#Booker told her his friends broke up with him but he did it like a dejected wojack and it didn’t count

[erotetica]

Well now I amn ot doing it.

[landitolover]

in which a popstar breaks up with her longterm boyfriend, and an f1 driver shoots his shoot. ౨ৎ logan x popstar!reader

Liked by taylorswift, gracieabrams, landonorris, and 1,282,690 others

yourusername hot girl summer 💆🏼‍♀️ no more men!

july 16th, 2023

View all 3,261 comments

user SHUT UP I LOVE HER

user she’s an icon, she’s a legend and she IS the moment ✨

user i love you y/n l/n

user ima shoot my shot like i’m devin booker, can i bag u ??

user baefy come to brazil 🇧🇷

user the caption.. i guess they did break up 😞

→ user good bruh

user mother is glowing!!

user LANDO?? HELLO???

→ user bro heard she broke up with her bf and is tryna shoot his shot now 😭😭😭

→ user LMFAO

→ user norizz headahh

whitneypeak gorgeous

whitneypeak i want a kiss

→ yourusername c’mere baby 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏽

gracieabrams 😍😍

→ yourusername ily

taylorswift 💖

→ yourusername mom 🥹🫶🏼

→ user TAYYY

→ user taylor and yn are both going through breakups 😞✊

landonorris hi

→ yourusername who r u

→ landonorris bruh

→ yourusername jk ily bff

→ landonorris you’re my opposition 🖕🏼

→ user BFF???? SINCE WHEN GIRL

→ yourusername uhm idk we became friends when he was in mexico 🙈

→ user unexpected duo fr 😭

alex_albon my girlfriend loves you

→ yourusername tell her i love her more

→ lilymhe I’m giggling and kicking my feet

→ yourusername OH 😍 YOURE GORGEOUS

→ lilymhe SHUT UP?? U ARE 🤭

→ user my fav wag and my favorite popstar 😭

Liked by landonorris, taylorswift, whitneypeak, and 1,226,259 others

yourusername ‘emails i can’t send’ out august 5th 💌

august 2nd, 2023

View all 6,333 comments

user AHHHHHHH

user thank you yn omg 😭

user i’m SO excited shut up

user TE AMOOO

user pop princess!!

user MOTHER

user the break up album 🤔🤔

→ user please 🙏🏼

whitneypeak 🥹🫶🏽 so proud of you bby!!

→ yourusername i love you whit 😭😭

taylorswift so proud, lovely 💖

→ yourusername you’re my fav 🥹 ilysm tay <3

gracieabrams 🙈🙈💕💕

lilymhe I’M GONNA CRY!!!

→ yourusername LILY 🥲

lilymhe so excited to listen ml 😭💝

→ yourusername my gf!! ily 🥹💕

landonorris stream EMAILS I CANT SEND 🗣️‼️

→ yourusername luv u landie!

alex_albon lily will not be talking to me august 5th, got it!

→ yourusername 🧑‍🦲😛 soz!!

→ lilymhe you got that right, alex 🥳

Liked by taylorswift, gracieabrams, landonorris, lilymhe, and 1,603,142 others

yourusername oh my gosh 😭😭 it’s such an honor to be apart of the eras tour starting 24/08!! i cannot wait! thank you taylorswift, this is such a dream come true :,)

View all 15,992 comments

user amazing!! 🎉

user screaming crying throwing up

user i’m so happy for u queen

user cant wait to see u there 🥹

user mom & daughter

user if i DONT get tickets im gonna cry 😭

user YES YES YES

user my two favorite blondies 🫶🏼

whitneypeak MY GIRL!! IM SO PROUD

→ yourusername WHIT 😭😭 THANK YOU

taylorswift so happy to have you 😄💘

→ yourusername 🥹🥹💖💖

gracieabrams 👅👅👅😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️🩷🩷😚🩷💋🥲😚

→ yourusername 💋💋

lilymhe PRINCESS

→ yourusername 👸🏼<3

lilymhe I can’t believe I’m seeing you and taylor the same night 🙈🙈

→ yourusername 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻

→ user omg lily is going to the eras again 🥹

→ user bring alex!!

→ lilymhe i’ll try 🤫

→ user logan too.. let him shoot his shot 🙏🏼

landonorris wish i could go 😞😞😞

→ yourusername #FAKEFRIEND

→ landonorris do i get a song

→ yourusername 🌝

logansargeant added three new stories

alex_albon, lilymhe, yourusername, and 54,192 others viewed

yourusername replied to this story

oh hi there 🙈

lily told me that u were coming!

we should totallyyyyy hang out after it yk 😅😅

logansargeant

oh yeah totally haha

sorry i got nervous

a pretty lady slid into my dms

yourusername

got me blushing 🫣

okay anyways i have to go

concert stuff, am i right haha

logansargeant

totally

i’ll see you performing, pretty girl

yourusername

ahakfjkajfkakskvkc£~’c;&;@/&:@‘!??!!?!?? 🤭🤭🫣🫣😅😅😂😂😵‍💫😵‍💫

message not sent

Liked by taylorswift, lilymhe, logansargeant, alex_albon, and 2,878,787 others

yourusername eras tour.. mex N1 WOW 💌

mexico city i love u, and can’t wait for night 2 & 3!!

august 24th, 2023

View all 6,752 comments

user literal angel 🫶🏼🫶🏼

user UNREAL

user logan hunter sargeant what are you doing here

user so glad i was there 🥹

user mother is MOTHERING

user who else cried 😭😭😭

user watched from a glitchy live stream 😞

lilymhe WOW

lilymhe YOU WERE AMAZING 🩷🩷

→ yourusername 😭😭💖💖 I LOVE YOU!!

logansargeant glad you were the opener to my first concert!

→ yourusername i was the opener to ur first concert?? 😅😅 i hope i lived up to your expectations

→ logansargeant you definitely did :)

→ alex_albon LOGAN THE RIZZLER 🔥🔥

→ user lil bro got that bald eagle rizz

→ user AAAAHAUAHAHAAHA

→ user yn come perform in vegas for f1

alex_albon logan was mesmerized the whole time

→ yourusername 🤭🤭

→ logansargeant don’t expose me 😔

→ user WINGMAN ALEX!!!!

yourusername added one new story

viewed by logansargeant, lilymhe, and 822,202 others

logansargeant replied to your story

oh hey

i think that’s me

yourusername

oh really?

logansargeant

yeah 🥸

yourusername

i heard you mention me in the interview

i giggled

logansargeant

can i get your number

yourusername

oh uhm

hahahahaah

yes 😵‍💫😵‍💫

it’s xxx-xxx-xxx 💌

Liked by logansargeant, willamsracing, lilymhe, and 1,293,100 others

yourusername love u texas 🤠!!

thanks for inviting me f1 to this amaazing race 😚

october 22, 2023

View all 1,100 comments

user yk who else was in a cowboy? logan.

→ logansargeant 🤠 🤠

→ alex_albon lil bro gettin confident 😳

→ yourusername 🫠🫠

user i have no clue abt this sport but the drivers 🫣

user yn at an f1 race is not what i expected in my feed today

user im actually a cowboy hahahaha

lilymhe you made the race 100x more fun xx

→ yourusername ily 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻

alex_albon logan is giggling over this post.. he wants u so extremely bad its actually HORRENDOUS

→ yourusername i want him too 😵‍💫😵‍💫

→ logansargeant are we abt to kiss rn

→ user OH!!

→ user 😧😧

logansargeant my lucky charm, i got points bc of u 😊

→ yourusername yeah I should get a kiss yk… hah 🤣

→ logansargeant 🫡🫡🫡

Liked by yourusername, lilymhe, alex_albon, taylorswift and 452,202 others

logansargeant ocean blue eyes, lookin’ in mine 🤍

tagged yourusername

november 4th, 2023

View all 1,392 comments

user OH. MY. GOD.

user ur joking

user i threw up (i want this so bad)

user HELLO?????????? WHAT DID I WAKE UP TO

user the gorgeous caption ….. DHMU

user pls im in tears

user God i see what u do for others.

user who else screamed

lilymhe TAYLOR LIKED UR POST WHAT

→ logansargeant 😁😁😁 the advantages of dating my popstar

→ user “MY popstar” get out

→ user they’re dating omgogmgomggomg

yourusername u have pretty eyes baby

→ logansargeant yours are prettier

→ alex_albon he’s playing it cool, but don’t let him fool you….. you got this grown man giggling his ass off

lilymhe you’re welcome btw…

→ alex_albon ur welcome? IM THE ONE WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE!!!!!! I INTRODUCED U TO YN, AND YOU INTRODUCED LOGAN TO HER!! IM THE REAL MASTERMIND

→ logansargeant calm down lil bro, it aint that serious 😭😭

→ yourusername LMFAO

Liked by lilymhe, logansargeant, taylorswift, alex_albon, and 3,318,102 others

yourusername he finally got out of my dms and now we’re going on beach dates and f’ing 😋

tagged logansargeant

november 10th, 2023

View all 3,102 comments

user shes breaking the internet again

user the caption is CRAZY???

→ user right 😭 this girl is out of pocket

user the first picture is insane oh my god

→ user im having a panic attack over it I’m actually 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

user i’m foaming from the mouth

landonorris there are children on this app, ma’am.

→ yourusername 🥸🥸 you’re the child

→ landonorris ok..

logansargeant i love you so much, pretty girl 🤍

→ yourusername 😭😭😵‍💫😵‍💫🫠🫠😳😳🥴🥴🫣🫣

→ yourusername i love you 🩷🩷🩷

lilymhe i lost my gf

→ yourusername don’t worry baby he’s just a side 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻

Liked by yourusername, lilymhe, alex_albon, gracieabrams, and 89,191 others

logansargeant my amazing girlfriend wanted me to tell you all that… “slut!” is now out on all streaming platforms!!

tagged yourusername

View all 1,293 comments

user i just listened to it. UNREAL

user 😭😭😭😭😞😞😞😞

user and if they call me slut!

→ user you know it might be worth it for once 😭😭😭

user shes so down bad.

user me bc we got the best single bc of logan 😭😭😭😭!!!! thank you 🙏🏼

→ user I’m actually hip hip and hooraying

yourusername my muse 🤍

→ logansargeant i love you so bad

lilymhe STOP U TWO ARE SO DISGUSTINGLY CUTE

→ alex_albon how come you haven’t written a song for me…..

→ lilymhe idk u lil bro…

→ yourusername is this man bothering u sweetheart??

→ lilymhe yes 😞😞 beat him up!!

→ alex_albon what is she gonna do? bite my arm? she can’t even look me in the eye 🤔

→ user LMFAOO

Liked by logansargeant, lilymhe, taylorswift, alex_albon and 1,201,101 others

yourusername in a world of boys, he’s a gentleman 🩷

tagged logansargeant

view all 2,202 comments

user I CRIED WHO ELSE DID

user shut up i’m so happy for her

user logan is my dream bf fr.. where’d u buy him

→ yourusername off the tiktok shop 😋

user WAAAAAHH

user yk what this means? YN WAG ERA

taylorswift in your LOVER era 😆🤭💖

→ yourusername 😭😭💖💖

taylorswift so happy for you my love!!

→ yourusername i love u my queen 🩷

logansargeant can u hear it in the silence?

→ yourusername U ARE IN LOVE 😭😭😭😭 STOP IT RN LOGAN HUNTER SARGEANT

→ alex_albon oh so all of a sudden he knows everything about taylor swift

→ logansargeant wdym me and taylor are like this 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

lilymhe i’m so glad we can go on double dates now 😈

→ yourusername me too xx

gracieabrams we 🩷 a happy queen 😁😁

→ yourusername agreed 😊😊

whitneypeak fav couple

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landonorris RAAAAAHHHHH 🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥

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→ logansargeant 🦅🦅🦅🦅

→ alex_albon 🦅🦅🦅🦅

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→ gracieabrams 🦅🦅🦅🦅

→ moneygramhaas 🦅🦅🦅🦅

→ maxverstappen1 🦅🦅🦅🦅

→ lilymhe 🦅🦅🦅🦅

౨ৎ first fic on my new blog!! let’s goo 😵‍💫

i hope u enjoy it! i’ll try being more

active on this acc… ౨ৎ

@moneygramhaas ♡︎

[multifandommilfs]

Perks of Living Forever

Pairing: Andy x reader

Wc: 1834

Tw: death but they ressurect because immortality :)

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"who's that?" Nile held up a photoframe that encased a black and white picture of you and Andy posing together, her arm around your waist and yours hung around her shoulder. Andy seemed genuinely blissed and sober with a gaze from you directed to her. There was something intimate about it, Nile could tell, for your gaze held such affection, pure content by the meek crinkle of your eye. The photo seemed accidental, captured on the spur of the moment.

 

Nile turned the frame between her fingers in the direction of the team in her outstretched arm, seeing how Andy averted her eyes instantly, Joe and Nicky chuckling wryly. Andy snatched up her bottles of vodka and crossed the room, right out to the pier. Nile had her confusion thinly veiled.

 

"That's uh-" Joe scratched the back of his neck, his eyes finding Nicky's, an affirmation garnered. "Andy's lover. Taken quite recently I'd say. A year or two before World War Two, she got her hands on a camera, never told us how she did it, that's the first picture in our team. I'm quite proud that I took it." Nicky punched his arm lightly, eliciting chuckles. "We took it together!"

 

"A year before- why isn't she with Andy? With us? Is she-"

 

"We wish, but she's too stubborn for death itself." Nicky righted her.

 

"They had a disagreement on who they supported during the Second World War; you see- she had a psychopathic streak that longed for world dominion, took sides with Germany and went off the grid after the war ended. We couldn't find her but Andy persisted that she's alive, she was there for every soldier's death."

 

"Why hadn't you told me about it before? Why keep this from me?" She felt like a pariah, like the camera that captured the picture in her grasp, intruding on something that wasn't privy to her.

 

Nicky and Joe exchanged a conflicted glance. "We don't like to talk about it."

___________

Goussainville, just outside of Paris, September 2, 1940. A cacophony of gunshots hollered throughout the Charlie safe house, hauling them awake from sleep instantly, hearts pounding loudly in their ears, contrasting their silent footsteps that threaded fast on the wooden floorboards, pistols angled downward in their stiffly outstretched arms.

 

Book slammed his shoulder into Andy's room, a damp splat onto the ground as it broke off from its rusty hinges. "Oh shit." Book swore. The smell of metallic blugeoning them in the face. "Foterre!"

 

"What is it?" His chest heaving, the sight obscured by his two tall friends provided him with more consternation before they parted and he almost retched.

 

Andy, chest flat against the floor, lips dipped in a spreading puddle of her own blood, they could see the cragged outline of her blown-apart skull; the flesh gave way to bullets.

 

They stared, drenched in their own shock. Nicky made the first move, hands turning her on her back, the Glock in her hands slipping out of her loose grasp was it then that he realized the true extent of the injury and grimaced in disgust, recoiling away from the disfigured face, hair crusted with blood.

 

Then Booker lunged forward, rutting her against the ground by her shoulders. "Wake up Andy! Wake the fuck up!"

 

A wheeze and splutter filled them with immediate relief. They looked on as the trauma healed itself familiarly, flesh filling out the hollow, skin sticking itself back together as her pupils adjusted to the light. Booker released her, trembling from adrenaline, from fear. Nicky reached for Joe's hand and held it in a vice grip. They could see the disappointment clearly in her eyes as she heaved herself off the floor, tucking the gun into the back of her jeans. "Get back to sleep boys." Her tone of voice reminded them of a failed mission as she staggered for the bathroom.

______

 

Nile looked between the lovers, then out of the window to see Booker and Andy. She held a reassuring smile on her face to quell his tears. She could tell that they were going to split up; Booker would have to craft his own path, a consequence of his treachery that harboured a pure goal at heart. "She'll make it into a bedtime story when she's ready, or perhaps you'll dream about it." Nicky chided, throwing Nile a half-grimace smile. She really had to give it to Nicky's welcoming nature for the instant comfort she felt.

____

Andy's arm acted as a barricade at the doorframe, being the first to step past the threshold of their safehouse, stilling the rest of them.

 

"Someone's here." She kept her voice low, only audible to the ones behind her, her eyes left the haphazardly rolled-up mat by the doorway. Her gaze sweeping the darkened room, the shadows that drove up the walls made it all the more unsettling.

 

There was nothing, not even a whisper of wind from the window left ajar, but her hand readied on her gun, another hand reaching into the house at an awkward angle to slap the light switch on.

 

Light bathed the room in a blink, the darkness shrinking away to the corners. The hasty shuffle they heard then was unmistakable. Andy drew out her gun in an instant, the others following suit.

 

She zeroed in on the root of the noise, making a daring step onto the wooden floorboards despite Nile's less-than-erupting protest.

 

"You two keep watch." And Joe disappeared past the doorframe, Nicky's demurring trailing behind him.

 

Nile scrambled to the edge of the doorway; she had Andy and Joe at the corner of her eye now as they crept further into the house. She held her breath as Andy rounded the corner, bracing for a gunshot, a scream, something other than the heinous silence that was ceasing her breath, ladened on their shoulders and squeezing their throats.

 

She forced a breath in, adamantly staying calm even though she was anything but that. Then Andy said a name she didn't know, the silence perforated, Joe sprinting away from her view and Italian words were churning out of Nicky as he stepped past Nile and right into the house, his eyes wide as he shoved his gun back. Nike was compelled to follow without a word, her feet fast, gun pointed towards the floor by her thigh. Her heart beating fast in her chest at the urgency of others.

 

But it didn't need to last when she saw Andy, her arms wound around a silhouette so tightly that she would've thought it was a chokehold if it weren't for the pair of grasping hands pulling the back of her shirt taut.

 

The haste that passed her nerves was replaced with gnawing uncertainty, the feeling of intrusion coming back into her again as she watched Nicky and Joe being pulled into the embrace. Her heart twisted uncomfortably at the feeling, yet she couldn't help but watch as a raw sob escaped from one of you, pulling into each other unyieldingly.

 

When all of you broke apart, she scurried to the nearest couch.

 

She could faintly hear a watery chuckle, a few exchanged words that brimmed with affection and she wondered if she could ever find that kind of connection outside of the formed group. Immortality was the ultimate curse for someone who loved too much.

 

Nicky and Joe appeared in no time, hauling her away from her thoughts. "You should meet her." Joe offered. "The partner." Nicky filled in the spaces and everything seemed to click together too fast for Nile to handle. "What, really? That's the woman in the photo? Andy's wife?" She had to force her voice down from the shock.

_______

 

With Nick and Joe splitting away from the both of you to the girl you didn't know, your lips sought Andy's out. She stumbled backwards from the force, gasping softly before maneuvering you closer by your jaw, her actions tentative yet knowing. It was all familiar when you let half your weight on her, knees trembling as your arms hung around her shoulders. All familiar and fervent, filling yourself with what you missed for the last few decades.

 

She was quiet when you parted, her eyes glazed with affection as her thumb ran rounds from your cheek to your jaw. It was a warmth you had forgotten and arose tears that blurred your vision, your lips cracking into a smile.

 

"I don't think I've been so haunted by someone." You said it with mirth and she let out a scoff of wet laughter.

 

"Shut up with your poetry." She ducked her nose into the crook of your neck; you could feel her smile on your skin, her hand on your jaw dropping to another side of your shoulder as you held her.

 

When the adrenaline fell away, you remembered what you wanted to say during decades where you were manipulated by fear. Fear made you hunger for control and power. But you knew deep down that you couldn't ever be sorry for living that life. It was every human instinct to replace what was lost with something else. So you said so.

 

"I'm not sorry for wanting what I wanted." You whispered and felt her stiffen beneath your fingertips, the weight on your shoulder beginning to lift.

 

"But I am sorry for leaving." You got it out fast before she could look you in the eye and steal your courage, making you swallow your words. "So s- sorry." Your voice broke and you pushed your face into her shoulder with a sudden burst of tears as she rose from yours, catching you in time. "I'm so- I'm so sorry." Your lips twisted with ugly sobs and this time you didn't know if you were apologizing to her or yourself for putting the both of you through this torture.

 

A warmth smoothed over your back, her hand on your shoulder cupping the nape of your neck as her lips pressed against the crown of your head again and again and again. "I have nothing to forgive you for." She said. "But I cannot say the same for the others."

 

You nodded wordlessly in her clutch, tears soaking her sleeve. You laid against the damp fabric, listening to her pulse beating through bone and skin and basked in it, letting your breath level with hers as her fingers weaved through your hair, momentarily scratching your scalp.

 

"Lovebirds, an introduction is needed." Joe's words left you moving apart from each other, her hand finding its place on your waist as yours hung around her shoulder.

 

A girl stepped into your view, her eyes widening, a grin spreading across her lips as Andy became the medium of introduction.

 

"God, you look so much like the photograph!" She spilled with wonder tinted in her features. "I mean it's like you haven't aged a bit and that photograph was what- 10 years ago?"

 

"Perks of living forever." You glanced at Andy before shaking Nile's hand. "You never age."

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Here's a link to my masterlist ^^

Comment, reblog, drop an ask! Feedback is greatly adored

[collecting-stories]

Conflict - JJ Maybank

Request: Can you write a Jj imagine where the reader is kiara’s cousin and dating jj? They all sit at john b’s house when jb comes with sarah and while kie is angry, jj tells them that they are dating (they wanted to keep it private actually). And john b is like “you date jj but dump me?” Because they had something going on a year before but they were both too insecure to talk about it. Plus, she started dating rafe and broke up during that year. Like jealousy and tension but a good end? Thanks xx

A/N: I altered it slightly. 

Outer Banks Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

You stood in the hallway of the Chateau, hands covering your face as you tried to calm yourself down. If you took your hands away you knew exactly what you would see, Kiara standing across from you, arms crossed and looking more judgmental than you could ever remember her being in your entire life. If she hadn’t been pissed when John B had walked in the door with Sarah than she was now, having heard JJ out the two of you as being together, John B further complicating things when he announced that you had kinda-sorta dated him the year prior.  

“John B and JJ? Did you date Pope too?” Kiara snapped. You got why she was upset. In her mind she wasn’t sure who she was supposed to be feeling overly protective of, her best friends or her cousin.  

“Lay off Kiara.” You muttered. 

“Come on Kie,” JJ’s voice came in and you lifted your head to see him standing there at the end of the hallway. He walked over, putting his arm around you and pulling you into his side.  

“Is Sarah still here?” You finally asked, looking at JJ.  

“She left.” He replied, stepping back when you pulled away from him.  

This probably wasn’t the best idea you’d ever had but you were seconds away from losing it completely and you more than a little pissed at John B for saying anything about the two of you. JJ knew about your thing with his best friend, you’d been honest with him about it when you first got together with him, but you had never told anyone else. And for John B’s sake you had been keeping your relationship with JJ quiet too.  

You left the Chateau altogether, stepping outside to where John B and Pope were hanging out, the screen door clamoring shut behind you. “John Booker! What the fuck is wrong with you?”  

For Sarah’s sake you had waited until she was gone to say anything, too embarrassed to be standing there in front of her when John B, her current boyfriend, flipped out on you for dating JJ and keeping it from them. Now that she was gone you weren’t going to sit around and cower, be upset about your choices, or let someone bully you about who you were dating.  

When you and John B had dated, more than a year ago, you had been much shier. He was your first boyfriend and you were just excited that some guy liked you. But as you spent more and more time with Kiara and her friends, as they slowly became your friends, your feelings about yourself and about John B changed. You weren’t that shy, insecure freshman that you had been in the beginning. You knew what you wanted and you wanted JJ. He wanted you too.  

“What’s wrong with me?” John B shouted back, clearly; he hadn’t exhausted his ability to yell at you. “You date JJ but you dumped me?”

“I told you I didn’t have feelings for-”

“Yeah, because you were sneaking around behind my back with my best friend!” John B snapped. “I did everything for you! You couldn’t even bear to tell Kiara we were dating but I guess you and JJ are just right out there in the open with it. Who the fuck cares if you’re breaking the rules or if you hurt me, fucking parading around your new boyfriend!”  

“I’m not parading around with him, god. We were keeping things quiet because I didn’t want you to find out from someone else. I was trying to be considerate.” You replied. The door swung open and shut behind you, hinges squeaking, JJ’s heavy footsteps on the stairs followed by Kiara’s flip-flops smacking the wood.  

John B’s gaze veered off to the side and you knew he was looking at JJ. “You dumped me for him? So you could what? Spend every weekend making sure JJ doesn’t drink himself to death? Run around getting weed for him or fronting him money because once again his paycheck is mysteriously already used up the second, he fucking gets it? What?”

JJ’s jaw tensed but he said nothing in response, just stood there at your side, more than willing to take whatever John B had to dish out. JJ knew that he would be upset when he found out, that was why the two of you had taken so long in letting him find out. And it might’ve been longer but John B seemed perfectly happy with Sarah when he brought her to the Chateau so JJ didn’t see any issue mentioning that the two of you were together.  

“I did dump you for JJ. I dumped you so I could have date someone who doesn’t question everything I say or make me feel like shit or treat me like I’m just some pretty accessory on their arm. Say whatever shit you want John B, at the end of the day none of it is true. JJ is a better boyfriend...and a better person...than you’ll ever be.” You said, turning to JJ, “come on.”

He nodded, following you to your car but still saying nothing. You weren’t sure if he was too upset to say something or if he really didn’t feel like there was anything to say while his best friend insulted him right there on the front lawn. Either way, he climbed in the passenger side of the car and you started the engine, reaching across the console to grab his hand.  

JJ squeezed your hand back, bring it up to his mouth to kiss your knuckles, looking over at you with that same mischievous grin he always wore, as if he had something devious planned out that he just hadn’t let you in on yet.  

You would call Kiara in the morning to see where things stood with the pogues and the gold. You were pissed at John B but that didn’t mean the hunt was off or that he was any less a friend. Just a shitty friend for the time being.  

“Food or home?” You asked, backing out of the driveway.  

“Food and home?” JJ suggested, still holding your hand in his.  

-

Taglist: @heavenlymama @vindictive-hearts @alexa-playafricabytoto @dontjinx-it @randomficsandshit @niamhobrien @strangerthanfanfiction713 @tovvaa @freckled-and-daydreaming @harleylynn @bibliophilewednesday @dpaccione @bolaurel @poguestyleskye @beautyandthebleh @under-a-canyon-moon @outerbankspreferences @stevie-buck @bijleegiregi @vitaminekabc @minigranger @teamnick @just-smile-darling @obxsummer @damonsalvawhore27 @isqbella @tomzfrog @fangirlvoice @phantompogues @98starkeys @ilovejjmaybank @lemur46 @khiaraaa-in-spacee @babygal-babygal @niya-savage @divvrx @princess-of-the-fandoms @thecaptainsgingersnap @jenjie @yourprincess-maybe @wowmaybankk @goldeng1rl8 

[cinebration]

Written in DNA (Booker x Reader) [Part 10]

Booker’s “reunion” with the immortals.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Epilogue

Tagged: @lucy-sky​, @city-of-weird​, @all-the-right-regrets, @alannister-always-pays-her-debts​

Warnings: none

Gif Source: thompsonconnors

You yanked the knife out of Nicky’s chest and shifted back a few paces, keeping your gun pointed in the general direction of the others. Booker immediately shoved his into his pants, presenting his empty hands to his fellow immortals. You lowered your gun, appearing relaxed. But that feline grace clung to your movements, letting Booker know you were still in attack mode.

“I can explain,” Booker said, then hesitated. Could he?

“First you sell us to Merrick, and now you are trying to kill us again?” Joe cried.

“No, I’m not—”

“Who is your friend?” Nicky wheezed as the wound in his chest closed.

Their voices pounded against Booker’s skull. Raking a hand through his hair, he tried to find the words, tried not to shout back.

“Book.” Andy’s voice rose above the clamor. “Why are you here?”

He passed another hand through his hair again, feeling sick. His palm came away slick with sweat and grease, a tremor rolling through his hand. He wiped it on his pants, clenched it into a fist to hide the shaking.

“Booker?” Nile prompted.

Clearing his throat, his gaze directed at the floor, Booker managed to say, “I didn’t know it was you. I wasn’t told I was being sent for you.”

Joe snorted, shaking his head incredulously. “You didn’t know?”

“I didn’t! She didn’t tell me.”

Their collective gazes turned on you. You didn’t waver beneath them, one eyebrow arching. “I wasn’t made aware that you were his family.”

“Who is this?” Andy asked.

“This is…she is my friend.” The words were utterly sincere to Booker’s ears, surprising him. He met your eyes for a split second before turning back to the others. “She was doing me a favor.”

“By trying to kill us? She could have killed Andy!” Joe stormed toward Booker.

Suddenly you were there, interposed between them. Joe look at you in surprise, startled. Booker glanced at the others, saw the confusion in their faces. You had crossed the entire room in a split second without seeming to run.

“I didn’t know!” The words were old and tired, but true. “Quynh didn’t tell me.”

Tension snapped tight in the room.

“Quynh?” Andy asked, her voice tight, guarded.

“She got out,” he said. “I don’t know how. She just did. She showed up at my apartment—”

Joe snorted. “Why should we believe you?”

Booker looked past him to Nile. “Do you dream of her drowning?”

She hesitated, realization dawning on her face. “Not in a while now.”

Andy’s attention snapped to Nile. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t really think about it. I was just…relieved.”

“She’s out,” Booker repeated. “And she sent us here…to hurt you.”

~~

The immortals watched you warily as you leaned against the far wall, hands held loosely at your sides in your least intimidating posture. They had gathered around the dinner table, seated as they digested the devastating news Booker had brought. Andy took it the worst, her face drawn and pale, a mild tremor rolling through her now and again.

Booker felt awful, his guts roiling, his chest constricting. He didn’t know what else to say, so he sat in the silence, afraid to look anyone in the face. Joe’s anger had diminished, though Nicky’s remained, a quiet undertow that Booker could sense despite Nicky’s placid face. Only Nile didn’t seem to mind Booker’s presence, though her aura of pity sickened him just as much.

The urge to drink was so strong he was itching in his own skin, on the verge of clawing it off with his own fingernails. He felt your eyes boring into the back of his neck, willing him to work through it.

“Why would she send you?” Nile asked, looking past Booker’s shoulder.

“I’m assuming she thought I could withstand all of you,” you answered quietly.

The looks that passed between the immortals told Booker all he needed to know. You had put each of them down except for Andy. If Booker hadn’t burst in, you would have been on Andy before the others could recover.

“What are you?”                        

“A weapon,” you answered thickly. “Designed to kill.”

“That’s what we do,” Joe pointed out. “You’re different.”

“Can you break a man’s sternum with one hand?”

“She broke both my wrists,” Booker added, “the first time we met. We hit a tree and she got back up.”

“An immortal?” Nile asked.

“No, a super soldier. Think Captain America,” you clarified. “Quynh asked Booker to break me out, and she wanted me to pursue you. Specifically Andy.”

Andy shoved herself away from the table, paced away. The others looked at her with sympathy, though all Booker could feel was heart-wrenching guilt. He was doomed to bring nothing but misery to everyone he knew.

“I shouldn’t have stopped looking for her,” Andy whispered, burying her face in one hand. “It’s all my fault.”

“No, it isn’t,” Nicky assured her. “You didn’t know how to find her. You tried for so long and found nothing. It isn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it is. And she wants me to suffer for it.”

“Is there any way we can talk to her?” Nile asked. “Booker, you know where she is. Couldn’t you take us there?”

“She’s probably moved by now,” you said. “She knows what she’s doing. I’d wager she is actually nearby, waiting.”

“You don’t have a rendezvous point?”

“We were to go to the airport. I doubt we’d take off, though. She would probably pick us up in a car and lead us elsewhere.”

“And you’re such an expert?”

You met Joe’s hard gaze. “Yes.”

Booker stared at his hands, numb.

You pushed off the wall and stood beside Booker’s chair. “I have a plan, if you’d like to hear it.”

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 6

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: None, really. A few cuss words?

// * // * //

Sunday / July 18th

The next morning, after Sebastian nursed, Elisa took him, telling Charlotte to go back to sleep for a while. When Charlotte woke again, a couple of hours later, she crawled into the shower, replaying in her mind and in her heart everything that had happened the day before.

She wondered if- when, she corrected, Shawn would call.

As she was walking downstairs, she heard it before she saw it. In Wonder. Elisa, with Sebastian on her lap, Jack, and Mason were all parked in front of the television watching Shawn’s documentary.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?” Mason asked between mouthfuls of cereal.

Charlotte plopped down beside him on the couch, almost making him spill his bowl. “Peter’s name is actually Shawn?”

She looked over at Elisa, who handed Sebastian to her. Elisa then shrugged her shoulders and stated, “You said you both wanted everyone to know the truth. And sooner is better than later, right? Especially if you plan to bring him around more often.”

“My mind is a little blown here, Charlie,” Mason said. “Why didn’t you just say, ‘hey everyone, this is my boyfriend, Shawn’?” he asked, slightly perplexed.

“Because he’s not my boyfriend!” she exclaimed.

“I told you,” Elisa said, dryly.

“We’re just friends, no matter how you may have perceived things.”

Mason chose to keep certain further thoughts to himself, at least for the time being, and asked again, “All right then, why didn’t you just introduce him as a friend of yours? I guess I can understand why you introduced him as Peter, but why Bash’s dad? Shit. He’s not actually Bash’s dad, is he??”

“No,” she chuckled. “He is most definitely not Bash’s dad.” She then sighed softly. “You’ve been watching the documentary. It looks like you’ve passed the heavily centric Camila part. They broke up less than four months ago. Yesterday was a bad day. All he wanted was to forget for a little while and be around people who didn't know him so he could try to feel normal again. I didn’t actually mean to introduce him as Bash’s dad. That was just...an accident.”

“Or wishful thinking.”

“Shut up, Mason,” she grumbled, feeling her cheeks grow hot. She shot a glance at Elisa. “I’m fine.” She needed everyone to stop thinking she was in love with Shawn.

“You’re very quiet, Uncle Jack,” she said then.

“I already told him everything,” Elisa said.

That didn’t surprise her. As far as she was aware, Elisa and Jack had never kept secrets from one another. “I’m sorry I lied you,” she said to her uncle. She then glanced at Mason again. “All of you.”

Jack smiled softly and reached over to pat her knee. “You’re forgiven, Sweetheart, don’t worry about it. I understand. Just maybe don’t lie to us again?”

“I promise. For what it’s worth, aside from introducing him as Peter, which is actually his middle name, and pretending he was Bash’s dad, Shawn was his honest self. He truly is that lovely and kind. He has an amazing heart.”

“You let him know he’s welcome here anytime,” Jack said, and Elisa nodded in agreement.

Mason laughed. “I can't believe Shawn Mendes was in our fucking house!”

“Yes, and he enjoyed dinner with us. He spent time with our family. He let his guard down and he laughed with us.” There was an edge creeping into her voice. “He pretty much put Bash to bed. You lent him your shorts after he swam with us. You played darts and poker with him. You got drunk with him and he even helped your ass to bed!” Charlotte was agitated, causing Sebastian to get upset, too. She calmed her voice and hugged her son to her, soothing his back. “He's just Shawn,” she whispered, standing with Sebastian, and quickly left the room.

Mason followed after her, into the kitchen. No one had expected her to have a mini meltdown. Even she was surprised at herself.

"I'm sorry, Char. You're right.” He quickly rinsed his bowl and spoon and put them in the dishwasher. He turned and leaned up against it and the countertop. When Charlotte actually looked at him again, he said, “I shouldn't let who he is change anything from last night."

“You just proved why he was too nervous to tell you the truth, as badly as he wanted to. He was feeling awful about lying to everyone.”

“You like him a lot, eh?”

“Don't you start too,” she groaned, giving Sebastian over to Mason so she could fix herself something to eat.

Mason gently tossed Sebastian into the air and then blew raspberries into his neck. “I know, I know. You’re just friends. But you kissed him, and he kissed you back. And you guys were like, really close almost all night.”

“I swear, this is the exact conversation I had with Mom and Didi last night.”

“Are you sure-”

She cut him off quickly. “Stop.”

“But-”

“Nope.”

“Has he had his rebound yet?”

“I don’t know,” she huffed, slightly exasperated. “He doesn’t talk to me the same way as he might his guys friends. He’s too polite to tell me how many women he may have nailed after Camila broke his heart. I don’t think I’d want to know anyway.”

Charlotte sat down at the kitchen island. “I don’t plan on being a rebound either, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Mason buckled Sebastian into his Bumbo and started mixing his oatmeal. “I’m not worried. He promised me he wouldn’t hurt you. He promised he would never do anything to make me hate him.”

“What?” She paused, mid-bite of her peanut butter and banana English muffin. “When were those promises made?”

“When he helped my ass to bed,” he chuckled. “I weirdly, vividly remember that part of the night. He cares about you. He’s a good guy.”

Charlotte fell into her own thoughts while she continued eating.

“How did you even meet him?” Mason asked, drawing her attention again. He slid a spoonful of cereal into Sebastian’s mouth.

She didn't exactly answer. Instead she said, “He lives downtown, like one kilo from my place.” She would let him draw his own conclusions.

“I have to tell Josh and Dougie and Rob.”

“If Didi hasn't already told everyone...

“Please don’t make a big deal out of it. I actually would like to bring him around again. Josh, Dougie, and Rob are common fixtures around here in the summertime. There are six weeks of summer left. I need them to be cool with him.”

“They’ll be fine. It’s Val and the twins you have to worry about.”

“Ugh, I know,” she groaned.

“They’re totally going to want to hang out with you now," he smirked.

// * // * //

Charlotte lingered in the archway between the kitchen and family room, Sebastian on her hip, Mason at her side for support.

Elisa paused the documentary; Charlotte noticed they had almost finished it.

“Shawn’s concert on Netflix is from his sold out show at the Rogers Centre two years ago. You might like to watch that sometime. I was there, with Val and the twins actually, - it was probably the last time we did anything together.

“Anyway...

“Bash just finished his cereal. I’m going to nurse him a little and see if he’ll go down for a nap. And I thought I’d run a load of laundry while he sleeps, before we head home.”

“Okay honey,” Elisa said.

She shifted from one foot to the other. “I also thought maybe it might be time that I tell you about Booker. Bash’s real dad.”

If they were surprised, they didn't show it. Jack just nodded.

Charlotte started towards the stairs. Mason called after her, “By the way, I threw Shawn’s shorts and boxers in your laundry.”

She blushed bright red.

“What?? I thought he was your boyfriend!”

// * // * //

Shawn strolled into the kitchen late Sunday morning, singing to himself. Nothing in particular, just a few runs like he normally did when he was warming up his voice. His younger sister, Aaliyah, almost eighteen and starting college in the fall, was sitting on top of the kitchen island, her phone in hand, texting her boyfriend.

She looked up, surprised, suddenly overwhelmed that her big brother was smiling and singing. She never imagined how much she would have missed hearing his voice until it had been absent for too long.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug. “Morning bub,” he murmured. He then opened the fridge and drank the orange juice right out of the carton. He grabbed a muffin and jumped up to sit beside her on the island countertop.

“You seem happy,” she said softly, grinning fiercely, tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

“I had a good night,” he grinned back and kissed her temple.

“You just disappeared yesterday; we were worried. And then you didn’t get home until well after one. Were you out with Matt?”

“I was not. I made some new friends.”

“That’s not some weird code for-”

“Bub!” he shouted. “No! Oh my God!”

“You always tell me I can say anything to you,” she laughed.

“I know, but you don’t always have to remind me how grown up you are.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and he hugged her around the shoulders.

“I’m going to go for a run with Tarzan. I’ll be back before lunch,” he said, shoving the last of his muffin in his mouth, jumping off the counter, and slipping his AirPods into his ears. “Love you!” he called over his shoulder as he jogged off.

// * // * //

Part 7

[dasphinxone]

Fashion AU moodboard where Nile is a rising supermodel signed to the ethical and diverse modeling agency run by Andy and her wife Quynh, who is a top editorial photographer. Andy has a reputation for making sure her models are paid what they’re worth. She’s also kicked people’s asses if they dare harass any of her models and has a reputation as an incredibly protective agent. Between her and Quynh’s experience in the industry, it’s enough to ruin harassers’ careers.

Yusuf and Nicolò are married and are former models who are still signed with Andy and do the occasional gigs. Yusuf is a senior editor at an haute couture fashion mag and Nicolò writes in the fashion world as a critic.

Booker used to model with Andy’s agency as well. He was also roommates with Yusuf and Nicolò  when they were all broke, struggling, young and getting started in modeling, so they’re old friends. Booker eventually retired from modeling (though Andy was still his PR rep) to become a designer who used to be HUGE…until he tragically lost his wife and kids in an airplane crash. He betrayed Andy and Qunyh when he left their agency without warning when he sold his fashion house to Merrick LLC, a giant, soulless conglomerate like LVMH. Copley convinced him to sell. Mostly because Booker helped build the company with his wife and seeing reminders of her and his sons wherever he works leads to his constant break downs. The worst part? He also very much betrayed Yusuf and Nicolò. As they were investors with Booker but he never told them he was selling the company. They don’t care about losing monetary their stake in it (well, not too much), as it’s more about Booker not consulting them. He never also told any of his Found Family about the full extent of his grief of losing his family.   Meanwhile, Booker’s hired to be head designer at another fashion house. But his recent shows have been disasters. They’re uninspired, boring and lack any sort of magic since he’s a mental mess.

Nile only models to build up a nest egg to eventually start her own fashion design house, as she graduated in design and marketing from FIDM. While there, she did a semester at the Sorbonne, so she’s fluent in French. The thing is, Nile is so good at modeling that she continues to model and kind of loses her vision of eventually quitting to do other things. Her mentors are fellow Black models and other POC models who have her back. They constantly warn her that that modeling is ageist and she should lean into her skill set and dreams to design.  During the most recent Paris Fashion Week, Nile walks in numerous shows and there’s a ton of buzz about her. Booker spots her and is completely overwhelmed. Yet he refuses to be creepy about finding her to be his muse. The thing is, when Nile meets Booker, she knows he clearly needs help (his family’s death was international news, so everyone knows). She also knows about his betrayal of the rest of the Family since Yusuf and Nicolò rent her a lovely flat in Paris at a cut-rate price, Andy is her agent and she’s friends with Quynh. She’s not in the mood to fuck up her life over this Sad-ass, Sad-eyed Frenchman Traitor dude. But she’s willing to be a friend while Booker works on himself.

…and things only grow between them from there.

[wildlittlefoxsworld]

Matchmakers (Part 1) | The Old Guard | Booker x Fem!Reader

Summary: Reader has a friend with benefits in London, but secretly likes Booker. Reader's friend has no time for her, but she's stressed and frustrated. Nicky and Joe know that Booker likes her too, and decided to help the Reader.

Warnings: sexual frustrated!reader, friends with benefits, misunderstandings, anxious feelings

Words: 1.9 k +

Second part

Masterlist

***

You sat on the dining table with your face in your hands in the little cottage near Rome that was owned by Joe and Nicky. You all came here after you had a mission that went well, but you were all really exhausted afterwards. Originally you wanted to stay here for a week and then leave to visit an old friend of you in London, it was still possible for you to have contact to your friends, you weren’t so old, but you were sure it could be only for one or two more years before they would notice that you weren’t aging. But now you were here for thirteen days already, because your friend was on sudden business trip and you had no other place to go.

But that wasn’t the reason you sat on the dining table with fingers in your hair and pulling on the roots a little rougher while you groaned loudly.

“What’s the matter, principessa?” You heard Nicky’s voice and flinched when he sat down next to you on the table. You weren’t aware that he entered the room and you lifted your head lazily.

“You seem very frustrated about something. Do you want to talk about it?” Nicky considered and you frowned. Nicky had a good knowledge of human nature and you weren’t in the mood to talk about your problems, so you just shrugged and your head sink down on the surface of the table.

“Maybe I can help?” Nicky suggested and you shook your head.

“No one could help me,” you muttered.

Nicky laughed about your answer. “For every problem there is a solution. But when you need help, you should tell someone if you want to solve the problem.”

You groaned again. “And how do you want to help me?” you snapped and felt instantly bad to get shirty with him. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled.

“It’s okay. I could search Andy, maybe it’s easier for you to talk to her,” Nicky continued to make suggestions and you burst out laughing in disbelief.

“Andy would tell me to stick myself together. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Then I would rather talk to you.”

“Why don’t you do it then?” Nicky smiled encouraging and you sighed.

“I can’t… it’s embarrassing,” you whispered and you didn’t dare to look in his eyes. He would probably laugh about it.

“Well, I’m sure I heard worse,” Nicky replied seriously with a sly smile. “Come on, Y/N, or I have to guess. I have a clue. You don’t need to be afraid; I’m not going to tell anyone, not even Joe.”

“What you aren’t going to tell me? You have secrets from me, my love?” Joe said playfully pouting from behind you and you groaned a third time burying your face in your hands.

“Is she okay?” Joe asked Nicky worriedly and you heard him moving a chair. He sat down and took Nicky’s hand in his.

“I’m not sure, amore mio, she doesn’t want to tell,” Nicky explained with a still serious voice.

“I’m still here, no need to talk in third person about me,” you grumbled and leaned back with crossed arms over your chest.

Joe laughed and tried to hide it as he clasped a hand over his mouth. “Why are you so mad? Is it your time of the month? Or what is wrong?”

You scrunched your face up in annoyance and turned your head away. “Stop your churlishness,” Nicky scolded him and bopped him playfully. “That’s a delicate topic.”

“Y/N, just tell us and we search for a solution or I just say what I think your problem is.” Nicky was giving you a last chance and you shook your head.

“I can’t be that worse. We can help out in every aspect. We are family, Y/N, we are there for each other,” Joe assured you, but you ignored him and made a huffing noise. You weren't mad with them, you were mad about yourself.

Joe looked helplessly to Nicky and you interpreted Nicky’s gaze, you were in a trap. He wouldn’t let go and you will feel embarrassed for the rest of your immortal life.

“Don’t worry, Joe, you didn’t say anything wrong. I think she’s simply sexual frustrated. I assume your friend in London is the reason for this dilemma and I know he’s too busy to spend time with you,” Nicky deadpanned and your eyes widened in shock. He was good, a good observer and you were trapped. Well, you could always leave, but he wouldn’t stop worrying about you. Nicky didn’t want to be mean or to offend you, but it was still awkward.

“That’s all?” Joe asked confused. “Well, you could visit him when he has free time again or just pick someone in a bar near here. The language shouldn’t be the problem.”

“I don’t like one-night stands,” you answered Joe back and didn’t want to meet his gaze. “Now the cat is out of the bag, but do we really need to talk about it?”

“We don’t have to, but you’re stressed and that isn’t healthy. You need something to release your stress. Did you try something else than sex? Boxing with a sandbag? Running?” Nicky proposed gently and you sighed again.

“I went yesterday and today for a one and a half hour run, but I don’t feel better.” You shrugged again and twirled a strain of your hair between your thumb and forefinger.

Nicky and Joe exchanged looks and you knitted your brow. “What do you have in mind?”

It wasn’t the way you thought the day would go. You talked two hours ago with your friend from London and he would be back on Saturday and you planned to take a flight on the same day. But until then you needed to survive four more days and you didn’t have an idea how to do this.

“Well, principessa, if sports don’t help and you don’t want to be with a stranger, your friend isn’t available anyway; you should maybe spend time with someone you know already.”

You were taken aback for a second and then you shook your head in disbelief. “And who? My only friend with whom this kind of arrangement is possible lives in London. My other friends are female or married.”

Nicky smiled conspiratorial and you quirked an eyebrow. You held your breath and braised yourself for what Nicky was going to say. You hoped he wouldn’t suggest that you should spend some time with Joe and him, because it would be very weird. You wouldn’t agree with this.

“Don’t panic, Y/N. I know you have a little crush, we saw your lingering and admiring gaze,” Joe explained with a mocking tone. But you panicked and whimpered a little. That couldn’t be true. Did they really think you have a crush on them? You couldn’t tell. Yes, you knew them for a while now, but you couldn’t figure out. You gulped nervously and looked at them, expecting the worst.

“I can assure you that your feelings are returned from your crush,” Nicky said with a smile.

“I hope we’re talking about the same person. Yes, I can’t deny that I have a crush on someone, but…” Your voice broke at the end and you bit your lip agitated. Nicky watched you and he noticed that you didn’t feel well with the conversation. He admitted that their words were mysterious and that it made you only confused.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought it was obvious… I mean Booker,” Nicky explained hastily and your head fell forwards in relief, placing your hand above your heart.

“Oh god, I thought for the past minutes you meant yourselves,” you responded and laughed assuaged.

“With all my respect for you, I see you as a sister. I love you dearly, Y/N, but my heart only belongs to Joe.”

You nodded in agreement. “That would’ve been so weird.”

“Yeah, we're family, but there we make a boundary,” Joe chuckled and the mood lightened up slightly.

You were so anxious the whole time that you didn't realize what Nicky had told you about the feelings of your crush. “Were you serious? When you told me about… about… Booker's feelings for me. Why are you sure that he does like me?”

Nicky inclined his head and smirked. “He told me.”

“What?… When?… I mean he really told you that…,” you stuttered and couldn't believe his words, yet you knew he wouldn't lie to you.

“Booker… he got very upset… two months ago. That was last time when you left to visit your friend in London. He spoke about how you always run into your lover's arms and someday he will break your heart, because he grow old and you will be always young.”

“He isn't my lover or my boyfriend, we are just friends that, well, you know,” you clarified and Nicky nodded.

“We told him that you aren't in a relationship with him and then Booker said that your friend doesn't derserve you. It was impossible to imagine for Booker how your friend couldn't love you. And he said that he can treat you better, that you deserved to be loved.”

You were shocked and overwhelmed with emotions, to hear those words about Booker's feelings for you. He didn't just like you, he was in love with you, at least you hoped for it. You never imagined that he would return your feelings and you never noticed any sings that he felt mutual.

“Booker really cares about you,” Joe mentioned with a honest gaze to you. “I watched him the last eight weeks. On every mission he was close to you, he protected and always checked first on you. Also at home, he took care of you, looked after of you and tried to spend more time with you. I'm sure you're his priority.”

You got tears in your eyes and they rolled down your cheeks, angrily you wiped them away. You felt stupid that you wasted so much time in London, you could have something so much better.

“I understand why he never said something. I assume he thought that I'm not intersted in him, because I travelled so often to London. I didn't even see that he wanted to spend more time with me. I just thought he wanted to be nice…”

Nicky and Joe simply nodded and Nicky gave you a tissue for the tears.

“What should I supposed to do now?” You mumbled crestfallen and took a deep breath.

“Of course you should tell him!” Nicky exclaimed

“If it's not too late. He could reject me,” you complated the possibility he couldn't want you.

“You will never know if you don't try it,” Joe said convincing. You kne he was right and you nodded nervously.

“Where is he?”

“In the living room working on his laptop,” Nicky answered smiling and nodded towards the hallway that leaded in the living room.

Now or never, you told yourself.

***

What do you think?

[author-a-holmes]

Monthly Magic

@monthly-magic

Just gonna share an excerpt from my current Nanowrimo project, because it happens to include some pretty strange plants. Tree's, specifically!

The Fey use "Sacred Tree's", either an Ash, Oak, Hawthorn or Birch, located in the centre of a Fairy Circle, as portals to the Mortal Realm.

In Chapter 2, my main characters make their way through the Forest of Portals to sneak their way into the Mortal Realm.

Excerpt Beneath the Cut, Wordcount Aprox 1,500

Her steps slowed slightly as she took in the small forest of Sacred Trees. Ash, Birch, Oak and Hawthorn, all acting as portals between the Fey and Mortal Realms, and powered by the Fairy Circles that grew around the base of each trunk. Their twisting limbs stretched up, tall and dark against the night sky and Lizzy was suddenly very grateful to have Booker at her side.

“Ready?” he asked quietly, and Lizzy braced herself before nodding.

Quietly, they climbed the wooden fence, hopping to the grass carpeted ground of the orchard, and quickly making use of the shadows cast by the forest of magical portals to stay out of sight of the roaming Court guards that patrolled the mushroom lined walkways.

“Which one do we need?” Booker whispered as they moved cautiously deeper into the trees, but Lizzy shrugged while carefully stepping over a line of mushrooms so that their destruction didn’t alert the guards to trespassers.

“I don’t have any way to activate a Fairy Circle, so we need one that’s been recently used and still has some lingering power,” she explained softly, “so just… look for the glowing blue mushrooms.”

“Do you not know which one Maddy’s delegation went through?” Booker asked, voice sharp, but he fell silent quickly when Lizzy shot him a sharp look of warning.

“Unless you have a way to activate it, it doesn’t matter,” she reminded him, “We can figure out where the delegation went once we’re there-” She cut herself off sharply when she spotted a patrolling guard approaching along one of the neatly trimmed pathways. Grabbing Booker’s hand and dragging them both behind a large Hawthorn to hide, they watched in tense silence as the guard wandered past her wings fluttering in boredom.

It was only once she was out of sight, and they were in no immediate danger of being overheard, that Booker continued, his voice low and quiet.

“Lizzy,” Booker muttered, “do you have any idea how big the Mortal Realm is? Without knowing which portal Maddy used…”

“Getting out of here is the hard part,” she deflected, “Once we’re there, they won’t follow us and we’ll have time to figure everything else out, and most importantly we’ll be that much closer to mum.”

A quick glance around the tree trunk and Lizzy was ready to move on, she released his hand only to tug lightly on his light linen coat to get him to follow her, “Come on, we need to find an active circle before one of the guards finds us.”

They didn’t have to go much deeper into the orchard, before Booker pointed out the bright blue glow of an active Fairy Circle, and Lizzy immediately headed towards it, excitement and the hope for answers distracting her until she almost walked head first into another of the Court guards.

It was only Booker’s grasp on her wrist, and the shadows of a large Oak that kept her from being seen. She turned to thank him, but silenced herself when he pressed the fingers of his free hand against his own lips, before tapping his temple and Lizzy grimaced at his silent request for telepathy.

Glancing at the guard by the active circle Lizzy watched the woman for a moment, hoping she would walk onto the next leg of her patrol, but the guard didn’t seem inclined to move any time soon and Lizzy slowly turned back to Booker, reluctantly nodding her acceptance.

It only took seconds for Booker to link up their minds, but Lizzy still wrinkled her nose and bit her lip at the uncomfortable sensation of something wriggling against her skull.

‘This would be so much easier if you didn’t fight it every time,’ came the quiet voice in her mind, and she shook her head.

‘I wouldn’t fight it, if it didn’t feel like a fly buzzing against my ear,’ she grumbled, glancing back at the guard again before adding, ‘what are we going to do about her?’

‘You just had to find the Fairy Circle with a permanently stationed guard, didn’t you?’ Booker complained, but with their thoughts linked Lizzy could almost taste the reluctant amusement behind his words.

‘How was I supposed to know?’ she shot back, and the strange sensation of a simultaneous laugh and sigh brushed across her mind.

‘Fine, fine, lemme think for a moment…’

Lizzy grimaced again when she felt the pressure in her head change as Booker retreated slightly and sank into his own thoughts, returning her own attention to the stationed guard. Her dislike for telepathy was just one more thing that set her apart from her peers.

A normal part of Fey society, Lizzy had always shied away from the contact, unless it was Booker or her mother. Someone inside her head always felt intimate and a little foreign to Lizzy, and yet there were some Fey who communicated almost exclusively via telepath.

Lizzy had made it a point to avoid those Fey as much as she could.

She felt Booker’s attention return to her, so wasn’t surprised when his voice echoed through her head once more.

‘I’m going to distract her,’ he said simply, and Lizzy turned to stare at him, eyebrows raised.

‘How?’

‘Do you trust me or not?’ He sent back, but she didn’t need to be inside his head to know he wasn’t as confident as he was pretending to be, the tightening around the corners of his mouth told her that much.

He must have sensed the argument brewing in her mind because Booker continued quickly, ‘Look, just be ready to make a run for the portal if this goes sideways,’ he told her, while dropping his bag onto her shoulder, and before Lizzy could summon any kind of an answer, Booker broke the contact between their minds and stepped away from the tree.

Lizzy watched him from her hiding spot as he made his way onto one of the cultivated paths that led towards the Court guard and began approaching confidently, his pace steady but brisk. The woman came sharply to attention when she heard him, turning to face Booker with an expression of wary warning that melted away as Lizzy watched Booker begin to speak to her, his voice quick and quiet.

She couldn’t make out what her friend was saying, but the guards' features were easy to read and they cycled from confused to panic stricken in a matter of moments, the reactions more than enough to reassure Lizzy that whatever Booker had intended, it was going to plan.

It was only when the guard's wings suddenly lifted away from her body, and she launched herself into the air, disappearing into the night as she quickly flew towards the town centre, that Lizzy felt her jaw drop open in shock.

“Lizzy!” Booker’s hissed call snapped her shocked gaze down from the sky and back to her friend, who was beckoning her urgently, “Hurry up, she won’t be gone long!”

Jerking into motion, Lizzy tightened her grasp around both their bags before jogging over to Booker’s side but he didn’t let her stop, just grabbing her free hand and sending them both running towards the oak tree surrounded by the active Fairy Circle, signified by the perfect ring of large white mushrooms that glowed bright blue, throbbing slowly with Fey magic.

The moment their feet crossed the ring of mushrooms and pressed against the soft grass the blue glow pulsed brighter and raced across the ground beneath their feet like a shockwave, closing in on the sacred tree before it hit and ran up the oaks trunk, sinking into the deep cracks between the bark and giving it a translucent appearance, before an aurora of warning lights lit up the sky above them.

“Shit!”

“Keep running!” Booker snapped back, tugging on Lizzy’s arm when her steps faltered at the light display they’d inadvertently triggered.

Lizzy could hear the sudden buzzing of Fey wings filling the air behind them, knew that the aurora would have summoned every Court guard in the vicinity, but seconds later she and Booker slammed into the still glowing trunk of the tree, and passed through it.

Bright blue faded to black, like the aftermath of an explosion, or from staring into a fire too long and then looking away. Lizzy had just enough time to realise that the whole sensation felt disturbingly like falling, before she slammed into solid ground. Her legs gave way beneath her from the force and Lizzy dropped their bags, her hands snapping out just in time to catch her forward momentum against the grass and to stop herself from smashing face first into the ground.

Booker’s anxious panting beside her suggested that her experience wasn’t a unique one, but Lizzy struggled through the moment of disorientation, rolling quickly to sit on the damp grass, staring anxiously at the tree they’d just passed through as she scrambled backwards and away from the portal.

Despite her reassurances to Booker earlier in the night, Lizzy half expected a contingent of Court guards to follow them through at any moment, dragging them both back to face… whatever the punishment was for an unauthorised portal access, but slowly the glow faded from the tree, leaching out from between the cracks in its bark and sinking into the soil before disappearing entirely.

“We did it,” Lizzy breathed, not quite able to believe in their success for a long moment before she suddenly released a relieved laugh as the realisation began to sink in.

[gayenerd]

This is another article I found during the internet k-hole I went into while looking for information about Adrienne’s ex-fiance, saved in a document, and now can’t find online anymore. I think it was originally featured in the Mankato Free Press, but the author apparently had a blog detailing her 2009 efforts to get in contact with Adrienne and campaign for Green Day to play in Mankato again. There’s some more interesting tidbits about the Mankato punk scene and an interview with Adrienne there. 

Campaign Green Day: Reflection

By Amanda Dyslin

Free Press Features Editor

June 10, 2009 11:29 pm

— It was dark in the middle of the southern Minnesota countryside, somewhere by St. Peter in the summer of 1992.

On a farm with a barn and not much else, there was one light pole casting a shallow glow on three guys standing atop 6-foot wide, 5-foot tall wire spools — a makeshift stage to gain high ground over 200 or so people watching. Next to them was a big, old, beat-up beast of a car pulled up by the owner so 15 or so people could stand on top and gain a better view. One of them had a video camera.

Ben Gruber, then a sophomore at Loyola High School, was there. In fact, he and a buddy had helped haul equipment for the band, and even gave the drummer, Tre Cool, a ride before the show in Mankato. The music was good, he said. A lot more polished than other punk bands he’d seen in Mankato.

He was aware of the five-year-old band, born in Berkeley, Calif., he said. They’d put out a couple of smaller recordings, including their full-length debut “39/Smooth” on Lookout! Records. But they were two years from their breakthrough record, “Dookie,” which would have pretty much everyone at the show that night in awe of what they had experienced — maybe one of the last stripped down, small-scale punk shows Green Day would ever perform.

Mankato punk

The Libido Boyz are often considered the anchor of the Mankato punk scene in the late 1980s/early 1990s. It was a time when the city was rich with garage and basement punk bands, drummer Chad Sabin said before a reunion show in 2007. PSD and Plain Truth were a couple of other bands that got a lot of attention at the time.

Marti’s All Ages Music, located where the Vietnamese restaurant Tonn is now on Front Street, was an open building with a bathroom and a couple of booths where kids could put on shows. A couple of bands went on to the big time after playing there. The Offspring was one of them.

Many claimed having heard of friends who had seen Green Day play at Marti’s. According to a former talent booker, the closest Green Day ever came to playing the venue was when frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and his girlfriend, Adrienne Nesser, walked in and left right after The Offspring’s set in 1994. Marti’s tried to get Green Day to play the venue numerous times, but it was way too small for even the moderate level of fame they’d already gained pre-“Dookie.” Marti’s had the same trouble with the punk band Fugazi.

“It was pretty much no frills,” Gruber said. “There wasn’t much to do there.”

The bulk of the punk scene was made up of high school and college-age punk-rockers who would play anywhere, Sabin said. Like a lot of kids at the time, the Libido Boyz just wanted to play loud, chaotic music, which also is what people seemed to want to hear. Kids would cram into basements for concerts or listen outside garages.

“On any given week or weekend, there would be a show with anywhere from two to 10 bands playing,” Gruber said. “There was a really good crop of musician-age kids who were into (punk) for a while (before) grunge became very popular.”

During the next few years, the Libido Boyz got big. They played in the Cities and toured the state and eventually started playing shows across the country, including New York and San Francisco. Out West is where they met Green Day, who would become the biggest punk band to come through Mankato.

“They were just dirty punks like us,” Sabin said.

Former Libido Boyz bassist Dave Begalka said they played punk shows with Green Day from time to time while on tour. Mike Dirnt, Green Day bassist, actually did Begalka a big favor once when they played a show in Cleveland together.

Some of Begalka’s bass gear went missing, and a couple of months later he saw Dirnt when they both were playing shows in the California Bay Area. Turns out, the bass gear was mixed up with Dirnt’s equipment that night, and he’d been keeping it safe for him the whole time.

“I thought that was just downright a swell thing to do,” Begalka said. “As I recall, I think we couch surfed at Billy Joe’s that night. ... By the way, I still use the lost guitar strap that went around the U.S. with Green Day.”

The Libido Boyz and Green Day crossed paths in another way as well, through Adrienne, who was a student at Minnesota State University and living in Mankato.

The first lady

Adrienne (Nesser) Armstrong, now 39, was born in Minneapolis and started at MSU in the late 1980s, graduating with the class of 1994 with a degree in sociology.

She met Billie Joe on Green Day’s first tour in 1990. Some report it was a show at First Ave in Minneapolis, and she is quoted at greenday.net as saying only about 10 people were there. She asked Billie Joe where she could get a copy of the band’s CD, and the two hit it off.

While on tour, Billie Joe kept in contact with Adrienne by phone. Their first kiss inspired an early Green Day song, “2,000 Light Years Away.” Their relationship caused Billie Joe to arrange two tours around Minnesota so they could see each other, a relationship which lasted about a year and a half.

Although it’s unclear, witnesses who saw Billie Joe and Adrienne around Mankato during that time say the reason Green Day played shows in the area at all was simply because she was here. The shows weren’t a part of any tour, but rather impromptu ways to pass to the time.

The relationship fizzled after they decided the distance was too much of a strain. Adrienne got engaged to Billy Bisson, the frontman of Libido Boyz, the following year. Reports differ from either side, with some saying the relationship dissolved on its own. Bisson has been quoted as saying Billie Joe stole her away.

While in Mankato, Adrienne worked at various places, including the Piercing Pagoda in the River Hills Mall and Pagliai’s Pizza, and is described by those who knew her as a beautiful punk rock girl who everybody had a crush on.

Cheryl Rueda, manager of Pagliai’s, worked with Adrienne and three of the Libido Boyz at the restaurant when Adrienne was dating Bisson. Adrienne also babysat for Cheryl’s kids.

“She was a beautiful girl,” Rueda said. “I think the world of her. She was just a regular person.”

Thursday nights Adrienne babysat for Cheryl’s two kids, Andre and Marisa, who were about 3 and 6 at the time. She would often have a craft project or activity to do to keep them entertained. She even took them out trick-or-treating during a blizzard one year.

“She was their favorite babysitter,” she said.

Carrie Zempel Heise worked with her at a bar called The Jungle, now Dutler’s Bowl.

“I ran into her after the bar had closed down (she was working at Pier 1 Imports), and she told me she was moving out West soon,” Zempel said. “Months later, word got back that she had married Billie Joe, and then the next thing I saw was an interview with him in Rolling Stone magazine talking about his pregnant wife!”

When Adrienne finished school, Billie Joe convinced her to move to California and marry him. Rueda said it happened so fast it seemed she was gone over night. Before she left, she and friends had a big garage sale, said Amy Lennartson of Eagle Lake. She and Lennartson originally had plans to move to San Francisco together and open a business.

“She headed West that May, and I stayed over the summer to finish up my time at MSU,” Lennartson said. “Then, in true rock star fashion, I returned home from a Fourth of July vacation to a wedding invitation from Adrienne — to a wedding that had already happened.”

The wedding took two weeks to plan and happened in five minutes July 2, 1994, in Billie Joe’s backyard, according to the VH1 “Behind the Music” documentary. “We didn’t think about it, we just did it,” Adrienne said.

Protestant, Catholic and Jewish vows were exchanged because neither had a religion. The honeymoon took place 10 minutes from Billie Joe’s house at the Claremont Hotel. The day after the wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant.

The couple has two sons, Joseph Marciano, 14, and Jakob Danger, 10.

Adrienne now co-owns Adeline Records in Oakland, Calif., and Adeline Street clothing line. She works with the Natural Resources Defense Council, and co-owns Atomic Garden, an eco-friendly clothing and home goods store.

There is at least one friend in Mankato Adrienne is reported to keep in contact with. But said friend — whose basement Green Day was reported to have played in and who reportedly visited the Armstrongs in California — wasn’t eager to talk about it.

Rueda kept in contact with Adrienne for a while. Adrienne would send the Rueda kids Green Day T-shirts and things. She also sent a family photo to the Ruedas years ago. When Adrienne’s first son was 1 1/2, she came back to Mankato to visit and Rueda saw them. She was the same person she had always been, Rueda said.

A few years ago, Adrienne asked a friend in Mankato to go to the Ruedas’ house and videotape the kids so she could see how much they had grown up. Otherwise, the Ruedas haven’t heard from her since.

Big time

The night Green Day played St. Peter, the original plan was for them to play at someone’s house behind where Casey’s is now on Lee Boulevard in North Mankato.

Two local bands went on first. But the cops came and broke it up because of the noise. Gruber and his buddy offered to drive equipment and Tre Cool to a house on Fifth Street in Mankato, where somebody had offered up their basement. But the band took one look and said it was way too small.

That’s when a girl whose family lived off Hwy. 99 near St. Peter offered her place.

“This whole caravan of cars ended up driving out to her place,” Gruber said.

It was too hot to play in the barn. Gruber suggested the guys make a mini stage out of the wire spools, which they thought was pretty punk rock, even commenting on that stage and show later on a bootleg recording, he said.

Gruber said he later recognized songs such as “Welcome to Paradise” off of “Dookie” that they played that night — the night most people look to as the epitome of nostalgia when it comes to Green Day’s presence in Mankato. People still go to YouTube to check out the nine or so minutes of footage from that concert, despite being out of focus, jittery and too dark to see much.

“Took me back,” Gruber said of watching the footage. “That guy filming, he was probably standing right next to me and my friends.”

A couple of hundred people have similar memories from that night, having accidentally stumbled upon a concert that would become local legend. None of them could possibly have imagined what Green Day would become.

“Dookie,” released in 1994 — which followed 1992’s “Kerplunk,” having sold 50,000 copies — sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. That album, along with those of The Offspring and Rancid, is credited for reviving mainstream interest in punk music, and it won Best Alternative Album at the Grammy Awards.

Future albums, “Insomniac” and “Nimrod,” went double platinum, and “Warning” went gold. None of them reached the level of success of “Dookie.”

But 2004’s punk rock opera “American Idiot” changed everything. Debuting at No. 1 and selling five million copies, critics absolutely drooled over it. “American Idiot” won Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammys and swept the MTV Video Music Awards.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and won the Grammy for Record of the Year. During the band’s 150-date tour in support of the album, they drew crowds of 130,000 people over two days in the United Kingdom.

The band’s new album, “21st Century Breakdown,” was released worldwide May 15 and received rave reviews. Last week the band played “The Tonight Show” with Conan O’Brien.

Their world tour kicks off in July, with the Minneapolis show at the Target Center July 11.

Copyright � 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

[chaoswillfallrpg]

CAMILLE ROWLE is TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD and a STYLIST for WITCH WEEKLY. She looks remarkably like EMMA ROBERTS and considers herself NEUTRAL. She is currently TAKEN. 

→ OVERVIEW:

The younger child of the Rowle family by just ten months, Camille Rowle has always been treated as though she was special by her parents. Given how close Camille and her older brother THORFINN ROWLE were born to one another, it is safe to assume that she had arrived earlier than her parents were planning, which Thorfinn had tried to hold over her head ever since she could remember. No longer the apple of his parents eyes, Thorfinn claimed his sister had ‘stolen’ his time alone with them and what might have been seen as emotionally draining on a little girl, being repeatedly told you were an accident or selfish and unwanted did not particularly phase her very much. Since the day Camille was born, the pair were treated more like twins than siblings and subsequently had to share everything, especially their parents' attention. Not particularly bothered by this fact, Camille moved on with her life as if he was not there at all, always one to demand attention just by being present she never found it difficult to receive it, Thorfinn on the other hand, had to fight for it constantly, making him feel rather sour towards his younger sister. The rivalry continued throughout their childhood, and despite the small age gap, Camille shone where her brother did not. She walked a lot faster than he did, talked a lot sooner than him, and was constantly doted on due to her blossoming beauty and intelligence. It was clear to the entire family that although Thorfinn was in no means ugly, in fact he would grow up to be rather striking, but in comparison to Camille, it was plain to see she had inherited both the looks and intelligence from the Rowle family. Camille was the clever Rowle, Thorfinn the brawny one. 

While Camille read and played, Thorfinn entertained himself by throwing his sisters things out the window, attempting to hit her in the process. The fights that broke out between the pair could be heard from the far side of their home in Canterbury, the family residing  by The River Stour. Throughout the years many possessions were seen being thrown and, as they came into their powers, flying and floating out of the windows. Their nanny became quite competent at memory charms as she used them on most muggles that dared to walk past the house when the pair were having a fight. Camille being a Metamorphmagus didn’t help her relationship with her brother. When she was three she got a bout of the sneezes and turned her hair from it’s usual golden blonde to a deep pink, then to lilac and to a brilliant aquamarine. Ever since then she attempted to perfect the skill, using her abilities to further stoke fires with her brother to get him into trouble. By ten she could shift herself into most animals. Most notably an albatross, which her brother has been frightened of ever since they had a family holiday to Antarctica. Attempting to throw chips at Camille, he caught the attention of one which then flew after Thorfinn for his food, leaving her in fits of laughter as he tried to escape. Sometimes in the middle of the night when he had been particularly irritating, Camille liked to sit on his bed in her albatross form and wake him by pecking at him. Often he hit her with a pillow and woke up their parents with bouts of screaming, to which Camille rushed back to her bedroom and pretended to be asleep, leaving Thorfinn with yet another trip to the naughty step, though it was entirely her fault. 

Leaving for Hogwarts, the siblings parted ways fairly quickly, boarding the Hogwarts Express through different carriages, Camille set off to find some deserving friends. She had a list of things her circle must be, intelligent, beautiful, and witty to name a few, and although she understood that being Pure-Blood afforded you certain luxuries that others may not have, it wasn't essential. She found an empty carriage, dumped her cases and watched the riff raff walk by her windows until she spotted potentials. Ten minutes into the journey she had dragged the likes of GENEVIEVE AVERY, ANASTASIA DUPONT, FLORENCE JONES and ANDRESSA PARKINSON into her carriage. The girls exuded everything Camille would need in order to succeed at Hogwarts and the journey to Scotland only solidified this, by the time they pulled up in Hogsmede, they were practically sisters, awkward silence never presenting itself in the carriage. An easy sort for the hat, Camille went after her brother, hoping that she too wouldn't be placed into Hufflepuff and was quickly placed into Ravenclaw, wit, intelligence and creativity she was a surefire addition. With only Genevieve being sorted into Ravenclaw, Camille understood the importance of furthering her alliances within her house, and an opportunity presented itself as soon as she sat down. RITA SKEETER seemingly sought Camille out, having done her research before coming to school as she wanted only the highest quality friends, she had ambition which Camille could relate to and the pair became quick friends. Their friendship expanded to include fellow Ravenclaws BETTY BRATHWAITE and DAISY HOOKUM, the group bonding over their love of fashion, gossip and beauty. It came to a point where the four girls thought it only right that they share their insight into the world through a school paper, the Weekly Raven contained beauty tips, gossip, politics and sports commentary. Camille focused on a fashion article, finding it to be the perfect balance between judging other people and writing about what she loved, clothes, bags, jewellry, you name it, Camille could talk about it for hours. 

Since first year Camille proved that she was not someone to be trifled with, being the only known student to turn down an invitation to the exclusive ‘Slug Club’ Camille rolled her eyes at PROFESSOR HORACE SLUGHORN and carried on her way to class. Ever since then the girl carried with her an air of royalty that no one but her brother seemed to dissuade. Going in to second year her reputation seemed to proceed her, finally meeting her estranged cousin REGINA ROWLE lead the girls ego to grow even further, happy to help pathe the way for her cousin to be as popular as she was becoming, Camille guided her towards a good group of friends, wanting to leave a legacy behind her, knowing she would need to coach the girl as Thorfinn wouldn't bother. During her time at Hogwarts Camille would use her metamorphmagus skills to her advantage, turning into animals and strolling around the castle, an excellent method to overhear certain conversations, a tip that she didn't fail to share with her friend Rita. Throughout her years at Hogwarts Camille’s reputation was solidified by the exclusivity that her friendship group boasted, many girls tried and failed to be a part of it, and many boys tried and failed to land one of the members. Only a handful of boys were ever graced with their attentions, and even then they had to fight for them, one boy who caught the eye of Camille was CHRISTIANO PARKINSON, Andressa’s twin brother. He had made all the right connections and was excelling in school, really he was the perfect candidate for Camille’s affections, plus he was Thorfinn’s best friend so he came with the added bonus of annoying her older brother. The pair started officially dating at the start of sixth year and have been together ever since, what started out as a way to further her alliances and annoy her brother turned out to be something completely different for Camille, she fell for him and he fell back, not that she would let anyone else see that. 

Leaving Hogwarts with several job offers Camille chose to work as a stylist for Witch Weekly magazine, coming from a wealthy family she didn't necessarily need a job but couldn't turn down the opportunity to tell people what to wear. She moved into a four floor Chelsea townhouse on the Kings Road with Anastasia and Florence and spent most evenings with the pair sipping on champagne like it was water and discussing their respective days. All three girls worked in fashion and beauty and their home echoed that, walk-in wardrobes, designer bags strewn everywhere and more shoes than any of them could ever wear. Anastasia was a fabric buyer and would often go to exotic places for work, which Camille was more than happy to join her for, spending the time sourcing materials and clothing of her own for the magazine. Living away from Christiano had led to the couple drifting apart, neither one spoke of the issue whilst in each other's company but both could feel its presence. Camille could feel him pulling away from her, getting further and further entangled with BELLATRIX BLACK and the schemes she involved herself with. Knowing full well that Christiano’s feelings for Bellatrix were not simply friendly Camille strayed before he was given the chance to. Never one to be seen loving the other more Camille bit the bullet and cheated on him first when an afterwork round of cocktails with ORLAITH MACMILLIAN turned into several and a beautiful blonde stranger approached her. Knowing their breakup was inevitable but not quite ready to let her first love go she continued on this path, she enjoyed flirting with and having harmful kisses with strangers because she knew it meant nothing and therefore could tell herself it was okay. 

Things quickly changed however when she was introduced to HARRISON BAGNOLD one day at work. Her boss CELESTE MAXIME saw much of herself in Camille and constantly said she was a shoe in for her role once she had retired and so had given her free reign over the three page spread on the newly appointed Minister for Magic MILLICENT BAGNOLD. Working closely with the Minister to design the shoot and style her for the article she was also introduced to her two rather striking sons Harrison and his younger brother BOOKER BAGNOLD. Styling both sons for the family portion of the shoot meant having close contact with the pair, leading to trouble when she found herself most intrigued by the older brother. He openly flirted with her in front of his mother, which she happily sent him the cold shoulder and a roll of her eyes in return which only seemed to fuel the boy's attention. Stopping by her office several more times than was necessary with invites to parties or dinners, flowers and perfume were at the start turned down by the cold witch. She was enjoying the flirty repartee between them too much to agree straight away but it eventually led them to a cocktail bar in Muggle London, one too many cosmopolitans and things got out of hand. Now knowing that she couldn't hide this from Christiano forever, being friends with his sister making it even more difficult, Camille had a decision to make, does she stay with her first love who seemingly has feelings for another or does she explore this new relationship with Harrison, a man she is attracted to despite her best efforts not to be and who lights a fire in her she had all but forgotten? All the while a war is brewing that she has no interest in partaking in, but her hand is being forced by the mere fact that her brother, cousin and current boyfriend so clearly have chosen their side. 

→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Pure-Blood (Metamorphogis)

Pronouns → She/Her

Identification → Cis Female 

Sexuality  → Up To Roleplayer

Relationship Status → In a Relationship with Christiano Parkinson

Previous Education →  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Ravenclaw)

Family → Thorfinn Rowle (brother), Regina Rowle (cousin), Rowena Rowle (cousin)

Connections  → Christiano Parkinson (boyfriend), Anastasia DuPont (best friend/housemate), Florence Jones (best friend/housemate), Genevieve Avery (best friend), Andressa Parkinson (best friend), Rita Skeeter (close friend), Daisy Hookum (close friend), Betty Braithwaite (close friend) Celeste Maxime (boss), Orlaith MacMillan (colleague/friend), Harrison Bagnold (romantic liaison), Bellatrix Black (adversary)

Future Information → Editor and Chief of Witch Weekly Magazine

CAMILLE ROWLE IS A LEVEL 7 WITCH/METAMORPHAGIS.

[ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut]

Guys GUYS Red Crackle/Rebellious Birds Your Name AU!!!!

For those who haven’t seen Your Name, you might wanna watch. It’s a great movie. 

Okay guys! So basically one day Graham and Black Sheep wake up as each other, and they find out they swap bodies from time to time. They start communicating by writing notes to each other or writing on their bodies. For Graham and Black Sheep, every time they switch, they have to adapt to the other’s lives. Graham has to navigate this secret crime school while Black Sheep has to navigate being out in the outside world. 

As time passes, they start to get to know each other through the notes and become really close. Both want to meet each other. Sadly, Black Sheep finds she can’t call him and he can’t call her, so contact has never been made. They soon realize they’re falling for each other--a person they never actually met but yet they know. 

Soon Black Sheep starts VILE academy and surprise! There’s Graham! She’s so happy! She wants to embrace him. However, when she talks to him, he’s confused. He doesn’t know her. Black Sheep is heartbroken. Did Graham--now Gray--not like her after all? Was it all just a dream? 

She resolves to let her feelings go and become Gray’s friend again, and Black Sheep has to live with the fact that this Gray, for some reason, does not share her memories of all the times they’ve body swapped. 

As for Graham, he misses Black Sheep terribly. They haven’t body swapped in a while. Had something happened to her? He was worried. He resolves to try and find her, and locates Player, who he knows to be her friend from body swapping with Black Sheep. Player is shocked Graham found him and Graham asks about Black Sheep. Player is suspicious and Graham tells her he is her friend. Then Graham gets the bombshell.

Black Sheep is dead. Has been for a year. She died last year, December 1st, trying to escape V.I.L.E academy with V.I.L.E’s hard drive. Graham is shocked. No! He’s been body swapping with Black Sheep this whole year! Graham is desperate and frantic--Black Sheep can’t be dead. Player plays him the recording from Black Sheep’s last call when she was escaping VILE. He hears her voice as she’s panicking and telling Player she’s almost out, and then gunshots ring and he hears Player’s voice crying out for Black Sheep who is silent. Graham feels like he’s going to be sick. He and Player figure out Graham has not only been swapping bodies with Black Sheep, but also through different time periods. 

“That’s why you didn’t recognize her...” Player realizes, and Graham is confused. Player explains Black Sheep mentioned a Graham as an online friend at the time, and she then told him later he didn’t seem to know her in a sad tone. Graham feels a pang as he realizes Black Sheep had to deal with heartbreak all by herself. It wasn’t him yet there to comfort her. He wondered how lonely she was in those moments--being so close to him but so far. 

“If I met her before, if I was apart of V.I.L.E like you said, why don’t I remember anything?” Graham wondered.

“You said you had an accident right?” Player asked.

“Yeah,” Graham narrowed his eyes, trying in vain to recall any memories of what Player was telling him of his time at V.I.L.E “It was an electrical error.” 

“What if it wasn’t an accident?” Player proposed. “what if V.I.L.E made you forget?”

“Why would they do that?” Graham was frustrated. 

“Well, I can’t imagine the past you would’ve been okay with Black Sheep’s death...” Player shrugged. Graham and him were silent, both immersed in their thoughts. “Sorry you had this all dumped on you. I suggest you just try to take some time and try to move on. Black Sheep wouldn’t want either of us to fall apart.” 

Graham returns to Australia, his heart broken and his body weary. He broke down about Black Sheep, finally letting his grief overtake him. He would give anything and everything if he could just make Black Sheep survive. 

He finds himself journeying to Morocco, the place where Player told him Black Sheep and him stopped being friends. He finds the abandoned archaeological site, and memories start flooding him. He clutches his head from the pain, and he soon is seeing flashes of memories of that night in Morocco. He sees Black Sheep trying to plead with him to not kill anyone. He remembers her look of betrayal when she’s caught by the Cleaners. Tears come to his eyes as more and more memories start flooding him. He sees his younger self, devastated, fighting against V.I.L.E when he finds out about Black Sheep’s death, yelling at them all he was going to make them pay before they drag him off to a strange machine with a Dr. Bellum smirking as she places a mask on him. He sees himself with Black Sheep--sees them learning together, sparring together, laughing together. He sees himself supporting and encouraging her, and he drops to his knees, sobbing. 

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Graham cries. “I wish I could tell you how sorry I am! Even if it’s just for a minute--just even a few seconds! I wish I could do it all over again!” 

He cries until he’s weak and passes out right there at the dig. However, when he wakes up, he finds himself at V.I.L.E academy again. He nearly has a heart attack when he realizes he’s back in Black Sheep’s body. Tears come to his eyes and he hugs Black Sheep’s body, embracing himself. 

“You’re alive... Holy shit, you’re actually alive!” he cries in relief. He realizes today is December 1st, the day Black Sheep dies. He is determine to make sure Black Sheep gets out alive this time. He goes to Shadowsan, finding out from body swapping with Black Sheep before there was more to Shadowsan than what Graham and her thought. He knows right away it’s not really Black Sheep as Graham tries to convince him to save Black Sheep. If he doesn’t help her, Black Sheep is going to die. Shadowsan refuses to listen, and warns him to give back Black Sheep or else he would have him to answer to. Graham, frustrated, goes forth and tries to figure out a plan to make sure Black Sheep gets the hard drive and out alive on his own. 

He manages to get the cell phone Black Sheep had and contacts Player, giving him V.I.L.E’s coordinates so Player can track Black Sheep. He decides to also hack into the mainframe and delay Cookie Booker’s boat until sundown where Black Sheep would have the cover of night to assist her. 

At the twilight hour, Graham and Black Sheep meet face to face. She’s confused, angry, and doesn’t want to speak to him, but Graham tells her please to just listen to him for a minute and then she can go back to hating him. He tells her of his plan and urges her to escape V.I.L.E. He tells her things aren’t okay now, but when she escapes, things will be better. 

“How do you know?” Black Sheep is skeptical. Graham grabs a pen and writes something on her hand. Black Sheep tries to look at what he wrote, but Graham closes her hand before she can read her palm. 

“Don’t read until you get out alive, okay?” Graham tells her. He can’t help himself--he embraces her tightly. “I set up with Player on everything. The rest is up to you, Lambkins.” 

The Twilight hour fades and Black Sheep is back into her own body. She looks around confused before realizing she now has her phone back. She contacts Player who is confused why she doesn’t know her own plan, but reminds her. Cookie Booker ends up arriving late after dark and Black Sheep makes sure to follow her, performing the bait and switch. It wasn’t long before the alarms went off and everything was in chaos. Guns were shooting and the V.I.L.E operatives were hunting her down. Black Sheep is fleeing urgently, unsure if she’s actually going to make it out alive. She makes it to the sewers, feeling terrified, and soon despair as she realizes the sewers have been bolted. She covers her face with her hands, feeling tears come to her eyes, but something on her palm catches her attention. Her eyes widen at what she sees written on there. 

It’s an address, date, and time of a specific location a year from now. She’s confused, but the words under it make her even more emotional. 

“I love you” he had written. 

Black Sheep feels her heart nearly explode, getting up and feeling resolved, works to escape. Player helps guide her through the halls. She’s managed to swipe Cookie’s red coat and hat, and subdues the Cleaners, but Shadowsan is hot on her tail. 

“Black Sheep!” Shadowsan roars, sword ready. Black Sheep makes eye contact with him and Shadowsan is stunned. It’s not the impostor Black Sheep--it’s really her. He was running after his adoptive daughter! Shadowsan stops, realizing the impostor Black Sheep was right, and lets Black Sheep go. Black Sheep flees on the escape boat, thankful for Shadowsan stopping his pursuit and escapes. 

Meanwhile Graham returns to his own time, his eyes snap open and he finds himself back in Morocco at the abandoned dig sight. He prays everything he put in place helped Black Sheep escape. He wanted to go to her right away, but he didn’t know how--had no idea where she was. All he could do was wait for the specific date and time he wrote down, hoping she would show up. 

Waiting for the day he would hopefully see Black Sheep again, Graham felt his entire body on alert. He was constantly anxious and barely slept. It felt like the days dragged on. Finally it was time to sit at his favorite cafe at 8pm, Friday. His leg constantly bounced while he neurotically checked his watch. 

It was past eight. She wasn’t coming. She didn’t make it--

“Hey, is this seat taken?” a familiar voice asked. Graham snaps his head up and his heart stops. She’s older now. Her hair is longer, pulled into a messy bun. Her clothes are casual and her stance is laid-back, relaxed, but he could detect in her eyes a bit of nervousness. She’s so beautiful, Graham’s sure he’s forgotten how to breathe. 

“B-Black Sheep...” Graham whispered. She was so close now. He resisted the urge to spring up from his chair and hold her tight against him, never letting her go. 

“Actually it’s Carmen now.” Black Sheep--Carmen--gives him a soft smile. He gives her a happy smile of his own, and she takes a seat at the table. 

[inheritorofmemories-archive]

The Old Guards and their iconic weapons

Because I’m not done thinking about and over analysing that movie yet. Here’s me talking about the old guards weapons and how that translate into their fighting style.

Under cut because I got slightly carried away. Featuring screenshots that took a lot of time to get because I’m not the most talented.

Andy: Ah, the bisexual axe. The Labrys, interpreted as a symbol of matriarchy, also known lesbian symbol since the 70s. Iconic, if I dare say so. She uses a ton of other weapons and guns in canon but I feel like her first and true love is her axe, and for that I respect her.

Fighting style headcanon: She uses force and the enemy’s body and movements. She’s the kind to say “Go Big or Go Home” because she’s used to going head first and expecting it to work. She literally had centuries to experiment tactics and moves and perfect them to the point where there’s nothing you can do when she attacks you except to go down. Firm believer of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” that’s why she still has her axe and swords.

Quỳnh: We see her with two main weapons, I think that’s so great of her, a versatile master. A sword (a katana in comic canon, I’m not sure what she has in the movie, hope they used a Vietnamese weapon) and a bow that she uses in a hand to hand fight!! She gets you from sixty feet or up close, either way you’re going down, and she looks amazing while doing it.

Headcanon: She’s a Pit Viper: she strikes faster than you can see her coming. Very calculating when fighting, she analyses everything and plans out to the smallest details before she even raises her weapons, and by the time she does you’re already dead. A walking dead if you will. A queen.

Lykon: Had a lance!! The taste of this man, incredible. Wish we had more of him on screen and I didn’t have to get this ugly screenshot off of a youtube video but anyway.

Headcanon: He was swift on his feet and had a really good eye, to pierce through armors and weak spots but also to spot about anything really, from berries to treasures to cool birds to show to his friends. Confident in his abilities and cocky about it sometimes (”that’s your job Andromache” he says when she saves his ass. Confident and talented, we love it.)

Joe: The scimitar. Google tells me scimitars are very efficient for slashing and cutting through things (people mostly). Also tells me it was very light and thus had more moves and possibility in a fight and it was easier to handle and to be more precise with it. Gun Option: a shotgun, very sexy of him because it’s also very versatile and the go-to gun for damage but also no collateral victims because it won’t go through the body/thing you shoot. A king of Dramatics but safety for the people around him.

Headcanon: He likes some panache and grace in his fights and he’s very quick and efficient, doesn’t waste a move for nothing. But he’s mostly concerned with getting the job done and not harming innocents in the fight. The one most likely to learn cool and updated moves and tricks and constantly try new stuff.

Nicky: A long sword. Google again tells me they were heavy, and need to be carefully manoeuvred and that to cut and slash you need a great control of it and also to be rich enough to have a sharp sword and not a blunt piece of steel mostly used to break bones. Gun Option: sniper rifle, very sexy of him too, but a different flavor of sexy. The deadly silent kind of sexy.

Headcanon: This is a feral Nicky abiding blog, he’s calm and focused until shit goes down and his family or innocents are in danger and then he’s ruthless and focused, going for it. Keeps an eye on his family and is in the first line to protect them. Stick to what he knows even if it’s a heavy sword he could trade for lighter weapon.

Booker: His assault rifle I guess. If we wanna go the Blade Way, maybe a sabre if he was a high ranking officer which I highly doubt since he was a convicted forger so maybe a bayonet (even tho they don’t look as cool as real swords do). He’s apparently the explosive guy too.

Headcanon: Whatever works. Just give him something to shoot or hit the bad guys with and he’ll work something out. Bonus point if it can blow things up or make big damages. Never understood the others sense of flair because putting a knife through an eye socket is just as effective as their coordinated parade and parry with their fancy blades.

Nile: She uses guns in the movie, but she clearly favors assault rifles (marine are trained with that kind of weapon), and in the 2nd comic that’s what she chose to use for most missions so I’ll go with that. I’d say she’s the most versatile in modern guns and can easily switch between options. Kiki Layne trained in boxing for the movie so including that too, she likes to go for efficiency and short cut and known ways because they often works. The Blade Way: a Ka-Bar since she was a trained US marine. Also, knives are sexy too and I think Nile deserve one.

(Yes that's her knife in Andy right there, but she threw it away; Nile needs to get another one asap.)

Headcanon: She’s the most practical out of all of them and “let’s get this done in a quick and efficient way because I have no time for you bs” attitude you find in boxe and modern training, but she has to rewire her brain to accept that she can die and walk it off after 25 years being told she has to try and not die. Give her a couple years before she’s just as bad as Andy and go for it Throw The Bad Guy Out Of The Window With You On Him way. Will take on Joe's love for theatrics, the rest of the team will hate their plans. Really smart, quick on her feet and able to think of something on the spot (she did use that belt to tie Andy in the plane, I love her!! She’s amazing).

.

In conclusion: They are all really cool. Joe and Nicky are each a side of the same coin and have complementary fighting style, which is extremely valid of them. Andy is a battering ram but with more finesse because you get bored and learn tricks over 6 millenniums. Andy and Nile will get along real fine with how similar they are (just look at how Andy smile in the plane after Nile clock her, she’s enjoying it so much). Nile and Joe will also go along fine because they have the same brand of just enough crazy to enjoy their plans. Booker is tired and feels alive when he blows shit up. Quỳnh is very cool, and also very deadly and efficient and she was dual wielding weapons before it was cool (before the team did it in the 20th century, she’s the original hipster guys). I need more Lykon content, please even just a ig post with two lines would be nice. A video with BTS and deleted scenes would be better tho.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this mess.

[something-in-the-seas]

Dad Jack

I told you it was soft @frangstfontaine

- Jack learns how to do hair himself. Liz says she can handle it, but he makes it his New Year resolution to know how to do braids. First couple months, they all go to school in ponytails, but the girls’ friends are shook when they tell them that their dad did it. Dads usually aren’t braiding hair in the early 60′s. 

- Bless his heart, he isn’t good at math, but he tries his best to help with homework anyway. He is great at arts and crafts, though, and when the girls need a costume for school he makes it himself. Liz has to sometimes come in and fix it, but he’s so proud of himself. 

- Masha had a dad, so he doesn’t like to intrude on that, so Masha just calls him by his name. Rosie does the same with Liz since she had a mom. Sally’s, like, the only one who calls him dad. 

- Yes, people think he’s the biological dad of all of them, and yes, he does get those comments from usually old women or men that it’s a shame he doesn't have a boy. No, he’s very happy with his girls, thank you. 

- He does love his son to death, though. He and Liz tried for a baby for five years, and just when they were ready to accept that it would never happen, Leo “Ziggy” comes along. Jack’s the one who catches him and Ziggy looks just like him. It’s like Big Jack and Little Jack. 

- And, like, you know Jack is the best partner ever for Liz while she’s pregnant. He holds her hair back in the morning, does the 3 AM drive to, like, Dairy Queen, gets so excited to feel the baby kick. 

- He does try and fail multiple times to change a diaper, and given that he’s got a boy, he does get pissed on... a lot. He’s so proud of himself when he finally gets it right. 

- He alternates between, like, five classrooms for Daddy and Me day but he makes it to every single one. He’s so sad when it’s over. He’s got all the art they made together hanging on the fridge from throughout the years. At least he gets to do it again with Ziggy. 

- When the girls are little, he’ll pick them up and put them on his shoulders so they can see the fire works on the 4th of July. He does the same thing with Ziggy. 

- Middle and high school are rough. He doesn’t know what to do with all the drama and puberty, and he has to read a lot of books on it. He takes Janice to the ER when she gets her period for the first time, he may be low-key in tears cause he’s worried she’s gonna die. 

- He has to buy so many pads and tampons, but he doesn’t make it weird unlike other people... Booker and Ryan... 

- He likes to cook! He makes an amazing Saturday morning breakfast and all the girls look forward to it. Sally gets Mickey Mouse pancakes and Liz gets eggs and bacon that look like a smiley face. 

- He may or may not have cried like a baby when Janice and Rosie go away for college. California is a hell of a way from New York, but they visit for the summer and holidays. 

- He does pack lunches and he does put little notes in them. When they’re teenagers, the girls say they’re embarrassed but they keep every single one. 

- He does watch Saturday morning cartoons with all the kids. He loves them. 

- Ryan insists they all go mini-golfing often because he’s too broke to afford to go get a membership to a country-club. Jack helps the girls when they’re younger play properly and does the same thing with Ziggy. Teaching a two-year-old how to play mini-golf, though, goes as well as expected.  

[hjazysol]

Rosa's Past

Ryu: Hey has anyone seen Rosa?

Ken teasing: Who? Your girlfriend?

Ryu crossing his arms: She's not my girlfriend Ken.

Ken: So you say pal.

Samus: Is she not in her room?

Ryu: Nope I knocked and looked inside but no one was their.

Bayonetta: That's odd she would've told us she was going somewhere.

Samus: Dark Samus do you know?

Dark Samus: Know what? *she wasn't listening*

Samus: Where Rosalina is.

Dark Samus: Oh! Some stranger came and stole one of her star people so she chased after him.

Ryu: What!? We have to help her!

Ken: What's the problem, isn't she like a space god?

Ryu: Even so she could still get in trouble so-

*ding dong*

The mansion's door bell rang.

Samus: That must be her.

She opens the door. Behind it were the 2 small dogs Copper & Booker standing with a frowning Rosalina.

Copper: Good evening madam. We are sorry to disturb you but this girl states that this is where she is staying, is that correct?

Samus: Yes that is correct.

Booker: Um. She has been caught assaulting a robber after he stole a living star.

Samus: And the issue is?

Copper: Of course we realise this was merely all in defense but, the damage recieved to the law breaker is just as unacceptable.

Samus: WHAT!? What did you do to him Rosa!?

Booker: She um. Broke several major ligaments,caused severe wounds, as well as damage to one of their um, lungs.

Samus: What's with the "um's"?

Booker: Sorry. English isn't my first language.

Samus: Ah. So what are you here for exactly?

Copper: Ahh yes we must speak to the one responsible for the care of her.

Samus: You mean us?

Copper: Nonono her parents.

Samus: Err. I'm not sure where they are really.

Copper: They are not in?

Rosalina storms off to her room slamming the door shut.

Copper: Hey come back here! *sigh* I guess we'll come back later then.

Bayonetta: No please come in we'll get her to come down and we can sort everything out.

Booker: Ok if it's okay with you then we'd be glad to stay.

Bayonetta: Ryu go talk to Rosa please. Get her to come down.

Ryu: Ok I'll try.

Ryu makes his way up the stairs.

Ken: *Plays the EastEnders theme on his phone*

Samus: Shut up Ken.

Ken: Yeah I'm sorry that was uncalled for.

-----

Ryu: Rosa, I'm coming in. *opens door*

Rosalina was lying down face first on her bed.

Ryu: Do you wanna tell me what's wrong?

Rosalina: Do you have parents Ryu?

Ryu: Well I don't really know who they are or whether they're alive.

Rosalina: At least there's a chance of them being alive.

Ryu: What do you mean?

Rosalina: *sigh* Long ago when I was just a little girl I lost my mom. I became sad and alone no one to make me feel happy. Until, I met a Luma. It was just like me, sad and alone it had been separated from the others. So I offered to help it, I went to space completely unaware of the danger that would follow. I got lucky the first time we managed to gather all it's friends together. But the ship had been broken by some foul creatures kind of like the guy I beat up just. All I could do was watch and cry as they destroyed the only way to help my new friends.

Ryu: I'm sorry.

Rosalina: You don't have to be sorry you didn't do anything. By the way this wouldn't be the first time meeting one of you from smash.

Ryu: Really? Who?

Rosalina: It was Dedede.

Ryu: Dedede.

Rosalina: Yep. He saw me crying and put me back on my feet. He chased away the monsters single handedly. He was always so kind and helpful, used to carry me on his back when I got tired, he was always there for me. And never let anyone hurt me.

Ryu: How come he doesn't talk about this?

Rosalina: He doesn't remember.

Ryu: What!?

Rosalina: It's okay I just found out it wasn't his fault.

Ryu: How so?

Rosalina: It was the mask, it was slowly gnawing away at his memories and his sanity. We found it one day and he put it on it gave him all sorts of abilities. But I never realised that it was slowly making me lose my friend, but he did he knew it was causing him pain but he used it to protect me. So then he did something that I never used to understand, why he did it. When I was asleep he sent me away on the new ship we built together. He left a ton of papers and pictures of us together. But what they said I couldn't understand till recently. The mask has no longer got any magic in it he only uses it for intimidation now, like in his final smash.

Ryu: Hmm.

Rosalina: So I was alone again. I ended up trying to remove him from my mind for the past centuries. But it was no use. But I ended up helping the Luma's I made the ship we built into the Comet Observatory you know today. And from that point onward I devoted my life to the protection of others, just like how Dedede cast away his sanity just to keep me safe.

Ryu: So this is why you care for the Luma's & Dedede so much.

Rosalina: Yep. But hey it's in the past. Thank you for coming and helping me through that by the way, but I guess it's time for my punishment.

Ryu: Your welcome. Wait sec. CENTURIES! How long have you guys been alive!?

Rosalina laughing: Me, Dedede and anyone he knows are all centuries old. Catch up would ya.

-----

Rosalina: WAIT WHAT IS THAT IT!?

Copper: Yes. All you've gotta do is pay a small fee.

Samus: See it wasn't that bad.

Rosalina: Yes! I live! No one can stop me now.

Ken: There's the girl we know hehehe.

They all laugh in relief to the fact the charges were not that severe.

-----

Dedede from around the corner: Did I really used to know Rosalina? My mind is twisting about the place. *grasping at his head* Come on think you wouldn't forget someone who's that close to you. Grrr. *crying* I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I forgot you.

[topmixtrends]

WHEN I STARTED my MA in creative writing at the University of East Anglia in the fall of 1990, Kazuo Ishiguro had graduated from the program a decade earlier, but his presence was like the truth in his novels — invisible and persistent. The previous year his third novel, The Remains of the Day (1989), had won the Booker Prize. In workshop, Malcolm Bradbury told us the genesis story of Ishiguro’s fiction (or a version of it): how his initial submissions had featured a familiar British reality, and how it had taken half the first semester for the class to get him to pay notice to his name (Ishiguro was born in Japan but moved to Britain with his family when he was five). That fall was the 20th anniversary of the course, co-founded by Bradbury and fellow novelist Angus Wilson. At a weekend of readings and festivities, one alumnus introduced herself to a classmate of mine by stating her name and adding simply, “Ishiguro’s year.”

2017 was once again Ishiguro’s year. On October 5, the Swedish Academy announced that “English author Kazuo Ishiguro” had won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The citation, in its trademark italics, lauded him for “novels of great emotional force,” in which Ishiguro “has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.” That is, I think, an eloquent and useful description of Ishiguro’s inimitable fictions. But it’s incomplete. Those novels also have a sturdy connection with the world. Ishiguro possesses an acute sense of the political and historical forces at work in the lives of his deluded narrators, forces with which they often conspire. Subsequently, these bit players in history retreat from the real — and, by means of fantasy and forgetting, help dig that abyss.

For more than 30 years, Ishiguro’s work has taken a quiet, clear-eyed stand against extremism and intolerance. His first three novels form a loose “shadow of fascism” trilogy. Another destructive shadow hangs over his 1982 debut, A Pale View of Hills, which flits between contemporary England and the city of Ishiguro’s birth, “Nagasaki, after what had gone before.” What had gone before was, of course, the Bomb. It’s apt, therefore, that Ishiguro became the Nobel laureate in a year when vintage evils that we thought — or fooled ourselves into believing — that we had left behind in the 20th century, such as Nazis and the threat of nuclear war, came stomping back into view.

Now we are on guard against any of this becoming normalized. That need for vigilance, I’d argue, makes some of Ishiguro’s work required reading. His novels are often cautionary tales of normalization. As Etsuko, the narrator of that first novel, warns us, “it is possible to develop an intimacy with the most disturbing of things.” It’s a lesson borne out by her sister-in-suffering, Ruth, part of the love triangle at the heart of Never Let Me Go (2005), another novel set in a deceptively tranquil England. Ruth’s upbringing — and that of her intimates, Tommy and narrator Kathy — gives us a chilling new sense of the phrase “formative years”: these twentysomethings are clones; their education has inoculated them against the horror of their raison d’être: they are the human equivalent of Kobe cows — relatively pampered and designed for doom. In their prime, with clinical savagery, the trio’s organs will be harvested to prolong the lives of ailing “normals.” Ruth’s acceptance of this fate has a terrifying carapace of rationality:

I think I was a pretty decent carer. But five years felt about enough for me. I was like you, Tommy. I was pretty much ready when I became a donor. It felt right. After all, it’s what we’re supposed to be doing, isn’t it?

A Pale View of Hills is also concerned with the costs of an education deficient in critical thinking. Etsuko’s father-in-law, Ogata-San, was a prominent teacher and proselytizer for the imperialist cause. Now in restless retirement, he is preoccupied with a denunciation of himself and an ally that he has come across in a professional journal. The article’s author is Shigeo Matsuda, a former protégé and childhood friend of Etsuko’s husband. In a deftly turned scene, Ogata-San has a most courteous confrontation with Shigeo, from which he receives no satisfaction. At last, the verbal gloves come off, and the old teacher gets a lecture to remember:

In your day, children in Japan were taught terrible things. They were taught lies of the most damaging kind. Worst of all, they were taught not to see, not to question. And that’s why the country was plunged into the most evil disaster in her entire history. 

Ogata-San is the pivot between Pale View and Ishiguro’s second novel, An Artist of the Floating World (1986). Here an Ogata-San-like character, complicit in the imperial regime, takes center stage. In the case of Masuji Ono, not seeing and not questioning are acute failures, given his vocation as a serious painter. In his admission early in the book that “I have never had a keen awareness of my own standing,” he speaks more truth than he knows, or is willing to admit. What he has lacked in spine he has made up for in ego.

Living in an unnamed Japanese postwar city, another uncomfortable retiree, Ono, goes through a tortuous self-assessment. In the end, we get a sense that, more than anyone else, Ono, author of no “grand catastrophe,” has betrayed himself, betrayed his talent. Intoxicated with “the new patriotic spirit” of the 1930s, Ono broke his implicit vow to dedicate his working life to capturing “fragile beauty” on canvas and produced crass propaganda posters instead. In a silent storm of a paragraph, Ishiguro brings together Ono’s moral failings and his squandered eye. He has literally turned his back on a former student, Shintaro, whose hopes for a teaching post under the new dispensation appear to depend upon Ono writing a curious letter of recommendation, one that will claim that Shintaro did not share his master’s enthusiasm for Japanese expansionism:

I went on gazing at my garden. For all its steady fall, the snow had settled only very lightly on the shrubs and branches. Indeed, as I watched, a breeze shook a branch of the maple tree, shaking off most of the snow. Only the stone lantern at the back of the garden had a substantial cap of white on it.

Moments like this are when the Japanese sensibility of this “English author” is apparently at its most pronounced. It’s a quality found in the music of Toru Takemitsu, another artist whose work is an intricate synthesis of East and West. Writing about the composer in the Guardian back in 2013, Tom Service related this aesthetic to “the Japanese word ‘ma,’ which suggests the concept of a void that isn’t empty, an absence that is really a presence, a space between things that is full of energy.”

Ishiguro himself is passionate about music, particularly Americana, as the account he gave during his Nobel Lecture about the influence of a Tom Waits song on the emotional dynamics of The Remains of the Day testifies. Back in 2002, playing the role of the “castaway” on that wistful British institution, the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs, Ishiguro chose a wide range of records, everything from an Emmylou Harris ballad to a Chopin nocturne. The latter music he picked for its “quiet, introspective surface, but with very strong emotions underneath,” a description that the alert host, Sue Lawley, related back to her guest’s novels. In response, Ishiguro not only agreed but also cited other examples of work he admires that maintains the same tension: the short stories of Anton Chekhov and the films of Yasujirō Ozu. In Ishiguro’s work, East blends with West; indeed, the two become inseparable.

His tip of the hat toward Ozu, however, is particularly relevant to Ishiguro’s first two novels. Ozu’s canonical Tokyo Story (1953) dramatizes the same post-1945 milieu — a rapidly recovering, and rapidly forgetting, Japan; we are 40 minutes into the film before someone directly references the war. The hallmark of this unapologetically human-scale movie is, in the words of critic David Bordwell, Ozu’s “compassionate detachment,” a phrase that also serves as a good measure of Ishiguro’s distance from his characters.

The most prominent of these is Stevens, the pitiful, culpable butler from The Remains of the Day. Returning to the novel after Anthony Hopkins’s masterful big-screen portrayal of the character, and years of small-screen mansion-house shenanigans on Downton Abbey, one is struck by what a political book it is, with its allegorical suggestiveness about the ordinary citizen’s relationship to power. The novel has a lot to say not only about the pre- and postwar Britain in which the story is set, and the Thatcher-Reagan 1980s in which it was written, but also about our present global moment. “Democracy is something for a bygone era,” declares Lord Darlington, Stevens’s fascist-infatuated employer. “The world’s too complicated a place now for universal suffrage and such like.”

Stevens, in all senses of the word, caters to Darlington’s political meddling. He’s reminiscent of J. Alfred Prufrock: “an easy tool, / Deferential, glad to be of use…” and indeed thinks of himself as the kind of Polonius figure Eliot’s poem evokes: “It’s a great privilege, after all,” Stevens says, “to have been given a part to play, however small, on the world’s stage.” In reality, he has, like Ono, exaggerated his role in worldly affairs. He was Polonius’s valet, Prufrock’s stooge. Of course, a minor participant in a “grand catastrophe” is still a participant. Stevens is on the wrong side of history by one of the country miles he travels on during the motoring trip that frames the story.

The Remains of the Day is one of several novels in which Ishiguro makes a subtle rhetorical move: the presumptive “you.” Just as Kathy assumes her readers are fellow victims and Ono assumes our familiarity with his city, Stevens thinks we are as willing to be duped as he was. It’s an unsettling gesture, but by no means Ishiguro’s most radical strategy. With Stevens, Ishiguro perfected his demonstration of the unreliable narrator, so much so that in his smart, accessible 1992 book The Art of Fiction, critic and fellow novelist David Lodge used The Remains of the Day as his model of excellence in explaining that technique. In that essay, Lodge makes the perfectly sensible argument that

a character-narrator cannot be a hundred per cent unreliable. If everything he or she says is palpably false, that only tells us what we know already, namely that a novel is a work of fiction. There must be some possibility of discriminating between truth and falsehood within the imagined world of the novel, as there is in the real world, for the story to engage our interest.

Three years later, Ishiguro published a monster of a novel, The Unconsoled (1995), which reads like a defiance of Lodge’s artistic logic. Is Ryder, the internationally renowned pianist meandering through a provincial city in Mitteleuropa, 100 percent unreliable? No, but maybe 90 percent. We never sound out the floor of “reality” in this fiction. Even the city, with “utterly preposterous obstacles everywhere,” seems to have been designed by a committee of surrealists. The normally solid elements of narrative — point of view, character, time itself — turn to jelly. It’s as if we have come across the implosion of a more conventional novel, the kind of novel that Ishiguro himself had written back in the 1980s. For that reason, Ishiguro fans tend to think of The Unconsoled as either the black hole or dark star at the center of his oeuvre.

I’m in the latter camp. Yes, the novel breaks Lodge’s law, but there’s ample compensation for that. What we get from The Unconsoled is not so much a story as an experience, one that uncannily replicates Ryder’s own lucid dream of a city sojourn. When he has a “vague recollection,” so do we. When he is lost, so are we. The length of the book is not an indulgence but an essence. Finishing it, we have been homeless for days, and our next stop is Helsinki. No truer word is spoken when one of the city dignitaries remarks, a 100 pages in, “[I]t’s so difficult to see in this light.” Indeed it is. The apotheosis of the unreliable narrator has given birth to the unreliable reader.

For all its defiant oddness, The Unconsoled is still decidedly an Ishiguro novel; you can see the watermark of his persistent concerns. A monument to a figure named Max Sattler suggests that the city has a fascistic past. Moreover, demagogic control seems dangerously close at hand. At one point, Ryder observes an alternative self, a conductor named Brodsky: “Something about him suggested a strange authority over the very emotions which had just been running riot in front of him — that he could cause them to rise and fall as he pleased.”

This concern about how the political atmosphere can revert to the past is at the forefront of Ishiguro’s most recent book, The Buried Giant (2015). The novel is his most historically distant fiction, set all the way back in a post-Roman Britain that is a foggy combination of chronicle and myth; it’s a landscape populated by ogres and dragons as well as Saxons and Britons. But Ishiguro was prompted to write the book by the much more recent killing fields of Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. “Who knows,” frets Axl, the elderly hero, “what will come when quick-tongued men make ancient grievances rhyme with fresh desire for land and conquest?”

In that question I hear a reversal of the lines, made famous during the peace process in Northern Ireland, from The Cure at Troy (1991), Seamus Heaney’s adaptation of Sophocles’ Philoctetes: “once in a lifetime / The longed-for tidal wave / Of justice can rise up / And hope and history rhyme.” Both poetry and peace, of course, require patience and the delicate use of language. Damage and rancor can happen in the blink of an eye — or a tweet.

A dragon of a different kind, “the Great Opium Dragon,” stalks early 20th-century China in Ishiguro’s 2000 novel When We Were Orphans. Of all his books, Orphans best exemplifies the point I made earlier — that there is such a gulf between Ishiguro’s heroes and the world because they’ve had a bad tangle with that world. Here Ishiguro makes inspired use of his own cultural duality. The foundation of the book is the relationship, in Shanghai’s International Settlement, between narrator Christopher Banks and his childhood friend Akira, a Japanese boy who fears he is not Japanese enough. Shipped “home” after the disappearance of his parents, Christopher tries to allay his own cultural anxieties by wearing the houndstooth costume of that very British role, the consulting detective.

Investigation, “the task of rooting out evil in its most devious forms,” is more of a coping mechanism than a vocation for Christopher. Real evil in the novel does not take the form of the butler in the study with the candlestick. Its scale is industrial, not domestic (though it may be familiar): “the British in general, and [my father’s company] especially, by importing Indian opium into China in such massive quantities had brought untold misery and degradation to a whole nation.” When Christopher returns to Shanghai in 1937 to investigate the persistent mystery of his parents’ fate, another industrial evil looms on the horizon: the Japanese imperial war machine. It’s the dawn of the “grand catastrophe.”

When We Were Orphans, in other words, is set in a world, less than 20 years removed from “the war to end all wars,” on the verge of repeating the folly of the past. It’s a time for vigilance and prudence. “Tensions continue to mount,” Christopher notes; “knowledgeable people liken our civilisation to a haystack at which lighted matches are being hurled.” That passive verb gives the scenario a portability: fresh hay, new hurlers.

In the course of his myopic investigations, Christopher meets many of his kind, justifying the plural of the title. Ishiguro is performing one of his favorite maneuvers, a device he has used to devastating effect as far back as A Pale View of Hills: the collapse of characters into each other. Somewhere along the way, the reader may fall in there, too. When were we orphans? Then. Now.

¤

Robert Cremins is a novelist who teaches in the Honors College at the University of Houston. In 2015, he conducted an onstage interview with Kazuo Ishiguro as part of an Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series event at Houston’s Wortham Center.

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