#And once threw my book in the trash

[chicago-geniza]

The premium placed on public speaking as a necessary skill in US education is insane, why was I put on Ativan for selective mutism at age 12 because my 7th grade teacher insisted our final social studies project had to be an oral presentation or we failed lol

[running-with-kn1ves]

Sleepy Afternoons

A/N: Teehee ngl I just wrote this as a period comfort fic indulgent for myself. I hope you nerds enjoy it as much as I liked writing it!

CW: AFAB reader on period, jokes of breeding, using a dragon as a heating pad, pretty much just fluff

WC:2000

Synopsis: A lazy Sunday, the perfect start to a week on your period where you'll be constantly pestered by your dragon boyfriend.

A dragon’s hoard in times long before consisted of fine jewels and immense mounds of gold, shiny objects as far as the eye could see. Whether it was stuffed in the depths of a cave or deep in the forest, a hoard barred spikes and “DO NOT ENTER” warnings; whether they were legible or not was never up to the righteous dragon’s responsibility.

Adventurers and bandits never heeded these signs of caution, getting stuck in the narrow holes meant for dragons to shimmy through or meeting their demise through puzzles and endless booby traps-- such monsters were thorough in keeping their treasure safe. Any item that caught the creatures attention could be found in their rich reservoirs, even if they were mere wave-smoothened stones from a lake, an old lover, or a prettily decked-out concubine that was too tempting not to take. 

That however, was centuries ago. Dragons, like the rest of us, must conform to modern society, technology too powerful and people too abundant to go around flying and terrorizing just to get one’s hands on a pretty penny.

Your boyfriend, once a ravenous creature with a cave of glittering gems and fine craftsmanship-- that he may or may not have maimed many blacksmiths to steal-- now resided with you in too big of a bedroom. You had argued before buying the apartment; who would need this much space? But his hoarder tendencies clearly made up for the abundance in space. Gaming consoles, silvery granola bar wrappers, aluminum dollar store trinkets, books with glittery covers-- the floor was almost unseeable with his trash and treasure mixed together. He wasn’t necessarily dirty-- in fact every item had its own spot and preferred place, which is why it killed a piece of him any time you threw away something that should not be “decorating” your shared home. 

Though as you practically took care of both of you, it was hard to keep up being the caregiver in the relationship. Especially, on your period. Sunday, what a perfect day, to realize you had a whole work week ahead of mood swings and lower abdominal pain, all mixed with the gory massacre you’d face every time you went to the bathroom. Your cramps didn’t usually come in this early of a start, but it seemed like nothing was going quite right today.

“T’s wrong, darlin’?” Your draconic, crusty-eyed boyfriend mumbled into your back. “Somethin’ hurting…?”

He had been asleep since noon, ignoring the stream of yellow shining down on him from between the cracks of the blinds. But with those poor eyes and slightly above average listening skills, he completely ignored the sun and heard your groans of pain as you curled into a ball. The aching in your lower tummy was like hellfire, crisp burning and somersaults of your organs unlike any other pain than usual. Nothing was helping, no cold rags or medicine, it was like your infinite headache and body pains were destined to consume you. 

“C’mon baby answer me, I wanna help..” He pouted again.

“Just my stomach..” You downplayed, not sure if you could handle his frantic coddling if he realized you’re period started. The last time you made the mistake of doing so, you had pads stacked to the brim in your bathroom cabinets and tampons in your closets, the mass shoplifting endeavor of his creating even less space in your home. Well, atleast you were set for the next fifty-seven or so cycles.

 “I just need to rest n’ I’ll be fine, soon…” 

Another wave of pain came through, head ringing as soft nails raked up and down your sweating back. 

‘When will this be over,’ you wondered. 

Maybe that horrible breeding endeavor your boyfriend was always obsessed with was worth it if it meant you wouldn’t have to suffer through this for nine months. Yeah, just nine months of morning sickness and bloating and growing a whole dragon-human parasite inside of you. But hey… the making part wouldn’t be too bad, and atleast you would be crotch-pain free. 

Man, now the pain was really talking through you.

“Yer period, right?” Your dragon wonders, scratching the back of his head. He’s more awake now, and you wish he was still passed out grabbing onto you, even through the sticky sweat from his body heat. “I’m sorry baby…I know it hurts. What’you want me to do?”

“How’d you even know..” You groan, almost annoyed at how keen he is. Next thing you’d know he’d be shoving some pretty pawn shop jewelry for you to hold to distract you from the pain.

“I don’t think.. You want to know. And well there’s the obvious, I noticed you changed the bed covers.”

Oh lord, was he talking about that split tongue-nose smell-ability ‘dragon thing’ again? Could your embarassment get any worse?

“Does that mean you’ve… EVERY TIME? Every time you knew?”

He sheepishly fell into the new sheets of warmth, those dark eyebrows lifted in innocence.

“Sometimes before you knew, I think.”

Officially, you wish your boyfriend was asleep again. Maybe you’d just strangle him to end this mind-numbing conversation. 

“What can I do?” He repeated. “Get you more pads?” 

“No.” You shut him down as soon as the words left his mouth. 

“What then? A snack, more pillows? Now’s the time to be babied, you know. Unless you’d be okay with me coming to work with you--” 

You groaned, partly to shut him up and to vocalize the squeezing, contracting inside of you. 

His clawed fingers came to cradle your belly, right below your belly button on your pelvic muscle. He rubbed, just gently, back and forth with a slight pressure as your head buried into the sheets beneath you. 

“Just this.. is fine..” You murmur, feeling hot, humid breath exhale against your neck, emerald green slits baring into your twisted expression. He was watching you, the way your body reacted, the little signals of discomfort. 

You heard a slight flutter of his wings as they adjusted, his body fitting against yours like a puzzle piece; it was nice to be the small spoon again, rather than cradling your needy dragon lover like a cocoon as he so often desired. 

The dragon slowly pushed a leg between your bunched knees that stuck together, getting easier access to your tummy. His palm was so warm, as the torso flushed behind you kept a reassuring prresence. You almost turned on your back to get his palm farther against your stomach, the slight pressure and warm temperature soothing the ache in your lower back and groin. 

“You know… I could always breed ya, then you wouldn’t have to--” 

“Don’t try to convince me right now.” you spat, turning into him as his hand worked magic, the other brushing hair off of your neck and cheek. “That’s not an option, especially right now.”

“Well, at the very least I can make you feel good. Might ease up some of the pain, yeah?” He laid back down to lean in closer. 

You sighed; he clearly didn’t understand the discomfort and embarrassment that his oh-so keen intimacy would bring you right now. You loved the sentiment, and maybe you’d be up for it if you weren’t solely thinking about your physical misery, but you barely had the fortitude to look back toward him. 

Your dragon buried his flared nose into the top of your head, lined against you like a perfectly shaped heat blanket. 

“You wouldn’t even have to do anything.. I’ll do whatever makes ya feel better.” His other hand snakes beneath your hip against the bed mattress, pulling you back toward his body even closer, if possible. The warm, spiked fingers tapping alongside your pelvic bone made your skin spark, your lower stomach buzzing with numbed pain and a fullness that made you want to sleep for another week. “I don’t like seeing you like this.” He frowns. “Your face.. You look so, uncomfortable.”

“Wow, thanks.” You jab, feeling a heated tail slither up your knee, to your thigh. It almost flicked in apology. “Mm.. Just stay my heating pillow and I’ll be fine.” 

“I can do that.” The confidence in his voice worries you, knowing he’ll do an unnecessary load of more than you asked for. Your fetal position was gently yanked free, a pounced creature on your back as you’re forced onto your stomach. “I’ll be the best spiky heating pad you’ve ever seen.”

The strong, scaled forearms of your draconic spouse come to wrap around your hips, a burning touch ringing from his skin, worming his way beneath your comfortable pajama pants and shirt, skin on skin as his body temperature rises to accommodate your desires. His forearms seem to ripple against you, fingers tickling your sides as his legs trap against your thighs from above, most if not every length of his body pulsating against yours like a live, scaly cocoon intent on making you his personal plush, and he your sweet, warm monster. 

“Feel better baby…” He kissed at the nape of your neck, sandpapery forked tongue popping out to lick away your sweat. “It’ll be over soon.. I’ma make it all better.”

You leaned deeper into the stuffy mattress sheets, the pressure on your abdomen welcomly encouraged as you push as far as possible into his fiery hands.

“I’m betting on it.” You muffle into the pillows, squirming your hips against his his body, warm chest and carved quadriceps surrounding you. The slight pressure of his inner thighs against your hips was welcoming, his mounted position atop of you seemingly odd to an outsider-- but you didn’t care how weird it might’ve looked, as the calm of your gutted abdomen took over. 

You yawned into the side of the pillow as you turned your head, lifting your hips just a little to soak in the heat radiating from behind you. 

“Awe’d, so sleepy huh? Need a little nap?” the dragon behind you poked. 

Who knew a murderous, millenium-old dragon would be sweet-talking you so gently-- just a few centuries ago he was murdering travelers for stumbling just a few steps too close to his prized hoard. 

“But I just woke up.” You protest, upset at the sleepiness of the afternoon that was rubbing off from your draconic lover on you. “Got too much to do, can’t lay in bed all day..like you.” 

You groan into the pillow as a wave of cramps hit you, only slightly set ajar by the gentle massaging of the skin above your pelvic bone. 

“Hrmm.” Your boyfriend thinks, shoving his warmly snout against your neck. “I guess it’s unfortunate that I’m not going to be letting you go then. Not allowed to get up until you feel better.” 

You laugh, taking one of your dragon’s toasty hands to your chest to hold onto. 

“I’ll be here all week, then.”

It was here you felt the safest, the warmest, the most vulnerable and easily devourable-- well, thankfully dragon’s didn’t particularly have a taste for the flesh of humans. Shutting your eyes, you let the guttural ‘hrmm’s’ of your dragon lull you to thoughtlessness. 

“If that’s what it takes..” He presses a deep kiss close to your forehead, relishing in the sweet scent of your hair. The huffs from his nose tickle the back of your ears, such petrichor warmth and humidity so reminiscent of past lazy mornings. “You’re not going anywhere, my diamond.”

[somevagrantchild]

Missing Loustat scene discovered in Anne Rice's diaries

I HAVE SOMETHING AMAZING TO SHARE WITH YOU!!

As I was reading Anne Rice's diaries in the special collection library at Tulane University while I was in New Orleans for the Vampire Ball, I discovered this intensely sexy scene she wrote between Louis and Lestat that never made it into her books. This is Anne Rice's original writing, never before shared anywhere online.

Anne Rice wrote this scene by hand in her diary dated November 6, 2015 (which she mentions is the day before Stan's birthday. He would have been 73😭). I have deduced that it is her very first (and very rough) draft of the scene that eventually became chapter 4 in Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, aka the scene where Louis agrees to move into the chateau and be Lestat's partner/companion again. The final version of the scene in the book reads like wedding vows, serving as the beginning of their marriage in the modern era. As you'll see, the first draft was rather different. 

In Prince Lestat, Louis and Lestat's interactions are extremely brief, and they aren't able to talk beyond one stolen moment to reassure each other of their love. It would seem that in the six months between the end of Prince Lestat (when Louis thinks to himself that he will be with Lestat very soon), and the beginning of Atlantis (when that finally ends up happening), Louis and Lestat do not have any intimate conversation. They may have talked somewhat, but only briefly about superficial matters, or they may have not even spoken to each other once over those six months until Lestat asks Louis to meet him in New Orleans for chapter 4.

In an earlier diary entry, I found a note where Anne said she wanted their first reunion conversation to begin by finally addressing Louis dumping Lestat's body in the swamp after Claudia tried to kill him—something they have never once discussed. So when I came across this scene in a later diary, I could tell it was a direct follow-through on that idea. 

The scene begins with Lestat speaking to Louis, and it seems they are outside on the streets of New Orleans, but someplace private where they aren't being observed by mortals. This is different from the final book version with them sitting at a sticky table at the Café Du Monde (though it is similar to how Lestat tells us they walked around the city streets together for hours after the reunion scene was over). 

Anne headed this part of the diary entry with: Early on: L+L quarrel—

“I can forgive her for what she did. She was never a human being. She went from being an infant to a monster. But you—you stood there and watched. You carried my body into the swamps and dumped me there as if I were trash—you were the one I hated! How could you do that to me? Decades we’d been together!”

He stared at me for the longest time—not defensive, not angry.

“I could do it because I was afraid,” he said. “I didn’t know how I was going to live without you.”

“I don’t believe you. You were fine without me. You were preparing to sail to Europe. You were making plans.”

A torrent of words.

“Stop!” he said. “I’m here now. I love you! I thought you wanted me here! I thought you’d forgiven me. I thought we had a second chance, now, you and I. And miles to travel together!”

I nodded.

“A second chance!”

I nodded.

Then I took hold of him as if I was going to kill him. I threw him up against the wall and bit into his neck for the first time in two hundred years—the first time since the first time—and when the blood gushed into my mouth, I saw again—for the first time in two hundred years—his soul, his heart.

I was lost in his mind, his thoughts, his dreams, flashes…

I drew back—I’d drunk too much. He was being held there by me, his head bowed. I slapped him hard and when he opened his eyes, I pushed his open mouth against my neck. I forced his fangs into me.

And we were together, wrapped in one another’s arms…

Finally I pushed him back.

He was sitting on the paving stones, hair in his face, back to the wall. I took his hand and helped him up.

“Kiss me,” I said. “No, really kiss me.”

Finally I let him go.

“I can’t live without you! “ he said. “I swear, you wander off on me again, I…”

“I won’t. I won’t ever.”

We walked along in silence.

“He loves you too,” he said.

“Who?”

“The silent one, the one who’s never spoken to me, the one inside you.”

It was time. I could have lingered a half hour more in the old times, but the time was now.

The End 

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

Above is the clean version, which I have corrected for missing punctuation, missing letters/words, and necessary dialogue tags.

Below is the original rough version as I have transcribed exactly from Anne Rice's handwritten diary.

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

“I can forgive her for what she did. She was never a human being. She went from being an infant to a monster. But you—you stood there & watched. You carried my body in the swamps & dumped me there as if I were trash—you were the one I hated! How could you do that to me? Decades we’d been together!

He stared at me for the longest time—not defensive, not angry.

I could do it because I was afraid, he said. “I didn’t know how I was going to live without you.”

“I don’t believe. You were fine without me. You were preparing to sail to Europe. You were making plans.”

—A torrent of words.

“Stop! I’m here now. I love you! I thought you ’d wanted me here! I thought you’d forgive me. I thought we had a second chance, now, you & I. And miles to travel together!”

I nodded—

“A second chance!”

I nodded—

Then I took hold of him as if I was going to kill him. I threw him up against the wall & bit into his neck for the first time in 200 years—the first time since the first time—and when the blood gushed into my mouth I saw again—for the first time in 200 years—his soul, his heart—

I was lost in his mind, his thoughts, his dreams, flashes — (more)

I drew back—I’d drunk too much He was being held there by me, his head bowed. I slapped him hard & when he opened his eyes I pushed his open mouth against my neck. I forced his fangs into me.

And we were together, wrapped in one another arms — (more)

Finally I pushed him back.

He was sitting on the paving stones, hair in his face, back to the wall. I took his hand & helped him up.

Kiss me. No really kiss me.

Finally I let him go.

I can’t live without you! I swear, you wander off on me again, I … I ”

“I won’t. I won’t ever.”

We walked along in silence —

He loves you too

Who

The silent one, the one who’s never spoken to me, the one inside you.

It was time. I could have linger a half hour more in the old times, but was now —

The End 

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

The spots where she wrote (more) are clearly areas where she intended to expound upon all Lestat was seeing and feeling in Louis's mind, soul, and blood, and then what he felt and saw as Louis was drinking from him. How I wish we could know what she would have written there! Also the lines that start or end with a — make me wonder if she intended to add more to those bits as well. Would she have actually written out Lestat's torrent of words?

Lestat's line "Kiss me. No really kiss me." isn't in quotation marks in Anne's diary. I chose to add them, because there were many other obviously spoken-aloud dialogue lines also without quotes. But it is possible that Lestat only thinks these words as he and Louis are kissing each other. It reminds me of in Queen of the Damned, when Daniel thinks, "I like kissing. And suggling with dead things, yes, hold me." The narration doesn't tell us Armand actually starts holding him, but Anne's style of using internal monologue makes it clear that's what happens in the action. So the "Kiss me." could be similar in this instance as well. And in that case it might mean Louis is the one who initiates the kiss, and this is Lestat’s internal “yes, yes!!” reaction to it. But I do suspect he is actually meant to be saying it aloud.

With the em dash at the end of it, the very last line could have been meant to continue: "but was now ______" was now...something. But considering she wrote "The End" after it, it seems like it was meant to be a final statement, so that is why I added the missing words I chose in my edited clean version.

Although this conversation is very different from the one we get in the final version of Atlantis, I do still see elements of it in the book's scene:

Louis's line "I can’t live without you! I swear, you wander off on me again, I …" became "so I'll come. And when you tire of me and want me gone, I'll hate you of course."

They still kiss, really kiss. In the book, it is moved to before their conversation, when Lestat first sees Louis in their Rue Royal flat, wearing the new clothes he ordered for him and Louis says, "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" and Lestat is so shocked, he's unable to respond.

They do still discuss Amel in the book version, in much more depth than he is mentioned here. Louis having never heard Amel's voice in his own head remains consistent. 

They do still go walking around the streets of the Garden District, though it happens after the conversation, not during it. Lestat does say they talked for hours during that walk, but about Amel and what's been happening to Lestat as Prince. Not about themselves or their past. 

MY THOUGHTS!

The confirmation here that Lestat never tasted Louis's blood before their new marriage begins in Atlantis is one of the most amazing parts to me, when combined with the offhand way that Lestat mentions what Louis's vampire blood tastes like in Blood Communion. Even though the final version of Atlantis never shows us Lestat drinking Louis's blood (either forcefully like this scene, or consensually in other ways), the mention in Blood Communion does confirm that it DOES happen off the page at some point during the years between Atlantis chapter 4 and the beginning of Blood Communion. 

We know that Louis drank much of Lestat's blood at the end of Merrick, and this was his first time doing it because we were told in previous books how much he resisted his powers being increased by drinking ANY other vampire's blood. It is nice to have it confirmed that Lestat never bit Louis or drank any of his blood in return either before or after Merrick. But now, after Lestat becomes Prince, this is now a new element to their relationship. It makes me consider more strongly that Anne perhaps meant to imply that they then for the first time began to engage in blood sharing the same romantic way Lestat did with Akasha in Queen of the Damned, and then in the even more explicit way she shows us with Rhoshamandes and Benedict in Prince Lestat. 

I don't take all Anne wrote in her diaries as canon. It is clear that much of what she wrote there were spitball ideas that she later chose to absolutely reject (as opposed to deciding they were true but she just didn't mention them in the books). But I do not see anything in this scene that the final versions of the books contradict. So even though this scene didn't actually happen in canon, we can believe that the feelings and emotions that drive this scene are still canon. And I love that for us 🥰

I have cross-posted this on ao3 to give us a good place to talk back and forth to each other about it in the comments section there. Reblog and reply to this post as much as you like, but if you want to have some conversations and share your own thoughts on what she wrote, ao3 will give us a much more organized place to do it, where other people will be able to easily find and read your meta as well.

[simjaexy]

The Stupid Bet

Pairing: Popular Boy! Sim Jaeyun x Fem! Reader

Synopsis: After having an embarrassing accident with the schools popular boy, Sim Jaeyun, you two decided to make a bet that will change your lives for the worst or for the better.

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Enemies to ???

Warnings: One curse word (lmk if there was more!), Jaeyun is kinda mean but only once

Notes: Not Proofread, enjoy :)

It all started on a typical Monday morning at your High School. You were running late for your first class, your backpack slung haphazardly over one shoulder as you navigated the crowded hallways.

You couldn’t believe you were late. You spent all night studying yesterday you didn’t check the time.

You woke up to your mom yelling at you as you rushed to get dressed, even missing the bus making you take a jog.

In your haste, you didn’t see someone coming around the corner. The collision was inevitable. Books flew everywhere, and you and the stranger both ended up on the floor, surrounded by a crowd of curious onlookers.

Your face turned beet red as you scrambled to gather your things. The person offered you a hand, you grabbed it without realizing who it was.

"You alright?" The guy asked with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

You looked up, only to see that it Jaeyun that you bumped into, the most popular guys in school.

He was known for being a flirt and had charming looks, yet the way he stared at you was some kind of strange look, almost as if he was upset you bumped into him?

"Yeah, just mortified," you mumbled, avoiding his gaze as you accepted his help.

The rest of the day was a blur of embarrassment. You couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was talking about the incident.

Later, as you opened your locker, a note fluttered out. It was from Jaeyun, challenging you to a bet:

"I bet you can't go a week without embarrassing yourself. If you win, I'll do whatever you want for a day. If I win, you have to be my personal assistant for a week. Deal?"

You felt yourself jaw dropped. You haven’t even met him for a day and he was already trying to make a bet with you? Then again, you couldn't resist the challenge.

Partly because you were determined to prove yourself and partly because you were definitely not intrigued by Jaeyun. You accepted the bet, and the game was on.

And that’s how you ended here, slurping on your juice angrily after the incident that happened with Jaeyun.

The first few days were a struggle. You tripped over your own feet, spilled milk on your shirt, and even accidentally called your teacher "mom."

Jaeyun seemed to be everywhere, watching and smirking every time you messed up. His presence was infuriating.

What was the worse one was when you tripped in the mud in the rain, making your project dirty and filled with wet dirt.

Jaeyun seemed to just be at perfect timing with his friends and laughed at you, not even helping you pick up your things.

You felt your eyes prick with tears as you picked up your items on the wet ground.

You went to your friend Danielle mad and upset as she comforted you after getting an F on the project and offered you a juice. You suddenly became mad all over again with Jaeyun.

“I don’t think he meant to make fun of you in a rude way?” Danielle reasoned.

You rolled your eyes, “Of course he was! He was with his friends and he laughed right at me!”

“Well either way, you did agree to that bet.” She said.

That stupid bet, you thought. You threw your juice box in the trash and sat next to Danielle.

She rubbed your back, “In the meantime, try not to embarrass yourself a little too much.” She said. You stared at her with a deadpanned look.

She gave you a confused look, “What?”

You sighed and shook your head, getting up from the bench and heading back inside the school, “I’ll try.” Was all you responded.

As you entered your class, you noticed Jaeyun was talking to a group of girls who were giggling at what he said.

You huffed and sat down in your seat. Jaeyun glanced at you and made a comment.

“Looks like someone is having a rough day.” He commented. You ignored him as the girls laughed at you.

You didn’t even get how that was funny. He just loved seeing you suffer.

The teacher can in not long after and started teaching the lesson. You tried focusing, but couldn’t when you felt Jaeyun staring at you.

You glimpsed at him and saw him giving you a grin. You held your breath and looked away. Not even two seconds the teacher asked a question.

“… And since he messed up badly, he had no other choice but to accept it. Now students, what would you do if you had that accident?” The teacher questioned.

Jaeyun raised his hand high, “I think we should ask Y/n that question. She embarrassed herself enough all week.” He responded.

The class laughed as the teacher tsked at Jaeyun comment, “Now let’s be nice everyone.” They spoke.

You felt your cheeks heating up, feeling the same embarrassing feeling you felt all week. You got up from your seat and ran out the classroom.

The teacher called your name, but you ignored them and confused walking. You felt tears swell in your eyes.

The bet was stupid, you should’ve just declined his offer and just continued on with your day. You entered the bathroom and went inside a stall.

You sat down and burst out crying. You hated that you let Jaeyun say those things. Laughing at you, mocking you, he did everything that ruined your week.

You stopped crying after a few minutes. You rather wait until the bell rings to get your stuff and go to your next class.

After a few more minutes the bell rang indicating it was next class. You heard students walk by the girls bathroom as you slowly opened the stall.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and saw your eyes were a bit puffy. You wiped your eyes with cold water and sighed.

Once you heard the students voices dying down you peeped out your head and saw the coast was clear.

You went inside the classroom to see the teacher was still there, “Oh Y/n, Jaeyun took your bag to your next class. He looked like he felt bad for what he said.” They said.

You let an ‘oh’ and thanked them before going to your next class.

Upon going there, You saw a familiar hair color and begged for him not to look up from his phone.

Fate definitely wasn’t on your side as he looked up from his phone and made eye contact with you.

“Y/n?” Jaeyun whispered. You stared down and tried to walk past him, on the other hand, Jaeyun was not gonna let you pass without apologizing.

“Y/n wait.” He said as he grabbed your wrist. You turned to look at him, his expression longing.

“I wanna apologize for what I said, that was a shitty thing for me to do and I’m sorry.” He admitted.

He let go of your wrist, hoping you wouldn’t turn around and leave him unanswered, but instead you stayed and looked at him.

“It’s fine. I should t have agreed to the bet anyways.” You muttered.

“We can cancel it if you want. If that means that I don’t see you cry.” He said.

You didn’t know what to say at that moment. You suddenly felt yourself holding in a laughter.

Jaeyun stared at you confused seeing your expression change to upset to somewhat happy.

All of sudden you burst out laughing, not being able to hold it in. Jaeyun didn’t know what you were laughing about.

“I don’t know why but it makes me feel embarrassed to break off the bet.” You laughed.

Jaeyun slowly started to smile and soon enough he was laughing too.

You both probably looked like weirdos laughing in the middle of the hallway. In all honesty that just made it funnier to you.

Your laughs soon died down, “I wouldn’t care if it is embarrassing to you, the only thing I care about is that you’re not mad at me.” He spoke.

“Well to be honest, I was mad at you, but I was more mad at the fact that I let my emotions get in the way.” You admitted. Jaeyun hummed.

“Will you forgive me?”

“If I get ice cream.” You teased. He gave you a content look.

“Deal.”

By Wednesday, you were starting to feel like you might actually have good luck on your side.

You managed to get through the day without any major disasters, and Jaeyun seemed genuinely impressed.

"Maybe you're not as clumsy as I thought," he teased, his smile softening the words.

You rolled your eyes at him jokingly, “Yeah well I’m starting to get the hang of it.” You commented. He laughed in delight.

Thursday brought a new challenge. You had a big presentation in history class again, and you were terrified of messing up.

Jaeyun caught up with you before class, handing you a small charm, "For good luck," He said, his expression sincere.

You stared at it confused as he walked away to catch up with his friends. It was a clover charm that was golden, it was shiny and pretty.

The presentation went off without a hitch, and you felt a surge of pride as your classmates applauded.

Jaeyun gave you a thumbs-up from the back of the room, and you couldn’t help but smile.

By the end of the week, you had managed to avoid any major disasters, and Jaeyun had to admit defeat even though the bet was over.

“Alright, you win," he said with a grin, "What do you want me to do?"

You thought for a moment before replying, "I want you to spend the day with me, but not as my assistant. Just as a friend." You smiled.

He gave you a surprised look, but he wasn’t complaining.

Jaeyun agreed, and that Saturday turned out to be one of the best days you’d ever had. You met up at the park, where the summer sun cast a golden glow over everything.

You played frisbee, shared stories, and laughed more than you had in a long time. Jaeyun was funny, kind, and surprisingly down-to-earth.

The more time you spent with him, the more you realized that there was so much more to him than just his popularity.

"Thanks for today," you said, glancing at Jaeyun, "I had a lot of fun."

"Me too," he replied, his eyes meeting yours, "You know, this bet might have been the best thing that ever happened to me. Even though I made you cry, which I’m still sorry for, I’ve never had this much fun."

You smiled, feeling the same way. The stupid bet had brought you closer together, and what started as an embarrassing accident had turned into the beginning of a beautiful friendship—or maybe something more.

As the sun set over the river, casting a warm glow over the town, you realized that sometimes, the most unexpected moments could lead to the most wonderful experiences.

And as you and Jaeyun walked back together to your house, you couldn’t help but feel excited about what the future might hold for the two of you.

Maybe love perhaps?

[natureismynature]

I kept rewatching the clip where Quackity read the book Foolish wrote to Roier because it was so sweet and it genuinely makes my heart melt at the dedication Foolish puts into learning Spanish and- Quackity kept the book. He kept the book I’m osudgvcsifyv He’s so proud of his friend I’m crying. He was trying so hard to stay in character and be a total tsundere about it and lied that he trashed the book. But no. He kept it. 

Bro. It makes me so emotional. Quackity was just talking about how he experienced disrespect for his culture both in his work and personal life the other day and here comes Foolish who decided to learn his language simply because he decided one day to mess with Foosh one day in pure Spanish. And the fact that Foolish never stopped? Now he can speak and make his own simple sentences and write and read Spanish in just a year. 

If I had a friend who decided they wanted to learn my language and threw their whole dedication into it I’d probably break down crying. Quackity was just messing around that day, other people would have just laughed along and brushed it off once it was over, but Foolish went far and beyond that by actually learning so he can understand when Q is making jokes in Spanish. He’s so sweet man. I love him sm

[enkays-den]

Skizz Week 2, Day 4: Warm/Cool

@skizzlemanweek

1.3k, no warnings, Skizz, Grian, Gem, Scar, a pinch of Impy, Phasmophobia AU

Tonight was a rare session of ghost hunting without Impulse. Someone had gotten his construction appointment written down wrong and he’d ended up double-booked, and he’d rather miss out on a ghost sesh than wait another three weeks for a chance to meet with his contractor. Luckily, when Skizz has messaged the GIGGS group text, the other three were all available to help, making it a full party instead of solo Skizz night.

Their younger friends had been very excited in chat, sending ‘yay we get to hang with tall dad today!’ (Scar), ‘I can’t believe Impulse has abandoned his best friend’ (Grian), and ‘since it’s fun dad today, we get to stay up past midnight, right?’ (Gem).

Impulse didn’t reply to those messages, but he did send Skizz a private text.

😔 why?

They just miss you, buddy <3

It looks like the exact opposite���

Don’t worry, they’ll be begging for you to come back once I start telling my jokes.

haha, ttyl bud 😊

Skizz returned to the van, tossing a burnt smudge stick into their little trash can. Grian hated cleaning up the ash off the floor in the morning. “I am seriously considering just gagging this one as a mimic, I’m getting nothing from the looping.”

Gem was flicking between the camera feeds, but started to turn around to face Skizz. “Yeah, we’re getting no other activity from this thi– oh, you actually look like death.” 

“Gee, I feel so loved,” Skizz said sardonically.

Gem pulled out her radio. “Boys, we’re gagging mimic and you’re getting your butts here, Skizz is gonna die if he goes through another hunt.”

“Thank goodness,” Grian said, voice crackling through the hand set. “I told you guys it’s taking the mick out on us.”

“This ghost is no fun,” Scar agreed, rolling up the ramp. Does that mean that this is the last hunt of the night?”

“For Skizz? Yes.” Gem responded, leaving the van to help Grian collect their equipment from all around the hospital. 

Skizz took a folding chair from a rack on the wall and sat with Scar, slumping a little. You ever get a good look at the ghost, Scarface?”

“No, just one DOTS before it changed rooms,” Scar sighed, looking at their cheat sheet rubric of ghost types. “There’s a part of me that wants to say it’s a shade with how few hunts we’ve seen. We’ve been here for like, an hour and a half!”

The older man rubbed his face. He really did feel like crap. “Something like that. I feel like the pace during hunts was always changing, so that either means that I’m going crazy, or it’s twins or mimic.”

“Scar?” Grian’s voice came in through the radio. “Can you help me get some of this stuff to the van?”

“You don’t need to go, Scar. Let me do it.” Skizz leaned forward to stand up, but Gem chose that moment to speak into her radio.

“And no helping, Skizz. You just sit there.” 

Skizz picked up his radio. “It’s just one trip, Gemmer!”

Gem’s response was instant. “You. Stay.”

Scar giggled as he rolled out the truck.

“When did you get so bossy?”

The static of the radio rang out again. “I learned it from Other Dad.”

Sighing, Skizz grabbed a pair of drumsticks from his bag and starting running through one of his old routines on a clipboard he placed on his lap. 

After a few minutes, Grian’s distinctive accent sounded from outside, muffled by distance. “Guys, it’s over, he’s drumming. Might as well just drop him home.”

“What? You stop that talk!” Skizz threw his sticks in the corner, intentionally making the most chaotic clattering he could.

“And now he’s throwing things,” Gem complained. “He’s like a baby in his highchair.”

The three other hunters entered the van, laden with cameras, mics, and other devices. Grian started putting things back in their holders or charging batteries, and Gem walked over to Skizz.

“You’re still really pale,” she noted. Putting the back of her hand to his forehead, she frowned. “Skizz, you’re literally freezing!”

“Am I?”

Grian touched his head as well. “Yup. Cold as my hometown.”

Gem sighed. “I thought you’re supposed to be the one looking after us.”

Scar went over to his things and pulled out a heat pad he usually used for his back and put it into the tiny microwave they had in the truck. 

“You need to get this jacket off and get a jumper on or something.” Grian said, tugging the cheap faux-bomber jacket off the older man’s shoulders.

“There’s a fleece I use in that compartment under the backseat,” Scar said, testing the temperature of the pad with his hands.”

Grian nodded and left the truck to fetch it.

Gem took the jacket and felt it in her hands, grimacing. “Skizz, if you were in Canada with this thing, you’d die.”

“It’s just the first thing I grabbed,” he protested.

Their radios buzzed. 

“Alright, lads,” Grian said. “I’m turning on the truck to warm up the front, let’s get Skizz and Scar in the back seat. The cargo box of the truck shook a little as Grian turned on the ignition. When did he take Skizz’s keys? He really was tired.

“Come on,” Gem prompted, pulling Skizz up and strapping the folding chair back to the wall. 

Grian reappeared, taking the heating pad from Scar and wrapping it up in the fleece he’d fetched. Once Gem and Skizz were out of the box, Grian slid the ramp away and shut the door. 

With Skizz lifting under his arms and Grian holding his legs, Scar was lifted into the back of the cabin, his chair folded up and placed behind him. Skizz then piled in, followed by Gem. 

Grian got in the driver’s seat and cranked the heat. He turned around in his seat to face the three in the back. “Doesn’t really seem like we’re gonna do another hunt, fellas.”

“No, let’s get Skizz home,” Gem agreed. She was trying to finagle the fleece blanket around Skizz and the seatbelt. Scar was strapping the heat pad to the back of Skizz’s shoulders.

Skizz was feeling instantly better. He tucked his hands underneath his legs to warm them up. “You okay driving this thing, G? I know Dipple Dop has only given you a few lessons.”

“I’ll find a way to your house that doesn’t take the highway,” Grian said absently, scrolling on his phone.

“Grian, do you have your British tea? Could you spare some for Skizzy?”

Grian passed back a thermos, which Skizz sipped from gratefully.

“I feel so pampered,” he joked. 

“We’re saving your life!” Scar said dramatically. “We can’t let Skizzy freeze out on the field!”

“iDad would be so disappointed,” Grian said, pulling onto the road. 

“Oh, he’s going to be disappointed regardless, I’m telling him that Skizz almost froze to death,” Gem said, trying to act cool but Skizz could hear the smile in her tone.

Skizz reached out with both arms and brought Gem and Scar closer to him. “Well at least I have you guys to be there for me. Love you!”

“Love you too, Papa Skizz!” Scar said happily, hugging him awkwardly.

“Me too,” Gem said, resting her head on his shoulder.

“What about me?” Grian complained. 

Skizz reached forward and clapped Grian on the shoulder with a large hand. “Course I love you, G!”

“Yeah,” Grian said enthusiastically. “That was a real Dad pat on the back!” He turned on the music player and groaned when the sounds of rock music filled the truck cabin. “Ugh, and a real Dad playlist.”

In the end, Gem didn’t tell Impulse what happened when they got to their house. She called him and told him on the way back.

I’m changing your contact name to ‘Blizzleman’ ;)

I’m more insulted you’re not even coming up with a good play on words >:[

[auspicious-manner]

welcome back! just some simple domestic fluff with mike faist and famous reader! get to this whenever you feel like it! lots of love<3

thank you for the kindness! <3

i’ve missed writing for mike! also have you guys seen the new challengers trailer AHHHHH IM SO EXCITED IT LOOKS SO GOOD!!! i have a few challengers themed mike stories in my inbox/drafts, so expect those somewhat soon ;)

also it’s been a long time since i’ve written a fluff fic, so sorry if this sucks lol

fem reader x mike faist

warnings: anxiety and mentions of depression

Worthy

•

you loved nearly everything about your life. being an actress, singer, and now a writer has given you more confidence than anything else.

you started as an actress. ever since you were little, you would put on shows for your entire family with costumes and scripts. they weren’t simple either; you would perform full dramatic monologues, emotional scenes, and romantic moments with your stuffed animals. your mom didn’t have to hesitate putting you into acting classes.

into your teen years, you booked commercials and small roles in children’s shows. then, right when you turned eighteen, you got your big break when you gained a major role in a movie alongside some of hollywood’s biggest stars, directed by none other than steven spielberg.

from there, business offers and acting gigs flew in. everything seemed to be happening all at once. it was all so overwhelming. but fame is what you wanted, right?

that’s what you thought, at least. as a child, you glamorized the picturesque hollywood starlight life. you wanted everything from the glitz to the glam. you didn’t realize that being famous came with this sense of dread that one wrong move could end your entire career. you felt unworthy of being in the spotlight all the time. so, in order to keep those intrusive thoughts from rearing their ugly heads, you kept so busy that not even a single thought could even cross your mind.

you knew you could sing, and you began writing songs and releasing music. you even went on a north american tour. then, when the tour slowed down, you wrote a novel. you kept so busy that you lost track of who you really were. what you felt you were meant to do.

sure, you had success and had more connections and fans than anyone could dream of. but what did it matter when you felt so alone?

you began closing yourself off. the limelight was making you anxious, and you couldn’t bring yourself to be seen in public in the state you were in. it all felt so hopeless. you considered living of the grid and going incognito in order to escape the expectations placed on you. for months, you stayed as hidden as possible, and it only made things worse.

being a long time friend of steven spielberg at this point, he sent you a personal invite to the premiere his new film west side story. you almost threw the invite in the trash. the thought of going out on a red carpet again and seeing all of these faces with bright, flashing cameras was out of the equation for you. yet, you missed the feeling of being dolled up. you missed feeling pretty.

when the big night came, seeing yourself in the dress that you had picked out didn’t feel real. you felt like you and not you all at the same time. your mind was conflicted; you knew the glam of hollywood was what made you happy, but since it had been so long since you have felt that way, you felt oddly out of body.

it was a long, off white dress with a leg slit and a completely open back. the dress had sleeves that stopped just below your shoulders, and it hugged your body tightly but not uncomfortably. your wavy hair fell onto your shoulders neatly in a half up half down, your curtain bangs framing your face. for the makeup, you tried to keep it relatively natural, and you didn’t want to draw too many eyes. you paired the look with some heels and a purse.

looking in the mirror, you tried your hardest to feel positive. you looked beautiful, you felt beautiful, yet something still felt wrong. maybe it was because you had no one by your side if you got anxious. as far as you knew, you would know one person there.

the car sent to pick you up took you on a ride through new york as your heart rate quickened. when you arrived at the scene, the bright lights and red carpet gave you chills.

after walking into the crowd, it didn’t take long to find steven. he pulled you aside into a fatherly hug. it felt good to be near someone as familiar as him.

“Y/N, long time no see!” he said excitedly as you hugged him.

“it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” you replied, pulling away.

“what have you been up to? knowing you, i’m sure it’s something great!”

you smiled, trying to create a facade. “oh, you know, a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” you said while nervously laughing. you couldn’t tell steven spielberg that you’ve been in a slump and that the most productive part of your day is waking up and making something to eat.

“i’m excited to see whatever you have up your sleeve,” he said, going to your side and taking your arm. “now, there’s someone i’d like you to meet.”

he guided you through the crowds, and you kept close to him. everything was becoming overwhelming.

you approached a man with his back turned to you. “Y/N, meet mike faist. you two could have a lot to talk about.”

the man turned around, and the first thing you noticed about him was that his eyes seemed to be glowing. they were brighter and bluer than anything you’d ever seen. they were absolutely stunning. upon further inspection, you realized that you recognized him from the posters for the movie, and knew he was playing riff.

he smiled at you, almost as enthralled with you as you were with him. he held out a hand, and you took it gently to shake it. you hoped he didn’t feel the sweat building on your palms. “Y/N L/N, it’s lovely to meet you.”

you grew flustered. “how’d you know my last name?”

mike looked taken aback. “doesn’t everyone?” your smile fell slightly, and mike noticed. “i’m a big fan of your work. your songs, your movies, and i recently started reading your book too. you’re amazing at everything you do.”

steven patted your shoulder before walking away, leaving you with mike. mike had a presence about him that made you feel welcomed and seen. it’s been a while since you felt that way.

“so, mike, what else have you been in?” you asked, wanting to know more about his work. he knew so much about yours, and you felt a little embarrassed that you didn’t know more about him.

he smiled and looked down. “i was a newsie in newsies on broadway, and i covered jack kelly. i played connor murphy in dear evan hansen on broadway, i was in a tv show called panic, and a lot of other stage and film work.”

you nodded, squinting your eyes slightly. “you know, i’ve seen both of those shows on broadway, and i didn’t realize until just now that that was you.”

he laughed. “am i not memorable?”

you giggled in return. “i don’t think it’s that. i just think i’m missing a little part of my brain.”

you and mike continued to talk about your respective careers. you noticed that he was so easy to talk to, and that he listened to and hung onto every word that you would say. it gave you butterflies, and you wondered what was wrong with you.

sadly, you remembered you’re at mike’s movie premiere and he had to do interviews and talk to other people besides you. you could tell he wanted to stay with you, but knew he had other obligations. before he left, he said, “we’ll see each other again before the night is through.”

you’ve had plenty of men try and charm you, with the efforts always falling flat. you’re no stranger to keeping your feelings under control and learning to not date in hollywood. it was too easy to be played by the wrong guys. but, your heart was telling you something different about mike. he made you more nervous and giddy than anyone else ever had and you barely knew him. you started to forget about the fact that you’ve been a hermit battling with your mental health for the last few months.

you caught up with a few old friends from the industry that you had recognized in the crows before it was time to go to a private screening of the film.

you watched as everyone funneled into seats in the theater next to their plus ones and friends. you stood back, scoping the area for empty seats. you felt frozen as all the seats seemed to fill.

“follow me,” a voice said close to your ear before taking your hand and walking with you down the rows of seats. you noticed it was mike and you smiled to yourself.

he took you close to the screen, but not too close, and sat down with you. you sighed. “thanks for saving me back there, i was getting stressed.”

mike tilted his head. “you’re from around here. you’re used to red carpets and screenings, aren’t you? i didn’t think this would stress out someone as experienced as you.”

he was right, it shouldn’t have stressed you out. you were so used to hiding away for so long that this all felt new to you again like it did when you were eighteen.

mike noticed your expression change, and he turned to you. “i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have said anything. but you’re worrying me a bit, is everything okay?”

you tried to brush it off. “i’m fine now, really. crowds just get me anxious-”

“i’m not just talking about tonight,” mike said, leaning in towards you. “the world has caught onto your unprecedented disappearance from the public eye. that can never mean anything good. are you sure you’re okay?”

you bit your lip, holding back tears. it was one thing to keep everything to yourself and pack it away and never confront what you’re actually going through, but to hear someone else say it put it into perspective for you. you had completely lost track of your vision and goal in life. you had lost track of you.

mike put his hand on your leg comfortingly, taking the silence and the glossy tears hidden in your eyes as a sign that you weren’t okay. the silent support he sent was exactly what you needed in that moment. a stranger was the person you least expected to comfort you.

before you could both think to say anything else, steven appeared at the front of the crowd and gave a speech, followed by the showing of the movie. every time mike appeared on the screen, you got chills. he was amazing. his performance made you hate riff yet feel some kind of empathy for him. that was due to mike’s spellbinding performance.

occasionally, you would feel mike’s eyes glance at you when important scenes came up. it’s almost as if he wanted to see your reaction. he wanted your approval.

then, after two and a half short hours, the movie ended, and the theater erupted in applause. everyone stood on their feet and you did the same, small tears running down your cheeks. you looked at mike, and his smile dropped when he saw you.

“why are you crying?” he asked.

you sniffled. “it was so amazing. you were so amazing.”

mike turned red, and he reached down to envelope you in probably the best hug you’ve ever had. he had the widest grin, and it wasn’t just from the movie.

you and mike traded numbers, and from that night on, you became inseparable.

*

mike awoke something in you that hadn’t been seen in a long time. he made you feel inspired at motivated and comfortable. you hid yourself away from the world in fear that the public would turn on you, twist your words into something far from the truth. mike dispelled those feelings for you; you felt like yourself again around him.

after the night at the premiere, mike made the first move in wanting to talk to you. you face timed each other for hours each night, staying awake into the early hours of the morning just talking about anything and everything.

you went out for a coffee date a week after the premiere, and it seemed clear to both of you that there was more to be discovered than just a friendship.

as you were walking through central park with mike, keeping your head slightly down as to not attract any unwanted eyes, you boldly brushed your hand against his, letting it linger for a moment. his hand moved away, but creeped back into place when he realized what you were doing. he slowly grazed his finger tips against yours as he walked, and he reached his fingers out and your hand fit neatly into his. you continued to hold hands for the rest of your walk.

when you arrived back at your apartment, you both sat down on the couch, your bodies turned inwards to face each other.

“i feel like i’ve know you my whole life, but its only been a week,” you said quietly, looking into his eyes.

mike smiled lightly. “i’ve never clicked this fast with anyone.”

you both paused, and mike hesitated before he spoke again. “can i ask you a question?”

you nodded, and he went on.

“there’s always been so much speculation about your love life in the media, and dating rumors and whatnot. i don’t like believing anything the media says, but i want to hear it straight from you.”

you smiled to yourself. the media liked to pull things that weren’t actually there and make up stories for fun. you’ve never actually had a real date since you’ve been in the business, let alone a relationship.

“i haven’t found anyone worthy yet.”

mike nodded, scooting closer to you. you could tell he was aiming to put his arm around you, but hesitated to see your reaction. you leaned in, telling him without words that it was okay, and he rested his arm around your shoulder as you laid close to each other. you immediately felt comfortable under his arm.

“i admire you, Y/N. i always have. i like that you know what you want, and that you know yourself. that’s a really great quality to have.”

you blushed, but your happiness faltered. you leaned your head back on his arm. “yeah, i guess. too bad i haven’t felt that way recently.”

mike looked at you, frowning. “why? if you don’t mind me asking.”

you weren’t typically the one to open up quickly to strangers. but mike felt different. he wasn’t going to judge, or make you feel bad about yourself. he was comforting.

“i’ve hid myself away from the world because i’m scared. i’m so insanely scared of messing up and having the whole world turn on me. so, i did the only thing i could think to do. i locked myself away in hopes that it would help,” you giggled nervously. “it didn’t do shit.”

you were smiling at your own misfortune, but mike stayed somber. “i’m sorry, Y/N, that’s awful.”

you shrugged. “yeah, but i did it to myself.”

mike sat up, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. you froze under his touch. “the world needs your brilliance. don’t be afraid, there’s so many people ready to guide you and protect you from anyone trying to take you down. i’m here for you, i promise.”

you bit your lip, unable to say words. mike was so incredibly kind. all you could do was whisper a thank you.

mike put his arm back around you, and you leaned into the couch together. “if there’s anything i can do to help, let me know,” he said quietly.

you leaned your head on his shoulder, looking up at him. “you already have.”

mike smiled, turning red. “you’re cute.”

you felt complete. you hadn’t known mike for that long, but he filled a part of your soul that had been gone for a while. he made you feel liked again when you couldn’t like yourself.

you sat up and looked at him. your faces were only a few inches apart. at the same time, you leaned in, and your lips grazed each other before interlocking. it felt euphoric.

you pulled away, remaining close, and you smiled at each other. “you’re the most talented person i’ve ever met,” you whispered to him.

mike lightly placed his hand under your chin. “that means a lot coming from you. i love everything you do.”

you leaned in again, feeling your old self coming back again. you felt renewed. mike made you feel like the star you are again.

you rested your forehead on his. “thank you.”

mike tilted his head slightly. “for what?”

“for making me feel worthy again.”

mike smiled lightly, then gave you a short but sweet kiss. “never forget that you’re beautiful and wanted.”

a small tear escaped your eye. mike was everything you needed. you almost felt in denial that someone like him could be making you feel this way because you were so used to men not valuing you. you were moving fast with mike, but it felt right. you were never one to believe in love at first sight, but this was pretty damn close.

you leaned into his side again, and his hand rested on the back of your head. you could get used to this.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting to fix my relationship with an ex-friend in a toxic relationship?

CW domestic violence

I have a group of friends I met in college, but we remained friends after graduation. Let's call them Dora (26F), Megan (25F), Gabriel (25M), George (29M), Lauren (27F) and me (26F). Just for context, Megan and Gabriel are married, Dora is married with Phillip (30M) and Lauren just divorced from Jake (25M). I know, a lot of names, but all of this is important.

In the beginning of 2023, Lauren's husband Jake hit her and she went to the police. He was arrested for a short time and after that Lauren put a restraining order against him and filed for divorce. We were by her side during the whole thing and it was a very emotional time for all of us, especially for Megan, who suffered domestic violence from the boyfriend she had before Gabriel. It's important to note Megan is my best friend in the group.

Everything turned out okay for Lauren, but shortly after that Dora confessed to us her husband Phillip also hit her. That was a surprise for us because, to be honest, Dora looked way more toxic than Phillip at first sight; she was always making fun of him and she even hit him in front of us once or twice. Gabriel and I confronted them about it but Phillip said he didn't mind, because she is small so it didn't really hurt.

Anyway, Dora told us he hit her and there were, indeed, bruises on her ribs, legs and arms. She took a beating. She was too scared to go to the police, but we promised we would find a way to help her.

After that, our group, but especially Megan, Gabriel and I spent months doing everything we could to help Dora. Megan went to the police by herself to ask for advice and she also talked to Dora's mom asking for help. I talked to social workers looking for resources to help her. Gabriel pretended to be Phillip's friend to keep an eye on him and ensure Dora's safety. Dora herself seemed to change her mind everytime. She would ask for help and then tell us to mind our own business the next day. She even filed a police report against Phillip with Megan and Gabriel's help, but she cancelled it. Needless to say, it was emotionally draining for all of us, but since we were successful in helping Lauren when she went through the same, we thought we would be able to help Dora too.

We weren't. She kicked Phillip out for a month, but they kept talking in secret everyday and, in the New Year's Eve, while Megan and I were cooking for the party our group always does every year since 2018, she sent Megan a text saying she wouldn't come to the party and, in fact, she would no longer talk to us because she made up with Phillip and she knew we didn't approve that, so we couldn't be friends anymore.

We were devastated. We could barely enjoy our party because we worked so hard to help our friend and she threw that in the trash. All those months tolerating that man - which was triggering to both Megan and I since he reminded her of her aggressor and me of my abuser -, all the effort, all the stress and fear for nothing. To be discarded with a text on our special day.

I was too hurt and blocked Dora on everything. Gabriel blocked her on Instagram. During these last months, we talked a lot about the whole situation and we came to the conclusion that Dora was a very toxic person herself. We remembered several times she was offensive and aggressive with us, and her sister Barbara (18F), who lives with her, told us that she threw plates and books at Phillip while they fought, and their arguments were always the two of them beating each other up. In the end, we came to the conclusion Dora stayed in that relationship because she knew no one else would want to deal with her own aggressiveness. There was nothing else we could do for her and we decided to leave it at that.

Then, two days ago, Gabriel received a text from Dora on his Whatsapp. It was basically her complaining he blocked her on Instagram, saying she liked him so much and he was such a good friend for her and she wanted to know why he blocked her. He simply blocked her on Whatsapp too instead of answering her. Then she texted Lauren asking why she blocked her on Insta (which was super weird since Lauren didn't block her at all). Lauren also didn't answer her. Then she started to follow George on Instagram and he saw she posted a story written: "Love your friends for who they are and not for who you want them to be."

We all met yesterday to talk about the situation. We deduced she had a fight with Phillip and must be feeling lonely since we were her only friends, so she's getting desperate. But we are also so tired of all the drama this situation brought and none of us want be her friend anymore. So we all decided to block her (I mean, they decided to block, I have done that already) and call it a day.

Maybe she needs help, but after the way she treated us, she will need to look for it somewhere else.

AITA for that?

[basketprutas]

I can't stop feeling, I want her love ♡

Prompt: Childe, captain of your rival school's soccer team, helps you clear out the soccer field and closes it up with you. Will he stop being an asshole? Probably not.

Characters: SoccerPlayer! Childe x Fem reader

Genre: Modern High School Sports AU, school rivals to something more?

Notes: This prompt was in my mind and I couldn't help but bring it to life. I hope y'all like this!

Now playing... She wants me (to be loved) by The Happy Fits!

Soccer practice was always fun but sometimes sharing the field with your rival team isn’t the best idea. You had no choice though, both your team and Childe’s booked the same field for the same time slot and now you had no choice but to practice with their team.

You’re not complaining, with the start of the season coming up next week, having a rough practice with his team can prep you and your team for what’s to come. It was a great match, with both teams doing their best until the very end. Though it ended with a tie, you and Childe were fine with the outcome. With both of your teams being the best out of all the other teams, you were expected to meet in the finals anyway.

Now late at night, the cold breeze blows through the field as both you and Childe pick up the balls all over the place. He was moving the cart for the soccer balls while you picked them up. Childe, of course, was being a piece of shit by teasing you as you went around the field.

“You wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.” He laughs as you pick up the balls. “Projecting now, are we?” You replied, not backing down from his usual antics. “Just admit it, you have a stupid little crush on me. You should just leave me alone, you know.” He nudges your shoulder. “While I would love to do so, you and I are unfortunately stuck together while we’re still in season.” You groan.

“You’re annoying, you know that right?” “I’m doing nothing but helping you clear out the field, Jesus.” “Whatever, you just wanna stare at my eyes all night long.” He teases, and your face turns more sour as he continues talking. “It’s funny how you always get upset so easily.” He added.

“And it’s frustrating how you sound like a fucking frat boy that’s desperate.” “Says the girl who can’t take a joke?” He stopped rolling the cart and when you picked up a ball, you threw a ball in his direction, a little harder than you anticipated. Childe grunts as the soccer ball hits his stomach, and you laugh it off. 

“You trying to get me hurt or something?” He complains and you can’t help but feel bad. “Sorry, got caught up.” You say as you pick up more balls and shoot them to the cart. “God I hate you,” He replies. “Yeah of course you do.”

Once you and Childe gather all the soccer balls, both of you sigh in relief. All that’s left to do is to clear out the locker rooms and you can leave the field soon enough. The locker room was a mess, with scattered equipment here and there and some water bottles too. You start clearing the mess by starting with the trash.

“How the hell does everyone, even my own team, leave this place a mess.” You complain as you clean up. “Because we’re tired after training, is what it is,” Childe replies as he sees you struggle a little bit. “Need any help?”

“Just clear out the equipment over there.” You point at the scattered equipment and he nods as he starts to do what you asked. Feeling a little bit of awkwardness, Childe tries to stir up a conversation. “So uh, you going to the game of the other teams?” He asks hesitantly. “The others? I mean, they could never compete against us. Contrary to popular belief, I do believe you and your team are good.” You reply nonchalantly.

“Cocky, but seriously- you’re going?” He says as he puts back the last of the equipment. “Probably. Still need to look out for that one guy from Inazuma, looks promising.” “He is good, though he won’t have a chance to play considering he’s up against me and my team.” He laughs.

“Not unless my team wins first.” You say as you tie the last garbage bag. “Like you’ll actually win. I don’t know why you bother to try, honestly.” He rolls his eyes. “We may have lost last year but I swear this year is promising.” You reply as you remember last year’s finals. 

“And how will things be different this year?” He teases. “You know what, let's make a bet. If your team wins, I’ll do whatever you want.” He adds, and you turn to face him. “I gain nothing from that. No thanks.” You grab your bags and lock up with him beside you. 

“Psh you’re such a coward,” he laughs. “Who’s to say I don’t want something too? Let's just bet, come on captain.” Both of you were now walking out of the soccer field. “Excuse me?” You reply, staring at him in disbelief. “Did I stutter? If I win, have dinner with me. What’s so bad about that?” He smirks. 

“You’re unbelievable, fine! If my team wins you’ll do whatever I want and if you win I'll eat dinner with you.” You say, defeated. He just never seemed to back down even in things as foolish as this. Childe does a little victory dance and you scowl and cringe as you watch him do so. “Oh, you are SOOO on. If you lose, prepare for the best dinner of your life.” “Whatever you say, Ajax. Have a good night.” You reply as you reach the exit of the field. “Goodnight captain!” He says as he runs over to his car.

The night may be over, but things just got interesting.

As you drive back home, you can’t help but laugh off everything that just happened.

Childe was always a tease, and even in previous games you would notice his tenacious energy. Your casual banter with him before and after games was always a pain in the ass, but no one can complain, after all, you and his teams were the best out there. You’d eventually see each other and be the finalists every season. Now with a little bet placed, you can’t help but feel a little motivation to do better than before.

Why did Childe make the bet in the first place? You could only guess.

END.

Notes: TEEHEE I felt so giddy writing this and I may or may not have another part already in the works... so if you guys actually want me to continue this ill post the next part soon enough >:) (also none of this is probably true to what soccer is but shhh for the sake of the story lets just say soccer does have equipment LMAO)

I recently started writing again; click here to learn more about me ^-^

Inbox is always open for suggestions and comments.

-Clara

[bagerfluff]

haii!! im the anon you just responded to and i wanted to request a short fic of leo valdez and his little gloomy boyfriend hanging out:)) maybe have it be like them on a cute little date?

also!! could i be ur 💀 anon:3

Thank you for requesting 💀 anon. Your wish is my command, and I also really like this prompt. I hope you like this and have a good day and don't forget to drink water :)

Gloomy Coffee Date

Leo Valdez x Male Reader

Prompt - Coffee Date

"Come on Y/n".

You glanced over at Leo as he pulled you along the streets. You and Leo were currently making your way through New York.

Since this was the first day in months that you and Leo had a day off, Leo wanted to spend it doing something.

You wanted to hang out in your house. Read a book, watch a movie, cuddle. Something like that. But Leo wanted to go out and visit a new coffee shop that he saw online. You didn't want to do that, you didn't like going out. But the smile on Leo's face made you cave.

So off you and Leo went, hand and hand down the street to the shop. It was a nice day out. It was sunny with no clouds.

It wasn't windy, and lots of plants were in bloom. But not even the flowers could mask the sent of the city.

You were the opposite of the day.

You had a scowl on your face. You weren't the most excited about going out. But the smile on Leo's face helped.

"Come on, Sunshine, stop looking so gloomy", Leo looked back to you to say this. You rolled your eyes. You had no idea how many times how many people have said this.

You weren't gloomy, you just had a resting bitch face. You mostly kept to yourself. People never liked talking to you. Saying that you were too blunt.

You never minded.

You were shocked when Leo started talking to you. He didn't seem to mind that you were gloomy. He didn't mind that you were you.

You smiled as you walked. "Where here!" Leo yelled and you looked up. In front of you and Leo was the coffee shop. "Come on!" Leo yelled again and walked in.

You started to realize that maybe it wasn't the best idea to take Leo to a coffee shop. Oh shit. Well, to late to turn back now.

As soon was Leo walked in he dragged you to the counter and rang the bell. You watched as someone came up and asked Leo what he wanted.

You weren't really paying attention, you were reading the menu. That was until Leo tapped you on the shoulder and asked you what you wanted. "Plain black coffee please", just because you looked impolite doesn't mean you are.

"Boring", Leo said. "Just because I don't want to put pounds of sugar in my body doesn't mean I'm boring", you countered. Leo rolled his eyes and waited by the counter.

Leo let go of your hand and you left to find a table. Once you found one in the corner you sat down and started out the window.

The sun was glaring into the shop, the curtains on either side of the window did little to stop it. There was a ledge and a couple flower pots on said ledge.

They smelled nice but someone them looked like they were dying. Once you heard footsteps you looked over at saw Leo walking towards you with two cups of coffee and a cookie.

Great. More sugar.

Leo sat down and handed you your drink. Leo sat right next to you and immediately started to eat is cookie. You and Leo mostly stayed quiet.

Saying something every once and a while, but mostly not talking. You two were mostly just enjoying each others company.

Leo was the one who talked more, but that was normal. Once you and Leo were done you threw your trash away and Leo dragged you out of the coffee shop.

Leo was talking a mile a minute as you sped walked back to your apartment. Leo was dragging you along but you didn't mind.

This was better then staying home.

[maybeitsalivescribbles]

VH - Meet the Wife

Vampire Hero was insufferable. All his foes agreed on that.

So, after Supervillain escaped, the first thing he wanted was revenge. It was easy to locate Hero – it was not like this smug bastard was hiding. Currently, Supervillain was watching him by one of the windows of his home.

It was a nice scene, if a tad melodramatic. Hero was sitting by the bed – and yes, he was kneeling – holding the hand of a pretty woman who didn’t react. Supervillain knew that she wouldn’t. He had made an inquiry about her. She was Hero’s wife, and she'd been cursed.

“It’s a sleeping spell, and it’s not curable for now”, he’d heard from one of Hero’s colleagues. “She’s only awake one or two hours, poor guy. He basically turned good for her sake.”

Supervillain’s reasoning was simple. If you couldn’t attack your foe directly, you went for the weak spot. A hero annoys you, you kill his wife, the hero goes mad with grief, that was a classical story. He had a nice view from the window. She really looked like one of these virginal princesses you see in these old fairy tales books. It was not hard to imagine the girl with her hands clasped, pleading for the life of the innocents until her man relented. Yes, it would be fun to rip her into pieces.

After a while, Hero went off. Breaking into the place after that was easy. Supervillain opened the door, checked a couple of rooms, and smiled. He didn’t have to be careful. Even if the wife would wake up, she looked frail even wrapped in blankets. He tilted his head, looked at her, wondered if that was worth gloating when no one could hear him, then shrugged and stabbed his victim.

“Zdiiiiiiiingbonnng”

Supervillain’s eyebrow went up his hairline. He removed the blankets, leaving the body covered with only a silk gown, and tried again. The result was the same. The dress was damaged, but the blade bounced on the skin. Supervillain squinted.

Two purple eyes slowly blinked and stared at him. A skinny hand brushed over the hole in her dress. The wife yawned.

“Are you the delivery man ?” she asked.

Supervillain straightened up.

“I’ve come to deliver a message to your husband”, he answered. “I will not rest until I’m avenged.”

“Avenged ? You didn’t get a tip ?”

“I’m your husband’s mortal foe.”

She laughed.

“No, you’re not. You’re food.”

She opened her mouth, and Supervillain just had time to see a glint of her razor-sharp teeth before she bit his neck. That didn’t last long. After the first sip, she rejected him with disgust. Her thin arms threw him away much farther than the laws of physics should have permitted. He landed in the middle of the room, and not too softly.

“How dare you,” she said with a voice low enough to make the ground shiver. “You’re not even worth eating. A couple of centuries ago, young man, I wouldn’t even have wanted your head in a spike near my castle.”

Supervillain crawled back in the direction of the main door. She stepped towards him with as much enthusiasm as one would throw the trash out, but she stopped. Her eye had caught a note stuck on the fridge. Supervillain squinted. The note said: “Please don’t kill or maim in the house sweetheart ♡ (because of my job)”

The wife clucked her tongue and sighed, but reluctantly stayed still. Supervillain’s pride got the better of him. He stood up, dusting his cape, squared his shoulders and groaned:

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with. You might be strong, but I’ve wiped out cities. Once the country was nearly in my grasp. It takes talent. It takes guts. It takes more than powers that were given to you on a silver plate.”

“Nearly ?”

She gave him a look of absolute contempt and went back to bed:

“Don’t boast about your failures, little man, and leave me be.”

Incredulous, he watched her getting back to sleep, putting on her face something to shield her eyes from the light. It looked like a mask, and not a normal sleep mask, but a huge, heavy thing that glittered. As a vampire, he supposed she didn’t need to breathe, but still, it didn’t look comfortable. He stepped forward to take a better look. It was in metal all right, and it was a grimacing face of a demon.

His blood ran cold. He already saw that mask. It was depicted on a book he had as a teen, about the dark and evil rulers of the ancient times. “The Iron Death”, said the legend. “The gory story of an evil empress who drowned her captives in the blood of their subjects, and sought to be turned into a vampire so she would keep her empire forever.”

He shook his head in disbelief. It was an old tale, a story from at least a couple of centuries ago. And the Iron Death had been vanquished by a vampire hunter who had...oh.

Who had put her to sleep eternally.

He suddenly felt a drop of sweat on his forehead, but he grunted for good measure:

“Right. Like I’m going to believe that. Where’s your consort, Iron Death? Where’s your cruel prince who tortured for his entertainment?”

“The Hero agency offered him money to look after me if he worked for them”, answered the low voice of the lady. “My poor darling didn’t enjoy the scream of his victims as much as before. He’s changed his hobbies. You do that after a while. But I didn’t. Get out.”

Supervillain ran.

*

Vampire Hero is now a recurring character. His job is to troll current villains. (Yes, I know he technically doesn't appear here, but it still counts.) Check the Vampire Hero Masterlist or Tag for more snippets with him.

[writing-fanics]

after jealousy

Xavier Thorpe x Reader

Part 0 // Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Finale // Epilouge // After Ever

“So we were friends?” She asked, looking at him curiously while occasionally looking down at the photo book.

“Yes, but I was a really shit friend.” He says and she looks at him, “It sure sounds like it,” she says turning through the book. Smiling softly at each picture her eyes scanned across. Xavier hoping that at least one of them would trigger her memories to return.

It wasn’t until she landed on one, A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she looked down at the picture of their first kiss. How could I forget? That moment was the most magical and special moment of her entire life.

She remembered how her heart skipped a beat the moment his lips where on hers. The kiss that lead to nothing but heartbreak.

“I-I loved you,” She sniffled, as the memories flooded back tears brimming her eyes.

“I-I thought you liked me after the kiss,” She whimpered, her grip tightening on the photo book.

“Why’d you even kiss me, if you didn’t even like me.” She asked, turning to look at him.

He didn’t know why. It happened two years ago. He could see the heartbreak in her eyes, as she looked at him waiting for answer.

“I-I don’t know.” Was all he could say and she shook her head, closing the book and handing it back to him.

“Leave,” He looked up at her in shock, “What?” She turned towards him.

“Leave, I don’t care if I’m being unreasonable. But right now, I can’t even look at you. For years, I’ve been there for you and all you do is push me away.” She whimpered gripping the hospital blanket.

“You were my light, you saved me in the darkest moment of my life. and then you toss me aside like I was nothing.” She sniffled her knuckles turning white.

“I can’t take it anymore!” She cried tears rolling down her cheek, Xavier looked at her tears in his eyes.

“Y/n give me a second chance.” He pleads placing his hand over hers, and she pulled it away.

“No, maybe one day I can forgive you. But I can’t take it anymore. I’m not going to be used.” She said, trying her best to wipe away the tears.

“I no longer have feelings for you,” She said, and now the heartbreak [Y/n] went through seemed to transfer over to Xavier.

“Maybe, we can be friends again but I no longer hold romantic feelings. My heart can only take so much.” She says and Xavier nods, sniffling.

“I’m sorry, for everything.” He says, as he stands up from the chair and walks towards the door.

“Goodbye Xavier.” She says, and he turns too look at her.

“Bye, Y/n.” He says leaving her hospital room. Once he left the hospital, he angrily threw the photo book into the trash. angry at himself for causing this, he should’ve realized it sooner.

he looked down and noticed the picture of their first kiss, lying on the snow covered ground. he picked it up, and stared at it for a moment. staring at what could’ve been.

a/n: sorry I was going to have a hint towards them ending up together but~ this suits it more too much?

[cariantha]

Favors

Book: Open Heart, Book 1 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: General Category: Angsty Fluff, Christmas Word count: 2.5K Summary: Sawyer is worried that her crush is getting the wrong impression and is later hurt when she thinks he has taken advantage of a situation. A/N: This takes place during intern year (pre-Miami) shortly before the events in Merry Christmas, Rookie.

Events/Prompts: • Photo prompt from @jerzwriter • Participating in CFWC Holidays 2023 • Participating in Choices Flashfics Holiday Prompts 🎄12: “The tree isn’t the only thing getting lit this year.” 🎅21: “It looks like Santa threw up in here.” 🎁67: “What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?” • Participating in Choices Flashfics Week #64 Prompts 👨🏻‍⚕️2: “I’m not in the mood for a lecture.” • Participating in Choices Holidays Winter 2023

While waiting in the lunch rush lines in the cafeteria, Sienna reminded her roommates of their party assignments. “...I’ve got the treats covered, Elijah is handling the music, Jackie is making jingle juice-”

“Hell yeah!” Elijah exclaimed, giving Jackie a high-five. 

“The tree isn’t the only thing getting lit this year,” she said coolly.

“Oh, and don’t forget your white elephant gifts!” Sienna also reminded them.

“Shit, I forgot about that. What are the rules again?” Jackie asked.

“The only rule is you can’t buy anything,” Sienna answered. 

“I’ll go shop the lost and found when we’re done here.”

“Or, I saw some pharma reps in the atrium earlier. You could try to hit them up for some swag,” Sawyer chimed in. 

When the group reached the front of the line, a heavy arm slipped around Sawyer’s shoulders. “Thanks for saving my spot, Brooks,” Bryce winked, cutting in line.

“Do you meatheads have to cut into everything?” Jackie barked.

Bryce chomped into the apple he hadn’t yet paid for. “Yep,” he nodded with a big toothy grin. “I’m just trying to get on the naughty list. If you all want to join me, we could save Santa a trip this year,” he joked.

“You’re already looking at Santa’s favorite ho,” Jackie quipped.

“Brooksie, I actually am in a hurry. I need to scrub in for a lymphadenectomy. Do you mind?” he asked seriously.

Sawyer tilted her head to the register, gesturing for him to go ahead.

“Thanks.” When the cashier asked if they were together, Bryce said yes.

“Bryce, you don’t have to-”

He placed a hand on the small of her back. "I've got you, Ipo. I'll see you later," he promised before hurrying away.

“Girl, what are you holding out for? He's hot and he's totally into you,” Sienna teased, once Bryce was out of earshot. 

Sawyer lifted her tray and turned to her friend. She opened her mouth to say something, but froze when she spotted a six-foot-four-inch, blue-eyed attending at the adjacent register. Not knowing how much he saw or heard, a blush of embarrassment colored her cheeks. Feeling like a shy teenager at a school dance, Sawyer hoped the interaction with Bryce hadn’t given her crush the wrong impression. 

As Ethan raised his eyes to her, he gave no indication. Pocketing his wallet, he stoically turned and exited the cafeteria. 

As their shift ended, Sawyer approached her roommates who were walking in the opposite direction down the hall.

“Locker room is that way, Brooks,” Jackie pointed. 

“I know, I just need to run and check on one more patient before I clock out.”

“Do you want us to wait for you?” Sienna asked.

“No, don’t wait up. I’ll be right behind you.” 

After making sure the coast was clear, Sawyer slipped behind the plastic curtain that sealed off the construction wing. Naveen spiked a fever earlier in the day, and she wanted to check on him before going home. She found him fast asleep, and after checking his monitors and medications, she quietly tidied the room. When she finished, she softly closed the door behind her, whispering, “Goodnight, Dr. B.”

On her way to dispose of some trash, Sawyer’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

Bryce knocked and let himself in, making a beeline to the kitchen to find Sienna. “Help?” he asked, lifting a roll of wrapping paper and tape.

She looked at him puzzled. “Where’s your gift?”

“You're looking at it.” He beckoned her to the living room, where he laid down on the floor. 

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” she laughed, kneeling next to him.

A few minutes later, Sienna placed the last piece of tape, securing the wrapping around Bryce’s torso. Using all of her body weight, she rolled him to his back and slid him under the Christmas tree. 

“Si?” he called, his voice muffled. “Do me a favor and start the game sooner than later. I already have to pee.”

In the locker room, Sawyer traded her white coat for her winter one. As she gathered her things, her phone buzzed with an incoming call.

“Hi,” she answered.

“Hi. By any chance, are you still at the hospital?” Ethan asked.

“I am.”

“Could I ask you for a favor? I’ve had something come up at the last minute. Would you be able to stay with Naveen for a few hours?”

By now, Sawyer had come to know Ethan Ramsey well enough to know that he would not ask for help unless he was desperate. “Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I’m pressed for time right now, but I’ll explain later. I’ll relieve you as soon as I can.”

“No problem.”

“Thanks, Rookie.”

Sawyer was about to text Sienna when Danny entered the room.  

“Hey, Sawyer,” he waved. “I thought you’d be at home getting ready for the party. I’m heading there now if you want a ride.”

“Danny, I’m so glad you’re here! Could you take something to Sienna for me? I’m not going to make it home for a while.”

“How come?” 

She made sure they were alone and lowered her voice. “Dr. Ramsey got tied up with something and asked if I would look after Patient X for a few hours.”

“You should go and have fun with your roommates, Sawyer. I can stay,” he insisted, having been recruited by Ethan shortly after Naveen agreed to be treated.

“That’s really sweet of you, Danny, but I know you traded shifts so you could be off tonight. Besides, Sienna baked a batch of peppermint chocolate chip cookies just for you.”

“She did?” he smiled.

“Yeah. Go. Have fun. I’ll be there as soon as Dr. R gets here.”

After Danny left with what appeared to be a wrapped bedpan, she updated her roommate.

Later, Sawyer was in Naveen’s room, scrolling through Pictagram when her phone vibrated with a new text notification.

Several hours had passed when Sawyer felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Rookie?” 

“Hiiiii,” she managed through a yawn. 

“I’m so sorry,” Ethan apologized.

“Huh? What time is it?” Sawyer reached for her phone, noticing several missed calls from Sienna and Bryce. 

“It’s almost four in the morning. I would have been here sooner, but I accidentally dozed off,” he explained, helping her to her feet.

“It’s okay. There's no doubt you probably needed it. And it’s been quiet here. His fever finally broke a little while ago.” 

“Good. Go home and get some sleep,” he instructed, “I’ll tell Ines that you’ll be in this afternoon.” 

“Okay.” Sawyer shouldered her bag and headed for the door. “Good night."

“Sawyer?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Thank you.”

With a shake of the snow from her coat, Sawyer entered her apartment and found Landry eating breakfast at the kitchen table. “Oh boy. It looks like Santa threw up in here.”

“Smells like it too,” he grumbled. 

“I’m surprised you’re still going in early after…,” she circled her hand in the air, “all of this.”

“Yeah, well, not all of us are lucky enough to get preferential treatment from Dr. Ramsey.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“What? This is the second time he’s personally assigned you a case. To my knowledge, he hasn’t assigned cases to any of the other interns in the competition.”

“Wow. Well, maybe if you ever crack the top five, he will.” She let him chew on that as she hung her coat and walked to her room.

Bryce turned from the surgical board and spotted Sawyer approaching. “Finally coming to collect your prize, Brooksie?”

Sawyer rolled her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like your gift?”

“You’re ridiculous,” she shook her head with an amused smile.

“So I’ve been told. By the way, this gift comes with a night on the town.” 

Unbeknownst to her, Dr. Ramsey inconveniently emerged from a nearby patient’s room, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“Bryce-” 

But before she could protest, he backed his way down the hall. “I’ve gotta run. Check your schedule and let me know when to pick you up. And you should know, I have a strict ‘no rejections’ policy.”

She sighed deeply once his back was to her, then turned to find Ethan standing a couple feet away, his eyes focused on the tablet in his hand.

“Dr. Ramsey,” she acknowledged sheepishly.

Ethan glanced at her with a side eye. “Brooks.”

“Rrrrr! Of course he is here right now!” As they moved on to their next tasks, Sawyer told herself it was time for a heart to heart with Bryce.   

"Excuse me, would you please page Dr. Ramsey?"

A few minutes later, Ethan met an attractive woman at the nurses’ station and led her away from the busybodies seated at the circular desk. As they walked down the hall, she handed him a small box. “Thank you, Jen. I really appreciate this. I’ll send you the outcome report as soon as the trial period ends.”

Stepping in front of him, Jen pulled him to the side until their shoulders hugged the wall. "It was great to see you again." She paused as a couple nurses walked past. "We had a good time last night, didn’t we?"

“It was nice to catch up.”

She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when Sawyer heard the familiar voice, she wondered if her ears were deceiving her. 

“Listen, I would love to see you again tonight,” Jen continued, reaching for the end of his tie and running it through her fingers. “I’m staying at The Langham. Come have drinks with me and…,” she shrugged, "we can see where things go from there.” 

“I-”

Stepping out from the vending machine alcove, Sawyer turned her head in their direction. 

Ethan’s surprised eyes met hers, finding only hurt. He moved Jen’s hand back to her side as Sawyer spun and walked briskly in the opposite direction. 

“Jen, you’ll have to excuse me. I need to go,” he apologized, watching the woman he longed for retreat and disappear from sight. “I appreciate your assistance. I will speak with you later.” 

“Later tonight?”

“I’ll text you,” he said as he sidestepped her.

Ethan’s long strides carried him down the hall quickly. He nearly collided with a visitor as he rounded the corner. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

In the far corner of the cafeteria, Sawyer watched the snow fall in the empty courtyard. The sound of metal chair legs scraping against the tiled floor jarred her from her thoughts.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Why? Need another favor?” she said, words laced with disdain.

“Rookie, that-”

“Dr. Ramsey, I haven’t been helping you to win favor or get a leg up in the competition. If you want an intern to run errands and cover for your ass, then let me suggest Dr. Olsen. He'd be more than happy to fill that role.”

She lowered her voice, hurt replacing anger. “I canceled plans with my roommates last night, because I believed that if you were asking for help, it must have been important. If I had known I was only covering so that you could go on a date and get…” She let the rest of the sentence die on her tongue. “Sorry. I know it’s none of my business how you spend your free time, but I won’t let you take advantage of mine.” 

Visibly disappointed, she avoided eye contact. Ethan keenly observed that her disappointment went beyond merely thinking he would take advantage of her kindness. If he was reading the situation correctly, it was the same disappointment he had felt seeing her with the surgical intern.

“Sawyer, let me explain. Jen works for Phlaum Pharmaceuticals. They are currently conducting a trial on a new antibiotic for sepsis. I reached out to her when I heard about it. Her team is in the area promoting a new product this week. You may have noticed her reps in the lobby. She made herself available to meet with me last night. And after some convincing, she agreed to pull some strings to get Naveen into the trial. She was here this afternoon to drop off the treatment.” Ethan pulled a small vial from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“It sounded like you convinced her all right,” she muttered.

“Rookie. I know we haven’t known each other long, but do you honestly believe I’m the type of person who would trade sexual favors? I agreed to a testimonial and a couple expo appearances. That’s all.”

“What? Can you blame me for going there? She said she had a ‘good time,’ and you told me you were late because you ‘accidentally dozed off,’ then she asked you to meet her again tonight…At. A. Hotel.”

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose at her teasing dramatization, failing to hide the crack of a smile.

“So, how’d you get out of it?” she wondered.

“I told her I would text her later.”

“You don’t text.”

“Exactly.” His knee touched hers, but neither one attempted to move away. “I need to get back upstairs. Can you meet me later to review the trial protocols?”

“I have a few patients to check on. I’ll page you after?” she answered.

Ethan scooted back in his chair, but before standing, he covered Sawyer’s hand with his own. 

“Sawyer, your contributions and the sacrifice of your time have not gone unnoticed. And as far as I’m concerned, you are my partner on this case. I should have filled you in on the drug trial. I just didn’t want either of us to get our hopes up.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Ramsey.” When he moved to stand, she followed. “I’m finished here. I’ll head back up with you.”

The elevator doors were halfway closed when a fellow intern squeezed his way through. 

“Hi, Brad,” Sawyer greeted.

“Sooo, who’s the lucky guy?” he quizzed, embarrassingly indiscreet.

“Pardon?”

“Come on, girl. Why else would you ditch us last night? Your roommates say you’re never home. You rarely come out for drinks anymore. And, you’ve parked Bryce in the friend zone.” Brad nudged her shoulder with his. “Spill the tea.”

“Sorry to disappoint, TMZ, but I’m not dating anyone. I got stuck here with a last minute case.” She made her eyes big and subtly tipped her head toward Dr. Ramsey as a warning. Luckily, Brad picked up on the cue, sparing her from having to tell any more white lies. 

Ethan hid a smile, pretending not to notice the act.

“Any chance you guys will host again for New Years? You’re the only ones with an apartment big enough,” Brad asked as they exited the elevator together. 

“Talk to Elijah. He’s the party planner of the group.” 

Once Brad was on his way, Ethan reached for Sawyer's elbow drawing her back. “You skipped your own party?” 

She shrugged. “You needed my help, and our patient wasn’t in any condition to be left alone.”

“You should have told me. I would have figured something else out…” He looked into her eyes with a sense of wonder. “Thank you. I owe you one.”

She smiled up at him. “You’re welcome.”  

“So, what excuse did you give your roommates?” he asked as they walked side by side down the hall.

“About that…” she said with a tense grin, “I’m gonna need you to assign some of your cases to the other interns in the top five.”

“Come again?”

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @peonierose @potionsprefect @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter @queencarb @coffeeheartaddict2 @quixoticdreamer16 @jamespotterthefirst @liaromancewriter @zealouscanonindeer @tveitertotwrites @tessa-liam @youlookappropriate @kyra75 @socalwriterbee @txemrn @choicesflashfics

[ckret2]

Heh, what if in a future chapter when bill finally gets to hang out with Wendy and the cool kids, they joke about visiting “that wicked creepy statue of the guy who tried to kill us and start the apocalypse” and possibly vandalize it cause teen behavior, and bill’s just standing there, still as a statue and trying very hard not to blow his cover by yelling at the teens for DARING to vandalize what is essentially his corpse and tombstone. Hahaha jk. ….unless 👀

This is just a theory though

My goal, fingers crossed, is that once The Book Of Bill comes out, I'll be able to edit earlier chapters to make them canon-compatible with TBOB, and then remain canon compatible from there on out. (Depending on how much effort that takes. I'll change details to make it work; but if I'd have to change the entire story to make it canon compatible, pass.)

Anyway: so far, most of what we know about the contents of The Book Of Bill comes from this excerpt of the first few pages, which accidentally leaked early on a Brazilian book site and has been translated from Portuguese back into English. Including:

I was recently packing for a well-deserved family trip when I found something at the bottom of my backpack: a black book with a triangle on the cover. Dismissing it as a bad prank (some teenagers in the neighborhood think that “worshipping Bill” is “cool”), I threw the book in the trash, shot the trash with a shotgun and threw the whole thing off a cliff.

So nope. Bill worship is cool now. If they're visiting his corpse, they're doing it to offer a flesh sacrifice* to the triangular god of chaos.

*chicken nuggets

I actually posted chapter 44 right before that excerpt leaked. If the excerpt had dropped just two days earlier, I woulda edited the chapter so that Bill's statue is surrounded by litter from chip bags, candy wrappers, and soda cans—so that he could find out later on that that's the local teens' attempts to leave him offerings. Once the book comes out and I edit the earlier chapters, I'll probably put that detail in.

[jerzwriter]

First Date

Based on this ask from @lexicook74-blog, Trystan takes Carolina out on an official first date now that they are out in the open. This is pure, unadulterated fluff with a twist of sarcasm that makes them... them. I hope you enjoy it! 💗

Book: Crimes of Passion (Post Book 2) Pairing: M!Trystan Thorne x F!MC (Carolina Rose) Category: Fluff (with a twist of NY) Words: 2,495 A/N: @choicesoctober - Celebration - because an official first date for these two is something to celebrate! Also, @choicesprompts Flufftober - First Date

It was difficult to tell who was most excited to be back. Carolina had always known she was a New Yorker through and through, but her time in Drakovia had solidified that commitment. Now, she even loved the things she hated about her hometown. Although, she was pretty confident her romanticization of smelly trash bins and subway rats had just about run its course. For Trystan, it felt like a dream he never dared to believe had come true. No longer in exile, no longer forced to live a life his birth alone decreed. For the first time in his life, he knew freedom, and it couldn’t be any sweeter.  

But their return to the Big Apple wasn’t all fun and games. Mafalda wasn’t exaggerating about the amount of work awaiting them back at the agency. But they were eager to get back to it, working long days that often drifted into the night, which is where they were now.

The clock struck eight, and the sun’s few remaining rays washed the office in a soft, amber glow. Trystan placed another cup of coffee in front of Carolina, and she rewarded him with a tender smile before quickly returning to her work. He picked up a folder to do the same. But, when his cup of java did nothing to help his exhaustion, he leaned back for a quick break, studying his favorite subject as he did... his precious Carolina.

Love was an amazing thing. There she was with her hair in a messy bun, raccoon-like dark circles under her eyes, and while a coffee-stained shirt was the norm for Detective Rose, today, it was paired with a little spaghetti sauce from dinner. Still, as Trystan took her in, he was sure he had never seen anything more beautiful. Carolina glanced up and caught him staring. If she weren't so tired, she would have something witty to say, but sticking her tongue out at him would need to suffice. Pleased that she was being more immature than him for once, Trystan let out a chuckle. This was worthy of marking on the calendar, but so was something else on his mind.

“Today is Thursday, is it not?” He asked.

Carolina thought so but looked at her phone for good measure.

“Thursday it is,” she smiled. “The days seem to be melting into one another, don’t they?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We need to do something about that.”

“What do you suggest?” she asked as she closed her notebook. “Quitting the agency?”

“Of course not! But even Mafalda said we’ve been overdoing it since we returned. So I declare this weekend a work-free zone. Besides, we have plans.”

“We do?” She asked with a scrunched nose. 

“We do now,” he smiled. “We have never been on a proper date, and it's time we change that.”

“Trystan,” she rolled her eyes. “We’ve gone out plenty of times.”

“Gone out? Yes. But a proper date? No.”

“What do you call all the times we’ve gone out to eat?"

“Obtaining sustenance.”

“And when we went to the Yankee Game?”

“The game we attended with Luke and Ruby? Where I had to whisk you away to a private area just to kiss you?”

“Only for the kiss cam to snag us,” she laughed.

“Exactly! Had it been an official date, and the kiss cam had caught us... I would have given them quite a show.”

“You make a point,” she concurred.

“I make lots of them, Carolina,” he smirked. “If only you paid more attention.”

He quickly dodged the rubber band ball she threw his way.

“Maybe we should go to another Yankee game,” she laughed. “Clearly, my pitching isn’t what it should be.”

“I’m sure sure more Yankee games in our future,” he smiled. “But this time, allow me to spoil you... I can’t think of anyone more deserving.”

“Babe... I’m a girl from the Bronx; a Yankee game is spoiling me.”

“Understood, but can I please spoil you Drakovian royalty style for just one night.”

Carolina tapped her chin. “Drakovian royalty style. Hmmm. I suppose I'm willing as long as it doesn’t involve poisoning or knife fights.”

“I promise to leave those parts out,” he laughed. “Though a little wrestling at the end might be in order.”

“I wouldn’t object to that,” she laughed.

“Then that settles it! Saturday night... we have a date.”

~~~~

Trystan didn’t give away any details, only telling Carolina to wear something fancy and to be ready at six. Normally calm and collected, finding the perfect outfit was sending Carolina into a tizzy. Fortunately, Ruby was available for shopping and to help keep her friend grounded.

“You’re already his girlfriend,” Ruby laughed as her friend tried on her umpteenth dress. “You don’t need to put this much pressure on yourself.”

Carolina’s head popped over the dressing room door. “Yes, I do. It’s our first official date, and I want it to be... perfect. Besides, I’ve never gone out with anyone routinely followed by the paparazzi. If I end up on Page Six, I want to be killing it!”

“Killing it might be the wrong choice of words, considering it’s you two we’re talking about. And I’m sure you’ll look more spectacular than any of those snobby socialites on Page Six. Carolina... take a deep breath and just enjoy this.”

Across town, Trystan wasn’t faring much better. Luke was unwillingly getting play-by-play details as Trystan finalized plans.  

“So what do you think?” he finally asked. 

“What do I think?” Luke scowled. “I think this is the most bourgeoisie itinerary I’ve ever heard of.”

“Is it wrong for me to spoil the woman I love occasionally?”

“I suppose not,” Luke resigned with a sigh. “As long as you don’t do it too often. Otherwise, I may have to reconsider being seen with you in public. You’re already bad for my rep.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve heard that, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.” Trystan laughed. “But as long as Carolina is happy to be seen with me, that’s all I need.”

Luke shook his head mockingly. “You know, I would have never imagined you as a love-sick puppy when we met.”

“Funny, I never saw you that way either... then you fell for Ruby. Should we discuss that?”

Luke cleared his throat and returned his eyes to his laptop. “Why would we discuss that when I have to help you plan your date.”

“Sneaky way out... but at least I’ve got you where I want you,” Trystan winked. “Now, put your work away. You can come to help me select Carolina’s flowers.”

“Flowers?” Luke groaned.

“Yes. And after my date, I should probably help you plan a date for Ruby. Obviously, you need my help.”

“I may just take you up on that,” Luke grinned.

~~~~~

Saturday rolled around quickly, and Tommy did a double take when a tuxedo bedecked Trystan stepped out of a limousine in front of his bar, turning all heads his way. Even in a city used to sophistication and excess, Trystan had a way of commanding everyone’s attention.

Carolina’s uncle shook his head with a grin as Trystan approached the bar, a dazzling bouquet of cream-colored roses in his arms.

“You know, my niece likes the simpler things in life,” he teased.

“Obviously!” Trystan scoffed. “She’s in love with me, after all.”

“You might be many things, Trystan, but I’m confident simple isn’t one of them.”

“You can say that again,” Carolina replied from the top of the stairs.

Trystan took one look at her, and his jaw went slack, the flowers in his hand falling to his side. Carolina’s smile grew exponentially as she descended the steps in a stunning, barely there champagne lace slip dress that hugged her every curve. Flirtatiously draping the fringe shawl the saleswoman swore would complete her look over her shoulder, she sauntered to Trystan with a wink.

“So, you like then?”

 “Like...” he gasped, unable to come up with any words.

“Are you sure it’s not too much? I don’t really go on fancy-ass dates like this often.”

“Carolina... you are perfection...” he marveled. “Too much? Too much for whom? I assure you, I can more than handle this.”

“All right, you two!” Tommy barked. “I know you’re consenting adults, but can you please save that part of your date until you’re not standing in front of me in my bar!”

“Of course, Tio,” Carolina laughed, her eyes lighting up when Trystan handed her the bouquet. “What are these for?”

“They’re roses for the most beautiful Rose of all.”

A blush rose to her cheeks as her eyes rolled toward the ceiling. “Do these lines work on most people?”

“I got you, didn’t I?” he smiled, then offered her his arm. “Now, let’s go, your chariot awaits.”

~~~~~

 A half-hour later, they were at Per Se, sitting at one of the finest tables in the house with a million-dollar view of Central Park West. 

“I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t opt for a private dining room,” Trystan said, pulling back Carolina’s chair. “But now that I can finally show you off, I want to ensure everyone can see us.”

“I don’t know,” she snickered. “I usually demand the private dining areas when on a date. All of the finest pizza joints in town have them. Of course, they’re usually reserved for kid's birthday parties, but still....”

“Yes, well, I’ll see if I can arrange for a balloon sculpture later on.”

“That would be perfect! Just skip the clowns!” she beamed as she perused the menu. “Now, tell me, do I have to eat fish eggs or snails here?”  

“Not unless you want to.”

“Yeah, hard pass.”

“Don’t knock it, Carolina. You’ll never know if you’ll like something unless you try it.”

“Hey, don’t act like I never leave my comfort zone. I did allow myself to fall for a cocky, exiled would-be-king, after all.”

“And how did that work out for you?” he asked smugly as the waiter approached.   

Carolina greeted the server with a wide grin, then shot Trystan a look. “I suppose I could start with the escargot... I just hope I don’t live to regret it.”

After dinner, the couple briefly strolled around Central Park, his arm slung casually around her shoulder. “So, you didn’t hate the snails,” he teased.

“I suppose if I were starving to death, and that was my only option, I wouldn’t turn them down,” she chuckled. “Now, the lobster tails, on the other hand...I’d never say no to them. But why did you tell me not to order dessert? And please... don’t be cheesy and tell me you’re dessert.”

“You underestimate me,” he laughed. “Dessert will be cheesy, but it’s not me... at least not yet. But first, we have to go to the heliport.”

“The Heliport? Why? Where are we going?”

“Downtown,” he answered with nonchalance.

“Downtown? You are aware the limo could take us there.”

“Of course,” he grinned. “But the traffic is woeful. Besides, I know you know this city like the palm of your hand, but you’ve never seen it this way. It’s breathtaking, and while I’ve seen it from the sky before, I simply have to experience it with you.”

“And why is that?”

He smiled like an impish schoolboy and merely told her she’d see, but once they were in the air, she understood.

“Oh my God, look at it!” she gushed.

Her city looked quite different from ten thousand feet above. Each one of its millions of lights twinkled like little stars that looked close enough to touch. She couldn’t turn her head away. But the only view Trystan was interested in was her; he was confident it was the most beautiful of all. He gently took her hand and held it for the remainder of the flight, peppering her hair with little kisses for good measure. Carolina closed her eyes only once, just long enough to take a deep breath and remind herself that this wasn’t a dream.

Back on solid ground, she still felt like she was walking on air. Enthusiastic as a child, she practically skipped through Greenwich Village, never letting go of her prince charming’s hand. 

“And did you see when we turned by the Brooklyn Bridge!” She beamed. “ I thought I would scream. It was so amazing! And the lights... there were so many lights! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

Trystan tugged her hand, stopping her in her tracks. His eyes locked on hers as he brushed a tendril of hair away from her moonlit face, his thumb trailing across her lower lip.

 “I assure you, I have.”

Carolina lifted herself up on her toes as their lips came together; her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands found their way to her hips... the night just kept getting better.

“So, you don’t mind being spoiled?” he joked.

“Hmmm. On occasion. This has been magical, but then again... it’s always magical when I’m with you, and I don’t need all the extras to make it so.”

“Then you’ll love dessert,” he assured as they stepped in front of Veniero’s. “Nothing fancy at all.”

“You know about Veniero’s?” Carolina asked, duly impressed.

“Please. Do you take me for a Neanderthal?”

“No, just Drakovian,” she smirked. “Did you know they have the best cannolis in the city?”

“Yes, and I know how much you love a good cannoli.”

“I feel like there’s an inappropriate joke in there,” she giggled as he opened the door. 

“There is,” he agreed. “But we’ll save that for later.”

They ended the night sitting on a blanket underneath an old tree in Washington Square Park. Street musicians played nearby but couldn’t drown out the stream of little pleasure-filled sounds that escaped Carolina’s beautiful lips.

“If anyone were to hear you, they wouldn’t think a cannoli was the causation,” Trystan smiled.

“Please, this is Washington Square Park... no one is going to judge my cannoli kink.”  She snuggled up next to him and held him tight. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way...” she started, as a look of worry crossed his face.

“What is it?”

“Everything about tonight has been just perfect... the limo, the fancy restaurant, the helicopter ride... you really had me feeling like a princess.”

“But?”

“But just being here with you, kissing, snuggling, and watching people go by....”

“My luscious cannoli....”

“The cannoli from Vaniero’s,” she laughed. “There’s nothing better than this.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” he replied, wiping a bit of cannoli cream from her lip. He pulled her close for a lingering kiss. 

“So, since this first date went so well,” she started. “Can we have an official second date? Next Saturday?”

“I’d be delighted,” he grinned. “What would you like to do?”

“Oh, no! I’m planning this one. Now I have to spoil you... Bronx style.”

@choicesficwriterscreations

Tagging others on reblog

[waxdream]

Trigger warning - adoption, suicide, trauma, objectification.

I need to talk about adoption in Flatland. I'm adopted, so the details of this part of the story are a bit hazy due to dissociation. But like, Abbott has so many little points in his book that it impresses me. I can't tell if he did it on purpose, but if he did, damn am I impressed.

I went to the foundling museum in London a few years ago. I cried a lot, seeing the stolen items, and the exhibition of 'adoptees/orphans/fosterlings in comic books' that was downstairs. That was my favourite museum exhibition ever. My item I had from my birth mother is a candle that sits on my shelf. It's blue, and I didn't know what it was for a long long time, until one day I was about to throw it away. Luckily, I asked my adoptive mother if she wanted it, and she told me what it was. I almost threw part of my history away.

Which leads me into flatland, and the equilateral triangles. A class of adoptees. The only adoptions mentioned in the book are forced apon triangle families by the state for 'angular purity', and in order to give higher class people with an inability to have children the chance to adopt. In a modern context, I would take this as a scathing read of the adoption system. Only lower class, male children with desireable qualities are eligible for this kind of class crossing adoption, and the birth family celebrate it. The lower class is indoctrinated into thinking that 'this is for the best'.

In the UK at the time of my adoption, I've been told the desirable child was a white baby girl with no obvious disabilities, blonde hair and blue eyes. My foster carers were ineligible to adopt me, and the cynic in me believes this was because I was considered an object with 'desireable' qualities. The shadow court in my mind says 'it could have made some rich middle class family very happy' when I'm feeling grumpy and objectified. Luckily, a charity helped fund my foster (now adoptive) family's court battle, and a law change in the second year of it allowed them to win. I got lucky.

I see a lot of parallels between my own adoption and the adoptions in Flatland. People saying 'it's for the best', who don't realise that many adoptions take place because poor, mentally ill and young people can't take care of children because of lack of support and money. The scalene triangles in Flatland could have raised the equilateral merchant class, given enough resources and better schooling. Just like how A square is able to Tutor his grandson Hex - a lawyer teaching someone of a higher class skills he himself does not necessarily need to know.

I can't help but think about how those trinkets didn't stay with the foundlings who lived in that house. How I almost threw my candle away. The triangles have the physical reminder of their shape, and yet still, they are told they are different. They are regular, not like those other triangles, "you're one of us, you always have been", a square father might say to his new son. "We deserve to have you". And then, when the triangle grows up, and his wife (who's own father was a square) gives birth to an irregular triangle, the filth of that triangle's DNA is shown once again, despite the outward appearence of regularity. That's what my own adoption feels like. I always waited to be revealed for the imposter that I was. But I wonder if in a way that feels cathartic for them - like the immense relief I felt when my adoptive mother saved my candle from the trash. It's proof that your adoption exists, that you exist as a complex, multifaceted shape.

I wonder if the pressure of being regular was removed from that man's shoulders when his son was not born a square, but a triangle. Maybe his wife divorced him and he remarries within his original class - a safer, more understand place. Is that a happy ending? Is there a happy ending for adoptees? I never used to think there was. I used to think my life would end soon. Not today but tomorrow, or other similar things I'd tell myself. "I'd be content if I died today" would be said often by the regular triangle.

I wanted to be a hexagon when I thought about what shape I'd be. But no, the humble equilateral triangle is for me. He was not born a girl like I was. But perhaps they're also non binary like me.

Noone is born thinking they are tainted. You're taught that by other people. The regular triangle is told to their face they are normal, and nothing is wrong, that their adoption never affected them. When the regular triangle realised they're trans and autistic, and had that validated, that's when they felt like a real shape. Not a doll. Not an object. I still feel tainted sometimes. It's hard not to when society teaches you your DNA is wrong. And sadly, I think that's a feeling so so many of us feel - adoptees and non adoptees alike.

Your DNA is not wrong. That's a lie. It's a dangerous lie that permeates modern society, not out in the open but under covers. Every time someone says 'it's not the same' in regards to adoption, it's a perpetuation of that lie.

If your feelings are that adoption as lesser, you need to seriously examine your mindset. Because it's a mindset that holds DNA as sacred, as important. And having that mindset is something that easily divides us as a people - it's giving an inch. What's important is who we are, our life experiences, the things that make us different from each other and the points in our lives that shape us. Society shapes us. Racism and patriarchy and homophobia and ableism - these negatives do shape us. DNA has a place in who we are too, but my point is that there's so much more to it than that. The friends we discover, the things we learn, growing as people, the beauty in the world.

And I had to learn that the hard way, because the only thing that society teaches adoptees is that they're replacements. Second best. Whatever other words you have for 'btech birth kid'. Just know, any fellow adoptees, that none of that is true.

I'm happy to answer questions, because I doubt my point is coming across as well as I wanted. The triangles have got me feeling sad, and I haven't even researched phrenology yet. To clarify all my points, adoption feels sucky, racism is awful, you are more than just what society tells you you are, I am the triangle (apart from all the marriage stuff - replace that part with learning I'm trans and autistic, it serves the same purpose in my narrative).