#(Best aunt/baker mum)

[101flavoursofweird]

Title: Starting Over

Description: Espella reunites with Carmine in London… Eve is also there.

Spoilers: For PLvsAA

Set: A month after PLvsAA

Warnings: Mentions of the Great Fire and Espella’s catatonic state following that, but not in much detail… Vague descriptions of a car crash (of course) and a broken leg.

Note: For Day 2 of @layton-npc-appreciation-week - I went with V.S Phoenix Wright. Not sure if Eve and Espella count as NPCs, but you don’t get more NPC than a character who appeared for like 2 minutes in the opening cutscene.

Carmine hadn’t seen Espella Cantabella since he’d crashed his car into the Riverside Park, one month ago.

In Carmine’s defence, they had been pursued by witches… or rather, what Carmine had perceived to be witches.

It had been nothing more than an illusion evoked by a mind-altering drug, according to Professor Layton.

The Professor had also revealed that Labyrinthia— the medieval city plagued by magic and witches— did not exist as Carmine remembered it.

All of it had been a facade— a story— constructed to help Espella live with the trauma of a devastating fire from over a decade ago.

The Legendary Fire that had consumed a town and the majority of its inhabitants… except for Espella, Arthur Cantabella, Newton Belduke and his daughter.

A young Espella, convinced she had destroyed the town after being possessed by the ‘Great Witch Bezella’, had entered a catatonic state.

It seemed nothing could break the spell that had fallen over Espella… but then, Arthur Cantabella had written her a story about the banished witches and the triumphant townsfolk. 

More stories had followed, until Labyrinthia came to be.

Carmine had stumbled into Espella’s story by mistake. He had been extremely lost and subsequently, stupefied by the events he’d witnessed in Labyrinthia.

At the best of times, Carmine was strapped for cash… How was a detective meant to survive in a medieval town when he couldn’t tell fact from fiction? The illogical court system had made his head spin!

He had wandered through the streets— penniless and hungry— until he’d bumped into a girl who took pity on him. 

She had brought him to a bakery and given him of a loaf bread for free…

The bakery owner— upon discovering this transgression— had decided Carmine would work at the shop to pay her back, and she would put a roof over his head in the meantime.

And so, Carmine had found himself living alongside Espella Cantabella, Patty Eclaire and Eve the Cat.

What had started as repaying a debt became Patty and Espella patiently teaching him how to bake (and forgiving Carmine’s many mishaps!), listening to the neighbours’ gossip, exploring the Great Archive with Espella, learning the history and the strange customs of Labyrinthia…

Hurrying home with Espella and avoiding the Order of Knights’ hard gaze…

Laughing with Espella and Patty during a flour-fight—

Getting interrupted by the intrusion of five knights, who accused Espella (kind, gentle Espella) of being the Great Witch…

Defending Espella while Patty warded them off with a rolling pin… 

After that, Patty had begged Carmine to take Espella and flee— far away from Labyrinthia. Carmine had agreed.

But he and Espella had been followed, and  knocked off the road.

(Curse his terrible luck and his last name…!)

Carmine had been injured, of course, but Espella could still run. He had urged her to go without him— to find Professor Layton and deliver his letter.

Much to his relief, Espella had obliged; she had left him to traverse a city she didn’t even know the name of.

Carmine didn’t blame Espella. Not for anything at all.

He’d wanted her to be safe and he knew Professor Layton would ensure that.

And the Professor had succeeded! He had solved the puzzle of Labyrinthia! (With some help from his assistants and an American defence attorney…)

Most importantly, he had helped shed light on Espella’s troubled past.

Espella was free now. Free to be herself. Free to process her trauma. Free to leave Labyrinthia, at long last…

She was meant to be visiting Carmine today, at the hospital. 

(He’d recovered from the injuries he had sustained during the car crash, but since then, he had broken his leg while trying to escape out of a window on the ward.)

Carmine glanced at the clock on the wall of his hospital room. Espella had said she would arrive at 3pm… but it was coming up to 4pm now.

He frowned. Where was Espella? Had she simply been delayed during her journey? 

Had the boat ride from Labyrinthia gone smoothly…?

Or had something happened to Espella when she reached London? 

Was she travelling alone? Could she have gotten lost? What if she had been waylaid by some lowlife in a dark alley?

Just as Carmine was envisioning every misfortune that could have befallen poor Espella, he heard two tentative knocks at the door.

“C-come in!” Carmine exclaimed as he leapt out of bed. His left leg, wrapped in a cast, crumpled under him as soon as he tried to stand. “Ahi—!”

He landed on the floor just as the door opened…

Espella was standing in the doorway. 

Her beaming smile faded when she realised Carmine had collapsed.

She let out a cry that sounded both ecstatic and concerned.

Carmine was nearly bowled over again as she caught him in a hug.

Somehow, with her arms locked around his neck, Carmine choked out a laugh. “You made it, then?”

Espella’s grip loosened. She looked at him and nodded. “Made it.”

He smiled. “I’m so glad!”

“There’s someone I want you to meet…”

Espella’s head turned towards the door, where Carmine noticed a figure waiting in the shadows. 

The figure glided into the room and Carmine recognised her.

“You—!” Carmine gasped. He pushed Espella behind him, but he kept glaring at the intruder— the one who had once posed as the ‘Great Witch’. The one who had caused Espella so much grief. “Stay back, you…!”

“Carmine— it’s alright!” Espella protested, gently moving him aside. “This is—“

“Are you— being influenced again, Espella?” Carmine peered at her. (She seemed lucid…)

There was a sigh from across the room. “Espella… Haven’t you explained everything to him?”

“I did, in my letter!” Espella insisted. She pointed from Carmine to the purple-haired woman. “Carmine, this is my friend, Eve—“

“Eve?” Carmine repeated. He glanced around. “Where is Eve?” Aiming another glower at the purple-haired woman, he demanded, “Have you done something to Eve?”

The woman rubbed her forehead with her hand and huffed, “I think you’re confused—“

“Eve the cat is fine and she’s back home,” Espella clarified. “Eve Belduke, my childhood friend, is here.”

Eve— the woman, Newton Belduke’s daughter— gave him a small wave.

“Ah…” Carmine cleared his throat. “I’m sorry— can we start over?”

“I believe I’m the one who owes you an apology,” Eve Belduke said solemnly. 

Espella gave her a reassuring smile. Carmine hummed.

Eve exhaled. “But yes, let’s start over…”

[writerunblocked]

Bullet Proof Heart: II. Out of the Bag

Synopsis: Rumours spread like wildfire in Birmingham. Even more so when it's Tommy Shelby getting married to the most beautiful woman in Birmingham. Abe goes to talk to Tommy to see if he can talk with Tommy, man-to-man.

Trope: Arranged marriage trop. I know it's old, but I like it.

TW: Death and dying, drinking, swearing, prostitution

WC: 3575

Bullet Proof Heart: Read Part 1: The Agreement here. Read Part 3: Acceptance here

It didn’t take long for the news about Anya and Thomas Shelby to get out in Birmingham. Anya had gone to the bakers on Thursday to get some things for her family and everyone had cleared a path for her to get to the register. In the queue, her niece Gal’s friend’s mum, a woman by the name of Danielle, didn’t even look Anya in the eye. Anya had been on good terms with all of her niece and nephew’s friends' parents, and now one of them wouldn’t look her in the eye. She got her things quickly and left. 

On her way home, the creepy men who harassed her left her alone, kids would avoid her, and one mother told her daughter not to stare and that it was rude. And how she was the fiancée of Thomas Shelby. People who normally would’ve ogled now acknowledged her presence. It had been almost two weeks since Anya found out the news about her and Tommy and her life had changed drastically and that night at Uncle Sam’s pub had spoiled it for everyone. If she hadn’t gone out for multiple drinks then she’d be able to be Anya Rosenthal a bit longer and not Anya Rosenthal Shelby.  

Someone was always trailing her as well. A different person every day, but she knew who they were and who sent them. She never had a moment alone, someone was always watching her. These men wore tweed caps that had blades sewn into them. These men ran the streets of Birmingham and were called the Peaky Blinders, the footmen of Tommy’s gang. She was now deemed ‘important enough for them to protect.’ She just wished they wouldn’t be there when she was picking up Gal and Noam from school every day. They scared the other kids and the parents. They were making her life harder for everyone. Especially her since she was a teacher as well. She hoped she’d be able to keep her job. 

The wedding planning was going as smoothly as it could go. Tommy’s Aunt, Polly Shelby, someone her father had known for a long time, and her mum were doing their best to collaborate. It didn’t help that her mother’s first language was Yiddish, not English, and sometimes had trouble speaking English, especially when she was upset. Anya thought that having to help plan this wedding was rubbing salt into the wound for her. 

Her sister-in-law had also been trying to plan the wedding as well. Anya had suggested that they just go down to the courthouse and skip the whole ceremony (and her great embarrassment and fear when Isaac and Dan conspired to pick her up and do the Horrah with her, as Anya was terrified of heights and when she would go on to kiss Tommy in front of everyone), she had been denied by everyone, including Tommy himself. She thought he wouldn’t care since he was getting married a bit older. Apparently, he did care. And that was his right, it was his wedding as well. Even though the last thing Anya ever wanted was to get married at this current moment in her life. But things changed and as much as that scared Naomi, she couldn’t control it. 

The engagement didn’t just affect her life, but also her nine-year-old niece, Gal, and her eleven-year-old nephew, Noam’s lives as well. Kids had stopped talking to them, teachers were scared of them, and their parents did their best to stop their kids from associating with them because they were so scared of Thomas Shelby and the Shelby family in general. She felt terrible at the fact her niece and nephew were suffering because of what was going on in her life. Why should they miss out on the fun because of her? 

The only place where Anya actually felt comfortable now was at Uncle Sam’s pub. That seemed to be the only Tommy Shelby free of influence place she had. Tommy was over practically every day now much to her mother’s horror, and she was over a Tommy’s place if he wasn’t at hers. Sam had also had a gag rule on any talk of the Shelby brothers, and was now thinking of ways to keep Thomas Shelby out of his pub. So far, no Shelby brothers had come back into the pub since Thomas Shelby. Sam was pleased with this. 

When Anya arrived back at her parents’ place from her errands, she silently hoped that Shelby wouldn’t be there. When she walked in the front door, there was no smell of cigarettes, she was free of Tommy Shelby. She walked in and saw her mother sitting at the kitchen table, with her brothers Abe, Dan, Jakob, Asher, and Isaac with her. “Anya!” She heard Dan say. “gut, ir zent heym.” (Good, you’re home). 

“vas tut zikh?” She asked. (What’s going on?) 

Her father came out of his office and took a seat at the table large enough to hold everyone and took a seat. His laboured breathing was still there though. “Anya” he wheezed, “zitst.” She took a seat. 

Her mother put an envelope on the table and passed it to her. She took the envelope and opened it, and she bills. She looked at her family, how they were able to afford what was in her was something she’d never understand. “Nemen dem bilet. gey keyn niu yark vau aunzer mume aun feter vartn aoyf dir. zey veln nisht kenen tsu bakumen ir dort,” her brother said. (Take the ticket. Go to New York where our Aunt and Uncle are waiting for you. They won't be able to get you there.) 

“Es iz keyn antloyfn fun zey. Zey zenen aumetum,” she whispered. (There’s no escaping them. They’re everywhere.) 

“Run,” Isaac pleaded. “Run, run get out of Birmingham.”

“There’s nowhere to go,” I whispered. “There’s nowhere to go.” Anya felt a deep pit of despair and felt ill. She was getting married to Thomas Shelby and there was nothing she could do with that. Tied to him like a dog. 

“He’ll kill you,” she said. “He’ll kill all of you and then Noam and Gal grow up in orphanages. He’ll only spare the children and they’ll be forced to grow up without us. I’ll never be able to step foot in England ever again. 

Anya's mind pictured Noam and Gal in an orphanage most likely run by a church. She was terrified of what they could go through, she’d heard stories from friends about the Catholic priests, and one of her friends wasn’t allowed to be an altar boy. She pushed those thoughts down.

She couldn’t run, she couldn’t flee, she had to stay in Birmingham. She had to stay in Birmingham and go on to marry Thomas Shelby. She’d be the Queen of Birmingham, but her life would never be the same. Be with Tommy and risk being killed by one of his many enemies. Flee the country and figure out a way to get Noam and Gal to go with her saving them from an orphanage and being an ocean away from her family and be with people she hadn’t seen in years living in New York. Could she even recognise her Aunt and Uncle, Anya didn’t know. But the Shelbys had eyes everywhere, nowhere was safe. Flee and risk getting caught by Shelby’s men in New York, get caught trying to board a ship to the New World, and face not just her family’s certain death, but her death as well. She didn’t have a choice in this matter. 

“I’m staying,” she said pushing the money toward her family. “I’m not leaving. I can’t leave.” 

“We’ll be okay,” assured her father. 

“You’ll be dead in the coming months and the money you have isn’t enough to keep Mum off the street,” she stated. “There’s nothing more we can do. I can’t put her out on the street.” Anya paused as tears threatened to spill out of her mother’s eyes, “I’ve made up my mind,” she choked, tears now threatening to spill out of her eyes, “I’m staying here. I’m not running.” 

“Anya,” her mother whispered. “You’re just as stubborn as I am. It’ll be the death of you.”

______________________________________________________________

Tommy Shelby sat at his desk in his home and looked over the picture of Anya he had. He’d found it when Abe and Dan had come into the Garrison and the photo fell out of one of the men’s pockets. He hadn’t seen the then eighteen-year-old in a while, not since she was thirteen when he and her brother had received the medal, and had realised that the men around town were right, she was the most beautiful girl in all of Birmingham. Her curly blonde hair was down, her blue eyes smiling as she wrapped her arms around her Isaac. He at that moment felt a strange affection for the woman and had offered her a job at the Garrison two years later as the new Barmaid after Grace’s betrayal. Though he did love Grace, there was always a special place for Anya.  

He remembered the day she’d come into the Garrison for the job. She was wearing a new dress that her sister-in-law had hand-sewn for her, it was black, but it fit her perfectly. Her curly blonde hair was down and her blue eyes were nervous as they darted around the pub. He’d been sitting at the bar drinking a bottle of Irish whiskey when he realised she was even prettier in real life and the short glances he’d see of her around town getting bread for Shabbat. “Hello, Mr Shelby,” she said. 

“Hello, Anya,” he responded. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m here to apply for the job as the barmaid,” she said. “I sing, I can play the piano, I can make a good drink.”

“Why are you applying?” He asked her. Anya Rosenthal, Abraham Rosenthal’s sister, the most beautiful girl in Birmingham, couldn’t be applying for this job. 

“I’m applying because my father’s sick,” she sighed. “I don’t know how much longer he has left and what he has. We need the money so he can go to the doctor and my pay as a teacher doesn’t help.” 

Tommy was shocked to hear the news. David Rosenthal, the man who sold and grew Cannabis, and had done business with Tommy, was sick. He’d always liked David and thought he was a nice man. He was saddened by the fact he was sick. “I can give you the money,” he said. 

She looked shocked. “I don’t need charity!” She snapped at him. 

“I’m not saying that you are,” he responded to her. She reminded him so much of Abe at that moment. “I’m saying I can give you the money.”

“Without doing some sort of work?” She asked sarcastically. “That’s charity, Mr Shelby. We can survive on our own if I get this job.” The inflexion in her voice reminded him of Abe when they were both in the trenches. The seriousness and determination in it was something he never thought he’d hear again. He remembered what Asher had told him: “Rosenthals have a nasty habit of being stubborn”. “What do you need me to do? Bend over, up against the wall? On my back or on top? I know what you usually ask of your female employees, Mr Shelby. I can offer that.”

“There’s no need to make yourself a whore,” he said. 

“I know what men think of me,” she said sadly looking down at the floor. “I’m just a body to them. And as much as it disgusts me to do what they imagine, I want my father to live a bit longer so he can see Abe’s children grow up. Even if he never meets mine.”

Tommy smiled slightly. She was right about what men think of her, but he was lonely after Grace’s betrayal, and she was offering to help keep him company by being the barmaid. She was also the only one who was aware of what the other side of that job entailed, the other women who applied when they realised what the other side of the job entailed ran out of The Garrison. “You got your brother’s brains,” he said. “You’re the only one out of the interviewees who knew what the other side of this job is.”

“That we inherited from our mum,” she responded. “I’m willing to do all the job entails, where and how do you want me.” 

“My office is right this way, love,” he responded. She was bent over the desk and the two were fucking. He would finish inside of her and she’d leave. Anya knew she’d gotten the job. 

Tommy couldn’t help but think of the next few times they fucked. The sex kept on getting better and better, but something changed after one round. 

Anya had stayed the night at his place and passed it off as staying at a friend’s place when Anya had a flashback. Apparently, she’d dated a guy who was incredibly abusive and choked her from behind after she walked away from an argument. He’d followed her around town until Abe got involved and threatened to seriously hurt him. And though he didn’t interact with her, Anya could see him following her around Birmingham, stalking her. 

“I saw him today,” she sighed. “At the pub.” 

“He was?” Tommy asked. 

“Only popped his head in, but I can recognise those hazel eyes. After our final argument, I thought those would’ve been the last thing I’d see,” she shivered at the memory. “They still haunt my nightmares just like the war haunts yours and my brothers.” 

“He was a tunnler,” he said. “Your brother saved my life. It’s how he got the medals.” 

“Same as you,” she said. “I remember going to your award ceremony. The two of you looked absolutely awkward.” 

Tommy scoffed at the memory. She was only eleven then, but she still remembered how much the war affected her brothers and father when they got home. She passed him a cigarette and a lighter and lit it for him before lighting one for herself. Something changed in Thomas Shelby when he saw her laying in his bed smoking a cigarette. Something inside of him forgot about everything and looked straight at her. He realised then and there that Tommy Shelby was completely in love with her and would do anything to get her to be with him. 

“What’s your ex’s name?” He asked her. 

“Nick,” she sighed. “Nick Boyle.” 

He was determined to kill Nick Boyle and to get the man out of her life for good. She deserved that and for her, he’d do anything. 

Tommy was pulled from the memory when his Aunt Polly came into the room. “Thomas,” she said her eyes filled with concern. 

“What is it, Pol?” He asked her. 

“Abe’s at the door,” she said. “I’d put that picture away.” 

Putting the photo of Anya away, he wondered what Abe wanted that he’d visit at this time of night. “Let him in.” 

A few moments later, Abraham Rosenthal came into his office. He was fuming and took a seat. “You, Thomas Shelby, will be the death of my family.” He announced. 

“What is it, Abe?” He asked. “I don’t think it’s to catch up on war memories.” 

“You saved my life and I saved yours, but now I’m regretting that I did,” he hissed at him. 

“And why’s that?” Thomas asked offering Abe some Irish whiskey. “Is it about your sister?” 

“MY LITTLE FUCKING SISTER MARRYING INTO YOUR FAMILY BECAUSE OF ME!” He shouted. 

Tommy looked at Abe in shock. He had thought it was her father that had short-changed him, not Abe. Knowing Abe, it must’ve been an accident. David had taken the fall Abe and had told Tommy that he'd do anything to make it up to him. Tommy had said marry his daughter and David reluctantly agreed. Knowing it was Abe, a man that Tommy liked and admired, was something new. “I had accidentally miscounted the money,” he said. “It was an accident. Break off the engagement with my sister. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into your life. Let her go, it’s me you want. Take me, kill me instead.” 

“I’m not going to kill you, Abe,” he said. “But your sister’s still mine. I care for her.” 

“Thomas Shelby’s never cared for a woman besides Greta in his life,” he snarled. “She’s too young for you. She’s 22, and you’re in your 30s, Tommy. Leave her alone.” The fear in his blue eyes showed that he cared for his sister. He remembered in the trenches he wanted to make it back to her so that he could continue teaching her how to read and how to write. His parents couldn’t afford to send her to school so he was teaching her how. Tommy remembered how happy he was when his sister wrote a letter to him on the front, her handwriting was illegible, but it was still handwriting. 

“What makes you think I don’t care about her?” Tommy asked. 

“You sleep with anything that walks, Shelby,” he snarled. “I know what everyone thinks about my sister and everyone in my family is disgusted, but it’s different when the most dangerous and the most powerful man in all of Birmingham takes an interest in her.” 

“I’ve never done anything to hurt her, Abe,” he said. “I don’t have any intention to.” 

Abe rolled his green eyes, the same green eyes he’d inherited from his father. Abe was the spitting image of David but often acted more like his mother Chaya. He could see the protectiveness and the ruthlessness that he’d inherited from David though, and that was something that Tommy liked about him. “You’re you, Tommy,” he scoffed, his voice shaking but still filled with rage. Rage that his father for selling her like a piece of land and for taking the fall, rage at himself for getting Anya into this mess, and rage at the world for everything it seemed to do to him. “She can’t walk down the street without people looking at her, and not how they used to look at her like she was a conquest, but as something to be feared. My own children are now affected by this, her job at the school is now on the line. And it’s all because of you.” 

“She’s a wonderful woman,” Tommy said. “She’s kind, she’s considerate, and she’s incredibly smart. Especially with words and numbers. She loves kids and wants them later on in life. She loves Jazz. Her favourite food’s chocolate and her favourite ‘food group’ is ice cream, even though she doesn’t have it often because she can’t afford it. She likes to cook as well. She also refers to you guys as ‘morons 1-5.’ She also likes to sew and knit. She loves sports and she’s terrified of heights. You threatened to murder her ex-boyfriend and she was the one who witnessed your neighbour being murdered in Poland.” Tommy said. 

“What?” Abe asked. 

“Do you want me to repeat everything?” Tommy questioned. 

“How’d you know she likes all that,” Abe whispered in shock. “How do you know about what happened in Poland?” 

“I might’ve been young when the Pogroms happened, but I know the look of someone who’s witnessed death at a young age,” Tommy responded. “She’s spent several nights here.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Abe grumbled. “Everyone knows she’s sleeping with you. But she opened up to you. She doesn’t open up to anyone.” 

“I care for her,” Tommy sighed. 

“You love her,” Abe corrected. “You love my sister.” He muttered something in Yiddish about Anya and their mother. Abe sounded exacerbated as he gritted his teeth. 

“You hurt her, I’ll kill all of you and murder you!” He snarled at Tommy pointing at him. Tommy didn’t expect anything less from Abe Rosenthal. “She’s a human being, not something for you to oggle at. My dad might not live to see the next month, and as the oldest, I know that I need to step up. I love her, Tommy, she’s my little sister, and if something happens to her, I’ll take you to the gates of hell.” 

“What happened with the money,” Tommy asked. He knew it was unlike the Rosenthals to short-change him, they were very good with their payments to the Blinders, something had to have happened. 

“Normally Anya counts the money,” he sighed. “Anya was so tired, and we got the money in later than we normally do because some of our customers short-changed us, and I thought we had it all. I didn’t realise that I miscounted and when Anya dropped the money off, it was too late.” 

“All your debts to the Blinders are forgiven. There’s no need to pay for our protection,” Tommy said. 

“Is my sister off the hook?” He asked. 

“No,” he said. “She’s not, that’s the nature of the deal I made with your father.” 

“Shite,” he whispered. “There’s no getting her out of this, is there?” 

“And I have eyes and ears all over the world so there’s no running,” Tommy said. 

With one huff, Abe turned and left and Tommy was left alone. All he could think of was Anya, and that scared him just as much as it scared Abe. And he felt sorry that it came to this.

[eigenaardigheid]

[   boyd holbrook   /  male  /  bisexual.   ]       known  more  so  as   bri   ,  brynn fell  is  the  forty   year  old  baker / bakery owner  .    he  can  often  be  found  jamming  out  to  wildfire  by  SBTRKT, Little Dragon  and  i  know  if  you  ask  their  mum  they’d  say  they  remind  them  of  freshly baked goods, birds chirping in the early morning hours & the sun shining in through the window.    

full name: brynn fell nicknames: bri birthdate: april 14 birthplace: new york, usa age: forty gender: cisman pronouns: he / him romance: biromantic / bisexual occupation: bakery owner / baker fears: ants, fire likes: baking, crisps, music, plants, decorating faceclaim: boyd holbrook

extra

brynn was born in new york, usa

growing up he was a huge troublemaker, the young boy could never sit still and was always pulling pranks on everyone

despite the boy being a troublemaker during his younger years he did really well in school and enjoyed going there too, learning new things was a blast for the young guy

due to his parents being busy with work, he often spent time with his aunt who owned a bakery, which kickstarted his love for baking

getting to spend his time at her bakery and seeing the baking in action, learning simple recipes from her and helping her out when he got older; he loved it all

during his mid teens the male found his first love: a girl from his class who made him laugh just a bit too much, she seemed perfect for him

it was only a couple years later when they welcomed a baby into the world, the pregnancy coming as a shock to both their families, but he young couple was more than happy to share their love with the young child

deciding to quit school, the male took on a job at his aunt's bakery, trying his best to support his little family

his aunt, already an older lady was slowly passing on all of her work to the young man and when the male had been working at the bakery for seven years she decided to leave the bakery to him

bri was ecstatic to say the least, he had taken over his aunts bakery with much love and care and business was going really well

it wasn't long after taking over the bakery when his child turned three years old that things went south, his girlfriend, with whom he was planning a wedding fell horribly ill and in a matter of only months she passed on

this hit the young man hard. he was not prepared to take on the role of a single father while also only just having taken over a major business

in his mind family came first and thus he passed on the bakery to a baker looking for a place and decided to put his full focus on his young child

though staying in the same place was painful and it didn't take much longer or bri and his child were moving across the planet to brisbane, a choice made by throwing a dart at the world map, but one that seemed like a good choice

starting their new lives in australia was tough, the first five years bri worked odd jobs, earning just enough to make sure his child was taken care off and rent could be paid, but he missed baking

so after a couple years of hard work and much planning he was happy to finally be able to have his own bakery again

now we are several years further and his bakery is running really well

his child has grown up and is in their twenties

connections

his child (will be a WC)

lover

bakery workers (4)

best friend

[thefloatingwriter]

Headcanons for pre-marauders era characters

disclaimer: i am aware that some of these characters are headcanoned as being in the marauders era. i am not trying to be rude to anyone who thinks this. these are just my personal headcanons <3

Warnings - mentions of death, child abuse.

Alice Longbottom (née Fortescue)

1968 - 1975

Gryffindor

Played as a chaser starting in 4th year

One year older than Frank

Became fast friends with Mary even though she was two years younger

Prefect

Her best subject was Transfiguration.

She was good friends with Amelia Bones, who was in the same year as her

She had a younger sister

Frank Longbottom

1969 - 1976

Gryffindor

Best friends with Marlene McKinnon

Close with Kingsley, Emmeline, Pandora, and Dorcas

Also friends with Edgar Bones and Barty Crouch Jr when he was at school.

Became a chaser in his second year

He wasn’t very close with his father, who was usually absorbed in his work at the Ministry

His best subject was DADA

He was absolute rubbish at History of Magic and Marlene and Kingsley had to basically teach him the entire class because he doze off so frequently

Not a Prefect but was head boy

Met Alice on the train in his second year and became fast friends. They started dating in his fifth year, her sixth.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

1969 - 1976

Gryffindor

Wasn't a big fan of Quidditch. He went to all of the games because Frank would have murdered him if he hadn’t, but he always brought a book with him

Was very close with his father. Contrary to Frank, he was closer to his dad because of his work. The time they spent together felt more important because he was at work so often.

He was absolutely devastated when his father was killed in action in his fifth year. He walked around as a shell of himself for the next couple of weeks.

Prefect

His best subject was DADA later on. He was really good at History of Magic in year 1-3 but he became a lot more interested in DADA later on.

Dorcas Meadowes

1969 - 1976

Slytherin

Halfblood

Her first friend at Hogwarts was Marlene. They met on the train in their first year when she had caught her crying after leaving her aunt and uncle behind at the station.

They were academic rivals for a period of time (end of first year - end of fifth (?)

They started dating in sixth and stayed together until the end of their lives.

She proposed to Marlene in 1979 and they never legally got married, but they were fine with that. It was perfect for the two of them.

Her mother was a baker and so one of Marlene and her’s favorite pastimes were baking together because they were both really good at it.

Chaser from second year to seventh

Her best friends were Marlene and Barty later on. Pandora and her were close too.

Her best subjects were Charms and Potions.

Emmeline Vance

1969 - 1976

Ravenclaw

Halfblood

Terrified by werewolves. Ever since she saw a headline about someone being attacked by one, she was petrified. The majority of her nightmares center around them.

Exclusively wears silver jewelry during the first Wizarding War. During the Second she becomes more lenient about it.

Her wedding ring is gold.

Made out with Marlene once when drunk. They both agreed they were definitely better as friends and laughed about it afterwards.

Best friends with Pandora and Marlene

Her best subject were either DADA or Herbology

Pandora Lovegood (née Rosier)

1969 - 1976

Ravenclaw

Pureblood

Best friends with Marlene, Emmeline, and Regulus

She wore odd jewelry. Bottle-cap necklaces and strange earrings out of interesting things she found. Marlene buys her the most interesting Muggle earrings she can find whenever she goes shopping. Pandora once joked she had one for every day of the year.

Her mum died in front of her when she was seven. She freaked out the first time she saw the Thestrals until Marlene explained them to her.

She liked Quidditch, but never enough to play it. She preferred to watch.

She met Xeno in her second year, his third.

They started dating in her third, his fourth.

Regulus saw her as an older sister figure to him, though he would never admit it. Except Pandora knew. She had an amazing ability to do that.

Her best subjects were Charms and Divination. She was particularly good in Magical Creatures as well.

Marlene Meadowes (née McKinnon)

1969 - 1976

Ravenclaw (i will literally die on this hill)

Pureblood

Prefect and head girl

Was not close to her mother due to her strict behaviors and absence from her life. Her mother was insistent that Marlene was a disappointment to the family because of her being sorted in Ravenclaw. When she was younger, she would slap her after misdemeanors.

On the contrary, she was close to her father. He was the head of the DMLE until he was attacked on Christmas Eve of 1969 and resigned, instead becoming an Unspeakable.

Was originally engaged to Frank in an arranged marriage. When the Longbottom family pulled out of the marriage after they found out about Alice and Frank, the McKinnons were trying to find another husband for Marlene. That was the only reasons she was with her family in July, the day of her death.

She had two older brothers, Michael and Matthew.

Her full name was Marlene Mayra McKinnon. Mayra was her mother’s name, and she inherited it from her. She hated it.

Her best friends were James, Frank, Barty, Pandora, and Emmeline.

Her best subjects were History of Magic and Astrology. She was also remarkably good at Ancient Runes.

Mary Macdonald

1970 - 1977

Gryffindor

Muggleborn

Was best friends with Alice and Lily

Hung out with Emmeline more in later years. They only really became friends in her fourth, Em’s fifth.

Dated Marlene in her third year, Marl’s fourth until Mary’s fourth year, her fifth

They broke up when they decided they were better off as friends and stayed great friends until Marlene’s demise.

Mary was completely heartbroken when she heard of her death

Her best subjects were Herbology and Charms.

[snootlestheangel]

The OCs

Literally just another rant/thing about my OCs (I am tagging you @mike-like-t-scream because this is more or less a continuation of the OC rant you asked for)

Completed with the picrews found on this post here (thank you fren)

Anyways! On to the point of this!

Maxlar Whishling

He's my messy man. Yes the sunglasses are not critical but more or less hiding the fact I couldn't make his eyes purple. The sparkle is because he has Zero Clue What Is Happening But Is Happy To Be Here! This is actually the best I've been able to put my mental image of Max into something tangible for others, minus the more curly aspect of his hair

Malvo Whishling

Will cut you, hates everyone and everything. Judging Constantly. So fed up with everyone's bullshit. Will insult you in the most poetic way possible. This is the exact mental image I have of Malvo, y'all. I cannot explain how happy it makes me that this works so well

Hades Evanchio

So anxious. King of the Night Watchers? Sure. King of Anxiety? Absolutely. Might keel over and die from anxiety, actually. The face he's making is because he's just witnessed his beloved husband provoke the powerful Demon that's supposed to be protecting their mutual friend Maxlar. Probably one of my least favorite depictions of our boy, simply because it doesn't do his hair justice. (I will show y'all the Queen Mother, aka his Mum, and just put the curly of her hair onto our boy here, yeah?)

Devon Blackstone

My big boi <3. Look at him! He and Max absolutely have matching sunglasses, don't judge! They're bros! Party bros to be exact! He's vibing and is best Uncle to Maxlar's kids.

Atendarajo Evanchio

HADES'S FERAL HUSBAND!! Look at those freckles!! Definitely bites!! He's flipping Malvo off cause he hates him and he knows Malvo despises lewd gestures like that. Technically used a picrew designed for female characters, BUT, I couldn't find a good one that conveyed a sense of Feral like this one could. So, ignore the slight curve of his chest. Please.

A Few Random Other Characters!

Andrea Whishling (Maxlar's wife)

LOOK AT HER!!! *joins Maxlar in staring at her with total admiration* She the bestest!

Dorothy "Dot" Baker

Andrea's closest friend! A goofball but also so smart! Bestest Aunt of The Year Every Year

Athena Evanchio

The Queen Mother Herself!!!!!! *screams* She's gorgeous!!! LOOK AT HER!! (I am truly each of these beautiful ladies' husbands every time I look at them. Literally just massive heart eyes like their men). She is badass, takes no shit, and looks good while doing it. Loves her Son-In-Law despite the fact he's a feral little gremlin. She thinks he balances Hades's anxiety out perfectly and reminds her so much of her past husband's high energy personality (Hades's father)

[anonymooseforever007]

A Tour to Remember Random Peaky Blinders Headcanon #3:

John Shelby is ABSOLUTELY the parent who will walk his newborn around the house introducing them to everything. Not just everyone…. everyTHING. Once his wife goes to sleep after all her hard, laborious work (haha pun:) ) and the other kids are in bed, he will take the new baby around the house and give them a a full tour with complete commentary:

- “This is the kitchen it’s where we eat and where your brothers like to try and steal cookies. Last week I caught them making a human ladder to the top shelf.”

- “Right here is the garage, and if you look under this box it’s where your sisters think they’ve hidden the baby ducks they took from Charlie’s yard. But we’ll keep it a secret since they’re cute like you… also incase we need a quick dinner… I promise we won’t eat you though.”

- “This is our bedroom, we won’t go in now because mum is sleeping, but later we can cuddle up and make sure she’s warm.”

- “You may recognize this room. Do you see that couch over there? It’s where you were concieved… I think… maybe it was that chair.”

- “This is the bathroom and it is the most important room of all. It‘s for the only place to hide successfully hide anything. Sometimes your mum hides in here and eats the sweets that we tell you lot are already gone. I of course try to stop her, protecting your candy, but she is a strong woman.”

AND maybe the next day he even takes the baby on a tour around Small Heath (this time with the rest of the kids) so that his wife can have some extra rest time. Again the walk will be complete with commentary along with the occasional introduction:

- “Do you see that tree over there? One time I pushed your Uncle Arthur out of it…. He still has the scar on his ass.”

- “And this is where I took your mum on our official first date. I stole her some flowers from the cranky baker lady who lives down the street. Maybe we should pick some up for her on the way back? What you do say?”

- “Over here we have Watery Lane. It’s where I grew up. Maybe if we knock someone will let us in…*Proceeds to bang on the door until Tommy (who has a hangover from yesterday‘s celebration) gets up* And this is your Tommy. If he’s angry it’s probably because he’s short.”

- “Oh! Here! Here is the park. One day when your big enough we can go. I promise not to leave you like I did your Uncle Finn once…..To be fair your Aunt Ada told me he had gotten off the slide.”

- “Now here’s someone special I really want you to meet…. This is your grandma. And I know she doesn’t look like much now, a rock in the ground. But I promise she was beautiful… and she would have loved you. If you feel like someone’s watching you, it’s probably her making just checking in…. That what I think.”

It doesn’t matter if the baby is awake and crying for all of it or snoring the entire time. John can’t resist taking his baby on a personal tour within the first few days. And the whole time he’s grinning ear to ear while holding be baby securely his arms (or arm when he wants to point out the spot where he got his ass beat by Polly for flirting with a girl who he SWORE was to young to actually be a nun). Because even if he doesn’t consider himself the best father, John Shelby loves his kids to the ends of the earth, and wants to be the one to share everything he can with them to make their lives better.

He wants to be a good father, and he thinks the first step to doing that is by taking them to all the different places he knows, so that they know he’s had a life outside of a weathered bar and a bottle of whiskey. John wants his kids to remember when he dies, all the things he felt were the most special to him, the things he felt most excited to talk about to everyone new. His family and his home. Because if he dies, he wants his kids to be able to remember him as someone who didn’t just come home because whores were empty and the flask was empty. If John Shelby dies he doesn’t want to be remembered by his children as he remembers their grandfather. To him, being remembers as such a father would be worse than never being one at all.

[faedawayyy]

FAE’S GIRLS - an update on who they are, what they want, where they’re at in life. ALL of my characters used fixed ages unless i say otherwise. they’ll be the same age in the rp forever.

AUGUST BAKER 

fc: maggie lindemann age: 19 birthday: august 1st, leo year: first siblings: garrett, jude & carmen baker sexuality: bisexual with no preference profession: musician relationship status: single. backstory/secret: august resents being poorer. she loves her family and knows they work hard and do what they can but when she sees girls with everything and glamorous lifestyles, she can't help but feel jealous. when she was 17, she started sleeping with random customers at her fathers motel for money. nobody knows she does it, but it definitely helps her fund her lifestyle and keep up with some of the others.  career: musician, she hasn't released anything major yet. she's testing the waters and excited to start clyde’s tour.  friendship circle: mainly the first years potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: tanner, damon, viv (calloway), ramona, lawson

BRIELLE QUINN TW: CHILD ABUSE 

fc: peyton list age: 18 birthday: 11th may, taurus year: first siblings: elysia quinn sexuality: heterosexual profession: actress relationship status: dating kyle. backstory/secret: see trigger check please! but it’s important to note that she never goes home and is out of that environment. she feels bad about elysia but can't bring herself to step in and help out.  career: she’s an actress and is finding that she prefers to be on stage and i think it’s where she’ll definitely start pushing her energy. friendship circle: the new it girls, although she’s not really one of them but is trying her best to be.  potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: kyle

CAMILA MARIE  TW: MISCARRIAGE 

fc: addison rae age: 19 birthday: september 16th, virgo year: first siblings: none sexuality: heterosexual profession: dancer relationship status: single, but crushing on garrett backstory/secret: she married at 18 to a man a few years older than her. she always had the dream of being a young mum and having a family as soon as she left high school and she thought she had that. they moved down south to the coast and everything was perfect until her husband started to become possessive and abusive. she wasn't allowed out, or to see anybody and she actually miscarriaged during their year together. camila made a run for it just before she turned 19 with the little money she had left. she's been living in the motel belonging to the bakers ever since. career: a dancer, she got into st judes after a friend helped her apply and realised she loved dance. at the moment, she’s dancing on imogen’s tour with florence.  friendship circle: florence, ivy and carmen potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: garrett 

CHARLEIGH DAVIES  TW: ARSON 

fc: zendaya coleman age: 24 birthday: january 30th, aquarius year: fourth siblings: none sexuality: lesbian profession: actress relationship status: single backstory/secret: charleigh originally lived in the USA with her family in new york. she’s from a pretty wealthy background with both of her parents being lawyers and was accepted into liberty which was probably the biggest achievement of her life. however, she got into huge controversy after one of the professors sexually assaulted a close friend of hers and charleigh refused to stay quiet. on halloween, she posted a firework through his door which of course erupted and set his home alight, seriously injuring his wife and two children. she transferred to st judes a few weeks after, too scared of getting caught. she now lives with her aunt. career: actress, she’s already making waves in the industry and has quite a few gigs lined up.  friendship circle: mainly just ramona, zara, danny, dom, ros, the euphoria cast basically potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: ramona, heidi, mallory & bella

ELOISE CALLOWAY 

fc: elizabeth olsen age: 27 birthday: 8th may year: sixth siblings: amber, felicity, lacey & zara calloway sexuality: heterosexual profession: actress relationship status: very lowkey seeing hunter, she wants to keep it quiet because she's not sure about him if she's being honest. he definitely broke her trust and she knows how possessive he is, but he was her first love and unlike the other guys she’s been involved with - he’s proven he won't give up too easily/has loved her longest.  backstory/secret: growing up with anthea as a step-mother has always put eloise as separate and below her sisters. she was never allowed to join in properly with them or share experiences like mother-daughter shopping trips. she’d often watch the other four do things without her and always felt like the spare part. she’s so desperate to be loved and wants people to see her for who she is, not constantly turned away or treated as an after thought to the others. career: an actress, her career is ever-growing  friendship circle: no one specific rn  potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: hunter, nero, garrett

ELYSIA QUINN TW: SEXUAL ABUSE 

fc: olivia welch age: 20 birthday:17th may year: second siblings: brielle quinn sexuality: pansexual profession: actress relationship status: single, but seeing parker a lot. she feels so safe with him but doesn't want to let him in all the way. if her dad finds out, he won't be happy and the situation will become dangerous for both of them.  backstory/secret: see the trigger tag please! unlike brielle, she still goes through it nearly every day and is working her ass off to afford her own place. she's petrified of leaving in case her dad starts looking for bri but she also feels so trapped and exhausted.  career: her acting career hasn't made the biggest developments yet, she's been focused mainly on working her day shift with little time to go to auditions or anything like that. its frustrating but that's life.  friendship circle: zara and lacey are really sweet to her, she doesn't really have any other super close friends  potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: parker and lowkey lawson

HENSLEY HALSTEAD-WEST  TW: HIT AND RUN 

fc: lauren jauregui age: 22 birthday: 31st october year: third siblings: none sexuality: bisexual with no preference profession: musician relationship status: married to evan backstory/secret: she intentionally caused an accident at her father’s church which left him with life altering injuries. he’s more or less completely paralysed and has lost the ability to speak. raymond west works as a priest at the catholic church opposite the lake and is well-known by everybody. they were devastated when they heard he was a victim of a hit and run. hensley wasn't. not after he sent her older sister, autumn, to conversion therapy in ireland, their home country.  career: a musician, she hasn't had much success since fifth harmony but dedicates most of her time to writing and producing anyway. friendship circle: soraya, athena, christelle & poppy  potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: only evan

ISOBEL TINSLEY (ROSINI)  TW: SEXUAL ABUSE

fc: hailey bieber age: 22 birthday: 21st april year: third siblings: ruby rosini sexuality: heterosexual profession: model relationship status: dating levi backstory/secret: after being adopted as a baby, issy found herself in australia with an infertile couple. she was raised well for nearly sixteen years before the couple split due to her mother finding a new man and moved to the other coast while she stayed in sydney with her dad. her mother refused to pay child support and her dad started to see her as a liability. he took her out of school and started forcing her to “earn her stay” by sleeping with his friends around the clock more or less. she was allowed to go to college (gold coast) but would return straight home after to work. issy took her chance to escape when her academy did a trip to st judes and then she just never went back. she’ll never go to australia again...and she gets to be closer to her biological sister, even if she knows nothing about her  career: a model, issy’s fell off from her career after having avery and it’s been difficult. she doesn't know how to get her motivation or appeal back and feels like nobody cares.  friendship circle: carmen and athena potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: only levi

KARLA CASTILLO

fc: katiana kay age: 19 birthday: may 28th year: first siblings: none sexuality: heterosexual profession: designer relationship status: single backstory/secret: she’s developed IPD throughout her childhood alongside dependent personality disorder. she’s HEAVILY reliant on other people due to never feeling like she mattered at home, both of her parents were very career focused and she was often left to it. she loves attention and affection but dangerously so. the nicer someone is, the more likely she is to do whatever they ask of her. karla moved to the UK from spain in order to start up her own fashion line.  career: designer, she has an online store while will be launching in the near future  friendship circle: zara, vivi and miran right now. potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: clark and tanner 

MARGO JACKSON

fc: lily collins age: 25 birthday: 12th november year: fourth siblings: dallas jackson sexuality: heterosexual profession: actress relationship status: single backstory/secret: see the trigger warning tag! she’s definitely not ok and i dont think she’s going to be. she just feels helpless and doesn't feel like anyone genuinely wants to help her. career: an acting career she’s actively destroying because of everything else going on in her life friendship circle: just disney potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: harvey, dom and park but they all - directly or indirectly - make her feel like she’s incapable of loving so she’s kind of done with them anyway. 

NAIRA EAGLETON 

fc: doja cat age: 24 birthday: 28th january year: fourth siblings: none sexuality: pansexual-polyamorous profession: musician  relationship status: single backstory/secret: naira started her career in strip clubs and downtown night clubs, she’d dance there to get her music played and would rap for anybody who would have her. one of her nightclub gigs is where she was noticed by a st judes rep and that’s how she got signed. naira is polyamorous/romantic which means she’s most comfortable in open relationships and it isn't in her nature to be monogamous.  career: a musician, she’s a rising star. friendship circle: she has quite a few. potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: gisele, betty and sawyer

VANESSA CASTILLO

fc: jailyne ochoa age: 23 birthday: october 2nd year: third siblings: maria castillo sexuality: heterosexual profession: model  relationship status: single, but seeing jiseok.  backstory/secret: like all of the girls from her family, vanessa moved to the springs from cuba for better opportunities. however, unlike her cousins and sister, she never actually got into the academy. too passionate to leave the school and go back to cuba, knowing she’d have to go back to living in near poverty, vanessa lied about getting in and sneaks herself into lectures and classes. the only things she can’t do is sit exams or go to official events (like fashion shows) because obviously she’s not registered. career: a model, she's starting to book jobs this year. friendship circle: none lol potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: jiseok

UNA KINGSTON

fc: jordan alexander age: 25 birthday: june 10th, gemini year: third siblings: otis kingston sexuality: lesbian profession: actress  relationship status: single backstory/secret: una steals things from people around campus and sells them on anonymous website to the highest bidder. some of the things she sells are quite private (think underwear, trash, hair brushes etc.) and they usually go to weirdos who are too obsessed with celebrities. however, she is DETERMINED to become rich and will do anything for her money.   career: actress, gossip girl is pending. friendship circle: none right now. potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: rosalie, mallory, vivi. 

YULIA HERNANDEZ 

fc: alexa demie age: 21 birthday: december 7th, sagittarius year: second siblings: none sexuality: heterosexual  profession: actress relationship status: single, but on and off with park. backstory/secret: yulia comes from mexico. she and her parents crossed the border into california when she was a young girl and her parents worked multiple jobs to keep them afloat. they always wanted what was best for yulia but it was never quite good enough. she wanted luxury and glamour. she was obsessed with being famous and wealthy and knew that southern california wasn't going to give it to her. she applied to every single talent academy on the globe and got accepted at st judes. knowing she’d need money, she also agreed to be a live in nanny to a rich family in VS which she pretends are her own. career: acting, going to start developing it more!  friendship circle: the new it girls but she doesn't like them all LOL potential crushes/people who have caught his eye: park mainly but her options are open 

[honey-dewey]

Random Dewey Finn headcanons (?) I came up with while eating my breakfast

Before Dewey wanted to be a big rock star, he wanted to be an astronaut. 

His aunt gave him his first guitar for his 10th birthday, thus sparking his love of rock music. 

One of the major reasons he never quit music was because of that aunt. She passed away early, and was constantly the only member of his family that truly believed in him. 

Dewey’s mum was kind of absent, so he was raised primarily by his dad. 

Dewey and Ned met on the first day of high school, and were inseparable for all four years. 

Despite both of them liking both, Dewey likes Star Wars more, while New prefers Star Trek. They have debates of epic proportion over which of these preferences is better. Dewey somehow always wins. 

One of the reasons Ned let Dewey live with him is because Dewey is an amazing cook. He never eats what he makes though. 

His specialty is breakfast foods

While he may be an amazing home cook, he’s an even better baker. 

Dewey is highly sensitive to textures, especially food and fabrics. 

Because of this, he rarely tries new foods, sticking to a decently firm schedule. (He really likes hard boiled eggs) 

It’s also why he likes sweater vests. The actual sweater doesn’t touch his skin, but he can rub his hands up and down the knit when he gets overwhelmed. 

He’s also sensitive to criticism. Along with that, he cries easily. 

After the whole School of Rock incident, Dewey did some quick online classes on teaching. When a music teacher position at Horace Green opened up, he was the first one contacted to fill it. 

During SoR shows, Dewey has a tendency to get very hyped, and this eventually leads to a collapse, usually on the bus ride home. It happened once on stage, where he just went still and quiet all of a sudden and then began to panic. 

All of his kids know exactly what to do during his collapses. 

They made him (yes made him) a stress doll. It weighs about twenty pounds and looks like a panda. They lay it across Dewey’s chest and let him lie down on a blanket. The kids then surround him to make a protective barrier. It’s a very effective method. 

It took almost thirty years for Dewey to get diagnosed with mild autism, anxiety, ADD, and seasonal depression. His mother was a firm believer that mental illness was a hoax. 

He did try and take medication for it, right when he started teaching full-time. It made him nauseous and tired and so unlike himself that he quit after three months, a decision that was fully backed by his students. 

He eventually did go back and get a new prescription for his ADD. It works surprisingly well and doesn’t make him act any less like himself. 

This isn’t even a Headcanon. It’s straight up actual canon from the Broadway.com Stick it to the Man video! Dewey stims! He knocks his wrists together and does the raptor hands! (I don’t think his hands were truly by his side at any point during the entire show) He taps his feet and shakes his hands! His facial expressions are always on 10 and he scronches his face when he’s excited! His head go bop! He’s a stimming Boi!

Also have you ever seen a neurotypical person dress like that? Ever? Nope. Sweater vests and jeans and sneakers (that look like heelys) is not a neurotypical outfit. 

Dewey doesn’t like rainy weather, nor does he like the cold bite of winter. He has a heater and a happy light in his classroom for rainy and/or cold days. 

His favorite season is fall. He really really likes to step on leaves and hear that satisfying crunch. 

Dewey also has a weakened immune system, and is pretty vigilant about his health. He takes vitamins and vitamin D supplements, and yet always ends up with some kind of illness in winter. Despite this, he refuses to get any kind of flu shot. 

Dewey’s list of phobias includes: needles, heights, clowns, and the dark. 

He’s dead terrified of the dentist. Ned has to practically drag him every time. It’s not even that he has poor dental hygiene or has actual odontophobia, he just hates the experience. The combination of strong smells and uncomfortable touches and horrible noises overwhelms him so much. 

For much of the same reasons as his hatred of the dentist, Dewey dreads getting his hair cut. Social interaction mixed with weird feelings on his surprisingly sensitive head and the constant background noise and the hair spray-y smell make it an experience Dewey’s hated since childhood. Now, Ned usually cuts Dewey’s hair because he’s really not picky about how it looks, and Ned knows exactly how to go about the job without causing Dewey to hyperventilate and cry. 

He uses a night light! It’s the fun kind that projects stars on the ceiling. 

Dewey is the king of field trips. He’s always just as eager as the kids to go, and he loves to learn niche facts. His favorite field trip location is the aquarium. 

Dewey quit drinking after his 23rd birthday, when he blacked out and woke up in some random girl’s bed. She promised they didn’t do it, but ever since then, he’s terrified it’ll happen again. 

Speaking of which, Dewey’s a virgin. 

Once, one of Dewey’s female students came to him and said an older man was following her to and from school every day. Dewey was later suspended from work for a week for punching a man and putting him in the hospital. Once they knew why, the school board unanimously decided not to punish him. 

Dewey absolutely insists all of his kids call him Dewey and not Mr. Finn. 

He’s the most supportive teacher in the entire school. He’s got name tags on every desk with each kid’s preferred name and pronouns. When Billy comes out as non-binary, he makes the pronoun switch immediately and puts a beautiful stained glass-esque progress pride flag in one of his windows. 

Someone hatefully vandalized said pride art project and Dewey actually cried. His kids all banded together to make a new one. 

Sometimes, the kids purposefully ask Dewey to sing certain things because his voice gets so damn tender and beautiful, as opposed to the usual bombastic singing they’re used to. (Think like. Some of the 35MM songs) 

Dewey has a routine with his drinks throughout the day. Two cups of coffee in the morning, one at home and one at work. One water bottle before lunch and one after lunch. A Gatorade or some other fitness drink after school, usually during band practice to make up for how sweaty he gets. And one cup of lavender citrus tea with extra honey after dinner. 

He broke his only water bottle about four months into teaching full-time and started to use a plastic one every day. Ned decided that wouldn’t do, and got him a Mandalorian water bottle. Dewey loves it to bits. 

Dewey doesn’t celebrate any one version of a holiday. He’s equal opportunity for any and all holidays, but he grew up Jewish. That doesn’t stop him from helping Ned put up his Christmas tree every year. Nor does it stop him from celebrating Yule with his online friends. 

Despite being Jewish and mainly celebrating their holidays, Dewey loves Christmas music and starts playing it as soon as he can. The kids dare him to hit those ridiculous Mariah Carey high notes in All I Want For Christmas. He does it. 

He also once sang ‘Little Drummer Boy’ to his kids the day before holiday break. He only played his guitar softly and by the time he was done, each and every kid was fast asleep. (He played Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer as well) 

Dewey absolutely collects soft blankets. He has four halloween ones, two Tim Burton ones (a Beetlejuice and a Corpse Bride), eight winter holiday blankets, and three miscellaneous. He brought them all into class once and built a blanket fort to teach his kids about ancient civilization. 

Speaking of which, his teaching methods are unorthodox at best, and at worst downright crazy. But he always teaches and he always makes it memorable. His class has the highest test scores in the school. 

Dewey usually teaches using music or hands on activities. He plays soft background music during every class no matter the circumstances, and said screw the building’s lights and uses primarily lamps and strings of Christmas lights. 

He also kind of forgets that he teaches essentially middle school, and he swears every so often when he’s super passionate. Like when he taught the kids about the US Presidents and called Andrew Jackson a racist bitch and Richard Nixon a lying bastard. 

After getting bullied throughout all of high school, Dewey came to terms with what his body looked like, and now he really doesn’t care. (He did have a lot of fun smashing the scale his mother got him for his birthday once) 

Dewey was supposed to teach his kids about mental illness for a suicide prevention thing the school did, but got about halfway through before he had a breakdown and the kids declared the rest of the day a bust. They watched cute animated movies instead of learning for the rest of the school day. 

Speaking of animated movies, Dewey really loves Studio Ghibli. 

The first time one of his kids called him ‘Dad’ he cried. Then they kept doing it and now he’s had to accept that he’s basically a father to about 30 11-year-olds. 

If you ask any kid in the school who their favorite teacher is, they will not hesitate to answer ‘Mr. Finn.’ Even if they aren’t in his class, he’s their favorite. 

Dewey’s classroom is always open for lunch. It’s quiet and calm, usually with a movie going in the background. 

He also stays after school for about an hour every day, helping kids with homework. He hates math with a passion but that didn’t stop him from trying to figure out Katie’s math homework with her. 

Even at home, Dewey cannot stand the quiet. He either has his headphones on or the radio going. Silence just isn’t an option. 

Dewey once got pneumonia and tried to come in to work anyway. The kids made him go home. He didn’t really put up much of a fight. 

The first instrument Dewey ever learned to play was the piano. He started to learn when he was super young, and that was how he learned how to read music. His kids didn’t even know he knew how to play until they walked in on him practicing one day. 

Dewey says ‘fuck gender roles’ and wears the girl’s skirts to a few SoR concerts. He likes the way it makes his legs look. 

Some jerk parents constantly tried to get Dewey in trouble for months because they didn’t like him and thought he wasn’t ‘high class’ enough for their kid’s education. Dewey was so stunned when they showed up during one of his classes that he couldn’t speak and just started to cry. Said student stood up and called their parents out. Two days later, those parents were off the school board. 

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Dewey found out a new kid he’d received was being abused at home because they weren’t getting high enough grades and he yelled at the kid’s parents in front of all the other staff members. 

Essentially, Dewey can’t defend himself at all, but will not hesitate to protect his kids. 

Dewey has said multiple times he would die for his kids. He’s always 100% serious, especially during lockdown drills. 

Once, the school had a lockdown that wasn’t a drill, and Dewey managed to keep his entire class silent and calm while mentally preparing himself to lay his life down for his kids. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. 

Dewey’s also said he’d seriously consider adopting any of the kids if their at-home situation was that bad. 

When he finally could, Dewey moved out of Ned’s house and into his own cramped loft apartment. He’s in love with the apartment, even though it’s tiny and kinda smells. 

Dewey has almost no concept of volume control. He’s slightly deaf from constantly doing very loud shows and sometimes shouts because he thinks that���s a normal speaking volume. 

As one of, if not the actual, youngest teachers at the school, Dewey is universally adored by the rest of the staff. It took a while for all of them to get on board with him, but now they all really like him. 

Dewey’s favorite fruit is pomegranate. There’s just something super cathartic about cutting into a pomegranate and slowly de-seeding it. Plus, it tastes super good. But he only likes them if he can de-seed them himself. 

One of the ways Dewey grounds himself is by pressing things to his mouth. He usually just puts his hand up on his face or the end of a pen in his mouth, but whenever he has a blanket, one corner is up against his lips. The same goes for stuffed animals. They’re always against his face. Most of the time, he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. 

[nerdzzone]

Light After Dark: Chapter Seven

Summary: Brooke Harris was trying her best to be grateful. As the world tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, she was healthy and safe and so was the rest of her family, but her dreams had very quickly been crushed by the economic fallout. Trapped on the quaint island of Jersey with nothing, but free time to wallow in her mistakes, Brooke’s mental health was taking a hit, but when she collides with a handsome stranger she starts to realize that the future might not be so bleak and there might still be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC

______________

May. 17. 2020

"You should go on the Great British Bake Off!"

Henry's idea came through the speakers on my laptop from where it sat on the counter. We'd been chatting on the phone for over an hour and at some point along the way, I'd decided to make cookies. It was late so everyone in my house had long retired to their bedrooms and since I needed my hands free for the baking process, we'd decided to switch to a video chat. It was actually quite nice just having our casual conversation while I did some baking and he sipped on some whiskey.

"Everyone says that," I laughed at his suggestion as I sipped my glass of wine while my cookies baked in the oven. "But I couldn't handle the pressure. Don't get me wrong, I can bake efficiently when I need to, but it must be so stressful on the show. I do cry quite easily too so if they said anything bad about something I made I would probably just burst into tears."

Henry chuckled before sticking his bottom lip out in a dramatic fake pout.

"Awe, can't take criticism?"

"I can!" I protested with a smile. "But they can be really harsh sometimes! And they give them such short time limits and then act like they're shit bakers even if they knew exactly where they went wrong, but they just didn't have time to start again."

"But surely there are times when you're in that situation when baking professionally?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "I wouldn't take a custom order if they wanted it done in an unreasonable time and as far as the basics go, I always made sure I went in early enough before we opened that I could get everything done properly."

"That's very professional of you," He nodded approvingly. "And I'd say it's a fair criticism of the show, but they probably need that time crunch to make the show exciting for viewers."

I gasped dramatically at that comment.

"Are you saying that regular baking wouldn't be exciting?"

"I'm sure some of it would be thrilling," Henry smirked. "But I would also assume that parts of it could be comparable to watching paint dry."

"Hmm, sounds much like the list of movies you've been in..."

I tried to keep straight face as I made that quip, but I cracked up as Henry tossed his head back laughing.

"Wow, Brooke," He chuckled, shaking his head. "That was harsh."

"I'm just teasing," I smiled. "And I am sorry if this impromptu baking show hasn't been very exciting."

"Hey now, that's not what I said." Henry smirked. "It's been delightful. Honestly, if all bakers wore outfits like that then it would never be boring to watch."

I blushed and subconsciously pulled up the straps on my silk cami pajama top to make sure it wasn't too revealing. The shorts that matched it were currently hidden from view by the counter, but I was sure he got a good look at them when I'd bent over to put the cookies in the oven.

"It's not very practical though is it?" I asked, trying to seem nonchalant and unaffected by his comment. "There's a lot of exposed skin that could get burnt..."

"So if the outfit isn't for baking, is it for my benefit?"

I took a big gulp of my wine as he waited for my answer, his eyebrow raised questioningly. Of course I'd made sure that I looked nice, even a bit sexy, before suggesting we switched to video, but I wasn't going to admit that so easily.

"No," I shook my head. "These are just my normal, everyday pajamas."

"The ones you save for special occasions must be very impressive then."

"That depends," I shrugged with a smirk. "If it's a really special occasion then I usually don't wear any."

Henry practically choked on his whiskey and I was pleased to get under his skin a bit.

"Wow, that is..." He cleared his throat. "Fair enough."

Before I could do anything but smirk at watching him squirm, my timer beeped signalling the cookies were done. I mumbled a quick 'just a minute' before turning around, slipping some oven mitts on and bending over to take the cookies out, well aware that I was giving him another show.

I checked the cookies quickly to make sure they were done before setting them on top of the oven and turning back to Henry.

"Those look amazing," He praised. "I can practically smell them through the screen."

"They do smell pretty good," I smiled. "But I've learned the hard way how important it is to let them cool."

Henry laughed, but at the same time a tiny voice from the doorway drew my attention away from the computer.

"Aunt Cookie?" Molly asked. "Can I come in?"

At her age, there were times when I was shocked by how big and how grown up she looked, but now she seemed the opposite. With her teddy bear tucked under her arm, her frilly pink pajamas and her eyes red from crying she looked small and fragile. 

"Of course, sweetheart," I smiled. "Can I call you back, Henry?"

He agreed and I quickly hung up before going over to Molly who was still lingering by the door and squatting down to her level.

"What's wrong?"

That was all it took for her bottom lip to start wobbling.

"I'm just...I'm just..." She took a deep breath before letting out a sob. "I'm just so sad."

My heart broke at the sight so I held out my arms and she instantly rushed forward, wrapping hers around my neck. Her whole body shook as she cried, but I just squeezed her tight and rubbed her back until she'd got it all out of her system. Once the sobs had subsided into sniffles, I leaned back and gently wiped my thumb under her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, giving her a moment to think before she nodded. "Would a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie and some ice cream help?"

Her teary eyes widened in delight at that.

"But I've already brushed my teeth..."

"I think it'll be okay just this once," I winked, earning a quiet giggle. "But don't tell your mum, okay?"

She nodded frantically and I scooped her up into my arms before carrying her over to one of the bar stools at the island. The cookies would have cooled off enough to eat by now so I put two on a couple of plates before adding a big dollop of ice cream. We ate in silence for a few moments before I pressed her.

"So, what's got you so sad?"

"The big virus..."

She mumbled her words around a mouthful of ice cream, but it was what I'd been expecting so I understood.

"It's pretty scary," I agreed. "But what's bugging you right now?"

"Nana and Pops were watching TV and the man said that lots of people died," She confessed and I made a mental note to remind everyone to be careful what they watched when Molly was in earshot. "And that a bunch more people were gonna get sick still."

"Well, unfortunately, that's true," I reluctantly admitted, not sure how much she really knew or really should know. "That's why we came here because not so many people are sick in Jersey so we're safer."

Her lip wobbled again, but she took another bite of her cookie to hide it.

"But what about daddy?"

"He's being super safe," I assured her. "He's being extra careful so he doesn't get sick, but he's being really brave and helping all the people who do get sick so they get better faster."

"I know," She sighed. "But on the TV a doctor said that they needed more masks 'cause there wasn't enough for everyone so what if daddy doesn't have a mask?"

"Your daddy does have a mask." It was a fairly empty assurance to make as I really wasn't sure, but from what I'd seen no first responders were completely out of supplies just yet. "And there's lots of people working really hard to make sure that they don't run out."

She stared me down for a moment, trying to suss out if I was telling the truth, but eventually gave up and looked back down at her cookie.

"Mummy's really sad too," She told me. "So I try to be brave and not be sad so she doesn't get even more sad, but sometimes I just have to be."

If the sight of her crying hadn't crushed my heart before then that comment certainly did. I put my spoon down on my plate and went around the counter to sit next to her. She didn't look up so I reached out and took her tiny hand in mine.

"Look at me for a sec," I requested, my voice soft. She did as I asked and I saw fresh tears in her eyes. "You don't ever have to be strong like that, okay? Not around me or your mum or your nana and pops. If you're feeling sad or worried or upset at all then you can talk to any of us. We're all a little sad and scared right now, but it's always better to get through things together, right?"

She nodded and I wiped away a tear that was sliding slowly down her cheek before kissing her forehead.

"Thanks, Aunt Cookie."

"Anytime, monkey," I smiled. "Was your cookie good?"

She grinned at that and nodded frantically.

"Can Mr. Teddy have one too?"

I laughed at her cheeky request knowing that Mr. Teddy was just a cover for her wanting another, but I shook my head.

"How about Mr. Teddy just finishes mine?"

There were only a few bites left, it wouldn't be as bad as her having a whole new cookie so as she nodded in agreement, I slid the plate over and let her finish it.

"Are you feeling better now?" I asked after she was done as I wiped her fingers and her mouth with a cloth.

"Yes," She said quietly, clearly with something else on her mind. I waited to see if she would elaborate and after a quiet moment, she did. "Do you think we could call daddy?"

"I think we probably can," I nodded. "Why don't you get back in bed and I'll go ask your mummy if he's working tonight."

She agreed and scurried off back towards her bedroom, leaving me the less than pleasant job of telling Cassie about what had happened. I knocked on her door, knowing she would still be awake as it was only eleven o'clock and went in once she answered.

"Hey," She smiled, putting her book down on the bed beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured her. "But Molly's having a tough time. She just came into the kitchen crying because of some things she overheard on the news."

Cassie paled at that information.

"What did she say?"

"She just asked about people getting sick," I told her as I sat on the end of the bed. "And she heard something about the doctors running out of supplies so she was worried about Josh having a mask."

"Oh god," She sighed. "What did you tell her?"

"I said that I knew her daddy would be careful and that I was sure he had a mask." I braced myself for the next part as I knew it would be hard for her to hear. "But she also said that she knows you're sad so she can't show that she's sad too because she doesn't want to make things worse for you."

Cassie's face fell again at that news and for a moment I thought she was about to cry herself.

"Oh my god, I'm the worst mother in the world," She groaned. "I thought I was hiding it well. I can't believe she didn't think she could talk to me about this."

"It's not your fault," I assured her. "She's too smart for her own good."

"Yes, she is," She laughed half-heartedly. "Is she okay now?"

"I think so," I nodded. "She definitely calmed down, but she was wondering if she could talk to Josh. I told her I'd ask you if he was working."

"He's not," She sighed again. "I'll go have a chat with her and we can give him a call. Thanks for helping her, Brooke."

"Anytime. It's nice to be around when she needs a hug."

Cassie swung her legs off the bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

"She really looks up to you," She smiled. "I'm sure it meant a lot to her that you talked it over with her."

I almost teared up at that as it had meant a lot to me too that she trusted me enough to come to me when she needed comfort.

"I just hope I helped a bit," I shrugged as we headed out the door. "And if she says anything at all about a cookie and some ice cream, she's definitely lying."

"I knew I could smell baking!" She laughed. "I'll be down to get some after I'm done with Molly."

I promised to save her a few as she cracked open Molly's bedroom door and I headed back to the kitchen, hoping to catch Henry before he went to bed.

****

Once I got back to the kitchen, I opened my laptop again and poured myself another glass of wine as it turned back on. Once it was ready, I called Henry and he answered almost right away.

"Hi there," He smiled. "Everything okay?"

I took a large sip of my wine before I nodded.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I think so. My niece apparently heard some things on the news that shocked her and with her dad being a paramedic she needed a bit of assurance."

"Ah, yes, I could see how that makes things more complicated..."

"It was brutal," I frowned. "She's sitting there crying because she heard about all the deaths and how there's a shortage of protective equipment, but it's hard to explain to her. I don't want to lie, but I also don't want to say 'yeah, thirty-five thousand people have died in the UK and loads more probably will before this is all sorted out so keep washing your hands or you will too'."

Henry chuckled at my dramatic simplification of what was happening.

"Yes, I would imagine that's probably not wise to say to a child under ten," He smiled. "But I'm guessing you handled it well?"

"I hope so," I took another sip of wine. "I managed to stop her crying, but the warm cookies and ice cream might have had more to do with that than my words of wisdom."

"I'm sure you did your best," Henry assured me with a smile. "We had a similar issue here the other day. George was just very fed up with the whole situation and demanded to know why he wasn't allowed to see any of his friends. It took ages to calm him down."

"It's so hard!" I sympathized. "They're all going to end up so traumatized from going through this in their formative years."

"Probably, but hopefully they'll come out stronger because of it."

I couldn't help, but smile at his positivity as I took yet another gulp of wine.

"I hope so because otherwise there's going to be a generation of emotionally stunted people who are scared to get within two metres of each other."

"Let's hope that's not the case," Henry laughed. "But I have another pressing question."

I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, do you?"

"Aunt Cookie?" He questioned. "Is that some play on you being a baker?"

It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about and then it dawned on me.

"No, it's not," I laughed. "My mum calls me Brookie and Cassie struggled to say it when she was little so growing up she always called me Cookie. Maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but that's why Molly calls me that."

"That's really cute," Henry smiled. "And a very fitting nickname for a baker."

"It is," I agreed. "It used to drive me insane when I was a child, but it's grown on me over the years."

"I always wanted a fun nickname, but all I got was Fat Cavill!”

I burst out laughing at that as it was so unexpected from the muscled man in front of me, but I covered my mouth, realizing it was rude to laugh at such a cruel name.

"Were they being ironic?" I asked, shaking my head. "How could anyone think you're fat?"

"I haven't always looked like this," He admitted. "I was chubby when I first went off to boarding school and kids can be very mean."

"That is true, but now you're Superman so fuck them all."

Henry laughed and nodded his head.

"Exactly!"

I smiled at his proud grin before glancing down at the time.

"Well," I sighed. "I should probably get some sleep. Sorry our conversation was interrupted."

"Don't worry about it at all," Henry assured me. "Sounds like it was for an important reason."

"It was," I nodded. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," He smiled. "Goodnight, Cookie."

I stuck out my tongue at the nickname before saying goodnight and hanging up.

I had the usual sense of contentment that I had after a conversation with Henry, but there was a heaviness to it tonight. It was easy sometimes to block it all out and focus on the good that had come out of this pandemic. Meeting Henry, having time to relax, getting to spend time with my family. But in the end, the bad stuff always crept back in. The worry about the future, the sadness of how many lives had been lost and how many would be by the time this was over and now, the impact it was having on Molly and other children like her. She was a pretty tough kid and it was hard to see her crumble like she had tonight. She had a good support system though and I knew in the end she would come out of this mess okay so I picked my laptop up off the counter and headed to bed, trying to keep my thoughts positive and hoping that tomorrow would be a brighter day.

[iwillhaveamoonbase]

Replay ch. 3

Chapter is rated M

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

Rayla got up at seven, eyes heavy from the lack of sleep last night.  “Noooo.  UGH.” She turned to angrily glare at her alarm that had interrupted her rain noises.  Aberdeen wasn’t the rainiest place in the world, but the sound of a rain storm always helped put her to sleep.  Her mum and da always joked she was named ‘Rayla’ because she was born right when the moon shone through a stormy night.  

Rayla went through her emails quickly, making a note in her phone to call both sets of her parents this weekend.  She missed the days in Scotland when Runaan would speak French with her and talk cheese or helping Ethari in his jewelry business.  Runaan ran the books while Ethari ran the artistic side, his work with metal and jewel placement both tasteful and modern while taking classic elements from Celtic art.  

Her parents had yet to retire from being bodyguards, but they regaled her with stories of Africa and Asia and Australia, how kind people were, the different foods and cultures. Sometimes, she wished she could have grown up going with them.  Other times, she knew they had made the right choice leaving her with Runaan and Ethari. They wouldn’t have had much time for her anyways.

Sighing, she rolled out of bed.  She had a breakfast date with Corvus before she had to be at the office.  God.  She hated those pricks sometimes; a lot of old money lived in that office.  She had thought she was leaving classism behind when she did her study abroad in the States for her law degree.  Apparently, America just hid their classism really well instead of openly displaying it like they did back in the UK.  

She lived well, was paid well, did better than anyone had expected her to do, probably.  She had been more focused on athletics as a kid, leading Runaan to force her into ballet (‘you already know some French. It’s perfect!’), Ethari insisting on Irish step dance (‘Lain’s mother was Irish.  It’s a world wide sensation, Rayla!’), and her own parents signing her up for kickboxing when she was in high school during their vacation from work. Her teachers had been frustrated that she was smart but didn’t ‘apply herself’ whatever that meant.  She got good grades, did better in college, got into law school in another country, and passed the bar.  She could apply herself just fine.  She just liked to be active.

Rayla sighed as she stepped into the hot water of her shower.  She had made a good choice buying this shower head.  Slowly, she felt the burn that had started last night begin to build back up again.  Green eyes entered her mind again, as well as a voice that she would love to hear calling her name out while she rode him.  ‘Calm down, Rayla.’  She couldn’t meet Corvus horny.  Rayla sighed, putting her forehead against the shower wall before starting to massage her breast.  She tried to imagine it was Callum’s hand stroking her, dipping down to touch between her thighs where she ached.

Would his hands be soft or rough?  There hadn’t been any obvious calluses when she had shaken his hand at the cheese shop. She moaned, dipping her fingers into her wet heat.  Her thighs rubbed together as she tried to chase that elusive release.  She didn’t have time for this.  The more she tried to speed up, the more it just wasn’t happening. Growling in frustration, she tried to play with her clit, breathing deeply as she finally found a rhythm that was working.  Rayla bit her bottom lip and sighed as she came, inwardly crowing with satisfaction. There was no worse start to a day than being unable to cum after a wet dream or being too horny to function.  

She washed and dried off, stretching her muscles before dressing.  The green pantsuit and black top showed off her toned figure without drawing too much attention to any one place.  Her heels made her even taller and, hopefully, a little intimidating to jerky clients or coworkers.  She grabbed her purse and went out the door.  When she finally made it to her car, she leaned her head on the steering wheel. Had she really started her day off by masturbating to a guy she met YESERDAY?  

She shook her head, driving off until she made it to the little café she and Corvus frequented. Corvus also worked in the same building, but for a different law office, specifically divorce.  Rayla had no idea how he did it, but someone had to.  She saw Corvus at their usual table, smiling at something on his phone.  “Your boyfriend sent you a naughty text?”

Corvus smirked back up at her.  “Nope. Just something about one of my latest clients.  Well, their soon-to-be-ex.”

“Good news or bad news?”

“Well, considering it’s a custody case, it’s good for my client.”

“Abuse?” Rayla frowned.

“I would not be smirking if that was the case.  No.  Apparently, the ex has been mismanaging the children’s money.  Lying about putting it in a back account for them and spending it on gambling debts.”

“You don’t call that abuse?” Rayla smiled up at the waiter who came over, ordering an earl grey, a coffee to go, and an omelet.

“Thank you,” Corvus nodded to the waiter.  “I do, personally, but everyone views that differently.  The children were never struck, no record of emotional, mental, or oral abuse.  It seemed like it was going to go 50-50 custody, which tends to be the ideal situation, but my client was concerned about the gambling problem.”

“So best case scenario, gambler’s anonymous and supervised visits eventually leading to 50-50 custody?”

“Best case scenario. Probably won’t happen, but we can all hope.”

Rayla shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it.  I didn’t do criminal law or divorce law because I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing evidence of child abuse all day.”

“It’s a lot.  We try to spread those cases around as much as we can, because it gets to be too much when it’s all you see.  When police reports come into play, it’s even worse.” Rayla nodded.  “While you work for old money.  Tell me, how’s Kasef doing?”

“Hitting on me, again. Got upset when I told him off for glaring at a guy in a cheese shop for asking me a question.”

“He comes down to our office on his breaks and hits on half the women there.”

“Believe me, I know.  His father gets really upset about it.”

“How is Mr. Ahling?”

“Still insisting we call him ‘Mr. Ahling’ and not the proper ‘Mr. Patel.’  His health is starting to go downhill, so we’re hoping his daughter graduates soon and can start to learn how to take over the office.”

Corvus shook his head, smiling at the waiter with her when they brought their food.  “Thank you.  I’m telling you, join our office.  You could be really good at gathering information.”

“Thank you, but, no thanks. I grew up believing in true love with both sets of my parents.  I’d like to continue believing in it.”

“You still believe in love. I love my boyfriend so much we’re moving in together.”

“Well, congratulations to you both.  You moving in to his apartment or is he moving into your’s?”

“Mine’s bigger and closer to both our jobs.”

They talked work for a few more minutes, keeping an eye on the time.  Rayla sighed as she looked at Corvus.  “I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“My hairdresser would love to do your hair.  Those layers are cute, but maybe you need a new look.”

“Ha ha.  My hair’s fine, thanks.  You remember me mentioning a guy in the cheese shop?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, he asked to draw me. He said it’s cool that I brought a friend and I would like to bring you.  I don’t really have any other friends in the city.”  She finished her tea, opening the lid of her coffee to put some cream in.

“He seem legit?”

“I saw his art.  He also runs a YouTube channel with his friends and little brother?”

“What’s his name?”

“Callum Evans.”

“Katolis Squad!”  Corvus smiled, clapping his hands together.

“You know them?”

“Of course.  They do a lot of food stuff.  I found this café because of one of their videos.  Also, my boyfriend’s a baker, remember?  Ezran and Claudia do a series on baking and sweets and he likes to watch them.  Callum Evans is also kind of known in the art scene in town and I’ve met his aunt a few times.  Lovely lady, so’s her wife.”

“Huh.  Apparently, I’m out of it.”

“You just arrived in Katolis last year.  I grew up here.  You remember my boyfriend’s beignets you liked so much?”

“Those were delicious.”

“Ezran’s recipe.  His grandmother’s friend was from Louisiana and she taught him how to make them like it’s done in the French-Quarter.”

“Huh.  So, you’ll come with me?”

“Sure.  Callum Evans seems harmless, but since he already approved it, might as well take advantage.”

“Agreed.  I can take care of myself, but, you never know.”

“Where’s it going to be?”

“At his house.  He said he has an art studio there.  At least, that’s what he implied.  I’m waiting for a text from him to iron out the details.”

“Maybe he’ll ask to draw you nude?”  Rayla flushed red at that, looking down at her almost finished breakfast.  “Oh?  Something you want to share with the class?  A reason you were distracted during kickboxing last night, perhaps?”

Rayla glared up at him, taking a few harsh bites of her omelet.  She swallowed, keeping eye contact with him.  “He’s cute, I’m single, that’s it.”

“He’s single.”  Rayla paused.  “He broke-up with his last girlfriend months ago.  She made a big Instagram post about it, saying they wanted to focus on their careers.  Which was weird because no one even knew they were in a relationship.”

“So, he’s probably used to people trying to use him for fame.”

“Most likely.  He keeps to himself.”

“I saw that when I went digging online.  His step-father’s the governor and his mother was in the military for a few years, rising through the ranks very quickly.”

“Yeah.  They try to keep their channel separate from all that, though.  People are always asking them questions about it and they’ll either ignore it or say they aren’t a mouthpiece for Harrow Williams.”

“Fair.  I’ll text you the details.  I’ve got my coffee, gotta go.”  Rayla put a $20 on the table and waved good-bye to Corvus, leaving to head to the office.  Well, this just got even more interesting, didn’t it?

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

Callum rubbed his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling.  All night, he had dreamed of Rayla.  Her white hair down and around bare shoulders, purple eyes starting deep into his. ‘Come on, Callum.  Make me feel good.’  He tossed and turned in his bed, suddenly thankful for the fact he lived alone.  His cock was at attention and it was not going to be going down any time soon.  Rolling out of bed, he took his sleep clothes off as he made his was to his shower.  He winced at the cold water, but sighing in relief as his erection went down. He had no time to rub one out.  He was already running late for his meeting with Ezran, Soren, and Claudia.  They had to go over whether or not to actually hire a crew now that their channel had six million subscribers.  

It would be a smart move. Claudia’s home-made beauty series was getting a lot of attention, as were her and Ez’s baking series.  Soren and Ezran’s sub channel and Twitch channel was getting a lot of attention in the video game community for their let’s plays and commentary.  Even Callum’s art sub channel was getting more and more attention.  He was just worried about going bigger because, if they did, what if drama followed?  It had been a PR nightmare when his ex-girlfriend had posted on Instagram about going their separate ways for their careers.  Callum had asked her to keep it between them because he wanted to keep his personal life and his YouTube life separate.  She had apparently felt that, after they broke-up, what he wanted didn’t matter.

As he quickly ate breakfast, he couldn’t get the idea of Rayla from his dreams or of her in a forest out of his head.  Those eyes haunted his every though.  ‘She’s a freaking fae.  That must be it.’  Callum rubbed his eyes again, sighing.  He sent a quick text to Rayla asking if she would be alright with her modeling for him in the woods outside of town.  She would probably say ‘no’, but Callum needed to get this image out of his head and out of his system.  He had just met her and she was distracting him already.  Still, Callum wasn’t so sure he could ever get someone like her out of his system.  Even if they had sex a week straight, he would probably still crave her.  ‘Stop getting ahead of yourself, Callum.  She’s probably in a relationship, you just want to draw her, and you have other things to focus on right now.’  

All day, as the group discussed the benefits to do YouTube full-time, barring Ezran because he was still in college, a Scottish accent and a pair of soft eyes stayed in the back of his mind.  Beckoning him to find her and take her under a waterfall in the forest.  Would she scratch and like it rough or did she like to go soft and slow, like a wave?  

Ezran snapped his fingers in his face.  “Callum, focus.”

“Right.  So, I think taking a step forward is a good idea….” He didn’t have time to be thinking about faeries in suits from Scotland.  

[chronicalanxiety]

[here are their cutie marks and a sketch of their human forms that nobody asked for]

Now here’s a huge ass description for the kids™ if anyone is interested

Zap Apple

Rainbow and Applejack's first-born child and Lil' Cheese's best mate. Zap is a daydreamer and has a gentle soul, he's that one ripped nerd that likes writing and drawing things just for the sake of it. Exploring and discovering new things and places is what really makes his eyes glow (history and geography hoe), so he can be usually seen carrying his saddlebag around all the time (you never know when you're gonna need sketching and exploring supplies). Zap also loves puzzles and is a huge fanboy of Daring Do Books like Dash (and adventure books in general. AJ swears it's because Rainbow used to read so many Daring Doo adventures to her belly when she was pregnant). While he can be smart, he tends to over-thinks things, Zap has a wide imagination and is easily one of the most compassionate ponies around, though he used to be easily coaxed into fights or manipulated by his feelings. Like a good apple family member, the boy loves farm life and has a strong fraternal instinct, but his nature just doesn't allow him to settle there, though he still finds some peace whenever he's back in the environment he grew up in.

Random facts:

- Zap loved wearing his Ma's hat so much that she gave one for him as a gift in a Hearts Warming;

- He lost part of his his right ear to a bad fall when he and some friends went exploring one of his first off-limits area;

- Loves collecting comic books and stamps;

- AJ entered labor right during a Zap Apple harvest (Yep, that's exactly how he got his name);

- Inherited AJ's stare and lie detector;

- Upon noticing Zap's resemblance to his great grandmother, Rainbow nicknamed him Baby Smith.

Applejoy

Rainbow and Applejack's middle child. Applejoy doesn't take her name for granted, she's a total sunshine and bringing people happiness is what really makes her happy. She tends to be famous for getting a bunch of bruises all the time and being a little too reckless, so much so she lost two of her teeth out of pure clumsiness when she was little and had to wait until they began to grow to get them back (still has the best smile), and she also used to break her flying goggles at least once a week. The girl is also very outspoken and sincere, though it can end up being a problem sometimes. Applejoy is the family's Poly Athlete and has strong and fast wings (as well as legs, the girl is speed itself), she doesn't do very well in school but makes for it in sports and is very disciplined when it comes to it (Rainbow is her personal coach for every occasion). She hates losing, but tries her best to be a good sport and not to show she's upset most of the time. It was also awfully difficult for Applejack to handle her being all over the place when she learned how to use her wings (no need to say she was very grateful when her next child was born an earth pony).

Random facts: - Inherited Rainbow's habit of napping on trees (Applejack didn't like the idea, she was always concerned her children were gonna fall and hurt themselves for being too cloud-headed);

- Loves to indulge in her mother's sugary treats;- Rainbow started calling her junior (or AJJ) because her name abbreviation is the same as her ma's. No need to say the nickname was a success;

- Sleepwalker;

- The bandana she uses around her neck is a part of the fabric of an old sheet she used to nap with;

- Likes a bunch of crafts, specially wood-carving, but isn't really gifted at most of them (doesn't matter because she always tries her best every time).

Cider Splash

Rainbow and Applejack's youngest child and Tank's best buddy. Cider Splash a performer at heart, he's a innate dancer and plays multiple instruments very decently, he's the loudest of the bunch in every way and talks everyone's ears off (some conversations can also turn into musical numbers for no apparent reason). He's the most headstrong and stubborn out of the three, so he'll almost always get really deep into a project (or anything, really) when he sets his mind in it. He has blessed hoofs like AJ and is by far the one who ends up helping with the applebucking stuff the most, though he has a natural charm with the farm animals and prefers playing with them (his love for animal plushies wasn't taken for granted). He also indulges in cooking (mostly by Big Sugar's influence). Cider was always jealous of his sibling's ability to fly, so RD tries to compensate by taking him for a ride every once in a while and making sure he's the first one to get Wonderbolts tickets whenever they perform.

Random facts: - His love for music started when Applejack bought him a toy guitar to get him out of his tantrums when he was little. Later, his grandpa Bow Hothoof gave him a mini drum set as a birthday gift. AJ and RD weren't very happy when he started playing it all the time and making a bunch of noise, but they eventually saw potential in it and started investing in his inate talent;

- No need to say cider is his favorite drink ever;

- His bandana was a handmade gift from his Aunt Applebloom.

Florence

Fluttershy's big baby and Agate's older step-sister. Florence is a very resourceful and hard-working young mare, though she tends to spends way too much energy worrying about results and is almost constantly on the verge of outright panic (she's usually seen gritting her teeth or generally flipping out, no need to say she does not fare well under stress, specially when she is given a task to complete). Florence is known to be very sensible and intelligent, and even though she sometimes puts her own paranoia before common sense, she usually manages to find logical solutions to problems. She learned how to deal with stress by canalizing it into something productive, thanks to Rarimom (which ended up being another source of anxiety, ironically). She also has very strong beliefs, and when forced to question them, she becomes very upset. Despite that, Florence is extremely loyal and kind and will go out of her way to help other ponies.

Random facts: - Her scarf was given by Rarity, it made her feel safe when she was little, and she still uses it until this day (Her moms had to bribe with her in order to get her to let them clean and wash it after months of using it non-stop);

- Probably has OCD;

- She has also been known to retreat into her imagination when under extreme stress, often picturing peaceful, grassy fields or tranquil landscapes to calm herself down.

- Florence loves her coffee, tea and Fluttermum's pets more than her life (She loved growing up around pets, they still give her a sense of calm and relaxation. Her mom used to use them to calm her down when she was crying or couldn't sleep, she would almost always fall asleep after caressing some pet's ear for a while)

Agate

Rarity’s most precious gem and Florence’s little step-sister. Agate has been a very independent gal since she was little, she has been described as curious, monotone and sarcastic, and also appears to be more logical and mature than some of her peers, typically being the one to call them out on their ignorance, she’s inclined to remain passive and stoical to most things that happen around her. She has a fuckton control over her emotions and wears a neutral expression about 80% of the time, but is actually a pretty chill gal and has a very good (and weird) sense of humor. Agate has a great eye for photography (specially Avant-garde stuff) and turns out working as a professional photographer in the future.

Random facts: - Lowkey a huge mystery fan and computer nerd;

- Has a huge soft spot for Fluttermom's pets since she first came in contact with one, she can’t help but to smile the whole time she’s around them;

- Discord's favorite gal right next to Fluttershy.

Lil' Cheese

So let's get this out of the way, the script says Lil' Cheese is a colt, but many people see them as a filly, so they ended up being non-binary in my headcanon because I couldn't decide their gender (but go with whatever suits you better).

"Don't worry, Zap and Cheese got another infallible plan". Cheesecake, AKA "Lil' Cheese", is first and foremost known for the ability to talk their ass off anytime of the day for whatever reason (they used to spend most of their time besides their mom, so no need to mention that they practically picked up all her goofiness and energy by osmosis), they're also an excellent actor and are known as "The God of Puns". They’re generally a popular and gifted student, however, they're foul-mouthed and kind of competitive (but despite that, they are generally well liked and always looking after their friends). Lil' Cheese uses their innate talent for comedy and natural charm and charisma to help attract attention to their mum's bakery. Cheese had pretty deep random conversations with Pinkie since very little, so they turned out to be a pretty good conversationalist and improviser.

Big Sugar/Little Mac

I don't really have a very elaborate description for him (sorry peeps), but I imagine Sugar as a very sweet (pun intended) Big Baker Boy that loves cooking (and eating, most of all). He has that big bro energy and always gives the best hugs, but can also have with no mercy when messing around with his peers. He's very well liked around Ponyville and known for his extroverted and warm nature, though he may care way to much about other's opinions and tends to take a lot of them personally. Being a proud member of the Apple Family, he's the embodiment hard-work and loves working on the farm, but his heart always feel in the right place whenever he's preparing meals for other ponies.

----------

Okay, so quick backstory time about how Flarity happened in this canon.

Fluttershy was going through a very rough time with her previous marefriend, she always wanted to have a child of her own, and seeing her friends having some of their own made her even more eager to have one, so she found a sperm donor and conceived Florence with the consent of her partner at the time. Their relationship didn't get any less toxic even after Florence was born, so as a good friend, Discord felt the obligation to intervene (along with the rest of the elements of harmony) and convince Fluttershy to just end it and let go, as it wasn't doing any good for both her and the kid. When she finally got out of it, Discord and Rarity were the ones who helped Flutters to heal the most.

Meanwhile, Agate was the product of Rarity's previous marriage with Fancy Pants and was conceived as the last hope for their doomed marriage. Turns out having a child didn't save their relationship and they ended up divorcing, both going their separate ways with their own lives and businesses, however, it was a healthy separation and they remained in good terms with each other. Rarity took this separation as a way to get to know more about herself and to spend more time bonding with her daughter, having a break from her business life and letting Sassy Saddles and some other employees take the wheel for a little while, though she didn't stop playing her part on the creative side. During the time Fluttershy was going through her healing process, she and Rarity reconnected and some gay stuff happened. By the time the series ended they were probably on the dating phase and close to engagement. They eventually marry and join their families together.

Also Discord's still a very close friend of the couple and helps them and the kids whenever and in whatever way he's able to. He loves spending time with the kids, specially Agate, who finds his chaotic energy specially amusing.

[tiffanyachings]

a wholly unnecessary list of poldark characters as gbbo contestants

ross - can't bake to save his life but tries to make up for it by putting alcohol into every single dough. nobody knows how he got on the show in the first place. his attempt to caramelise sugar almost sets the tent on fire and he's kicked out in week 1.

demelza - that contestant you always knew was gonna win, but you’re still happy for her when she does. always talks about how she's made those special teacakes for her family before. panics easily just to be named starbaker yet again. will bring cornwall into everything.

elizabeth - prepared af in a way that really makes you wanna get your life together. always going for a classy, elegant style with her bakes. possibly the only baker to not struggle with time management. constantly talking about her kids who feature in every single of those quirky background videos.

george - has just about zero baking experience and only makes it to week two because he didn't set a tent on fire. okay at following a recipe, but absolutely hopeless when it comes to technicals. rumor has it he only got on the show to do business deals with the judges behind the scenes.

dwight - an average baker, really average, but you know he's a dashing junior doctor who talks a lot about how his mum inspired him to bake and abandons his pastry to take care of agatha when she burns her hand on the oven, so you're rooting for him anyway.

caroline - shamelessly fires out one innuendo after the other. the only baker who knows what a marjolaine is, she just can't bake it. great flavour combinations, not very good at anything else, but you still want her to make it through just to see what she's gonna do with her hair next time.

francis - has years of experience from stress baking. constantly on the brink of having a meltdown, but accepts his fate with so much sarcasm he actually ends up being that #relatable twitter darling and you're super sad to see him go. all of his recipes call for a suspiciously high amount of alcohol.

verity - talks a lot about ancient family recipes and seems to have made everything about 200 times before. solid bakes, but could get more creative. always complimenting and helping other bakers and its probably half talent, half karma that gets her into the top five.

aunt agatha - The Old Lady (tm). tells great stories, but you're never entirely sure she's not making them up. totally took george's alaska out of the fridge on purpose. may have threatened someone with an electric mixer off-camera.

morwenna - just qualified as a school teacher and distributes all of the test bakes she makes prior to the show in her class, much to the delight of her pupils. REALLY into flower-themed show-stoppers. even paul hollywood can’t bring himself to be mean to her.

drake - that one contestant that made you look up the age restrictions for gbbo when he first appeared. cannot sit still, under no circumstances, and is constantly caught staring through the oven door or prodding his bakes to check if they’re ready yet (they never are). you know he's doing his best though.

sam - started baking for a christian charity that supports kids on the council estate he grew up in and now uses homebaked sunflower seed loaves for the eucharist. unexpectedly wins starbaker in bread week. he doesn't talk much, but his serenity while everyone is panicking is inspiring.

[pynkhues]

Hi Sophie! What kind of music do you like? I’ve been curious

I can tell you straight off the top of my head that I love Beyonce, Alabama Shakes, Dolly Parton, Fall Out Boy, Laura Marling, Cardi B, Kesha, and so many others! 

But! As my Spotify will tell you, haha, I actually mostly listen to Australian music, because Australia has a bonkers-good music scene, and I hope you don’t mind me taking the opportunity to spruik it. 

(Putting it behind a cut because I’m popping in YouTube videos where I can / where tumblr will let me.)

Thelma Plum

I love, love, love Thelma Plum! She’s a First Nations singer-songwriter who has so many incredible songs on her (currently small!) backlog, but Better in Blak is just such an awesome song, and I can never recommend it highly enough.

(And double recommendation because she’s been hospitalised with coronavirus after touring and just got out the other day, so fingers crossed she stays well!)

Jack River

Great, fun, indie rock! She’s a gem!

Baker Boy

I’ve always enjoyed Baker Boy’s music, but I actually worked with him at one of my freelance writing gigs last year, and he was just a GEM in so many ways, plus a dream to work with on a difficult job, and it’s meant I’ll spruik him forever, haha. He’s an incredible dude, and an awesome artist. He often raps, as he does in the above video, half in English, and half in Yolngu Matha. 

Plus he puts out some straight bangers, like this one! 

Josh Pyke

Josh Pyke is musically so folksy, and - - I don;t know. I’ve always loved his stuff, and I’ve seen him a few times live and this song will forever be one of my favourites. I just love the idea of locking away from the world with someone you love, and this song encompasses that ten-fold.

The Waifs

This is a bit of a relatively old-school Australian folk group, but my mum and my aunt used to play them a lot for me growing up, and I just really love them. In particular, Lighthouse was always a song that meant a lot to me, I think in no small part because of this lyric: 

Lighthouse man can't help us allSome he'll save and some will fallHe'll show you where the danger liesBut he can't help it if you capsizeSteer your own ship back to shoreHe'll light your way but that is all 

Sampa the Great

Amazingly, one of her songs actually was on Good Girls this season! I died a little in the best way! Sampa the Great is an awesome artist, and one you should totally jump on. 

Missy Higgins

And sure, she’s not for everyone, but her cover of NYE is probably one of my favourite songs of all time, and has meant so much to me over the years. I’d listen to it, if you can. 

What songs do you guys love?

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: August Books

Well, my August has been full of holidays and excitement! I’ve been very lucky to be able to enjoy my summer, despite the horrific heat that we’ve been having in the UK. 

Mark and I enjoyed a very warm week in Devon with my family. We had beach days, hot tub nights and some lovely pub lunches while enjoying the tranquil countryside of North Devon. I love seeing Mark integrate with my family more and I can’t get enough of showing people how awesome he is.

I also spent a week in North Cornwall with my mum, nan and aunt. We had a lovely week exploring places like St Ives, Padstow, Port Isaac and all the places we used to visit during my childhood. It was a week full of nostalgia, cream teas and pasties, so I came back very happy indeed.

August also saw the wedding of two of my best friends. I was so honoured to be a bridesmaid and get a front row seat to the moment when they became husband and wife. It was a really beautiful, magical day where Mark and I had the best time with all of our friends. We definitely made memories that will last forever.

I am currently preparing to go back to university at the end of September. I am sad about not being with Mark all the time and I’m a little apprehensive about what’s coming but I’m willing to ride the waves that are about to hit! I have also managed to read a bunch of fantastic new books that I can’t wait to share with you. There are some amazing reads here that really added an extra spot of magic to my fantastic month, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy them too!

-Love, Alex x

FICTION: The 24 Hour Dating Agency by Mary Jayne Baker.

Saffie has tried every dating app there is and she’s about ready to give up. Her best friend Milo has just been dumped again and has no idea how to find Mr Right. Their boss Tamara is a single mum who has been on her own for years. The absent father of her children is about to get married and have another child and suddenly, he wants to get to know the children he already has. Enter a dating service that sends matches on an intense 24 hour long date and gives your money back if you don’t fall in love. There’s no way this could work, right? This cute unique rom-com has some truly loveable, flawed characters. Tamara and Harry are definitely my favourites! There is a lovely, magical tinge to the ending of this novel which champions found family, community and collaboration. I devoured it!

FANTASY: The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings.

In a world where Black women could still be tried for witchcraft, Josephine has heard every theory about her mother’s disappearance. While she’s ready to let go of her painful past, Josephine has some new challenges to face. Women who aren’t married by the age of 30 need to be closely monitored by the state and Josephine has no interest in a wedding. She has never felt closer to the mother who escaped, so she honours one last wish in her mother’s will to regain that connection. This powerful novel has some beautiful, ethereal imagery and makes some strong commentary on misogyny and the control of women. It’s about the unique bonds between mothers and daughters as well as the powerful connections forged between female friends. The book is soaked in tragedy but it’s also strangely bittersweet. A battle cry for trapped, persecuted women everywhere!

MIDDLE-GRADE: Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak.

Clementine is a lab mouse with a wealth of intelligence. However, in the lab, her only friend is Rosie, a chimpanzee. When a kindly lab technician decides to free Clementine and fellow mouse Hamlet from the lab, Clementine finds herself in a mailbox belonging to an elderly man. This clever mouse soon discovers a talent for chess, TV fame and the power of friendship but she won’t stop until her beloved Rosie and all the other mice are also free.  This is an adorable, unique story about living your happiest, most complete life. It also draws awareness to the treatment of animals in labs while depicting beautiful friendships and a cast of memorable characters. There is so much humour and heart in this incredibly sweet story.

YA: Why Is Nobody Laughing? by Yasmin Rahman.

Ibrahim has been hiding his passion for stand-up comedy from his immigrant family, who would really rather he follow a different path. His best friend Dexter has so much confidence on stage but panic sets in for Ibrahim. After a particularly bad attack at a local comedy competition, Ibrahim runs off the stage and meets Sura. Sura seems to understand Ibrahim and knows how to soothe him but she seems to disappear instantly. How can Ibrahim follow his dreams while dealing with the pressures of home and his mental health without Sura there? This emotional story deals with the little-spoken topic of mental health within teenage boys and an exploration of mental health in an Asian culture. A story of family, divided loyalties and following your dreams, this is a moving, honest depiction of a perspective that we rarely get to see.

THRILLER: The It Girl by Ruth Ware.

April was the prettiest, most popular girl at Oxford but she had a dark side. She also happened to be Hannah’s roommate and the two of them cultivated a group of friends throughout university. Until Hannah found April dead in their dorm and the creepy porter John Neville was jailed for it, based on evidence that Hannah gave. Ten years later, John Neville has died in prison and a pregnant Hannah is shaken when a journalist presents new evidence that Neville might have been innocent. Paranoid that she may have been responsible for an innocent man’s conviction, Hannah starts to question those around her at the time and she begins to realise that she may have been wrong all along. I am a huge fan of Ruth Ware and have gobbled up all of her books. The It Girl is another pulse-racing, intriguing thriller, which I couldn’t put down again. It’s full of unsavoury characters who all felt incredibly real and I had no idea what way things were going until the very end. The perfect, twisty mystery with a hint of dark academia and plenty of secrets.

[blficarchive]

‘Til I Tasted You by kiwikero

Additional Tags: #Famous Harry, #Non-Famous Louis, #Alternate Universe - College/UniversityMutual, #Pining, #Masturbation, #Strangers to Lovers, #Fluff

Summary: Louis is Harry Styles’ biggest fan. It doesn’t matter that Harry is famous for being a food blogger and Louis can’t cook to save his life.

At least, until Harry offers to give Louis a cooking lesson. Then it matters just a teensy bit.

You Strike A Match by togetherwecouldbealright

Additional Tags: #Alternate Universe - College/University, #Secret AdmirerFluff

Summary: I can’t remember the other 21 letters of the alphabet. All I know is U R A QT.

Louis stares at the note taped to the door of his dorm for a few seconds, uncomprehending. Either he’s seeing things or there’s actually a tiny piece of paper, addressed To: Louis with a terrible pick-up line on it.

OR the one where Louis receives a note from his secret admirer for every letter of the alphabet.

once upon a dream by thedeathchamber

Additional Tags: #Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, #Angst, #Slow Burn, #Enemies to Lovers, #Hurt/Comfort, #Emotional Hurt/Comfort, #Mental Health Issues, #Anal Sex, #Bottom Louis, #Blow Jobs, #Alternate Universe - Law Enforcement

Summary: Louis is psychic and gets caught in the middle of a murder investigation led by FBI Special Agent Harry Styles.aka. the Medium/Criminal Minds-inspired AU no one ever asked for.

Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) by rainbowsandgucci (petzawentz)

Additional Tags: #Background Relationships, #Fluff, #Angst, #Miscommunication, #Falling In Love, #Slow Burn, #Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, #Alternate Universe - Orchard, #Orchard AU, #apple orchard, #Daddy Kink, #References to Drugs, #Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, #Harry calls Louis princess a lot but like, #theres no like feminization or anything, #Oh also there is no cheating, #It might seem like there would be, #Bc of Harry/ZaynBut there is 0 cheating nope nope nope

Summary: ”Due to unforeseen circumstances, help is needed here at the orchard for the impending apple season. Looking for someone able to start within the next week or two at the most, is willing to do whatever miscellaneous tasks are needed, such as picking & packing apples, running the cash register, and other handywork that may need to be done. Must be good with customers, and able to lift up to 50lbs. Help will be needed until at the least the end of October. Please contact the number found on this page, or come out to the orchard and ask for Harry. All the love xx”

—

Louis is staying at his Aunt’s farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry’s friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

Tell Me What You Want by stylinsoncity

Additional Tags: #Alternate Universe - College/University, #Beards (Relationships), #Pining, #Nudism

Summary: Based on the following prompt:

“Harry is looking for a new roommate after Liam moves in with his girlfriend. After a few bad dates he’s done with men for the moment and wants to concentrate on school. That’s why he’s looking for a female or a straight male roomie. When Niall tells Louis about the free room he leaves that little detail out. Louis, desperately looking for a room, pretends to be straight, thinking it would be easy, until he discovers that Harry likes to be naked at home. His best female friend posing as his girlfriend doesn’t work very well either.”

Sea Salt and Chocolate by cupcakeL

Additional Tags: #Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, #Baker Harry, #Strangers to Lovers, #Friends to Lovers, #Cheating, #but like the ex was cheating, #This is a fluff piece, #Singer Louis, #Pining Harry

Summary: “How can I help you?” He looked at the customer and wow, Harry was pretty sure this guy had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. When the guy opened his mouth Harry could almost feel the venom in his voice. “Do you have some kind of truffle that passive aggressively says ‘fuck you’?”Or Harry owns a confectionary/café and Louis is an aspiring musician who needs to break up with his boyfriend via truffles.

another hazy may by deLILAh

Additional Tags: #harry shoots guns better than he shoots footie, #and louis writes in the third person, #also starring niall’s snapback as the crown jewels, #zayn’s kardashian poster as the foundation of a friendship, #and liam payne as batman

Summary: louis is a terrible poet and harry lives in the now and they have six weeks to fall in love but, really, it only takes six seconds. bookshop meets military meets summer romance au ft. marlboros, the backstreet boys, and underrated literary devices.

Written In The Stars by alex4968

Additional Tags: #Slow Build, #Vampires, #Blood, #Mild Gore, #Human Louis, #Vampire Zayn, #Vampire Liam, #Vampire Harry, #Human Niall, #inequality within society, #Vampire AU, #Eventual Smut, #Top!Harry, #bottom!Louis,#Harry is kind of an asshole at first, #but I promise he gets better, #he’s just confused, #He was raised differently than Zayn was, #Dark Plot, #Explicit Sexual Content, #Spanking, #Rimming, #Hand Jobs, #harry has some… daddy vibes, #rape mention (doesn’t happen but tagging just in case)

Summary: It was so different - the complete opposite of everything Louis had ever expected about finally being placed into the real world. Zayn defied every single thing he’d ever been told about vampires, about how he was supposed to be treated. This was nothing like what he’d expected.[or: Zayn’s the third oldest vampire in the world and found himself searching out the company of a human, so he took Louis as his keep. His maker Harry doesn’t approve.]

Worth Dying For by Anonymous

Additional Tags: #Explicit Sexual Content, #Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, #Alternate Universe - Royalty, #Bodyguard, #kidnapping, #violence at the end

Summary: “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him.“A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,” his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers.Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?”

The Fragmented Veil by missberrycake

Additional Tags: #Alternate Universe - Vampire, #Non-Graphic Violence, #vampire!Harry, #Vampire!Zayn, #vampire!niall, #Minor Zayn Malik/Liam Payne, #vampire!Louis, #Minor Character Death

Summary: In which Louis gets attacked one night in the dark. It changes his life, just not in the way he expected.

[rumaan]

Title: What You Really Like Pairing: Jon/Sansa Remix Pairing: Sana/Yousef Chapter: 2/2

Chapter 1, This Chapter on AO3

@goodqueenalys was sad that I didn't remix the infamous Yousana carrot scene for my Remix fic so I decided to do that as a follow up and post it on the free day.You brought this carrot discourse on yourself, Mere, so don't @me about it!

The scene this is based on can be viewed here (it's the first 7 minutes of the episode). Lots of the dialogue comes from the translation into English - mainly because I've watched this Yousana scene so many times I didn't even realise I was writing the exact dialogue but there we are!

When Catelyn handed Sansa the carrot peeler, phone by her ear and already talking to Aunt Lysa, she couldn’t help but stop and look at it helplessly for a good few seconds. Sansa was the baker of the house not a cook. She could whip up fresh bread, pastries and cakes with no problem but ask her to make dinner and she floundered. In fact, she had just been having this conversation with her mother about how her husband would be the one to cook.

Well, Catelyn had been having this discussion, Sansa had been sitting on the edge of the table, eating a carrot, and staring hopelessly at Jon who was in the living room with Robb and the rest of their friends. She had been perfectly happy doing that, too. Jon was extremely good to look at and even when he had caught her staring a couple of times, he had smiled at her rather than made her feel like an awkward creeper.

However, now she was left trying to peel carrots. She tried to remember how her mother did it, but couldn’t. So she was stuck scraping pathetically at the skin and peeling very little of the carrot in her hand and eyeing the pile of carrots that needed to peeled. Sighing, she turned the radio off from the political programme her mum had been listening too and turned it to a pop channel instead.

“Hi,” a voice said softly by the door.

Looking up, Sansa saw that Jon had come into the kitchen. Mentally cursing him for choosing to appear just as she was failing to peel carrots, she gave him a small smile and said, “Hi.”

“Just getting a drink.”

Nodding and turning back to the carrot, Sansa couldn’t help but hold her breath as she felt Jon pass behind her, slight warmth radiation off his body. She caught a whiff of his cologne and tried her hardest to regulate her breathing as it was coming out far too fast and shallow.

Refusing to look up at him, she registered the song that was playing on the radio and heat bloomed in her cheeks as she realised it was Ed Sheeran’s Kiss Me. She quickly changed the channel on the radio, finding a much less inflammatory song and tried to ignore Jon’s presence to her right.

It was harder than she thought, especially when he gave a small little laugh and she looked at him out the corner of her eye and saw that he was watching her try to peel the carrots.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

“No,” she replied.

Part of her just wanted him to go away rather than witness her utterly failing to do perform a simple task. But a larger part of her revelled in actually being alone with him for once. He was nearly always with Robb when at her house, which made sense as he was Robb’s friend. And on the rare occasion he wasn’t with Robb then he could be found helping Arya out with her basketball shots.

Yet, he still stood there, his shoulders shaking a little as he watched her efforts to peel the damn carrot.

“Listen, I don’t mean to be rude,” he said. “But you’re doing it all wrong.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked in a challenging tone.

“Like totally wrong. Do you want me to show you?”

Giving him an assessing look, she saw that he was serious so she agreed and put the carrot and peeler down, moving over to the left to leave him space in front of the chopping board.

Jon picked both the carrot and the peeler up confidently, handling both as if he had a lot of practice with them. She hadn’t thought any of Robb’s friends would be able to peel a carrot more successfully than her, but Jon was apparently full of hidden surprises and she watched impressed as he smoothly started to peel the skin from the slightly mutilated vegetable.

“You need to drag it towards yourself, not push it away, okay? If you push it away then you’ll make a mess and have no control over the carrot.”

“Hmm…but I was always taught to never pull a knife towards me.”

He gave her a strange look and said, “It’s a vegetable peeler. How much damage can you cause with a vegetable peeler?”

Watching as he expertly peeled the carrot towards him with no danger towards the tips of his fingers, Sansa realised that he had a point.

“Plus,” Jon added. “Peeling towards you gives you extra control over the carrot. And then once you’ve finished once side, you turn it over and do the other.”

She had to smile at his simple but clear explanation. It appeared that he was used to giving instructions and demonstrations because he was good at it.

“So where did you learn to peel carrots so expertly?” Sansa asked.

“I work in a nursery,” he said. “I peel lots of things for the kids.”

“You work in a nursery?”

“Yeah.”

Tilting her head, she observed him closely and realised that she could see it. The thought of either Robb or Theon in a nursery had her mentally wincing, but Jon would be a natural. He had a quieter, calmer presence than her brother and his other best friend. She bet he was a favourite with all the little kids.

“So you like kids?”

“Yeah,” he said with a quirk of his eyebrow. “Don’t you.”

Sansa hadn’t thought too much about kids. Not since she’d dreamed of marrying Joffrey and having beautiful golden haired children with him. Then her prince had turned into a monster and soured her dreams of any kind of happy ever after. But she didn’t feel up to a conversation about shattered illusions right now.

“Yeah, of course.”

Jon turned his attention away from the carrot again to look at her. “You don’t sound too sure. How many do you want?”

Well that was putting her on the spot. “Er…two I guess.”

“Two. Two kids. Yeah, okay you don’t like kids.”

Leaning back a little and looking up at him with a surprised face she asked a little challengingly, “So how many do you want?”

“Twelve.”

His answer had her spluttering a little. “Twelve kids!” she exclaimed. Who wanted twelve kids?

“I’m thinking long term. I need that many if I want to make a football team with them.”

Smiling smugly, Sansa looked at him and quipped. “Aren’t there eleven players on a football team?”

“Wow,” Jon said with a laugh. “Wow. Are there eleven players on a team or on the pitch? What if one of them gets hurt? You didn’t think about that, did you?”

She had to grin then enjoying this strange conversation more than she ever thought she would. Jon wasn’t like any of the boys she’d gone for before. He was softer, more contemplative but he also had a playful side that was coming out now and she couldn’t help but relax in his presence. Her body stance was looser and more fluid than it had been for a while and her smiles came easily to her face. There was no need to put up a façade or a pretence around Jon.

“How about you have a go now?” he said, holding out the carrot and the peeler.

Taking them off him and suppressing the shiver that ran down her spine as his fingers brushed the palm of her hand, Sansa decided to play with him a little and started to peel the carrot as she had before with pathetic little swipes outwards that showed no skill or control.

Out the corner of her eye, she could see him smile and nod his head. “Stop peeling outwards! You need to peel it towards you. Use your thumb.”

Deciding to put his instructions into effect, she did as he directed and he said, “Yeah. That’s it. See it’s much easier, right?”

She had to admit that he had a point. It was easier to peel the carrot this way.

“What’s happening?” Robb said, suddenly coming into the kitchen and putting an end to the intimate atmosphere that had built between her and Jon.

“I was just getting a drink,” Jon said as he shifted a little away from Sansa as if he’d been caught doing something that he shouldn’t.

Robb looked suspiciously between Jon and Sansa, his eyes narrowing a little bit. “I thought you were getting a drink and coming back?”

“I was, but your sister doesn’t know how to peel carrots properly. You haven’t taught her correctly.”

From the periphery of her vision, Sansa could see Robb looking at his best friend as if he’d grown two heads.

“Yeah, but I don’t care about cooking. Come on, we’re all waiting. Stop flirting with my sister, man!”

Sansa’s heart skipped a beat at that and she couldn’t help but sneak a look at Jon out the corner of her eye. He looked a little guilty as if that had been exactly what he was doing and she bit her lip to stop her smile from growing and causing Robb to get even more irritated at the situation.

“Flirting?!” Jon exclaimed. “I’m not flirting. I’m making food for tonight.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Robb said a little impatiently.

Suppressing her disappointment that her brother had come in and disrupted them, Sansa watched as they walked out of the kitchen, arms slung around each other’s shoulders and she didn’t miss the way that Jon briefly looked back at her.

With a broad smile on her face, she continued peeling the pile of carrots her mum had left. The job going a lot faster now she was using the method Jon had taught her and with her mind playing over all the implications the past ten minutes had thrown up.