#POV: you were just rescued by someone who isn’t your partner and they try to make you feel better by flirting

[luxurysystems]

“Like honey to a bee, you were made for me.”

[eggrestes]

ladrien fic recs!

there are SO MANY amazing ladrien fics i cant possibly cover them all but here are a few!

(all the ratings used are ao3 ratings)

((this is a very long post!))

FLUFF

Of Ivy and Sunlight by cyanise [ T, 1509 words, 1/1 ]

When Adrien takes to wandering the streets of Paris in ungodly hours, Ladybug has no choice but to keep an eye on him. Still, things are bound to get a little out of hand between two overloaded teenagers with a lot of love and not enough self-control. 

a lovely post-chat blanc fic :’) it has a great flow and is just soft and so sweet and it’s just perfect. gosh i cannot really say more other than read it!!! also almost all of their other stuff is also ladrien so do check it out!

This can't be happening by PlaPla [ T,  6,467 words, 1/2 ]

Ladybug is unsure whether accompanying Adrien to a gala as his not-date is the best or worst thing that has ever happened to her. But when their table mates turn out to be none other than her long time friends Alya and Nino and with Adrien acting weirder and weirder she finds herself with bigger worries than an unrequited crush.

a djwifi/ladrien double date? hit me up! i love identity shenanigans, ball dancing, ladrien, and djwifi and this is a perfect mix for me. i know it’s incomplete but it doesn’t end in a cliff-hanger really, the part 2 is just a promise of more so it doesn’t feel incomplete! PlaPla also has a short oneshot of ladrien going for a motorcycle ride.

Falling again by emsylcatac [ M,  4,506 words, 2 Works ]

They had been dancing around each other for a while now, and while fifteen year old Adrien would have been ecstatic at the idea of dating Ladybug in secret, twenty-two year old Adrien knew better. But Ladybug wasn’t making it easy. It was like… she, too, was falling for him. And that surprisingly enough, she didn’t mind.

* * *

Or Adrien trying (and failing) to keep things professional between him and Ladybug when the two of them partner up for a mission. Older AU

things are a little steamy~ here (don’t worry, it’s only implied it’s very mild and closer to a T rating than the M) but it’s a great mature take on their dynamics! emsy has more ladrien one-shots in her collection of one-shots!

i'd love to go on a date with you by sae_what  [ G,  6,480 words, 1/1 ]

Once it had been falsely announced throughout Paris that Adrien and Ladybug are in a relationship, Ladybug pays him a visit to turn him down gently.

Only, she doesn’t. And instead, she has a formal dinner date. With Adrien. At 8 pm. Tonight.

LADYBUG IN A SUIT!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. okay but for real it’s so sweet and also??? they are on a date!!! a rooftop date!! (too man exclamation marks oops)

Always Welcome by  chatonne-rousse [ T, 1,683 words, 1/1 ]

Ladybug knows that Adrien's window is always open for her to swing by and stop in, whether for video games or a chat or, like tonight, for soft kisses and sweet nothings.

He loves these visits. His girlfriend is always welcome. Always. (Especially for kisses.)

Written for Ladrien June, day 8: bluebell eyes.

established relationship, pre-reveal ladrien. there is something very home-y about this fic and it’s all about the comfort and quiet that i adore about it!

Five Times Gabriel Agreste Caught Ladybug in His Son’s Bedroom (and the One Time He Caught Chat Noir) by agrestenoir [ T,  1,923 words, 1/1]

Gabriel Agreste keeps finding Ladybug in his son's bedroom. As a super villain and father, this will not stand.

this crack fic is... honestly so hilarious. it’s all through gabrie-i-am-trying-to-parent-and-failing-a-lot-agreste’s POV so it is so much ridiculous! 

an uncurtain discovery by  Missnoodles [ T, 4,684 words, 1/1 ]

When he returns from school on Wednesday afternoon, Adrien discovers the darkness in his own home. He struggles to come to terms with it. To his utter mortification and delight, Ladybug is nearby to rescue him.

(He does not discover that his father is supervillain. That will happen on a different Wednesday.)

Adrien is being a cat and gets tangled in the curtains on his window and it’s utterly ridiculous. all the bug and the cat tendencies make it funnier and adrien’s inner monologue is just a cherry on top!

secret valentine by a_miiraculer [ T,  12,245 words, 1/1 ]

this is the moment that we will come alive brace yourself for love sweet love, secret love

If Adrien had known that getting himself stuck in a tree would end like this, he would've gotten himself stuck sooner.

A drabble series.

i just,,,, don’t have words for how much i love it! it’s ridiculous, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s whole-some and just ladrien. the writer also has a M rated multi-chapter ladrien kissing (no the M is very much real here) and a heroic adrien and ladybug one-shot too! 

Those Benevolent Stars by peachcitt [ G,  23,696 words, 3/3 ]

“Will you come back?”

She looked up at the deep blue sky, as if she could somehow find the answer there. “I shouldn’t,” she said, shaking her head and looking back at him. But the stars were still there, caught in her eyes, and Adrien persisted.

“But will you?”

or

adrien meets his soulmate, a thief who calls herself ladybug. he falls for her, but she seems determined to maintain a space between them.

oh my god this au.... just no words!! it’s poetry and it’s tender and it’s about the yearning and just!!! perfect :’). Her current ongoing ladrien june fic is also akin to this (and the fic i linked before it) so do check it out too! (literally check out all of their works it’s so beautiful)

Flowers on the Window Sill by LNC [ G,  2,144 words, 1/1 ]

The first time Ladybug saw him, really saw him, the universe stopped.

this fic feels like poetry and it’s so lovely. LNC is always short and direct but it always hits right in the feels while also being hilarious. Her  other ladrien works are just as good and i highly recommend going through them because it fulfills all of the ladrien needs (along with Reiaji)

whatever a sun will always sing is you by komorebirei [ T,  32,980 words, 37/37 ]

“I didn't think you'd actually... do anything," Adrien admitted, cheeks prickling with warmth. "I-I mean, I never expected... I didn't know you watched my interviews.” That definitely wasn’t how he'd imagined confessing to Ladybug.

“Of course I do!” Ladybug squeaked. “Uhh, that is…” She looked down at her hands, nervously turning her yo-yo over, over and over. “Maybe you’re not the only one with a crush.”

(After an unexpected confession, Ladybug and Adrien start dating in secret. A progressive character- and relationship-study quilted from drabbles, with the intention of digging treasure out of the cove that is Ladrien. Written using kashimalin-fanfiction's kiss writing prompts from Tumblr.)

it does such an excellent job at exploring this dynamic along with the characters. it’s such a sweet fic, each chapter short and fun!

ANGST

whose woods these are (I think I know.) by  Reiaji [ T,  105,000 words, 25/25 ]

Four years after his future turns to cinders, Adrien is a servant in the house he was meant to inherit. Disowned by his father and abused by his stepmother, his days are filled with drudgery until he meets a masked huntress in the forest behind his father's chateau.

As his friendship with Ladybug turns to first love, he dreams of a future spent at her side.

Then, on the eve of the Princess's masquerade, he meets his guardian—and is granted a wish.

[Ladrien Cinderella AU]

Warnings: Child abuse, Graphic depiction of violence

this is absolutely gorgeous. it has so many troupes and so many amazing character arc and great build up and everything just flows so well. it left me in awe for weeks and i just. want to experience reading it for the first time again. look at this gorgeous art inspired by this! {and you have to read  leonard bernstein too because LETTERS and LADRIEN and YEARNING}

i would do it again (oh, a thousand times) by bugabisous [ T, 2,266 words, 1/1 ]

Knowing you can bring someone back doesn’t mean you’re free of the pain of seeing them disappear before your eyes. He can’t imagine he’ll be able to look at her directly without replaying every horrifying moment when he felt her slip away in a puff of smoke.

When it happens once again, he already knows he’ll be trying again. He just can’t give up.

it expands on adrien’s feelings in the episode desperada (my beloved <3) and it is just ouch. such great angst, such great potential. the kind of tragedy that it offers is unusual for ml (it gets only rivaled by chat blanc tbh). to rival this angst bugabisous also has a fluffy one-shot :)

when the world gets too heavy (put it on my back) by Taliax [ T, 4,720 words, 1/1 ]

Chat Noir isn't allowed to cry over his father. But even when he's just Adrien, Ladybug won't abandon him.

Hawkmoth reveal hurt/comfort + Ladrien

the plagg and adrien bond written is just perfect, and oh this hits right in the feels :’) it hurts all in the right way. tali also has so many other ladrien works in all genres too

By Your Side by omniousunflower [ T, 4,361 words, 1/1 ]

(Angry and alone, Adrien waits on top of the Eiffel Tower for his lady.)

“So, how did my kitty get stranded up here?” Ladybug asks.

Groaning, Adrien pulls his knees toward his chest and presses his face against them. “Because he’s stupid and impulsive.”

“Chasing pigeons, then?”

“No.” Shame burns in Adrien’s veins, white-hot now that Ladybug is here to witness his stupidity. “I threw my Miraculous, and Plagg wouldn’t get it for me.”

post-hawkmoth defeat, and adrien is not doing well at all. i am cheating because it is post reveal, pre relationship but it’s still ladrien. this fic is a roller coater of emotions, starting from a slightly crack scenario to a cute, awkward, hopeful ending.  More Than You Know is another of sunny’s angsty ladrien work!

Breaking The Rules (AKA The Ladrien Fistfight) by ThisKwamiNeeds_aNap [ T, 8,714 words, 1/1 ]

Marinette may or may not be dying, but she’s still going to do her best to fix every single problem in the world. She’s not expecting Adrien to be the one who tries to stop her. (Takes place immediately after Kwami Buster)

Warnings: panic attack, broken bones, PTSD. please read the tags!

*slaps this fic* this fic can fit in so much angst. it just?? left me in PAIN oof. it says ‘ladrien fistfight’ on the lid but nooo there is marinette is just having a freak out and it’s all so much??!! and it’s not just marinette there is adrien too and chloe and alya and- wow it’s amazing. love it so much it fills up my angst needs :’)

so that’s it for now! my personal commentary isn’t impressive nor does it do justice to the fic but i still hope you read a few of these!! happy reading!!

[kit-herondale-carstairs]

TDA Characters on TikTok

Julian: doesn’t post very often because he is a father but when he does it is always him painting or drawing something with lofi music or him sharing a tidbit about one of the children or other family members (Kieran, Cristina, Diana, Emma and Aline included and always with their explicit permission). 

- He’s very popular without even trying and most assume he is a young single father (which isn’t wrong).

-  Mostly finds himself on cottagecore or parent side of tiktok. 

- doesn’t understand all the thirsty comments he gets because “I don’t even show my face, Emma, why would they think I’m attractive?” but always shares them with Emma because they make her laugh.

Emma: Does it for the girls and the gays, that’s it. Posts nearly every day and page is generally a mixture of self defense videos, vintage makeup/dress tutorials, and videos slamming the patriarchy but also always does the latest dancing videos and other trends.

- always tries to get others to join in on her trend videos, mostly joined by Mark and Cristina when she can rope her in.

- Nearly broke tiktok when she got Julian to do the “You could have been nicer to me” trend because NO ONE KNEW THEY WERE DATING  AND EVEN THOUGH THEY COULDN’T SEE HIS FACE EVERYONE RECOGNIZED HIS VOICE AND HE WAS SO SWEET WHEN HE OFFERED TO TAKE HER TO HER FAVORITE THRIFT STORE AND BUY HER SOME DRESSES AFTER HE PUT THE “BABY” DOWN FOR HIS NAP. 

- - everyone knows the “baby” is actually at least seven but no one ever said his name because he’s too young so everyone collectively knows him as “the baby”

- solidly on gay tiktok even though she’s straight. 

Mark: Daily blogs. Everyone thinks he’s shit posting because it’s all wild things like standing in a middle of a circle of flowers and talking about “this pixie named Aelia lives here and she’s a BITCH”. Often shows videos of him cooking or baking wild concoctions that range from “Okay, I’d try that” to “this is why God has abandoned us”. 

- Does dancing videos with Emma all the time and often acts as the “creeper” in her self defense videos. 

- Caused a meltdown on tiktok when he casually mentioned his “partners” and started creating videos to raise awareness for polyamory. 

- Revealed Julian was his brother when he posted a video of Julian yelling at him for a solid minute because “the baby is covered in honey, why is the baby covered in honey, Mark? We don’t let the baby bathe in honey even if he really wants to Mark -” 

- solidly on cooking and gay tiktok, often takes a sharp left into “crackhead” tiktok

Kieran: Posts videos of cats he finds and rates them. The lowest ever was a 9.5/10 because “she bit me fairly hard but I scared her and I deserved it for trying to pet her without permission”. 

- does not do any trends or reveal much personal information. 

- Was always considered wholesome until he (on a dare from Dru) posted a video joking about choking a bossy sub that rounded up on kinktok. 

-- everyone went through a brief freak out trying to figure out if he had a partner but it was never solved. 

--- No one noticed that Mark posted a video joking about how “one of his partners was absolutely in the doghouse” accompanied by someone sitting in a cardboard ‘doghouse’ around the exact same time. 

- solidly on animal tiktok but occasionally veers into kinktok with more (less explicit) dom/sub humor. 

Cristina: Does not have her own tiktok but often appears in videos with Emma and occasionally shows up in Mark’s. 

- Absolute sweetheart always, even when she is demonstrating a self defense move with Emma, and is always commended for trying Mark’s foods. 

-- especially commended when trying the foods while, offscreen, their other partner yells about “Hell food” 

- is flattered with all the comments begging her to start her own tiktok but doesn’t feel like she has the time to fully commit to one properly. 

Livvy: (She’s alive, don’t @ me) Does absolutely all the new trends and also does various acting POVs 

- her soulmate POVs are most popular but she also is known for dueting act-along POVS with other popular creators

- also occasionally posts videos rating the best male actors/superheroes and once got into a long drawn out back to back war with someone on whether or not Captain America really had “America’s ass” 

- had a very popular multiple-part series about being a girl in the MCU dating the various Avengers but ended it abruptly after Endgame because “Natasha Romanoff deserved better and it hurts too much”

-she used to post occasional videos where she laments on being the “only single person in the family” but she started getting some very creepy duets and comments from actual adults so she told Julian and they both agreed it would be better for her to stop them

-- Julian did take the time to duet the people being inappropriate and explained very clearly that their actions were wrong and directed towards a LITERAL CHILD and shamed multiple accounts into flat out deleting

Ty: Posts literally whatever interests him. Has two animal series - one where he shares facts about his favorite kinds of animals and one where he showcases various animals he’s found in the tidepools or around the house. 

- has done several video series of rescuing animals and has at least one where Julian could be heard lecturing him on trying to raise wild animals in his bedroom again 

-- tiktok freaked out because this happened right around the same time as Julian calling out all the creeps on Livvy’s tiktok and no one knew that the twins he talked about were them  

- also does videos about his favorite literary works - notably Sherlock Holmes - and true crime/mystery videos 

-- he always makes sure to carefully put in warnings for anything remotely violent or triggering and has never had a single video taken down for violating the rules even when he did a multiple part series on the Black Dahlia and how her crime was ‘absolutely solved but because the man who did it was rich and white, he got away with it and probably also killed at least two other women, one of whom was killed in the Philippines” 

-  sometimes does twin videos with Livvy because she likes them and it makes her happy. 

Dru: Queen of witch/horror/true crime tiktok. 

- got in trouble with Julian for showing actual runes in videos but everyone just thought they were for the aesthetic so it was fine

- most popular videos is a series where she rates horror movies on how they do on the bechdel test 

- sometimes duets Ty’s or Livvy’s videos just to drag them (with love) 

- Has a very popular series on “women who snapped” and is known for almost rarely during part 2s (and therefore having to speak very very fast) 

- also complains constantly because her videos will get taken down even if they aren’t that violent and includes clips from far worse videos from male creators to point out the double standard

- occasionally dives into tiktok drama just to dabble and then sits on the sidelines and watches it happen

-- 100% built a balloon arch to flex on That Balloon Girl 

- solidly on witchtok and horrortok

Kit: King of petty/messy tiktok who also posts random videos about crime and occasional blogs

- switches from either sharing no information to borderline oversharing childhood trauma

- shares videos on borderline illegal ways to get back at exfriends/expartners/exfamily members/general enemies 

-- putting fish in people’s vents, subscribing them to magazines under various similar names, sending them glitter in the mail, opening their oreos and taking out the middle of all of them, putting baby locks on their cabinets and in the outlets they can’t see (like under the bed so they can’t get plug in their cellphone charger at night), etc. 

- is always eating some sort of snack, no matter what he is doing

- also posts videos about personal safety like what locks will actually keep people out and what ones are easy to break into

--caused several minor freakouts when he casually mentioned his father taught him how to do it

- occasionally posts videos with an adorable toddler and a young couple who he refers to as “mom and dad” even though they look at MOST five years older than him and he often makes parental abandonment jokes/comments

- no idea where he lives because he speaks in an American accent and talks constantly about American/California life but everything around him looks very British 

- absolutely dives head first into every tiktok drama and will go for the throat for anyone who makes ableist/sexist/racist/homophobic comments without hesitation

-- his drags are legendarily savage and he has caused numerous problematic accounts to just straight up disappear

- duets videos from Livvy, Dru, Mark, Emma and Julian ( with lots of savage drags) but no one knows how he knows them because he is absolutely somewhere in the UK and all of them are based in California/US

-- he also notably NEVER duets Ty

--- the mystery is finally solved when Kit does a livestream and reveals that he met all of them because he was briefly living with them before getting placed with his family, the young couple who actually are his mom and dad 

---- he is very vague about the living situation but everyone assumes he was a foster child 

- he once caused a mass freakout on Tiktok (that actually spilled over to twitter and buzzfeed) when he announced he was going back to the US to visit friends and then posted a video with the caption “when you see your boyfriend in person for the first time in MONTHS but he’s too distracted by some wet ����” 

-- the video panned out from Kit’s unamused face to Ty gently rubbing a tiny wet kitten  with a soft cotton towel 

[friendly-neighborhood-kinnie]

5 Times Ladybug has to be held back by Chat and 1 time he doesn't do anything to stop her

A/N: That is a long title and that's not even what I wanted it to be called.

Summery: 5 times Chat Noir has to hold Ladybug back from decking a person after they called him just her sidekick and 1 time he doesn't try much to stop her.

Warning: Misogynist, misogynistic remarks, violence and mentions of blood

Hope you enjoy! It's after the cut!

(No One's POV)

Marinette was a sweet person, she was, she loved her partner dearly and after finding out they had fallen for each other twice that love had only grown. She was well aware people only thought of him as a sidekick but that didn't stop her from getting upset. That also didn't stop Adrien from trying to hold her back every. damn. time.

They loved each other and she swore if people didn't stop calling Chat her sidekick she was going to publicly tell the whole of Paris to 'Pray no one get akumatize because I'm out.' Thank god it never came to that...right?

1) Random blog runner

To say Clair was a cocky jerk was an understatement. All of her friends told her it wasn't a good idea to start a blog about Paris' two superhero's just to get more popular then the Ladyblog but she didn't care. She thought she could do it in less time. So here she was running over to where Ladybug was checking over Chat Noir because he had decided to be the idiot he was (At least according to Clair.) and sacrifice himself.

"Ladybug! How do you feel about your sidekick Chat Noir sacrificing himself stupidly again? Do you wish he would have stayed gone this time?" Clair asked as soon as she got over. Ladybug's head had popped up so quickly and she turned around to face her just as quickly. She had a look of anger in her eyes as she looked over Clair.

"What did you say? No-better yet what did you just call him?!" Ladybug exclaimed, she went to grab her yoyo but was immediately grabbed by Chat Noir who held her firmly in place.

"A sidekick, because that is all he is, you would honestly be a lot better without him and he knows it too!" Clair said with all the confidence of the biggest dumbass in the world.

"Oh- I will show you who's better without who you little-" Ladybug had grabbed her yoyo but was interrupted by her partner.

"Okay well it was nice chatting with you but unless you have a death wish, Bug and Cat out." With that Chat held a firm grip with his arm around her waist and his other hand extending his baton successfully launching them into the air. He landed them on a roof somewhere and gently said his partner down.

"A sidekick, she called you my fucking sidekick and then proceeded to ask if I wish you would have stayed gone?! Arg! I swear if I find that girl-" Ladybug was pacing and ranting when Chat Noir grabbed her waist and pulled her over to him.

"Bugaboo~ It's fine, and if you ever did find that girl you can't do anything without risking loosing Paris' trust. Besides I know I'm your partner, and I know you would never wish me gone and I know you love me. And I also know that I love you, so much." He kissed her forehead gently as he waited for her to respond.

"It's not fair. You are just as much of a hero as I am, besides you can't stop me forever from trying to deck someone."

"I suppose not, but I'll try for as long as possible."

2) Lila

Marinette and Adrien were happily sitting next to each other during lunch while there other friends...and Lila sat around them. They had begun discussing the topic of superhero's which had started Lila on her fountain of lies about knowing Ladybug.

"Oh yeah Ladybug tells me all her secrets, and she even told me that she hated working with Chat Noir and that he was really just some sidekick that she could use as bait to lure the Akumas for her plans." Lila smirked as there class milked in all of her words.

Marinette scoffed and went to stand up but felt an arm wrap around her waist and keep her in place. She turned to Adrien who pretended to be more interested in his food. Lila turned to look at her.

"Is there something you wanted to say Mari?" Lila asked faking innocence.

"Just that I think you are lying." Marinette gritted out.

"Why would you think that?" Lila pouted.

"Maybe because she has publicly said he wasn't her sidekick and if he was just a useless sidekick then he wouldn't be dying for her all the time, maybe because even though being a sidekick isn't a bad thing she obviously sees him as an equal, maybe because you have no-" Adrien picked her up with one arm wrapped around his waist and started walking away.

"Sorry guys she just gets so passionate about Chat Noir I'm going to take her for a walk before she starts yelling." He put on his best model smile and walked off.

3) An Akuma

Ladybug had just thrown her lucky charm and was trying to figure out how to use it while Chat went forward and fought the Akuma. She had figured it out quickly and told Chat the plan. they quickly defeated the akuma and broke the akumatize object. Ladybug walked over to grab her lucky charm while Chat went to console the victim.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the charm in the air and turned to go help her partner.

"Get away from me you measly sidekick, I only accept help from real heroes." The guy scoffed.

Ladybug began quickly walking over causing Chat to jump up and used on of his arms to pick her up and hold her against his chest and grab his Baton with the other and turned to the man.

"Have a good day sir." He launched them in the air and Ladybug let out a growl as she huffed and moved to hold onto him.

4) An interviewer

"I still don't understand why I agreed to this." she huffed out.

"Because it's good to let people know that while we are the heroes of Paris we're still human." Chat smiled over at her.

"Fine."

They walked in and quietly waved to the person who was interviewing them before taking a seat. They looked at each other and had a silent conversation. They nodded to each other and Chat held his hand out for her and she took it smiling slightly.

"Let's get started shall we?" The interviewer asked, they both nodded and he started asking questions.

after about an hour he got to his last question.

"Ladybug, how is it having a sidekick? Would you prefer working alone?"

"Sorry, I could have sworn you asked how it was to have a sidekick." Ladybug gave the guy a chance to say something different.

"Yes that is what I said."

"Chat I swear if you don't grab me right now I will jump this table." Ladybug replied getting up, Chat got up at the same time and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"this was a fun interview but we should get going, bye!" They walked out of the building quickly.

"Bugaboo, we talked about this."

"I know I know, I just hate that people don't understand that you are my equal. Not my sidekick, not anything but my partner."

"I know bug, they'll get it one day."

5) Chat Noir

Adrien was honestly starting to believe everyone that believed he was a sidekick. He tried to push the feelings aside but he couldn't. He knew she always said she would never be better without him but he couldn't help but think otherwise. He sighed and got out of his desk chair. He quickly transformed and went to meet Ladybug at their spot.

"Kitty!" She ran over and hugged him

"Hello Bugaboo."

"How has your day been?" Ladybug asked smiling brightly at her partner

"It's fine how mad would you be if I started believing people when they call me your sidekick?"

"I would be very upset. But I would try and comfort you the best I can.”

“I’m starting to believe them…” Chat whispered. He held her tightly in place and buried his nose in her neck.

“It’s okay.” She whispered and held him tightly.

+1) Some misogynist,

They had just rescued yet another ungrateful akuma victim jerks.

“Back off sidekick!” The man shouted at Chat.

“No you back off you fuc-” Ladybug was saying but Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her waist and purred lightly. She sighed and nodded.

“Oh so the little ladyslut does have a master, which means she must know her place in the kitchen and shouldn’t be dancing around like a whore in spandex!” The man shouted at her.

“Chat immediately let her go and motioned for her to continue.

She decked the guy and gave him a bloody nose and she didn’t regret a thing.

A/N: I know the last part was short but my tumblr is being stupid and it’s 1 am so here is this1

Love You All!

-Dallas Marie

[gerec]

Gerec’s Favorite Fics - 2020

A little early, but here’s a list of my favorite fics from this past year in no particular order. Hope you enjoy them as much I did! :D :D :D

Time the Preserver by MaxRobespierre

“Erik,” says the old man, looking directly at him, and, ah. Yes. That was why Erik stopped on his way back to the motel. His name, and the look in the old man’s eyes. He’s seen that look before, that depth of mourning. It’s not a look he likes to think about.

an empty hearth by Ireliss 

The nighttime city, shrouded in fog.

(Logan works for Shaw, guarding his pretty young boyfriend. They grow closer than they should.)

Self-acceptance as an act of survival by winter_hiems

Charles and Erik get temporarily swapped into each other’s bodies.

Charles seems to be handling it.

He isn’t.

Four Funerals & A Wedding by midrashic

Four people who mourned Erik Lehnsherr, and one who didn't.

The Last Love Song & Testament of Charles F. Xavier by midrashic

When Erik is accused of domestic terrorism, Charles has no choice but to marry him to keep him out of jail.

The Marriage Bargain by kianspo

Erik Lehnsherr had made a fortune manufacturing steel in Europe. When he wished to expand to the New World, he discovered that no one would do business with him unless he was affiliated with one of the First Families, the creme de la creme of the NW aristocracy. When Lord Marko holds an auction to give away his 14-year-old stepson's hand in marriage, Erik sees his chance and takes it. He has no interest in Charles himself, but now that he has him, can they make it work?

Carry Me Anew (Frost & Darkholme Remix) by kianspo

While working as a model for Raven and Emma's clothing line, Erik experiences a strong attraction to his shoot partner. These things happen, except Erik has a boyfriend, who does not take this at all well.

linger like a tattoo kiss by ikeracity 

Six months apart gives Erik a lot of time to think about what he really wants.

(Erik's POV from Carry Me Anew (Frost & Darkholme Remix) by kianspo)

Suddenly There'll Be a Blizzard (Let It Snow Remix) by kianspo

Charles was never at his best while jetlagged, but locking himself out in a snowstorm while barely dressed might be a new low. The last thing he expected was to be rescued by his high school nemesis, the man he hadn't seen in over ten years, who might have broken his heart for good once upon a time.

Once Upon a Time in the West by lachatblanche

Logan meets young, bright-eyed Francis in the run-down town of Charity while on the hunt for the notorious bank-robbers, the Xavier siblings, never for a moment dreaming that Charles Xavier is much nearer than he thinks ...

follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly by specficslut (homosociality)

Dr. Sebastian Shaw loves his job testing runaway omegas for fertility. Today, a boy named Erik is in the back of his medical van.

deeper than swords (the sun and stars remix) by specficslut (homosociality)

Erik has been traded to a foreign king for a chest of gold and a hundred bushels of grain. In Westchester, he must learn to start a new life... and navigate the roles that have been thrust upon him, whether concubine or courtesan, consort or slave.

The Shared Dream by TurtleTotem

Charles's cryo-pod malfunctions and wakes him up a century before everyone else. Will he spend the rest of his life alone on a ship full of sleepers? (A Passengers AU.)

Mr & Mr. Xavier-Lehnsherr by JackyJango

If you ask his late sister, she'd probably say that Charles had always had the hots for the bad boys.

Maybe it's true. Maybe that's how Charles had ended up willingly in their marriage bed. Maybe it's the ease with which Erik fights that had drawn Charles to him-- the confidence with which he uses his body to ensure maximum destruction, the fluidity with which he flares phasers as though they were an extension of his arm. Maybe Charles had been attracted to the grace with which Erik wielded his physical form in a way Charles would never be able to in his field of work. Maybe it's the aura that swirls around Erik for being the best mercenary on the planet. Or, maybe it’s just the roguishly handsome figure Erik cuts in a leather jacket and aviators with a cigarette caught loosely between his thin lips. The thing is, Charles doesn't know. And that's a tad antithetical coming from a man who had made knowing everything his job.

OR

A Mr & Mrs Smith AU in Space!

We'll Show Them All by kaydeefalls

Pacific Rim AU. Ten years later, the monsters are back, and newly-instated Marshall Charles Xavier needs to pull a team together to prepare for the coming war. That means finding his talented sister a Drift-compatible copilot -- even if that turns out to be his old flame Erik.

Just One More Question by BelgianReader2, g33kyclassic

Erik meets Charles at Pub Quiz League and it is hate at first sight. But, his team does need a new member and Moira is insistent that Charles is just what they need.

Erik is not happy about Charles, despite his trivia skill. Can time change his opinion? What about an unexpected revelation or two?

To the tune of our souls by hllfire

Erik, the drummer and one of the lead singers of the band known as The Brotherhood, writes a song after being inspired by the words of a university professor called Charles Xavier — another big name in the mutant community, much like Erik himself — and he wants Charles' speech to be in his song.

The only problem is that Charles Xavier doesn't seem to agree with Erik's idea.

A Tale of Two Captains by ClarkeStetler, Goosenik

Charles Xavier had wanted to be on the ocean as far back as he could remember. He could remember toddling toward the shipyards as an infant, being snatched away by scolding parents just before he could touch the gleaming vessels. As he grew older, his attention never wavered from the prospect of living life on the seas. At twenty-one years of age, Charles and his ship had its first run-in with pirates, and he saw fit to protect his title and vessel as fiercely as he knew how.

Aka: a one-shot of Erik the pirate trying to ransom Charles the captain, but finding that Charles is a little hard not to get attached to.

I'm a bullet by Isolee (WIP) Since mother - since the house - since Cain - He's adapted. He can do anything. Now he wants something, and he suspects he might even deserve it. Or - Charles is sort-of a sex addict, and Erik is his married-with-family supervisor at Uni.

I'll Take You Down (The Only Road I've Ever Been Down) by kianspo 

Tony and Emma are trying to help Charles get over a bad relationship. Many bad relationships, in fact, as Charles has the worst taste in men. They dare him to get 'cured' by sleeping with someone 'normal', having no idea that that normal guy just happens to be someone Charles has been crushing on for a while...

All We Are We Are by kianspo 

Charles's boyfriend breaks up with him days before the holidays. Not willing to ruin anyone else's festive mood, Charles hides this fact from his sister and his friends, and retreats into the family mansion, letting the world move on without him. He's flirting with depression when a one-time ex and a long-term friend surprises him. Long-kept secrets are revealed, and it turns out, Charles hasn't been paying attention to the right things.

[thelittlestcheshire]

if it weren't for you meddling kids...

A collection of seven playlists about my character’s inner-muse dynamics with one another.

playlist i: you’ll always be the one i love the most

a general balo and ches playlist

team (lorde) [not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things. livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams. and you know, we're on each other's team] // drag me down (one direction) [all my life, you stood by me when no one else was ever behind me. all these lights, they can't blind me, with your love, nobody can drag me down] // brave honest beautiful ( fifth harmony ft. meghan trainor ) [don't go and waste your precious time, with all the nonsense on your mind. no, don't criticize yourself no more, you got a smile worth fighting for]  // told you so (little mix) [girl, just come 'round mine tonight i've got wine and make-up wipes.  i'll hold you (i'll hold you),. we can put the kettle on, talk 'bout how he's not the one. i told you but, i'm never gonna say i told you so] //  friends (jasmine thompson) [who knows, who cares what we're gonna be. if you're near, i'm there. it will always be home, wherever we go.] // we belong (pat benatar) [we belong to the light, we belong to the thunder. we belong to the sound of the words, we've both fallen under. whatever we deny or embrace, for worse or for better; we belong, we belong, we belong together.] // safe & sound (taylor swift ft. the civil wars) [i remember tears streaming down your face when i said i'll never let you go. when all those shadows almost killed your light. i remember you said, “don't leave me here alone.” but all that's dead and gone and passed tonight] // buzzcut season (lorde) [cola with the burnt-out taste, i'm the one you tell your fears to. there'll never be enough of us] // unsteady (x ambassadors) [if you love me, don't let go. hold, hold on, hold on to me ‘cause i'm a little unsteady, a little unsteady] // i’ll keep you safe (sleeping at last) [don't be, don't be afraid. god knows, these mistakes will be made, but i promise you i'll keep you safe] // tell her you love her - acoustic (echosmith) [when she says she needs you, tell her you need her too. you tell her clearly, speak what your heart wants you to. tell her she's lovely, always tell her the truth. when she says she loves you, tell her you love her too] // nightingale (demi lovato) [oh, nightingale, you sing to me i know you're there. 'cause, baby, you're my sanity. you bring me peace, sing me to sleep]  // deep end (ruelle) [what can i do when it's pulling me under, pulling me underneath?] // hold your breath (ruelle) [hold your breath, don't let go. i feel it coming]  // my love won’t let you down (little mix) [we can sit on the edge of your bed, tell me all of the fears in your head. and i'll sing you your favourite song ‘til the pain and all the tears are all gone] // rainbow connection (sleeping at last) [have you been half asleep and have you heard voices? i've heard them calling my name. is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors? the voice might be one and the same.]

playlist ii: #squadgoals (aka balo and ches are sharing the aux):

8+ hours of music the girls listen to when they hang out, please remember to shuffle!

playlist iii: and if you were drowned at sea i’d give you my lungs so you could breathe

a general balo and zander playlist

shaking heads (foxes) [and if i turn around, there'll be no light. i know the danger, but it's alright. pick up the light and keep it, darling. you know that i can tell] // bottom of the river (delta rae) [hold my hand, ooh, baby, it's a long way down to the bottom of the river] // hey brother (avicii) [hey, brother; do you still believe in one another? hey, sister; do you still believe in love? i wonder.] // i hope you dance (lee ann womack) [i hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. whenever one door closes, i hope one more opens. promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance...] // my wish (rascal flatts) [i hope you never look back but you never forget all the ones who love you and the place you left. i hope you always forgive and you never regret, and you help somebody every chance you get.] // echo (foxes) [look into my eyes, do you see something to defend? spinning in the lights, will i grow old before i die?]  // brother (kodaline) [if i was dying on my knees, you would be the one to rescue me. and if you were drowned at sea i'd give you my lungs so you could breathe] // get your wish (porter robinson) [so tell me how it felt when you walked on water, did you get your wish? floating to the surface, quicker than you sank. idol, idol] // icu {madison’s lullaby} (demi lovato) [sometimes i can see myself in the little things you do but i'm not afraid that you'll lose your way. 'cause i believe in you. you're gonna be the one who's strong enough, who can overcome, anything in your way]

playlist iv: i’m afraid of what i’m risking if i follow you

a general ches and zander playlist

into the unknown (panic at the disco) [what do you want? 'cause you've been keeping me awake. are you here to distract me so i make a big mistake? or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me, who knows deep down i'm not where i'm meant to be?] // carry you (ruelle & fleurie) [you are not alone, i've been here the whole time singing you a song. i will carry you] // bud like you (ajr) [kickin' in the basement, kickin' in the basement, hatin' all the same things too. if i need a pick-me-up, would you come and pick me up? i could really use a bud like you] // wilson {expensive mistakes} (fall out boy) [and when i say i'm sorry i'm late, i wasn't showing up at all. i really mean i didn't plan on showing up at all. don't you, don't you, don't you know i hate all my friends, i miss the days when i pretended. i hate all my friends, i miss the days when i pretended with you] // unpack your heart (philip philips) [show me something the rest never see. give me all that you hope to receive, your deepest regret dies with me] // where do you run (the score) [where do you run when you need to breathe? where do you run when you don't believe? where do you run when you can't face your fears? 'cause every time i run, i run to you] // twin skeleton’s {hotel in nyc} (fall out boy) [and there's a jet black crow droning on and on and on; up above our heads droning on and on and on. keep making trouble 'til you find what you love. i need a new partner in crime and you, you shrug] // maybe idk (jon bellion) [i wonder why i feel short when i know my money’s tall. i wonder why i miss everyone and i still don’t call. i wonder why i can’t run that fast in my dreams] // you are enough (sleeping at last) [you're enough, you're enough, you're enough, you are enough. these little words, somehow they’re changing us. you're enough, you're enough, you are enough. so we let our shadows fall away like dust] // midnight sun (philip philips) [oh my friend, look how time has changed the cracks in our skin. oh my friend, let go of the fear that’s inside your head. so stay strong, live on, and chase the midnight sun]

playlist v: beyond every bend is a long blinding end; the worst kind of pain i’ve known

a ches and zander playlist set during the aftermath of the jack posters with an alternating pov (track 2 is zander, track 3 is ches, etc etc. tracks 1 and tracks 12 are mutual)

the choice (gustavo santaolalla & alan umstead) // burning in the skies (linkin park) [i'm swimming in the smoke of bridges i have burned, so don't apologize i'm losing what i don't deserve] // the good in me (jon bellion) [one temptation sparked this, now i can feel the darkness. it's my own fault, but you had this planned. all of me, you take now, like criminals and shakedowns, yeah, you make me forget who i am] // another brick in the wall, prt. 3 (pink floyd) [i don't need no arms around me and i don't need no drugs to calm me. i have seen the writing on the wall, don't think i need anything at all] // bad blood (taylor swift) [did you think we'd be fine? still got scars in my back from your knives. so don't think it's in the past, these kinds of wounds they last and they last] // no light, no light (florence + the machine) [and i'd do anything to make you stay. no light, no light, no light. tell me what you want me to say. you want a revelation, you wanna get it right. but it's a conversation, i just can't have tonight...] // that won’t save us (against the current) [how did we become so numb? we just let it come undone, and i just started giving up. but that won't save us] // hard to say i’m sorry (chicago) [it's hard for me to say i'm sorry. i just want you to stay. after all that we've been through i will make it up to you, i promise to] // believe (mumford & sons)  [i don't even know if i believe everything you're trying to say to me] // second chances (imagine dragons) [quicker than lightning, whiter than bone. if you can erase it, then i can atone. oh these days, oh these days get heavy. i get older and life fades, but you remain] // swallow my pride (ramones) [loose lips sink ships, they said but isn't it always that way? swallow my pride, oh yeah] // roads untravelled (linkin park) [weep not for roads untraveled, weep not for sights unseen. may your love never end, and if you need a friend there's a seat here alongside me]

playlist vi: it’s mourning in america

a playlist for the luxor trio - balo, ches, and zander

heathens (twenty one pilots) [we don't deal with outsiders very well, they say newcomers have a certain smell. you have trust issues, not to mention, they say they can smell your intentions] // morning in america (jon bellion) [we're secretly out of control, nobody says it. when the class president overdosed, we all pretended tt was rare, it was shocking and all the town was talking. yeah, we're secretly out of control and everyone knows. oh, it's morning in america] // the kids aren’t alright (fall out boy) [and in the end, i'd do it all again. i think you're my best friend. don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright?] // more than words (little mix & kamille) [i find peace in every story you told, i think of you, i'll never be alone. oh, it's true, you know i do. oh, i need you more than words can say. oh, you save me in ways that i can't explain. always been there for me, now i'll do the same] // family (mother mother) [and when you’re standing on the ledge i’ll pull ya down, put you to bed. and if you’re bleeding from the heart i'll come around, and clean it up] // beautiful people (ed sheeran & khalid) [we don't fit in well 'cause we are just ourselves, i could use some help gettin' out of this conversation, yeah. you look stunning, dear, so don't ask that question here. this is my only fear: that we become beautiful people] // immortals (fall out boy) [they say we are what we are but we don't have to be. i'm bad behavior but i do it in the best way. i'll be the watcher of the eternal flame, i'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams. i am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass, i try to picture me without you but i can't] // family (the chainsmokers & kygo) [when i am blind, in my mind i swear they be my rescue, my lifeline. i don't know what i'd do if i, if i'd survive my brothers and my sisters in my life, yeah] // walking the wire (imagine dragons) [oh, the storm is ragin' against us now. if you're afraid of falling, then don't look down. but we took the step, oh, we took the leap and we'll take what comes, take what comes] // take it out on you (ruelle) [i don’t wanna take it out, take it out on you, on you. it feels like i'm breaking down, watching my words cut you in two, in two. 'cause you are the only who saves me from myself when everything is caving. don’t wanna take it out, take it out on you, on you, but i do] // from now on (the greatest showman) [and from now on these eyes will not be blinded by the lights. from now on what's waited 'til tomorrow starts tonight. and let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart] // long live (taylor swift) [can you take a moment? promise me this: that you'll stand by me forever, but if god forbid fate should step in and force us into a goodbye. if you have children someday, when they point to the pictures, please tell them my name] // i hope you’re happy (blue october) [there will be days when you're falling down, there will be days when you're inside out. there will be days when you fall apart, someone else will break your heart. they're never gonna hold you back, i'm always gonna have your back so try to remember that...]

playlist vii: those meddling kids

a playlist for balo, ches, collen, and zander - and their friendship

on my way (phil collins) ['cause there's nothing like seeing each other again, no matter what the distance between. and the stories that we tell will make you smile, oh it really lifts my heart], more than a band (lemonade mouth) [i never knew you could take me so far. i've always wanted the home that you are, the ones i need] // i lived (onerepublic) [hope that you spend your days but they all add up and when that sun goes down hope you raise your cup. i wish that i could witness all your joy and all your pain, but until my moment comes, i'll say...] // i’m gonna be {500 miles} (the pretenders) [if i get drunk, well, i know i'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you. and if i haver, yeah, i know i'm gonna be i'm gonna be the man who's haverin' to you. but i would walk five hundred miles, and i would walk five hundred more just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door] // tongue tied (grouplove) [take me to your best friend's house, ‘goin' 'round this roundabout, oh yeah. oh, take me to your best friend's house; i loved you then and i love you now, oh yeah] // i’ll be there for you (the rembrandts) [no one could ever know me, no one could ever see me. seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me. someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with. someone i'll always laugh with, even at my worst, i'm best with you, yeah] // drag me down (one direction) [if i didn't have you, there would be nothing left, the shell of a man that could never be his best. if i didn't have you, i'd never see the sun, you taught me how to be someone, yeah] // miss americana & the heartbreak prince (taylor swift) [it's you and me, that's my whole world. they whisper in the hallway, “she's a bad, bad girl.” the whole school is rolling fake dice, you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. it's you and me, there's nothing like this, miss americana and the heartbreak prince. we're so sad, we paint the town blue, voted most likely to run away with you] // sharp edges (linkin park) [sharp edges have consequences, i guess that i had to find out for myself. sharp edges have consequences, now every scar is a story i can tell. we all fall down, we live somehow. we learn what doesn't kill us makes us stronger] // family (mother mother) [a motley crew, a rodeo. a goddamn zoo, a circus show. but oh don't you know how it goes, we are all walking each other home] // the story of tonight (hamilton) [raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away - no matter what they tell you. raise a glass to the four of us, tomorrow there’ll be more of us - telling the story of tonight.]

[bananaofswifts]

Your guide to the singer-songwriter’s surprise follow-up to Folklore.

By

CARL WILSON

When everything’s clicking for Taylor Swift, the risk is that she’s going to push it too far and overtax the public appetite. On “Mirrorball” from Folklore, she sings, with admirable self-knowledge, “I’ve never been a natural/ All I do is try, try, try.” So when I woke up yesterday to the news that at midnight she was going to repeat the trick she pulled off with Folklore in July—surprise-releasing an album of moody pop-folk songs remote-recorded in quarantine with Aaron Dessner of the National as well as her longtime producer Jack Antonoff—I was apprehensive. Would she trip back into the pattern of overexposure and backlash that happened between 1989 and Reputation?

Listening to the new Evermore, though, that doesn’t feel like such a threat. A better parallel might be to the “Side B” albums that Carly Rae Jepsen put out after both Emotion and Dedicated, springing simply out of the artist’s and her fans’ mutual enthusiasm. Or, closer to Swift’s own impulses here, publishing an author’s book of short stories soon after a successful novel. Lockdown has been a huge challenge for musicians in general, but it liberated Swift from the near-perpetual touring and publicity grind she’s been on since she was a teen, and from her sense of obligation to turn out music that revs up stadium crowds and radio programmers. Swift has always seemed most herself as the precociously talented songwriter; the pop-star side is where her try-hard, A-student awkwardness surfaces most. Quarantine came as a stretch of time to focus mainly on her maturing craft (she turns 31 on Sunday), to workshop and to woodshed. When Evermore was announced, she said that she and her collaborators—clearly mostly Dessner, who co-writes and/or co-produces all but one of these 15 songs—simply didn’t want to stop writing after Folklore.

This record further emphasizes her leap away from autobiography into songs that are either pure fictions or else lyrically symbolic in ways that don’t act as romans à clef. On Folklore, that came with the thrill of a breakthrough. Here, she fine-tunes the approach, with the result that Evermore feels like an anthology, with less of an integrated emotional throughline. But that it doesn’t feel as significant as Folklore is also its virtue. Lowered stakes offer permission to play around, to joke, to give fewer fucks—and this album definitely has the best swearing in Swift’s entire oeuvre.

Because it’s nearly all Dessner overseeing production and arrangements, there isn’t the stylistic variety that Antonoff’s greater presence brought to Folklore. However, Swift and Dessner seem to have realized that the maximalist-minimalism that dominated Folklore, with layers upon layers of restrained instrumental lines for the sake of atmosphere, was too much of a good thing. There are more breaks in the ambience on Evermore, the way there was with Folklore’s “Betty,” the countryish song that was among many listener’s favorites. But there are still moments that hazard misty lugubriousness, and perhaps with reduced reward.

Overall, people who loved Folklore will at least like Evermore too, and the minority of Swift appreciators who disapproved may even warm up to more of the sounds here. I considered doing a track-by-track comparison between the two albums, but that seemed a smidgen pathological. Instead, here is a blatantly premature Day 1 rundown of the new songs as I hear them.

A pleasant yet forgettable starting place, “Willow” has mild “tropical house” accents that recall Ed Sheeran songs of yesteryear, as well as the prolix mixed metaphors Swift can be prone to when she’s not telling a linear story. But not too severely. I like the invitation to a prospective lover to “wreck my plans.” I’m less sure why “I come back stronger than a ’90s trend” belongs in this particular song, though it’s witty. “Willow” is more fun as a video (a direct sequel to Folklore’s “Cardigan” video) than as a lead track, but I’m not mad at it here either.

Written with “William Bowery”—the pseudonym of Swift’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn, as she’s recently confirmed—this is the first of the full story songs on Evermore, in this case a woman describing having walked away from her partner on the night he planned to propose. The music is a little floaty and non-propulsive, but the tale is well painted, with Swift’s protagonist willingly taking the blame for her beau’s heartbreak and shrugging off the fury of his family and friends—“she would have made such a lovely bride/ too bad she’s fucked in the head.” Swift sticks to her most habitual vocal cadences, but not much here goes to waste. Except, that is, for the title phrase, which doesn’t feel like it adds anything substantial. (Unless the protagonist was drunk?) I do love the little throwaway piano filigree Dessner plays as a tag on the end.

This is the sole track Antonoff co-wrote and produced, and it’s where a subdued take on the spirit of 1989-style pop resurges with necessary energy. Swift is singing about having a crush on someone who’s too attractive, too in-demand, and relishing the fantasy but also enjoying passing it up. It includes some prime Swiftian details, like, “With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from your door,” or, “At dinner parties I call you out on your contrarian shit.” The line about this thirst trap’s “hair falling into place like dominos” I find much harder to picture.

This is where I really snapped to attention. After a few earlier attempts, Swift has finally written her great Christmas song, one to stand alongside “New Year’s Day” in her holiday canon. And it’s especially a great one for 2020, full of things none of us ought to do this year—go home to visit our parents, hook up with an ex, spend the weekend in their bedroom and their truck, then break their hearts again when we leave. But it’s done with sincere yuletide affection to “the only soul who can tell which smiles I’m faking,” and “the warmest bed I’ve ever known.” All the better, we get to revisit these characters later on the album.

On first listen, I found this one of the draggiest Dressner compositions on the record. Swift locates a specific emotional state recognizably and poignantly in this song about a woman trapped (or, she wonders, maybe not trapped?) in a relationship with an emotionally withholding, unappreciative man. But the static keyboard chord patterns and the wandering melody that might be meant to evoke a sense of disappointment and numbness risk yielding numbing and disappointing music. Still, it’s growing on me.

Featuring two members of Haim—and featuring a character named after one of them, Este—“No Body, No Crime” is a straight-up contemporary country song, specifically a twist on and tribute to the wronged-woman vengeance songs that were so popular more than a decade ago, and even more specifically “Before He Cheats,” the 2006 smash by Carrie Underwood, of which it’s a near musical clone, just downshifted a few gears. Swift’s intricate variation on the model is that the singer of the song isn’t wreaking revenge on her own husband, but on her best friend’s husband, and framing the husband’s mistress for the murder. It’s delicious, except that Swift commits the capital offence of underusing the Haim sisters purely as background singers, aside from one spoken interjection from Danielle.

This one has some of the same issues as “Tolerate It,” in that it lags too much for too long, but I did find more to focus on musically here. Lyrically and vocally, it gets the mixed emotions of a relatively amicable divorce awfully damned right, if I may speak from painfully direct experience.

This is the song sung from the POV of the small-town lover that the ambitious L.A. actress from “Tis the Damn Season”—Dorothea, it turns out—has left behind in, it turns out, Tupelo. Probably some years past that Xmas tryst, when the old flame finally has made it. “A tiny screen’s the only place I see you now,” he sings, but adds that she’s welcome back anytime: “If you’re ever tired of being known/ For who you know/ You know that you’ll always know me.” It’s produced and arranged with a welcome lack of fuss. Swift hauls out her old high-school-romance-songs vocal tone to reminisce about “skipping the prom/ just to piss off your mom,” very much in the vein of Folklore’s teen-love-triangle trilogy.

A duet with Dessner’s baritone-voiced bandmate in the National, Matt Berninger, “Coney Island” suffers from the most convoluted lyrics on Evermore (which, I wonder unkindly, might be what brought Berninger to mind?). The refrain “I’m on a beach on Coney Island, wondering where did my baby go” is a terrific tribute to classic pop, but then Swift rhymes it with “the bright lights, the merry go,” as if that’s a serviceable shorthand for merry-go-round, and says “sorry for not making you my centerfold,” as if that’s somehow a desirable relationship outcome. The comparison of the bygone affair to “the mall before the internet/ It was the one place to be” is clever but not exactly moving, and Berninger’s lines are worse. Dessner’s droning arrangement does not come to the rescue.

This song is also overrun with metaphors but mostly in an enticing, thematically fitting way, full of good Swiftian dark-fairytale grist. It’s fun to puzzle out gradually the secret that all the images are concealing—an engaged woman being drawn into a clandestine affair. And there are several very good “goddamns.”

The lyrical conceit here is great, about two gold-digging con artists whose lives of scamming are undone by their falling in love. It reminded me of the 1931 pre-Code rom-com Blonde Crazy, in which James Cagney and Joan Blondell act out a very similar storyline. And I mostly like the song, but I can’t help thinking it would come alive more if the music sounded anything like what these self-declared “cowboys” and “villains” might sing. It’s massively melancholy for the story, and Swift needs a far more winningly roguish duet partner than the snoozy Marcus Mumford. It does draw a charge from a couple of fine guitar solos, which I think are played by Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver, who will return shortly).

The drum machine comes as a refreshing novelty at this point. And while this song is mostly standard Taylor Swift torrents of romantic-conflict wordplay (full of golden gates and pedestals and dropping her swords and breaking her high heel, etc.), the pleasure comes in hearing her look back at all that and shrugging, “Long story short, it was a bad ti-i-ime,” “long story short, it was the wrong guy-uy-uy,” and finally, “long story short, I survived.” She passes along some counsel I’m sure she wishes she’d had back in the days of Reputation: “I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things/ Your nemeses will defeat themselves.” It’s a fairly slight song but an earned valedictory address.

Swift fan lore has it that she always sequences the real emotional bombshell as Track 5, but here it is at 13, her lucky number. It’s sung to her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who died when Swift was in her early teens, and it manages to be utterly personal—down to the sample of Marjorie singing opera on the outro—and simultaneously utterly evocative to anyone who’s been through such grief. The bridge, full of vivid memories and fierce regrets, is the clincher.

This electroacoustic kiss-off song, loaded up with at least a fistful of gecs if not a full 100 by Dessner and co-producers BJ Burton and James McAlister, seems to be, lyrically, one of Swift’s somewhat tedious public airings of some music-industry grudge (on which, in case you don’t get it, she does not want “closure”), but, sonically, it’s a real ear-cleaner at this point on Evermore. Why she seems to shift into a quasi-British accent for fragments of it is anyone’s guess. But I’m tickled by the line, “I’m fine with my spite and my tears and my beers and my candles.”

I’m torn about the vague imagery and vague music of the first few verses of the album’s final, title track. But when Vernon, in full multitracked upper-register Bon Iver mode, kicks in for the duet in the middle, there’s a jolt of urgency that lands the redemptive ending—whether it’s about a crisis in love or the collective crisis of the pandemic or perhaps a bit of both—and satisfyingly rounds off the album.

[toysoldiers-rwby]

Countdown till Vol 8: 36 Days!

Drawing and Writing Request are open!

Characters: Fiona Thyme (POV), Robyn Hill, Winter Schnee, May Marigold, Joanna Greenleaf

Rating: Teen

Summary: Bad first impressions, sharing a bed with your not-crush teammates, and saving a Thief from a Huntress?

Word count: 3k

A/N Another scrapped piece (ch 3) from my Show Your Teeth story. I scrapped it because it took too long to get to the plot but i do love the character interaction.

Dinner was… odd. For one they weren’t up in Atlas Academy, eating a care package Klein and Weiss sent or causing trouble in the mess hall. They were on the floor of Robyn’s apartment, surrounding a stained and uneven coffee table.  

Eating food that was dropped off by a mysterious Thief capable of hacking into Atlas’ network.  

And it was peaceful.  

With two of the hottest heads in Atlas Academy.  

For a moment Fiona wondered if Elm’s rocket launcher knocked her out and this was all a dream. But Robyn dived in and soften her crash. She frowned looking at the Mantle women. She expected bragging or teasing but Robyn made sure she was okay then went back to the Grimm. It was beyond professional, even Winter liked joke around but this was serious for Robyn.  

And her elites? In her head she could hear Winter huff and puff about eating evidence. While Winter wasn’t as by-the-book as Vine this was the only clue they had to find the Thief that hacked into Atlas. And as a daughter of one of the richest families she could be poisoned or drugged. May would normally be barking over every little thing, such as Robyn sitting too close or staring too long at Fiona. The little lamb gave her elites worried glances. They were… docile and guilt ridden.

They lived up in Atlas all their lives. Everything they wanted was at their fingertips while Mantle had to scavenge for their scraps. Including the military’s attention. The Thief had to trick them into killing a Grimm!  

Fiona sighed and slipped another piece of stuff chicken into her mouth. She kept her worried glances on her teammates and listened to the only conversation. Robyn and Joanna was talking about logistics and timing, the planning it would have taken the Thief to make the food and deliver it.  

“They has to be working with someone,” Joanna argued.  

“They aren’t,” Robyn and Fiona said at the same time. Robyn blinked surprised. Then a grin spread a crossed her face and she leaned forward. “I knew great minds think alike.” Fiona rolled her eyes at the arrogance but ended up smiling a little at the playfulness. “Do you want to explain it or shall I?”  

“You can have the honors. Winter and May respect smart asses that has more smarts than ass.” Fiona said. Joanna covered her mouth, trying not to giggle or choke on her food. The elites sneered and rolled their eyes.  

"I like to think I’m well rounded," Robyn said, playfully glaring Fiona. Winter tried to cower that arrogance with a glare but even with May fuming at her side Robyn didn’t back down. She seemed to preen under it, “Snowflake said she’s there was enough Dust to blow the block-”  

“False, I said the Dust is potent enough to destroy the block,” Winter said. She held the spool of fire Dust, her Aura causing it to glow bright. “This… is potent enough to heat this building for an entire month. Understand the difference?”  

“Several questions, we’ll get back to that,” Robyn said. “The Thief has super Dust,” Fiona noticed Winter frowned at the word but didn’t interrupted, “Strong enough to kill the Grimm but they tricked you three into coming down instead. Someone with that much firepower and skill doesn’t need help.”  

“… They needed a distraction but we were too close,” May mumbled under her breath. Then she turned to her partner, “That isn’t SDC Dust is it?”  

“No,” Winter said. “It’s far to pure to be from my father’s poisonous company.” She spat, anger raw in her voice. She took a deep breath, she held it out for anyone else to inspect but no one grabbed it. Fiona even saw Robyn and Joanna lean away a bit. Winter licked her lips, trying to frown instead of smile. “It’s not gonna combust. Wrong Dust for that.”  

“I don’t wanna burn myself! Scars are hot an all but their still painful,” Robyn said.  

Fiona laughed and took it from her leader’s hand, “Good manufactures have a type of stabilizer or… or a sponge,” Her Aura flared bright, trying to pour into the spool. It bright red but didn’t burn to the point where Fiona had to drop it. “Point is there’s other materials to keep handle the excess Aura so people won’t hurt themselves.”  

“So it’s safe? Even for the Dust inept?” Joanna asked. The trio from Atlas nodded and Joanna tried it. It was a dull glow. Winter tried to hide the smile but Fiona saw it anyway. Robyn pulled out her Scroll, typing a few things.  

“Solo, Dust, Tech, possibly from Mistral,” Robyn listed, “Cook, highly likely a neighbor of mine.”  

“How is cooking important?” Winter asked.  

Robyn paused and looked at her. “Can you elites cook?” Winter frowned, the light glare trying to hide the blush. Robyn smiled a little but Fiona recognize the bitterness in her eyes. Fiona was the same way when she first met them. “Cooking is a very… independent skill,” Robyn said. Fiona would have used the word survivalist. “It’s also a compassionate and communal skill,” Robyn explained, adding those words to her notes.  

Winter paused looking down at the food they were eating. Fiona hoped she was smart enough to link everything together. She wasn’t blind to the horrors her father was committing but she was still Atlesian. Did Winter understand how expensive food was here, that sharing it was putting another life before your own?  

Winter grit her teeth, “They’re still a criminal.” Fiona’s heart sank a little. Atlesians…  

“Not all crimes are severe-”  

“Hacking into Atlas’ network makes them threat!”  

Fiona heard the sharp whine before everyone else. Her ears immediately pointed at May as she twitched a little. The noise completely caught Winter off guard, head jerking to look at May. The usually angry women whined again, pitching low into a groan as her eyes tried to fluttered open. She was awake long enough to snuggle into Winter’s shoulder and immediately fell back asleep, mouth open and soft snores coming from her. Fiona grinned and giggled behind her hand. For such an elite she was wore herself on her sleeves.  

“I guess we’re finishing this in the morning,” Robyn said with a soft sigh.  

She looked conflicted, wanting to relax but her guarded blue eyes wouldn’t stray from the Mantle pair for long.  

“You three can take my bed, I’ll crash with Robyn for the night.” Joanna said.  

“Three?” Fiona asked slowly.  

“These idiots are the most overprotective people we’ve met,” Robyn added with her arms crossed. Fiona nodded in agreement before she could stop and stuck her tongue out when Winter frowned at her. “Would you really let Fiona sleep in the living room in a stranger’s apartment?”  

Winter blinked. Fiona could sense the tension fading from the Schnee’s body. Winter ate one last stuffed mushroom. “Huh,” She said. Robyn and Joanna waited for more acknowledgment or appreciation but Winter only closed her eyes. Signaling the end of that conversation.  

Robyn scowled and Fiona stepped in to try and pacify her, “Thanks. It’s… it’s been tough but I’m sure it’ll better now that we have a fourth member, right?” She looked at her teammates.  

May was drifting into deep sleep and Winter was softly glaring at her partner.  

“Ideally,” Winter replied only after Fiona cleared her throat. Winter picked up May and Joanna guided the trio to her room. Fiona tried not to imagine all the hard muscles in Winter’s back and arms as she set May on the bed. She just moved her partner around so effortlessly  

“Sorry we don’t have any extra clothes or toothbrushes for you,” Joanna mumbled.  

“Oh, I think I have some actually,” Fiona said. She concentrated and flexed her hand, recalling the memories associated with the object.  

It was a conversation after a surprise trip out of the Kingdom when a Search and Destroy suddenly became a Search and Rescue. Thankfully it was a success but the elites would not stop complaining about their hair. Or maybe it was a break in the usual routine that pissed them off?  

Fiona manage to exude two toothbrushes and… a hair brush with long blue hair. “Damn it, May,” Fiona sighed. “I guess it’s a good thing she’s asleep.”  

“She usually doesn’t tire so easily…” Winter said softly. Fiona leaned to the side to see her hand linger through May’s hair as she brushed it out of her face. Fiona started her suspicion count then, even if she had several ones before it. “Maybe Weiss and Klein are right. We need a break.”  

“Or a date,” Joanna mumbled too softly for the humans to hear. Fiona’s ears perked up. She silently gasped up at Joanna who tried not to blush and fidget. Joanna cleared her throat, “Maybe you three can go shopping tomorrow? To blend in better.”  

“That’s a good idea,” Robyn said walking up, “Every time you three are in Mantle the Thief’s gone out of their way to mess with you.”  

“I suppose we can be bait,” Winter said with a nod. She slipped her usual tie loose and undid a few buttons on her shirt and cuffs. Obviously undressing for bed.  

Robyn smirked. Fiona could tell another sly remark was on her lips but Joanna quickly shoved her friend out of the room, “Goodnight! Bathroom is on at the end of the hall!” Winter sneered watching the pair retreat to Robyn’s room and quietly closed the door behind them.  

Fiona closed her eyes, ears wiggling in their direction, “I wasn’t going to insult them,” she could hear Robyn pout. “In fact I had very nice things to say.”  

“Do you really want to get between whatever those elites have-” Joanna cut herself off with a sigh. If Fiona’s answer was ‘Yes, I’d love to get between the pair of sexy elites’ Robyn was probably in the same boat. She could imagine Robyn’s smug face and Joanna’s tired exhaustion. “I will kick you out of your own bed if you don’t behave.”  

“Yes, ma’am,” Robyn said with a laugh. The sound made Fiona’s ears flutter and her eyes slowly opened. It was… soft and gentle in a way she didn’t expect for such an arrogant women.  

Fiona finally closed the door and when she turned to the bed she saw a nearly nude Winter hovering over May. This time Fiona treated herself to Winter’s sculpted muscles, the old light catching her pale skin and highlighting all the right planes as she breathed and shifted. Fiona only wished she was in her usual night lace. Maybe had her hair down completely down but it gave Fiona odd butterflies knowing it was done by May.  

Hearing the door clicked close Winter glanced over her shoulder, revealing a frown, “May still has dirt and rubble on her clothes.” Fiona walked over and May’s shirt and pants. She concentrated. Separating closely touching objects was always harder. She focused on the coat and shirt, the little bits of rocks and dirt. She imagined May out of the designer cloths- standing nude in their dorms.  

Her semblance activated, clothes absorbing into her and leaving… May in her a simple bra and boyshorts. Fiona exuded May’s clothes with a relieved sigh. She was never doing that again… not while she was pent up. Fiona tried shaking out all the small rocks before folding them neatly next to Winter’s cloths and finally slipping out of her own thick clothing. Feeling the difference Fiona made a quick list of what shops to drag the pair to in the morning. Hopefully Robyn would have some proper coats for the pair. She closed the lights and finally got in bed.  

Fiona didn’t realize she was in the middle of her two elites until she was already settled in. She was sure Winter had a crush on May… if that was true wouldn’t she want to sleep next to her? Winter caught her confused frown through her Scroll, "I’ll be up a little longer. You two can cuddle each other to death.  

Fiona smiled and rolled her eyes. May has a bad habit of crushing anything in bed with her to her chest. There was a brief light and the sound of a Glyph being summoned. That finally stirred May enough, but only to turn away from it and drape an arm on Fiona. Winter smiled. A lot more open than usual in the dark and obscured through the hard-light screen. She always looked better when she wasn’t acting like the perfect soldier. The thought stunned the little sheep long enough for Winter to wrap the scarf loosely around her neck.  

Fiona closed her eyes and took a deep breath. May always smelled like flowers for some reason, fresh snow. Her ears wiggled happily. “Goodnight, Win. Don’t stay up too late.”  

“Goodnight. Don’t let May drool all over the scarf.” Winter said. Fiona giggled and nodded.  

She fell asleep quickly, nestling into the stranger’s blankets and pillows with a warm and familiar arm comforting her. Fiona remembers blue eyes watching them and maybe a cool arm drapped over her in the middle of the night.

Then she heard a rush of noise under May’s soft snoring and Winter’s heavy breathing. The brush of thick clothes and solid leather boots. Fiona opened her eyes only to blink them close. May’s warmth and Winter’s cool embrace oddly nice, the smell of fresh snow and flowers nearly lulled her back to sleep.  

Then something her ears honed in on. The slow soft creaking of a string and the sudden click of a crossbow woke her up. Her ears straighten, pointing to the door.  

“We should wake them up!”  

“You heard the Schnee!” Robyn whispered back. “They’ll turn the Thief in!”  

“With your help and ta da your in Atlas Academy!” Joanna whispered. Fiona slipped out of her teammate’s arms and crawled over May. Winter flinched and grumbled as May snuggled closer to her but neither of them woke up.  

Fiona’s hand hovered over her teammates for a second but… She hadn’t seen May look this peaceful in a long time. She missed the goofy idiot that was excited to enjoy life. And their Aura did take a beating with Elm’s rocket launcher. The little lamb turned away from the pair and quickly threw on her clothes while listen to their host.  

Joanna was still trying to talk some sense into Robyn, "They’re being chased by Glynda Goodwitch!" Fiona nearly tripped pulling up her pants. “What makes you think we can help them escape that?”  

“She’s Vale’s best Huntress but she’s not a god though… I’d worship her if that’s what it takes.”  

“Robyn…” Joanna said with a frustrated sigh. Fiona heard the front door open and the light shined bright under the door for a moment. “I hope you know what your doing.” And then it clicked closed, the light gone with it.  

Fiona rushed out through the window, taking the fire escape two steps at a time as she raced for the top. The plan was to follow them on the rooftops but when she finally got to the top, Joanna was frowning down at her but Robyn smirked.  

“Great minds-”  

“Shut up,” Fiona sighed. Robyn didn’t say another word but Fiona didn’t know if that smug grin and offer to help her up was worse… She did deal with Winter and May. Fiona took the hand and gasped at the strength behind it. She was effortlessly pulled to her feet but Robyn didn’t let go. Instead her Aura flared, engulfing Fiona’s arm. “What’s…”  

“How much did you hear. lambchop?”  

"I know your trying to save the THief from Glynda fucking Goodwitch," Fiona hissed. It glowed green. Robyn’s grip didn’t let up so Fiona matched it, squeezing tight and that was barely half her strength. She let herself enjoy Robyn’s surprise for a moment. “And are you dumb?! They’ll charge you as an accomplice!”  

Robyn sneered and rolled her eyes, “I’m a cop.” Red. Robyn sputtered, blushing hard while Joanna laughed softly. Fiona squeezed harder making it clear Robyn trapped herself with her own game. “Kinda! Mostly… We’re on out two weeks notice!” Green. Fiona relaxed a little. “Stupid semblance… My turn, are you going to stop us?”  

“I… I don’t know,” Fiona mumbled. She was half surprised when the Aura let up green. But Robyn wasn’t and her grip finally relaxed so Fiona let hers slacken too. “Yes, having access to the network makes the Thief is dangerous but I think it puts them in danger. Especially if they are alone.”  

“Alright. We find them, help them escape then figure things out from there,” Robyn said. She looked at Joanna who nodded then down at Fiona who also agreed. Robyn smiled, “You can let go y’know.”  

“Ugh,” Fiona rolled her eyes and pulled her hand free. She didn’t comment on how Robyn’s fingers lingered on her palm and she definitely did not feel a rush of heat flutter in her chest.  

Robyn pulled out her Scroll lowering it so Fiona could see it. It was a broadcast from an airship. Goodwitch walked down the street while the Thief tried to dart away. Every time they got close to an alley, dumpsters would move, blocking their path or a car was lifted off the ground. With Goodwitch’s Telekinesis it even slammed into the Thief, forcing them to grab their hood and hold it down to hide their face. Whenever Goodwitch got too close, a wall of fire erupted from the Minstral robes and the Thief was able to put some distance until their dance started again.  

“Goodwitch is waiting for our little Thief to tire out,” Robyn said.  

“They’re near the street you blew up,” Joanna informed. She smiled at the blush and nervous twitch of Fiona’s ears. She easily jumped across the alley and started running. Robyn flashed a two finger salute and smile before following. Fiona frowned, watching their long ass legs easily make the gap. Fiona stepped back a little, getting a running start and leaping across.  

When Robyn saw that she cleared the gap with ease she smirked and sped up. Fiona rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to be baited into a childish and unfair race. Fiona glanced around for a better path, she saw it in the form of a heating vent and Joanna’s broad shoulders.  

“Sorry!” Fiona said with a laugh, vaulting off some random piping and onto the giant’s shoulder. Then onto the vent and finally to the next building. The fall was short, the impact of the metal roof was barely familiar but her body tucked and rolled like she never left Mantle. Fiona took several dashing low strides sliding under some pipes and kicking off of them. Despire Robyn’s long strides Fiona kept pace.  

“You should slow down, save your energy for Goodwitch,” Fiona said with a smirk. This time Robyn was the one that rolled her eyes but took the suggestion seriously. The pair did tease Joanna a little, keeping one building a head of her.  

“I’m letting Goodwitch whip you with that riding crop,” Joanna mumbled a little winded.  

Fiona tried to frown through the blush rising to her cheeks. She was successful for the most part, but the twitching ears gave it away, “Does she really?”  

“Your eyes are sharper in the dark. You tell us,” Robyn said waving the pair to the ledge she was on. Robyn handed Fiona a pair of binoculars. The little lamb noticed the police logo and the worn spots. Fiona saw the bright purple darting around a few streets down, then a surge of fire.  

Through the binoculars she saw the Thief almost stumble to the ground, the gravity Dust in their robes flickering. This time Goodwitch tore up the road, shards of debris making a wall. They tried dashing up it, gravity leveling their legs against the uneven vertical surface but it was a Telekinetic surface. It moved under Goodwitch’s command, trying to wrap around them but it was like grasping water. The Thief was always slipping out and moving, but the Dust was either running out or their Aura was finally reaching its limit.  

“This would be a lot easier with May,” Fiona said. Robyn nodded, silently offering Fiona a vaulting point. Fiona gave her a light frown but used it to get to the next building, they’ll be time to argue later.

[vaguely-concerned]

Twisted Fate/Graves thoughts 2 Electric Boogaloo because none of you can stop me

and I just have a lot of feelings okay

- t.f. taking an entire paragraph mid-fall during a harrowing life or death chase to give you the context for how much the imminent destruction of his boots is a  tragedy is the funniest and most endearing character detail and also irrefutable proof that despite appearances he, too, really does only have that half a brain cell, it simply pingpongs around in there much more than graves’ half (which instead finds one idea and GOES HARD for it no matter what lol bless him)   

also his pov is basically just a flippant ‘well this is a goddamn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation’ until graves literally forces him to have an honest emotion at gunpoint, and y’know... that be what love feels like sometimes when you’re like that as a person, extremely relatable, I feel for him so much

- I’m still just quietly astounded by the hmmm... implied intimacy? I guess? in the argument they’re having once they’re actually talking in burning tides. let’s look at what they’re actually saying to each other:     

T.F.: “Are you ever gonna learn? . . . Every time I try to help you, I-” and “ I tried to get us out. The rest of us saw the job was going south . . . But you wouldn’t back down. You never do.”

vs.

Graves: “You’ll run again. That’s all you’ve ever done.” and “You made out alright, though . . . You know why? It’s because you’re a coward. And nothing you’ll ever say can change that.” 

like them’s the sort of fraught fighting words you have with a spouse right towards the end of an ugly divorce, the full fruitless ‘why do you always have to --’ and ‘but you never listen to me!!!’ deal, especially from graves’ side lol. it’s the sort of hurtful you can really only be with someone you’ve been very, very close to, someone you know incredibly well. considering the whole backstory what graves is essentially saying here is ‘It’s your own fault people have left you; you deserve to be alone’.

(interestingly, in twisted fate’s pov it seems that what’s really messing with him is the part of not being listened to. he tried to plead with his family and they refused to listen, he tried to convince graves to run away with the rest of them and he didn’t listen, and here they are again and graves isn’t listening  a g a i n  and at that point t.f. clearly just sort of. gives up on actually being heard, in a slightly heartbreaking way. and from how graves reacts to seeing that I really think he’s not naturally cruel like that at all, he’s just in too much pain to think until this startles him out of it and then he does actually listen)

- through both stories graves is so desperately, enduringly horny for t.f. to be emotionally present and engaged with him without slipping away into his ~*cool magic gambler*~ persona and I find it weirdly sweet 

- graves immediately getting fond of this leaky battered old rowboat... hfsadkjfhasd he’s sort of adorable in a way? it’s also really cute how he’s got this really tight focus on tf and his mannerisms and how genuine he’s being at any given moment. it’s such a neat way to show what he’s feeling and thinking about, which must be hard with a character who’s so massively oblivious to the finer points of his own inner life lol  

ALSO can we talk about how tf literally winks at him at one point, right after they’ve sort of had a little moment of regained trust... like my good sir that is so deeply unnecessarily saucy of you, please control yourself (though in his defense graves somehow still isn’t picking up what he’s putting down so y’know maybe subtle isn’t the way to go here anyway haha)

- I wonder if t.f. used to go by his initials even before he changed his name -- graves calls him by it straight off the bat in burning tides and t.f. seems to consider his real name mildly embarrassing lol. (also intriguing that he does appear to think of it as his ‘real name’, and not ‘old name’ or something like that. it’s why I feel like we’ve got more of a dual identity going on here than a deadname situation, it feels more like two distinct levels of emotional vulnerability/availability to me. and so ‘tobias’ stops being relevant when there’s no one left to know him as that. ow.)    

- from reading his bio it seems like twisted fate has had to figure out a lot of the magic stuff on his own (except for the mention of his grandpa teaching him the fortune telling part of it -- seems like they had a bit of a special connection, really, if him leaving his old cards with the kid before they left is anything to go by). what I’m saying is that I would read thousands upon thousands of words of him experimenting with it when they were younger and graves hurriedly having to topple a table over and pull them both behind it for cover before they both explode lol 

(and then t.f. popping his head up afterwards like ‘hAH see I TOLD you I could do it!’ and graves disconsolately lighting a cigar from the burning rubble b/c the things one does for love partnerships huh)

- I’ve been looking over burning tides with a writing eye a few times to figure out what makes it work so well for me, and one of the things I really like is that there are a lot of small comments/details that are there or are framed in a certain way specifically to emphasize the familiarity and history between the characters. Just small details like He moves fast for a big man. I’d forgotten that and graves mentioning he’s never liked standing too close when t.f. does the teleporting thing -- not to mention t.f.’s name reveal, which if I understand this correctly was actually new information to the readers when burning tides was going on. (and yes it is still very funny to me that his actual name is tobias. the duality of man)   

(I also feel like there are HUGE differences in writing quality between the different POV sections -- I guess different people wrote for the different characters? Well, both of the first person sections are gold and that’s what matters to me in this story so I don’t really mind. Sadly the Miss Fortune parts read the weirdest and stiffest to me, which is unfortunate b/c I love her lore concept a lot and she’s so cool in double double-cross. WHO the fuck let an unironic ‘the crimson-haired siren’ slip through the edit, is what I really want to know. please, narrator, tell me about her cerulean orbs while you’re at it) 

- The man I used to know seems lost under years of hatred.

I don’t try to say anything else. I can see it in his eyes, now. Something’s broken inside of him.

still makes me SO SAD and I’m incredibly happy it turns out not to be true in the end thank GOD

- this might just be me reading into stuff too much, but I really like this sense that in moments of high emotion/genuine vulnerability, graves tends to sound older and more tired while t.f. sounds younger than he actually is, more frightened and hurt

- if his mind hadn’t been completely focused on partner-rescuing and open murder were in any way his style, t.f. totally could have killed gangplank right there and then before miss fortune even got to blow the fucker up haha. then again if that were the sort of guy he were he’d be dead along with all the rest of them

- it’s so good that graves tries to save miss fortune’s guy before they leave the cave but also isn’t broken up about it when it turns out he can’t, that feels like such a correct encapsulation of his moral character haha

- I really do enjoy graves’ POV so much not just because there’s something immensely comforting about how he refuses to be scared even in the face of death because he’s too damn grouchy and won’t give the world the satisfaction, but also because the language/cadence is so satisfying. he does have a way with words, in a gruff non-flashy sort of way.

It smells like the end of everything – sulfur and ash and death; cooked hair and melting skin -- the rhythm of that is so gooood and that whole section conveys the horror and destruction but also the awe of the scene so well. (I’m telling you graves isn’t actually dumb at all, just astoundingly unbendingly single minded once he’s got an idea in his head lol) 

- I keep thinking about the fact that the last two things twisted fate thinks about before he passes out from drowning is if graves is scared and ‘What would Malcolm do?’ and I’m feeling real 😭😭😭 about it

- I’m still so disproportionately intrigued by graves mentioning his mom in burning tides. considering how early and seemingly easily he left home (...not to mention that he brings her up in connection with someone punching him in the face) it might be a safe bet that they weren’t that close but like. she also seems to be one of the very very few non-revengy things he’s checked up on after getting out of prison. did he send money home sometimes? would he visit whenever they came back to bilgewater? did she ever meet t.f. and if so did she approve or was this a bit of a uncharmable mother in law from hell situation? I um. I want to know these things pls riot it’s for science

.

(First post is over here btw, if anyone’s interested!)

[msjr0119]

One Temptation

Part 8

*This series is based on The Royal Romance characters who belong to Pixelberry - AU Plot switch*

Riley Brooks moves back to New York after leaving five years prior- struggling to get by in life she wanted to go home. After getting mugged, a woman and man come to her rescue and offer her a job at their strip club. A rich business man Liam Rhys is forced to visit the club as part of his bachelor party. What will happen that night?

Tags-if you want to be removed let me know 😊: @pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @drxkewalker @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @kozabaji @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jovialyouthmusic @nz1091 @yukinagato2012 @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @cordonianroyalty @dcbbw @qammh-blog @jared2612 @princess-geek @desiree---1986 @indiacater

Finally started this series back up- sorry for the hiatus! To refresh your memories click the link for Part 7. This part is set a few days after the last part ended- showing POV’s from the main characters; Drake, Riley, Liam and Leo. Part 9 will lead on straight from the ending of part 7.

Warnings: Swearing, mention of rape, affair?

*****

Drake walked through the ranch, hoping that Riley had just gone for a stroll- waking up without her this morning made him think back to all that happened in New York as well as their few days in Texas. The thought that had constantly kept crossing her mind was if she was having second thoughts about their relationship. On the road trip down to Texas, she showed a genuine smile- excitement to have a break from New York City and all the drama that had occurred. As the days went by she suddenly became distant with him, every time he asked her what the matter was- she would just respond with the one word answer ‘nothing’.

Returning to the ranch, the coffee aroma flooded the kitchen- he saw his mom and aunt look at him with the same expression- disappointment.

“What?” He questioned the two of them, feeling unwelcome for the first time since he had returned.

“You can do better than her Drake. She left this morning.” Not really comprehending what his mother had just said, he wondered what had happened whilst he hadn’t been around. On occasions he would check the animals, do chores around the ranch, get food in from the shop- leaving Riley to bond with his family. Possibly her future family, in his mind.

“Left? What do you mean?”

“She’s gone back to New York. You obviously don’t mean a lot to her. Or she would have said goodbye.” Leona just shook her head, excusing herself from the situation- knowing that her nephew was about to blow his top.

“Why didn’t you fucking stop her? I’m going.”

“Drake! Stay here. You don’t need her. There’s other women, or should I say another woman.”

“I do need her, and she needs me. I love her. Goodbye mom.”

******

Riley returned to New York, not knowing what her plan was- all she knew was that she needed a new job, that she needed to avoid her friends for a while. The Walkers unknowingly to Drake made her feel unwelcome at every given opportunity.

Are you using my son for his money? Sluts like you will never be loyal partners.

My nephew can do so much better than a stripper. You was probably just lust for him, nothing more.

Thinking about the word slut as Bianca labelled her, made her think about the day after the rape. Did she deserve all that had happened to her?

The day after waking up in Liam’s penthouse, Riley kept watching the video- grimacing every time. The tears wouldn’t stop forming. Assuming Liam didn’t use protection, she knew she had to pay a visit to the hospital or the local clinic but also to the police station. At first she didn’t want to go and report the crime, it was still trying to sink in what had happened- hence why she put herself through the torture of rewatching it.

Walking to the clinic, she wished she had the guts to tell her friends and Drake what had happened. Feeling ashamed, she believed that they would judge her. Not listen to her. Possibly blame her. Would they ask personal questions? Would they ask why she couldn’t stop him, prevent it from happening? Drake. What would he think? Their ‘relationship’ was complicated to say the least. Deep down, Riley was utterly in love with him but wouldn’t admit that anyone- only her drunk drugged mind spoke the truth to her abuser.

Giving her name to the reception, she turned around to sit down- her jaw was agape seeing the ghost from her past gulp at her as they locked eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m going for a swim, what the fuck do you think I’m doing in a clinic you bimbo?”

“You’ve not changed one bit have you Riley? Still the sarcastic, stubborn little bitch. Did you enjoy your night the other night BELLE?”

“Go away Madeleine, I assume you’re here because you can’t keep your legs closed for more than a second.”

“I’m not a slut, who has a ‘sleepover’ at my house then mentions the word rape infront of my daughter.”

“He raped me Madeleine. I didn’t realise that Alice was there when that word slipped out....I just want to thank you, for everything that you did to me. See you around.” Leaving the clinic, she headed to the police station- hoping that they would believe her.

“I’d like to report an incident. My ex boyfriend raped me and he and my boss drugged me.” The police officer led her into the room, after the interview in the back of her mind she believed that it would be a waste of time. Due to the fact that she wasn’t a reliable witness because of the affect due to the drugs and alcohol- she held on to the hope of the video. Hoping that it would be enough evidence.

“We will arrest Mr Rhys and bring him in for questioning. You was very brave reporting this type of incident, many people are too afraid to do this.”

“Could you wait? His company has a charity event- could you wait until after that? Or do it during that?” The police officer looked at her confused not knowing the reasoning behind the unusual request.

“This could delay court proceedings, you do understand that Miss Brooks?”

“If you arrest him now, he may suspect it. If you do it unexpectedly- he won’t have time to come up with excuses.”

“Very well, but if this backfires it will be your fault. If you change your mind let us know. We will arrest your boss now though.”

If it wasn’t Liam trying to split them up, or Madeline- there was now Drakes family. Whenever Drake walked back into the room, the two women would act differently- as if they were happy that Riley was there.

Walking the streets of New York, she entered every bar asking if there were any vacancies. With no luck, she felt like giving in and just moving out of New York completely.

*****

Over the last few days Leo had become like a sloth, not having the motivation to do anything. Feeling guilty that he had allowed his brother to hurt his friend yet again.

“Why did you do it?” Leo held Liam against the wall, out of the way of prying eyes. At this moment in time, he wanted to kill his brother or at least inflict a slight bit on pain on to him. No pain would be as much as the pain he had put Riley through the years.

“I love her Leo. I fucked up losing her.” Attempting to remove his brother’s hand from his neck, Liam failed as Leo’s grip became tighter every second that went by.

“You don’t fucking rape someone you love!”

“You don’t shag someone who’s your friend. Don’t lie to me, you have feelings towards her too.” Leo released his tight grip knowing what he was referring to. His fling with Riley in Florida.

“It was just sex! If I did have feelings for her, don’t you think that I’d have brought her back. Made us an official couple. Hell, if I was lucky enough to call her my girlfriend I wouldn’t have let her go.”

“So you do like her more than a friend. Why am I surrounded by betrayers? Who’s next? Maxwell? Riley is mine. No one else’s.”

“Yes I do love her. Possibly more than a friend. Happy now? But she doesn’t love me back that way. She loves Drake. Let her be happy- she isn’t yours!”

“And this is why you’re defending her. Acting like the knight in shining armour- hoping that she would fall for you. What would you do? Dump Olivia? I’m glad I raped her, money buys you everything. I’ll get her back.”

“You bastard!”

Beating his brother to a pulp that day of the charity event, Leo felt guilty not informing Riley about the truth. Knowing she would berate him for stooping so low.

“Leo... who’s blood is that on your hands?” Fuck. Leo looked at Riley as Drake held her protectively on the bed. Gulping, he knew he probably shouldn’t have reacted the way he did. Realising that they all need to just ignore Liam’s existence instead.

“It’s my blood. I was so annoyed with Liam- that I punched the wall. Please don’t ever talk to him again. You have all of us. He will pay for what he’s done. I hope you two are very happy together- you deserve it Ri.” Riley looked at him, jumping out of bed- she hugged Leo. Cupping his cheeks, her eyes searched his hoping for some truth and answers.

“You’d tell me if you’d hurt him? Right?” Leo gulped as he nodded, knowing that she possibly had some inkling as to how he had received his injuries.

“He won’t hurt you again. Stay with Drake, he’s a good guy.

*****

Liam had decided to work from home ever since the disastrous charity ball. Losing trust from his clients, this time at home made him think long and hard about his actions. I didn’t want to rape her. I love her.

“You love who daddy?” Not realising that he said those words out loud, he couldn’t lie to his daughter. Even at such a young age, the girls mind was as bright as a button.

“Daddy loves Belle.”

“Is she going to be my new mommy? She was angry with you the other day. I don’t think she loves you.” Kneeling down, he held his daughters hand as he spoke the next words.

“Belle used to love daddy. Before you was born, daddy and Belle lived together.” Thinking back to the times that they shared, they was happy- like love struck teenagers. If it wasn’t for Alice’s existence, he would go back in time if he could. Save his relationship.

“You need to say sorry daddy. That’s what Miss Parkins says at school. She said if you upset someone, you say sorry. See you later.” Taking in Alice’s words, he knew she was right. But he would never admit to anyone that he was in the wrong. That he had gone too far. There was a knock at the door, Liam ran his fingers through his hair as he stood up to answer.

“Come in Gordon, thank you for coming.” The lawyer sat down, sighing at Liam.

“So you’re on bail. I need you to be truthful. Did you rape Riley? And did you harm Leo before you was arrested?”

“And this is why you’re defending her. Acting like the knight in shining armour- hoping that she would fall for you. What would you do? Dump Olivia? I’m glad I raped her, money buys you everything. I’ll get her back.”

“You bastard!” Liam didn't know how Leo threw the first punch, all he remembered was feeling that pain suddenly slamming into his jaw. It happened so quick. Blood pooled in and around his mouth as Leo backed off. They was only apart for a brief moment - possibly to catch their breaths before lurching back towards each other, both sets of baby blues narrowed - both determined to not surrender. Leo has dodged a few fists that Liam threw towards him- until he aimed for his ribs. Falling to the floor, Liam hovered over his brother- pining him to the floor with no escape route.

"Is that all you’ve got big bro? Or can we call it a draw? End it now?” Leo was about to raise his knees to knock Liam off him, as he was feeling like he was being suffocated.

“Liam Rhys I am arresting you on suspicion of rape. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence".

Everyone at the event, gasped. The echo filled the room, as did a crowd around the puddles of the brothers blood on the floor. Bastien shook his head, not knowing what to do. Not knowing if the press had managed to catch wind of what was happening.

“Leo! Why would you call them? I’m innocent!” Liam shouted as the police dragged him away.

“I didn’t! Maybe the woman you hurt did that! Rot in hell Liam!” Leo held his ribs, the relief that Liam was about to get some comeuppance was over riding the pain that was lingering.

“Would it sound bad if I admitted to both? You know I love Riley, you have been our families lawyer all my life. I went the wrong way about it all. When she returned, I called off my engagement to Madeleine- all of my feelings for Riley resurfaced. I lost her Gordon.”

“We will work this out Liam. But you need to admit to Riley what you did and apologise. She may drop the charges if you’re truthful with her. Possibly try and rebuild the relationship with your brother. I’ll see you in court. Remember, the truth.”

*****

Drake arrived back in New York, hoping that Riley was going to be in his apartment that he shared with Max - hoping that she was going to jump out from somewhere and shout ‘surprise’. Possibly jump into his arms. Walking through the door, Maxwell just shook his head, sorrow in his eyes. Pulling Drake in for a hug, they both decided to look for her.

*****

It was late at night, Riley was exhausted walking the streets. She believed that her luck was in when she stumbled across a dive bar which was advertising for bar staff. Walking in the stern looking man at the bar, asked her if she wanted a drink.

“I’m here about the job. I’ve worked in a str- bar.” The man looked up and down her body, then focused his eyes on the blonde stood behind her. The top she was wearing flaunted her assets, and the man immediately offered her the job over Riley. Ordering a drink, she gulped it in one. Leaving the bar, she felt defeated- the heavens had opened up and she was now drenched. Continuing to walk down the street, her phone rang constantly. Maxwell. Her heart wanted to answer to answer it immediately, but her stubborn mind refused to acknowledge the importance of the call. Ignoring it, as she pressed reject the phone slipped out of her hand and smashed on the concrete. For fuck sake. Sitting in a puddle, the tears from her eyes were uncontrollably flowing matching the weather- not giving a damn that her clothes were now soaked to the rafters, she believed that karma was hitting her right in the face - not expecting any good luck to appear anytime soon.

“Hey, don’t cry. What’s up?” Looking up at the woman, Riley softly smiled as the woman helped her stand. Wiping her tears and her clothes, she felt like an idiot.

“Thank you.”

“Are you okay?”

“I just need a bed, a job. Is that too much to ask? I’ll do anything. I’m desperate.”

“Well I have vacancies. I own this club.” Looking towards the club entrance, Riley sighed. Great another strip club.

“Can you dance?” I can, it doesn’t mean that I want to though.

“I used to work at Wildcats. I didn’t dance though.”

“The offer is there if you want it. I also have a spare room in my apartment. Look after yourself honey.” Riley stared at the building, not knowing how long for until a decision was made. “Wait!” The woman turned around, smiling at her.

“I’m a fast learner. I’m labelled a slut anyway. I only have $200 to my name.” Laughing at Riley, Gill hated it when people described dancers as sluts- it was a common nickname. But not in her club, the local punters knew that if they took advantage that Gill would possibly place their bodies in a body bag.

“My names Gill. What’s your name?”

“Riley.”

“Come on Riley, come inside before you catch pneumonia.”

*****

Drake pressed the button in the elevator, taking him up to the highest floor. Walking towards the desk, the receptionist looked Drake up and down- wondering who he was and what his intentions were.

“I’m here to see Mr Rhys. Before you ask, no- I haven’t got an appointment.”

“Name?”

“Just tell him his worse nightmare is paying him a visit..” panic was written across the woman’s face, leaning closer towards her desk- her hand hovered over the security button. “Just tell him, it’s Drake.”

Hello Mr Rhys, you have a visitor. His name is Drake.

Hanging up, she explained that Liam would be with them momentarily. Sitting down on the leather chair, Drake was unsure how Liam would react to seeing him- would he throw him out? Would he play mind games?

“Drake. It’s nice to see you.” Not. “Follow me into my office.” Drake followed his instructions, as the two men walked into the room. Liam poured them both a drink, however Drake politely rejected. Not knowing if Liam could have potentially added poison to it as revenge.

“What can I do for you? I never thought I’d see the day that you’d pay me a visit voluntarily.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to be here. I despise you. Have you seen or heard from Riley?”

“No. Why would I hear from her? She wanted to send me to prison for raping her.” Hearing that word, Drake grit his teeth- knowing that Liam was still in denial with his past actions.

“Well you did do that. Listen, you probably know her better than any of us. We need your help. She ran away, she left me in Texas.” Liam laughed in Drakes face, just picturing Riley riding off into the sunset wearing a cowboy hat.

“What did you do?” He asked Drake, assuming he was the reasoning behind her disappearance- from past experience he should know how her mind ticked. She did the same when he hurt her.

“I did nothing, my mom and aunt Leona spoke to her. Then she went cold towards me, and was gone. Do you know anywhere that she could have gone?” Liam now knew the reasoning behind her departure- he was the reason why. Instead of acting like a dick, he felt empathy towards everyone who was looking for her- guilt for his past actions.

“Bianca, this is Liam Rhys- a friend of Drakes.” Bianca recognised the name immediately- clearing her throat, she provided a fake posh accent.

“Hello, Sir. How may I help?”

“Has Drake arrived in Texas yet? His flatmate was just wondering but he’s broken his phone.”

“No not yet. I assume he should be here shortly. I’ll get him to ring you once he arrives.”

“Okay, thank you Mrs Walker. I hope the prostitute he is in a relationship with doesn’t ruin your families reputation. Have a good day.”

“I don’t know where she is Drake. I’m sorry I can’t help you. I’m sorry for everything.” Fuck what have I done? What if she’s gone for good? What if she’s in danger? I’ll have blood on my hands. I knew I shouldn’t have interfered, twisting the truth to Bianca.

“Cut with the shit Liam. You are not sorry for anything that you’ve done. Don’t worry, we will find her, and when we do I hope she has some answers. Liam, stay away from us all.”

“Drake... I’ll get a private detective to search for her. I’ll come to your apartment tomorrow with any updates.” Drake just wanted to punch him for his past actions, however if this was the only way they could find her he would be civil for now.

“Can I trust you?”

“Yes. I swear on Alice’s life. We all love Riley. If she’s in trouble, she will need you. I now understand that I’ve lost her and that she loves you. I’m sorry Drake.” Placing his hand out towards Drake, he wasn’t sure if Liam was being sincere. Not being able to trust him just yet, he just turned around and left the building.

*****

The day after, Drake and Maxwell began pacing the room- both frustrated that they hadn’t found Riley. Both frustrated that her phone kept going immediately to voicemail every time they attempted to ring her.

“Will you both just sit down. You’re both going to injure yourselves somehow.” Leo said, watching the two of them. There was a knock at the door- the three of them all ran towards the door, hoping that it was Riley. Drake knew if it wasn’t Riley it would be Liam, as he promised. Opening the door, he pushed Leo away- not knowing how he would react, not wanting another fight to break out. He understood Leo’s anger, but at this moment in time they all needed to hold the anger back.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Leo questioned Drake and Maxwell as Liam walked through the door.

“I come in peace.” Liam said sarcastically, holding his hands up in the air.

“Get the fuck out of here before I kill you!”

“Leo, leave him. Have you got any news Liam?” Leo looked at Drake confused, wondering if he had forgotten what Liam had done to the woman that Drake loved.

“She’s working at another strip club. Downtown. The Phoenix.” Liam sighed at he waited for the men to respond. Drake grabbed his coat, whilst searching the clubs details on google.

“I swear to god if you’re lying Liam, you won’t need to worry about Leo killing you....”

“I’m not Drake. The limo is outside. Bastien will take us all.”

*****

There was silence in the limo on route to the club, Maxwell tried to break the silence with stupid jokes until he realised that no one was interested. Walking into the club, they was greeted by Gill who assisted them to a booth- followed by a tray of shots.

“If you need anything else gentlemen, the girls will be walking around - just ask them for anything that you may require. You’re just in time for the main event. Enjoy.” The lights dimmed, and music began to play. Men, who they assumed were regular punters gathered around the stage- all retrieving their wallets out of their pockets. As the woman strut down the stage, she gripped onto the cold steel pole, climbing up on the pole- she immediately spun around gracefully. Sliding down and eventually coming off the pole, she walked closer to the older men- removing her dress, she stood in front of them wearing just her lacy underwear- her breasts in full view, as well as her high heels. Teasing them, she provided sexual movements as they threw money towards her.

“Erm, Drake?” Leo narrowed his eyes realising who it was. They all looked towards the stage- Seeing their friend degrade herself. Noticing one man try to unclip her bra, Drake stood up abruptly. Pushing through the crowd, he stood on stage and carried her over his shoulder. Liam noticed Gill run over, distracting the woman with money as bribery- he explained why Drake did what he did, causing a riot between the punters. Gill refused to take his money and suggested to take Riley out into the back room.

Drake put her down, surrounded by men ‘booing’- potentially about to cause a fist fight with him for ruining the entertainment. Before that could happen Liam grabbed Riley’s hand and dragged her into the back room, with the others following. Folding her arms, they all surrounded her scowling at her- covering her body up, she was unsure as to why she was doing this. All of them have seen me like this before, three of them have slept with me. Fuck I am a slut. Why do they look so pissed? Two of them have broken my heart, the other two are just my friends.

“What?” She snapped at them all, after coming out of her thoughts- leaving the lingering questions roam through her mind.

“Care to explain what’s going off?” Leo asked in a stern tone of voice, knowing that Drake was in a state of shock once his adrenaline rush had deteriorated.

“Well I’m a slut. So may as well act like one.” Shaking his head, Drake wondered why she was talking about herself in such a manner- looking at the other men he could read that they was probably wondering the same.

“Why did you leave me in Texas?”

“It was too hard to say goodbye, your family hate me. They said I was using you for your money; they called me a slut, they said I was a stripper- which at the time I wasn’t, I’m not good enough for you. So I made their words become a reality.” Empathising the word slut, until the morning that she left Texas she was sure that they had a future together.

“Riley, you have three men stood in front of you who love you. Quit, and make at least one of us happy.” They all faced Liam as he said this, only Leo and Liam knew who the third man was. Leo. Hoping that she assumed the third man was Maxwell, Leo needed to change the subject- change his sheepish expression that was brewing into something that wouldn’t expose his secret.

“I think, Riley and Drake need to talk alone. Don’t you think Liam and Max?” Riley’s eyes pleaded with Leo for them not to leave- she would rather have four men berate her than be alone with the man who she abandoned without saying a word to prior to leaving.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” She whimpered, as she made a move towards the door Drake put his hand on to her bare skin.

“Oh no. You are not running away from me again. I need answers. I love you, why is that so hard for you to understand?”

“I was just going to get dressed Drake. I love you too.”

“Then come back with me. Please.”

“I can’t Drake. Your mom and aunt.. they... they told me to leave you and to never see you again. Somebody rung them and told them that you was dating a prostitute. They offered me $10k to leave that morning I left but I didn’t accept it.” Ten grand? They haven’t even got that type of money. Drake knew exactly who had that type of money, someone who wanted Riley all to himself. Was all of his ‘sincere’ words that he mentioned fake? Did Liam actually pay his family off as he threatened to do all those months ago. “They said that I wasn’t good enough for you, and that you would eventually forget me, forget about New York and return to Texas. Before I left they introduced me to someone. I’m a slut, I’m Madeleine. You’re Liam. Go back to Texas Drake, go back to your fiancée.”

[greengargouille]

After a good night of sleep, a reread and access to a readmore, here are some thoughts on the mol update:

-I’m glad the fight didn’t stay too long on the angel and demons, while it’s interesting to see what kind of forms demons can have, it’s just too late in the story to get invested on a whole bunch of new creatures or the danger they pose.

-Zorian almost being petty on Xvim admiring the angels’ barrier, some things never change :’)

-I like that for a moment, Zorian isn’t sure he will be able to use his ‘secret plan’. We know he will, of course; this is not the kind of story where the protagonist ultimately fail. Also Domagoj mentioned on his patreon/wordpress he considered doing a sequel centered on Zorian and Zach, which kinda imply those two survive. But it would feel too... convenient if everything went smoothly. Of course there are going to be moments were he is not sure at all his plan will work.

-Oganj being able to pass through the divine barrier is what really sold me on how impressively dangerous of a threat he is. It’s one thing to be a menace able to make a whole continent shake, but angels felt like a cut above that.

- “After a few seconds, he noticed that everyone except Zach was staring at him strangely.” I thought this would be the set-up for another ‘Zorian forgot what an average mind mage can do’, instead it turns into a moment of reminiscence on how the people we all came to know and love died in the loop. Which is excellent heartcrushing. Well played.

-Zorian’s actions being described as only being ‘a drop in the bucket’ felt a bit... surprising? I expected him to be more of an influence. It makes sense, of course, but after being used to stories where the protagonist become overpowered, it feel unexpected. Not in a bad way through.

-Can I just say that I love that we still have small moments of Zorian thinking his original self would be horrified and that he’s numb of all those atrocities he let happen to spare his mana? Too often stories brush off the mental impact those kind of fights can have on someone. I hope the epilogue will touch on this a bit more.

-An army of pigeons (and cats) to the rescue. Oh man that was hilarious. As always it makes sense because their existence was talked about multiple times, but still. How can you not laugh at the idea of cultists going their way in an intense moment to be stopped by pigeons. It also makes for a small contribution from Raynie and Haslush, which is great. Secondary characters having a role in the finale is great.

-If it weren’t for them surely being made with souls, potion monsters feels like something Zorian would invest in researching once the situation have settled. It feels like something not mana-intensive, and with a bit of mind magic to control them it would be devastating.

-Silverlake trying to get a rise out of Zorian by asking about his sexuality shows she is quite good at finding the touchy points of people, but it does makes me wonder if something happened within the loop for her to think this could potentially work. But also, she formulate the whole choice as merely a personal, selfish one (trying to save one person he is invested in instead of all the potential ones he could have helped with sabotaging the invasion from the inside), which is... quite Silverlake-y. She can’t fathom someone choosing something outside of their own interests.

[Unrelated to the update, but I did wonder some times how common would sapphic relationships be in a witch coven, what’s with them putting men aside. Surely a witch who decided to get a male partner solely for procreation, then abandoning him to go and raise her daughter with another witch must have happened at some point? If Silverlake was aware of such things happening then it would be more likely she would come up with such a question to bait Zorian] -Holy heck, Silverlake and Red Robe being full of primordial essence. It feels so obvious, but it did procure a rush of “how the heck are they going to stop them all from releasing the primordial now”. Same when Silverlake’s regeneration abilities were shown. What a fearsome adversary.

-At last, the grey hunter! It had to come up at some point, and what better prey than the one that trained it against traps. But old Silverlake appearing? It was something I would not be sure would happen. Oh, what a joyful moment, having her own selfishness and paranoia come to bite her back :’D

-The soulseizer chrysanthemum was something I saw some people predict, and it made all too much sense for it to be used. Good luck to Quatach-Ichl to find another live one to train himself to resist against it.

-Speaking of Quatach-Ichl. He might not have the crown anymore, but he have connexions, lot of power, and he is used to long-term thinking. Now that they’re back on linear time, Zorian and Zach are going to have a very troublesome enemy to think about.

-Oganj the powerful dragon mage getting both the imperial crown and orb, while we have no idea if he survives the angel going after him. He is totally not going to be a problem later on the road. (Well, best case scenario, our favorite lich will try to get his crown back and they end up fighting each other. Worst case scenario, however, is an unlikely alliance between the two. How, man, I’m glad the story is ending because I would not have been able to wait on how that would come back).

-Aaand here is the town wide web area of sigils coming up. Most people had guessed it would be used against Zach, some people did thought it would be used on Jornak, but not on both at the same time.

---

-Gosh, the Zach’s pov chapter. It’s all I wanted from such a chapter at least a canon chapter. It... did feel a little off-putting at first because I felt like... overall voice?... of it would have a different... I dunno, something more... Zach? Not that I had any expectations on how it should have gone- I wasn’t even sure we would get his point of view in the first place.

-Him slowly giving up on ever getting out before Zorian came up in the equation, gosh that’s the kind of content I craved. I wouldn’t mind a whole chapter of this. And ah, him finding Zorian a bit scary is pretty great *stare in the distance at this fic idea that refuse to write itself*

-I hadn’t thought on how, if Zach hadn’t been through that many loops, the two would definitely had more conflicts on the way to do things. An interesting thing to think about.

-Zach isn’t just a dumb brute and I do like that this end up being Red Robe’s fatal mistake. It’s easy to fall back into this error while writing, so I appreciate that Domagoj did play on it; it’s hard writing a character being impulsive and failing to think through on a lot of things, without them coming up as completely stupid, and still making it look consistent as a whole.

-Zach is ‘just a little bit jealous’ of Zorian beating Quatach-Ichl, while Zorian himself wanted earlier to be petty and defensive of his own abilities compared to a angel barrier. Those guys, I swear.

-The diagnosis spell Zach used necessitate contact. Interesting, when a lot of divination magic shown in the story haven’t required it, or even any chant for that matter. Is it for dramatic purpose, or is it specific to divination related to healing? Or is it just ‘the closer the subject of the divination is the better the result, so of course physical contact is going to give the best answer’?

-”And Zach... felt happy. He felt disgust with himself for it, but he really did. [...] He was free, and all it cost him was the life of his best friend.” This. This is the kind of angst I live for. What a perfect conclusion to this chapter.

--- -I half-expected a Zach’s pov chapter, but a Jornak one? Now that’s unexpected, but it answers questions I did not know how to formulate- I always wanted more details on how they ended up becoming more friendly, or how Jornak did manage to get into the loop. (I... actually still want more details even after reading the chapter, but I feel like it’s one of those case where the author would rather leave it at that and let the readers make their own suppositions).

-This chapter also is good for characterisation purpose- Jornak truly believes in what he’s doing, but also show a fair amount of how his life was pretty bad and how he feels the whole world is unfair towards him- which doesn’t make him likeable, but interesting as a character.

-The grey hunter have its belly full of primordial energy after slurping Silverlake, which totally won’t be a problem later on. At least this one the cultists will have a tough time finding it for sacrifice purpose. (Though I do wonder, if the primordial essence itself is linked to the contract? It was only the souls of Silverlake and Jornak, wasn’t it? It would be way too convenient if the primordial essence disappeared after the month is over)

-Zorian making him relieve the supposed after fight over and over till he gets all his secrets. What an horrifying moment. I love it.

--

-I’m pretty sure I read the theory somewhere the soulseizer chrysanthemum would be used for bypassing mind-blank? It’s been a while since I read discussions on previous chapters. I like the explanation on the whole mind-soul-body link. It’s pretty much like cutting your computer from internet to avoid piracy, but forgetting to put an higher password on said computer when you leave your desk unattended.

-It’s reassuring to know the manifold resonance spell can only be used a few times on the same person. One thought I had on post-story problem is, would Zorian’s ability to bypass mind blank forever put a gap in his relationship with Zach, as the latter is probably still very touchy about anything to do with his memories even after his contract ended? What about anyone who learns of it? Having it being limited on uses solves (at least partially) that problem.

-Kiri’s doll is mentioned, which I totally forgot but would be sad if it did not reappear! And ah, of course, the famous trick of replacing the mini-golem with another while pretending it was just a repair. Since Kirielle is probably going to study magic (if she doesn’t go the witch path instead), I wonder if she will end up specialising in golem-making.

-If the grey hunter goes into the Dungeon and makes it its territory, is there a risk the monsters there get chased to the upper layers? Would the araneas be enough against them? Would they get into the city? What an hilariously horrible conclusion. “Oh yeah we saved the city of the invasion, but with all the monsters coming up it’s impossible to repair it, we have no choice but to abandon it”. Unlikely even if creatures did appear, as it’s just the biggest mana hole of the continent, but it’s fun to think about.

-Not only did Zorian maintained two illusionary worlds, he did so while having an hivemind, and after a long and hard fight in which he also had to redirect an enormous amount of mana into an angel summoning cube. That, plus connecting with various people all over whenever Zach tried to verify their minds. No wonder he is tired.

-It’s probably not a good idea to stay in town, and I’m not sure where that secluded and secure space is, but I bet that’s not where Zorian will wake up next chapter. Not sure in which condition are Ismaya’s house or the Noveda’s estate, but it’s probably safer out of town... Cirin, maybe. Have Zorian wake up in his bedroom and have a small heart attack thinking the loop started again.

-...I hope out of the Damien-Xvim-Alanic trio, one of them at least take the time to wait for Zach’s wake up, or leave something for him to explain the situation. Through all the contingencies Jornak prepared are way more important, so it could be possible to overlook that. Can you imagine how Zach will feel suddenly waking up in a strange room, with your best friend your mourned being unconscious but alive, and a weird pile of goo on the side. Is this an illusion. Was your previous memory an illusion. How can you be sure.

-...What’s with the orb being out of Koth now, and the Taramatula estate having gained portals to move between continents, will Daimen visits his family more now? That’s great news! ...I guess. For Fortov at least, who is sorely needing some training. If he’s still alive. Who knows. Maybe the epilogue will tell us.

[skyfallensoldier]

Mobile Navigation || Rules & Mun ↓

DISCLAIMER: I just want to note here at the beginning that while I am considering this RP blog to be historically based, i.e. remaining true to the time period and overall details of John Laurens' biographical information and whatnot, I do not consider myself a historically accurate blog, not entirely. Historical fiction is a well known genre of literature and many, MANY creative liberties are taken within that genre. Think of this blog like you would if you saw an Anastasia Romanov blog. She's dead, we know she didn't survive, and she's been dead a long-ass time; so has Laurens. People still have included her in many works of fiction, even after her body was identified and it was proven she did not survive her family's massacre. I saw a romance book a couple of months ago where she survived that was recently published. Historical fiction, while a controversial thing at times, is a legitimate form of literature.

You don't have to tell me if you think John isn't acting exactly like the real man himself would have, I know that. I'm not going to call John my 'perfect sunshine boy cinnamon roll' or dismiss the privilege he was raised on due to his father, I'm aware he was a real person who had his own personality, virtues and prejudices. I won't deny that while he was certainly a progressive thinking man for the time he grew up in he definitely still had racist thoughts and actions that were indicative of his upbringing. But I'm not on here to debate modern, real life politics, or get into arguments about whether he was a good abolitionist or not. At the end of the day, this is still a hobby for me, and I'm writing for fun.

Basically, don't take it too seriously. I'm a 21st century bisexual woman writing from the POV of an 18th century (likely gay) male soldier, the way I write him is obviously not going to be a perfect representation of who he was. I know he wasn't an amazing, perfect person, but I've still chosen to write a fictionalized version of him for my own entertainment. Please try to respect that; thank you.

Mun Stuff

Name: Luna Gender: Female (She/Her or They/Them) D.o.B: July 23rd, 1996 Age: 24 Nationality: Canadian Sexuality: Bisexual Timezone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) Activity: Daily BIOGRAPHY (SORT OF)

Hello, there! You can call me Luna! I've been interested in writing ever since I first got the internet when I was 14 and discovered FanFiction.Net and now I'm an aspiring author and Roleplay enthusiast. If you include acting/talking out DnD like games with friends then I've been 'roleplaying' since the fifth grade, but I like to think there's always room for improvement. If you ever want to chat I'd love to make a new friend or plot out a roleplay, so don't be afraid to shoot me an ask or send me a private message. Just because my muse can be a jackass doesn't mean I am! I’m a huge advocate for mental health, and if you ever need someone to talk to, please don’t ever hesitate to reach out! Some of my hobbies including literature and writing (of course), digging into mythology from various cultures, practicing solitary eclectic paganism/new age spirituality, drinking tea, and collecting crystals/minerals.

Please note that for the sake of disclosure, I am considered ‘Neurodivergent’, in that I suffer from ADHD, diagnosed at about age six, and have Anxiety and Depression which are directly tied to it. This doesn’t often effect my life on here, but I sometimes have an unpredictable sleep schedule (stay up all night, sleep in late into the morning, etc). I’m usually quick to reply to threads for the most part! I work every Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm to 7pm in addition to odd jobs here and there, during which time I won’t have access to the Internet. The rest of the week I’m on and off all day basically, so you can feel free to contact me any time.

RP Style

⭐️ Please use basic spelling/grammar/punctuation when you RP with me. I'm not a drill sergeant about these kinds of things, I know that typos happen, and if you have a vision problem or such we can absolutely find a way to work around that, I also have no problem roleplaying with people whose first language is not English, so that's totally fine and I’m happy to accomodate in whatever way I can, but it does make it a little difficult to play with you if I don't know what you're trying to say. For this reason I prefer if you not use any text shorthand (lol, idk, brb, jk, etc) unless our muses are messaging each other. Using it in the tags is fine.

⭐️ I roleplay Laurens in a past-tense 3rd Person Point of View (think story-telling format), and generally I don't use icons or text formatting unless I notice my partner does, then I will try to match their style (for example if you use icons and small-text, I will try to do the same, though because formatting isn't possible on mobile, any mobile replies might take longer to be posted than if I were on my laptop). If you have any issues with how I'm writing or need me to adjust my style for any reason don't be afraid to ask.

Contact

⭐️ If you spam me with messages over and over again about something I haven't replied to, chances are I'll drop the thread. I don't mind being reminded because I know Tumblr's notifications are notoriously unreliable sometimes, and humans can forget/lose things, but if you keep poking at me after I've acknowledged you the first and second time, I won't be pleased. Things can get busy on here, or in real life, or sometimes you're just lacking muse for that particular thread, y'know? It doesn't mean I hate you and don't want to RP, I'm almost always up for plotting, but muse tends to fluctuate.

⭐️ My ‘Discord’ is available to mutuals upon request. I don't mind roleplaying on there if Tumblr is being glitchy or you're just not feeling up to formatted/heavily plotted threads, sometimes Discord is fun in that you can do immediate replies without needing the effort of putting icons and formatting into it. I also have a Kik but I never use it. I don't RP in Tumblr's IMs, that's purely for OOC interaction.

⭐️ I also occasionally stream movies/TV shows in group chats or play “in character” Cards Against Humanity game nights, Among Us, etc. If you’re interested, lemme know, I’m always looking for more people to hang out with!

Important

I have no actual triggers that I'm aware of, although snakes do creep me out (mostly shots of them coiled up or images of their pupils), but there are some things I will not roleplay personally for comfort reasons:

⭐️ Cannibalism. You can mention it, for example I won't freak out if someone tells my muse that somebody else ate a person (he might, assuming its not a Supernatural type verse), but I won't RP him engaging in cannibalism, not even in AUs (blood-drinking vampires are fine). I'm just not sure I could stomach writing about eating people. I managed to watch Hannibal, barely, but writing about it? Nah. I can handle lots of horror, gore and disturbing content but not this. Sorry.

⭐ Incest/Pedophilia. I do not SEXUALLY ship with characters under the age of 18. John is not attracted to children, and would never consider sleeping with someone much younger than him.

⭐ I will not write anything sexual with muns who are under 18 years old, even if your muse is an adult. I'll still ROLEPLAY with you if you are under 18 but probably no younger than 16 just because things tend to get explicit on my blogs and I don't want to be accused of corrupting the youth with my foul language and weird opinions, lol. Seriously though, this blog covers a lot of dark subjects and while I’m all for minors exploring that safely through writing rather than in real life, some people aren’t comfortable with interacting with under age people for legal or personal reasons, please respect that.

⭐ Necrophilia. Just... no. Vampire threads don't count, as they're undead and not 'dead dead'.

⭐ Rape. I won't write it with you. I'm okay with mentions of rape, with rape/sexual assault survivor/recovery plots, and even with one character intervening to rescue another from an attempted sexual assault (if an attempted assault does occur, it will be thoroughly tagged and under a cut). I'm fully open to discussing rape recovery/trauma plots as those are things that happen in real life, and it can be interesting to explore how a character reacts to trauma. But anything else is a no-go, sorry!

⭐ Please be aware that I write Laurens as a gay man. However! Because of the time period, violent homophobia and social stigma, he has slept with women before and may be seen flirting with or referencing relationships with women in the past. He is still gay, and still uninterested in being with women long term, he's simply closeted to all but a few individuals. So, unless your muse is Martha Manning (who Laurens DOES love in a manner, and he always will), shipping with female characters on here most likely isn't going to happen unless it's heavily plotted/developed and part of an overall plot, and you understand that it will not be a conventional sexual relationship. I'm sorry if that disappoints you but I've read Laurens as a gay male for so long I have trouble seeing him any other way.

⭐ I will not roleplay slavery plots. This is not up for debate. Roleplaying a highly fictionalized version of a long dead real person who existed during a troubling time is one thing, but I draw the line at that. For this reason, while I'll happily play with non-white muses, muses using non white faceclaims, and crossovers with characters of all sorts, I'll have to decline playing with any muse claiming to actually be writing slavery. There’s a difference between, say, roleplaying a character like Daenerys, a fictional character who was technically a slave-bride sold by her brother, and writing actual slavery from a very real, horrible time period. Slave ownership will of course be mentioned on this blog, that's unavoidable, but just like the mention of rape may happen on this blog from time to time, it will be in reference to a past event or speaking about the subject in general, not roleplaying a scene of it. Please respect this rule, I was hesitant to make this blog at first, because I know it makes some people uncomfortable, but I won't glorify such a horrible real thing that happened to so many people.

Exclusives/Mains

Just a head's up, unless I develop a bunch of chemistry with a particular portrayal of a muse I'm not likely to agree to being exclusives with anyone, unless perhaps it's a very niche or divergent character that has formed a good relationship of some sort with John and I'd have trouble interacting with other versions of that muse. For major characters I just feel it would be unfair to say no to someone who I click with in every other way, solely because I have already befriended someone else writing that character.

I will, however, discuss becoming mains with someone whom I've either developed or plotted out detailed storylines/interactions with regarding our specific portrayals of our characters. This means that I tend to reply to them quickly when I'm online, or may make little gifts (moodboards, aesthetic things, mini ficlets, whatever) for them unprompted, have a verse dedicated just to them, etc. Even if it seems like we haven't done much on Tumblr, there may be a lot of off-site development on Discord or whatnot that led to us plotting out intricate stories for our muses.

Current Mains:

Alexander Hamilton - @quillborn​

DO

⭐️ Send private messages.

⭐️ Send my character asks/starters/memes.

⭐️ Tag me in things.

⭐️ Ask to plot or ship.

⭐️ Ask for angst, fluff, etc.

⭐️ Submit things to me & my muse.

⭐️ Do crack and other ridiculous things with me!

⭐️ Like my RP threads.

⭐️ Like my personal posts.

⭐️ Comment on my personal/OOC posts (if you want to).

⭐️ Comment on my crack threads.

⭐️ Instant Message (IM) me if you'd like to talk, whether we're friends already or not!

DON'T

⭐️ Send hateful messages to me about other people and especially my mutuals; doesn't count if it's about the muse and not the person playing them, however. Also, if I’ve got beef with someone for whatever reason, don’t harass them/send hate to them on my behalf, please. I don’t condone anonymous abuse, attacking others, or harassment. I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself, I promise.

⭐️ Introduce yourself with ‘wanna ship?’ For one, I prefer if we’ve at least started a roleplay together, or have spoken OOC. Auto shipping doesn’t always work out and I hate promising people something only to realize there’s zero chemistry, because then I feel like I’m letting them down.

⭐️ Come into my inbox with just ‘wanna rp?’ and that’s it. Please at least have some idea of what you want to roleplay, it’s not very fun when someone approaches you to RP but then doesn’t offer up any suggestions at all. Remember, you are always free to send me memes, whether we’re mutuals or not, and hit me up for whatever plot you think might interest me! I want to hear about it!

⭐️ Spam me with "reminder" messages if I've already acknowledged you the first few times.

⭐️ Reblog my RP threads if you're not a participant in them.

⭐️ Send me anonymous OOC hate. Hate for Laurens is fine, it's just another form of roleplay.

⭐️ Kill off my character or severely injure/maim my character without permission or having plotted something involving that with me first.

⭐️ Follow me if you're a porn blog. I don't mind blogs that post NSFW content, or smut a lot, etc. I mean blogs that aren't for RP and are literally just a normal looking blog until you click on it and the header and first twenty posts are hardcore nudity and porn. I hate those things.

⭐️ Shame my ships.

⭐️ Complain about my tagging. I put my smut under a 'read more' without exception and tag them as "NSFW //" with two dashes. Things that are not necessarily graphic but still have sexual undertones go under "Suggestive //". I use these tags to avoid attracting attention from porn blogs and porn bots that track certain key words, as such I do not tag my content with "Smut" or trigger words such as "dick, oral, anal, nudity, etc", please block my NSFW and Suggestive tags if you're uncomfortable. Triggery subjects (mentions of rape, animal abuse, torture, mental illness) will be tagged under the name of said trigger with a space and two dashes, example: "Self Harm //", “Suicidal Ideation //” or "PTSD //".

⭐️ Godmod my character. If you’re not sure what is/isn’t okay, come talk to me! I don’t bite! If you’re looking for an example of god mod behavior, here: “X lunged at Laurens, taking him by surprise, and hit him square in the nose, causing blood to spurt.” It might not seem like a big deal but it means that you decided how your character’s actions affected my muse, and not only that, didn’t give him a chance to dodge or anything. Not cool.

⭐️ Ship with me without permission (sending in shippy asks is A-Ok if you're interested in exploring a ship between our muses, I'm talking about things like claiming that our muses are in a relationship without discussing it with me, referencing dates or sexual acts that never happened, etc. I ship mainly with chemistry otherwise things get boring fast.

⭐️ Assume/act like our characters know each other/are closely connected (friends/family/lovers) if we've never discussed it unless it is established in canon/history. This especially goes for original characters. I'm open to Laurens forming deep relationships with OCs obviously, but those have to be developed in character, not just assumed from the first interaction.

⭐️ Attempt to roleplay with me if you are not a roleplay blog/or if you're just trying to RP as "yourself." I don't do Character X Reader imagines stuff. I don't RP with 'fan' accounts, only RP blogs. You can still send asks so long as you're not trying to initiate an RP scenario. For example, asking Laurens what his hobbies are, asking for a blessing etc? That's fine. Spamming me with different actions "you" are talking to Laurens is weird. Stop that. I will also not RP with blogs that claim to roleplay as real life people, such as Markiplier, that's super creepy. This does NOT apply to "historical fiction" roleplay (obviously since that's what this blog is), which is considered its own genre of literature. I'm talking about the above where people will 'roleplay' as real life, currently alive people like YouTube celebrities and ship them with their friends, even if they've made it clear that they're uncomfortable with it. 

⭐️ Get angry at me for doing something you don't like if you don't even have a rules page for me to go by. It's not fair; you can't expect your partners to just read your mind and magically know how you feel. If something bothers you let me know, I’ll make a note about it so I avoid it during our interactions!

⭐️ Use me as a meme resource blog without ever interacting with me. I don't require "reblog karma" for you to follow me, partners are more than welcome to reblog from me, but if we never interact and I just occasionally see you reblog fifteen posts from my meme tag and then disappear again I'm not gonna be happy. Go to the source or to an archived blog no longer getting notifications, please!

⭐️ Reblog my Meta/Headcanons. If they're from a different blog it's fine but the ones I've personally written are for MY portrayal of Laurens. I work hard on most of my stuff and I'd prefer if you didn't reblog it, not because you aren't allowed to have the same headcanon ideas as me, but because then it ends up getting liked or reblogged by lots of other people, spamming my notifications, etc.

OCs & Multimuses

I love OCs and multi-muse blogs (I have my own multimuse sideblog over at @historyremembers, which has other 18th century characters including the Hamilton children and some OCs), so feel free to interact! That being said, please have an about page of some sort on your blog. I can't follow back blogs that have absolutely no information available regarding their character(s). I don't RP with OC children of Laurens. This is nothing personal, but I'm fairly certain he was gay in real life and prefer to play him that way, and he only had one child - who he never even got to meet - in real life, so it just wouldn't make sense to me for him to have other kids running around unless he'd adopted some. If you're a multimuse, I may not follow you back if I'm only familiar with two of your muses if you have a blog of fifteen characters, simply because I'd prefer to keep my dash clean and only have characters/fandoms I'm familiar with on it. I'll still RP with you if you have a character I'm interested in! I just might not follow back if the majority of your characters I do not know, I apologize for this.

If you’ve made it to the end of this, congrats! I know it couldn’t be easy (my ADHD brain was frustrated trying to just write all this up) but it’s necessary so there’s not misunderstandings on what I am/am not willing to RP. I won’t ask for a password since I trust most people to have the courtesy to at least skim the rules of those they want to RP with. 

Have a nice day!

[anamelessdragon]

“This is gonna hurt but you have to be quiet, okay?” Val and Loki? :D

The Edge of Memory, 3.1k - dabbling around in a Valkyrie-pov EMWT missing scene scenario, one of the many times they didn’t make it out of the Grandmaster’s time-loop spell - warnings for injury, implied dubcon, and time-loop temporary suicide

There was something off about the Grandmaster’s new friend.

He’d popped up one day out of nowhere, which wasn’t in itself very special; everyone on Sakaar came out of nowhere at some point in time. But somehow he’d avoided the scrappers and butchers of the trash heaps - and what was more, snuck all the way in through the palace right into an audience with the Grandmaster, seeking his companionship. 

The stories all tended to branch out a bit at that point. Some said that no exchange of words had taken place, that the Grandmaster had just suddenly become magically enamored, like he’d found his soulmate. Others gleefully described the begging that took place on the part of the stranger, vulgar sex acts and all. 

Whatever it had been, it had been enough. The Grandmaster had been pleased with the newcomer’s offering, and had taken him under his wing in a way he had not done anyone in decades.

Scrapper 142 had only seen the stranger once so far, after hearing the stories. He was tall, aristocratic, all sinewy limbs. Skin like porcelain, hair long enough that she’d be able to get a good handle on it. He resisted and melted in turns under the Grandmaster’s attentions.

Not bad; not amazing, but she certainly would consider him for a quick fuck or three. What the Grandmaster saw in him that was so appealing, though, she couldn’t quite guess.

But then he’d looked at her, and something had tingled in the back of her head - a pulse, a pull, drawing its way all the way down through her chest and between her legs with such startling intensity that she’d become furious enough that she’d instantly turned tail to go find some drinks and blot out her thoughts for the next few hours.

She saw him again not two days later. The smart thing to do would have been to just avoid the Grandmaster’s palace altogether, but Hulk was there, about the only friend she had on this sorry-ass planet, and she might have been trying to drink and forget herself until she died but she couldn’t quite bring herself to leave him. He wouldn’t have understood.

And besides, the strongest alcohol on all of Sakaar was sold there.

The Grandmaster was having a get-together in the establishment she usually frequented, speaking with a group of people who were laughing uproarously at something he’d just said. The bar was full of waiting customers, clustered together five patrons deep around the entirety of the counter. There was a break in the line, a bit off to the side, where someone could potentially squirm their way in without having to wait behind dozens of orders.

The only problem was, said gap was right around the Grandmaster’s new favored. He was sat at the bar, shoulders relaxed, head dipped downwards. He nursed a drink, but did not look or speak to anyone.

Scrapper 142 frowned. She observed the people standing closest to the man, the twitchiness to their postures as they attempted to keep their distance.

For a moment she considered just turning tail and finding a drink somewhere else, then grew angry enough at that thought that she rolled her eyes at herself and pushed forward to the counter.

She put the credits on the bar with a generous tip, and the bartender was quick to venture over and take her order before the dozens of other people clamoring for his attention. Then, without thinking, she asked, “And another of whatever he’s having.”

She felt a sudden rise in tension in the body beside her. She pretended not to notice, glancing sideways and letting her eyes skim cooly over the Grandmaster’s favored - the tight leather pants, and the low-cut and nearly sheer top that hugged close to every line of muscle. A golden circlet rested about the base of his throat, clamped snug against the flesh of his neck. He hadn’t been wearing it the last time she’d seen him.

When she met his eyes there was a wary tinge to them. Of course, being the Grandmaster’s favored, he would have had to watch his back in all manner of situations. She wondered if that had anything to do with the reason no one else was sitting close to him.

He was pretty enough, though, and he didn’t have the look of a wilting flower. Her interest was piqued, the itch inside her growing stronger.

She offered him a small flirt of a smile. “Have you got a name?”

For a moment he went absolutely still. Then his eyes slid shut and he shook his head, turning away from her. A muscle jumped in his cheek. “It does not matter, because I am not available.”

She felt a sting, and then grew annoyed with herself. Thankfully, their drinks arrived, and she downed the first in several deep swallows before slowing her pace for the second one. “Hate to break it to you,” she said, “but the Gandmaster isn’t particularly one for exclusivity. Has he told you about his orgies yet?”

The favored went pale, long fingers clenching against the glass in his hand. “I have attended three.”

She was surprised at his answer. He must have been a sturdy partner if he was able to put up with both the Grandmaster and his parties and still come out looking like he did. She’d seen some of the Grandmaster’s favorites get wrung dry over the years - not many could keep up with the Elder’s stamina.

“So? Much easier to deal with one person than twelve. And I promise I have at least double the skill and experience of most of those horny bastards.”

He smiled, but his eyes were full of bitterness. He downed the drink she’d given him before he turned to her, hissing through his teeth. “I’d rather get fucked by a Fire Giant.” He set the glass down hard and stood, somewhat unsteadily. She wondered how much he’d had before she’d shown up. “Thank you for the drink.”

She watched him wander back towards the Grandmaster, and thoughtlessly take another glass handed to him before easily sliding down beside the man so they were sitting hip to hip. He mouthed at the Grandmaster’s neck while the conversation continued around them, until he drew enough attention that he was pressed down onto his back on the couch and straddled.

She finished off her second drink and ordered the rest to go.

———-

Less than 48 hours later, she saved his life.

She was fairly certain that was what happened, anyway. She’d found the floor that he stayed on when he wasn’t in the Grandmaster’s company, and did walk throughs a few times a day on the off chance that she would see him.

She had no idea why. But his eyes were haunting her dreams, driving her to frustrating restlessness. The drink only kept her away for so long.

Don’t try to give yourself more reasons to like him, she told herself. You know what happens to the more popular of those that the Grandmaster fancies. They all wear out eventually.

She passed a room with guards stationed outside, and heard a commotion. Panicked and angry shouts echoed from behind the door.

“What’s going on in there?” she asked.

“The Grandmaster’s favored is being prepped for their next interaction.”

A muted howl reached her ears. She widened her stance, her heart suddenly ticking up a beat. “Really? Then why does he sound like he’s being attacked?”

They didn’t answer, descending into awkward silence. She rolled her eyes and punched out the both of them before entering the code to enter the door.

Topaz was inside, along with half a dozen of her best guards. One of them had a distinctly body-sized object slung over his shoulder, covered with a layer of smooth black material. It was writhing with frantic intensity.

Topaz immediately stared at Scrapper 142 in distaste, and several of the guards leveled their weapons a moment later.

She stayed where she was, confident she could avoid their shots if need be. “What’s happening here?”

Topaz’s expression spasmed. “The Grandmaster is in the mood for a session of roleplay.”

“Roleplay,” she repeated. “So you’re orchestrating a kidnapping scenario. Good to know.” She stepped forward, adopting a casual air. “If you want to make it even more realistic, a scrapper from the trash heaps would be a better villain than the Grandmaster’s own guards.”

“It’s none of your business,” Topaz sneered.

“You’re right,” Scrapper 142 answered. “Just as it’s none of my business that you’ve caught him using the material that some of the butcher scrappers use that completely suffocates most species within minutes.” She raised her eyebrows, trying to present a cool front even though she felt rocked by the urge for violence brimming inside of her. “Look, I’ll tell the Grandmaster that you did most of the work. And I’ll leave out any mention of you trying to spoil his fun.”

Topaz fumed, but she gestured to a guard who flung the wrapped body to the ground. The struggles were already beginning to weaken, the noises inside the sealed material growing faint. Scrapper 142 withdrew a knife and carefully slit it open at his chest, enough to peel off the bits pressing snug to his face. Topaz and her guards filtered out as the Grandmaster’s favored gasped as he was again exposed to air.

“Steady,” she said as he coughed.

He flinched at her voice and then blinked rapidly as he recovered. “Oh,” he panted, sounding bitterly resigned. “Of course it’s you.”

Had she been that obvious? “So you’ll thank me for a drink but not for rescuing you from being suffocated to death.”

He shrugged, looking bored. “It’s not the worst way people have tried to kill me.” He turned his gaze away from her. “Only…please do not tell the Grandmaster.”

She frowned. “She might try again.”

“Undoubtedly,” he said, still sounding completely unbothered. “I have not been exactly kind to her this…these last few days.”

She wondered at the slip in wording, and set her knife to more of the material binding him, cutting him the rest of the way loose. He rose to his feet with a grimace, rubbing at his throat where the circlet sat. She noted a shake to his hands, before he pulled them down and turned away.

He moved to a bar at the side of the room, and poured a generous drink. “I suspect you’ll be wanting a display of gratitude,” he said, bringing her the glass. “We’ll have to make it quick. The Grandmaster will expect me soon.”

She felt a thrill low in her belly at the same time she backed up a step. She clenched her fist. “What makes you think I have any interest now?”

He paused, his eyes narrowing as anger seeped into the line of his jaw. “Then leave,” he ordered, shoving the glass into her hand. “I do not have time to endure your meddling.”

Loud footsteps sounded and then the guards she’d knocked out minutes ago rushed in, their blasters raised and directed at her. “Prince Loki-”

There was a whipping noise, and suddenly both of the guards were making gurgling noises, their weapons dropped in favor of raising their hands to the knives stuck in their necks. Scrapper 142 watched them fall and go still. The Grandmaster’s favored was standing with his hand still outstretched, his gaze unblinkingly directed at the fallen guards and the blood pooling around them.

Then the violence filtered from his eyes, and he slumped his shoulders. “Damn.”

She kept watch, still not sure what to make of him. “So you’re a prince?”

He whirled on her, a new knife in his hand. “Get. Out!”

She grabbed his wrist and twisted, kicking his leg out and punching the side of his face. Instead of fighting back he let the blows bring him to the ground.

“Every time,” he growled, chest heaving as he hung from her grip. “You see me, and you won’t leave me alone. You ruin everything.”

“I’ve only met you twice,” she pointed out, but something was pushing at the back of her thoughts.

He began to laugh. She let him go.

“Fuck me or don’t,” he said, staring at the knife still clutched in his hand, eyes brimming with tears. “Just take what you want and go.”

She didn’t like the way he was staring at the blade, but she couldn’t come up with an excuse to stay with him.

She shouldn’t have cared. She couldn’t care.

“Lo-honey, are you in here? I…I thought we had an appointment?”

The Grandmaster.

The prince, Loki, went rigid. Where before he had interacted with the Grandmaster with seductive drunken ease, now he looked absolutely terrified.

The Grandmaster stepped into the room, frowning as he noticed the dead guards. “Hey, hey, who’s being wasteful of the resources?”

“It’s a gift,” Loki blurted, rising to his feet. “She was…assisting me with the arrangement of a surprise for you. I am sorry it took so long. We were trying to make it as authentic as possible.”

Scrapper 142 picked up on his meaning. “He asked me to present him to you as a war prize,” she said, still feeling a bit like she was on the wrong foot. But she knew better than to upset the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster considered their words for a moment, before his face brightened. “That’s, hmmmm - you’re right, what a wonderful idea. Just yummy.” He approached Loki, drawing him in for a deep kiss. “My stardust, you know just how to treat me. I’m sorry I ruined all your hard work. Maybe - another day. Stretch that brain of yours, and I’m sure you can come up with something just as good for tonight.”

“Of course, Grandmaster.”

Scrapper 142 was the recipient of a cheery wave as the Grandmaster directed his favored out of the room. “I’ll send someone to clean this up.”

Prince Loki didn’t even give her a second glance. She didn’t know why it made her chest ache.

———-

She saw him a few times in the next week, but she didn’t interact. The first time he was surrounded by the Grandmaster and his friends, his smile large and easy as he conversed in the midst of a crowd. Then she found him drinking, though this time when he saw her watching him he made a quick retreat.

That was when the whispers started among the people in the palace. The tension around him began to rise. He’d been picking off some of the Grandmaster’s followers, growing more violent and impatient by the day.

Then one morning, Topaz was found dead.

The Grandmaster was livid, and beside himself. The melt stick was used in dozens of questionings, until entire floors of the palace were pervaded with the scents of burnt flesh and viscera. Scrapper 142 watched her back, but she was never given a summons, and never considered a suspect in the woman’s death.

She went to Prince Loki’s quarters, to see how he was doing in the midst of all this violence. She found him sitting next to a vanity and staring into the mirror above it, his expression dull. He twitched when she entered, but didn’t look her way.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, voice flat. “They’ll be coming for me soon.”

“You’re the one who killed the Grandmaster’s second,” she realized.

“She wanted revenge on you,” he said, voice now entirely too light. “She was getting closer to acting on it. So, I carved out her heart.”

“She’s wanted revenge on me for years,” Scrapper 142 said. “It was nothing new.”

He still wasn’t looking at her. “I couldn’t risk her success.”

“Why not?” She moved closer, trying to draw his gaze. “You’re not telling me something.”

He dipped his head, rubbing absently at the jewelry around his neck. “It doesn’t matter. Everything will start again soon.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Whatever he might have said in reply was lost as the walls around them blasted inward with an ear-shattering boom. She fell forward onto her chest. Rubble pounded at her back and she heard blaster fire, and then a body was crouched over her.

“Get up,” Loki hissed, tugging at her wrist. “The collar prevents me from accessing my magic. You need to run.”

She pulled free and slammed her fists together, activating her remote control for the Warsong. She shook him off and sent him behind to the ground behind her, raising her fists. “I don’t need to do anything.”

The fire from her ship ripped through the Grandmaster’s palace walls - and this was insane, reckless, what the hell was wrong with her? Their attackers fell one by one, and she was about to grab Loki and pull him towards the ship when the floor beneath them groaned and then fell away.

They collapsed into another room - empty, but she could hear the footsteps of gathering guards.

“No,” Loki gasped, and when she turned to him she felt a stab of blinding fear when she noticed the rebar spearing through his side, the blood soaking into his flimsy top. “Run. Leave. The ship-”

“We can get out of this,” she said.

He laughed and grimaced, eyes watery. “I told you. You always…ruin…”

“Shut up,” she hissed, then tried to school her voice into something gentler. “This is going to hurt. Try to keep quiet - we don’t want to draw attention.“ 

He seized and let out a strained noise as she lifted him and hefted an arm over her shoulder. She checked the hallway outside of the room before running with him to the elevator. She let him go as she requested the ground floor, and when she turned back to him he was yanking the bar violently from his side with a scream.

“What are you doing?!”

“I said it does not matter,” he said through his teeth. He leaned against the glass and slid to the floor, his pale hand fluttering over the wound. “Just finish it. They are only after me. If you kill me, you can collect the reward for my death. Enough credits…for months of supplies.”

“You’re completely mad,” she said, at a loss for other words.

He laughed again. “I am just…trying to keep things different. I’ll endeavor to not draw your attention next time.”

She was moments away from slapping him to see if that righted his thoughts. “Next time?”

The elevator abruptly jerked to a stop, the power cutting off completely. “Shit,” she said, rushing to the control panel to try to override it. She felt a tug at her side and reacted an instant too late.

Loki had grabbed one of her knives. His eyes had gone dull again, his expression weary. “I envy you, that you will not remember,” he breathed. “I always do.”

He plunged the blade into his own heart.

[godyouredull]

Oh, I’m In Trouble | All You Have To Do Is Fall In Love AU

Author: Sarah - @godyouredull​ Pairing: Ben Hardy / OFC Rating: T Word Count: 6.2k POV: Sarah Warnings: series warnings, aggressive frat guys Summary: Sarah makes a risky decision at a frat party and is overwhelmingly pleased with the outcome.

Masterlist found here! Series Summary: Best friends and college roommates Ben, Joe, and Gwil, find themselves tangled up with a group of girls who bring out the best (and worst) in them. Series Warnings: drinking, swearing Authors’ Note: Stories can stand alone, but it’s much better when read all together! Not everything is always in the same tense, or same point of view/perspective.

How do I always get talked into going to these things? Within 15 minutes of arriving to a frat house, whose name I never remember for more than 5 seconds, I immediately regret it. Truly the best part of going out like this is getting ready with the girls so we can come up with a game plan while blaring the same obnoxious pop music. But, inevitably, every time I step out the door I immediately contemplate walking back inside. Oh well, no use wasting a cute as fuck outfit I suppose. And hey there’s free alcohol, right? Right.

“Hey!” Ella snaps me out of my thoughts, “You’re not gonna leave early tonight, are you? I hate when you do that.”

“No,” I sigh dejectedly, “I’ll stay long enough to get drunk but seriously Ella, as soon as you have a target in sight, you tell me, okay?”

“I know, I know. I won’t abandon you without warning.” She says as she links her arm in mine. “NOW, let’s get drinks.”

We walk arm in arm out to the back deck, where the ever flowing amount of alcohol seems to always be, accompanied by the obnoxious shouts and whoops of the household residents. It’s the usual scene: beer pong table, keg, random lawn chairs and a good amount of handles on the dirtiest table you’ll see in your life.

“Alright well, what’ll it be? Lukewarm beer or liquor without a mixer?’ I ask in the most enthusiastic voice I can muster.

“Complain all you want. You’re not paying for it, are you?” She’s got a point. I’m still trying to decide if it’s worth it though. “Stop complaining and tap the keg.”

“I love it when you get demanding.”

“You have no idea.” She says half laughing.

“Alright, pipe down. There’s options out here.” She begins to scout the talent while I look around for the tap. How has this keg not been tapped yet?

“Whoa. They’re kind of cute.” She points to a team of guys playing beer pong. They are cute. The one with darker hair is definitely the more outgoing of the two, getting way too excited when he makes the next shot with ease. His partner though, has blonde hair and seems to just be along for the ride, maybe even sober.

“They’re alright.” I say, trying to play it off. At the same moment, the blonde looks around the yard, clearly getting bored with the beer pong game. When his eyes land on me, though, he doesn’t look away but… neither do I.

“He’s staring at you.” I hear Ella whisper. Of course, I’m aware of this as I’m blatantly staring right back. Damn, he’s good looking. “Go talk to him.”

“No, no. He’s a frat dude, Ella. You know that’s not my thing.” I finally tear my eyes away from cute blonde boy to focus on the task at hand: keg tapping. As I line the notches of the tap with the hole of the keg, a voice stops me.

“Need some help with that?” Some part of me hopes it’s cute blonde boy, but when I look up, that hope disappears. It’s not cute blonde boy, just another generic frat guy.

“Uh, no thank you. I can handle it.” Now go away.

“You sure? No offense but these things have a tendency to explode whenever a girl tries to tap it.” Jesus. Where the hell is Ella?

I scoff and contemplate punching him. Instead, I screw the tap into place and push down, sliding it into place. Grabbing a solo cup, I pour myself a pint and stare at this douchebag straight in the eye until the cup is completely full.

“Nope, I think I got it.”

“Wow, impressive.”

“Okay, I’m walking away now.” I manage to take about two steps before I feel his grip around my elbow.

“Whoa, whoa. Hang on a second.” He spins me around so I’m facing him again. Maybe I am going to punch someone tonight. This is truly the last time I come to a frat party.

“I have to go find my friend actually. She was right next to me a second ago.” My eyes scan the room, searching desperately for Ella who I may or may not need to come rescue me from this asshole.

“What’s your name?” He asks, ignoring my previous statement.

“Could you not grip my arm when you’re talking to me?” I try to twist my arm out of his grip but he’s unfortunately much stronger than I am.

“Someone ought to teach you some manners, sweetheart.” His lips are inches from my ear and I immediately push him off.

“You’re one to talk you fucking assho— “

“HEY,” Another voice chimes in, “Pretty sure she doesn’t want to talk to you, mate.” Holy shit. It’s cute blonde boy. He’s stepped in between me and the jackass, arm held out in front of me as if to create some kind of protective barrier. A couple bystanders have begun to notice the situation and watch to see if these guys start throwing fists.

“Alright, whatever, she’s all yours.” The jackass walks away with his hands up in surrender. Thank God. If there had really been a fight I’m not sure what I would’ve done.

Once he’s gone, cute blonde boy turns around to face me.

“Hey, hear that? How kind of him to hand me over like that. We were really hitting it off too.” I say sarcastically. He laughs.

“You okay?” Whoa. He’s got a deep, British accent.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Thank you for that. I wish I could say that’s the first or last time that’s bound to happen.”

“It’s not something you should have to get used to.” He sounds genuine. Interesting. “I’m not sure why I keep coming to these parties. All these guys are the worst.”

“You’re not one of them?” The plot thickens. He looks slightly offended at the question.

“Do I come off as one?”

“Well, it’s hard to say.” I can’t help it; I smile. “We just met.” He smiles back.

“Right, yeah. That’s fair.” He looks down and brings his fingers up to his bottom lip and pinches it between his thumb and pointer finger. Damn he’s cute.

“And you do have that classic frat look, you know? Kinda hot, kinda douchey.” He looks up again. Shit.

“So you think I’m hot?” Damn.

“And douchey, lest we forget that part.” I say as I accusingly point at him. He doesn’t respond, just laughs. His eyes are so green. I’m staring again. Okay, take a sip of your beer, Sarah.

“Eugh. That’s a little too lukewarm for my taste.” I say as I set the cup down on a nearby table. Which is partially true but mostly I’m just trying to keep the conversation going.

“Well, we could always go somewhere else.” He suggests.

“Uh, well I think this is pretty much the extent of the drink choices.” I say, gesturing to the disgusting table with various handles. Maybe I will just switch to liquor if I’m gonna spend any more time with cute blonde boy.

“Oh, no I mean we could get out of here. Leave the party.” He says casually.

“Whoa whoa, easy. I don’t even know your name.” He’s already asking me back to his place?

“NO n—I didn’t mean... like we can find a bar or take a walk or something.” He stutters through the suggestion, his cheeks turning a bit pink. I stay silent and smile at his slight embarrassment. “I’m Ben, by the way.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ben. And I actually would love to leave this place.” Where the HELL is Ella? “Have you seen my friend though? She was standing with me earlier.”

“Earlier? Like when you were shamelessly staring at me playing beer pong?” His tongue sticks out of his mouth ever so slightly as he smiles and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. My jaw drops.

“Excuse me! I’m pretty sure it was you staring at me.”

“Sure, sure.” He mumbles.

“Plus you were barely even playing. Your friend seemed to be carrying most of the weight there.” I accuse him.

“Yeah, well I get bored at these things easily, hence my wanting to go somewhere else.”

“These parties do get old quick, I’ll give you that.” I pause, looking at him intently while wondering if I’m really gonna leave with a man I just met. He did just save me from a frat douchebag and for some reason I find myself trusting him.

“So, are you really up for ditching it?”

“I really am. Let me just find my friend first and let her know.”

We both do a quick scan of the room before finding her engrossed in a game of pong. She’s in her element. A couple of guys are watching her as she downs a beer like it’s no problem.

“Ella!” I walk towards her, Ben following behind me.

“Sarah! Be my partner! We could destroy these assholes.”

“You’re not wrong but I actually came to check on you. I think I’m gonna head out.”

“What?! You’re leaving?”

“Well,” I look behind me to make sure Ben isn’t too close. “Remember that blonde guy who was staring at me earlier? I’m leaving with him.” Her eyes widen. She steals a glance at him, standing a good length away talking to another one of his friends.

“Well, damn girl.” She looks at him again.

“Ella, stop! Don’t be obvious.”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself.” She’s still looking in their direction. “Who’s his friend? I think he’s in my philosophy class.” I follow her gaze to see Ben talking somewhat intensely to another tall, dark haired guy who looks way too sophisticated to be at a frat house.

“I don’t know. He’s cute though.” I admit. She continues to stare at the friend, eyebrows slightly raised.

“I’ll say.”

“Alright, down girl.” We laugh. “Are you good? Will you be okay without me?”

“Yeah! Go be with surfer boy.” She clears her throat. “He’s coming. Be cool.” We both adjust our stance so we’re standing up a little straighter.

“You ready?” Ben is suddenly right behind me, hand on the small of my back.

“Yeah let’s go.” I turn back to Ella. “Hey! Call me if you need me.” She nods and makes obscene gestures as I walk out with Ben.

“Her name’s Ella?” He asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“My mate was just asking me about her. Thinks she’s cute or something.” I laugh knowingly. Looks like Ella’s in for a good time tonight too.

“Wait, before we leave…” I stop him from walking any further.

“What?”

“Wait here. I’m gonna steal a handle.”

“You’re gonna—what?” His accent is so strong. Even the way he says ‘what’ is hot.

“Wait here!” I exclaim as I walk back onto the back deck. Tonight wasn’t the night to wear a velvet crop top. Looks like I’m gonna improvise. Doing another quick scan of the options, I spot a larger handle of Fireball on a small table in the corner. That’ll work, but how will I hide it? Can’t hide it. Alright, Plan B then.

Grabbing the handle as quickly as possible, I tuck it under my arm and speed walk to where I left Ben.. Grabbing his hand with my free one, I urge him.

“C’mon let’s go!”

“Wait wha—I—okay.” He stutters but follows my motions as we briskly walk out of the house as fast as we can without looking too suspicious. Luckily, it’s a mess inside the house so if anyone notices, they don’t stop us. We make it out the front door and he’s laughing in a confused manner, our hands still linked.

“Mission accomplished.” I say, holding up the Fireball as we walk down the street.

“Fireball? You smuggled Fireball.”

“The classics never go out of style, Benjamin.” I defend my liquor of the choice.

“It’s just Ben.”

“It’s not.”

“What do you mean it’s not?” His voice raises an octave but he chuckles.

“If we’re going to be friends you’re gonna have to get used to me calling you by your full name. It’s my thing.”

“You’re really gonna call me that?” He says in mild disbelief.

“Only in certain situations.” Now I’m laughing. This whole situation is weird. I’m walking down a random street, holding hands with a guy I just met, with a handle of Fireball tucked under my arm.

“You know I still don’t know your name” He points out.

“Uh... They call me Trixie on the weekends.” I joke, not sure if I should really give him my real name.

“Wait wh— “

“Yeah it’s a tough line of work but the money’s good.” I say as deadpan as I possibly can. He stops walking.

“Are you joking?” His eyes squint a bit as he asks. I take this opportunity to drop his hand and open the Fireball, taking a swig as I start laughing.

“Yes,” He shakes his head, “But you almost believed me, didn’t you? I like that. I’m Sarah.”

“I think I’m still gonna call you Trixie.” He’s still shaking his head but he starts walking again. “Pass that over.”

“I think I’m more of a Trixie, honestly.” I say as I hand him the bottle. I want to hold his hand again but that’s weird, right? Probably not a good idea. If I’m being honest what I really want to do is jump him right here in the street but that’s definitely weird. Don’t wanna come off too strong.

“I’m gonna hold your hand again, okay?” He declares, catching me completely off guard.

“Works for me.” I exhale as he links our fingers again. Thank God it’s so dark outside because I am absolutely positive I’m blushing.

“So, Trixie,” He drags out the name. I’m already regretting that bit. “Where to now?”

“Well I think we’re set on drinks,” I say motioning to the full handle, “So, let’s just keep walking? See what we find.”

“Works for me.” He almost whispers. How is one person’s voice so deep?

“Much better than a frat party, right?”

“Well, I don’t know. One good thing came from that party.” He smirks.

We’ve been walking down this random street for a while now and I’m extremely glad I decided to take an Uber to that damn party instead of drive. I’m also glad I wore converse instead of the uncomfortable flats Michaela suggested. It’s been about an hour and Ben’s managed to cover a fairly wide range of topics. He’s not in a fraternity, though one of his roommates, Joe, is, hence his attendance at tonight’s party and quite a few others. He’s studying acting and drama in school and he moved to the U.S. because he thought it would give him a better chance at being successful in the business, but he misses home a lot and travels back as much as he can. Despite being incredibly attractive, he doesn’t seem to use it to his advantage which means my first impression was wrong. He hasn’t let go of my hand nor has he made any attempt to take things much further. Refreshing and I guess kind of infuriating because the more he talks, the further I do want to take it. Damn the brits and their tendencies to be perfect gentlemen.

“Are you hungry at all?” He asks.

“I could eat, yeah.” Oh right, forgot to mention that I haven’t eaten since before the party and I’ve now drank a significant amount of Fireball. I’m playing it off though. I think.

“I only ask because you’re stumbling a little.” Okay, maybe not.

“Right, well this sidewalk isn’t paved very well.”

“I’ve heard Fireball can do that. Put cracks and bumps into pavement and whatnot.” He says sarcastically.

“Benjamin. Was that a joke? You’re making jokes at my expense now.” I accuse as I put my hand on my chest like a 19th century Southern woman. He shrugs.

“I’m just trying to keep up with you. Which is becoming easier because you’re, you know, stumbling.”

This is good, us bantering like this. Everything feels light and a bit less real so there’s no pressure. I find myself hoping we continue this for the rest of tonight. Maybe even tomorrow morning. Damn he’s already got me breaking my rules? Not good. Or maybe good? Ugh.

“Well if you would drink your share of the Fireball, we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Sarah, it’s Fireball.”

“Oh god, sorry there were no mojitos for me to swipe.” His drink of choice, as I had learned. “I’ll make a mental note for next time.”

“Next time? You plan on stealing alcohol from a frat party again?”

“I think you could talk me into almost anything, Benjamin.” He blushes at this and stutters a little bit, like he’s thinking about what exactly he wants to talk me into. Good.

“Except I didn’t talk you into this! You did that all on your own.”

“Uh huh. Good luck finding someone to believe that. From what I’ve seen, you’re quite the troublemaker.”

“You’re ridiculous.” He shakes his head while smiling. Have I mentioned how much I wanna jump him? Damn I’m tipsy.

“You mentioned food. You have something in mind? Because I don’t even know where we are.” I admit. We’re definitely still in the same neighborhood as the frat house because all we’ve passed are houses but I’m hoping, since he apparently frequents that frat house, he has an idea of what else is around us.

“I know a place. Come on, drunky.” He pulls my hand in the other direction and I briefly lose my balance, using his shoulder to steady myself. We’re inches away from each other, his green eyes directly in front of my face. “Sidewalk trip you up again? Someone should really repave this.” Before I can even respond, he turns away and starts walking again.

I exhale shakily and follow him, weak in the knees for a brand new reason.

“A taco truck?”

It was another fifteen minute walk to get to our destination: a food truck that Ben apparently frequents after he’s been out all night. It’s parked in the middle of a nearby town center that I know I’ve been to before but never found a reason to go back.

“It’s really good, I promise.”

As we walk up to the counter, he lets go of my hand and puts it on the small of my back, leading me to look at the menu. To be honest, I’m not really that hungry but I know I should eat because I don’t want to stop drinking but I also don’t want to keep making a fool of myself.

“I’ll just have whatever you’re having.” I say looking at the menu. He’s looking at me though, rubbing my back with his thumb. I can’t honestly be expected to be focused on food when he’s touching me like this. The fucker.

“You trust me then?” He asks innocently.

“Well you did save me earlier tonight so that means you’ve earned my trust.”

“I won’t let you down.” He winks. I go to grab the Fireball that’s in his other hand but he holds it away from me, just out of reach. “Oh, no. You’re eating first.” We’re standing face to face now.

“Stop teasing me then.” I whisper.

“Can’t handle it?” He whispers back. That’s it. I lift my face, about to kiss him.

“What can I get you guys?” The truck owner comes out of nowhere. We both jump back from each other. Dammit.

“Uhm.” Good. He’s flustered too. “Four chicken tacos and two waters, please.”

“Both of those waters are for him. He’s been drinking all night. Needs to sober up.” I say to the truck owner. Ben looks at me accusingly.

“I have not been--”

“C’mon Ben you’ve been gripping that Fireball for hours. You’re not fooling anyone.”

The truck owner laughs, glancing down at the half empty handle in Ben’s hand. I can see how bad he wants to deny it but he doesn’t. Just stares at me in disbelief as I remain completely stagnant. Keep teasing, baby. Two can play.

“Four chicken tacos, coming up.” The man says, still smiling as he walks back to the kitchen.

“Cheap move. You’re not getting away with that.” Ben says once he’s gone.

“I certainly hope not.” I say, stepping a bit closer to him, looking up at him through my lashes. I link my finger through his belt loop and pull him closer to me. “Do something about it.”

“Christ.” He curses, looking away. “We’re in public.”

“Aw. Can’t handle it?”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he scoffs and bites his lip. He lifts his hand and cups my face, stroking his thumb against my cheek. His eyes flit to my lips and I swear he’s about to kiss me but again, he doesn’t.

“I can handle it.” He whispers. I swallow, trying to control my breathing.

My heart is slamming against my chest and I have to clench my thighs together. His effect on me is unbelievable but I know he feels it too. We’re inches away but I can’t bring myself to react. I just stare into his bright green eyes, quickly down to his lips and then back up to his eyes. His thumb is still rubbing my cheek and I contemplate bringing it to my mouth.

“Here you are. Four chicken tacos and two waters.” I blink repeatedly and step away from Ben, shaking my head trying to clear my impure thoughts.

“Thanks, mate. Sarah, will you grab them?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry.” I stutter. Ben smirks, knowing my inability to focus is because of what just happened. He pays the truck owner, telling him to keep the change.

“C’mon, let’s go.” I expect him to hold his hand out for me to take, but his are full and so are mine. Damn. Now how am I supposed to walk straight?

“Let’s sit here.”

After continuing to walk around for a while, Ben has led us to a local park in the neighborhood we were in earlier. We’ve managed to revert back into normal conversation and bantering, not acknowledging the turn of events at the food truck. We haven’t eaten yet but I can feel myself sobering up a bit, as I have to keep forcing myself to focus on the words Ben is saying and not thinking about what he’d look like between my thighs.

“You know this area pretty well. You bring a lot of girls around?” I joke.

“Ha, yeah. Deserted parks in the middle of the night are my go-to date spot.”

“It does have a certain ambiance, I suppose. If you’re, you know… a serial killer.” He sits on the bench and laughs pretty loud. The sound gives me that same feeling in my chest from earlier and I wonder if I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.

“I honestly don’t have a response to that.” He’s still chuckling. “But I’m definitely not a serial killer.”

“Good to know.” I say as I sit down next to him.

We sit in silence for a bit, both of us just eating our tacos and drinking the water. It’s not an uncomfortable silence though. It’s serene, like we’ve known each other for years and are simply enjoying being near each other for the first time in a while. He looks out at the park ahead of us and I find myself staring at him again. My eyes wander from his sharp jawline to his full, pink lips to his messy blonde hair. He’s so goddamn beautiful and I’d bet anything he doesn’t even have to try.

“You’re staring again.” He finally speaks.

“Yeah I am.” I don’t even deny it. He’s gonna have to get used to it.

“What are you thinking?” He asks, still looking away from me. Hm, to be honest or no? I could tell him exactly what I’m thinking right here and now. But no, it’s too easy.

“I’m wondering why you haven’t given me back the Fireball yet.” He laughs, again. Nope, I’ll never get tired of hearing it. He reaches down to pick up the fireball and hands the bottle to me. I unscrew the cap and take a fairly sizable swig.

“Alright take it easy, Trixie.”

“Well, you drink some!” I say as I offer the bottle back to him.

“I’m okay, babe, really.” My breath hitches at the nickname. “I do have a confession to make though.”

“Oh?” Is this it? I don’t know how I feel about fucking in the middle of a public park but hey I guess there’s a first time for everything.

“I smoke cigarettes and I’m feeling the urge to light one right now but I don’t want to if it’ll make you sick or uncomfortable. Do you mind?”

“Usually, yes but I’ll make an exception for now.” I really thought he was going to ask to fuck in a public park? Jesus. What’s wrong with me?

“Because I’m hot?”

“AND douchey. Will you let that go?”

“Never.”

He removes a carton of cigarettes from inside his jacket pocket and takes out two, putting one between his teeth and the other behind his ear. It’s hot, but not as hot as his fingers expertly flicking the lighter and then him taking a long drag, blowing out the smoke as he exhales.

We sit in silence for a bit again. Him continuing to smoke his cigarette and me taking swigs from the handle. I’m torn between wanting to hear his voice again and wanting to sit in the comfortable silence. It’s impossible to look away as he continues to take drags from his cigarette. I know how bad it is but fuck if he doesn’t look irresistible doing it. If he notices, he doesn’t mind but the more I drink, the more antsy I get.

“How long have you been smoking?” I ask, deciding I want to hear his voice again.

“Too long.”

“Have you ever tried to quit?”

“Yeah, it’s not as easy as they say.”

“Well, here I’ll help you.” I take the cigarette out of his hand and take a drag from it. He watches in shock. I know he’s expecting me to cough but I don’t.

“You smoke?”

“Sometimes.” I admit, taking another drag.

“Holy shit.” He says under his breath. I then throw the cigarette on the ground and step on it, effectively putting it out. “Hey! That wasn’t quite done yet.”

“I know. I said I’d help you quit, remember?” He stares at me in disbelief.

“You’re…” He starts, not able to find the words.

“I’m… what?”

“Something.” He says finally.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Benjamin.”

“I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

“Never.” I repeat his statement from earlier.

Hours have passed and we’re still sitting on this damn park bench, talking about anything and everything. The craziest part is that I don’t think either of us ever made a solid effort to go home or get the other back to their place. No, the subjects have been limited to favorite movies, books, our families, an explanation of our tattoos, and even a brief discussion of male celebrity crushes. He’s put his hand on my knee a few times and I’ve found excuses to occasionally put mine on his chest and shoulders but still, we keep our hands to ourselves.

“What time is it?” I ask, finally coming to the realization that it’s starting to get light outside. He takes his phone out for the first time that night, which reminds me that I haven’t checked in with Ella or Michaela. Shit.

“Whoa. It’s 6:30. I have class in two hours.”

“Oh my god.” I don’t mean to say it outloud but I can’t help it. “We’ve been out all night?”

“Disappointed?”

“No,” I smile, “definitely worth it.”

“Let’s get you back then.” He stands and offers his hand.

He’s kind enough to order an Uber back to my place, having me dropped off before he goes to class. We’re riding in silence in the back of the car, his hand on my thigh the whole way back. I really might combust but it’s probably too soon to ask him to finger me in the back of an Uber.

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for this. Seriously, between saving me from that jackass and feeding me when I’m drunk I had a really, really good time.”

“Me too.” He smiles, and squeezes my thigh. Seriously, is it too soon? I could move his hand a little further north and we’d be good to go.

“Here you are!” The driver announces. Ben gets out first, walking around to my side and opening the door for me. Such a gentleman. I can definitely work with that.

“One second.” Ben tells the driver, signaling him to wait and then walking me up to my door. “So...” he starts.

“So...” I respond.

“We should do this again.”

“This exactly?”

“Well, no.” He laughs. There’s a lull.

“I’d invite you up but--”

“I’d accept.”

“Skip class.” The words are out before I can stop them.

“Wow. You’re a bad influence.”

“Sorry.” I laugh. “I thought that had been established.”

“I wish I could but I can’t today. We’re doing monologues.”

“Another time then?” I know how needy I sound but I really can’t help it.

“Of course.” He brings his hand up and cups my face again. I decide that this time I’m not taking a chance, if he’s not going to do it then I will. I fist his t-shirt in my hand and bring him to me, crashing his lips onto mine. He’s still for a second, obviously surprised, but his lips slowly begin to work against mine until they’re moving in perfect synchronization. He moves his hands down to my waist as mine work their way into his hair, lightly fisting his blonde curls. And it’s perfect. All of it. His lips are so soft and his quiet moans are fueling my every movement, desperately trying to be as close to him as I possibly can. It’s so perfect that when he pulls away I actually, verbally whine.

“God, I wanna stay.” He whispers, still inches away from me.

“But you can’t.” He brings his hands back up to cup my face and kisses me quickly one more time.

“I want to.” He insists.

“I believe you.” I laugh. “Here, give me your phone.”

He takes his phone out of his back pocket and hands it to me. I put my number in under ‘Trixie’ and hand it back to him.

“Trixie.” He smiles at the name.

“Text me, okay?” I say as I start to walk into the doorway.

“Wait.” He stops me by grabbing my hand and kisses me again. He tries to make it quick but I put my hand on the back of his head, holding him in place and deepening the kiss. He moans against my mouth and it might be the one sound I love more than his laugh. His hands are around my waist again for one second until he pulls away. “Oh, I’m in trouble.” He sighs, his forehead resting against mine.

“Go to class.” I say lightly pushing his chest away from me.

“See you later, babe.” He winks as he walks away and gets into the Uber.

I close the door behind me and lean against it for a second, fisting my hair in my hands and shutting my eyes closed tight.

“FUCK.” I yell to no one in particular.

“Sarah?” I recognize Ella’s voice before I see her come out of her room. “Did you just get back?

“Yep.” I admit, my hands still in my hair as I exhale obnoxiously and smile.

“Damn, that good?” She asks.

“We didn’t fuck.”

“Oh... then... What’s up with you?”

I start from the beginning, telling her the whole story and leaving absolutely no details out. Of course, as soon as I’m finished, Michaela walks out of her room. She takes in the scene; me completely flustered and Ella literally on the edge of her seat.

“Um… What’s going on?”

“You are never skipping another party.” Ella responds.

“And he’s BRITISH? Like he’s actually British?”

“Yes, Mic for the 800th time he’s really, actually British. Or he’s an expert at faking accents.”

The three of us had moved to our dining room where I proceeded to tell Michaela the entire story. Ella gets just as excited as she did the first time, sometimes even stopping me at certain parts.

“THIS is the best part oh my god, yeah.”

“UGH I love this.”

“I still CANNOT believe he really did that, wow.”

So, yeah. It’s been an eventful morning of excited storytelling and obsessing over Ben’s teasing and British-ness. At some point, Michaela asked me for his last name which I realize I never got, but that doesn’t stop Ella from pulling out her laptop and trying to find him on social media anyway. Since she’s an expert who should probably work for the FBI, it doesn’t take her long.

“FOUND HIM.” She squints at her laptop screen. “Ben Hardy.”

“Hardy? That’s fitting, I guess.” I say as I pull my chair up next to hers. Mic brings hers to the other side, so we’re all collectively stalking his facebook page.

“Oh my GOD.” Mic exclaims. “THAT’S him?!”

Ella has his profile picture pulled up and yes, it’s a very good photo of him. I get that feeling in my chest again just looking at his picture. Damn him.

“Yes,” I laugh a bit. “That’s him.”

“Sarah, you are absolutely fucking with me.”

“I am NOT fucking with you! That’s really him!”

“He’s so HOT.” She emphasizes the last word. I put my head into my hands, hysterically laughing.

“I TOLD you.” Ella chimes in as she continues scrolling through his tagged photos. “Hey, that’s his cute friend I saw… and that’s his beer pong partner.” She points to a photo of four boys sitting very close in what looks like a dorm room, Ben on the bottom right.

“Did you end up talking to him?” I ask.

“No, I never got a chance to.”

“Oh, bummer. Ben said he thought you were cute.” I share. She stares at me accusingly.

“He what?! And you’re just now telling me this?”

“Well... I...”

“Who’s his beer pong partner?” Mic ignores us, pointing to the auburn haired boy in the photo. Ella clicks on the picture so the tags show all of their names.

“Oh, Joe. That’s his roommate who’s in the fraternity.” I repeat Ben’s words.

“He’s…” Mic starts but trails off. Ella and I look at her, wide eyed, waiting for her to finish.

“Cute? You can say it, M.”

“He’s… yeah. He’s cute, fine.” She admits, crossing her arms and huffing. Ella and I smirk knowingly at each other. “Oh, fuck off.” She curses at us.

“Gwilym.” Ella says out of nowhere.

“What?”

“That’s his cute friend’s name.”

“Who also thinks you’re cute.” I tease her.

“I’ll have to decide what I’m gonna do about that.” She flips her hair and smirks. Ella’s a master at her craft and I smile, excited to watch her work on this Gwilym. As for Joe, well I’m definitely hatching a plan to get him and Mic in a room together.

At that moment, my phone buzzes, breaking me out of my mental plan making. A text from a number I don’t have saved shows.

“I know she only works on Saturdays but is there any chance Trixie is available tonight?”

It’s Ben.

“Guys.” I get my friends’ attention and show them the text.

“TRIXIE, oh my GOD. I’m going to cry.” Michaela exclaims, causing me to burst into laughter once again. I’m so giggly at everything he says. How fuckin’ lame.

“Are you gonna see him again?” Ella asks.

“I think so.” I admit, trying to think of something to respond. I save his name in my phone as ‘Benjamin’ and type out:

“I suppose she can make an exception for this very special case. It just so happens I have mojito ingredients at my place.”

Since both of my friends are looking over my shoulder as I type, Ella chimes in.

“You’re gonna bring him here?”

“Should I not?”

“Well… you’re definitely getting laid tonight.” She accuses, sticking her tongue out. I look at Mic for confirmation and she shrugs.

“Not necessarily.” I try to deny it but I definitely knew what I was doing. “Is this bad? I’m a slut.” They both laugh.

“We been knew.” Ella says.

“I won’t make it too easy.” I defend.

“You better not be referring to my mojito ingredients.” Mic chimes in. I don’t respond because I definitely was but I’ll run out and get my own. Maybe. My phone buzzes again. He responds quick, I like it.

“Well, it’s hard to say no to that. I’ll come by around 7?”

I type out a quick confirmation and send him our address, just in case he didn’t save it from this morning.

“It’s a date. See you then, gorgeous. Xx”

I read his response and smile like a goddamn idiot. My friends ask what he said so I show them. Their faces light up the same way as mine.

“Use protection.” Ella warns.

“Or, you know… don’t.” Mic suggests.

“MIC!”

Ella slaps her shoulder at the same time I burst into laughter again. Her breeding kink is bound to get one of us in trouble eventually.

[thepineapplejuicer]

Title: Know It All Chapter 4 

Nightcrawler fanfic x OC

(I do not own the X-men or the photos/gifs). 

Violet Ashbourne is a gifted human hacker in possession of a radio, a secret device that gains her access to a large underground information network and electronics all over the world. Human and mutant coexistence has always been her goal, but will the betrayal of her mutant mother and father- once partners to her rise to power- distort her beliefs? Will the X-men be able to save her from her own pride and ambition? Or will she sacrifice everything, including the only boy she’s ever trusted, for vengeance?

The cushions squeak as I toss and turn on the medical bed. My clothes feel warm as I continuously straighten them out, my shaking foot wrinkling them after every time. 

“Rest your arms above your head, please,” Forge asks as he gently guides them, giving them a small squeeze once they are in place. “And try not to move.” He places a steady hand on my leg.

 I try to distract myself by glancing around the room, the blue-tile illudes into vibration as the machine rumbles, powering up. I look up as Forge walks to the thin, circular x-ray machine towering over me. I’ve always hated anything associated with hospice settings; makes me feel like someone knows something before I can.

 “I’m only going to move your wrists across, okay?” he reassures me. 

The bed jolts into a steady backward motion stopping just after my fingertips are completely passed the machine. “Make sure you don’t move.”

 The whirling noises of the mechanism fill the nearly empty, spotless room; only a simple desk and the x-ray machine offer me comfort to the unknowing results. Silence follows the rumbling of the machine as it shuts down and my body starts to ich, but I stay still. 

“Huh.” Forge mumbles. 

 “What is it? Can I move?” I ask leaning pointlessly towards him. 

“Not yet.” 

He says nothing more. 

The smell of my deodorant and the tingles in my armpits cause me to look back and forth from Forge to the x-ray machine. Forge rubs his chin and furrows his brows.

 “Are you going to tell me or what?” I ask loosening my muscles.

 “It’s not picking up anything.” 

“What do you mean?” 

I jump out of the medical bed and to the monitor with the captured pictures. Forge points at one of them, “See that? Those are your normal hand bones.” He trails passed the large gap, “and those are your normal arm bones.” He draws a circle in the middle with his fingers, “these empty gaps are your wrists.” 

“Clarify.”

 “Well, considering that this specific machine can scan through metals, stones, you name it, it means one of two things. One, your flesh isn’t completely attached to the bands, otherwise, it would show it inter-webbed into bones. Which is good and we just need to figure out a way to unclip them.” 

“And the other?” 

Forge lets out a sigh, “Or the bands are just not allowing the x-ray to show passed them. Meaning that- ” 

“That cutting my hands off isn’t completely off the table.” 

“Yeah. I might be able to tinker a bit with the x-ray, maybe get it to show us a little more. It’s pretty state of the art but I could hook up a calibrated-” 

“How long will it take?” 

“About a week or two.”

 “A week?!”

“…or two.” 

My jaw clenches involuntarily, “And that’s the best you can do?”

 “Well if I could use my powers- you know the ones you hate so much-I could be a lot quicker, Your Highness!” 

I flinch as he associates me with ‘hate’ and I quickly straighten my posture, “Get it done. I expect results by the end of the day.” 

He scoffs as I return to my station. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX “I hope Kurt’s okay.” I hear Kitty mutter. 

I enter the kitchen and see Kitty and Scott sharing a conversation.

 “Hey, Violet.” Scott greats.

 “Hey, is something wrong with Kurt?” I ask in a hardened voice, with more force than needed. 

“Tabetha and Kurt were messing around during rescue training on the cliff and Kurt ended up hitting his head and taking a dive,” Scott explains, “Logan jumped in after him and he was NOT happy.”

 Kitty chimes in, “Seriously, Tabetha needs to, like, chill.”

 “Yeah, but Kurt encouraged her. They could have gotten a lot more hurt, or worse.” Scott chokes.

 “Where is he now?” I ask sympathetically.

 “Storm took him to the infirmary, to do a checkup.” Kitty offers. 

I turn and stare at the doorway, unsure why I can’t quite move.

 “You can go see him, you know,” Kitty states with a sultry tone, “might make him feel better.” 

“I might do that.” 

As I leave the kitchen I start to feel a pinch in my stomach. I’ve been talking to the students a lot more over the past few days and it’s unsettling. However, I’ve managed to keep my distance from Logan since he hasn’t properly apologized for hurtling me at the rampaging Juggernaut during our last encounter. I keep reminding myself that I am only here temporarily; forming relationships, even enemies is a waste of time. I know all of this. I know what my goal is and what I must do to make Sanctuary grow and to face my father again. I need to stay focused. So why am I outside the Infirmary?

 I hear Kurt’s chirpy accent from beyond the door, “I’m fine, really!” 

 Storm’s voice responds, “Alright, but take these before bed to be sure.”

 I open the door slowly to avoid interrupting them, but the croaking of the door’s hinges bring their eyes on me like a spotlight. They both stare, wide-eyed and tightening their posture. Storm tries to smile at me so I try not to notice her taking several steps away. “Get well, Kurt,” she states and walks out, avoiding my gaze.

 “Hey, Violet.” Kurt finally says. I look his face over, warmed by the strands of blue fur and yellow eyes. I trail up and down his jawline and see the small bandage on his temple hiding a purple gash where he must have hit his head in the accident. “Are you alright?” I ask biting the inside of my cheek. “You heard?” he rubs the back of his neck, looking away from me, “I’m fine, it’s nice of you to worry.”

 “I wasn’t!” I choke out. Our eyes lock. “I mean, I know you were okay. You’re stronger than you look.” I finish. 

Kurt just blinks at me.

 “Is what I meant,” I say quieter. 

He smiles and gets up, grazing my hip with the back of his hand. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not before he starts to speak, “It does suck though, I got grounded so now I can’t go to the carnival that is in town.” 

“Carnival? Consider yourself lucky then, they are rigged and irrational for the use of entertainment.” I chuckle.

 “You… don’t like them?” he asks, his chest giving out.

 “Uh well, I never had the pleasure of going. Were you going to go with someone?”

 “I was going to ask someone on a date there.”

 “Oh.” I swallow hard, “I know Tabetha is pretty, Kurt, but maybe be careful of going out with a girl that calls herself 'Boom Boom’.” 

“Why would I think Tabetha is pretty?” “Look I’m not saying you shouldn’t like her, just take it from someone who knows everything about anyone and just be careful around her.”

 “I wasn’t going to ask Tabetha-” My phone chimes before I can register what he said. 

“Actually, I wanted to ask-” 

My phone screen taps into the entrance camera and shows a man I’ve never seen walking into the mansion. “I’ll be back…” I whisper and walk straight towards the main hall. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I creep along the hall, hearing the conversation ahead, coming from the main stairway. “This is the last run we have to do, sweetheart.” A man coos.

 “That’s what you said last time!” Tabetha’s voice struggles. I hide behind the doorway, the light from the curtains hitting my shoulder as I lean over. A rugged man with greys peaking out of his sideburns and chin stubble is holding Tabetha by the wrist. 

The closer they got to each other the more I noticed how similar they were. “Meet me by the alleyway next to the building and be sure to bring what I told you and I promise we can go away together and be a family again.” The man bargains. 

Tabetha’s silence prompts me to come out and face them, “is something wrong here?” They both turn to me, Tabetha’s eyes lining with water.

 “No, nothing, I just came to check on my daughter.” The man smiles, “see you tonight.” With that he walks out of the mansion, leaving Tabetha shaken. “Going somewhere?” I ask. She tries to speed away, but I catch her by the arm.

 “What?!” she yells, yanking her arm out of my grasp. Some of her colorful hair clips hang by broken gold strands and smudged blue eyeshadow blend with the redness in the corners of her eyes.

 “I’ll make it quick,” I coldly state, “Don’t involve Kurt in any more of your recklessness.” She stomps away without another word. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Kurt’s POV 

The cold wind evens out the warmth from the orange-hued sunset, bouncing off the carnival lights that flicker on like parts of a caterpillar. The past week has been nothing but daydreams of Violet and I enjoying the 'rigged’ games and 'childish’ rides. To be honest, I think the fact that Violet dislikes things like carnivals makes her more attractive to me. Something about her maturity, but she always seems like she is too serious and needs to relax. If I wasn’t grounded, I’d drag her to that carnival and make sure she knew what it was like to let her hair down occasionally. 

Maybe I’d be the one to win a kiss in the end… Ah, snap out of it! There is no way she would want someone like me. I should be grateful she comes as close as she does. 

“Contemplating the laws of physics, blue?” a familiar voice comes from behind me. I turn, not altering my perched position on the balcony. 

“Tabetha? What are you doing here?”

 “I wanted to apologize for ruining your plans to ask Violet to the carnival.” I smile weakly, “Trust me, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask her.”

 “Why not?” She asks leaning on the stone balcony.

 “Because I’m like this and she’s beautiful, smart, independent.” 

“Cocky, rude, bossy.” Tabetha mimics. 

“I’d say she was confident and assertive. She’s… normal.” Tabetha scoffs, 

“Right! A girl who can hack into any camera and microphone to know all our dirty secrets is normal.” 

“You know what I mean.”

 “Is she normal, Kurt? Or do her bands just make YOU feel normal?” 

There is a long pause as I think about my answer, finally, I whisper, “She makes me feel normal. But she’ll never feel remotely attracted to me.”

 “What happened to 'chicks dig the fuzzy dude?” she jokes. 

I frown, “I’m not dumb. I know where my leagues are.” 

“Hmm. You know what will help?” she nods her head over to the horizon. I look over, trying to figure out what she meant. 

“What?” She nods again. I look in the same direction and only see the carnival. “Oh. OH!” I smile wide, but then remember, “If we get caught, we’ll be in even more trouble.”

 “That’s the fun part.” Tabetha smiles, grabbing my hand. Without reasoning with my better nature, I Bamf us away from my room. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Violet’s POV Tonight has me more restless than usual. Perhaps it is the thin air in the subbasement or the fact that ever since the x-ray this morning, my wrist has been uncontrollably itchy. Loud snoring comes from behind me. I turn and see Forge still passed out on his work table in the corner. Maybe it is the obnoxious snoring that started over an hour ago that’s been keeping me up.

 I tap along my keyboard, reading through the psychiatric tests on the volunteers in Sanctuary. Nisha has been more than capable of sending me all the information, including physical tests Bronco provides; they even state that they like being taught basic self-defense. Most of them passed our standards, no alcohol use, no drug use, no criminal history; decent people who’ve been dealt crappy cards. Most were homeless or lived in poverty from the amount of money the government robs from them. I’m eager to recruit mutants next. The idea of them coexisting sends me into relief. That was always the plan: give to the people, not rob them. I flip through old, depressing drivers license photos of the volunteers and compare them to the new Sanctuary I.D. taken upon acceptance. “They’re smiling.” I lean back enjoying the feeling of accomplishment before checking my emails. 

Empty. 

I’m not surprised since my father hacked most of my contacts and is pretending to be me as I speak. Luckily I am still able to sell and buy information I come across. I scan over the files on my desktop 'Avengers’, 'Shield’, 'Thrask’, 'Deadpool’, among dozens of others. Finally, I stare at the newly added file, 'Xmen’. I shut my monitors off and relax for a moment, letting my mind drift. Oddly enough, the first to come to mind is Kurt.

 I bite my lip as Tabetha’s involvement begins to worry me. My gut twists and I glance over to another monitor that I use to tap into phone calls, text messages, and emails. I sigh, “It’s none of my business. It’s none of my business.” I close my eyes and calm my breathing. “It’s none of my-” The image of her and Kurt… together shock my eyes open. The next thing I know I’m hacking into Tabetha’s phone records. “I’m such a horrible person,” I grumble and open her recent message from an unknown number. 

Unknown #: You going to bring our secret weapon? Tabetha: I don’t want to do this… 

Unknown #: It will be quick, they won’t even notice it’s gone until morning and by then we will be long gone.

Tabetha: and what about Kurt? 

Unknown #: Leave that to me.

 My eyes widen, “Kurt? What is she doing with Kurt?!” I yell as I flip through earlier footage of all the cameras in the mansion simultaneously. “That’s the fun part.” I stop at the end of the footage showing Tabetha and Kurt on his balcony disappear in a puff of smoke. “I knew it.” I grab my tablet and rush to find Xavier, hopefully, we aren’t too late. 

-Thank you for reading. feel free to post any comments :)

(chapter 5 will be posted on Friday, June 21, 2019)

[europeanguy]

Gotta Gogh [Part 5.1: Sure Moments]

Pairing: Nadia x Maxwell

Words: 2k

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergence, Crossovers, time jumps and POV changes… and uh… angst?

Maxwell is soaked to the bone.

He stands in the carpeted hallway – the downpour outside not showing any signs of stopping. Before knocking, he tries to catch his breath. And for a moment he just stands there – and all he could think about is her.

-

Maxwell tugs at the collar of his turtleneck. Bertrand insisted that he wear the itchy thing along with that new checkered suit – it made him look like a “proper nobleman”, apparently. He doesn’t know how this led to his older brother also talking him into getting his hair cut shorter now that he’s just one semester away from graduating. Bertrand had his way of relating two completely random things together, probably an inborn talent. He said it made Maxwell look more serious – and as usual, his brother is right. Even he wanted to take himself seriously for once.

He decides to finally come out of hiding in one of the many palace offices. There’s never a silent moment once he rejoins the party, so he savors a few minutes of this. Every December it was the same old tradition. The royal family would throw their annual Holiday Charity Gala – the usual party with the usual people trying to outdo each other’s donations. Maxwell had been attending ever since he can remember. The only thing that changed is the pressure to impress, now that it was just him and Bertrand trying to uphold the Beaumont name.

He wishes that Nadia could’ve been beside him.

The trip back from the Paris weekend was quick, the both of them asleep for the most of it. Neither talked about the kiss or where it left them. Not until a few days later when he was walking her back to her dorm and instinctively leaned in – the very action coming to him like second-nature. Nadia kissed him back under her door’s threshold and told him that We can’t do this again. To which he nodded in response, still a little dizzy in the head. Another few days after that, it was Nadia who broke their agreement. He almost found it comical how cliché their Talk after that went.

We’ll figure it out.

Tomorrow would be her last day – and they hardly had anything figured out. What happens the moment she boards that plane, how often they would talk if at all, how soon he could go visit. What changes over the years – how many it would take for them to drift apart and move on. He doesn’t even know why he’s bothering to show his face here in the first place, when he could be spending his last sure moments with her, even though he made a promise.

“Now hold on,” A hand lands on his shoulder, and some musky, flowery perfume fills his senses – and he shudders. Adelaide. He turns around the face the aging duchess. “I believe I was promised a dance?”

He laughs awkwardly, shifting a little further away. “I don’t see anyone dancing yet, Your Grace.”

She flashes him an oily smile, her skin stretching taut across her cheeks from constant upkeep. “Oh Maxwell, you’ve never been one to shy away from starting the party!”

“Later. I promise.” He forces a smile and a lie to placate the older woman. He desperately searches the ballroom for a familiar face to rescue him. Liam is preoccupied with a serious-looking conversation with even more serious-looking people, Leo is trying to soothe an upset Olivia in a far corner of the ballroom, and Drake is of course, nowhere to be found. The only other familiar circle of people were “friends” he no longer talks to. He only really found out what happened at the polo match after a lot of convincing and dessert-bribing. Neville catches his eye but quickly looks away, pretending to see through him. As if he wasn’t just a major member of their stupid club, his position now gladly replaced by Tariq.

Penelope stands in the same circle too, but she doesn’t look away. And Maxwell doesn’t know if he should be disappointed or relieved when she makes her way over to him and Adelaide. She smiles brightly at him, and for a moment he sees a glimmer of the girl he thought he knew. Then she curtsies at Adelaide, no doubt perfected with etiquette classes. The heavily beaded skirt of her royal blue gown swishes and sparkles under the lights.

“Well, this glass needs a refill,” Adelaide doesn’t bother to make her smile look genuine. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

Penelope smiles shyly up at him. “You look really handsome. Did you get a haircut?”

“I did, yeah,” Maxwell’s hand involuntarily reaches up to the back of his head. He racks his brain for a polite compliment to throw back at her. “You look pretty.”

“We kind of match…” She lightly touches the fabric of his navy turtleneck. Maxwell catches her hand and gently places it back on her side – her face immediately falls.

He shoves his hands in his pockets and waits for her to speak. No matter how things played out that day, in the end, he shouldn’t have left Nadia to fend for herself. Was it totally his fault to be so trusting of the people he grew up with? He didn’t expect that sort of treatment to come from them, let alone Penelope.

Penelope’s hands find the stiff tulle of her skirt, bunching it in her fists. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Maxwell nods. “Two months?”

“Will you spend Christmas here?”

“Bertrand has arranged for us to go home tomorrow.”

“Ahh… Ramsford.” Penelope looks wistful. “It’s beautiful there this time of year.”

If only Maxwell had the freedom to fully appreciate it, to do whatever he wanted like back then. But him and his brother have responsibilities now. Three years since everything fell on Bertrand’s shoulders. It’s about time Maxwell bore some of the load too, and his brother isn’t wasting any time. His winter break would be spent neck-deep in tedious meetings with fund managers, investment portfolios, smile and shake the hands of the many people that rely on him now; truly show everyone that even though he’s the spare, he’s completely committed to Ramsford.

“It is.” He lies, wanting nothing more than to run off to New York. Or anywhere for that matter.

A familiar melody comes on from the string quartet and everyone starts pairing off on the dance floor. He’s almost relieved that it broke the awkward moment, but then Penelope looks at him expectantly. A part of Maxwell wants to be a gentleman and at least take Penelope for one dance – for old time’s sake since they were always the designated partners. It was a running “joke” between their families that they would be married someday. It wasn’t too far-fetched. People in their circles rarely married for love.

“It’s my favorite place in Cordonia.” Penelope says quietly, turning away to watch the dancing couples once she realizes that Maxwell isn’t going to ask anytime soon. She stops fiddling with the material of her skirt, smoothing it self-consciously and then turns to him again. “Is she here?”

“No. She leaves tomorrow too.” Nadia had repeatedly made him promise not to see her off.

“I’m sorry about the way I acted, Max.” Penelope fiddles with her silver and diamond bracelet. “Will you tell her I’m sorry?”

Maxwell tries to smile – more sad than angry. “Sure.”

He remembers dancing with Nadia under the moonlight on the cobblestone street like two people so into each other that they didn’t care about looking stupid. That night when he danced with Nadia on the street. He didn’t see people looking in either adoration or judgement, he saw Nadia. He would give anything to be in that moment than be here right now.

In the distance, Adelaide catches his eye and starts to make her way towards him like a woman on a mission.

“I have to go,” He declares, heart suddenly racing. “I’m sorry.” I can’t keep my promise.

Penelope catches the sleeve of his jacket, her big blue eyes searching his own. “Where are you going?”

“Out of here.” Maxwell gently pulls away. And with that he turns – flooded with a sense of urgency to catch those last sure moments.

-

Welcome home,

The University of Cordonia promised Nadia a home away from home – and in a way she found it. But not in the university and its very welcoming community. She found it in the museum and in the aloof museum custodian, Otis. Most importantly she found it in Maxwell Beaumont.

She looks at the Cordonian Ruby painting with a strange sense of melancholy. This particular painting had gotten her in so much trouble. Only just a few months ago, she had almost destroyed one of the country’s national treasures by taking it to the back for restoration along with some other “wall space-occupying” paintings – according to the owner’s representative. Anything that didn’t hold too much history or cultural significance gets stashed in the back rooms until the restoration expert arrives. Needless to say, the artist came running out of the back with what’s left of his thinning white hair mussed and his glasses crooked atop his nose, screaming at Nadia in rapid-fire Greek as Otis watched in silent amusement.

Nadia sighs and steps away from the painting, deciding that she should stop reminiscing and get on with the inevitable goodbyes. She can’t decide if it’s a good thing that she barely made any friends – less people to say goodbye to. Or maybe it’s a lot worse that she met just one, someone so amazing and genuine that she connected so much with that just the thought of leaving hurts.

She watches the dull pink and orange sky through the big windows – it would rain soon. She had hoped for a clear night to see the stars from here. From Cordonia. It’s always too bright in New York City to look at the stars properly. Sighing, she packs her stuff from the receptionist’s desk – leaving a soft leather cover sketchbook on the table. Hopefully Otis would love the book, filled from front to back with sketches of museum guests, animals, other random things. She looks up to find the old man lingering under an archway, pretend-cleaning a carved moulding. Nadia hoped she was imagining the distant loneliness in his air – she did NOT want to cry right now.

Five o’clock.

“Hey Otis, I’m going home!” Nadia manages a big smile as she runs up to him, hiking her backpack up her shoulders. “I left something at my desk for you, so um…” Nadia mostly did it as a sign of thanks – but in a selfish way it also made her feel like she wouldn’t be some footprint in the sand, fading away from their memories as the waves slowly wash her away.

Otis nods, not meeting her eyes. She tries to ignore the fact that his eyes look shiny. He takes a moment to reply.

“Thank you.”

That’s all it takes for Nadia’s tears to start. She sobs, feeling ridiculous and wipes her tears with her sleeve. “Sorry… I’m sorry.” She laughs, sniffing.

Otis’ face breaks into an unexpectedly smile. He almost looked grandfatherly. It catches Nadia off-guard – today being the first time she really saw him smile.

“Go,” He pats her shoulder and nods towards the door.

Nadia nods, smiling and feeling lighter. “Okay. Goodbye.” Still, the hard part isn’t over yet.

She doesn’t go straight home. The walk from the museum to the main library (the only place with a half-decent phone signal) is a transition from elegant and historical to dreary and dusty – but just as empty now that finals are over. Faded tapestries and pictures of alumni line the dark paneled walls, the librarian sat behind a heavy and ornate front desk – looking thoroughly bored. Nadia nods at her in an attempt to be friendly and she is met by a bored expression, her mouth pressed in a thin line.

Nadia isn’t surprised to find there are absolutely zero students in the main hall. Once she reaches a row of desks far enough inside to be out of the librarian’s ear shot, she drops on a random seat, feeling tired all of a sudden. Quickly, she calls Kai.

-

Raydan L. Hall is an old building – its age made obvious through the weathered bricks and the dust settled in the cracks. The foyer’s chandelier blinks once in a while, the hallways usually desolate. Maxwell has never seen it so full of people, a constant flow of students moving in and out of its doors fully packed to go home for the break. A few faces light up in recognition as he passes them, scanning each one for the one girl he was looking for.

And he is soaked to the bone.

He stands in the carpeted hallway – the downpour outside not showing any signs of stopping. The sounds of his clothes dripping on the floor feels embarrassingly loud, but he doesn’t care because on the other side of that door is Nadia Park. Before knocking, he tries to catch his breath. And for a moment he just stands there, shivering – and all he could think about is her.

How funny life works. Because of course it had to rain so hard, nonstop. Of course the car had to get stuck in traffic – so he had to run the last few blocks.

Deep breaths. He doesn’t know why he’s nervous, but he knocks.

No answer.

  End of finale pt. 1

 Useless factoids that I like to put in under each chapter bc I’m a bad writer who can’t figure out how to insert these in without it beinFUN FACTS

Well, hair we are (I hate myself):

-        In my first drawing (the very drawing that spurred this on) Maxwell has wild, curly-ish hair. It’s definitely long and a little unkempt – the most that he does to it is brush it back with his fingers or tie it in a little bun if he doesn’t want it in the way. His new, shorter hair is closer to what it is in canon.

-        I honestly just didn’t want to draw that hair again lmao (since I’m planning on putting out more drawings WHOOPS although I would have to draw it again for chapters before this one, huh? Dammit.)

-        So yes. This younger version of Maxwell has messy, kinda long and curly hair. Which I think really fits.

Squids and Narwhals:

-        In my head, maybe Penelope and Maxwell’s parents would have pushed them together. Their house symbols are both sea creatures… and man… idk just… humor this random headcanon of mine okay.

More excuses:

-        So there you go, the Cordonian Ruby Incident. Don’t think about this too much HAHAHA

-        I wasn’t gonna break this in half but I decided to lump in part 2 with the epilogue. I felt like it would be too much to take in, so… welp!

tag list: @littlecrookedheart, @femmeshep, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @zaffrenotes, @teamtomsato, @pixieferry

A/N: guys I just wanna say thank you so so so much for your patience!! here it is, it’s DONE!!