#Adelaide meeting space

[liahaslosthermind]

~ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒔 ~

(Past) Rhysand x OC, (Eventual) Azriel x OC Part 2 of Betrayal

Summary: He was out of his mind with grief. Azriel had been through his fair share of trauma. He had seen and done horrific things, but that was always with Adelaide by his side. Now, he didn't know what to do, and he was losing it. Warnings: Suicidal thoughts and ideology, Death of a loved one, grief, Hurt/No Comfort

His limbs ached as he stood up from his chair. He had been sitting there so long that walking felt much harder than it usually did.

He rubbed the haze from his eyes while walking to the door, the incessant knocking making his headache worse.

"Fuck, Az. You look- how do you- do you want me to..." Cassian stood in front of his brother, a man he'd known for 500 years, and didn't recognize the person he saw.

It had been the first time in almost 2 months that Cassian's knocks were answered. He had come to her room, everyday, multiple times a day, to plead with his brother to talk to him, to eat something, to just let Cassian look at him so he could see he was alive.

Azriel said nothing as he turned around and went back to the chair he had been occupying. Cassian closed the door behind him as he took in the room.

It was the same as it had been the day she left. Even though this had been the place Azriel spent most of his days, the Shadowsinger had kept it all the same, only touching her bed that he would sleep in the nights he could stomach it, or the chair he was currently in now.

A mess of papers on the desk brought tears to Cassian's eyes. Adelaide, sweet and caring Adelaide, had been making a list of Solstice gifts for her family when she was called to join some of the Inner Circle on a meeting all those months ago. A meeting that had been a trap for them. A meeting that ended up taking her life.

Azriel cleared his throat when Cassian went to pick up a piece of paper. He had tried to hard to keep her room clean while also not disturbing things from the spot she had put them in.

"Nesta told me that her and Elaine have been leaving you food but it remains untouched."

"Is there a question, brother?" Azriel asked. His voice had always been rough, and he had always been more on the quiet side, but Cassian could tell that because of lack of use, it hurt him to speak.

"Why aren't you eating? How can we get you to? I would do anything, Az." he pleaded.

The spymaster didn't answer.

"Whats the end goal? Believe me, if you want 1,000 years to mourn her, I will be with you every step of the way. I've tried to give you space, but you are killing yourself! You sit in here all day, only coming out when everyone is asleep or gone. What do you need to care about your life again?"

He was met with a distracted look from Azriel.

His brother was never distracted. He was never careless. He hadn't missed a day of training for no reason in hundreds of years. Cassian knew he still trained every once in a while, but Azriel always found times to do it when no one else was around.

Azriel didn't have an answer for Cassian, at least not one he would like.

How could I care for my life when her's is over? he thought. By the desperate look on Cassian's face, he could tell his brother knew the answer.

"I lost her too. I know it was different with the two of you, you were each others'... person, but she was as much my sister as you are my brother. I didn't... I didn't even get to say goodbye." Cassian finally broke at the confession. He hadn't let himself think about it, he had to keep himself together for Azriel. "The last time I talked to her, we where fighting over food. She stole the slice of cake I had saved for myself, I called her an inconvenience and a burden, she called me a spoiled bat who needs to learn to share." He let out a bittersweet laugh at the memory. They were usually at each others' throats, and when they weren't, they were teamed up to annoy someone else in their family. But they loved each other, always were there for one another, except in the end, when it mattered most.

"24 hours later, I was picking out the sarcophagus my sister was going to be laid in. I would have let her have all of my leftovers, all of my desert, if it meant I just got one last conversation with her." Choking up, Cassian sank to the floor, a wave of familiar grief washing over him.

Azriel joined him, crying as he hugged his brother.

The two illyrians, sat like that for a while. Long after their tears had dried, long after the sun had gone down, Cassian finally spoke up.

"Why don't you go see her? Visiting helps me, talking to her even though I know she can't hear is something I do often."

In truth, Azriel hadn't gone to his best friend's mausoleum since the funeral. He couldn't see her like that, couldn't come to terms with it.

These past 6 months had been dark. Everyone was mourning her, many of the people of Velaris included, but none more than Azriel. Part of him had died, laid in the cold marble box that held her body. For the first few months, he had completely disconnected from reality. He went on with his daily routine, he trained, ate, went on missions, did paperwork, slept. But it was as it he was on autopilot, as if the real Azriel had been asleep that whole time.

Two months ago, he woke up. It was sudden, he had gone to his room for the first time in a while to grab some books that had been long overdo at the library, and the priestesses had kindly told him if they didn't get them back he would be banned for life.

Thats when he saw the blanket on the chair by his desk. She had given it to him over a century ago. It was a birthday present, a wool blanket that was enchanted to smell like her always. She had played it off as a self centered gift, so he doesn't forget about his favorite person while away on missions, in front of their friends, but Azriel knew it wasn't that. Adelaide had always been a master gift giver, and she also knew Azriel had trouble sleeping most nights, but he never had any problems falling asleep on the couch next to her after a long night of conversations, wrapped comfortably in her own wool blanket.

He hadn't slept without it till the night she died.

Then, he picked it up, trying to see if the enchantment still worked. And that was all it took for him to wake up. It was awful, every bad feeling he had been too far disassociated to feel hit him at once. He curled up on the floor with the blanket wrapped around his hands and stayed there for days, silent tears never ceasing to fall.

After getting yelled at by Madja, who Nesta had called to knock some sense into him, he got up and went to her room, where he remained most of his days.

He sat in the chair in the corner of the room, only eating to quiet his stomach, and tried as hard as he could to detach himself from the never ending agony that was his life now.

He told Cas he would see her, the general's face lighting up at the news.

He felt guilty, making Cassian so happy for something he knew would later destroy him.

Hours after Cassian had left the room, as the sun came up, Azriel went to his room to grab the blanket he hadn't touched in 2 months. Then he grabbed Truth Teller, wrote his final request, and went to see Adelaide.

The building was large, and beautifully constructed. He would have been happy that she had a resting place deserving of her, but he knew Rhysand only spent that much money and made it this beautiful to try and lighten the guilt he felt.

The Shadowsinger stopped by the entrance, the sarcophagus without a lid placed up on the platform.

Before the funeral, Helion had come to place a enchantment on her body that would keep it perfectly preserved.

It had been more of a final gift to Addie than a show of good will between the courts. Adelaide had been a foundling on the border of Day and Night. Helion took her in as his ward and she grew up with access to the best education and scholarly texts Prythian could offer. Rhysand later made her head of the Night Court's scholarly texts, education, and research. She spent more of her life in Night than Day, but she never went so long without seeing the man who gave her all she had.

She used to tell Azriel she would take him on vacation to Day to meet Helion. He of course had met the man before but they had been the Spymaster of Night and High Lord of Day, Addie wanted them to meet as 'two of the people she loved more than anyone'.

They never did get that vacation.

And as Azriel looked down at her, Helion's gift to her felt like a cruel punishment to him.

6 months later, she was still as beautiful as she was the last time he saw her, but she was still just as dead.

This was where he would remain, his final request was to be laid to rest in the same building. He would be adding unnecessary pain onto his loved ones who had suffered so much already, but for the first time in his life, Azriel had decided to put himself in front of his family.

Looking her over one last time, he realized he was now completely numb.

Azriel held the gifted blanket and went to take off the one she currently had. Based off the fact it seemed to have been picked out with meticulous care to match Adelaide's coloring, and her outfit, there was no doubt it had been placed their by Mor.

On her lap, previously being covered by the blanket, laid a large and very old book.

Had one of the scholars she worked with placed it? One of the educators?

Strange marks littered the cover, but no title. Not till he opened the first page did he see what it was.

The Walking Dead

A cruel pick. Who would ever leave such a book with a corpse?

The second page was blank, so was the third, so was the fourth. Thumbing through the book, Azriel just about gave up looking at the blank pages when he finally found one with writing.

It seemed to be a poem, but it was formatted too strangely.

The title at the top read Eternally Intertwined.

A spell.

He almost dropped the book at the realization.

No one had left this book, it had been fate that had given it to him, kept it here waiting for him to stumble upon it.

He knew what he needed to do.

[itmeblog]

It's Black History Month

(Over here in the US of A) So here are some podcasts to check out.

Absolutely no Adventures - a fantasy (un)adventure story that follows Sig, the owner of Signature Eats bakery, as he aggressively avoids becoming embroiled in any daring quests or chosen one shenanigans even though the universe really seems to want him to do just that. This is a story about cutting Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey off at the knees to chill with friends and staying far, far away from the slightest whiff of adventure. And also baking. This is also a story about baking.

Afflicted - Lovecraft Country meets True Blood in this new series from award-winning producers Tonia Ransom and Jen Zink. In season one, a small East Texas town suffers supernatural disasters caused by a demonic book bound in human flesh…and only hoodoo can save the town from its affliction.

Apollyon - In the early 22nd century, the Apollyon virus wiped out 75% of the world’s population, and now most of the world is governed by the International Conglomerate of Research Scientists. Dr. Theo Ramsey is an ICRS research scientist who may have just discovered an effective vaccine for Apollyon, but the stakes to get the vaccine to the public are higher than she ever imagined.

Between Heartbeats - Tan immersive Urban Fantasy about the hurt, the powerful, and their growth within a broken world. We follow Sundiata, a guilt-ridden time manipulator with a knack for unemployment, and Nadia, a moralistic telepath determined not to lose control, as they balance frayed mental health against an unsympathetic police state. But when a malevolent presence rears is head, their neuroses become the least of their problems. Can our heroes make the most of their abilities before the option is taken from them?

Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back - Two passionate Star Wars fans on opposite sides of the Last Jedi debate argue via Skype after their favorite forum closes down. If you love Star Wars (or call yourself a proud member of any fandom), you’ll love this romantic comedy told via

Harlem Queen - a Black historical fiction audio drama based on the life and times of Black, woman, "gangster" Madame Stephanie St. Clair during the Harlem Renaissance.

His Royal Fakin' Highness - What if Ophelia helped Hamlet get his throne back? This modern day, romantic comedy re-imagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet asks just that. As they stage an engagement in the wake of the king's death, these childhood frenemies must decide between duty and love.

InCo (This one's mine :D) - A Sci-Fi story about a disgruntled information seller, a mysterious space boy, and an android doing her best.

Janus Descending - a limited series, science fiction/horror audio drama podcast, follows the arrival of two xenoarcheologists on a small world orbiting a binary star. But what starts off as an expedition to survey the planet and the remains of a lost alien civilization, turns into a monstrous game of cat and mouse, as the two scientists are left to face the creatures that killed the planet in the first place.

Lady Lucy - Lady Lucy is an audio drama inspired by Shakespeare's "Dark Lady" Sonnets, 127-154. Between running her brothel, fighting the Church, murdering her friends' abusive husbands, and pretending to be a poet, the last thing Lucy needed back in 1586 was a surprise visit from her former flame... Will Shakespeare.

Liars and Leeches - Tonya Wright felt it all after the tragic murders of her sister and brother-in-law in a random act of gun violence. Struggling to travel outside of her home, she now lives constantly on edge about perceived threats that seem to surround her.

Nightlight - Multi-award winning horror podcast featuring creepy stories with full audio production written by Black writers and performed by Black actors. So scary it’ll make you want to leave your night light on.

Null /Void - a science fiction audio drama about a young woman, Piper Lee, whose life is saved by a mysterious voice named Adelaide. Piper soon uncovers a malicious plot by a monopoly of a tech company and must work with her friends and an unusual ally to help foil their deadly plot.

Out of Ashes - (currently remastering season 1) Follow a group of survivors as they navigate the ruins of modern civilization and battle against demons, ghosts, monsters and the looming threat of extinction from an ancient power.

Small Victories - A recently recovered drug addict tries to start her new lease on life, too bad life has it out for her.  This dramatic comedy follows Marisol through the ups and downs of her life.

The Courtship of Mona Mae - In the 1870s, pioneers Mona Mae Christophe and Zekial Montgomery search the American West for Mona Mae's mother, Clara. Mona must recall a past, long forgotten in order to survive, so that she can find her mother, love and create a way of life for herself.

Vega a Sci-Fi Adventure Podcast - In a fantasy futuristic world, Vega Rex is employed by her government to kill off the world's worst criminals. She's never met a criminal she couldn't catch…until now. Join Vega as she journeys through a world of bumbling apprentices, powerful technogods, and her biggest challenge yet. Hosted by Ivuoma Hall.

Witchever Path - is an anthology series where your decisions effect the story. Our stories are based in America’s NorthEast, featuring characters finding themselves in the thick of the unknown while tackling issues like queer identity, gender, race, and spirituality. Stories often focus on the communities not typically seen in stories taking place in New England, and giving voice to the perspectives of those communities while uniting under some universal themes. And the supernatural happens. A lot.

(All descriptions were taken from websites)

If you want to find more and there are way more there's a directory :D

[hatchetmanofficial]

(I love this question and I love your username!!!)

Thanks!

I like to think that Alan still has a part of him, that wants to weasel his way back into society, especially after meeting his Doe-eyes. But he can never have it. It's selfish of him to want.

Or Alan doesn’t believe that even if he can get away he can be redeemed/deserves it. Or could cope with being part of society.

Boss is unpredictable and very much so picks those who believe they are someone without a cause. I'd like to think that The Beast's song "Come Wayward Souls" applies to him.

I really enjoyed Over The Garden Wall, and especially Come Wayward Souls/Potatus Et Molasses. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hWgVdUv9UHo

It’s a shame the show got pulled from streaming services in a lot of locations.

TW suicide, death, religion feel free to ignore and delete this ask if it’s too heavy or triggering.

I watched Over The Garden Wall years ago and while I haven’t actually read The Divine Comedy/Dante’s Inferno directly… I need to as I’ve found a great VN that also derives from it called 10:16 …I seem to remember some analyses that describe the sin of despair.

(Makes sense. Catholics believe suicide is a sin.)

That is why blithe Greg was aided unlike Wirt. He is a child, innocent of the sin of despair, and in turn his seemingly random foolish actions stave off disaster, ie. dumping the coins from the ghosts creates a bonding experience while getting to Adelaide’s house so Beatrice can change her mind about betraying them.

(Also - that means they didn’t pay the coins to the ferryman to cross Acheron/the Styx! Charon’s Obol. Put into the mouth or on the eyes of the dead for that purpose. They also played a song for clemency like Orpheus.

Technically they haven’t paid for passage or received rites so cannot cross over into death and are trapped on the Earth side of the bank! Forced to wander/given more time before crossing. This may have been key to finally getting out of there. Though a villager in Harveston did say it wasn’t their time.)

And Greg is only ever in real danger when he loses hope, gives up and chooses to sacrifice himself for Wirt.

Wirt only breaks the curse when he has a realisation and dares to hope. To act. Otherwise he would have been trapped as the new employee, the new woodcutter/soul reaper/perpetuator of the cycle.

So… The Beast, and perhaps the Boss, do prey on despair and the lost. And potentially suicides but I’m not sure.

The Edelwood trees also recall The Wood Of The Suicides, which is yet another reference to Dante’s Inferno that I first encountered in The Sandman series. (Though those were in hell.)

So. With Over The Garden Wall being a child friendly allegory for purgatory or hell… I’m actually wondering if Carver, Alan, and Stitches may be dead without being aware of it? Or at least no longer strictly living, caught halfway in the liminal space of the uncanny town.

Stitches was constructed from the remains of three people. Carver doesn’t resemble his past self, retain much of his humanity or remember much about his life. 

Alan… was an unprepared 14 (?) year old runaway who was homeless for at least a year in Canada (?), which means he very likely experienced at least one bitterly cold winter without adequate shelter or clothing. Due to his genetic condition he may not have even been able to feel cold or pain to know how much peril he was in and find shelter, or he was lost.

I don’t know whether he was ‘rescued’ while still alive as an alternative to dying or whether he could have actually succumbed to exposure (or to despair in a tragic literal sense) and been found then.

I wonder if this is a Charon situation, if Alan replaced a disobedient employee and a future victim may replace him. (Perhaps Stitches is being lined up, or was created to watch Alan.)

Are the employees psychopomps? 

Or cultists enacting sacrifice?

Both?

In a way Alan cutting down people with his hatchet recalls the cutting down of the Edelwood Trees, that being a metaphor for death.

(I wonder if the choosing is similar to that of the employees - if he takes the despairing, those lost in life, or those who get lost in the forest. The victims are cut down with a hatchet, reaped to feed/fuel the Boss/the Beast.)

Which is more traditionally represented with a field of wheat being reaped by Death’s scythe.

A cornfield, another scary liminal space where people get lost, with similar reaping imagery, has also been associated with evil supernatural entities. 

A good example is He Who Walks Behind The Rows, implying an ancient evil god/cult worship and human sacrifice. Giving a hint of why the Boss might be making them do this.

Much in the way the Ancient Greeks believed they needed to placate gods and ghosts with blood.

Doe Eyes is a pull to humanity and life. Orpheus trying to lead Eurydice out of Hades. 

Or maybe the coworkers are just metaphorically ‘dead to the world’ through being taken in by the cult and largely isolated from society. (Stitches though is absolutely on some level dead or was never alive.)

I’m also seeing some Twin Peaks/Deadly Premonition parallels with forests/trees, weird towns, and another entity like BOB feeding on suffering.

I remember reading that the Boss may have been partially inspired by Bill Cipher too, so I’m wondering if the town is a little pocket of supernatural chaos. 

Bill (a yellow pyramid) was in turn inspired by Nyarlathotep, who liked to start cults and spread chaos and discord amongst mortals - and where Nyarlathotep is associated with pyramids The Boss is embodied in a similarly angular form of a diamond shaped sign. A yellow sign! 

The Yellow Sign is a symbol that is usually used by the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, a cult that worships the Great Old One Hastur. It is said that the symbol can bestow supernatural powers such as mind-control and possession, and is used to get people under the control of the King in Yellow.

Actually… Past traumatic event in Doe Eye’s life and (spoiler) aside, that may also explain Doe Eye’s nightmares and inability to sleep. As well as their pull to the forest.

So while I’m half recalling all of this or extrapolating from googled snippets maybe all of these things together are hints to the Boss’s eldritch nature.

However, he can still influence his employers. If he sees someone get out of line, he would simply have to put them back in place. Alan, however, never gave Boss any hassle, not even when he first found him. You could say he has a clean track record when it comes to his job. Until doe-eyes that is. When I say that Boss kinda has favorites. He truly does.

I think Alan was too young, beaten down and scared to rebel and so obeyed without question. I think the Boss liked that. Alan is wolf coded but was as obedient as a lamb. Or the Boss’s loyal dog, used to guard and attack.

I had a blast reading through all of this

thank you tumblr user krowspiracyanon!

[planetkiimchi]

the strings of fate | l.mk

no. 5 of my song collection (requested!)

featuring: mark lee x gn!reader, chenle

word count: 7351

warnings: arson, fire, burning, people die in the fire, death (funeral), rooftops (?) if you're scared of heights, there's mentions of nudity but not described, swearing, you'll probably hate me for this fic but idc

playlist: anaheim - niki; 10:35 - tate mcrae; psycho - jun; adelaide - johnny orlando; let me go - hailee steinfeld + alesso + florida georgia line + watt; after you - gryffin + jason ross + calle lehmann; haunt you - x lovers + chloe moriondo

summary — when mark lee, student council president of riize highschool goes missing, you’re the first suspect. as his best friend and well-known crush, you stood to gain the most from it. you’re also vice-president, and with mark gone, you’ve stepped up to be the president and predicted valedictorian. all eyes are on you, and one wrong move can send you to your downfall. but who’s that lurking in the shadows, tugging on the puppet-strings of fort irwin? the city is small, but you feel smaller as things go spiralling crazily out of control. OR mark loves you more than anything else in the world, but you're too broken to receive his love.

if you liked it, REBLOG it.

5 months ago — if i could, i’d freeze this moment, make it my home

“Mark?” You peeked into the room, footsteps resounding in the hollow space. Mark had promised to meet you at the auditorium, but he wasn’t there, leaving you stranded in the middle of the school in a dark room with only the dark red seats to keep you company.

As you turned to leave, you heard a muffled sound that sounded suspiciously like someone landing on the carpet floor. You looked behind you just in time to see Mark removing his mask, breathlessly calling after you, still clad in his Spiderman outfit.

“Just as I thought I’d been stood up,” you told him.

“Nope. In fact, I would have been early if someone hadn’t tried to mug me on my way here. It took some time to get changed and wrap him up in spiderwebs before I dropped an anonymous tip to the police station.” As he spoke, Mark reached into his back pockets, which were luxuriously deep and could seemingly fit as many things as Doraemon’s bag.

“I brought you the book you said you wanted,” Mark said as he pressed it into your hands. His smile was contagious, and you couldn’t fault him for having a heart of gold. It wasn’t his fault that he wanted to make things right, so you forgave him for it.

“Aren’t you gonna get changed?”

He blushed and made some vague motions with his hands before settling on, “Yeah. If you could just- turn around?”

You turned around swiftly, lips pressed together as you tried to ignore the hot blush spreading across your cheeks. You fiddled with the book in your hands, the thumping of your heart making it difficult for you to hear when Mark told you he was done.

He gave you a thumbs-up, and you saw his mask hanging out from the open pocket of his bag. You walked over to him, tucking the mask inside and zipping the pocket up before reaching up, tiptoeing slightly to reach his head, and smoothed out his hair.

He shook his head slightly and wiped the sweat off his brow with a grin. “Better?”

“Better.”

“Since we’re already here, why don't we take advantage of the projector and watch a movie?”

You hesitated, shifting your weight from one foot to another. “I’m a little busy,” you said, rubbing the back of your neck as you thought about the countless assignments you had piling up.

Mark smiled disarmingly and extended his hand, shooting webs from his wrist. They reached the control room, hitting the “on” button. The screen blinked on, showing the default screensaver. “I didn’t mean it as a question, more like an invitation. I know you’re still not over Chenle, so I thought this might cheer you up.”

You were given little choice when Mark slipped into one of the back seats, procuring popcorn from his bag like a magician, patting the seat beside him as he projected his Netflix account onto the screen, and “Little Women” started playing. You couldn’t lie, you had a soft spot for that movie, and seeing it playing was all it took for you to cave in and slump into the seat next to him, dispelling all thoughts of work from your mind.

“Are you supposed to be using your student council pass to get access to the auditorium for a movie?” You asked curiously, reaching for the popcorn.

Mark passed you the box with a dismissive shrug. “If they didn’t want me to take advantage of it, they wouldn’t have given it to me. Perks of being liked by the teachers, I guess.”

That was Mark Lee for you. Handsome, smart, popular—well-liked by both the student body and the faculty. He was perfection in a nutshell, and his heart was yours. You only regretted never being able to give him the same.

3 months ago — you’re all i want to, want to know

Dangling your feet off the rooftops, breeze soft against your skin as you watched the sunset. Yellow waves of light washed over the red sky, turning it gorgeous shades of orange and pink and purple, if you squinted hard enough.

The sky was a vast expanse of intangible matter, the whispers of the wind calling out to you. Instinctively, you reached out for it, hands grasping at thin air. It felt like it was just out of your reach, and you leaned further, hands outstretched…

You forgot that you were on the rooftop, stomach rising to your throat as you fell from the building, scream caught in your throat which was squeezed so tightly you could barely breathe.

Every second of the fall was torture. You could feel the air rushing past your face, hard enough to chafe but not dense enough to cushion your fall. Your hands flailed about, scrabbling for something to hold onto, desperately searching for holds to grab onto, until you felt a tug on your back.

Mark lowered himself to your height, and you found yourself swinging like a pendulum from the top of the building while Mark leaned into his pants like he was going rock climbing with his friends for leisure, fully trusting his webs to hold him up.

“You good?”

You nodded, gulping nervously. Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down…

Mark seemed to sense your fear, one hand wrapping around your waist reassuringly. The concrete touch of his arm against your back calmed you, and you inhaled deeply while staring straight into his eyes, refusing to look down for fear of how high up you were.

“You know, if you wanted to swing around town, you could’ve just asked.”

Your face dropped as you glared at him, your grip around his torso never loosening even for a second. “Ha ha, very funny. Please bring me back up before I throw up.”

“My pleasure.” Both of you shot up suddenly, and you almost collapsed in relief when your feet found hard ground again, but you made sure to move far, far away from the edge that time.

“I think I’m happy just staying here,” you said cautiously from the middle of the roof, as far away from all the sides of the building as possible. You knelt down to feel the ground, afraid that it wasn’t sturdy enough, before falling into a cross-legged position with a grunt.

Mark bent down to sit beside you, guiding your head onto his shoulder as he rubbed your back comfortingly. “I know it’s scary, but hey, the sunset’s worth it.”

Its beauty was almost comparable to Mark’s.

2 weeks ago — i can tell you mean it when you kiss me slow

Your hand tightened in Mark’s as he ran gleefully towards the ferris wheel, dragging you along behind him as he stood in line for the ride.

Autumn was all around you, in the air as auburn leaves drifted past on a breeze, gently gusting over your hair and leaving you feeling chilly but not cold. The crunch of your footsteps against the ground, the smell of apples all around, the earth heralded the third season of the year.

Mark’s figure was stark against the rest, dressed in all black against the neutral tones of fall, taller than everyone else. Mark was your rock, and sometimes he seemed a little larger than life.

The queue moved slowly, but Mark kept you entertained with silly jokes while it inched forward, and you found yourself lost in the sound of his laughter. It sounded muffled to your ears, like you were hearing it while you were submerged underwater. How could you bring yourself to hurt someone like him?

Your knuckles whitened as they gripped the side of the carriage tightly when you boarded the ferris wheel, eyes staring straight ahead—anywhere but down—while you fought to calm your racing heart.

“It’s not too scary if you look at me, right?”

You had to admit that he was right. If you focussed only on Mark, the world disappeared into a blur of white lights and cloudy skies, and the ground felt solid under your feet.

It was a reassuring thought to know that Mark had your back. So when you reached the top of the wheel, sky-high above the rest of the world with no weight on your shoulders, and Mark kissed you, you kissed him back.

You kissed him like your heart didn’t belong to someone else, like you didn’t care if it hurt him. Because you selfishly wanted his heart, even if you could never reciprocate his love for you.

1 day ago — but please don’t ask me, the answer’s no

You woke up in Chenle’s bed, his hands tangled in your hair while you wrapped your arms around him. The blanket was at your feet, having been kicked off in the night. Chenle’s breathing was peaceful, and the steady rise and fall of his chest pulled you out of your trance.

Chenle had done nothing to Mark, yet he had unknowingly hurt him again and again. You kept coming back to him even after you had broken up, slipping into his arms after shitty decisions late at night, clothes strewn over the floor as you willingly hurt yourself again and again.

To Chenle’s knowledge, you were single, and it was true—to a certain extent. You didn’t love Chenle, and he didn’t need to love you either. You had come to a mutual agreement that he would keep you warm on lonely nights, and there would be no questions asked.

In the mornings, you would leave, and there would be no expectations of breakfast or loving words when you woke. 

And so, you became a ghost of yourself, hovering in spaces just long enough for you to be seen before vanishing again, never happy or satisfied.

You pried yourself from Chenle’s hands, slipping into your clothes, running your hand through your hair in the mirror before rinsing your mouth and washing your face quickly. You left no traces of yourself behind, save for the guilt-ridden kiss you left on Chenle’s cheek with a sad smile.

Mark didn’t know what had happened when you met him that morning, reaching out to envelope you in a hug when you stiffened, pushing him away with a grimace. “Don’t- I don’t want to do this to you, Mark.”

He raised his hands in surrender, but you could have sworn heard his heart shatter, the pain in his eyes too much for you to bear. You turned towards the school, firmly avoiding his gaze as your lead-filled limbs brought you further and further away from him.

now — in a perfect world, i’d kill to love you the loudest

mark: can we talk? mark: i feel like there's something you're not telling me mark: i'm always here for you, you know mark: even if just as a friend

(i don’t know if that’s enough for you)

The messages he left on your phone burned a hole through your pocket. You didn’t want to answer them, but you didn’t want to ignore him either, so you opted to climb into a cab and asked it to take you to an isolated area just out of town. It was close enough for Mark to go to, but only as Spiderman. If he took any other form of transport, he would arrive too late.

you: 📍live location you: come over you: please

“Y/n?” Mark was in his Spiderman suit, eyes shielded by the mask. You couldn’t decipher any of his mixed emotions, but you saw his fingers twitch slightly before he reached out to touch the fence that separated you, hesitance laced in his voice. He sounded unsure, afraid even.

“Are you okay? What are you doing out here?” You had never heard Mark scared before. To you, he had always been the brave one, the one who walked first in haunted houses and killed insects while you screamed and leaped away. He wasn’t afraid of heights or those he fought against, and he seemed to shrink in front of your eyes when he was afraid.

“Can you come over to this side?”

Mark scaled the fence and dropped silently in front of you, cautiously moving towards you as his hand reached to pull his mask off.

“What’s going on?”

Mark felt somebody grab his hand, pulling him towards them with his face away while they held him in a chokehold. He felt a needle poking into his neck, injecting anesthetic into his bloodstream. He went limp in his captor’s arms, and was gently laid on the ground while his captor reached for their phone and stopped the recording.

“I’m sorry,” they whispered as they anonymously sent the video of an unmasked Spiderman to the news station they could count on to deliver their news the fastest.

but all i do is live to hurt you soundless

Mark came to in a dark room, hands tied behind his back. He tried to move his feet, and found that they were also tied to the legs of the chair. Defeated, he slumped in the chair, breathing heavily as he surveyed the room. It was small and empty, and he was the sole occupant inside it.

Welcome, Mark Lee. I hope you make yourself at home. With that, the speakers crackled and went quiet.

Chills ran down Mark’s spine as he heard the voice playing. Where were you, and why couldn’t he remember anything? His mind was foggy and he couldn’t remember a thing, except for your text. He remembered receiving it, and going to a shady, isolated place….

Could someone have kidnapped you and taken your phone to trick him? The idea of it caused his throat to seize, heart thumping painfully inside his chest.

The clanging sound of a door opening startled Mark, and he strained to see where the door was. He heard metal grating against the floor and the thump of footsteps, coming face to face with a masked silhouette. The white of the mask was a stark contrast to the dark cell, and it was the only thing Mark could make out.

A spoon clattered to the floor as the silhouette knelt down and set a tray of food on the floor, the water in the cup sloshing out at the impact. The silhouette’s voice sounded robotic when it spoke.

“I will untie your hands, and you can reach down to take your food. This will last you until tomorrow, so ensure that you don’t finish it all in one sitting. If you struggle or try to escape, just know that you won’t like the consequences.”

Mark’s hands felt numb, and he winced at the feeling of pins and needles as the blood gratefully rushed to his wrists, and he rubbed at his sore shoulders. He bent down gratefully to take a bowl of rice and meat from the ground, and when he sat up again, the masked person had vanished like a wisp of smoke.

say you see i’m lying, babe, and let this go

Mark was going insane. An entire day of silence was enough to drive a man to the brink of insanity, but Mark was just barely holding on. He had estimated the length and width of his cell, tried to write it down and realised that the best way was to write it in his food; hopped around, trying to stand up, and fell multiple times; and was growing bored.

He counted the seconds it took for him to breathe one full breath, then held his breath for as long as he could, then glanced back down impatiently at the analog clock he had found on his food tray.

If it was telling the right time, then 12 hours had passed since he had first woken up in his cell. He had fallen asleep in his chair during what he hoped was nighttime, but woken up with a crick in his neck that had been irritating him the entire day.

It didn’t feel like daytime, although it was supposed to be past noon, simply because there was no natural light filtering into the cell, and the only way he could see was by the light of the clock’s hands and numbers, and the dim light coming from what he assumed was a corridor outside his cell.

Mark drummed his fingers against his lap and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. He had eaten breakfast when he woke up, then lunch just after noon, but his water was running low and his parched throat itched.

It was odd, he thought, that the food that he had been given actually wasn’t that bad. It was simple, but the meat wasn’t as hard as he had expected, and he had been so hungry that he had scarfed it down in one go.

He was just about to risk hopping over to the door of the cell and yelling for help when the speaker that had scared him the night before suddenly crackled to life.

Fort Irwin is a little small for mysteries, but the latest case of Spiderman had everyone puzzled. Mark Lee, 17, was reported to be missing yesterday evening. According to reports from 35.7Hz Radio, the unmasked Spiderman circulating on the internet is exactly the same boy that has gone missing.

However, the hero was spotted swinging by a Target today, persuading a teenager to return the goods they had shoplifted from the store. Has Mark simply run away from home but felt obligated to continue enforcing the law, or has he been kidnapped?

And, more importantly, if Mark Lee has gone missing, then who is his replacement Spiderman?

Mark’s heart dropped as the speaker went silent. There had been a video of him being unmasked in his Spiderman suit? But he hadn’t even worn it in the past 24 hours—oh. Mark looked down at himself to check that he wasn’t wearing it anymore, finding his own clothes on his body.

Odd. He had only brought his phone with him when he went to find you, and he never wore his regular clothes under his suit. However, the clothes that he was wearing were definitely his—they even smelt like the laundry detergent his mum used when she washed his clothes.

If he was wearing his own clothes, then where had his Spiderman suit gone? He craned his neck to the side to look for it, immediately wincing in pain when he felt the burning pain sear through his neck. He had completely forgotten about his stiff neck.

He rubbed his neck, and the door creaked open, the masked silhouette standing there. “Good afternoon,” they said casually, picking up the empty bowls and cutlery from the floor. Mark had been bored enough to stack them up, so it was an easy task for his captor to collect the items and place them on the tray.

“If it were a good afternoon, I would be at home doing homework,” Mark snapped.

i can never promise you tomorrow

“Watch your tone,” his captor said. “I could kill you if I wanted to.”

“They’d find you,” Mark said, but he wasn’t very sure that they would.

“I don’t need to set my hands on you to drive you crazy. In fact, you’re already halfway there,” the silhouette sneered, and Mark could hear the contempt in their voice. He shuddered at the thought of going crazy, knowing that the boredom would surely drive him to do things he never would if he were in the right frame of mind.

“You should show me your face.” It was a weak attempt, but Mark didn’t want to hear anymore about his future loss of sanity, and he wanted to at least be able to identify the culprit if he ever got out alive.

“You’re changing the topic. And I don’t think I will,” the captor said. They grabbed the back of Mark’s chair and forcefully turned him around, facing him away from the door as their footsteps retreated out of the confines of the cell.

Later, the clang of a metal tray on the ground informed Mark that his food and water had been replaced, and he found that it had come with a chamber pot.

‘cause i have yet to learn how not to be his

Chenle’s hand traced lazy circles over your back until you turned to face him, legs intertwined in his.

“How are you- what do you think of the… y’know, the Mark situation?” He asked hesitantly. It was crossing some boundaries, that was for sure. Your and his relationship was meant to be free from emotional baggage, romantic gestures, and only meant as a way of comfort for both of you.

But at the end of the day, Chenle and you had dated once. Even if you had hated him for a while after the breakup, and he had ignored you for a good couple of months, he did still care about you, although he didn’t know how to—or whether he should—show it.

“I’m dealing with it,” you responded curtly. The truth was, it hurt more than it should. You were being investigated by the police, and when they found the last texts you had sent to him, it didn’t help your case much. The best you could do was to defend yourself, telling them that you had really only been in a bad place and wanted a friend to comfort you.

What they forgot was that he was still your best friend, and even if you didn’t love him back the way he loved you, he was still important to you. You didn’t want him to come to any harm, though it might seem differently to some.

You were, after all, vice-president on the student council. Now that Mark was incapacitated, you were the acting president. Besides, Mark’s crush on you had never been a secret, and half the student body thought that you had taken advantage of his crush on you to get rid of him.

His parents were the most worried, and you could barely look them in the eyes, knowing that you might have been the reason that Mark was missing. They didn’t suspect you, fully trusting you as Mark’s friend, but you didn’t want to let them down if the police found that you had led the kidnapper to Mark.

Mark’s exposed identity was also an issue. You and his parents had known since he decided to create an image for himself, but he had always wanted to keep it private for two reasons: he believed that good deeds did not need to be rewarded, and he was shy.

He didn’t want people to think of him differently because he was a “hero”. You admired him for that, but you also hated him for it. That he could be so noble and righteous, and you hated the jealousy you felt when you saw him walking around school and waving at everyone.

Superhero student council president Mark, who was only missing a lover in his otherwise perfect life.

this city will surely burn if we keep this as it is

Riize Highschool has been set on fire. 5 bodies have been recovered, and the number of injured individuals is 36 and counting. Authorities are working with the school to investigate the source of the fire. It is suspected to have been an arson attempt.

Mark’s mind ran wild with questions. Who could have tried to set the school on fire? Why? What was going on in the world, and why had his “replacement” not done anything about it?

His hands itched for something to do. The cell seemed to grow smaller by the day, the space constraining him and shutting him in. If he couldn’t escape soon, he would explode, and all the parts of him he’d tried hard to keep hidden would be on display for all to see.

He tried to pull his legs from the metal chains strapping him down for the hundredth time, pushing away from the back of the chair until he lost his balance and fell face-flat on the floor.

Blood dripped from his lips from where his teeth had torn skin, and he tried to push himself up from the floor. But the exhaustion and the weight of the chair on his back combined made it difficult, and his arms quivered from the effort.

He lay on the ground, breathing unsteady as he wondered if it was really better to be left in there alive or to leave the world peacefully.

i'd give anything to stop time

Mark missed being able to walk. He missed the sensation of sun on his face, of light reaching his eyes, he missed the freedom of not being trapped in isolated boredom the whole day. He missed his family and his friends, and most importantly, you.

He missed the curve of your neck and the warmth of you when you leaned into him on a cold day. He missed the way your waist felt in his on the rare occasions you let him hold you, missed your smile when you laughed at a silly joke on your phone.

He missed the way your face lit up when you saw him, missed sending you texts between classes, he missed everything about you. And he realised that lately, you hadn’t even felt like friends anymore.

Mark. You have fifteen minutes to leave this cell. You have been given all you need to leave, and I suggest you do it quickly.

Oh, by the way, your beloved Y/n is also trapped here. If you don't rescue them and leave in time, you can imagine what will happen.

Mark couldn’t tell what was going on in the cell, but it seemed to him that he could smell gasoline and smoke. His head whipped towards the door, seeing a flash of silver in his peripheral vision. A pair of wire cutters lay on the floor near the door of the cell, and he lunged for it, hands shaking as he tried to cut through his chains.

It was hard work, and his arms were tired and sore, and he struggled as he tried to free himself. When the second chain finally snapped, he dropped the wire cutters on the floor as he leaned back, spent.

But the reminder of you in danger spurred him on. He stood up shakily, fumbling for the key on the floor, and his trembling fingers only made it more difficult to unlock the door. As soon as he did, he stepped out into the hallway.

Smoke drifted in slowly, illuminated by the lights along the corridor. He couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it was getting thicker by the minute.

“Y/n!” He yelled, voice hoarse from dehydration and misuse, desperately hoping that you would answer.

He almost collapsed from relief when he heard your voice. “Mark?”

“I'm coming! Please just keep talking, okay?”

“Okay.”

He ran down the hallways, your voice keeping him company as he searched for you.

“I miss you. I’m tired. I want to go home. Mark, we’ve all been worried sick while you were gone. I hate the responsibility you shoulder even more now that I know what it feels like, and I can’t believe you had to go through all of that. You’re insane for holding out for this long and I’m so glad you’re alive. Most of all, I miss every part of you. I’d give anything to have you back.”

“You sure about that?” The proximity of Mark’s voice filled you with relief. You turned towards the sound of his voice, and the blindfold over your eyes was the last barrier before you got to see him again. You heard the creaking of the door hinge and felt Mark’s hands land on your shoulders before he wrapped you into a hug.

As soon as he removed your blindfold, you were taken aback by how exhausted he looked. Dark circles were prominent under his eyes, his face gaunt and the cheekbones that used to be covered in a soft layer of fat seemed like a thin layer of skin over bone. His body, which used to seem taller and bigger to you just a week ago, had grown skinnier. He wasn’t taller, but somehow his body proportions looked off. He was smaller, taking up less space.

The outgoing, cheerful, popular Mark was gone — he had been replaced by someone a little awkward and unsure of himself, having grown used to living in fear.

You were in no place to comment on his appearance, however. Neither of you were in great shape; you were trussed up and your wrists were red from struggling against your bonds. Your ankles were bound tightly with rope, and it was clear to Mark that you had not been meant to stay there for long.

“We have to get out of here.”

“Yeah, no shit. Do you have a map or something? What’re you gonna do, navigate us out of here?” You were taken aback by Mark’s tone, and hurriedly amended your statement.

“I know there’s something in this room that you’re supposed to take. I was told that I would be able to get us out. Can you search the room?”

Mark scanned the room quickly before his eyes landed on you. Without a word, he knelt down in front of you, searching your pockets thoroughly. Your jeans pockets were empty, but there were a few surprises hidden in the thick folds of your hoodie.

“Got it,” he said triumphantly. He opened up his hand, and in his palm lay a few crucial items. His phone, car keys, and a sticky note.

“These are my car keys… how?” While Mark looked between his car keys and his phone, the gears in his mind whirring as he wondered how it could be, you snatched the sticky note from his hand and read the message aloud.

“Drive home, and never come back. Your car is outside. Leave.” The note ended on that threatening note, messy handwriting trailing off into a scrawl scratched across the page. Smoke drifted into the cell and you grabbed Mark’s hand.

“Run!”

As if on command, you saw the pathway lighting up. At the end of the corridor, a door opened up into light and with it, freedom. You ran toward it, the fire lapping at your heels. Although it hadn’t touched you, you could feel the blistering heat of it on your back, and the first thing you could think to do was flee.

The signs of freedom continued to greet you in the form of Mark’s car, and you ran over to the driver’s side while he unlocked the doors.

and drive around anaheim at sun down

Mark was blinking furiously, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand while you sped off, unused to the influx of light. Luckily, you hadn’t been in darkness for long, so you adjusted quickly enough to be able to drive safely.

You sat in silence like that for a while, and Mark leaned across to stare at the building, watching it go up into flames.

You said nothing as you turned on the highway, heading towards Anaheim. It was your hometown, and though it was a little out of the way, at least no one you knew would be there. For the time being, both of you needed some peace and quiet.

When the main road branched off, you took the first exit, finding yourselves next to a grass field. You shifted the car into reverse, parking along the side of the road and turning towards Mark.

“C’mon,” you gestured to him over your shoulder and went outside the car, feet sinking into the ground as you laid back onto the grass.

The sun had set on the drive there, and you could see the moon peeking out from behind the clouds, the small visible crescent shyly waving at you. You grinned back in response and felt Mark plop down next to you, one of his arms snaking under your neck and settling on your shoulder.

to teach my mind to put you first

Even if it was Mark’s hands around you, all you could think of was Chenle’s lips on yours and his hands in your hair, and not a single thought your restless mind conjured up was of Mark.

You wanted to rip the grass from the soil and scream into the void. Why couldn’t you just love him back? After all that Mark had done for you, all he had sacrificed for you, all he had given up just for a sliver of your heart? Why did your traitorous heart despise him so?

Perhaps it was because you didn’t deserve him, and despite all the selfish greed you harboured, you knew deep down that Mark deserved so much better.

here you are, a hero

Mark had grown comfortable next to you, breathing quietly as he let loose of every muscle in his body. He could feel every knot filled with tension dissipate, could feel the pain of every cut and bruise on his body finally sinking in, almost as if he’d been too scared to register it.

"Mark-"

"Y/n-"

"You go first."

"No, you."

“I want to kiss you” was his confession, blurted out like a bad choice from the depths of his subconscious, said aloud before he even had time to think it through.

“I’ll try hard not to make this feeling a crime,” he said as he cupped your face in his hands and kissed you tenderly, tears falling silently down his cheeks.

You knew you were only putting salt on the wound when you kissed him back, claiming the parts of his heart you had known were yours all along. You knew he liked you, and you hated hurting him but you never wanted to lie to him. You didn’t want Mark to think you loved him when you didn’t. Though you’d done so much to him, you didn’t ever want Mark to have his heart broken by someone who told him they loved him when they didn’t.

Not with all of their heart, at least. You did love Mark, platonically, but the important parts he wanted were the ones he couldn’t have, the ones that belonged to someone else.

You could feel Mark’s sadness piercing through your heart, his tears saltier than the dead sea. He was so genuine, so raw with his hurt as he kissed you, you almost caved and told him you could give up on Chenle. Almost.

But you couldn’t- you couldn’t do that to him.

you wanna be my new home

He pulled away, and as you stared at him, the pale yellow glow that emanated from him seemed to grow brighter before it faded. Mark, your guardian angel, who had fallen from glory and had been reduced to naught but a shadow of his former self. Everything that had made Mark stand out was gone.

And it was all because of you.

You had first started to want to know how to make Mark's webs synthetically when he first used his powers on you for target practice. His webs were long and unwieldy, and uncomfortable to use. You had been curious to see if you could possess those powers too, perhaps better than Mark.

The point where your intentions went from harmless to harmful was when you were about three-quarters of the way through the process. Mark had told you that he had won a scholarship that you had been eyeing.

It had been a tiresome period of jealousy for you, constantly feeling outdone by Mark. Him getting the scholarship you wanted had been the tipping point for you, and you were jealous that it seemed like Mark had the perfect life, while you were always competing with him. Sick and tired of it all, you had decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“Your turn,” Mark said, interrupting your thoughts. “What did you want to say?”

“It was me, a week ago, that knocked you out and kidnapped you. I had been planning it since you had gotten that scholarship I had wanted, and by the time I realised that I wasn’t upset with you any more, it was too late. You had been gone for 3 days and I didn’t know how to let you leave without anyone figuring out that it had been me.

“I wanted to come clean, yet I was scared of the repercussions. It took me a few days to come up with a plan to get you to ‘save’ me so you wouldn’t suspect me, and I would burn the place down so no one would ever know.

“I wanted to live your life, Mark. I wanted to know what it was like to have everyone adore you, to be at the top of the world, carefree and loved. I was sick of hiding in your shadow, I wanted to know what it was like to be a hero, to no longer settle for second best.

“But after experiencing it? I don’t think I want that life. It’s not for me. The amount of pressure you must have been under every day of your life is not something I envy. I understand now why everyone admires you. You’re worthy of that, and I’m not.”

Your palms were clammy with sweat, unsure how he would react. “I’m sorry for all I did. I hope now you understand why I would never be worthy of your love. And I hope- I hope that you won’t love me anymore in ways I can’t return.”

You didn’t know what you had expected from Mark, but it definitely wasn’t acceptance, much less his forgiveness.

When he said, "It's okay," you looked at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

"What you've done is in the past. We're both here now, aren't we?" At that, you understood. It was because he was Mark Lee, angelic and purer than you could ever hope to be, with a heart bigger than the universe. Only he would be able to forgive you after everything you had done. You nodded, and when you stood it felt like your feet were weightless against the cotton candy clouds soft under your feet.

but baby, let up

By then it was getting late, and the sun was starting to set. Mark had been silent for a while, and though it worried you, you had other concerns. The most important one at the moment was how you were going to get back home, because you were still stuck on a little road in Anaheim when you lived all the way in Fort Irwin.

It was late at night and Mark’s phone was dead, so you handed him your phone to ask him to navigate. It was an unfamiliar place and you couldn’t wait to be back in the comfort of your home, and you wanted to get Mark back to his parents as soon as possible.

Deep down, maybe you wanted to prove that their trust in you wasn’t misplaced, wasn’t unwarranted. But when you slipped your phone into Mark’s hand, it was freezing cold, and when you turned to look at him, it sent shivers down your spine.

“Mark?” He disappeared before your eyes with a sad smile, fading into nothingness while you grasped at him in a panic, refusing to believe that he wasn’t real. Your attempts were all futile as your fingers met with cold air until all that was left of Mark was your memories and regret.

i won't ever recognize these roads

You sped back after that, unsettled and afraid. If you hadn’t saved Mark, then your guilty conscience wasn’t cleared after all. How long had you been hallucinating him? Had Mark ever been real, or was he simply a figment of your imagination? How much of your reality could you trust?

Your foot on the accelerator never let up, speeding across the highway with a sinking feeling in your stomach. If Mark was real all along, and you had kidnapped him, but he wasn’t there with you, then there could only be one possibility…

'cause i am lost, but not in you

“Chenle,” you managed breathlessly while Chenle looked at you in horror. He was dressed in pajamas, as if he had been about to sleep, and you knew you were a mess.

Your wrists were red from struggling against the bonds that you had tied for yourself, an effort to make your kidnapping look real to Mark. Parts of your hair had been singed in the fire, and you smelt strongly of smoke and sweat. Your clothes were stained brown from the wet soil of the grass fields, and your shoes were falling apart.

“I think I killed him.” You wished the revelation would hurt, but Chenle slamming his door in your face hurt you more. You sank to your feet, defeated, back against his door as you sighed.

Perhaps it would be better if you ceased to exist, too. At least in hell you would get the punishment you deserved.

epilogue.

The sky burns bright like ochre, burnt umber streaks like autumn. As if on cue, as the coffins are lowered side-by-side into the earth, thunder rumbles across the sky. The sky weeps as if haunted by memories, harbouring the guilt of the murderer and the pain of their victim.

The land sings its heart out, crickets chirping and nightingales drifting by as the sky darkens. Chenle tightens his grip around the chrysanthemums in his hand as he watches the disfigured silhouettes descend.

He doesn’t know what to do. Mark Lee had been a friend of his. Granted, not a close one, but a friend nonetheless. And to think that his fuck-buddy had killed him in cold blood was a burden he wasn’t sure he wanted to bear.

He breathes in and sighs. Even if he loved you, it was too late to change the course of things. All that had happened would have happened some way or other, and all he could do was try to right things in his own way.

Chenle watches on in silence as the families of the bereaved pay their respects. He’s hidden under the shelter of the umbrella, drawn to his eye-line so no one can make eye contact with him. He observes silently as the families mourn their loved ones, not knowing that the two best friends hadn’t been kidnapped, but that one had killed the other.

When you had showed up at his door, Chenle had the fright of his life. Your pants were dotted with blood, tears streaming down your cheeks. When he heard what you had done to Mark, his first instinct was to deny it. He slammed the door in your face, head spinning, stunned by your confession.

There was nothing else he could have done.

He could not have stopped you, headstrong as you were, heading back the entire way to Mark’s deathbed, where you hugged him tightly as flames enveloped you, burning away all traces of your guilt.

When the authorities found you a day later, the forensics seemed to match up to logic—the unknown killer had killed both of you, burned you to erase their footsteps, and you two had huddled together in fear during your last moments.

He kneels to the ground and weeps with the sky, umbrella dropping to the side as the downpour drenched him and the earth as if they were one. His sorrow would melt into the soil if it could, but as it could not, it remained heavy in his heart.

Onlookers would see a grieving boyfriend, crying for his lover and friend. It was not far from the truth, but nothing they thought would come close to what had really happened to the unhappy dead.

If only they knew the truth.

fin.

if you liked it, REBLOG it.

[cinderswife]

happy new year! as a treat, i have finished snow's outfits :D she's the last in the series after cinders and rose :3 as always, lore under the cut!

nude

much like cinders, snow was designed to be in compliment to rose! we know from the album that she was beautiful and had long black hair but beyond that i wanted to make sure she looked like she could feasibly be rose's sister. she is also a bear girl <3

snow is fat! it was very important to me that she was fat with stretch marks and still extremely beautiful. so, here she is !!

i gave her a beauty mark because it's very classic hollywood beauty

you also probably couldn't actually see her tail at this angle because tiny bear tail but its so cute!

since this is pre becoming general white, she's a lot softer and gentler than her sister

fun fact: snow is actually her middle name but nobody ever calls her by her first name adelaide ever

also. this woman is so busy do you think she has the time to think about her gender and sexuality ever

dressing gown

snow is exceptionally wealthy and powerful so of course she has a monogrammed silk dressing gown. she doesn't actually wear it to sleep; she overheats way too quickly so she wears very little to bed.

entering the first appearance of snow's favorite color to wear: light blue!

yes, snow is wearing a wedding ring. since she's 29 and the head of a noble house, i figured she would be married. it was an arranged marriage to darr, the youngest child of some count somewhere because ze is entirely unambitious and willing to let snow do her thing

they also have a son together. his name is eret, he is 3, he looks up to auntie rose a little too much, his favorite animals are snakes and penguins, and he will quote space-disney at you incessantly.

duchess work dress

snow is the grand duchess of the duchy of delinore. she is the only grand duchess in the entire empire; this is the title that is equivalent to crown prince. yes she is technically his majesty king cole's heir due to being the current hereditary grimm on the throne of delinore. this is mostly a ceremonial fact since his majesty is immortal. delinore is 12 inhabited planets large and covers an entire star system which makes her perhaps the most powerful woman in the galaxy. snow is very tired all the time.

i was watching disney's snow white while designing this and the next outfit; i really like the blue and yellow look on her

this is a modular outfit! she can put on and take off the vest and cape depending on how formal she needs to be.

snow wears a lot of jewelry. this earring and necklace set was an anniversary present from her spouse!

the silver circlet atop her head is that of the duchess. you'll see it in almost every other outfit afterwards; it's like a wedding ring but for her noble status

court of stars

as his majesty's heir, snow is required to take part in the irregular meetings of his majesty's inner court: the court of stars. much of the lesser laws are handled by the council of stars and the other, lesser nobility. full disclosure: snow fucking hates this. she uses her position to do much good in the world and views his majesty like an extremely shitty and powerful grandfather she has to put up with in order to do what she needs to do. if the wedding day slaughter hadn't happened, she would still have eventually caused his death through an insane game of "political assassination cat and mouse." Y'know, different from the war.

this is the evil queen type fit. i just wanted to draw her as an evil queen okay

lorewise, this is the ceremonial outfit of her status tailored to her feminine appearance. black and red cape, deep purple dress, shiny gold jewelry, all designed to be as evil as possible

the bear clasp is the same as rose's! its the grimm family's symbol (cuz. they're all bears lol)

the dress sparkles like stars

she absolutely didn't have to go this hard with the makeup but she had fun with it. a small relief when dealing with his majesty

basically i just went really hard on the star motif

the crown is the ceremonial black iron crown of the grand duke that only ever comes out in court meetings. it's a smaller version of his majesty's black iron crown. its really heavy :(

casual

the return of the blue and yellow! this is snow's favorite color combo to wear ever <3

snow likes to wear pants when she doesn't have to deal with the many duties of being the grand duchess. it's her casual fit!

this particular set of jewelry has the snowflake motif. it's extremely on the nose which is why she likes it.

i dunno what tank tops with the extra shoulder straps are called but i thought it suited her <3

she would fully wrestle rose in this fit btw. she wouldn't win but it'd be fun!

ballgown

snow's ballgown for wearing to formal events (that she typically hosts). technically she owns a lot more, but this one is representative of her usual style. the bodice is typical, though it is a bit risque because it has no sleeves. the skirt is even moreso but she pulls it off because of her status and because she is commonly named the most beautiful woman in all the galaxy.

i thought it would be fun to put her in red! its such a loaded color in ouatis but she really pulls it off

and here's the light yellow she's so fond of <3

the boots are big and shiny and quite excessive; fully a display of wealth (especially since she's showing them off)

the drape of her skirt, rather than being modest and layered like cinders', is very form fitting and attention grabbing even without the slit

she would put her hair up but i did not have the patience to try and redraw her hair more than i had to lol

the gold jewelry she wears is big and heavy and almost armor-like. she likes it a lot

she put glitter on her makeup for this one <3

[sloanesallow]

The Call of the Void | Chapter 2

Shy girl meets distracted boy. Chaos ensues. This is my "canon" retelling of Siobhan Sloane and Sebastian Sallow's story. (full synopsis here. Chapter Summary: Sebastian finds himself in the middle of a gossip session at the opening feast. Chapter warnings: Discussions about blood status, bigotry against muggles/muggleborns and use of the m word, as well as some misogynistic comments. [Ao3] | [Wattpad] [PREVIOUS] | [NEXT]

II: R u m o r s

“Did you hear about Cooper and Weasley?”

“Which Weasley?”

“The older one, with the red hair.”

“They all have red hair!”

“Well, then—the taller one! Anyways…Adelaide told Evangeline, who told Samantha…”

Sebastian Sallow is not one to pay attention to gossip.

As enthusiastic as the chattering girls at the Slytherin table are, rumor and hearsay simply do not align with his pursuit of knowledge. No, Sebastian very much prefers facts—the truth. One might argue that gossip is knowledge, the kind that can be used as currency to climb the social ladder. It’s certainly how many of witches and wizards within the Ministry of Magic earned their power, but Sebastian isn’t interested in social politics or participating in the student hierarchy that is as fickle as a Hippogriff.

Instead, Sebastian focuses on his studies. He is by no means a perfect student—and the record number of detentions is proof of that enough—but he is knowledgeable, and always manages to score well on tests and practice O.W.L.s, despite his behavior. He’s always been a curious boy, something his parents fostered, and something his uncle chastises. All the more reason to keep his nose in a book, if only to keep his parent’s memories alive, and antagonize uncle Solomon—even if it means sleeping in the storage shed behind their Feldcroft cottage as punishment.

This year, however, Sebastian has even more incentive to hide himself away in the library, and it has nothing to do with getting a head start on next year’s N.E.W.T.s. He glances up from the book spread out before him, frowning at the empty space on the other side of the table where his twin sister Anne should be. No doubt she’d be excitedly gossiping away with Grace-Pinch Smedley and Violet McDowell, but Sebastian wouldn’t mind because it would mean she was here and healthy at Hogwarts, instead of cooped up in Feldcroft with uncle Solomon.

Cursed.

This year, Sebastian is determined to find a cure, regardless of the sacrifices he must make. No matter the cost to his own well-being, or how many more detentions with Professor Binns he’ll need to endure, he will find a cure for Anne.

It is precisely why that instead of paying attention to anything Headmaster Black is saying as he monotonously welcomes students to the opening feast, Sebastian is reading his latest find, a book procured (and definitely not stolen) from Tomes and Scrolls. At least he is trying to read, but it is already difficult enough to translate Latin, harder still when all he can hear is girlish giggling.

He glowers at the pair. “Do you mind?”

“Do you?” Grace scoffs, rolling her eyes. Sebastian supposes she could be considered pretty, if she wasn’t such an arrogant snob, all because of her family name. “Only you would bring an old, smelly book to the sorting ceremony, Sallow.”

Violet’s expression is just as conceited. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit with the Ravenclaws instead?”

The two girls look over their shoulders and Sebastian follows their eye lines to the next table over, a proverbial sea of blue. One of the Eagles, Amit Thakkar, notices the group and eagerly waves. Grace and Violet swivel back, not even bothering to stifle their snickering. To his left, there is a soft smirk, and Sebastian turns to see his friend—his best friend—Ominis Gaunt, biting back a grin.

“Et tu, Ominis?”

“They have a point,” he replies, tilting his head in a way that signifies he actually wants to hear what the Headmaster has to say.

Sebastian grumbles, pressing the lower half of his face into his palm as he rests his elbow on the table. He keeps his eyes on the text, but he isn’t really reading, especially when Grace and Violet return to their blathering.

“I heard there’s to be a new student at Hogwarts this year.”

“There are new students every year.”

“Yes, but this one is starting as a fifth year.”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow, not that he means to eavesdrop, but it isn’t like they are whispering.

“A transfer student then,” Imelda, to his right, decides to join in on the conversation. Reyes isn’t typically one for rumors either, but it seems her curiosity is piqued.

Grace shakes her head. “My father, you know he works at the Ministry, he said that she only received their owl this summer.”

“She?” Violet and Imelda seek to clarify.

“Mmhm,” Grace nods, obviously enjoying being the momentary center of attention, the one to share such important information. “A farmgirl, so I’m told. Can you believe it? She’s a muggleborn.”

If Grace meant to whisper the last word, she’d done a piss-poor job. Sebastian frowns into his palm at the various disapproving expressions on his house-mates faces. Even though he is a so-called pureblood wizard, he’s never been one to form an opinion of someone based on their blood status or family name. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of his classmates, raised up to ostracize anyone who goes against the status-quo.

“Great,” an older boy seated next to Violet murmurs. One of the Malfoy brood, always quick to share a bigoted opinion. “Another mudblood.”

The derogatory word rings in Sebastian’s ears, but doesn’t seem to bother the others. He clenches his teeth, staring down at his book until the word magicae becomes more foreign than it already is.

“How fun,” this time it is one of Black’s sons, grinning like the devil himself. At the other’s speculative looks, he continues with a laugh. “Muggleborns are fun to break, if you catch my meaning. They haven’t a clue about wizarding society, and thus are so easy to seduce and scandalize,” he explains. “They make the best virgins.”

“Oh will you please just shut up!”

It isn’t until the group is staring at him that Sebastian realizes he’s said anything. His outburst seems to surprise even Ominis, whose eyebrows are raised in alarm. He flounders for a moment, muttering something about indecency that goes ignored. This time, he tunes out their chatter with a sigh.

Crude as their discussion is—not that he wants to call it a discussion—it isn’t like Sebastian hasn’t thought about…well, what hot-blooded, puberty stricken teenaged boy doesn’t think about sex? He isn’t naive enough not to notice the changes to his body and mind, and how the other girls in his year and above are more alluring than usual. His education on the matter is as secondhand as his other extra-curricular research, though the restricted section has some tantalizing selections, enough to fill his imagination and keep him sated, for now.

It simply isn’t a priority to snog or shag, not now. Finding a cure for Anne is far more important than bedding someone. Besides, it isn’t like he has a line of potential romp-mates waiting in a queue. Not that he has a poor self-worth, but Sebastian can’t see himself being on any of his classmates lists as a potential suitor, let alone someone to fumble around with in some secret part of the castle. He has too many burdens and is perhaps, at the end of the day, just plain weird.

“Well if she’s starting in her fifth year, she can’t be that talented,” Imelda says, and as rude as the comment is, Sebastian is almost inclined to agree. Most witches and wizards gain their magic in adolescence. For him and Anne, they were nine, making toads float in the family garden. “Wait, is that…her?”

Distracted by the conversation, none at the Slytherin table (expect perhaps Ominis, with his wand to see for him) noticed Headmaster Black’s abrupt disappearance and return to the Great Hall. More than a few paces behind him is Professor Fig, followed by a girl. Everyone, including Sebastian, sit up a little straighter in an attempt to catch a glimpse, but it isn’t until she’s at the front dais that her form is clearly visible.

“Merlin,” Imelda whispers. “She looks petrified!”

Sebastian is intrigued enough that he inspects the girl as well as he can from where he’s sitting. The farmgirl, as Grace so eloquently called her, admittedly does look worse for wear. Her pale-blond hair is disheveled and the standard house-robe seems to weigh her down. As she’s instructed to sit on the rickety stool to be sorted, it’s obvious to see her hesitation. Her wide eyes stare out into the sea of unfamiliar faces and—

“Has she been crying?”

“She looks like a wet kneazle!”

Grace and Violet lean into each other in a lame attempt to mute their amusement. Sebastian glares at them, biting his tongue to prevent another outburst. He can’t help but think back to the first time he ever arrived at Hogwarts with Anne, the two unwilling to let go of one another’s hand until they were forced apart to be sorted. She had gone first, claiming her birthright as the older twin (and alphabetically came first anyways), and was quickly sorted into Slytherin. Sometimes Sebastian wonders if the Hat showed him some mercy by sorting him into the same house so they wouldn’t be separated.

Cruel fate would see to that.

“Better be…Hufflepuff!”

The sudden cheers from the other side of the hall pull him from his melancholy thoughts. So the new fifth-year is a Hufflepuff? The badgers cheer for their newest addition, and Sebastian thinks it is for the best—a nervous chit like her wouldn’t last a day in Slytherin, or Gryffindor for that matter. As she slowly makes her way to sit with her new house-mates, Headmaster Black continues his speech as if the interruption never happened. Imelda curses and almost stands to loudly disagree when it’s announced that Quidditch is canceled, but Nerida Roberts tugs her back down. 

Curiosity has Sebastian flicking his gaze through the throng of students, locating the new girl where she is seemingly making awkward conversation with Poppy Sweeting and Lenora —Merlin help her.

Ominis leans a fraction closer. “I believe her name is Sloane.”

“Sloane?” Sebastian repeats. Ominis nods once, providing nothing more. “Hmm.”

He shrugs, sparing one last look at the Hufflepuff table before finally refocusing on his book.

The new fifth-year—Sloane—she is of little consequence to him.

[armpirate]

Kalla | Choi San || Chapter 4

MASTERLIST Previous || Next

Pairings: CEO!San x fem!reader

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, strangers to lovers.

Warnings: dom!San, sub!reader, voyeourism, use of sex toys, bondage, dirty talk, BDSM, exhibitionism, rough sex.

Summary: She was surprised by how fast her life went from the perfect fairytale to the destructive mess it had turned into. Dealing with a cheater ex boyfriend, having to move out to a different place because the house she lived in belonged to that man she once dreamed of spending the rest of her life with, while continuously being underappreciated at work... It was as if life was telling her to stop dreaming big, to go back to her small town, Bibury, and help her parents run the small farm her family had owned for decades.

At least until she received a call from her friend.

A sudden vacancy as an assistant showed up on one of her friend's system, having her being encouraged to take that big step and apply for it. She had no hopes for it. Mainly because she didn't have any experience on the field, and she didn't comply with most of the requirements that were added on the offer -and which most of them sounded ridiculous and exaggerated for the position, making her wonder who was the freak who needed so many guidelines in order to hire someone to pick up the phone and schedule events. 

Although that hotel she'd be working on was much more than anything she could've come up with. 

Choi San wasn't someone easy to deal with. After his previous assistant presented his resignation letter on his desk, he felt forced to start the whole selection process again -after merely two months. 

Sure that he was being way too strict, enough to find that anyone who applied for the position wasn't enough, he asked one of his friends to be in charge of the interviews and the selection of the most adequate candidate. 

Little did he know Wooyoung would hire the imperfectly perfect candidate for him, sure that she'd help him in many ways other than just in dealing with the responsibilities of his position. 

A new challenge will come their way as soon as she steps inside the hotel. 

Y/n will have to learn how to mold onto him and deal with all his small habits and requirements, and San will find himself trying to open up and let out all those same things that turned him into the person he was. 

The more she digs in Kalla and all of its secrets and exciting corners, the deeper she'll dive into San's heart and soul... Although, maybe, she won't be able to take it. 

Kalla opens its doors to you, sharing the vast amount of filthy and erotic plans it offers, and that you can join with a partner... Or maybe just by yourself. 

Hope you enjoy your stay.

Chapter duration: 13 minutes

The office felt different ever since she stepped inside that morning. It wasn't because of how quiet it was, or how Melanie went straight to her desk, instead of stopping at the Consulting company on the first floor, or how strangely friendly Ava was -she hardly ever greeted the rest of the people in the office, but that day she did. Suddenly, the place she had been working at for more than a year, and that had seemed like hell during the past six months, looked like the perfect workplace out of nowhere. She could even bet the space seemed brighter, even if the windows hadn't been cleaned for a month.

It almost made her feel bad for leaving, and it made her wonder if all the negative aspects were just details that were made up in her head. She, at some point, thought about the possibility of her taking things out of proportion just because she was too sensitive to her surroundings. Maybe she had been taking things out of proportion, maybe there was more than what she saw at first hand. She even felt tempted of rejecting the job position she had accepted, choosing Wooyoung's disappointment over her current boss'.

It could be that there was some future in Youth, and she was just too eager to wait for it to come.

—Meeting in five —Adelaide told everyone, from the door frame of her office—. Y/n, could you bring your computer? I need you to take some notes.

Usually, when those meetings were held, Adelaide gave the team a whole new schedule or called them out for one of the projects not having the results that were expected. So it was no surprise the whole team was nervous since she announced the meeting, until they all took the different seats around the white oval table inside one of the rooms.

—Good morning, everyone —Adelaide greeted, with a serious look while she held up her cup of coffee—. Hope you're having a good Monday.

—Well, we're on it —Brian mumbled, sinking deeper in his seat.

—I love how much enthusiasm you all have within you —her boss faked excitement and happiness, lifting one of her fists in the air.

—What's the meeting about? —Clarisse wondered, moving one of her black locks away from her eyes.

—First of all, I need your presentation done by the end of tomorrow —Adelaide pointed at her—. The client has already asked me a few times, and it seems like they want to bring the meeting forward. So, please.

—Alright, tomorrow will be done.

—The cosmetics project is still going on, I have no news in regards to that restaurant... —Adelaide thought out loud— There should be a new project coming up, so I'd like to know if there are any volunteers to take over it.

Y/n almost felt encouraged to raise her hand, but Ava did it first. She was so greedy, she barely could handle the current project to be taking over another one.

—Oh, since you've raised your hand, I want to forward the client's congratulations after finishing the scrubbing on time.

Y/n's fingers, which had been marking the compass of the whole meeting with each click on the keyboard, suddenly stopped moving when her boss pronounced those words.

It couldn't be. She probably was overthinking it again.

—What scrubbing? —Y/n asked.

—The one with all the surveys from the past week —Adelaide answered as if it was obvious.

—You did it? —Y/n accused Ava.

The sudden accusation, with the upset look, made her gulp thick, slowly feeling the rest of the eyes in the room fall on her.

—Well, you helped her —Adelaide interrupted.

—And isn't it just fair that I receive the same recognition? —Y/n asked— There were ten thousand leads, I did six thousand in these three days, which means she didn't even do half of the work. I even worked at home to assure the client would receive the results this morning. And you still acknowledged her for it and not me?

Her eyes quickly fell on a confused Ava, taken aback by that new attitude coming from Y/n. They all were so used to having her nodding and letting go of things, that having her speak up and clap back was like seeing a unicorn carrying an elf on its loin.

—Ah, right —Y/n nodded—, because having clients seeing you let an inept whiny bitch take over their projects would give a bad look for the company. Especially for you, because the big boss would love seeing how you praise and give visibility to only those who laugh at your jokes —she slammed the upper part of the computer as she closed it—. I've always thought the problem was me. I was convinced I was the one who should improve, because you told me I was still unaware of how things work. I ate it up even if I did all the scrubbings, redacted all the reports and finished most of the presentations. Only because it was convenient for you to keep me like this, to assure yourself the work from everyone would be done. But you know what? Let's see how you all deal with it when I'm gone.

The chair squeaking on the floor as she got up worked as a pistol shot for all the mumbles among them to start.

—But I'm not a bitch —Ava whined.

—You are —Y/n responded, stopping in front of her door—. But don't worry, you'll have all the spotlight to yourself again. And, you know what? You'll get the merit just now, unless you aren't able to finish up the work, which is the most plausible —before opening the door, Y/n turned to her colleagues again—. This is the worst team someone could ever work with. Neither of you know shit about work, but it's not like you need to worry. And obviously, hope you know this is all your fault —she referred to Adelaide, pointing at the table—. You're such a useless and bad boss that I'm surprised you even got the position. Fuck you all, it was horrible working with you —and she topped her goodbye speech with a middle finger as she crossed the door.

The relief she felt in her body as she went back to her desk, only to pick up the few things she had left, multiplied that superation sensation that she felt when she was first hired. It was like all the things that were killing her slowly, all the complaints and rants that she'd only let out in her head, finally found a way out and allowed her to find some peace.

There was nothing that could compare to that.

Slowly, she was getting rid of all the things that had been taking a toll on her self-esteem. First her ex boyfriend, and later her job where she felt she had no future in. It was as if she had entered a whole new era in her life, without even being aware of it.

She knew in the next few weeks everything would be chaos and stress, besides how relaxed she felt in the moment, but she didn't care. She was ready to take it all and take herself towards the next level.

Her fingers waved in the air as she wondered what was the best way to tell her parents. On one hand, she was sure they'd be supportive of her -and even encourage her to take that huge step-, but on the other hand... it was so far away that she wasn't ready to see the sadness on their faces when she told them.

It was even worse when her brother and Rachel showed up half an hour later with the kids, adding that energetic boost that maybe she needed to go on with those news.

—You're so quiet, dear —Rachel approached her after fifteen minutes, placing her hand on her lower arm—. Is everything alright at home?

She wasn't a friend on the same level as Liz, Rosie or Joanne, but she had always been there whenever she needed someone to vent, or when she needed some type of advice -even if shortly after she ended up connecting it to her current life. Which, in some sense, was even better in a matter of perspective, because it added the consequences to back up what she was saying.

—It's good. It's great —Y/n nodded—. Actually, I have news. But I think it'd be better to tell them after we're done having lunch.

Mainly, because she'd rather eat first, and deal with their reactions later. She didn't know what the answer would be, so at the sight of the minimum problem, Y/n tried to opt for the best chance.

—Why later? —her mother approached them— If they're good, it's better to let us know.

—Yeah, give us something good to hear —her father seconded.

—To hear what? —Sullivan appeared after his father, still chewing on something.

—What are you eating? —their father's attention shortly shifted to her older brother— That was still raw.

Except for the few sighs from the ladies in front and next to her, all eyes and attention were back on her, almost surrounding the chair she was sitting on on the porch.

—Good news first: I got a new job —she celebrated.

—Really? —her father's eyes instantly shined in excitement.

—Bad news: It's in Seoul.

His smile quickly dropped when he heard the location, while his wife exchanged a nervous gaze with him before she looked somewhere else to sit.

—But that's on the other side of the world —her mother lamented.

—You'll be all by yourself there —her father continued—. What about your job now? Maybe you could continue there.

—Bad news: I left, and not in the best of conditions —she nervously giggled.

Just like her mother, her father also looked for a place to sit after he was hit with those news.

—It's a change for the better —she assured them—. I was starting to feel burned out, I didn't like what I did. And I got no recognition for the work that I've been doing. It felt like a waste of time —her shoulder shrugged, as she tried to convince her parents that it was a good decision—. The salary doubles the one that I have now, I'll be working directly with the CEO, and I'll be doing exactly what I studied for.

After she had to give up her figure skating career due to an injury on her ankle, she was left with little to no other choices. She didn't want to study, she refused to dedicate four to six years of her life to something that she didn't like. So she ended up doing an Associate's Degree on Secretariat, to at least have something to work with.

She knew that opportunity wouldn't show up twice in her life. That position would put her on a whole different level if she ever had to come back to England.

—Yeah, and how obsessed you're over those Korean boys has zero to do with it.

She liked everything related to Korea, that was true -and it mainly was because of how she slowly got into the kpop and kdrama world. But even if that opportunity had shown up anywhere else, she'd have taken it with no second thoughts.

—I think you chose well —Rachel congratulated her—. She's not attached to anything nor anyone, she's young and smart, and a hard worker. She'll do great in Seoul. Honestly, I really admire you. If I were in your position, I'd have made the exact same decision. Do all of that while you can.

—Rachel —Y/n mumbled with a thin voice, touched by the sweet words of her sister-in-law.

—What? —she continued, looking at the people around her—. Am I not right? We should be supporting her, instead of making her feel like her decision isn't good.

But it didn't seem like her father agreed to what Rachel was saying. While her mother tried to agree with her, her father simply stood up and sneaked inside the house without saying a single word.

And if she thought she'd manage to speak to him for the rest of the day, she was wrong, because he didn't show up in front of her for the rest of the day. Not even to have his lunch. It made her feel like she was doing something wrong, and she was the one who made him upset. The way he seemed to be unreachable was making it harder for her to deal with that situation.

At least until later.

Unable to sleep, she walked downstairs to the kitchen, finding her father sitting behind the aisle in the darkness.

It would've surprised her if it weren't a common habit of his. It was usual finding him there when she got ready to prepare herself her third coffee through the night to keep studying for an exam. He was the one who knew better how hard it was for her to get that degree, and keep her focus and passion on it.

—Look who's back to her roots —he joked quietly, moving the stool next to him so she'd sit—. I'm sorry for reacting that way.

—It's okay. I understand —she answered, taking the spot next to him.

—I want you to succeed, and do what your heart asks you to do —he started to explain himself—. It just hurts to see you go. It was so hard already when you left for London, and I thought that was the furthest you'd ever go —he sadly smiled—. And now you're leaving to the other side of the world, and I'm finally realizing how you're not my little girl anymore. You're this young brave woman that's facing life, and taking decisions.

—It's really important to me to have your support on this —she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder—. I want to know if you're okay with what I'm about to do.

—Of course I am —he nodded—. Everything that helps your future, and that makes you happy, will always have my full support. But I want you to hear me clearly: if things start to go wrong, you'll tell me. Don't keep it to yourself like you've done the past few months. Just like we're here to support you for the good, we're here to support you for the bad. We're your parents, we're supposed to be worried for you constantly. Hell, I'm worried even when you say you're fine because your tone didn't sound convincing enough.

—I will tell you. I promise —she giggled, wrapping his arm with hers.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle jab on her side, finding her father throwing her a side smile before he spoke.

—What about one last hot chocolate and one last piece of advice in this house? For the old times.

He tried to be as careful as possible preparing the drinks, avoiding waking someone up by the noise -especially the kids-, moving his hands slowly on her side to place the cup in front of her.

—What about the advice? —she reminded him.

He puckered his lips, lifting his gaze to the ceiling while he thought what the advice would be.

—Take this experience like a lemon you need to squeeze to the last drop. Get all that knowledge you're seeking for, and don't be scared to use them when you need it. And please, be happy. Not for others, but for yourself. Be happy being yourself.

Completely ignoring the hot chocolate that still had small waves of mist covering it up, Y/n hugged her father tight, hiding her face on his shoulder.

2 weeks later

Wooyoung was surprised by the amount of people that went to the airport to say goodbye to her. Although he was able to understand it. It was a big change, and she was flying quite far from home, they wouldn't see her in probably a long while, it was understandable they wanted to see her right before she left.

—Did you pack everything? —her mother asked.

—Yeah, everything's in the bags —that were already on their way to the airplane.

—Okay... —she nodded— I'll send the rest of the things via mail when you have a permanent place to live. Will you eat a lot? Please, eat a lot.

Y/n squeezed her mother's chin, trying to calm her down before she hugged her tight one last time, before she moved to her brother and the little kids.

—I made you this —George, the oldest of the two, raised the drawing to her.

It was a malformed version of herself, with an coloured version of her two nephews, in a garden. It was such a small thing, but so meaningful, that she had to fight hard her instincts to tear up.

—Come here.

Holding the two brothers, she squeezed George and John in a big hug, while she made them promise they'd behave well while she was away.

—And you need to bring us sweets —John added.

—I will.

The hug later went to Sullivan, and shortly after to Rachel, who patted her bag while kept insisting on how she was able to deal with anything she proposed herself to.

—The baby of the group —Lizzie pouted when Y/n first stepped in their direction.

Their group hug was filled with promises that they'd text each other every day and keep one another updated on everything that happened in their lives. It was a hug that assured the four of them their friendship would go on, it didn't matter where one of them was.

Although Y/n's eyes didn't start to actually tear up until she saw her father's eyes water, looking glistening under the bright light of the airport. He hugged her like he didn't want to let her go, and it'd be a lie if he ever had said it wasn't his intention as he held her for the last time in a long while.

—You'll do great —he assured her, stepping back only to wipe her tears away with his thumbs—. And you look after her —he warned Wooyoung.

—Dad —she weakly laughed.

It was a painful and sad goodbye, that she knew she had to go through to step into the that new part of her life

[houseofbrat]

I was so happy to see The King attend church this morning. He looks tired but well and him and the Queen walking in sync would never not be adorable.

The KP briefings are just getting more unhinged, especially as BP have smacked down their claims that W would be “taking on The King’s duties”. I don’t think their latest begging bowl request through Roya for William to read The King’s message at the Commonwealth Day will happen.

Looking forward to The King returning to London this week and carrying out more meetings than the heir has managed all year 🍿🤭

It was great to see Charles. I suspect we're going to get photos of him every week. Charles has no problem giving the public proof of life in this situation.

Charles, 75, will divide his time between Sandringham and Highgrove, and travel privately to London every week for his cancer treatment. Those close to him say “he is keen to be seen”, and will be driven in the state Bentley with its large windows wherever possible when he is in town. He may also release photos and video clips of his weekly audiences with Rishi Sunak, which will take place at Buckingham Palace and which he hopes to continue in person.

I wouldn't rule out seeing Charles at The Commonwealth Day service in March. Obviously, it's too early to know for sure, but he's not going to be a convalescent in bed while he undergoes treatment.

I liked the last sentence in this paragraph:

Queen Camilla, 76, will be a constant comfort by Charles’s side during his treatment and withdrawal from public life on medical advice, and has pledged to put her best foot forward, continuing with her own diary of engagements and flying solo at those that were due to have been joint events with Charles. Princess Anne, the Edinburghs and the Gloucesters will continue to play their parts.

As in, everyone else is doing their jobs, unlike one person.

Let's not forget William needs to have at least TWELVE TO THIRTEEN WEEKS of vacation per year to function as a royal!

So when Roya writes about William "determined to continue to put his family first," um, Roya, when has he ever put his job first? And why is anyone even bothering to pretend he will put "duty" first this year? William gets outworked by The Duke of Gloucester every year, and Prince Richard is older than King Charles.

William has conducted a whopping THREE engagements this year. Will he be able to make it to SIX by the end of February? I'm not going to expect him to work too hard and try and hit double digits. “Unwavering commitment to duty.” AS IF! More like unwavering commitment to holiday.  

In some royal circles, however, there is a slight sense of bewilderment at William’s determination to so fiercely protect his boundaries when it comes to his diary.

Yeah, I bet there is.

Time in Norfolk will give him space to think and talk things through with the King.

Oh, really? I thought the kiddos would be there all week, but Charles won't be there all week because he's coming back to London for treatment and work. And William wasn't pictured at Church with The King this morning, so I guess Will ain't leaving Anmer Hall anytime soon. So much for "talk[ing] things through with the King." How is William going to have "space to think" when he's busy playing with the kids. It sounds not so different from life at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

One of these days, something is going to happen and all of Roya's non-critical articles about William's lack of work isn't going to look so great.

But, hey, another ten days until we get proof of life of the heir to the throne.

[tacosaysroar]

I feel like there should be an fyiic (c is for carpool) tag.

After finding a parking spot, here’s what my work day looked like:

1) Got my new building badge

2) Wandered around the 4th floor looking for hoteling space before giving up and pinging a coworker. (In my defense, it’s in a separate little corridor behind a different team, so not particularly easy to find.)

3) Went to a 90-minute meeting

4) Tried unsuccessfully and with help to get my laptop to cooperate with my docking station

5) Did maybe 20 minutes of actual work

6) Spent my lunch break picking up food and driving home

7) Did another 20 minutes of work at home

And now I’m in afternoon carpool, waiting to pick Adelaide up.

I’ll go back to work when we get home, but it’ll be about an hour until 5:00 and that’s not a quality hour. So we’re looking at less than 2 hours of actual work done today just because I had to do it in the building. I’m sure things will settle eventually, but right now it feels like these in-the-office days might wind up being my least productive days. And that’s kind of a pain in the butt.

[paigelts05]

Cheryl M. [FNAF AR, Renegade AU]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/1059044024

Published: Jun 2, 2024

We're finally onto some of Faz Ent's own! Speaking of their futures isn't exactly in the cards, but we'll find what there is to see…

Starting with Cheryl.

One of a trio of three execs who are far lower on the corporate ladder than what the title of exec would lead you to believe. But after all, at Fazbear Entertainment, exec doesn't just mean executive.

Cheryl is an office clerk. Her role as an exec is to go through paperwork and shred any incriminating documents that Faz Ent may be holding, as well as to find and remove loose ends externally.

Whilst having a tranquilliser dart gun doesn't exactly help with eliminating loose ends, it helps her return them to HQ for disposal there. Though sometimes, she is paired with Todd C. or Charles Ramirez, so they take care of the dirty work, whilst she cleans up.

Cheryl being one who cleans up loose ends had resulted in her becoming known as a 'cleaner', and with her also being one of the few people who keeps the office space clean - for in her eyes, a clean office is a non-incriminating office - some of her colleagues think she's a part time clerk part time cleaner, but just not the Faz Ent code word variety.

In the wake of the Raid, Cheryl and the other two are tasked with returning Vanny to the megaplex. Whilst she and her team were successful, they didn't go unnoticed, as Sylvia and Gregory followed them back to the megaplex, and whilst she was able to apprehend the duo as soon as they walked through the door, they escaped. After that escape, Sylvia and Gregory almost saved Vanny too, but Cheryl, Todd, and Charles Ramirez put a stop to that, capturing and separating the trio.

Cheryl wound up getting stuck with Gregory. She was tasked with taking him down to the sinkhole to meet Adelaide and William personally. Adelaide abused Gregory's seer skills in order to try and figure out what they'd need to do to drag their own assassin, Cassie Blake, back to their side, making him see her get lured to the megaplex using his voice, only for the deduction vision of Cassie to die several times. Adelaide would record everything Gregory said for later, so she could lure the child assassin in for real.

Complications arose as Sylvia and Vanny were able to swoop in and save Gregory - how they escaped from Todd and Charles Ramirez were unknown to Cheryl at the time, and she was truly shocked, as Sylvia had a working control module implanted in her chest but seemed unaffected, whilst Todd was supposed to be vivisecting Vanny to find out how she was able to escape from William's grasp and prevent that from happening again.

Sylvia and Gregory were able to escape with Vanny, and just before they left, Sylvia set off the explosives she had left around the megaplex, preventing Cheryl, Todd, and Charles Ramirez from cutting the enemy trio off from the exit again. Gregory escaped with Vanny, but Sylvia stayed behind for some reason, lurking in the shadows, out of reach.

Whilst she tried to search for Sylvia, the woman managed to stay out of her reach.

Ten hours after Gregory and Vanny's escape, the search had to be called off: there was a bigger problem.

Adelaide and Tech exec burrows had just downloaded the scapegoat mimic, GGY, and clone William onto an endo. Instrad if it doing what Adelaide wanted (it being GGY, a child and assassin to rival Violet's own android assassin), it was trying to kill William and Adelaide, and only obeyed the orders of Burrows, who didn't seem keen on stopping it.

Cheryl, much like Todd, Charles Ramirez, Bill Blake, and even William himself, was unaware that the clone William experiment and scapegoat mimic experiment was not the same experiment. But that was besides the point. Ten hours of scrambling later, Cheryl and co had managed to hijack the JACX system that Sylvia and Vanny had left behind to track them during the Raid, and William and Adelaide were able to turn it into something far more useful for containing the mimic: MXES.

At this point, tensions were high, and the execs split into two teams: team mimic and team anti-mimic.

Team anti-mimic consisted of Adelaide, William, and Cheryl. Bill was team whatever was convenient for his survival, but team anti-mimic when pressed on the matter.

Team mimic consisted of Tech exec Burrows, Charles Ramirez, and Todd.

Burrows called Adelaide a coward, as she helped him bring the mimic into this world. Adelaide called Burrows a fool for not taking accountability and realising that pulling the mimic, clone William, and GGY out of the VR environment was a mistake.

The Faz-in-fighting lasted until Bill managed to lure Cassie to the megaplex, just as Burrows and Adelaide had independently ordered him to. Burrows wanted to lure Cassie in to be the mimics assistant. Adelaide had the original plan of luring thier sleeper agent back in to aid William.

After Cassie wound up in the sinkhole and after Bill cut the elevator, Cheryl ran to the elevator site and found William, Bill, and Adelaide already talking to Cassie and Sylvia, and they had already agreed to kill the mimic. With Sylvia and Cassie already on team anti-mimic, Cheryl felt there was no need to scare the girls further as they had already agreed to work with William to fulfill this objective. Though she couldn't help gloating about her part in the experimentation on Gregory that wound up luring Cassie here.

When team mimic and anti-mimic faced off in a verbal argument, Cheryl was actually the most suprised that William and Adelaide killed Burrows for his insubordination. It was a harsh reminder that even though she was decently high up on the food chain, she wasn't invincible. Looking at Cassie and Sylvia's reactions, she could tell that they knew that William would kill them in a heartbeat, but Cheryl hadn't had to grapple with the fact that execs were not immune to her boss's wrath until now. She silently then begun to fear for Charles Ramirez and Todd's lives, but fortunately, they joined William's side after seeing the error of siding with Burrows.

But the mimic soon descended upon the unlikely allegiance, forcing Cheryl, Adelaide, William, Bill, Sylvia, and Cassie to flee towards the scooping room, where Cassie was able to dispatch the mimic.

It had been 28 and a half hours since Adelaide and Burrows downloaded the mimic onto an endo and started all that in-fighting; one fighting to fix the fuck-up she had made and the other died fighting to make the fuck-up fuck more shit up. She just wanted to get out, take a shower, and bring a van back to get Todd and Charles Ramirez back to HQ, and so she kept up the truce with Sylvia and Cassie so they could all get out without killing eachother, but Cheryl let them know that the next time they met, they'd be enemies again.

[heir-less]

Just curious Can you explain the housing situation with the wales? They have four houses? Or three and why would a move to Windsor be bad? I don’t want to go on a wales blog lol

The Wales family currently has four or maybe five houses and they are:

Amner Hall: This is a country residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the family moved there in 2015 but it was a wedding gift from QEII back in 2011. It was their main residence until 2017, and they renovated it for a lot of money. People incorrectly state that they felt Amner Hall behind after they moved to Windsor, but that's not the case. It continues to be their private country home where they spent weekends and holidays.

Kensington Palace: This is the Prince and Princess of Wales's London residence. Despite it being called "Apartment 1A", giving off the vibe of something small and functional, it is actually a four-story mansion within a palace. It was renovated for over 4 million pounds after the couple moved in 2013. It is their main city residence and I assume this was where they stayed when the children St Thomas's, which is in the same area.

Adelaide Cottage: Adelaide Cottage is the principal residence of Kate and her children, and, I'm told William sometimes lives there, too. Just kidding, the cottage is their principal residence and is located in Windsor Home Park and is within walking distance from Windsor Castel and Frogmore House. Last year it was framed in context to the "busy, tourist attraction" of Kensington Palace, with royal reporters claiming the children need more space for a normal upbringing. Sure.

Llwynywermod: This is the residence we don't know much about, or how often they stay there but it was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall in 2006 and is the Welsh residence of William and Kate.

Why moving out of Kensington Palace is a bad idea:

It's been floated around that Will and Kate want to move into Windsor Castle. At first, it was painted as them wanting to be close to the Queen, which I didn't have an issue with, but with the Queen gone moving from KP to Windsor is a bad, bad idea.

London is the capital city of England and is located in a city, giving an element of closeness to cultural events and the people. To boil it down, London is where all the shit happens and they need to be there for logical reasons. Every other residence they are on massive estates where outsiders are prohibited. The Queen moved to Windsor full-time with Philip because isolation made sense: they were an elderly couple during a pandemic where meeting the wrong people could literally kill them. Such a level of isolation is not required for Will and Kate, a relatively young couple who honestly are already recluses who don't do a lot of work. I'm sick of KP suddenly being framed as a "trap" with no privacy and that the Wales kids need more space for a normal upbringing when they've been safe there, along with the generations of royals who have lived there for decades.

Why do they need to isolate to this level? How is it not normal to raise your kids in the city where the vast majority of people in the UK live? I already disliked the move to Adelaide Cottage, because the ROTA framed is in a really classist and racist manner. There was this really gross Allison Pearson piece that I ranted about where she basically said that Will and Kate "fled" London because the city was becoming an unsafe shithole full of immigrants. I think moving to cut off London would give these people more fodder, it would also isolate them from the public to a degree that would hurt them as public figures. If you're basically claiming that you're moving to a massive (the world's largest inhabited) castle because you hate interacting with your fellow citizens in the city, you come off looking terribly elitist. Not to mention the costs of them taking up residence at Windsor Castle.

So, yeah, I just don't think it's a good idea. If they want to move out of KP they should consider another London-based residence like Clarence House. I can't understand how three other country residences isn't enough

[drchenquill]

OC Interview Tag~

Thank you @the-golden-comet for tagging me!

I'll answer with Duncan from my WIP "Adelaide". (This will help me shape him more.)

Were you named after anyone?

"Indeed I was. My grandfather Duncan WIlliams Gillingham. A great man, sadly I was never able to meet him."

When was the last time you cried?

"That is a personal question I will politely refuse to answer."

Do you have any kids?

"No, not at the moment. I do wish to one day be blessed with some children of my own."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"As the gentleman that I was raised to be, I refrain from such things."

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"The sound of their voice. Because of my lack of sight, I've grown to recognize the subtetly of tones."

What’s your eye color?

"Ah, if my memory does not lie to me, I remember my mother describing them as dark as rain-soaked mud. I know it's a rather peculiar way of describing color, but my dear mother can't help herself."

Scary movies or happy endings?

"I'm afraid I cannot answer this question of yours, for it does not lay in my hands what sort of stories I consume. As a child, my mother would read to me stories with happy endings, nowadays, she forces the maids to read to me, which I refuse, not wanting to be a burden to anyone."

Any special talents?

"Ah, yes, I believe it is called "perfect pitch". I can recognize any played note on any instrument."

Where were you born?

"In Thornburgh. It is a rather large city. To be frank, I despise it. It is too loud for my liking. That's way I'm very pleased with mother's decision to move to Povington. A town nestled between calm fields."

What was your favorite subject in school?

"Mother was too scared to send me to public school, she feared I would be picked on because of my blindness. She also feared I would be treated inadequately by teachers, resulting in her teaching me herself. She didn't want to overwork me with too many subjects, so I was taught only subjects she deemed as important... My apologies, I over shared, didn't I? I meant to say, I really enjoyed history."

What is your dream job?

"I would have loved to own a shop. Or maybe a library. Yes, a library. Drowning myself in stories my mother used to read me was always my favorite time of the day, and to be able to give like-minded people a space where they could lose themselves in books would have been truly beautiful."

~~~~

Tagging with no pressure, @dyoniawrites , @paeliae-occasionally , @theink-stainedfolk , @robin-red-ethanol , @fantasywriternimzy and open tag~

[justsomerandomfanfic]

I Am Back From My Break!

So! Here's my plan!

I'll be slowly getting back into writing again, starting off with the requests that have been requested before and during my break. After that I will start with my poll fics LINK HERE, and my Superman/Clark Kent series along with those! And feel free to send in requests!

Read More Below!

So! Here are the upcoming fics/posts! (Descriptions for the upcoming fics down below!)

Fics That Have Been Requested (In My Asks And Not Polls)

Almost Eye To Eye - Heath Ledger Joker X GN (Tall) Reader by @Anon

Under The Christmas Tree - Sirius Black X Female (Wife) Reader - Post-Azkaban by @Anon

~~~

Superman Fic - Waiting For Superman 1/10 or more chapters (possibly) Coming Soon

Erik Destler X GN Reader - Mini Angst/Mostly Fluff - Modern AU; A deep voice sings each night, a haunting song unlike any you've heard at the recording studio where you work the security nightshift. Each night, you listen and fall in love until one moonless night you seek its origin, finding a handsome ghost, Erik Destler, who wishes he had tasted true requited love before death stole him away.

Richard Grayson X GN Reader - Slight Angst/Fluff - Meeting The Family/Engaged; Newly engaged and beyond happy, your fiancé, Richard Grayson's preparing to bring you home for the holidays to meet his family for the very first time. So far, the two of you have had an idyllic relationship, but the true test will come when Bruce and the many, many siblings come into the picture and dredge up the past.

Pedro Pascal X Female Reader - Slight Angst/Fluff - Hades And Persephone AU; With the power of spring and flowers, you enjoy the wonders and beauty of nature. Wandering out of you home and beyond the boarders of you kingdom, you stumble upon a dark wood, and curiosity got the best of you. You got lost, of course, having never been in the forbidden woods before. In the shadows, you spotted a figure, who walked out, dressed in dark clothing. He was tall, dark, mysterious, and incredibly charming. And when he offered you a pomegranate, you couldn't asy no... After all, you were pretty hungry.

Jack Daniels X Female Reader - Slight Angst/Mostly Fluff - Royalty/maybe 1800s Regency period AU; As the youngest of seven sisters, you are told to wait your turn for marriage, but you can't help but fall for a handsome gentleman, Lord Jack Daniels, who comes to town on business. You decide to pursue him even though your mother has been eyeing him for sister, Adelaide, number five.

Harry Osborn X GN Reader - Mostly Angst/Fluff - Vampire AU; You used to be in love with a vampire, Harry Osborn. But you were just eighteen, and your emotions were running high and didn't really know any better; letting your admiration and love for him engulf you. You broke it off with him before you left for college. But, after a while, you noticed people were going missing, blood drained from bodies in alleyways on campus... And you new boyfriend had gone missing as well. You had a theory on what... Or who was causing all the havoc, and it was time to grab your wooden stake and end it once and for all... You just hoped you could resist his irresistible charm.

Johnny Storm X Female Reader - Slight Angst/Mostly Fluff - Single Mom AU; You're a single mom who works two full-time jobs to make ends meet. The new manager, Johnny Storm at your second job asks you out on a date. He's hot, kind, and perfect, but your son hates him and shows that in many humorous ways. Will love blossom or wither under your son's disapproving gaze?

@micheleamidalajedi @eatmyshortsz666 @all-of-me-why-not-take-all-of-me @livinglifelowkeyloki @drharlivy @space-helen @sgt-morgan @rita-lean @doctoriletyougotogalaxy @freestarlight @raventhebookkeeper @inej-ruination-ghafa @idontreallycare-iloveharrypotter @x-infernhoes-x @helloheyhihowdyheya

[the-empress-7]

Interesting theories, but here is what I think.

>>Rumor tracking anon here.

There's a Theory Option 6. This one I've heard pop up a few times so the recent news makes me curious. It's a bit convoluted, but stick with me.

Adelaide Cottage was always Eugenie's dream house that she wanted since she was a little girl. Allegedly, everyone in the BRF knew this.

Andrew has been trying for years to get The Queen and Charles to give him Adelaide Cottage. There were rumors in late 2018 that Eugenie had been gunning for Adelaide Cottage as a wedding present (the way William got Anmer Hall).

Eugenie was PISSED the then-Cambridges got Adelaide Cottage instead of her. She went off to Portugal in a "if I can't have it, I quit" tantrum.

Adelaide Cottage was never the then-Cambridges' choice. They wanted something with more space and more room for the children...something like Royal Lodge. William's "if he's going, I'm not" ultimatum re: Andrew's inclusion in the Garter Day ceremonies was partially due to hurt feelings over Andrew being unwilling to downsize from the Royal Lodge. (Logic being that he's not a working royal or a senior member anymore, so he doesn't need all that room for nonexistent events/meetings.)

Cambridges moved, didn't expect to be "promoted" so quickly, and now they need more space to go with new responsibilities but don't want to move back to KP since the children will be in school in Windsor. So William approached Charles about Royal Lodge. There were negotiations behind the scenes.

Charles approached Andrew with a sweet deal for a house swap. If Andrew gives the Royal Lodge to the Waleses, then Charles will give Adelaide Cottage to the Yorkies and if Andrew just so happened wanted to live elsewhere so Eugenie could have Adelaide Cottage, then Charles would look the other way.

Sarah is pressuring Andrew to take the house swap deal so Eugenie, Jack, August, and Baby #2 come back to London because she hates having them all the way down there in Portugal.

Honestly, I thought this was pretty tinhatty. No way is Andrew ever giving up Royal Lodge. It's the only thing he has that he can hold over the others as a status symbol.

But now...if Charles is kicking him out to Frogmore...

Maybe there is truth in the tinhats after all.

Thanks rumor tracking anon, but I am afraid I can't get onboard with this theory. Mostly because of the kind of man William is, he has never cared about the bigger and better house. If he did, he'd never have moved his wife and three children into a house as small as Adelaide Cottage. Not to mention that Royal Lodge is now a radio active property, even if Andrew moves out, it will be associated with him. No one wants to touch that property, least of all William.

[dwell-the-brave]

Six Sentence Sunday 01/04/2024

Welcome to another Six Sentence Sunday Monday! Here's some WIPs for you;

RWRB Kid!Fic

It feels like the first day of Spring. The sun is bright over Windsor and the garden of Adelaide Cottage is overrun with children. They’d decided to host an Easter Egg hunt for the children in Arthur’s class, and he’s in the thick of it, leading the charge with his friends, all of them scrambling around in the grass and shrubs in search of shiny wrapped chocolate eggs. The parents are milling around on the patio, sipping on Pimms and chatting idly. After they’d established themselves as just another pair of parents, the distance between them had faded. Alex bought in baked goods for the Bake Sale, made by hand in a panic when Arthur only mentioned it two days before.

Steddie SW!Fic

Eddie always chooses to meet new partners in public spaces. It’s safer for everyone, there’s often a back exit he can use in an emergency (and has opted for that once or twice before), and if he does go missing, there’s hopefully CCTV, or at least that’s what Chrissy tells him cheerfully.  The bar is kind of bougie, lots of hammered coppers and dark paint, but it is well populated for a Wednesday evening. Eddie gets there early, orders a wildly overpriced Old Fashioned and snags a small table of two by one of the front windows. He stands out a bit from the other clientele of the bar, with his ripped black jeans and vest with arm holes open down to his ribs. His tattoos are also on show, the patchwork of ink that litters his skin. 

I've not been as prolific as I would like, but I have some holiday coming up where I'm hoping to finish the Kid!fic and get that up on Ao3. Hopefully not too much longer to wait.

As always, if you like what you're reading, please check out my Ao3. The Kid!Fic is part 4 of my ongoing series, Heavy Weighs the Crown.

See you guys soon!

[divine-swag-summit]

PRELIMINARY POLL 2

MEET THE COMPETITIORS:

Shredder/Oroku Saki(ROTTMNT) "500 years ago, Saki was the leader of the Foot Clan. His clan was thriving and at peace until they were invaded by another clan that positively overwhelmed the Foot with its violence. Desperate to prevent the extinction of his clan, Saki made a deal with the Krang which forged an unstoppable mystic armor called the Kuroi Yōroi, which he used to defeat the rival clan without effort. However, the armor swallowed his soul and corrupted him, resulting in the emergence of the Shredder."

Adora/She-ra(She-ra and the Princesses of Power) "Adora is the main protagonist of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the current She-Ra; guardian of Etheria, and co-leader of The Princess Alliance and The Rebellion. With the Sword of Protection in hand, Adora gains the ability to transform into the "Princess of Power"—She-Ra. She also discovered she was not born on Etheria, she actually belongs to a race called the First Ones and brought to Etheria through a portal by Light Hope. After shattering her original sword she eventually learned to draw the power from within her and transform into She-Ra without it, as well as being able to summon into existence a new sword with powers similar to that of her former sword when needed."

White Diamond(Steven Universe) White Diamond, or White for short, is a Homeworld Gem and the leader of the Great Diamond Authority that formerly ruled over the Gem race. She held supreme authority over all Gems, including her fellow Diamonds, and was seen as a being beyond the rest of her kind. White Diamond possesses standard Gem abilities, but since she is a Diamond, her abilities are expected to be much greater than other Gems. Since both Yellow and Blue Diamond showed fear of her, it could be concluded that she is much more powerful than the other Diamonds and gems are. Because of this, it is presumed that she has a high intelligence level (she was able to control and command the entire Gem race for millennia, as the main ruler) or even subtle traces of omnipresence."

Becquerel Harley(Homestuck) "Becquerel (or Bec for short) is the pet and Guardian of Jade Harley and first guardian of Earth. Like many things related to Jade, he is quite the combo-breaker, as he is the first non-human Guardian, despite all hints having been pointed at Grandpa to be Jade's Guardian beforehand. He is a dog with the ability to warp space to his will."

The Beast(Over the Garden Wall) "The Beast is the main antagonist of Over the Garden Wall. He is the monster of The Unknown and is feared throughout it. He has the power to possess other creatures, such as Beatrice's dog shown in the very first episode, and "haunts" the inhabitants of The Unknown, like Adelaide who claimed to be following "the dark voices of the Beast." He is the self-proclaimed owner of the woods through which Wirt and Greg wander, as he says to Wirt that Greg is going to be "a part of [his] forest.""

Kos(Bloodborne) "The being named Kos, sometimes referred to as Kosm, was apparently revered by the Fishing Hamlet's inhabitants, who were also mutated by her cosmic power. Some theories say that she was washed ashore after dying by unknown means, and the villagers began cultivating the parasites within her corpse, altered by their cosmic nature. Others believe she lurked off the shore and sent the villagers innumerable squids and fish in return for their worship of her."