#Bephanie

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Incorrect Quotes Tag Game - Ships Edition

So, I've actually done this before (I was tagged by @writinglittlebeasts).

Here's the link to it:

But I've been playing around with the incorrect quote generator website for fun, and I've come up with some more hilarious interactions that I really wanted to share! This time, we're focusing more on the ships - Bephanie (Ben and Stephanie) and Brelise (Bret + Elise).

Here's the link to the generator:

Hope you enjoy these!

Bephanie:

Ben: What are you in the mood for? Stephanie: World domination. Ben: That's a bit ambitious. Stephanie: You are my world. Ben: Aww… Stephanie: Ben: Stephanie: Ben: OH.

Stephanie, throwing her head into Ben's lap: Tell me I'm pretty! Ben, lovingly stroking her hair: You're pretty fucking annoying, that's what you are.

Ben: Did it hurt when you fell- Stephanie: From heaven? Wow, I didn’t think you were such a flirt- Ben: No, I meant when you fell down the stairs. Stephanie: … Ben: You just laid there for 15 minutes.

Stephanie: Ben, can I speak to you for a minute? In private. Ben: Ooh, someone's in trouble... It's me. I don't know why I did that.

Ben: Did you know you remind me of all 26 letters of the alphabet? Stephanie: What? Like J F K W S Q X- Ben: No, like, U R A Q T. Stephanie: Awwww!

Ben: This is a very powerful artefact. You’d be messing with some forces we don’t fully understand. Stephanie: That sounds like a dare to me. Ben: Oh my God.

Ben: Vegetable oil is made from vegetables, and coconut oil is made from coconuts, so BABY OIL- Stephanie: CAN'T WE JUST HAVE A NICE FAMILY DINNER FOR ONCE?!

Brelise:

Bret: Ugh, crushes are so dumb. Elise: I know. Whenever I’m near the person I like I just start acting stupid. Bret: But you’re always acting stupid? Elise: … Elise: Yeah, don’t think about that too hard.

Bret: Okay, but what if we went to dinner not as friends this time? Elise: AS ENEMIES?! Bret:

Cop: What are your names? Elise, whispering: Don't tell him, Bret. Cop, writing: Bret… Elise: Crap. Bret: Nice going, Elise. Cop: Bret: Uh oh.

Elise: Two wrongs don’t make a right. Bret: *sighs* That’s true… Bret: But two negatives make a positive!!!

Elise: My life is a mess. Bret: Elise relax, go get a beer. Elise: I don’t want a beer. Bret: Who said it was for you?

Bret: I am so cool. I am an absolute Chad. I am the epitome of coolness and awesomeness— Elise: Hi. Bret: *melts down in a flustered heap of softness*

Bret: You look good in that hoodie. Elise: You know where else I'd look good? Bret, zero hesitation: My bed. Elise, at the same time: By your side- wait, what?

__________

There we go!

Love these lol (Some of these actually lowkey fit perfectly characterwise... I put them in an order that chronologically kind of works in terms of plot/character development).

I think I'll tag some other writers to do this for some ships in their own works as well...

Gently tagging all these folks: @fayeiswriting, @kirsten-is-writing, @e-s-willswriting, @jay-avian, @clairelsonao3, @sarahlizziewrites, @mjparkerwriting, @silverslipstream, @winterandwords, @exquisitecrow, @elizaellwrites, @writingalterras, @thecreakywriter, @sam-glade, @mysticstarlightduck, @hollyannewrites, @ryns-ramblings, @autumnalwalker, @toribookworm22, @mousedetective, @blind-the-winds, @falesiacats, @j-1173, @gummybugg, @jessicawestonauthor, @saviournelwinter and @thelavenderwriter.

I know, it's a lot of people. But I'm curious to see some other versions of this!

[loopyhoopywrites]

Find the Word tag

Thanks @autumnalwalker for tagging me in my favourite writeblr game! I didn’t have ‘flustered’ anywhere, but here’s the others.

Single

“Eight wonderful years next month,” he rhapsodized to a young duke in an eyesore of a suit that rivalled Llanedd’s dress in terms of ugliness. “Alas, we spent three of them cruelly torn apart by the brutal and terrifying Flutterby Wars, my poor Bonothan still has the most terrible nightmares, but we wouldn’t change a single day. Isn’t that right, my beautiful butterbean?”

Children

“Oh, we would love to,” Llanedd said the next time one of them had the gall to ask if they were thinking of ‘starting a family’, “but I’m afraid my darling Bephanie has the most awful allergy to children. Contact with anyone under the age of fourteen sends him breaking out into hives, it’s so sad.”

Playful

Smoothly, Trickster pulled his vibrant knife from his waistband, letting the feeble light play off the pink hue of its blade. As the goblyn hoard finally reached stabbing distance he flipped it expertly in his long fingers and, with a smirk, opened his mouth to utter his last words, something cool; something clever; something memorable.

Unfortunately, before he could think of anything, the nearest goblyn stabbed him through the heart.

Recognize

“Ink Malarkey,” Llanedd repeated, baffled that Trickster didn’t immediately recognise the name. “World renowned writer for the Buckbourgh Post and the Somerstrop Standard? Go-to expert for the Saturday Night Travelling Talk Show? You have to have at least heard of them?”

“Hang on,” Trickster said, “Are they the one who writes all those fluff pieces? Stuff like ‘Top 10 Tips for Getting the Most Out Of Your Visit to Nottly-Upon-Heath! and ‘Size Matters? Is Sir Dayvee’s lance truly all natural?’.”

“I… do you have those memorized?”

Tagging @pga-books @ahordeofwasps and @dreamwanderingpoet to find Loud, Love, and Long :)

[radley-rambles]

If I might introduce the inimitable Bephanie - an Aasimar warlock belonging to @loopyhoopyfrood ! Rich, spoilt, and armed with an arcane charm bracelet, Bephanie is off to explore the world - and maybe learn a bit about responsibility on the way...

I drew this pic as part of a promotion for my book, Strictly No Heroics <3 Thank you for pre-ordering, bud!

[loopyhoopywrites]

It’s an unfinished drawing, but this is Bephanie!

She’s my current dnd OC and a potential side character for Loopiverse book 3. Currently she’s an Aasimar Warlock whose patron is her celestial parent, whose spell casting focus is a charm bracelet, and whose backstory is a blatant Wild Child rip off 😂

Basically, she’s a spoilt, bratty rich kid from fantasy-LA whose mean-spirited pranking went a step too far, so her mostly-absentee parent took away her money pouch and shipped her off to fantasy-UK to Grow Up and Learn Some Responsibility. Instead she slipped away from the experienced adventurer who was supposed to be showing her some tough love, joined up with a bunch of novice adventurers who looked brawny enough to do all the work whilst she watched from a safe distance, and is now learning that having a job is just as awful as she anticipated.

She’s extremely proficient in persuasion, deception, and intimidation, and extremely un-proficient in anything requiring physical effort. She has a ridiculously spoilt hollyphant familiar named Princess, refuses to wear anything that isn’t pink, and the first time she saw a goblin she freaked out, screamed, and absolutely obliterated it with a sparkly eldritch blast.

Reblog this with an image of your current favorite oc maybe

[littlefluffbutt]

Since it’s Easter meet Bephany Bunny! (Yes, it’s Bephany, not Bethany. I thought it sounded more bunny-like) She is older than probably half of Tumblr, being at least 27 years old:) I have a fondness for lop eared bunnies (I was a huge fan of the Leo the Lop books) and so most of my Easter plush rabbits were Lops.  Bephany is one of the the few I still have; she got me through being away at college and was with me when I got my diploma. She has occupied a spot of honor on my bed through several moves and now spends her retirement snuggled in with the other favorites.

Mom found this pic of when I got Bephy! While the pic is not dated the clue to her age is the fact that there are 4 baskets: me and my three siblings and also I remember the baby bunny being for my youngest sister who was a toddler at the time. She is a little faded now but still very huggable and I hope to have her for another 27+ years!

[loopyhoopywrites]

You know what’s even better than fake dating? Fake breakup. A bit of a long one today, but hopefully worth it!

.

“How could you?”

Trickster’s wail was so loud at least half the ballroom immediately turned to see what was going on. A subtle wink was Llanedd’s only warning before they found themself shoved harshly away, only just managing to steady themself on the nearby shoulder of an unfortunate attendee.

“On our anniversary!” With exaggerated drama, Trickster raised a hand to his forehead, ‘accidentally’ elbowing a passing viscountess who jerked, sending her goblet of wine spilling down the back of an unexpecting gentleman, who in return managed to take out a passing page and their tray of hors d’oeuvres as he spun, causing even more of the guests to turn Trickster’s way as they craned to see the cause of the commotion. Llanedd watched, stunned.

“And with my cousin!”

A pause. Trickster deliberately cleared his throat, and Llanedd finally caught on. Swallowing their horror, they resigned themself to the act and stepped forward.

“Come on, baby,” they said in the whiniest voice they could muster, making sure to project their voice to ensure the eavesdroppers could clearly hear, “don’t be like that.”

For the briefest moment, Trickster’s eyes widened. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting Llanedd to really play along. Then he smiled, a tiny smirk that only Llanedd would catch, and Llanedd knew the game was on.

“Like what?” Trickster snapped. “Like you didn’t cheat on me?”

Llanedd couldn’t help but notice that the word ‘cheat’ was yelled louder than the others. They also noticed those nearest them were trying to subtly shuffle closer.

“I wouldn’t say I cheated,” Llanedd said, pitching their voice just loud enough to be heard, just quiet enough that the crowd around them fell all but silent as they tried to listen in. “It’s not like we’re that serious.”

“Serious?” said Trickster. “You married me! Swore in front of witnesses there would never be another! How much more serious can you get?”

Llanedd, who had until now been cast as the damsel-in-distress in all of Trickster’s fictional anecdotes, was rather enjoying playing the villain. As dramatically as they could, they rolled their eyes.

“That’s the thing about you, Beph. You’re just so needy. Bonathan, come shopping with me. Bonathan, come listen to me play the piano. Bonathan, take me with you, Bonathan, accompany me to this pointless party. Can’t I ever have a single moment to myself?”

“Is that what my cousin was?” Trickster quickly retorted. “A moment?”

Llanedd thought about all the rich, bored nobles not even bothering to hide the fact they were furiously listening in, and, drawing themself up to their full height, summoned a look of utter disdain.

“More than one.”

‘Bephanie’ let out a choked sob, burying his face in his hands. Trickster’s sobs sounded suspiciously like snorts of laughter, but Llanedd couldn’t hold it against him. They were too busy repressing sobs of their own.

“Maybe you should have married her instead!”

Trickster spun on his heel, still sobbing. Aware that there were a handful of guests somehow still oblivious to the drama unfolding around them, Llanedd let him take two steps, then called after him.

“So, what? You’re just going to leave me? Leave us?”

As Trickster slowly turned back around, Llanedd took advantage of their unflattering outfit and lowered their hands to cradle their naturally protruding stomach. Hopefully the onlookers would mistake the shaking for crying. Trickster seemed to be having similar success hiding his amusement, but just about managed to turn his snort of laughter into what might pass for a bitter scoff.

“Us?” he managed to say. “Tell me, is it even mine?”

Llanedd shrugged, and made sure not to look him in the eye.

“Does it matter?” they asked, in a tone so nonchalant it was a miracle of upper class upbringing that no one stepped forward and punched them in the face. “You always wanted to be a mother.”

“Not to someone else’s child!”

Trickster jerked his face away, ‘hiding’ fake tears. Llanedd risked a glance in the direction he’d turned, and could just make out a band of armor-clad figures beginning to excuse-me their way through the crowd towards them. Trickster was subtly rotating one finger, and this time Llanedd caught on immediately. Time to wrap this up. They took a deep breath, and gave the tiniest nod.

“Babe–”

“I can’t do this anymore! Bonathan Tonathan Gilwynne, we are THROUGH.”

In what Llanedd would begrudgingly admit was the perfect finishing move, Trickster threw the remainder of his wine down the front of Llanedd’s dress. The resulting stain was almost an improvement. Before they could respond, Trickster yanked one of the probably-stolen rings from his finger, launched it dramatically at Llanedd’s feet, and stalked away in a flood of laughter-disguising tears. Figuring Trickster would probably want it back, Llanedd bent down and picked up the silver ring, slipping it onto a finger of their own as, in a display of upper class snobbery as predictable as it was passive aggressive, the gathered crowd shunned them completely.

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[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy Tender Tuesday! If you could choose your favorite traits in any of your character's romantic relationships, what you it be? What would you say is the most important thing in said relationship for each of the characters involved?

Soooooooooooooo sorry for the late response! I've been suuuuuuuuper busy.

Thank you for the ask. This is a really good question!

I personally believe that communication is a key element of a healthy, positive romantic relationship (or any relationship, for that matter - even with family). I mean, when you think about it, a lot of the biggest issues in most ships on tv/books/movies and stuff all come down to misunderstandings and disagreements that could have easily been avoided by having a proper conversation lol.

(It's super annoying to me when a pointless misunderstanding pops up in the middle of a movie JUST as a contrived way to trigger a "third act break up" scene...)

I don't typically want to give my characters this problem. This is why for most of the ships that I write, I tend to have at least one character that isn't entirely useless when it comes to effective communication.

For my two Steph's Crew ships, I try to incorporate this rule. I'd say that Ben is the emotionally mature one in his and Steph's relationship overall, but they have pretty solid and effective communication all around... mostly. I mean, at the start, it's great! But once they go long distance, things change a bit. Mostly from Stephanie's end. She kind of closes herself off and downplays how much she's struggling with the distance. The thing with her though, is that she hates not expressing how she truly feels, so this is all kind of building up to a moment when she has this huge breakdown, leading her to make a change in her life.

(Can't really give more away without spoiling future posts lol)

But I'd say that's probably the thing I like most about Stephanie (in regards to her romantic relationships). It's the fact that she's honest about her feelings and she has the nerve to make tough choices.

Bret and Elise are a slightly different case, though (mostly because they are a newly formed couple, not a long-standing one like Stephanie and Ben. They're in the honeymoon stage lol). I wanted to give them a few weeks of just happiness and sweet moments and fun times before things go off the rails... because of course it will.

These two are comfortable sharing stuff with each other - they're besties, after all. Bret loves being with Elise - she makes him really happy, and he just wants to make her as happy as she makes him. That's the nice thing about Bret, in my opinion - he's a sensitive soul (more so than he lets on lol). People that feel deeply tend to love deeply also. However, he has a lot of issues that he struggles to open up about (with anyone, not just El) for a couple of reasons, and this puts a lot of strain on their relationship later on in the story.

And Elise doesn't really know how to deal with him. She's out of her depth, for a couple of valid reasons - she's never been in a romantic relationship with anyone before, so she's navigating all this stuff for the very first time, she comes from a family that's kind of cold and private and rigid, preferring to deal with things like this in a particular way, so her upbringing may not be the best preparation one could have for dealing with matters of the heart lol, etc. But the good thing about El is that she's very mature, perceptive, and she learns quickly. She gets the hang of things and finds a way to deal with their problems properly. This is the reason why she's rather good at maintaining relationships in her life (she makes friends really quickly, despite the fact that she's naturally quite shy and super introverted, and she's the only person in her family that still has a close relationship with Adam after he got kicked out).

So yeah. Needless to say, there were already several issues going into this ship that they weren't properly taking the time to address (because they're just having too much fun on ~Honeymoon Avenue~ lol) until things start to go crazy later on in the story. That's all I'm going to say about that.

So yeah! These are the main traits from my ships that I admire a lot (from each character).

Hope this answers your question!

[loopyhoopywrites]

Find the Word

Thanks @drabbleitout for the tag <3 No 'riot' anywhere, surprisingly, but here's the rest.

Relax

It wasn't like Trickster hadn't seen Llanedd relaxed before, they'd been loose and laughing in the wake of their fake relationship's fake breakup, but back then Trickster had put it down to the adrenaline rush that followed a successful heist. This was the exact opposite of a successful heist, and yet Llanedd looked just as worry-free, limbs loose and brow slack, the tenseness that Trickster had thought part of Llanedd's natural state of being completely gone. It was like seeing a priceless diamond without it's arcane laser grid. Wrong.

Risk

“I imagine the queen and king disappearing like they did would throw a bit of a warhammer in the works,” she said. This time, she decided a comforting pat was well worth the risk, and placed a hand gently on his arm. It spoke to how far he’d come that her hand wasn’t immediately blasted into smithereens. Or maybe it was that she’d subtly moved his staff out of reach when he wasn’t looking.

Revenge

It slowly began to dawn on Llanedd that these people were so far removed from reality that ‘Lairde and Lady Gilwynne’ could say absolutely anything and their gossip-hungry audience wouldn’t even think to question it. Or perhaps things like that did happen in these sorts of circles, who knew? Either way, now fairly confident they weren’t suddenly about to be discovered as fakes and thrown into the viscount’s dungeons to rot, Llanedd couldn’t help but seize the opportunity for a little revenge. “Oh, we would love to,” Llanedd said the next time one of them had the gall to ask if they were thinking of ‘starting a family’, “but I’m afraid my darling Bephanie has the most awful allergy to children. Contact with anyone under the age of fourteen sends him breaking out into hives, it’s so sad.”

Tagging @surroundedbypearls @space-writes @ace-malarky (if you want) to find Ready, True, and Light.

[mymilkhasice]

All milk is actually provided by Bephanie The Super Cow and she loves her job

haven’t gotten angry anons in under a year. i need to post the most batshit takes

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy Tender Tuesday!!!

Out of all your character's romances which is the most complicated? How do the different emotional intensities of your characters affected theif relationship? Who is more protective of the other and who is the most chill?

Hi! Happy Tender Tuesday!

Thanks for the ask. This is an interesting question.

I love to put a bit of romance into my writing (even if it’s a minor subplot or something), just because I love a good love story. 💖

In my main WIP, there are two main romantic pairings (which come with their own playlists lol. I make them for my characters sometimes because I love my music… it’s fun to think of a potential soundtrack for your stories):

Stephanie and Ben

Bret and Elise

I love writing for both! Probably because they are both really different and give different vibes.

Stephanie and Ben are already an established relationship from the start. They’re like the long term couple in the story (I don’t think I ever stated how long they’ve been together for, but I’d like to think it has been at least a year). So they are really comfortable together and enjoy each other’s company.

They also live together - after Steph ran away from her foster home, she moved in with Ben (he’s older, so he has his own place. I know it kind of sounds weird since she’s still in high school, but she’s 18, so it’s not like it’s illegal). Stephanie and Ben protect and support each other. They need each other. Stephanie has lived a life full of instability, and Ben is like her safe haven from all of that (because of this, I kind of characterise him as the “chill” one, but that doesn’t automatically mean that he isn’t protective of his lady).

They know each other really, really well because of this. They have this deep connection and understanding that is unique to them - Stephanie’s always talking about how she never truly felt understood or close to anyone before she met him. It’s cute… but it does have its flaws/downsides.

Steph lowkey becomes codependent in her relationship with Ben. She’s a strong independent young woman, but she’s also super attached to her boyfriend and she’s just used to him being there for her all the time. Which makes their long distance relationship even more of a struggle for her. Ben gets a work opportunity out of the country, leaving Stephanie behind for a year. She’s living alone for the first time in her whole life, and she gets really sad and lonely. She also worries that things will change between them while he’s away (and has nightmares about him cheating). She’s not doing so well… and this even affects the way she acts around her friends.

(More below)

Now let’s discuss the other main ship: Bret and Elise. These two are serving the “friends to lovers” vibes lol. Well, more like “childhood friends to lovers” vibes - they’ve known each other since primary school, and they’ve been close friends for years. Because they’ve essentially grown up together, they know each other quite well, too (not the same exact way as Ben and Steph, tho. Since they don’t live together. But they’ve known each other for a way longer duration than Ben and Steph have).

I think I might actually enjoy writing for them a little more (just a LITTLE bit. I still love Steph and Ben’s storyline), just because it’s that classic high school love story, you know? Like, it’s the story of two characters getting to know one another, seeing each other in a new light, and then falling in love. It’s beautiful. 😍

They are also really interesting characters together. They are very different (opposites attract and all that), and their dynamic is fun and engaging because of this. This also means that they argue quite a bit. 😅

They also just have a strong connection even before they start falling for each other - aside from the fact that El has had a minor crush on Bret for years, we see them reaching out to each other when they need support, and trusting each other with things that they probably wouldn’t share with the other members of the group.

Something about their relationship that I feel like I should probably mention, though, is their storyline is… a lot. The main gist of it is that Bret is a chaotic slacker troublemaking mess, and he decides after a while that he doesn’t want to be that person anymore. So he goes to Elise (his kind, agreeable, responsible model student friend) for some help with changing. She agrees to support him on his journey, and it goes smoothly at first, but he just can’t stay focused. He relapses into his old habits, frustrating her more and more, until he does something that upsets her so much that she just can’t take this whole “let’s fix Bret” mission anymore. And that’s not even half of it.

I don’t think this is the best way to start a relationship in real life. Bret becomes super dependent on Elise to become her coach at life, essentially, which is a lot of pressure to put on a person (especially someone that’s a teenager like you, who you also consider a friend, or someone you care about a lot). Add that to the fact that he never really followed her advice, either - not most of the time, anyways. And when you take all his trauma and emotional baggage into account as well… it’s a lot of stress for just one person. It’s understandable that Elise eventually snapped.

Something I just wanted to say here is that I don’t believe that a romantic relationship (or any relationship, for that matter) is a solution to your life problems. It’s not a substitute for therapy. It’s not the job or responsibility of your partner to “fix” you, despite what many romance stories and movies tell us nowadays lol. I just came up with this plot for them as a starting point because I wanted to set up these two (both together, and separately) and their overall dynamic and vibes.

It’s not healthy to completely depend on someone else to give you stability, especially in this case (teenagers figuring out who they are while also dealing with the challenges of student life and all… towards the end of their final year of high school). Fortunately, that’s part of what Bret’s arc is about! Learning to build discipline and changing his life for himself, instead of depending on external factors. This definitely improves his relationship with El.

At least I’m trying to be self aware with things lol. 😂

But yeah. Both romantic subplots are great, in my opinion. I’m biased, but still.

Stephanie and Ben bring a lot of drama to the table, while Bret and Elise are a fun high school romance (with its fair share of drama as well, tbh).

And I think I’ll end it here, since I’ve been going on forever.😆

Man, this was a good ask. Thank you so much! I love talking about ships. 💕

I hope this is a good answer. And I hope that you enjoy the playlists!

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Are there any tropes or character archetypes that you just can't live without in your works?

Sorry for the late response! I was meant to do this sooner, but I wanted to think carefully about my answer.

I think there are three main things that I include in my writing a lot:

Romantic subplot (e.g. in Steph's Crew, there are two)

A nerdy/smart character that typically doubles as the voice of reason (in most of my writing, that character is usually female. Like Elise, for example. I love a good smart girl character haha)

A super tight friend group (that is the main premise of Steph's Crew lol. I do tend to include this in other works as well, tho)

I don't mean to constantly include these things in my writing... it just shows up somehow. I surprise myself sometimes by how this stuff comes up - Steph's Crew, for example, was originally meant to be something completely different from what I usually enjoy doing. That was kind of the point. I tried to include more heavy deep themes, incorporate a sense of mystery, a bit of crime/murder stuff later on, etc. And Steph - my main protagonist - is a character completely unlike any character I've ever written as a lead. I wasn't trying to incorporate any romance or anything... but somehow, I ended up with two ships lol.

I don't know how that happened... it's a serious problem at this point-

(More below)

There are a few romantic tropes I particularly enjoy using:

Friends to lovers! (both Brelise and Bephanie arguably fit into this trope, with Brelise leaning more into the Childhood friends to lovers trope - something else I also really love)

Fake dating (not applicable to either of the Steph's Crew ships, but it's something I've done a few times before)

Enemies to lovers (also not really applicable to Steph's Crew, but I personally believe that it can be really good, as long as you do it RIGHT. Can be hella toxic if you don't handle it well lol)

Opposites attract (Brelise in a nutshell!)

Good girl, bad boy (also Brelise)

High school sweethearts (both ships kind of apply here, since the story is set in high school lol)

Long distance (Bephanie's conflict)

"I hate everyone but you" (both ships lean into this slightly at times, especially towards the end, but I think Brelise probably does more. Btw I don't think this mindset is particularly healthy, but it DOES make good drama lol)

There are probably others, but I can't think of any more right now...

Oh well. I hope this answers your question! Thanks for the ask, @silverslipstream!!!

[loopyhoopywrites]

Llanedd can have a little crime, as a treat

From The Ex Quest, Chapter Six:

As much as Llanedd was stoically opposed to theft, burglary, and crime in general, as they looked around at the slightly blurry crowd – most of whom were undoubtedly whispering about Alvehz and Bephanie behind their backs – they couldn’t find it in themself to be all that outraged. It wasn’t just the rampant nosiness, insensitivity, and complete ignorance of reality threaded throughout the room, but the sheer ostentatiousness of it all. A single jewel from a single bracelet, necklace, or cufflink could pay Llanedd’s wages for the next hundred years, and the people here had so many on display they probably wouldn’t even notice if one went missing. Llanedd watched a woman in a purple suit berate a page boy for some imagined slight; thought about the doorman stationed in the cold night air; remembered the man that had expected them to laugh along as he told how he’d evicted his tenets from their houses to build his third croquet court, and came to a firm decision.

Some people deserved to be stolen from.

From that moment on, it became almost a game. Trickster was the more experienced liar, but Llanedd was capable of some mischief of their own, and by the time the two of them finally completed their lap of the ballroom Alvehz and Bephanie had a courtship worthy of an epic ballad, as well as two necks, four wrists, and twenty fingers generously adorned with priceless jewellery that Llanedd would have called ‘stolen’ but Trickster insisted on referring to as ‘liberated’. They’d also managed to spot a largely-ignored warm-up band, two teenagers behaving highly inappropriately behind an even more inappropriately shaped ice sculpture, and at least forty-six “undercover” guards blending in about as well as a battle-axe in a quiver of arrows. But oddest of all, Llanedd realised they’d somehow, somewhere along the way, ended up acting like the couple they were pretending to be.

Llanedd had ended up practically glued to Trickster’s side, arms wrapped selfishly around his waist and head more often than not resting on his shoulder. Trickster was equally as affectionate, pulling Llanedd closer every time they began to drift away, dropping soft kisses onto Llanedd’s head and whispering sweet nothings in their ear in-between conversations. The ‘sweet nothings’ were actually scathing comments about the nearest noble’s outfit, haircut, or general vibe, but Trickster was careful not to let anyone overhear and Llanedd soon gave up pretending not to find him hilarious. Thankfully, it was easy to pass off their bursts of laughter as enamoured giggles.

There was nothing romantic about their contact – Llanedd had absolutely no desire to be in a romantic relationship with anyone, never mind a kidnapping conartist, and Trickster had made it clear he shared their distaste. Still, Llanedd couldn’t help but feel their relationship had changed. The witty remarks murmured in their ear were now amusing rather than annoying; the arm slung across their shoulder comforting where it would have been cloying; and the stolen rings and cuffs slipped onto Llanedd’s hands when no one was looking didn’t make them immediately spiral into a panic attack and call for the guards. It should have worried them, this change, should have triggered the anxiety that constantly simmered in a corner of Llanedd’s mind, but it didn’t. In this moment, trusting Trickster, having fun with Trickster, working alongside Trickster rather than simply by his side, Llanedd had managed to forget their anxiety completely.

As Trickster’s next question would highlight, they’d also managed to forget the entire reason they were here.

[loopyhoopywrites]

It’s fake dating time, y’all!

In which Trickster makes the most of their fake marriage, and Llanedd starts to have fun.

Their plan to ‘case the joint’, as Trickster had so eloquently put it, had been halted in its tracks before it had even gotten off the ground, derailed by the first of what would turn out to be many bored guests who – here to be seen rather than out of any genuine May Day enthusiasm –immediately gravitated to anything, or anyone, new. Whilst the questions had innocently started at ‘So, where do the Gilwynnes hail from?’, they’d then proceeded to linger for a while in ‘Exactly how much land do you own?’, spent an uncomfortably long time in ‘Do the two of you plan on having children, you’d make such adorable offspring?’, and eventually spiralled into ‘Won’t you please tell us every single juicy and/or embarrassing detail about your definitely-not-fake relationship?’.

Happy to stand back and let Trickster take the reins whilst they stood back and tried to look down their nose at people, Llanedd found – despite their moral objections – that for once they were glad Trickster was such an exceptional liar. And as it turned out, not only was Trickster an exceptional liar, he was also an inventive one.

“My darling spouse only recently inherited their title,” Trickster told a gentleman sporting the longest moustache Llanedd had ever seen, “from their mother, who was tragically killed in an unfortunate trouser press accident.”

Llanedd, whose mother was very much still alive and well and had never used a trouser press in her life, covered their snort of laughter with a cough. Trickster winked at them when the gentleman wasn’t looking, taking Llanedd’s accidental amusement as the only encouragement he needed.

“Oh, it was so romantic,” he gushed to a middle-aged woman carrying a tiny three-headed puppy in her handbag. “My little sugarplum got down on one knee right in the middle of our estate being burglarised. The dastardly thief was so moved by my snugglebug’s interpretive dance that she immediately gave up her life of crime and devoted herself to teaching homeless orphans how to tango.”

“Eight wonderful years next month,” he rhapsodized to a young duke in an eyesore of a suit that rivalled Llanedd’s dress in terms of ugliness. “Alas, we spent three of them cruelly torn apart by the brutal and terrifying Flutterby Wars, my poor Alvehz still has the most terrible nightmares, but we wouldn’t change a single day. Isn’t that right, my beautiful butterbean?”

With each person that asked, Trickster’s response grew more and more elaborate. Yet, somehow, his audiences were lapping it up. Llanedd would have even sworn they saw one noble shed a tear as Trickster recounted the story of how they’d met, which apparently included a mob of nine-foot tall bananas, three and a half dragons, and a barrage of corrupt suitors who’d cornered Trickster in a dramatic duel to the death. Llanedd, predictably, was cast as the damsel-in-distress.

It slowly began to dawn on Llanedd that these people were so far removed from reality that ‘Lairde and Lady Gilwynne’ could say absolutely anything and their gossip-hungry audience wouldn’t even think to question it. Perhaps things like that did happen in these sorts of circles, who knew? Either way, now fairly confident they weren’t suddenly about to be discovered as fakes and thrown into the duke’s dungeons to rot, Llanedd couldn’t help but seize the opportunity for a little revenge.

“Oh, we would love to,” Llanedd said the next time one of them had the gall to ask if they were thinking of ‘starting a family’, “but I’m afraid my darling Bephanie has the most awful allergy to children. Contact with anyone under the age of fourteen sends him breaking out into hives, it’s so sad.”

[loopyhoopywrites]

Find the Word

Thanks Dio @drabbleitout for the tag! I didn’t have error anywhere (which, considering how many my trio make, was a surprise), but here’s the others:

Delicate

In front of them lay a delicate stone structure, too big to technically be considered a tower, but a little on the small side for a castle. The walls were a faded but pleasant pink, dotted with white-rimmed windows and meandering greenery. Three light grey turrets could just been seen rising above the rooftop.

Nightmare

He could feel blood trickling down both his knees, and cursed. Getting bloodstains out of silk was a nightmare.

Flip(ped)

Llanedd gaped as they finally took a look at where they’d ended up. It was as if the whole world had been flipped upside down which, although oddly beautiful, didn’t do their stomach any favours. The ocean they’d plunged into now lay above them, waves still rolling and crashing but now completely ignoring the concept of gravity. The ground beneath them could have easily been mistaken for a mass of small islands, except each was a mess of green and brown that Llanedd eventually realised was a small bush. They nudged a leaf with the tip of their toe, and immediately wished they hadn’t. It was like kicking a boulder. One ill-advised glance into the endless purple space between the shrubbery was more than enough, and Llanedd immediately resolved never to think about the fact they were somehow standing in what had previously been the sky ever again. Instead they looked across the floating greenery, away from the cliff, where a giant stone castle sat surrounded by a dripping moat of molten lava.

Awful

“Oh, we would love to,” Llanedd said the next time one of them had the gall to ask if they were thinking of ‘starting a family’, “but I’m afraid my darling Bephanie has the most awful allergy to children. Contact with anyone under the age of fourteen sends him breaking out into hives, it’s so sad.”

Tagging @crowwrites2140 @the-lighthouse-lit @em-writes-stuff @inscrutable-shadow to find miracle, social, and faint :)

[loopyhoopywrites]

Find the Word

Thanks @drabbleitout ^^ These are all from The Ex Quest

Joke

It spoke to just how dire things were that the terrible joke almost made Llanedd smile.

Catch

For the briefest moment, Trickster’s eyes widened. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting Llanedd to really play along. Then he smiled, a tiny smirk that only Llanedd would catch, and Llanedd knew the game was on.

Oh

“Oh, we would love to,” Llanedd said the next time one of them had the gall to ask if they were thinking of ‘starting a family’, “but I’m afraid my darling Bephanie has the most awful allergy to children. Contact with anyone under the age of fourteen sends him breaking out into hives, it’s so sad.”

Free

One glance at the pride and joy of Jefff’s collection set everything that had been building up inside them abruptly free, and suddenly Trickster wasn’t the only one utterly lost to laughter that had been a long time coming.

Snapped

“Oh, for G’uinex’s sake,” Mar’Gret eventually snapped once the quill had exchanged hands a number of times even Trickster, who had been resorting to extreme means to avoid taking ownership, was starting to find ridiculous. “Children, the both of you.”

Tagging @consultingcinnamon @writing-is-a-martial-art and @frayed-neurons to find great, tried, and gasp, if you’d like :)

[loopyhoopywrites]

WIP Line Tag

Rules: share as many of your favourite lines/lines you’re proud of from your wip as you want!

Thanks @ashen-crest for the tag ^^ I’ve so many favourite lines and sections from TEQ, but in the end I just had to go with this, in which a fake-dating Trickster and Llanedd (under the aliases Bephanie and Alvehz) stage an even faker break-up as a distraction.

After successfully banding together to defeat the hoards of insensitive, gossip hungry nobles armed with nothing but the power of their imaginations and a gagging array of pet names, Llanedd had finally learned to let go and trust that Trickster knew what he was doing. Seeing the glint in his eyes, they suddenly regretted that trust.

“We go simple. We cause a distraction, then I’ll keep everyone’s eyes on me whilst you sneak over to the stage and grab a few words with Polly. We’ll meet back up by the tapestry of the ugly bearded toddler.”

Llanedd looked at the hanging he was referring to.

“I think that’s supposed to be the viscount.”

“Really? That’s unfortunate. Anyway, you ready?”

Llanedd gulped.

“When you say distraction…?”

Unnervingly, Trickster grinned.

“Just play along.”

“Play alon–?”

“How could you?”

Trickster’s wail was so loud at least half the ballroom immediately turned to see what was going on. He winked, but before Llanedd could respond Trickster shoved them harshly away from him. Llanedd stumbled, and only just managed to stop themself from falling.

“On our anniversary!” With exaggerated drama, Trickster raised a hand to his forehead, ‘accidentally’ elbowing a passing baroness who jerked, sending her goblet of wine spilling down the back of an unexpecting gentleman, who in return managed to take out a passing page and their tray of hors d’oeuvres as he spun, causing even more of the guests to turn Trickster’s way as they craned to see the cause of the commotion. Llanedd watched, stunned.

“And with my cousin!”

A pause. Trickster deliberately cleared his throat, and Llanedd finally caught on. Swallowing their horror, they resigned themself to the act and stepped forward.

“Come on, baby,” they said in the whiniest voice they could muster, making sure to project their voice to ensure the eavesdroppers could clearly hear, “don’t be like that.”

For the briefest moment, Trickster’s eyes widened. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting Llanedd to really play along. Then he smiled, a tiny smirk that only Llanedd would catch, and Llanedd knew the game was on.

Tagging @scmalarky @indecentpause @chauceryfairytales and anybody else who’d like to share something they’re proud of ✨