

AO3

Took some fun screenshots!! Please enjoy the opening below the cut ❤

✧˖Tag List: @khywren @allymcfee

“Are you alright?” Shadowheart pokes her face into Ofelia’s tent, pale and clammy. Ofelia scrambles to wipe her tears away, nodding and meeting the half-elf’s eyes.

“Yeah… I think so… did you see it too?” Shadowheart’s lips set in a firm line, nodding softly.

“We all did. Here, it’s dawn… come out. Let’s all sit and talk around the fire.”

Ofelia heeds Shadowheart’s suggestion, pulling her boots on and fixing her hair into a loose bun, resolving to bathe before they start the day. Officially. She hesitates, once again finding her return to her bedroll to be a mystery.

The last thing she remembers is swaying in Astarion’s arms, thinking about how pretty he looked under the light of stars, music from her own world making her feel like they were in their own pocket in time, separated from the tadpole, the cult, all of it. She remembers wishing he’d been from Earth, that way she’d want to go back… And try as she might, she can’t bury these stupid feelings.

Her face flushes in shame at the memory of pressing that kiss to his cheek, that pang of longing when he hadn’t shoved her away but instead gazed at her in surprise… It makes forgetting that it happened ten times worse. Then she returned to her tent, somehow, a faint feeling of unease now clouding her mind. How did she get back? Did she go back alone? She can’t shake the feeling that she’s missing something important, but she can’t put her finger on what it might be…

She walks out into the early dawn, stunned to find another surprise- a welcome one at that.

“Scratch!” Ofelia crumples to her knees as he runs up from beyond the outskirts of their camp, the rest of her groggy companions yelping or jumping out of the way as the dog barrels into her. “Oh, I’m so glad you're safe!” She mumbles into his fur as it pokes her neck and cheek and he nearly knocks her backward. He licks her face and barks and she scratches his ears, giving him little kisses on the snout and top of his head.

“Is that a dog? Oh my goodness!” Karlach cries tearfully, bringing a stick over. She seems to be talking to Scratch, but all Ofelia can hear are soft yips and excited growling. “He says he wants to stay if we’ve got the room?”

“Oh my god of course he can stay!” Ofelia sobs, wiping her eyes as Scratch licks the happy tears off her cheeks. “I love him so much,” She sniffles to Karlach and the two of them giggle and lead Scratch over to the fire as the rest of their companions huddle around.

“In addition to Lae’zel, we’re letting more than one mangy mutt stick around?” Astarion frowns, a sour look on his face. Ofelia scoffs as Gale hands her a steaming cup of tea, watching Lae’zel do no more than grunt and roughly shoulder the vampire out of the way on her path toward the fire. His affronted yelp and subsequent snarl make Ofelia laugh under her breath as she smiles at Gale in thanks and hands Scratch a couple of hunks of sausage from their stock.

“You all were approached in your sleep by the same visitor, weren’t you?” Astarion mutters, lips still twisted in displeasure. Ofelia regards his unkempt head of hair with an amused smile, feeling privileged to see him before he’s had a chance to put himself together for the day.

[trappedinafantasy37]

"I never recruit her. She's so evil and mean!"

The 'evil and mean' companion: