#See I have two (2) Valentines chapters in my AU right so I had to draw lovecore designs for them

[mbirnsings-71]

Tumblr, in the midst of me having struggles with my electricity this past week, I bring you these silly doodles! Enjoy!

[ryomku]

yellow flowers - kamo choso

synopsis: “when a person gives you yellow flowers it means they want to stop wasting time and spend their lives together with you”.

tags: choso x reader, fem! reader, fluff, aged up characters, college au!, no curses au!, use of y/n

a/n: i know nothing of nursing nor am i a nurse student or stuff like that so there might be some mistakes on choso´s career, idk it's like 1am and i'm crying

a/n 2: i’m mostly doing this after the leaks of chapter 259 cause i'm still crying and i need something soft in my life right now, this is based on a real experience, sorry if there's any typos english is not my first language

As someone who has never received flowers their whole life you don't get the appeal of such displays of affection, dads giving flowers to moms, boyfriends giving chocolate to their girlfriends, you just didn't see the need for such things.

In your eyes this was something unnecessary and silly, your parents never showed affection towards each other, in reality the only interactions they had were arguments which always occurred very early in the morning, at the hours where everyone is meant to be asleep and that you couldn't help but overhear.

Since they always talked about you and your problems that don't really exist, they were just looking for an excuse to say what they really think about each other.

As time went by you just didn't pay attention to any of those things, you had a very neutral opinion about flower giving, yet there were people who said, “You're a pretty girl. How come you've never received flowers before?” Genuinely you didn't know what to answer since you don't have low self-esteem and you love yourself the way you are because there's nothing wrong with the way you look or feel, so it was something that could not be answered.

Yet on valentine's day one of your friends gave you and your girl friends some plastic roses as a token of appreciation and it genuinely surprised you because for many years (or your entire life) you've never received gifts on valentine's, it was a nice gesture you though you thought it might be the last time you get a flower.

You were proven wrong.

On September of last year you met Choso Kamo on the bus you took on the way to college he was a nursing student, more specifically a phlebotomy technician, in your life have you ever seen someone so passionate about their career, the way in which he spoke about every detail regarding his classes it was hypnotizing it drew you in, suddenly you became friends and later one he introduced you to his friend group.

Soon enough it was a new year full of new classes, new teachers and the same friend group that had your back.

Time flies fast they say and suddenly it's March 21st and somehow the entire campus is covered in yellow. Wherever you walked there was people selling bouquets of sunflowers and daisies, girls all dolled up in pretty dresses, guys wasting ridiculous amounts of money on flower bouquets or in plushies it was weird something wasn't adding up.

What festivity happens today? The thought flooded your mind, you felt and looked clueless about the things that were happening around, still there's no time to waste cuz classes start soon.

10:00 am

Luckily the philosophy of education class was a free hour since the teacher didn't show up, there were so many things you can do in a free hour like eating, sleeping or just hanging out with friends and forcefully you had to choose the last one, against your own will.

“Heh Y/N could you come real quick to the cafeteria near the med students building?” Was the message that Yuki sent you a couple minutes ago.

In your way to said building more couples hugging and kissing surrounded the entire campus, it was getting too uncomfortable with how intense some of them were kissing in public.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria you spotted your friends quickly noticing two flower bouquets in front of Choso.

“Those flowers must be for his siblings. Didn't know Yuuji liked flowers so much.”

That's what anyone would think because since you met Choso he always spoke highly and dearly of his brothers, they were his entire life and his reason for becoming a nurse aside from his interest in the career.

Seeing how Choso cares about his siblings is another thing added to the mental list of things you like about him. Is there someone out there who doesn't have a crush on him? Cuz you find that hard to believe, just by feeling the way you felt nervous and the butterflies in your belly would be going crazy every time he talks to you.

Liking Choso was inevitable, like a storm or a hurricane, it was just meant to happen.

Liking Choso was something that involuntarily at this point in your head was always his face, his voice and even the small hugs he gave you every morning upon arriving at college.

Liking Choso was unexpected, you always thought that you might never have someone to like in your life since you didn't want to end up like your parents, living in an unhappy marriage full of arguments and sadness.

Liking Choso makes you feel human.

‘’Hi Y/N! What took you so long?’’ said Yuki as she moved her backpack to give you space to sit down next to her.

‘’Stupid philosophy teacher didn’t even send a message in time and had us waiting like idiots outside of his classroom.’’ You said as you sat down beside your blonde friend.

‘’Y/N here you go.’’ Gojo (your other friend) handed you a package of cookies.

‘’Why are you giving me cookies?’’ As you ask you gave him and Geto (who was handing you a bag of candies) a pointed look.

‘’Just cuz we want to and because you’re a good friend and we appreciate you.’’ Weirded out you accepted the gifts.

As you turned to put the gifts in your bag they drifted off to a conversation with Shoko, Nanami and Haibara though your attention was caught by the flowers displayed on the tablet in front of Choso the curiosity was eating you up.

Somehow Choso was a lot quieter than usual, which is fair enough he is really quiet and only gives his opinion or joins the conversation when he feels like it yet today not only was he quiet, he seemed uncomfortable and it was very clear, his facial expressions gave it away.

Suddenly Yuki stands up and walks behind Choso grabbing his wrist and guiding his hand towards one of the flower bouquets, in unison the rest of your friend group starts laughing while Gojo being the menace he is, starts recording everything.

‘’Come on man we all know you are a coward and if we don’t help you’re never gonna give her the flowers.’’ Said Yuki while laughing and giving you a smirk.

‘’Hold o-on Yuki! I don’t wanna do it with a-all of you here!!’’ Choso started to pull his hand away from the flowers all while his face gained a red hue and stuttered.

You gave all of them a questioning look. Choso was gonna give someone flowers? Did he like someone? If so, who was it? Was it a friend of yours? Or was it someone you don’t know of?

Questions filled your head as a sudden feeling of uneasiness gained a hold of your heart, it was kinda stupid that you thought someone like Choso might like you back, you hated the attitude you had with people, sometimes you would come off as rude or at worst having a potty mouth which you only spoke like that with close friend, Choso being one of them, probably your carefree attitude and shity mouth drove him away or he generally just didn’t like you as a person.

Maybe he never noticed you at all.

It only hurts because you thought he might like you due to the shyness he had around you which you liked a lot, even your friends would tease you both, while it made you giddy inside you never really knew if Choso felt the same way.

Now that you think about it the teasing started with Geto and Haibara saying Choso wanted to take you out to the movies, that never happened, the only reaction you both had was pure laughter.

You were so out of it drowning in your thoughts that you didn’t notice Choso grabbing the flowers and standing in front of you, flowers in hand and a blush on his tattooed face while he handed you the flowers.

‘’These are for you Y/N I hope you like them.’’ He gave you the flowers while looking away.

That made you snap out of it.

Choso, he gave you yellow flowers.

HE GAVE YOU FLOWERS!!

Choso’s face was a poem, truely. You looked so shocked, that he started to question if buying you flowers was a good idea.

Did you not like them?

Were the flowers too simple?

The thought of you rejecting him crossed his head. What was he going to do if you rejected him? It was going to be so embarrassing, he was gonna be rejected in front of the whole cafeteria, that only increased his anxiety.

Suddenly his ears were blessed with your soft laughter, his heart fluttered.

Your beautiful smile, the soft laughter and the cute blush in your cheeks made the anxiety go away, then he saw the most in love look in your eyes. Oh, how he loved your eyes, he could get lost in them for hours.

He felt a pair of arms around his neck in a warm embrace, all he could hear was a soft whisper.

‘’Thank you, Choso.’’

His arms circled around your waist holding you in a gentle hug, his warm hands rubbing circles, he didn’t even notice that he no longer had the flowers in his hands.

‘’Y/N I like you.’’ His smooth and deep voice whispered in your ear, the warmth in your cheeks increased.

‘’I like you too Choso.’’

They say that when a person gives you yellow flowers it means they want to stop wasting time and spend their lives together with you, and Choso knew since the moment he saw you that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you.

[rogueddie]

Fake Dating Steddie Fic Rec

Important: READ THE TAGS! Leave a comment and kudos! If I was only allowed read fake dating fics like these, I would die happy 🤞

I Like to See You in the Morning Light

BonitaBreezy

"Wait,” Eddie said, his drug-addled brain catching up suddenly. “Wait! My alibi is that I was having sex with Steve Harrington?”

After it all, Eddie Munson is left to pick up the cracked pieces of his life. Luckily, he has new friends to fall back on.

Words : 27,362 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

you want it straight from the heart (why can't this be love?)

emryses

Steve let out a long sigh. “I’ll do it. I’ll be your fake boyfriend, okay?”

“You could at least sound happier about it,” Robin muttered.

Words : 12,417 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

i’ve got you under my skin

strawberryspence

Steve Harrington has to marry Eddie Munson (also know as the Devil Incarnate), so Eddie won’t get deported back to Canada and for Steve to finally achieve his dream to be a producer.

Or: The Proposal AU Steddie Edition

Words : 49,923 Chapters : 6/6 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Saying I love you to your best friend, and to the friend that could perhaps be something more

songsformonkeys

Ever since he discovered that he liked girls - and that, generally, girls liked him too - Steve Harrington has not spent a single Valentine's Day alone. 1987 is shaping up to be the first and that really sucks.

Eddie, fed up with listening to Steve's complaining, agrees to be his date for the day.

Words : 5,901 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : General Audiences

AO3 : x

Invitations

nbfutureboy

Steve’s being harassed about his love life, and enlists Eddie’s help over Christmas break to get Dustin off his back. All he has to do is pretend to be Steve’s boyfriend in front of all of his loved ones!

Words : 6,902 Chapters : 1/1 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Let's Be More Than Strangers

DrowningByDegrees

It’s meant to be a one-off favor to Robin, Eddie passing himself off as her boyfriend. Robin gets to hang onto the secret of why she never so much as bats an eyelash at the guys who come into Scoops Ahoy. Eddie gets more ice cream than he knows what to do with and the opportunity to pull one over on the former King of Hawkins High. Unfortunately, it all works just a little too well, and Eddie finds himself continuing to come back.

Words : 19,592 Chapters : 2/2 Rating : Teen And Up Audiences

AO3 : x

Can we always be friends? (We've got too much love)

sparrow_in_hawkins

Steve offers to be Robin's pretend boyfriend to get the guys at school to leave her alone. She's reluctant at first, until Steve admits that he's not interested in dating girls anymore anyway.

Meanwhile, Eddie's encounters with Steve Harrington had always been brief, but he could never help being captivated by him. Naturally, he doesn't know how to react as Steve starts popping into his life more than ever--probably should do nothing, because Steve has a girlfriend. Right?

Words : 42,525 Chapters : 6/6 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

i know what you want from me

hyxzw

After two years of getting rejected from college, and totaling nineteen of disappointing his father, Steve Harrington decides to finally reclaim his life by spending the summer kissing Eddie Munson.

Words : 86,788 Chapters : 6/6 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

A Coat of Paint

songbvrd

Steve agrees to help Eddie paint his trailer, but isn't prepared for the bisexual crisis it sends him spiralling into.

Words : 56,334 Chapters : 13/13 Rating : Explicit

AO3 : x

Two Truths and a Lie About Steve Harrington

endzela

Steve is desperate to find a date for his high school reunion, and his best friend Eddie volunteers to pretend to be his boyfriend. What Eddie doesn't know, however, is that Steve has had a crush on him ever since they became friends in college, and although Steve is not planning on letting him find out about it now, spending a week together in the same room might make things difficult. Especially since Eddie keeps flirting with him at every chance he gets.

Words : 20,057 Chapters : 2/2 Rating : Mature

AO3 : x

[dreamstone28737]

AO3 Wrapped 2024

Just doing this one for funsies — but any of my writer friends please feel free to participate! I like looking back on the year at the end of it.

This is sort of lengthy so I’m putting the questions under the cut!

1. How many words have you written this year? 194,581

2. How many works did you publish this year? 11

3. What work are you most proud of? I actually haven’t reread this even one time, so it might be terrible, who knows? But I think I’m proudest of “Make the Whole Place Shimmer.” It felt really daunting to write the Kanthony wedding in the Midnights series, but it was also sweet to “watch” them get married as this culmination of their love story. I don’t know if that’s silly, but it’s true. It made me feel really happy for them — even if they’re not real! 🤣

4. What work of yours has the most hits? “Get It Off My Desk”

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? “Dear Reader”

6. Favorite title you used: I probably like “Karma is My Boyfriend” the best. Maybe because it’s a phrase that feels both happy and silly to me, and that’s the tone of the fic itself.

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? 😆 it’s only Taylor Swift

8. Pairing you wrote the most this year? Kanthony exclusively, baby!

9. Favorite pairing you wrote this year? Kanthony

10. What work was the quickest to write? “A Step You Take” — I wrote it in two sittings from start to finish. That’s never happened before.

11. What work took you the longest to write? “Get It Off My Desk.” I started outlining it summer of 23 and kept trying to start it over and over again, but it’s like the story wasn’t ready because it never worked. I finally wrote it in the summer of 24.

12. How many WIPs do you have in your docs for next year? I think I only have 3 that I actually have outlines for, but I have like 3 or 4 other ideas that I wrote down and then abandoned… maybe they’ll make their way back to my mind one day?

13. What’s your longest work of the year? “Coming Home to Aubrey Hall” was literally a funny idea I had while decorating my Christmas tree and it was supposed to be like a silly two- or three-chapter fluff piece… and it’s turned into a monster!! 😂

14. What’s your shortest work of the year? “Love Dreams”

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you? “Coming Home to Aubrey Hall” 😫

16. Your most-used additional tag: Probably “Modern AU” but I don’t know how to find that out.

17. Your favorite character to write this year? Newton!

18. The character that gave you the most trouble to write this year? Weirdly, Siena. I adore her, but I just couldn’t find her voice at first. I watched her scenes from season 1 over and over again to try and get it right.

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? As a writer, I’m really only interested in Kanthony at this point. As a reader, I’ve been diving into the Fiyeraba fandom! And with the new movie coming out next year, I don’t see my interest waning any time soon.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most? I must have gone over “Karma is My Boyfriend” with a fine-toothed comb a thousand times because I needed all the moving pieces of their Valentine’s Day mishaps to fit together.

21. How many kudos total did you get this year? 2,185. Thanks guys 🥰

22. Which work has the most comments? “Dear Reader”

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year? My dear friend @mimix007 helped me so, so much a lot of these fics felt collaborative! ❤️ But not officially.

24. Did you write any gifts this year? I wrote two fics for @mimix007 😘 “Just Like Clockwork” and “Dear Reader.”

25. Did you receive any gifts this year? I remember that Allatonceyouaretheone wrote a fic inspired by “Just Like Clockwork” and that felt like a gift!!

26. What’s your most common category? F/M — if that’s what that means.

27. What do you listen to while writing? I’m not really a music-while-I-write person most of the time. Generally, I prefer some kind of white noise to help me focus. I like to write in public spaces for that reason — ambient noise is my favorite.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year? This is too hard. They’re all my babies.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? Gosh. I don’t know. I remember that I had Newton call Anthony a “stray human” in “Just Like Clockwork,” and I really enjoyed that.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year? Hmm… probably writing regency-era fics within the canon. Honestly, two years ago I didn’t consider myself a competent writer, so finding out that I could branch out beyond the one-trick of the Midnights AU was a really gratifying surprise.

Amount of comment threads in 2024: 711

Amount of times people subscribed to your fics in 2024: 391

Amount of words written in 2024: 194,581

Amount of kudos in 2024: 2,185

Amount of bookmarks in 2024: 388

Amount of hits you received in 2024: 50,720

[tenderhooked]

tagged by the brilliant @jamiesfootball and the stunning @lady-of-the-spirit and the gorgeous @abubblingcandle! thank you all for the tag MWAH <3

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

11

2. what's your total AO3 word count?

120,102

3. what fandoms do you write for?

ted lasso (quick everybody act surprised), daredevil (i WILL get back to that fic i prommy), thor & loki, and uh. i haven't posted anything yet but somehow succession got me to care very deeply about billionaires so. watch this space............

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

It's the Great Father's Day, Ted Lasso (ted lasso)

It's the Great Valentine's in May, Colin Hughes (ted lasso)

hear you calling from some lost and distant shore (thor & loki)

and do not recognize us as we pass (ted lasso)

It's the Great Moving Away, Sam Obisanya (ted lasso)

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I DO. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LIE AND THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS. i have been woefully bad at catching up with responding to comments........... however i will fix this once school gets out.

6. what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hmmm. despite the fact that my fics tend to be Incredibly Angsty, they almost all end with deep and abiding sappiness. i suppose at the moment the sun is only a God if you learn to starve has the angstiest ending, although that's mostly just because it only has the one singular chapter atm.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably It's the Great Father's Day, Ted Lasso! i love that ending very very much.

8. do you get hate on fics?

thankfully not yet!! pls be nice to me im This Tiny (i am not short at all) (be nice to me anyways)

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

i have not! maybe one day, possibly, but i'm very [blushing] about writing that right now lmfao.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

i haven't written any crossovers before! i tend more towards AUs (as we can attest)

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

as far as i'm aware, nope!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

no but if anyone ever wants to, i'm so incredibly down for that

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

no! BUT! i would LOVE to! come to my dms and let's brainstorm.

14. what's your all-time favourite ship?

all of my favorite characters/therapy. tbh.

15. what's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

i will finish every WIP i've posted a chapter of because i will. this is my Brave Face Mantra. in terms of ones i want to finish in my head.... the ted lasso s3 fix it will hopefully eventually happen but not for A While.

16. what are your writing strengths?

hrm. hrngh. i hate complimenting myself. people have told me i have a good grasp of character voices and also prose? so? [throws that at you and runs away]

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i am THEE absolute worst at describing settings/environments. i'm not a visual reader at all which translates into not being a visual writer and it's just. urgh. HELP.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

hell yea! most of the characters i've written for so far have been mostly english-speaking, but for characters who are bilingual (dani, sam, richard) i try to include phrases in their native language they would use. if i were to ever write a lot of dialogue in another language, i'd probably give an in-narrative translation, or just stick 'em in the end notes.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

when i was 12 and infinity war came out i was so distraught that i wrote like 10 fix it fics and none of them will ever see the light of day.

20. favourite fic you've ever written?

and do not recognize us as we pass & find a new place to be from! yes i cheated and chose two.

tagging! not sure who has and who hasn't done it yet so! @altschmerzes @jamietarttsnorthernattitude @iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid @thirteenemeraldcats @nativestarwrites @orbitalpirate + absolutely anybody else who would like to participate and use me as their tagger! MWAH <3

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark -- Score & Story Ideas Inspired By Other Sources!

Hey, remember this surprisingly-long post of score & story ideas I had for the Valicer In The Dark universe? And how, at the end, I mentioned I still had loads of ideas, these based off other stuff I enjoy or find intriguing in some way? Well, it's taken me longer than anticipated, but here is my surprsingly-long follow-up list of some of those stories! Because you know me and my crossovers -- if I can, I will. :p

-->First up, here's a score idea based off of something unexpected -- the summary of what would have been Alice: Asylum! Now, if you know me, you know that I was never really into this weird prequel/sequel/whatever-the-hell-it-turned-into-before-EA-said-"Nope" entry into the Alice series (justice for Alice Otherlands), and I actually don't know that much about it. But I do know two key things that were apparently part of the final draft, thanks to the wiki:

1. That Wilton Radcliffe, Alice's family's lawyer and that dickhead keeping her rabbit from her in Alice: Madness Returns, was apparently helping Bumby with his activities

2. That Radcliffe, while he was off-screen, somehow sired a daughter, named Angela

That coupled with the fact that I still needed to establish where Alice's beloved toy rabbit (Mr. Bunny, as per my own headcanon) had got to in the VITD universe inspired me to create a score where, after getting a little more settled into their lair and establishing a name for themselves as the Three Pillars, the trio decide to go after Radcliffe to see if they can get Mr. Bunny and whatever's left of Alice's inheritance back. However, when they get to his house, they find it recently abandoned. Searching the place reveals a diary where Radcliffe's role in Bumby's activities is revealed, and his plans to flee the city before the Bluecoats discover he was a collaborator. Specifically, he notes down that he has a meeting with a former "client" on the very day the trio has broken into his house --

Where he intends to hand over his daughter for enough money to get a ticket on a ship heading to Skovlan (a neighboring country, not doing so great after a war with Akoros, where Duskwall is). After Alice recovers from the "when the fuck did he have a child" shock, the trio immediately rush off to the Docks to save Angela and take Radcliffe down, at which aim they of course succeed because fuck Radcliffe. In the process, Alice discovers that Angela has taken Mr. Bunny as her own (renaming him "Rabbity"). Angela, upon realizing that Rabbity is in fact Alice's old toy, offers to give him back, but Alice is content to let him stay with Angela (though she does take the opportunity to give him a big hug first). The trio thus drop Angela off at the new, better Houndsditch run by June, and she quickly becomes fast friends with Charlie. :) Better ending for her than being stuck in eternal limbo, right?

-->I'd already decided a while ago that I wanted to incorporate stuff from Fallout 4 into my personal Duskwall -- "A Murdered Shared Is A Murdered Thirded" is going to have Smiler's parents mention sending Bumby's ledger off to "Miss Wright at Publick Occurrences; she'll make sure everyone knows what he was doing before next Embers," in the final chapter, for example. As for actual scores for the Three Pillars to get involved in, I have two quests so far that I would like to adapt to fit my universe:

Unlikely Valentine -- AKA the quest to save Nick from Skinny Malone! I imagine in this universe the Three Pillars are hired directly by either Ellie or Piper to try and figure out where Nick went while investigating a possible kidnapping by the "Triggermen" -- a new gang on the scene (consisting of a lot of Hounds, since that's the playbook that specializes in guns) that operate out of some half-completed vault some old rich dude once tried to have constructed to protect him and his from another cataclysm. Of course, the twist is that the "kidnappee," a woman named Darla, is actually leader Skinny's new girlfriend and was not keen on going back to her parents, so Nick ended up locked up while the gang tried to decide what to do with him, and the trio have to rescue him AND make sure Skinny and Darla don't decide to just kill them all. And, like in the main game, the other twist is that the trio were expecting Nick to be human, but discover during the rescue that he's a mechanical being -- specifically, that he's a Hull, a steampunk robot animated by a ghost! You see, what happened to this version is Nick is that he died in a scrap with Eddie Winter's gang shortly after the death of his fiancee, Jenny, but the Bluecoat squad he was working with didn't want to lose him and his brilliant detective skills, so they paid off the Spirit Wardens to trap his ghost but NOT dispose of it, and commissioned a human-like robot body for him. Hulls are GENERALLY created with some sort of magical device in them that blunts the mind and free will of the spirit inside so it can be trusted to do tasks, but the Bluecoats were certain they could rely on Nick's loyalty to the department and didn't bother with that. Not like he'd try to escape, right?

...Nick escaped and set up shop on his own in Charhollow the minute he could. XD He's still wrestling with some identity issues (these stemming from the fact that he's now a ghost in a mechanical body that doesn't quite feel like his, but that he doesn't dare leave for fear of losing his mind and becoming a Specter), but he's doing his best to help those who need help in Duskwall, and he is much loved by his community. They just all also happen to be so used to him that nobody thought to tell Victor, Alice, and Smiler what his whole deal is. XD Fortunately the three recover quickly from discovering what he is and manage to get him out without anybody getting killed, and Nick probably becomes one of their contacts from that point on. Nothing like a private detective to help you gather information! (And yes, it would be nice if they could help him finally take down Eddie Winter in a variant of the "Winter's End" quest, but I haven't figured that one out yet...)

When Freedom Calls -- AKA the quest to help Preston take out these damn raiders threatening his group of Quincy survivors! This one is much less fleshed out at the moment, but I know it involves the trio accidentally walking into Preston, holed up in some ruined building in Six Towers (I want to make it a museum, I'm jut not sure of what yet -- one commemorating the Emperor's actions during the Cataclysm?), fighting back against a gang trying to kidnap one of a group of people he's protecting for her mystical powers (much like Jared of the Corvega group of raiders wanted Mama Murphy for her Sight). They end up joining the fight on Preston's side to try and find a way to get his civilians safely out of there...a task somewhat complicated by the arrival of a deathclaw-like Horror (a strange electroplasmic entity that can do Bad Things to people) on the scene. Mainly this score is to establish Preston as a character in my version of Duskwall -- a former Bluecoat who, after his squad was betrayed by a colleague and murdered trying to do their duty, decided to found the vigilante squad the Minutemen to help those whom the Bluecoats won't and take down some of the more unsavory sorts in Duskwall. He considers the Three Pillars "honorary" members after they rescue him and his little group, and I'd imagine they and his Minutemen end up on pretty friendly terms, since the Three Pillars are FAR from the worst criminals in the city. Hell, Preston might even be able to provide a score or two in the future, much like how he's a quest-giver in the game. Wouldn't be THAT hard to adapt some of the named Minutemen-related quests, like the ones for Abernathy or Finch Farm, to the world of Duskwall!

-->Somewhat in-keeping with the Bethesda theme, here's a story that would be loosely based on that one Skyrim quest "A Night To Remember" and The Hangover movies -- "A Hangover To Remember!" Admittedly, I've never played Skyrim nor watched any of the Hangover movies, but I have read quest write-ups and movie plot summaries, and I think I can make this work regardless. XD Basically, what happens is that the Three Pillars are at The Ball & Socket one Names (aka night, since there's no proper "day" in Duskwall), when Smiler ends up challenged to a drinking contest by a demon. Victor is like "Smiler, I don't know," but the demon makes a solemn vow not to tamper with any of the drinks during the contest, and Smiler seems game, so the contest happens. They apparently win, and everybody gets a round of drinks to celebrate...

And the next equivalent-of-morning, the trio wake up with raging hangovers in one of the guest bedrooms of none other than Lord Governor Powerwallet's mansion in Whitecrown, with an Iruvian wildcat hanging out in the en-suite bathroom, a kidnapped Bob Wickerman of the Beornen cult (the cult based on the Wickerman ride at Alton Towers, which has a pretty nasty rivalry with the Advocates -- Bob in particular loathes Smiler, and the feeling is mutual) stuffed in the wardrobe, Victor sporting a new tattoo, and all three of them wearing rings that look like wedding bands. The trio thus have to retrace their steps and figure out what the fuck they did and how to fix any chaos they caused. And while I haven't quite figured out the story behind everything they did (the cat in particular is a mystery), I do know that the reason they're all wearing rings is because they got drunken-group-married at the Ministry of Joy...and while telling them this, the Advocates also reveal that, if they'd been sober enough to sign some paperwork, they could have gotten actually group married because of an interesting loophole in Duskwall's laws (basically, the government will recognize "unusual" marriages if they happen under the purview of a god that could be reasonably seen to back the marriage up -- and as Mar-Mal just wants all their Advocates to be happy, they'll back up pretty much ANY marriage). The trio are like "...why weren't we informed of this before?!" XD Anyway, they eventually get back to the pub, where they find the demon, deeply amused by everything -- as you might imagine, what happened is they tampered with the victory drink, as technically that drink was not part of the contest. XD They are delighted by the chaos though, and tell the group that they have earned themselves a boon for giving them a most entertaining night, no strings attached. And after confirming there are truly no strings, the trio tell them, "Okay, we just learned that we can actually get married if we do it under Mar-Mal -- we want you to do whatever is in your power to make sure our actual wedding goes well." The demon agrees, and there's a follow-up story about the trio getting properly group-married. :)

-->Speaking of stories based off of things I know mainly from pop-cultural osmosis, here's a tale that I would currently describe as a mixture of The Usual Suspects and the tropes "Rashomon"-Style and Once More With Clarity! This one has the trio at a Bluecoat station, having been arrested for a robbery that occurred the previous Names. The captain there doesn't think such a small crew could have pulled off the heist (which happened at a fancy house in Brightstone known for its security), but interrogates them anyway. All three cop to the theft, but tell contradicting stories about how they did it -- Alice says she stole the item by successfully fighting off the guards; Victor says he stole the item by using magic and distracting people with ghosts; and Smiler says they stole the item by talking their way past the guards and using their alchemicals against anyone who couldn't be charmed. The disgusted captain says that he doesn't believe any of them, that they're all just lying to try to get credit for a bigger score than they could pull off, and releases them. The trio reunite outside the station and talk about what they told the guy, and laughingly admit that the captain probably wouldn't have believed what really happened either -- cue a flashback to the actual time of the "robbery," which reveals that the couple being "robbed" were actually having a hell of a fight, and the wife threw the item that was "stolen" out the window -- nearly beaning poor Victor as the trio passed by (having just completed a different job). And when they objected to him nearly getting concussed by the item, she screamed "OH JUST TAKE IT" before going back to yelling at her husband. So they just took it and promptly pawned it. XD What can I say, I think I'm funny.

-->Back to things that I have actually personally experienced, here's a score that was inspired by an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver -- specifically, the episode on freight trains and how miserable the safety standards around them are getting (you know, the one with a faux Thomas The Tank Engine episode at the very end narrated by Matt Berry). The story stuck with me, and resulted in me coming up with a score where the Three Pillars (now known as a group that will help unions and workers, not the factory owners and elites) get hired by two Rail Jacks named John Last and Oliver Weeks to help expose the lax safety standards the owners of the rail lines at Gaddoc Station are enforcing (not entirely sure HOW they would do that yet, but it's definitely something I want them to do). As an added twist, while skulking around the station, they end up encountering some Beornen trying to sabotage a train, which they have to prevent because it puts their own mission at risk. Might be a good way to introduce the whole "Advocates vs Beornen" dynamic, in fact!

-->Okay, so -- back in the very first post I made about various score and story ideas, I mentioned wanting to do one that is kicked off by Smiler overindulging their Pleasure vice at the Golden Plum restaurant, causing the owner and head chef, Chef Roselle (who, incidentally, I've discovered I've referred to by both "he" and "she" pronouns in previous write-ups, so now he's genderfluid and changes pronouns and presentation depending on how he wakes up feeling. Most people think she's a brother-sister team; the trio are one of the few who know the truth thanks to this score), to recognize them as an up-and-coming scoundrel and indulge in a little light blackmail to get the Three Pillars' assistance in getting rare ingredients for new dishes. Which the Three Pillars are reasonably happy to do, with the caveat that Smiler gets first taste of what results (which Chef Roselle is happy to agree to). Now, I'd already decided that the dish that Roselle is so keen to make would be the local equivalent of pineapple pizza (for the LOLs, and to give Smiler a chance to eat one of their favorite foods from the more modern AUs), so all I had to do was justify the pineapple's existence in Duskwall --

And then I came across a certain tumblr post showing off how pineapple skin is weirdly fire- and heat-resistant. Which contained within itself a link to another post about how 18th Century Europeans considered pineapples major status symbols (given they were new and exotic fruits from far-off lands and thus were worth up to $10,000 in modern money, so only the rich could really get their hands on them), and thus a whole business of allowing people to rent them to show off their wealth and make a splash at dinner parties and suchlike popped up. Cue me deciding that, okay, the local equivalent of pineapples in this universe is the Dragon's Bane fruit, named for its incredibly heat-resistant skin, which comes from the tropical Dagger Isles and is extremely hard to cultivate in Akoros's much colder climate. As a result, it's pretty damn expensive and considered a major status symbol by the rich, and some enterprising Dagger Isles merchants have set up a business allowing the upper classes to rent the fruit to show off to their buddies. Those merchants are not about to sell any fruit to Chef Roselle to be cooked, not without some proof that people will like the dish she's trying to make -- which puts her in a bit of a Catch-22 situation, as she can't prove people will like the dish without Dragon's Bane fruit to make it. So he turns to the Three Pillars, hiring them to get their hands on a Dragon's Bane however they can --

And oh, look at that, one Lord Rowan just rented one to show off at one of his parties. XD Cue the trio infiltrating the party and stealing the fruit, and Rowan being furious that they managed to get one over on him yet again. XD We do love humiliating the landlord of all of Six Towers over here!

-->Now, if you guys know anything about me, you know that, in addition to being the Queen of Valice and Valicer, I'm also a big Back To The Future fan -- that trilogy was my life for ages, and I still have a fondness for it and some of the related media (the Telltale Game in particular was freaking great -- the final episode of that was literally the only thing that could lure me away from Alice: Madness Returns when I first played it). So naturally I wanted to put Doc and Marty into my version of Duskwall! And while I was coming up with how they'd fit into the wider world (Doc in this universe is a Leech who travels around the city doing repairs in his motorized cart when he isn't working on his own inventions, with Marty as his assistant who aspires to be a great musician), I had a thought about doing a score with them. Not a time travel-related score, though -- rather, I wanted to explore the consequences of a rather poor decision Doc makes at the beginning of the first movie. You know, the whole "partnering with a Libyan terrorist group to steal plutonium, pretending to make them a bomb, and then giving them a dud made out of pinball machine parts while he took the plutonium to power his time machine" thing? The thing that nearly got him killed until Marty was able to use his accidental time travel to warn him? Yeah, that. I thought it might make for an interesting score if the Duskwall Doc had done something similar and wanted the Three Pillars' help in getting the gang he ripped off to leave him alone --

And then I thought, "Hey, wait a minute -- I was already planning on making the gang Doc ripped off Iruvian because that felt like the closest equivalent to Libyan in the setting...but the book already HAS a major Iruvian gang in there as one of the factions -- the Red Sashes! Why not make it so they're the ones Doc ripped off, and now the Three Pillars -- who have been desperately trying to avoid getting involved in that whole war between the Sashes and the Lampblacks in Crow's Foot -- have to help them in some way?"

And so I did! I haven't got the whole score planned out yet, but the gist of it is that Doc made a deal with the Red Sashes to get some parts he needed for an experiment in exchange for a bomb, only to give them a fake because he didn't want them to actually blow up anything and possibly kill people. The Red Sashes of course now want his blood, so Doc hires the Three Pillars to help him negotiate a deal that will keep him alive and poor Marty out of the line of fire. The Three Pillars are annoyed but take the job (Doc's offering them a decent amount of dosh, or possibly to build them something useful), and the Red Sashes task them with sabotaging the Lampblacks in some way. Maybe THEY'VE got their hands on a bomb, and the Sashes figure that, if Doc gave them a fake bomb to use against the Lampblacks, the least he can do is make sure the Lampblacks don't blow them up in turn? *shrug* I'm sure I'll figure it out when the time comes! Probably going to be a very tense score, that's for sure!

-->In contrast to the above, here's a fun, much more low-stakes score inspired by one of my favorite British TV shows -- Taskmaster! If you're unfamiliar with it, this is a comedy game show run by Greg Davies and Alex Horne, where each season five comedians go spend time in the Taskmaster house doing utterly ridiculous tasks. Greg watches back the footage of how they did and gives them points, and whoever gets the most points by the end of the season gets to take home a fake gold replica of his head. Oh, and each episode starts with an in-studio prize task, where contestants donate objects to win according to a certain theme, and whoever wins that particular episode gets to take all the objects home with them (if they so choose/are able to -- one contestant once offered HIMSELF as a prize. And then lost the episode. XD Phil Wang, I sincerely do hope you did end up spending a few days at James Acaster's place!). It's an incredibly funny show that I thoroughly recommend you check out -- and even better, it has its own YouTube channel, meaning even us Americans have an easy way to watch it! :D

Anyway -- how did I adapt this weirdness to Duskwall? Why, by making Greg and Alex the owners of a traveling Taskmaster carnival of sorts! They go around to various cities in the Imperium, find a place to set up, get the local gentry to donate some silly, moderately-valuable prizes according whatever theme they come up with, then get the local citizens to compete for them by doing a bunch of goofy tasks -- five people competing against each other per go. My idea for this was that the trio would come across Alex while he was scouting for contestants, learn about the whole thing, and go "you know what, sounds like fun" and sign up, competing against each other and two other citizens (who, like in my "Tasksaw" story, may in fact be the local equivalents of Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster XD). I was just wondering how best to do it, as of course if you're doing Taskmaster, you need a Taskmaster House to set the tasks in and around --

And then I was like, "hang on -- the trio live in Six Towers, a neighborhood that is known for having abandoned houses all over the shop. Maybe Greg and Alex take over one of those temporarily for their games?"

And then I was like, "Ooooh -- if they're doing that, then they'll have to get permission from Lord Rowan...who might see an opportunity to try and use them to get rid of the Three Pillars..."

So yes -- currently, things start out with the Taskmaster and his assistant arriving in town and going to Lord Rowan to get permission to use a house in Six Towers for their games. Lord Rowan grants permission (perhaps even contributes to the "prize task"), but lets them know that, if a certain trio come to compete, that he want them to "take care of them." Alex makes a note, and indeed Victor, Alice, and Smiler end up in the games --

And find that Alex is weirdly nice to them, in particular making sure they always have snacks and tea. Turns out Alex chose to interpret "take care of them" as "make sure they're having a good time," because the OTHER interpretation is against the spirit of the game, as the Taskmaster himself lets Lord Rowan know when the guy comes to complain that they're still alive. Greg is more than happy to MOCK contestants, sure, but MURDERING them? Come on, mate. Lord Rowan is VERY annoyed, as you can imagine. XD Of course, he may get some small consolation in that I can't guarantee that any of the trio are going to win their round, but I'm hoping not. XD The real fun of this one is going to be setting my three against some of the weirdest, best tasks from the show -- and there are a LOT of them, trust me. Gonna have to take some time and refresh my memory before writing this one!

-->While we're on the topic of scores and stories inspired by fun and silly stuff, how about one inspired by 2023's The Smiler Takeover at Alton Towers? This was an event that celebrated The Smiler coaster's tenth anniversary by having all the other rides get a bit of Smiler-related theming and setting up some fun stage shows around the coaster in X-Sector -- the Fear Test with Dr. Gladwell and Agent Joytide; Meet the Ministry with a contortionist and a magician; and The Celebration of Happiness with Felix E. Lated! Who, as you may recall, happens to be my Smiler's uncle. However, the thing about Felix is, while I was looking up stuff on the Takeover on YouTube, I discovered he had two very distinct looks during the event -- a brunet Felix with no glasses, and a blond one with glasses. The brunet Felix is the one who is Smiler's uncle (I saw him first, and he looks a bit more like the guy from the Smiler Shop TV video that serves as Smiler's adoptive dad, Matt), but while trying to come up with story ideas for the VITD verse, I thought I might be able to do something with the fact that there were two Felixes...

And cue the creation of a score where the trio are hired by some angry people who paid someone to entertain at their party, only for the guy to never show up. That someone being, apparently, Felix E. Lated. Causing the conversation to go like so:

Smiler: [nervous grin] Oh, uh -- sorry, there's a conflict of interest here. That's my uncle. Client: You're related to that blond bastard?! Smiler: ... [suddenly much more serious] My uncle has brown hair; can you describe this guy you hired?

Yup -- turns out there's a con man in town who is impersonating Felix despite not actually looking much like him, taking people's money for shows and then just never doing them. Smiler is of course like "well, this just became personal" and the trio get the help of the actual Felix to track this guy down and get the money back. I'm not sure how the actual tracking him down goes, but I do know that the score ends with Real Felix and Fake Felix having a sing-off --

And it turning out that Fake Felix can sing. Like, he's pretty much on-par with Real Felix. Smiler is immediately like "why don't you go legit and actually do the shows, you're good!" XD I don't know if Fake Felix will be convinced yet, but I wouldn't be opposed to the score ending with there being officially two Felix E. Lateds in town. XD

-->Time to return to "scores inspired by various video games I've played" -- now, you guys already know that when my friend Squid first got me into Baldur's Gate 3, my VITD trio immediately went "free real estate" and inspired me to come up with a crossover where they end up in the BG3 world thanks to Nautiloid Shenanigans, get infected, and have to find a way to get themselves and their new companions cured and get home (complete with Not-Incorrect Quote collection). However, I also came up with a much more standard score (aka no getting yanked into another universe necessary) inspired by the opening tutorial missions on the Nautiloid! This story starts with the trio being hired by a woodworker named Larian (known for his high-quality craftsmanship), who has been recently hired to make boxes for a group that he considers kind of shady. He wants the Three Pillars to look into what they're doing so he can figure out if he wants to keep working for them or not. The trio agrees and investigates, and finds that the boxes are being used to transport unconscious people for unknown purposes --

But partway through their investigation, they get separated, and Smiler is discovered, knocked out, and boxed up. Victor and Alice realize that they've been kidnapped and hide in some supply crates, and the trio all are transported to the bad guys' base. Smiler wakes up in the storage room for the people, manages to free themselves thanks to the lid not being nailed on correctly, and wanders around until they find some unfortunate dead guy sprawled in a chair with his brain exposed --

And the brain calling for help. And if you're thinking, "wait a minute, is this entire score an excuse to get Us into the canon Duskwall timeline," well, you're not entirely wrong. XD Anyway, Smiler successfully frees Us from their skull prison, and shortly thereafter reunites with Victor and Alice (who are somewhat concerned about the brain creature following Smiler around, but Smiler assures them it's friendly, and not their own brain, so...) Anyway, they find more experiments in their travels, and deduce that the bad guys are attempting to turn people into various Horrors, though they're not entirely sure why yet. They do agree that the group needs to be exposed, though, and start looking for a way off what they assume to be a regular boat --

And then suddenly the side of the vessel is clawed off by some demonic hands, and the trio abruptly realize they're in an airship hundreds of feet above the Void Sea. Well, that makes things more difficult. D: They flee to the helm as more devils start attacking, and find the leader of the bad guys fighting a large air demon -- apparently this guy made a deal with said demon to get this airship afloat and start making his Horrors (haven't actually DECIDED on the reason why, maybe it's just standard 'I want to take over the city mwahaha' bullshit), but has not appropriately satisfied the demon's dark desire in return. And when you fail to satisfy a demon's dark desire, they get to work toward your destruction, so... The trio quickly realize that the bad guys are going to be hoist by their own petard very shortly and resuming looking for an escape. Fortunately, the airship does have lifeboats on the side in case of emergency, and the trio and Us are able to scramble into one --

But, unfortunately, as they start lowering themselves down, the demons attacking the airship notice them and decide to start harassing them too, trying to knock them out of the boat just for fun. Leading to what I think is one of the more badass scenes I've come up with for the trio: Victor -- who, at this point, has figured out the Meta word to make things levitate, but has only levitated light stuff, like books -- clamping his hands onto the sides of the boat as Smiler holds Us safely on their lap, then looking at Alice and saying "Do it" --

And Alice, a la that moment in the Jules Verne Otherlands short, using her Vorpal Blade to slice all the ropes holding them up. Cue the boat plummeting toward the Void Sea below, and Victor desperately pushing himself as hard as he can to make the spell affect the boat so the drop isn't fucking fatal. He does succeed, but it takes a lot out of him --

And oh, I imagine this taking place after he's picked up his "Phobia" trauma of the Void Sea and everything in it, so the minute they land, he's also fighting off a panic attack. ...At least until Us starts eating his fear, leading him to be like "wtf why am I calm now." (Us: Spicy!) He actually appreciates it once they figure out what's going on (though Alice gently scolds Us to "ask first next time"), and they manage to get themselves back to shore as the airship crashes into the water. Cue the gang insisting Larian pay them more (which he is happy to do when they explain what they just went through), and getting a new "pet"/companion in Us, who -- as per their home canon -- uses their powers to disguise themselves as a kitty to the rest of the city. :) Because brain kitty is best kitty.

-->Like scores based on CRPGs that everyone agrees are some of the best games ever? Well, here's one based on everyone's favorite vampire game, Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines! Or, rather, the Unofficial Patch version of that game, as the score in question is based on one of the cut quests that the Unofficial Patch restores -- "Night At The Library!" If you're unfamiliar with it, this is a quest you get via e-mail from Beckett (after meeting Gary Golden and completing the "More Fun With Pestilence" sidequest Downtown), where he asks you to meet with an associate of his, Scott, in Santa Monica. Which leads you on a wander all around Santa Monica tracking down the notes Scott left behind, and then infiltrating the library Downtown to rescue him from a Sabbat ritual and kill the Lasombra overseeing it. It's a fun little quest, and I thought it might be amusing to inflict it on my crime trio. XD

So! The Duskwallian version of this nonsense (perhaps called "Eternal Night At The Library" because, well, Duskwall does have eternal night) starts with the trio meeting the visiting Beckett, who in this reality is one of the contacts for the Advocates -- they occasionally work together to help Beckett learn more about the history of the world and its forgotten gods. Beckett is still a vampire in this verse, but he's a BITD-style one, meaning he feeds on life essence instead of blood -- he's still got the classic cat-like red eyes and claws though, since I've decided he's from Tycheros, a land where everyone has demonic ancestry and thus demonic "tells" on their body. Anyway, the group is introduced, and Beckett asks if they'd be willing to go meet with his friend Scott in a smoke shop in Silkshore about a cult they've been investigating recently while he attends to business somewhere else in the city. The trio are game, and go to the shop --

Only to find Scott isn't there -- but he did leave a note. Which leads them to a coffee shop at the edge of Crow's Foot, where another note leads them to a particular pier on The Docks -- where Victor's ability to sense supernatural creatures helps them avoid an ambush by another vampire. They manage to defeat it (I'm thinking by knocking it into the water, as vampires are pretty damn tough opponents) and find a hastily-scrawled note stained with blood directing them to a library in Charterhall -- which, fortunately, was where Beckett was going anyway. So they catch up with him and bring him up to speed, and together they infiltrate the library and find a secret passage into a basement, where they discover poor Scott's life essence being used to fuel some dark ritual by a couple of members of the cult he was investigating. The gang and Beckett stop the ritual, and a fight ensues with the leader of the cult, who has control over a demon that lets him manipulate Shadows. It's a tough battle, but the trio and Beckett prevail, and Scott is saved. Beckett and Scott thank the trio for their help, and perhaps in addition to some Coin, the trio also get a Duskwallian version of one of the occult powerup items from the game -- Beckett may not actually hand any of them over in canon, but I'm sure he could get his hands on one of them!

-->And now a brief return to scores based on things I have not directly experienced but have read about, with a major story based on an episode of Leverage! Which, as I understand it, is an excellent show about people using their crime skills to help the helpless and take down corrupt rich bastards that I should be watching, but finding time for new things is unfortunately difficult. *sigh* Anyway -- one of the reasons that I'm aware of Leverage is that it has its own OT3 of Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer, and thus I keep running into it when I look up OT3/polyamory stuff (memorably, finding someone's Leverage OT3 video for the song "Parachute" led to it becoming one of my favorite songs for my Valicer trio -- and hilariously, I do specifically associate it with the VITD version XD). And looking up where a particular awesome gif set of the trio disarming a bomb came from led to me learning about the episode "The Rundown Job," where Hardison, Eliot, and Parker all have to stop someone from releasing a horrifying biological weapon on D.C. in a twisted attempt to prove that the United States is not equipped to deal with such an attack. I was like, "well, that's dark and I'd love to do something with that for VITD," but the idea wasn't quite gelling in my head as a disease-based threat --

And then I remembered Duskwall is a city full of ghosts and horrors, turned my thoughts toward the trio taking on a supernatural threat instead, and -- well. The story as it currently stands in my head starts with the trio having been arrested again (perhaps by the same guy from the "Rashomon"-style story, who now knows not to underestimate them) -- but while they're waiting interrogation, a Spirit Warden arrives and asks to talk to them. The request is granted, and the Warden proceeds to tell the three that one of their own has gone rogue and decided to solve the Shattered Isle's ghost problem once and for all --

By summoning a soul-devouring Horror to lay waste to the city. His fellow Wardens tried to tell him that the damn thing wouldn't stop with just eating the souls of the dead, it would consume every soul in the Shattered Isles, but he wouldn't listen, and now he's locked himself up in his house, preparing the ritual. The Spirit Wardens can't get inside because the guy has naturally warded his house against them, and this has happened so fast that they haven't been able to get any other factions to help (not to mention, they're not sure how effective the local Bluecoats really would BE against this thing). Plus they don't want to cause a panic by spreading the word around willy-nilly. And at this point, not only do the trio have a bit of a reputation as "freaking unkillable," the Spirit Wardens are well aware that they can do things like take down a Jabberwock in the Deathlands, so... The Warden gives Alice a special knife that can kill the Horror so long as it's still in the book that it's currently trapped in, draws them a quick map to the house from the police station, and helps them escape. The trio naturally BOOK it to the house and manage to work their way past traps both mundane (I of COURSE have to have my own version of the bomb defusing scene) and mystical, and make it to the basement to stop the guy --

But while they reach him in time to prevent him completing the ritual, he's managed to do enough of it that the Horror is partially free of the book and trying to claw its way out on its own. And with Alice and Smiler locked up in making sure the guy can't finish what he started, Victor does the only thing he can think of --

Throws himself on the book to keep it closed, sacrificing his soul to save Duskwall. Alice manages to finally knock the guy out not long thereafter and stabs the book, murdering the half-summoned Horror, but for a moment it looks like Victor's been Hollowed in his attempt to save the city...

Then he slumps to the floor, calling for Alice and Smiler in a weak voice. Turns out his soul wasn't entirely eaten (though he very much is suffering Level 3 "Soul Mostly Devoured" harm), and Alice and Smiler are able to get him home so Elder Gutknecht can have a look at him. Gutknecht tells them that it was a near thing, but there's enough of Victor's soul left to slowly regenerate, though it will take some time. Alice and Smiler are very grateful, though they do wonder why Victor's entire soul wasn't eaten --

Cue Victor whispering, "It couldn't...get past...the glass." Which Alice and Smiler realize in shock refers to the "unbreakable bell jar" they had Victor imagine around the core of himself back when they first started playing with hypnosis as a new polycule. AKA, their post-hypnotic suggestion (designed to make sure their games couldn't mess with his core personality) straight up saved his soul. As you might imagine, they have a lot of feelings about this, as do I. End of the score involves Alice and Smiler collecting their payment from the Spirit Wardens (which fortunately includes things like a vial of pure life essence that they can use to speed up Victor's recovery) and a lot of cuddling.

-->And finally, let's end with a story based on, and titled after, a song -- "Used To Be Young." I've talked before about how this particular Miley Cyrus song makes me think about the trio in their older years -- specifically, when they choose to retire -- so I figured, why not turn the music video into my head into an actual story? As per the linked post, the plot would focus around the trio's very last score as the Three Pillars, stealing something random from some rich toffs...and having a harder time than they expected thanks to not being as young as they used to be -- Victor nearly falls while climbing something and it takes him longer to recover; Alice isn't as fast on her feet while fighting some guards and gets hurt; Smiler -- actually, I'm not entirely sure how Smiler is affected yet, since they're the charming alchemist of the group, but I'll figure it out. XD Point is, while they pull off the job, it's more work than they expected, and a few injuries are suffered...

And while Smiler is patching them up back at their lair, Victor admits that he's not sure he can do this anymore. Some discussion reveals that it's been like 30 years since they first met and became the Three Pillars (putting them in their late 40s), and they all decide that that's MORE than enough time spent as career criminals. So they deliver the item to the client and ask them to please spread the word that the Three Pillars have officially retired. From there, they decide to check in on the greenhouse to see how that's going, and we get some major indications of how long it's been and how much they've affected the world around them. The specific ones I have in mind are:

a) The greenhouse being bigger than it used to be and absolutely FLOURISHING, with a whole staff of people tending to it

b) Six Towers in general being in much better shape, with working streetlamps, well-paved roads, and houses in much better repair

c) Smiler maybe encountering their now-elderly parents and letting them know that they're actually free to take over the shop they run for the Advocates now, giving them a happy retirement in Mar-Mal's grace

d) Alice DEFINITELY encountering the grown-up Angela and Charlie, who are now married and have at least one child, a baby girl named Beth -- who, yes, has a familiar rabbit doll

And after all that, the gang gets to go home, have supper, and head to bed, reminiscing on the good times and looking forward to the years ahead. :) Just a nice little epilogue showing that things have turned out very well for our favorite trio.

...yeah, that really went longer than I expected. XD But I hope that all impresses upon you just how much I love this universe and how much I want to write all the things for it. Hopefully you're with me in wanting to see what adventures the trio gets up to going forward! Now I just have to get this all into a rough timeline...

[tessa-liam]

Marabelle  

– Chapter 1 – My New Home 

The Royal Romance, an AU series 

Series Premise: An American teenager from New York city is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobles, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret? 

Prologue

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!OC (Sophia) 

Other Pairing: Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC (Daniel) 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Sophia Taylor and Bethany Beaumont. 

Rating: M*Warnings: this series will have NSFW material, crude language. Please excuse all errors. 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 1967, Read: 9 minutes 

Chapter 1 – Feels Like Home 

Chapter summary: Sophie begins her Cordonian adventure and moves in to House Beaumont. It all starts here. 

Music Inspiration:  Feels Like Home - Chantal Kreviazuk 

A/N: my submission for @choicesflashfics, Week #19, prompt #2- “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean it. You still said it.” @Choicesficwriterscreations 

A/N2: Bethany Beaumont, Maxwell’s mother, is originally from the US; is Barthelemy Beaumont’s 2nd wife. Annabelle Beaumont (deceased) was Bertrand’s mother. 

A/N3: my submission for @Choicesholidays Valentine’s Day Prompts - “my house is your house, and you know you’re always safe here.” #cfwc valentines 2023 

Marabelle  

Chapter 1: 

Waiting for her arrival, Sophie’s Aunt Bethany was standing at the doorway of the estate with tears in her eyes. 

Her beautiful niece was finally here. She remembered seeing this sweet girl at her sister’s (Sophie’s mother’s) funeral two weeks ago. 

As her sons Bertrand and Maxwell brought the luggage from the car to the door, Sophie walked towards her aunt. 

“Sophie, welcome my dear! I am so happy that you are here,” said Aunt Bethany as she moved forward to hug her niece. 

“Thank you, Auntie Beth. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you again!” replied Sophie, hugging her aunt. 

“I have missed you very much.” Even though her aunt could never replace her mother in her heart, she found comfort in her aunt’s embrace. 

As they embraced, Sophie could sense the sadness in her aunt’s heart. The loss of her sister had been a tremendous one for her; not only for Sophie. The last time her aunt saw Sophie’s mom alive, her mother had been very ill and died shortly after Bethany left to return to Cordonia. Sophie was a split image of a younger version of her mom and was sure that fact added to her sadness. 

“Mother, let us go inside and get Sophie settled.” Bertrand knew how long the flight was from New York and that she must be exhausted. 

“Oh yes! Of course, you must be jetlagged, and with the time difference...Maxwell please show her to her room.” 

 Maxwell took Sophie by the hand to lead her into the estate. “C’mon Soph, you are going to love your it here.” 

 Once inside the front doors, Sophie looked around taking it all in. Her aunt and uncle’s estate was like nothing she had ever seen before. 

It was huge! There were countless marble statues, fountains, sculptures, portraits; there was a grand staircase that led to another floor. 

There was also an enormous dining room, formal sitting room and even a ballroom. 

“Wow, this is incredible,” exclaimed Sophie, looking up at the high vaulted ceiling of the foyer. 

“Let me show you to your room Soph, it’s upstairs and to the right.” Maxwell leads her up the grand staircase as Bertrand directs the attendants to carry her luggage up the stairs. 

When they arrived at the door to her new room, Maxwell opened it with a flourish. She walked over to a large bay window overlooking the gardens below. It was breathtaking to look out beyond the gardens onto the many acres of vineyards. “This is for me?!” 

Oh. My. God. What a view! Sophie thought to herself. 

She noticed that there was a balcony off her room, which opened up to the outside.  "Look!"

Maxwell smiled, “After dinner, I will take you on a tour of the grounds.” Her cousin Maxwell was so welcoming, making every effort to ensure that she was comfortable in her new home. 

Sophie looked up at Maxwell, saying “thank you”, in a whisper and hugged him tightly. When they separated, Maxwell saw the unshed tears in her eyes. Lifting her chin with his thumb index finger, Maxwell assures her, “always remember, ‘my house is your house, and you know you’re always safe here’.” 

Understanding that his cousin was overwhelmed, Max left Sophie to relax and get acquainted with her new space at her own pace, in privacy. 

She walked around trying to decide where to start unpacking, when she heard her cell phone ring. Buried in her pile of luggage on the floor, she went over to find her carry-on bag. 

When she found her phone and saw who was calling, she fell back on her bed knocking over her stack of clothes in the excitement, “Daniel!”. 

Daniel, her best friend from New York, was a welcome voice from America. He was a faithful ally, who was a great listener and a source of support. He was a bit modest, but he would always listen to Sophie’s problems, never offering any advice because he didn’t want to tell someone what to do.  

Since he came out as gay last year, their friendship grew stronger. He was an important person to have in her life; her confidante, and she was his. 

“Hey,” she answered her phone. 

“It is so good to hear your voice, Sophie!” Daniel replied. 

“Dan, you have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice!” 

“Sophie, are you okay?” 

“Oh, yes I’m fine, everything is great here,” replied Sophie. 

“Really? You sound upset.” He knew her better than herself. 

��No, really, I am just tired.” 

Knowing his friend all too well, “What is wrong, Sophia?” 

“Everything is fine,” Sophie lied. “I guess I am just overwhelmed.” 

Hearing a knock on her door, she heard Maxwell singsong, “Sophie, dinner in 10...” 

“Thank you, Max, I will come down.” 

Daniel continued, “you don’t have to tell me anything now, but if you need to talk, I am always available.” 

“Okay, I will, thanks Daniel. I miss you!” 

“Miss you too, Soph.” 

*** 

When Sophie entered the dining room, the table was already set for dinner. A servant came to greet her and guided her to her seat. 

Bethany sat next to Sophie, with Maxwell sitting across from them. Bertrand was sitting at the head of the table. 

“How are your new accommodations? If you need anything, please let me know,” Bertrand inquired. 

“Oh, thank you, the room is beautiful, and huge,” Sophie looked delighted. 

“Well, you deserve every comfort,” her aunt smiled. 

“Will it always be so formal for meals?” Sophie asked while noticing all of the different cutlery set on the table in front of her. 

“Oh heavens, no!” chuckled her aunt. 

“Mother, it will be helpful for Sophia to become familiar with formal dining, now that she is in Cordonia.” 

“There is much to learn about your station, my dear.” 

“My station?” 

“You are ‘Lady Sophia Taylor of House Beaumont’, formerly of New York. Table etiquette is an essential trait to learn for court.” 

As Bethany sighed, Maxwell explained that whenever a guest would be joining them for dinner, Bertrand wanted to impress them. 

“Maxwell, must you always act like a child?” Bertrand scoffed, pinching his nose in distaste. 

Maxwell sarcastically countered back, “Yes, your majesty.”  

Bertrand sighed, “I didn’t mean it, Max!” 

“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean it. You still said it.” 

“Boys!!!” admonished Bethany. 

“Sophie, I am so happy there is another female in this house! 

Everyone turned to the sound of a throat clearing. 

“Am I interrupting something?” A tall man with dark brown, wavy hair and speaking with a Cordonian accent asked hesitantly. 

“Mr. Walker, thank you for coming.” Bertrand offered him a seat at the table, next to Maxwell. 

Maxwell started snickering when Drake asked, “why do I feel like I entered the twilight zone?” 

Bethany shook her head, sighing, “Sophia, sweetheart, I would like to introduce you to Drake, a good friend of Maxwell’s.” 

“Sophie is our cousin from New York,” Maxwell explains.  

Drake stands to shake her hand. 

“Drake, please call me Sophie.”  

“Nice to meet you Sophie, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Cordonia.” Drake smiles. 

“Sophie lives here now; she will be going to the U of C in the Fall,” Maxwell explains. 

“Really, well, it’s an impressive university, Sophie. You will enjoy it. What will you be studying?” 

“Thank you, I am starting my first year of an MBA degree.” 

As pleasant conversation continued, the dinner began, and Sophie tried everything. The food was delicious; using the utensils properly to Bertrand’s delight. 

“I am glad you enjoyed your meal, Sophie,” Bethany said after dessert. 

“Yes, I love Italian cuisine, especially pasta.” 

“Bravo, bravissimo,” Maxwell winks at Sophie. 

“Yes, well, Drake, let's move to my office to discuss the horses.” Bertrand stands motioning for Drake to follow him. 

“Mrs. Beaumont, thank you for dinner. Sophie, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you around.” 

*** 

Bertrand sat at his desk as he scrolled through the horses listed for sale at the horse ranch on his laptop. The horse that he wanted to buy for Sophie was available to be shown tomorrow. 

“Drake, would you mind accompanying me to the horse ranch tomorrow to see this horse for Sophie?” 

“Sure, sure, I can show you this horse,” answered Drake. 

“But, Sophie needs to be the one to choose her horse. The size and age of the horse are important factors for her.” 

Bertrand continues, “I understand that, but this horse will be ready to be shown tomorrow. I know its short notice, but I know Sophie would love to take a horse home with her.” 

“It’s important that Sophie ‘connects’ with the horse and that they are compatible.

Look, the owner of the horse ranch is a buddy of mine. I will be at the polo match tomorrow morning and the horse ranch is close by. I can personally help to match her to a horse that she would be happy with.” 

“I trust your judgement, Drake.” 

“It’s my pleasure. Thank you, Bertrand. I appreciate it.” 

*** 

After touring the grounds of the estate, Sophie went up to her room. She changed into her pajamas and lay down on her bed. 

She stared at the ceiling listening to music on her phone.

She cried herself to sleep. 

Her thoughts were filled with the day’s events, and then ....she thought about her mother’s death and about how sad she was when she died. 

*** 

Sophie awoke the next morning to a knock on her door. 

“Sophia, breakfast is being served downstairs in 30 minutes.”  

“Thank you, auntie.” 

While eating breakfast, Sophie talked to her aunt about the horse showing. 

“I want to be able to ride the horse before making any commitments.” 

“I know, I just worry about you Sophie.” 

“I’m fine, Auntie Beth, I promise. This isn’t the first time I’ve been around horses. I think I will be okay.” 

“I know you will, sweetie.” 

“Max, can you come with me to the horse ranch? 

“Of course, I am coming!” 

“Thanks, Max” 

*** 

Sophie, Maxwell and Bertrand drove to the horse ranch which was approximately 30 minutes away from Ramsford. 

Along the way, the town car passed the entrance to the CRPC; The Cordonian Royal Polo Club. 

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed: @kingliam2019 @twinkleallnight @xpandass420x @queenmiarys @harleybeaumont @busywoman @marietrinmimi @angelasscribbles @imashybish @karahalloway @703cowbarn @surrenderronnie1 @txemrn @ao719 @delmissesryan @kyra75 @mom2000aggie @writing-not @princess-geek

[cryinginmyroomsposts]

Be My Valentine | Ch- 2  It’s a Success!

pairing: Vernon x reader

genre: fluff, angst, slight crack, friends to lovers, non-idol!au, college au

summary: College was hard enough and the thought of spending Valentine’s Day alone and sad was not your style. And the best solution was to go on a platonic date with your best friend Vernon. It goes so well that it becomes a tradition until it gets messy… nothing ever goes wrong by pretend-dating your best friend right?

prev chapter | masterlist | next chapter

wordcount: 2.6k

a/n: So glad for the positive reaction to Chapter 1, hope you like this as well. Would love to hear your feedback about this!

pictures from Pinterest!

I am going to murder Vernon, ugh!

That is the singular thought in your brain as you stare at the tickets in your hand- a ticket to the amusement park in the city.

After the showdown of his "rejecting" your very public proposal hours prior, he got excited to plan the platonic date. You regretted the minute you agreed to let him do it, losing bets to Vernon was getting very annoying for you.

In your defence you could never say no to his smile- his whole face really did light up and his eyes disappeared into thin crescents.

"UGH!"

You groan out loud for the fifth time since he gave the tickets two hours back- 10 minutes after the drama at the library. It still surprises you how he had the amusement park tickets for the 14th of February ready. The previous day you had texted him at 3 am in the morning so he couldn't have bought the tickets before you met him in the library at 10 am.

Oh shit. What if he had another plan?

Did Vernon have a date that you didn't even bother to ask about? But then he could've easily said so, why did he agree? Even if he did have a date- probably a first date, why on earth did he plan an amusement park date?

Another groan involuntarily leaves your throat. This was not what you had in mind when you suggested this platonic date. You just wanted to have a nice dinner, some luxurious wine and get the couple's discount by pretending to be a couple. But of course, Vernon had to choose the one place you would hate.

Sigh. It's going to be a long weekend.

The next couple of days were surely one of the longest and most dreadful days of your life. Vernon on the other hand had seemed way too chirpy and happy the entire time. He constantly had a shit-eating grin on his face, even when he almost failed a pop quiz trying to tease you about the dangerous rides. But once he sees the panic rising on your face he always drops the teasing and comforts you- usually with food, which worked efficiently.

As the day came closer you kept begging Vernon to change the plan but he refused to budge. He did however agree to take you on one only one of the big rides- the rollercoaster.

Which is the reason for your current turmoil- to eat or to not eat. Throwing up definitely would not be ideal for a platonic date but you didn’t want to starve either.

After a good half an hour of pacing around your dorm room and eventually giving up on food, you dress in your most comfortable outfit. You wait in the room until your roommate and other friends leave for their V-Day plans, not wanting to be questioned about your outfit choices and plans for the night. You did not want to relive the taunting that you got from your roommate while explaining the whole ordeal. According to her, platonic dates between best friends never end well, but little does she know how close and amazing you and Vernon are.

Haters gonna hate hmmph!

*ping*

The notification interrupts your train of thought and you see a message from Vernon.

Come down. Don't be late.

Always the charmer.

Gathering your things you go down to the dorm entrance to see Vernon standing in his black hoodie and jeans, hands in his pockets and hair all fluffed up as he paces around looking at the ground.

"Hey", you drawl out as you reach him. He looks up and smiles his brilliant hundred-watt smile, cheeks pink from the cold and those cute crescent eyes coming out in full glory.

"Hey there. Ready to go?"

You nod nervously, "More than I'll ever be."

He holds your hand in his, rubbing circles around your palm to calm you down. He started doing this accidentally when he first saw you having a panic attack in your first semester. It has been a constant habit since.

Walking along in silence, hands still intertwined, you reach the amusement park ten minutes later. You had seen it before from the outside but nothing could’ve prepared you for how big the whole place was. There must have been a dozen giant rides including a roller coaster, a giant wheel, those rocking boats and even a pretty carousel. There also seemed to be a lot of smaller stalls with games like claw machines, hoop games and more filled with plushies as prizes.

That’s definitely one thing I want to do today.

You felt kinda good about this, so you turn to look up at Vernon’s face and he is looking around all excited. Smiling at the rides with childlike wonder with his mouth wide open in a gorgeous smile and his eyes lit up with excitement.

Your stomach rumbles and before you overthink about it, you disregard it as hunger.

He finally looks down at you and his eyes are immediately filled with concern.

“Hey is this really okay with you? Or do you want to go somewhere else?” He enquires in his soft, low voice.

Even if you weren’t okay with this you would never have the heart to deprive him of this experience which he clearly wants so bad. For god’s sake, he even had the tickets ready with him. Plus this place was not filled with as many over-emotional and horny couples as most other places tonight.

“Yeah, I’m good. This looks really fun!” You say with all the enthusiasm you can muster but he catches on to the slight tremor in your voice and doesn’t look entirely convinced.

You sigh and turn fully toward him and hold both his hands in yours. “I’ll be fine. This doesn’t look half as scary as I thought it would be. Don’t worry so much Vernon. Now let’s go and enjoy our platonic date”

You flash him your most sincere smile and he nods in acceptance as he returns the smile to you.

After looking at all the rides both of you decide to get over with the scary ones first- you eventually gave in and agreed to do them all (blame Vernon’s puppy-dog eyes). After those, you both decide on having food and end the night with fun small games.

Starting with the giant Ferris wheel and doing the roller coaster and pendulum boat ride all back to back definitely was not a good idea but you powered through them all by literally clinging to Vernon for support the whole time. While he was laughing and screaming in pure joy and thrill, looking funny and cute at the same time, you were screaming for your life out of pure joy- pretty sure you looked horrendous in comparison.

But all the junk food and the three plushies you won at the smaller stalls later definitely made up for the anxiety. Especially watching Vernon, the renowned genius, struggle with the claw machine as he tried to win you the yellow chick rabbit plushie made you giddy with happiness.

After a long time, this entire evening was spent without both of you bickering with each other. You still did taunt him at every opportunity you got- after you were done being shit scared. He was happy and talkative the whole time- a rare sight indeed. His exuberant smiles and excited shouts, when you both won the whack-a-mole game, were priceless.

This was definitely one of my best ideas. EVER.

You feel proud of your ‘genius’ as you walk back to the campus with Vernon, both of you silently enjoying your ice creams. You see him trying to balance two of the plushies you had won earlier as he tried not to drop the ice cream or the plushies. You smile to yourself, glad this evening went happily for both of you, while hugging the other plushie both of you won.

“Loser, don’t smile at my misery.”

You hear him whine as he catches your smile, mistaking it for mocking. You turn to him and hit him in the arm with the plushie that you’re holding. Before he can retaliate, you take a big bite of your strawberry ice and stick your tongue out at Vernon in mock.

He mirrors your action and you see his tongue is blue from the blueberry cola he is having.

Both of you look at each other for a moment- weirdly coloured tongues sticking out at each other like kids and burst out laughing. You keep walking while laughing like idiots and eventually come near your dorm gates.

Both of you reach a natural stop when you’re a little away from the actual gate. There are crowds of some girls, all dressed up, coming back from their dates and there are also girls in their sweats bringing in takeout to the dorms.

You both lean on the wall near the compound of the dorms, a usual spot for the two of you, finally done with the ice creams and just standing in comfortable silence.

The silence was always comfortable with Vernon, everything was honestly.

“Hey y/n..?” His voice is low and uncertain.

You hum in acknowledgment as you turn to look at him from the plushie in your hand.

“How was the 'platonic' Valentine’s date?"

He looks and sounds extremely nervous, although it’s only noticeable because you are attuned to every change in his tone and his micro-expressions. The slight shake in his voice, the little gulp afterwards and the death grip on the plushies in both of his hands gave it away this time.

You give him a reassuring smile and say your honest thoughts- which is essentially a ramble of every incoherent thought forming in your brain.

“I had an amazing evening! Never thought I’d actually enjoy going to an amusement park in my life. It’s my first time riding a carousel since I was 5 and I loved every second of it. The highlight was definitely those waffles and ice cream. Oh, and winning the plushies was Definitely a huge plus point. I am a genius! This is probably the most genius thing I’ve done in my life. I’m actually very happy. Why aren’t you saying anything?“

You finally end the ramble realising he was very silent and in all your animated rambling while cuddling the cute plushie in your hands, you forgot to check on Vernon.

But there he is, smiling as he stares at you. One corner of his mouth slightly tipped higher than the other, his mouth making a gorgeous bow shape, showing off his teeth and a small strand of hair falling on his face. Just as you can try to move it back he does it himself and for a second your stomach rumbles again as he runs his fingers through his hair- still smiling big.

“How do you always talk so much ?” He half questions and half laughs. You find yourself also smiling involuntarily and immediately straighten up to mock glare at him.

“Oh please! As if you didn’t talk for an hour straight during the rides… that too about your coding projects of all things!”

He smiles a little more brightly at this and sighs happily. “I was doing that to calm you down loser.”

His face is soft and his voice low and deep.

Cue stomach rumbling.

I really need to figure out what’s wrong with my stomach today.

Taking a mental note to visit the health centre the next day, you smile at him. Vernon might be an annoying nerdy idiot but he always cares… a lot.

Checking your watch you decide to head back as it’s almost 10 pm. Just as you bid bye to Vernon, who looks almost disappointed at that, he stops you.

“Do you not want the plushies ?” He questions holding out the plushies in his hand and looking at you earnestly.

“Don’t you want one?” You question back seeing how he’s ready to give both to you.

He considers the question for a minute before breaking out into another of his 'I have a good idea' smiles.

Uh Oh.

“Okayyy, I have an idea… you take the yellow chick one cuz you obviously want it-“, he points to the one in my hand and I nod.

“- I take the unicorn plushie”, he holds up the purple unicorn plushie in his right hand.

“- and the little puppy one…”, his eyes are gleaming so brightly as he looks at the cute puppy plushie in his left hand.

“If you want you can have it." You say hurriedly seeing that he clearly loves it.

He looks confused for a second then pouts as he shakes his head side to side in disagreement.

“No no, I was going to say let’s share it. Every Valentine’s Day we will exchange it. So I'll keep it until our date next year.”

To say he looks proud is an understatement. He might always well have won a Nobel prize the way he is grinning ear to ear. You feel a ball of anxiety rise up from your stomach and you push it back down taking a deep breath.

“Hmm not a bad idea but wait... does this mean we are doing this again next year?”

“Yeah, why not! This one was fun and I don’t mind making this a tradition.” He shrugs casually.

You consider it for a moment, it was not a bad idea. You were touched he wants a tradition with you but you were worried it is going to become complicated eventually. Because what happens when he finds someone better to spend the day with... or if you find someone else, although the chances seem minuscule. You wouldn't mind making this day about your friendship with Vernon, but it still feels like a lot.

Your stomach is rumbling again and you gulp before smiling back at Vernon's expectant face. You really cannot say no to his eager, puppy-dog eyes and that damn smile. The same face that led to him sitting with you on the first day and the face that made you lose so many bets and perform the embarrassing penalties that usually followed.

"Is that a yes?" He is in peak puppy-dog mode and looks at you with all the adoration and something else that you can't quite figure out.

You sigh as you nod to signal yes as you see him reach another level of happiness.

Your roommate’s warning echoes in your head- “Dates with your 'best friend' never end well. I hope neither of you ends up breaking each other’s hearts in this process.”

I can’t break Vernon’s heart. I won't. I shouldn't.

Your stomach does another rumble as you push back the anxious thought and look up to see a very excited Vernon. The smile comes naturally on your face and the only thing that matters is his happiness. It is always him who goes above and beyond for you so the least you can give him is this.

He hands the puppy plushie to you to keep until next year and says, “I can’t believe I’m saying it but your idea was a success. Looking forward to our next date Loser!”

Hours later, you still feel giddy and you hug the plushies tight thinking about the events of the evening as you drift off into sleep with a smile on your face.

[beck404]

After All These Years

Chapter One — A Really Bad Date Story

A/N: Hey!! I'm really excited to finally start writing my very first AU series! I really really hope you guys enjoy this :) pls let me know what you think!

Word Count: 2k+

MASTERLIST  -  SEND ME A REQUEST

Valentine’s Day, the day of the year people celebrate their love. 

Charlie was feeling really nervous. It was the first time in a while he had a Valentine and he really wanted to impress him. They met a couple of nights ago at a bar, and Charlie doesn’t usually ask someone out for valentine’s after meeting them just the one time, but they really seemed to get along so he thought ‘why not’.

He had a few ideas for tonight, but none of them were good enough. Or so Charlie thought. He looked at his phone and realized he was running out of time “Why do I always end up deciding everything at the last minute” he thought, feeling a little frustrated with himself.

“Picnic it is” he finally decided. He kind of knew how he wanted this to turn out, so it was a little easier to put together. He gathered everything he needed and called his date. He didn’t pick up. It ‘s ok, he can text him.

(2:58 PM) Charlie - Hey! I don’t know if you’re busy right now but I just wanted to tell you that everything is ready for tonight. See you in South Winter Lake at 8pm!

Two hours later and he still hasn’t texted back. It was now 5 PM and Charlie didn’t know what to do. What if this guy doesn't show up for their date? He decided to go to the lake anyway to set everything up and hope for the best. 

It took a while but he was finally done, everything was ready and he thought he did a good job. He looked at his phone. It was 6:·30 PM and still no signs from his date. He was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with this feeling. He was genuinely sad.

“Not again” he thought to himself. This has happened before, a couple of times actually. At this point he thought he shouldn’t be surprised at all, but he still couldn’t help but feel sadness above everything else.

Something pulled him out of his head. He heard his phone and quickly reached for it. It was a text, it was him.

(6:36 PM) Chris - Hi Charlie! I’m so sorry but i don’t think i can be there tonight, something came up and my plans have changed. We can go out some other time though. And again, I'm so sorry, see you next time!

And it happened again. He stared at his phone thinking about what to say, he didn’t wanna seem like it hurt him as much as it did, they just met a couple of days ago anyway. After typing and deleting a few times, he decided to just be polite.

(6:39 PM) Charlie - Hey don’t worry, next time it is!

He picked up everything, threw it in his car and started driving back home. He didn’t know what to do, Elle and Tao were out of town, Aled had plans and Nick… he didn’t know about Nick, but he was sure he had a date, he usually did. 

He was used to that, and it was okay, even though he didn’t really understand why that happened. He never went too deep into that cause he really didn’t wanna open that door, he could never close it.

After a few kilometers of driving, Charlie heard his phone again, but he couldn't see it. He tried looking for it but then remembered ‘it’s in the trunk’. He stopped to look for his phone. It wasn’t ringing anymore but he needed it anyway. Once he finally found it he saw a missing call from Nick. He was extremely confused, why was Nick calling him while he was on a date? Maybe it was an emergency, so he immediately called him back.

“Hey Nick?” He said, the desperation in his voice was a little obvious 

“Oh- hi Charlie” he sounded weird, different from usual 

“Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, um- I was just wondering if you still have that Spider Man video game”

“Oh yeah. Um- do you want it?” Charlie asked, relieved it wasn’t an emergency, but still a little confused as to why Nick would need a video game right now

“If you’re not busy right now-”

“NO! I can drop it off at your house” He replied, turning on the engine of his car to get back on the road

“Yeah that would be fine, but I could-”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon”

“Oh- ok, thanks”

He then hung up and started driving to his house as fast as he could. He got there and only had time to grab the game and then leave. 

Charlie had always had a thing for Nick, especially back in school but he eventually left for university and didn’t see each other as much. That was until they both moved to the same neighbourhood and became really close friends. But right now, he wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but it was something. He never said or tried anything, he could never have a chance with someone like Nick, and he was sure Nick didn’t feel the same way and Charlie didn’t wanna ruin their friendship out of curiosity.

When he was arriving Charlie parked his car and saw Nick waiting for him in the front door.

“Hey! I’m sorry I took so long” he said getting out of the car, Nick just laughed as he saw his friend struggle to get out of the car.

“It’s ok, I have a lot of time” the blonde paid attention to Charlie’s outfit, he was visibly worried “Were you on a date? Charlie I’m so sorry, I really shouldn't have called you”

“Well, you saved me actually” he said as they both entered the house

“I did?” Nick raised his eyebrows in confusion

“He stood me up”

“Oh Charlie I’m-”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to be sorry, his loss” Nick couldn’t help but laugh

“You’re right” 

“What about you? Shouldn’t you be on a date right now?”

“No, not this time”

“So Nick Nelson is just playing a Spider Man video game for valentine’s this year?”

“Yeah well… you know, I’ve been really busy with work lately” He said as he looked down

“Oh… well it’s not like we need dates, I mean it is absolutely ridiculous if you think about it, why is Valentine’s Day such a big deal? Like you can go out any other day, you can show love every single day, we don’t need Valentine’s Day, so don’t worry about it” Nick just laughed, but he knew Charlie was right

“I know right? The world should stop making a big deal out of it. Valentine’s Day is just a thing so they can charge twice as much for champagne”

“And why worry about dates and all when you can just play with your friends” He said pulling out the video game Nick had asked for

“Exactly” Nick laughed as he took the game from Charlie

“Anyway, are you hungry? I have a lot of food… and overpriced wine” Nick laughed again

“Yeah, I could use some of that”

“Good cause I have a whole picnic in my car”

“A picnic? You planned a picnic for your date?”

“Yeah… it’s not a big deal”

“Charlie-”

“Could you help me with everything? It’s in my car” Charlie asked him in a serious tone, and Nick just nodded and followed his friend 

They got everything and decided it would be nice to set it up in the back, so that’s what they did. Once it was done they just sat there, ate everything, drank everything and talked about whatever they could think about. And the hot topic of the moment was really bad dates.

“He stole my watch and I didn’t notice until I left the train station” Nick said a little embarrassed but laughing at the situation

“No way!” Charlie replied, laughing a little harder than he should have. “How did you not notice immediately?”

“There are clocks at the train station! I didn’t need to look at my watch to know the time” And Charlie was laughing even harder “Plus, I didn’t think I would need to cheek if he stole something from me”

“Ok fine, you win, that definitely sucks” Charlie replied trying to calm down “Sounds like you should date me instead, I have never stolen anything from my boyfriends” Charlie said jokingly, as he poured himself another glass of wine

“Maybe” Nick said laughing. Charlie’s heart stopped. He knew Nick was joking but that made him feel way more nervous than he would like to admit

“Um- it’s getting kinda late” he said putting the glass down, he probably had way too much wine anyway “I know you have work in the morning”

“Oh- yeah… yeah you’re right” Nick replied with a low voice

“You can keep the rest of the food, I know I’m not gonna eat it if I take it back home” Charlie said standing up and gathering a few things.

He didn’t wanna leave like this but after feeling the way he did with just one maybe he knew he had to. He didn’t wanna embarrass himself tonight, not in front of Nick. He put everything back in his basket and was ready to walk out.

“Charlie-” He takes the basket from Charlie’s hands and tries to talk to him 

“Nick, it really is late” Charlie said with a smile, trying to make it less obvious he was screaming inside

“Alright” Nick smiled, looking at the time and realizing how late it was “I just… I had a lot of fun tonight, we should definitely do this again”

“We will, you bring the wine next time tho” They were laughing again as they walked towards the door and Nick was still carrying Charlie’s stuff. Charlie opened his trunk

“You probably shouldn’t drive right now”

“Oh…” he said frustrated, he just wanted to get home “It’s ok, I can just walk home” Charlie closed his trunk and locked his car, trying to take the rest of his stuff from Nick 

“I’ll walk with you” Nick said taking a step back, preventing Charlie from taking his basket

“You don’t have to-”

“C’mon, I’m not gonna let you walk alone with a whole bottle of wine in your system” Nick joked, but he really meant it when he said would never let Charlie walk alone so late at night 

“Hey, you drank like half of it” He said punching his arm playfully 

They lived close, so it wasn’t a long walk, but for Charlie it felt like they walked for hours. He was feeling anxious and he wasn’t exactly sure why. Nick was right, they had a really good time tonight, so why ruin it for no reason? 

They finally arrived to Charlie’s place “Thank you for walking with me” he said finally taking the basket from Nick’s hands

“I had to make sure you didn’t steal anything” They tried to laugh as quiet as possible, but being drunk who knew how loud they were actually being “Thank you for dinner, I hope this doesn’t end up being a ‘really bad date’ story”

There it was again, that same feeling. Charlie knew Nick was bisexual, he heard that when he went to university and years later Nick told him himself, but he never considered the possibility of being with him. He didn’t even know this was a date to begin with.

“I was hoping the same thing, I wouldn’t want you telling people I was so drunk you had to walk me home” Charlie said as they both let out a laugh, feeling somewhat relieved Nick didn't think he was a complete loser

Nick was happy, and it really showed “I’ll call you in the morning” he simply said, waving goodbye as he made his way back home “Good night Charlie! Thanks for everything!”

“Be careful! Let me know when you’re home!”

“I will! Bye!” 

Charlie stayed there, watching Nick walk home until he couldn’t see him anymore. Once he went inside he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Immediately he went to bed, he was exhausted and feeling a little lightheaded. He stared at the ceiling until he heard his phone ring next to him. He smiled unconsciously cause he knew exactly who it was.

(12:19 PM) Nick - I’m home! I had a great time tonight, thank you :) 

'Oh no'

[vampstel]

Haha I'm back from school More asks even though it's Past Valentine's Day (Last one for now ^^;) 1. How would Past Rei (Before Transition) and Lawrence feel about their present self? 2. How does Rei feel about his Mother Now? 3. How Do Rei and Lawrence feel about The "Gay" Stereotypes? 4. How many AUs Do you have of them? 5. What are their Likes? (List as many as you please) 6. What made them grow out their hair (If they had any reason) 7. What Skills do they have that nobody knows of? -Dreamist

A little late to these but better late than never

1. I feel like Past Rei would be very shocked by his present self. Past Rei is timid, insecure and unsure of who he is while Present Rei expresses himself confidently and talks so eloquently. It amazes him to see how his older self is thriving and it gives him hope that his life will be better some day. Past Rei and Present Rei interacting would be so sweet and sappy. I just imagine Rei reassuring his past self that everything will be okay and— wuUUUUUU 😭😭

Past Lawrence would be even more shocked at his present self. Past Lawrence is an absolute sweetheart, very extroverted and a little clumsy at times while Present Lawrence is the complete opposite of that. His present self is more brash, strict, but elegant. Past Lawrence would be gushing about how cool his older self is, and I think present Lawrence would be a little embarrassed about it but he finds it endearing. Even if he’s become a bit of a jackass, he‘s still a softie at heart just like his younger self.

2. Rei feels indifferent to her now. What once was anger, fear, and hatred, turned into nothing. Maybe a little sympathy but that’s it. He’s cut ties with Ryoko completely and so has his father. They’ve both shut that chapter in their lives happily.

3. Depends what stereotypes we’re talking about but I think they’d both find them hilarious. Some stereotypes fit them and they like to point and laugh at each other about it LOL

Just imagine Rei scrolling through social media and he starts snickering cause he sees a post about a bi stereotype that fits Lawrence to a T. Or imagine Lawrence trying to contain his laughter when he sees Rei do the most stereotypical, gayest thing he’s ever done. I love them SO much they’re so cute

4. GOD... WHERE DO I START?? The first AU I had of them was Genshin, of course, since that's where Rei used to be. Then I have the vampire AU because “Lawrence is inspired by Alucard, might as well imagine him being a vampire as a joke.” and it stopped being a joke. At one point, I had an AU where Lawrence was a bard that fell in love with merman Rei. Then an AU where both of them are royalty and got married for the sake of their kingdoms. It ends with them falling in love with each other

The one I’ve been writing about the most is the Vampire AU. The two husbands have an interesting dynamic in that AU and I kinda want share it someday...

5. Rei and Lawrence both like sweets (Lawrence doesn’t like to admit it though). They’re also both cat people. Lawrence really likes history, mystery books, and coffee. Rei really likes mythology, flowers (blue roses especially), and strawberries

6. Rei always liked having long hair, but had to cut it short due to gender dysphoria. Once he started hormone therapy, he grew out his hair again. Sometimes he cuts it shoulder length (like my icon) since his hair grows out fast. Lawrence had pretty long hair as a kid and liked how he resembles his mother because of it. So he refuses to have it cut short, especially now that he’s an adult and his mother is deceased

7. Lawrence has this odd skill with spinning his conductor’s baton (which, of course, he doesn’t do while conducting). He does it as a stim and only Rei has seen him do it. Rei’s got almost inhumane hearing and it’s insane. There’s this one video of Zenitsu’s VA where he guesses the right amount of money that drops to the floor. I associate Rei and Allen with that video

[polipiper]

Obliviate 

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader Theme: Hogwarts AU Genre: Fluff, Angst, Smut

Summary:

During Harry’s time in Hogwarts, and after, there were many tales that nobody talked about in the magic world. Stories that were soon forgotten, or ignored due to the battles involving the magic trio and he who must not be named.

But there is one that was worth remembering, an unconventional story of a boy and a girl that had nothing in common, but fought until the very last minute together.

Chapter 3: Fresh Air

1 drop. 2 drops. 3 drops. Stir.

Swish. Flick. Up. Down.

Ganymede. Callisto. Europa.

It all became repetitive. Like a mantra. Other words to fill your mind, ease the pain and forget about that day. It shouldn’t bother you, you know it shouldn’t but it did any way. With Cho back everything was supposed to be easier, but it only got worse for some odd reason. She became more silent, and only smiling when she had to (either you or someone else would try to make a joke to help with the tension around the room). Nothing made sense, it’s like the Christmas break brought more trouble than it should have.

It was just first year, you were just 11 years old, and all this blood status and failed friendships just became too much for a girl.

You had to talk to Cho, you promised you would be civil about this situation so you will solve this right now. You walked around the castle to find her and talk about the Christmas break and the past weeks because what the hell was that? It was almost Valentine’s Day, a day you like to cherish your friends.

What changed? Were you a really bad friend or was this all just a misunderstanding? What if you were exaggerating and Cho was just having a bad time of her own? …oh no, then you ARE a terrible friend.

“Hey idiot!”. Oh no, you must be kidding me, you thought after hearing his voice. “Why are you walking around like a maniac? Do muggles walk like that too?”.

“I don’t have any time for your nonsense Min, so shut up”. You replied to Min Yoongi, who was sitting in a bench outside with other Slytherins, including Jin.

“Oi Min, let her be, you know muggle borns can be quite…clumsy, even about the easiest things”. Jin joined the teasing, great. Now you had to deal with more of them.

“Is there any time of the day that you don’t act like a wild nonsense pair of hyenas?”. You stopped and looked at them straight in the eyes, Min looking quite displeased. “Like I said, I don’t have time for your childish behavior and lame replies, have a great day”. You continued to walk away from them, you were still sensitive about that Christmas incident and will definitely avoid hearing more from those two.

It’s like they were the only ones with a voice though, maybe the rest of the Slytherins weren’t that bad…or they were just probably cowards. Something told you it was the latter.

After a long trip around the castle you couldn’t find her anywhere, you stopped by the lake to rest some time and found a nice spot in the trees, but seemed like someone else had the same thought as you. You had an internal battle, you were going to walk away but decide against it, you were really tired so you got closer to the tree that was just beside the lake.

“Heavens, you startled me”. The boy seemed like he was talking a long and peaceful nap.

“I’m really sorry, I saw you but I was tired and still wanted to come around here. I should leave and let you rest”.

He lazily smiled at you, seeming like still trying to wake up. “Oh don’t be, I should probably get back anyway, I think I overslept but hey…totally worth it. If you think about it I already warmed up the place for you”.

You both laughed while he stood up and extended his hand. “My name is Fred, by the way. Fred Weasley”.

“Nice meeting you Fred, I’m Y/N. Sorry again, it wasn’t my intention”.

“Yeah, I’m totally getting revenge one day”. You both laughed again at his attempt to sound dangerous, he seemed like a nice person. “Guess I will see you around Y/N. But hopefully not at my nap time, you’ll ruin my beauty sleep one of these days”.

“I’ll do my best to not disturb this incredible important time Fred”.

“You’re saying it’s important, hm? Do you think I really need that?”.

Of course you panicked, do you say ‘yes’ and sound rude? Or say ‘no’ trying to be nice with him but with the chance of embarrass yourself?

“I’m just messing with you Y/N”. Oh no, he noticed your little panick attack. “Of course I don’t need such thing”. Huh?

“Right…”. You couldn’t help but laugh again, someone finally talked to you and was being nice about it.

“I’ll let you do your thing I guess, it’s getting late so try no to spend the rest of the night here. See ya Y/N!”.

You had the place for yourself and use this time to cool off and think straight, nothing made sense, it was all random and unnecessary drama. At least you made a new friend…or rather met someone new, you couldn’t call him a friend…yet? You saw he was a Gryffindor because of his robes, but don’t remember seeing him in any class so he was probably in a different year.

You were about to fall asleep until it was your time to be startled by someone. “You’re definitely hard to find Y/N”. Cho said to you and giggled. “But it seems like we were both trying to find each other, Marietta told me she saw you asking for me”.

“Wait you were looking for me too? I can’t believe this”. You both laughed and she sat next to you, she seemed more relieved than the previous days.

“Can we talk? I feel like I owe you an apology”

“We can always talk Cho, and it’s not like you owe me an apology but I’d like to know what’s going on”.

She released a big sigh. “I was getting scared, you know? It’s kind of related to Namjoon, he’s kind of ignoring me too which I find totally heartbreaking. I was getting angry at him for doing that to you, I tried to push the topic any time I could but he wouldn’t give in. That’s probably the reason why he’s avoiding me, he told me he would let this all go in some time but I pushed anyway because I missed being us three. We’ve been friends since we were…5? Or at least since I can remember. I was angry, now I am honestly sad. I’ve been doing some thinking and didn’t realize I was pushing you away too. So yeah, I do owe you an apology Y/N”.

“I understand how you’re feeling, it must be really sad since you’ve known him since forever and not understand at all. But something is telling me he will come around”.

She offered you a hug which you happily accepted.

She asked you about your Christmas break and the past weeks, you didn’t want to tell her at first but she was your friend and you needed to let it out.

“I can’t believe that boy. We never properly met before Hogwarts, at least didn’t cross words. He’s mean to everyone, it must be so sad to live like that if you think about it”.

“I believe so, but anyway…I’ll try to focus on something else, a dumb boy can’t get in my way”.

Cho laughed. “Well if you think about it, we’re kind of dumb too. We were both looking for each other the entire day because of something dumb”.

You giggled. “Yeah, for being in Ravenclaw I guess we weren’t so clever this time”.

The day ended with you laughing about the situation, sharing other details of the last few days. You even mentioned Fred, Cho didn’t know him either but was relieved to know he was nice to you.  

You could use more afternoons like this, so Cho and you agreed on having picnics over the lake every other day and just forget about the rest of the school. You started the tradition the following weekend and Cho was filling you with the latest wizard gossip, somehow the Wizardry Budget was leaked and was in the headlines of the Daily Prophet, you still didn’t understand much of the ministry of magic, but Cho was patient enough to explain.

The year went on like this, you growing a stronger bond with Cho, and eventually running into Fred, whom you discovered later that he had a twin, George, and he was as funny as Fred. The twins were very disastrous and loved mischief, you never joined them on their tricks, but learned about a thing or two from them.

You also improved in your classes, you took Namjoon’s advice for Potions and it worked really well for you. You couldn’t help but think about him sometimes, it still made you and Cho sad. You didn’t see him as much for some reason, every time you saw him he was with Yoongi and Jin, he would tell them something and they would walk away from you.

Yoongi continued to bother you any time he could, but you noticed he only did it while he was alone or with the other Slytherin boys (you still didn’t know their names, it’s like they were only following him around like his bodyguards). You would ignore him most of the times but he could be mean if he wanted to. You realized it wasn’t really personal, he bothered any muggleborn or someone from ‘lower’ status. So sad, you would think, to keep growing up and not be able to appreciate the people around you, enjoy the company, and create real friendships.

The first year came to an end, it was by far the most eventful year you’ve had in your short life and you were sure the following years would be just as exciting. If you could learn all of this I’m your first year, you were curious of what you’d learn in the future, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet; hopefully more people like Cho, Fred and George.

‘’Promise me you’ll try to write every other day”. Cho said to you when you were about to part ways.

“Of course I’ll try Cho, I’m excited to tell my parents how it works, I’ll send you as much letters and postcards as I can”.

You said your goodbyes and left the station to meet your parents, you spent the entire summer sharing what you learned with them, and they were both so happy for you and excited to meet your new friends in the future. You didn’t tell them about Namjoon and the whole Slytherin group, you didn’t want to worry them too much. It was childish, you promised to yourself you would ignore their comments from now on.

The time of the year to go back to search for school supplies was coming, you were glad this was something you could share with your parents, to go around the stores and see all types of things the non wizards didn’t even think existed. Year two was approaching, and with this new lessons, new adventures, and hopefully new friends…

-

-

-

-

-

A/n: so this is it! The end of the first year is here! Sorry if it seems short or kind of uneventful lol. You may be wondering where is Harry and the rest of the main characters, or probably you already know why they’re not here yet. Let me know in the comments if you catch it.

Remember this is an additional story in the Harry Potter universe, I’m not intending to replace Harry or any other character. I’d like to keep the characters I grew up with and add more of my own with a side story I hope you enjoy.

Let me know what you think so far, I tried posting earlier but I’ve been drowning in work 😭

[forabeatofadrum]

It’s Friday, innit? I am back with more reading!

Somebody Like You by @jayne89 had me weeping. Wow. This is definitely a different kind of fic. Blaine was married to Sebastian, but Sebastian died, and now he remarried Kurt. Sebastian leaves a message for Kurt and I was on the floor.

And just when I’m about to pick myself up, Kelly absolutely drop kicks me back to the ground with Broken Glass: Just A Little, which is the second part of the season 6 rewrite. Ouchies ouchies! I’m excited to see where it is heading.

Okay, let’s get off the angst train. Staircases by KCgleek on AO3 is a new fic by a new writer! I’m always excited when people join the fandom after its peak.

There is also some cool canon divergence in Just Married! Surprise! by Canttalkgrounded on AO3. I wish Klaine and Brittana had this kind of wedding instead of the canon one.

More cute stuff! @cerriddwenluna​ is writing a sequel to Swipe called When It’s Right, It’s Right. Yay! Gwen, I am obsessed with the series title being called Swiper, No Swiper!

@rockitmans​ also started a Valentine’s fic called Blaine Anderson vs. Valentine’s Day and it is off to a hilarious start. Blaine, you’re a freaking mess.

You know who else is a mess? Simon Snow in Prejudice, Jealousy & Things You Feel When You Don’t Know You’re Queer by @boyinjeans​. I am obsessed with Simon in this story. And how he realises he’s queer and goes “that makes sense, let’s kiss Baz”. Also, Basil, I recognise your AO3 name and icon from a comment you left!!1 WHAT’S POPPIN LGBTs!

I also read for not one but two (2) new fandoms this week! paint me in trust by @a-tiny-sloth is the first Radio Silence fic I’ve read. It’s a friendship fic and I am so happy! I looked into the Radio Silence tag as a preparation for my own Radio Silence fic and I am so glad I did.

I also stumbled into the Torchwood fic world! Wow! I never even watched Torchwood (long story)! I was scrolling through the Doctor Who & Related Fandoms tag to see how many people write The Sarah Jane Adventures fic (not many) and I saw the premise of For this Day, For this Moment by Lottiethroughthelookingglass on AO3. The first 6 chapters are up and it is so good! Jack and Ianto accidentally get a kid (look, it makes sense within the story) and UH OH what now?

Since we established last week that I count Zelda AUs as fanfiction, I cannot NOT mention everyone’s favourite dilf dadlink by @pluviatrix​. I am so obsessed with this AU. I even got a 69% score on the lore quiz (nice)! For the ones out of the know: the Legend of Zelda games are on one big confusing timeline that spans thousands of years. The reason there are so many Links and Zeldas and Ganons is because of a whole reincarnation thing bla bla what’s important to know is that this means that fans can also make their own AUs and their own Link, Zelda and Ganon. This one is basically two stories in one: Zelda and Link defeating The Big Bad (I support gay rights, I also support gay wrongs) and then Link quits at the ripe age of 20, has a one-fifth life crisis, and then has a kid with Pherse, only for more shit to happen and Pherse goes missing, so Link and his baby Fen need to find her. I love all the original characters (Ishka my beloved) and I specifically love the relationship between this Link and Zelda.

For non-fic news, I read I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver, in Dutch, and Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Both were nice. I do not know how many fics I’ll read next week, because I borrowed 8 books from the library and I now have 17 books at home. We shall see.

[sansanwritersguild]

Season of Love Prompts are here!

Thank you to all who signed up! Can't wait to read the prompt fills!

Your prompt fill should be at least 500 words. Your fill can be a drabble, text message fic, one-shot, multi-chapter, whatever you choose.

Please tag "SanSan Season of Love 2023" on AO3 and/or tumblr so we can track all the wonderful fics!

Post by 28 February. For multi-chapter fics, you’ll only need to have posted the first chapter by 28 February. You can post sooner than this. If real life crops up and your fill will be delayed, just post as soon as you can. If you’re unable to fill your prompt, please reach out to @sansanwritersguild.

Prompts assignments are below the cut:

To: @daisies-cats-and-spacemen From: @sharkaria (AO3: Sharkaria)

Sandor and Sansa are apart for Valentine's Day (or applicable canon universe love related holiday). Smut is fine. No serial killers.

2. To: @orangetabbywrites From: Cranberry_Wine (AO3)

Sandor is working as a candy-gram boy for Valentines Day and comes to Sansa's door by accident. Smut is fine.

3. To: @redbirdblackdog From: Oponn (AO3)

While traveling through the woods, Sansa and Sandor decide to take a rest at the base of a gorgeous waterfall. While there, Sansa notices the waterfall has wonderful acoustics and discovers that she's not the only person who can sing. Smut is fine.

4. To: Rayne11 From: @kaellecappuccino (AO3: KaelleCappuccino)

Highschool au; teenage angst; happy ending to your liking Sandor watches Sansa dance at the Valentine ball, wishing he had had the balls to invite her first. Smut is fine. No non-con. If smut, please avoid dom/sub dynamics.

5. To: Ofseaandsky From: omw_to_Winterfell (AO3)

A roadtrip between two acquaintances turns into something more. Smut is fine.

6. To: @sharkaria From: liljenrocks (AO3)

"Sansa says the only thing she wants for Valentine's Day is these soufflé pancakes shaped like cats.  Easy peasy, right?" Sandor said to Arya. "Bahahaha!  Good luck with that, you can only get those at Che Lannister.  In Lannisport, about 1000 miles away," Arya slapped him on the back. Smut is fine.

7. To: @The_Immaculate_Bastard From: @redbirdblackdog (AO3: Redbirdblackdog)

Sansan dated, even got engaged. It fell apart somehow. Sandor sees her: on a magazine, passing on the arm of some man on the street or even just a glimpse from afar; the engagement ring he gave her on a chain around her neck... *Very open to interpretation even edited to fit a canon setting. Smut is fine.

8. To: Oponn From: ofseaandsky (AO3)

Modern AU Sansa's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. A storm is coming and she knows she and Lady can't stay in her car. Her only choice is to trek back to the shady looking biker bar she passed not long ago and hope she won't regret it… Smut is fine.

9. To: Beeskeez From: britnyintheskywithatardis (AO3)

Sandor and Sansa exchange funny Valentine's Day cards because neither of them particularly like Valentine's Day. Can be established relationship or friends to dating/lovers Smut is fine.

10. To: @kaellecappuccino From: CorinaLannister (AO3)

Modern AU Sansan. Sansa is on a dating app and then says that Sandor is ugly or something similar to her friends. Unbeknownst to her, he is standing directly behind her. Smut is fine. No male pregnancy (female pregnancy fine along with everything else).

11. To: @corinalannister From: @orangetabbywrites (AO3: Orangetabby)

[my guy ❤️] 7:15pm: Sorry Sans, I won’t be coming to dinner. Got a better offer. And with that message Sansa was left sitting alone in the restaurant, ditched by her now ex-boyfriend on Valentines Day. According to the waitress, Sansa wasn’t the only person there who’d been stood up that evening... Smut is fine.

12. To: @liljenrocks From: @littlewolfbird (AO3: LittleWolfBird)

One year, a while back, Sansa and Sandor gave each other incredible gifts for Valentines Day completely by accident. Ever since then, they are in competition to out do the other. Smut is fine. No non-con.

13. To: @omw_to_Winterfell From: TheImmaculateBastard (AO3)

Sansa moans Sandor’s name in her sleep, but they’re not a couple. Smut is fine. No underage (age gaps are fine, though).

14. To: estevnys From: Beeskeez (AO3)

After a few brief, failed marriages, it's accepted fact in Westeros that Sansa Stark is no longer a maid; a rumour Sansa herself has done nothing to dispel. Sandor Clegane finds out the hard way that this rumour - like most others - is entirely untrue. Smut is fine. Nothing that explicitly requires non-con between Sansa and Sandor, or sexual situations where Sansa has to be significantly underage (i.e. under 15) in order to satisfy the prompt requirements.

15. To: @Cranberry_Wine From: Rayne11 (AO3)

In canon universe: Just before the battle of blackwater, Sansa goes to thank Sandor for saving her life, but thats when she discovers that although he isn't what she envisioned, he is someone she can consider marrying. No smut. Not a trigger, but I'd appreciate a prompt where Sandor is his usual grouchy self and not all sweet.

16. To: @littlewolfbird From: estevnys (AO3)

Sansa Stark, queen in the north, and Sandor is the head of her queens guard. People suspect they're together and maybe they are. Sansa finally announces it to the court like the badass she is. They realize the northeners don't care as much about that shit. Smut is fine.

17. To: @britnyintheskywithatardis From: @daisies-cats-and-spacemen (AO3: veei)

Having missed their connecting flight to their first trip together, Sansa and Sandor have to spend the night in an empty airport. Smut is fine. No non-con.

[kuroosmikasavolleyball]

Rewind

summary: you never believed in true love because during your long, 19 years of life, you’ve only ever experienced it through books and movies. But at a Valentine’s Day party in your second year of college, you come across a familiar face who just so happens to be single..and you’ve had the hots for him before. will you finally find love amongst the Cupid chaos?

genre: college au, fluff

warnings: cursing, this chapter is a flashback

pairing: iwaizumi x f!reader

word count: 1.2k

a/n: this took long cause I’m on vacation but I hope you enjoy! I literally forgot to mention this is a flashback but..um yeah.

taglist closed!

previous | masterlist | next

It was funny watching Kuroo try to peer through Kenma’s blonde hair to see what video game he was playing on the bus. You shifted, comfortable in your three-seater that you got all to yourself because the boys had crowded the back.

“What are you chuckling for?” Kuroo asked and you simply shook your head at the guy with the bed head.

Cigarettes After Sex played in your earbuds as the bus rocked from bumps in the road. Kuroo had asked you to come to a volleyball camp that they had to drive longer for, since it included more schools. You and your two friends, Emi and Chiyo, weren’t managers but the teams needed help during camp and you volunteered after hearing about it from Kuroo. They were coming by car since they had to take an exam.

The bus slowed down after a 2-hour drive, bus driver chuckling at the team cheering. You all made a beeline to get off. “Oh god, my butt hurts.” Kuroo dramatically stretched, and Yamamoto smacked his ass. “Ok grandpa.” Even Kenma snickered.

The school was crowded with sweaty, sleepy, and complaining boys, but you quickly found the friends you’ve made during other volleyball meets.

“So how’s Kuroo..?” The Seijoh manager, Tomoe, perked up.

“Why are you asking about..oh god. What does everyone see in that rooster?” Multiple girls around the circle you had formed chuckled and blushed.

Tomoe continued, “By the way, Y/N, I have a favor to ask; I have to run to the kitchens, and two of our players are still outside. I told Iwaizumi to go stop Oikawa from flirting with the managers outside and bring him, but they’re not back yet. Can you go find them and call them back please?”

You nodded and took off, groaning from the heat as you walked out the main door. You saw multiple teams, but two people in light turquoise shirts stood out. You watched as one threw a volleyball to the back of the head of the other player.

“Hey break it up- oh.”

You almost yelled before realizing they were play-fighting and were actually friends. They wore the same colored shirt as Tomoe and you recognized one of the boys as Oikawa Tooru.

The boy who threw the ball turned around as you approached, following Oikawa’s gaze.

“Hey, can you two go inside please? Tomoe was calling you in and we need all the players situated.”

“Come on Iwa-chan!” Tooru started marching to the main entrance, and the other guy stayed behind.

“Sorry, I tried to get him to come inside. He kept making excuses, but that’s just him. Thanks for coming out here.”

You were shocked at his kindness and stared at the back of his head when he walked away before walking inside yourself.

You spent the rest of the day helping out; making lunch, providing water bottles, handing out towels, etc. You felt particularly bad for one team that kept losing and had to do the punishment multiple times. Emi and Chiyo arrived and you got them used to the order of things.

After dinner, you were about to head to the shared managers’ room when Oikawa came up to you.

“Hey, Y/N right? You were the manager that brought us inside during the day?”

You nodded and he kept talking. “I heard you have some experience with volleyball. Iwa-chan is still at the courts because he wanted to practice spikes, but I’m just too sore today.”

You could tell he was being dramatic but urged him to continue.

“Well, could you go there and help him with spiking? You just have to set to him. Ok thanks, bye!”

Oikawa rushed off, his chocolate hair ruffling behind him.

You took off hesitantly towards the courts, finding the Seijoh ace trying to solo spike.

“Hey, Iwaizumi? Um..Oikawa sent me to help you practice. He said he was tired and you needed a setter. I have some experience but I’m not as great.”

His eyes sparked confusion, then surprise, then annoyance.

“Shittykawa just loves to not have any responsibilities. It’s alright, you can go to bed. I know you’ve had a tiring day too.”

You considered turning around and leaving, but something made you stay.

“It’s fine, really. Unless you don’t want me to help-“ he aggressively shakes his head “-oh ok. Um…just toss to me and I’ll set it.”

Besides barely knowing each other and getting used to an unfamiliar set, you were happy that you were there. It gave Iwaizumi more practice and you got to know him. You both talk through the whole practice and you didn’t know why, but he was just so easy and comfortable to speak to.

Before you knew it, the time on your phone was 1:30 am and you both bolted out the door. You said your goodbyes and tiptoed into your respective rooms.

How did so much time pass? You thought as you settled in bed.

The next morning went so well that you didn’t think it was real. On one hand, you had Kuroo to talk to while his team was on break and you had boring jobs. But on the other, you also had Iwaizumi, who kept you smiling and distracted enough that you didn’t see Oikawa smirking at the sight of you two together.

On the third day, you, Emi, and Chiyo went for a walk during lunch.

“So does this mean you already made a friend here? With a hot guy?” Chiyo spoke after you updated the two girls on what happened last night.

“I mean he is hot..but he’s also really sweet. I was kind of scared earlier because he looked mad? But it turns out he was just annoyed at Oikawa.” You subconsciously smiled.

“Ooh someone’s in love~” You pushed Emi playfully for the comment. But before you could protest, you heard a voice.

“Hey Y/N! Wait up!” You turned to see Seijoh’s captain running to catch up to you.

“What’s up?”

“Do you think you could help me again tonight? With spikes?”

When you agreed, he thanked you a million times before running back inside.

“I don’t think someone with only platonic feelings for you would do what he just did.”

“Shut up, we’ve only known each other for 2 days.”

Four days had past and you became closer with Iwaizumi and Seijoh’s team in general.

You finished up lunch before going to help the other managers set up food for the teams. It was the last day of camp and the coaches had planned a barbecue.

You saw the boys being anything but serious; rolling around, eating watermelons way too quickly, and fighting over meat.

The coaches and helpers went to set up for buses after the well-deserved feast and the teams said their goodbyes. You bowed to the coaches and managers before heading towards the Nekoma bus. You went through the gyms one last time, waving to the friends you’ve made at Seijoh and other teams.

“Hey, uh..Iwaizumi. This was really fun. Can I ask for-“ “-Y/N THE BUS IS LEAVING!” Kuroo’s yell cut through your conversation and you cursed in a whisper.

“Sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you sometime!”

You quickly ran and got on the bus, out of breath as your friends snickered at you.

“Shoot, I forgot to ask for his number!”

previous | masterlist | next

taglist: @xybi @kwiwin @perqabeth @bakugouswh0r3 @silver-liner @mzstics @magpiemissy @lilith412426

[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!!

[tessa-liam]

Summary 

An American teenager from New York city is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobles, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret? This series will have NSFW material, crude language. Please excuse all errors. 

Marabelle  

– Chapter 1 – My New Home 

The Royal Romance, an AU series 

Series Premise: An American teenager from New York city is introduced to the world of a small European country and its society of royalty, nobles, and commoners. How will her life story be transformed? Will this new adventure bring her happiness...or regret? 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!OC (Sophia) 

Other Pairing: Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC (Daniel) 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Sophia Taylor and Bethany Beaumont. 

Rating: M*Warnings: this series will have NSFW material, crude language. Please excuse all errors. 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 1967, Read: 9 minutes 

*** 

Chapter 1 – Feels Like Home 

Chapter summary: Sophie begins her Cordonian adventure and moves in to House Beaumont. It all starts here. 

Music Inspiration:  Feels Like Home - Chantal Kreviazuk 

A/N: my submission for @choicesflashfics, Week #19, prompt #2- “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean it. You still said it.” @Choicesficwriterscreations 

A/N2: Bethany Beaumont, Maxwell’s mother, is originally from the US; is Barthelemy Beaumont’s 2nd wife. Annabelle Beaumont (deceased) was Bertrand’s mother. 

A/N3: my submission for @Choicesholidays Valentine’s Day Prompts - “my house is your house, and you know you’re always safe here.” #cfwc valentines 2023 

*** 

Marabelle 

Chapter 1: 

Waiting for her arrival, Sophie’s Aunt Bethany was standing at the doorway of the estate with tears in her eyes. 

Her beautiful niece was finally here. She remembered seeing this sweet girl at her sister’s (Sophie’s mother’s) funeral two weeks ago. 

As her sons Bertrand and Maxwell brought the luggage from the car to the door, Sophie walked towards her aunt. 

“Sophie, welcome my dear! I am so happy that you are here,” said Aunt Bethany as she moved forward to hug her niece. 

“Thank you, Auntie Beth. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you again!” replied Sophie, hugging her aunt. 

“I have missed you very much.” Even though her aunt could never replace her mother in her heart, she found comfort in her aunt’s embrace. 

As they embraced, Sophie could sense the sadness in her aunt’s heart. The loss of her sister had been a tremendous one for her; not only for Sophie. The last time her aunt saw Sophie’s mom alive, her mother had been very ill and died shortly after Bethany left to return to Cordonia. Sophie was a split image of a younger version of her mom and was sure that fact added to her sadness. 

“Mother, let us go inside and get Sophie settled.” Bertrand knew how long the flight was from New York and that she must be exhausted. 

“Oh yes! Of course, you must be jetlagged, and with the time difference...Maxwell please show her to her room.” 

 Maxwell took Sophie by the hand to lead her into the estate.  “C’mon Soph, you are going to love your new room.” 

 Once inside the front doors, Sophie looked around taking it all in. Her aunt and uncle’s estate was like nothing she had ever seen before. 

It was huge! There were countless marble statues, fountains, sculptures, portraits; there was a grand staircase that led to another floor. 

There was also an enormous dining room, formal sitting room and even a ballroom. 

“Wow, this is incredible,” exclaimed Sophie, looking up at the high vaulted ceiling of the foyer. 

“Let me show you to your room Soph, it’s upstairs and to the right.” Maxwell leads her up the grand staircase as Bertrand directs the attendants to carry her luggage up the stairs. 

When they arrived at the door to her new room, Maxwell opened it with a flourish. She walked over to a large bay window overlooking the gardens below. It was breathtaking to look out beyond the gardens onto the many acres of vineyards. “This is for me?!” 

Oh. My. God. What a view! Sophie thought to herself. 

She noticed that there was a balcony off her room, which opened up to the outside. 

Maxwell smiled, “After dinner, I will take you on a tour of the grounds.” Her cousin Maxwell was so welcoming, making every effort to ensure that she was comfortable in her new home. 

Sophie looked up at Maxwell, saying “thank you”, in a whisper and hugged him tightly. When they separated, Maxwell saw the unshed tears in her eyes. Lifting her chin with his index finger, Maxwell assures her, “always remember, ‘my house is your house, and you know you’re always safe here’.” 

Understanding that his cousin was overwhelmed, Max left Sophie to relax and get acquainted with her new space at her own pace, in privacy. 

She walked around trying to decide where to start unpacking, when her cell phone rang. Buried in her stack of luggage on the floor, she went over to find her carry-on bag. 

When she found her phone and saw who was calling, she fell back on her bed knocking over her stack of clothes in the excitement, “Daniel!”. 

Daniel, her best friend from New York, was a welcome voice from America. He was a faithful ally, who was a great listener and a source of support. He was a bit modest, but he would always listen to Sophie’s problems, never offering any advice because he didn’t want to tell someone what to do.  

Since he came out as gay last year, their friendship grew stronger. He was an important person to have in her life; her confidante, and she was his. 

“Hey,” she answered her phone. 

“It is so good to hear your voice, Sophie!” Daniel replied. 

“Dan, you have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice!” 

“Sophie, are you okay?” 

“Oh, yes I’m fine, everything is great here,” replied Sophie. 

“Really? You sound upset.” He knew her better than herself. 

“No, really, I am just tired.” 

Knowing his friend all too well, “What is wrong, Sophia?” 

“Everything is fine,” Sophie lied. “I guess I am just overwhelmed.” 

Hearing a knock on her door, she heard Maxwell singsong, “Sophie, dinner in 10...” 

“Thank you, Max, I will come down.” 

Daniel continued, “you don’t have to tell me anything now, but if you need to talk, I am always available.” 

“Okay, I will, thanks Daniel. I miss you!” 

“Miss you too, Soph.” 

*** 

When Sophie entered the dining room, the table was already set for dinner. A servant came to greet her and guided her to her seat. 

Bethany sat next to Sophie, with Maxwell sitting across from them. Bertrand was sitting at the head of the table. 

“How are your new accommodations? If you need anything, please let me know,” Bertrand inquired. 

“Oh, thank you, the room is beautiful, and huge,” Sophie looked delighted. 

“Well, you deserve every comfort,” her aunt smiled. 

“Will it always be so formal for meals?” Sophie asked while noticing all of the different cutlery set on the table in front of her. 

“Oh heavens, no!” chuckled her aunt. 

“Mother, it will be helpful for Sophia to become familiar with formal dining, now that she is in Cordonia.” 

“There is much to learn about your station, my dear.” 

“My station?” 

“You are ‘Lady Sophia Taylor of House Beaumont’, formerly of New York. Table etiquette is an essential trait to learn for court.” 

As Bethany sighed, Maxwell explained that whenever a guest would be joining them for dinner, Bertrand wanted to impress them. 

“Maxwell, must you always act like a child?” Bertrand scoffed, pinching his nose in distaste. 

Maxwell sarcastically countered back, “Yes, your majesty.”  

Bertrand sighed, “I didn’t mean it, Max!” 

“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean it. You still said it.” 

“Boys!!!” admonished Bethany. 

“Sophie, I am so happy there is another female in this house! 

Everyone turned to the sound of a throat clearing. 

“Am I interrupting something?” A tall man with dark brown, wavy hair speaking with a Cordonian accent asked hesitantly. 

“Mr. Walker, thank you for coming.” Bertrand offered him a seat at the table, next to Maxwell. 

Maxwell started snickering when Drake asked, “why do I feel like I entered the twilight zone?” 

Bethany shook her head, sighing, “Sophia, sweetheart, I would like to introduce you to Drake, a good friend of Maxwell’s.” 

“Sophie is our cousin from New York,” Maxwell explains.  

Drake stands to shake her hand. 

“Drake, please call me Sophie.”  

“Nice to meet you Sophie, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Cordonia.” Drake smiles. 

“Sophie lives here now; she will be going to the University of Cordonia in the fall,” Maxwell explains. 

“Really, well, it’s an impressive university, Sophie. You will enjoy it. What will you be studying?” 

“Thank you, I am starting my first year of an MBA degree.” 

As pleasant conversation continued, the dinner began, and Sophie tried everything. The food was delicious; using the utensils properly to Bertrand’s delight. 

“I am glad you enjoyed your meal, Sophie,” Bethany said after dessert. 

“Yes, I love Italian cuisine, especially pasta.” 

“Bravo, bravissimo,” Maxwell winks at Sophie. 

“Yes, well, Drake, let's move to my office to discuss the horses.” Bertrand stands motioning for Drake to follow him. 

“Mrs. Beaumont, thank you for dinner. Sophie, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you around.” 

*** 

Bertrand sat at his desk as he scrolled through the horses listed for sale at the horse ranch on his laptop. The horse that he wanted to buy for Sophie was available to be shown tomorrow. 

“Drake, would you mind accompanying me to the horse ranch tomorrow to see this horse for Sophie?” 

“Sure, sure, I can show you this horse,” answered Drake. 

“But, Sophie needs to be the one to choose her horse. The size and age of the horse are important factors for her.” 

Bertrand continues, “I understand, but this horse will be ready to be shown tomorrow. I know its short notice, but I know Sophie would love to take a horse home with her.” 

“It’s important that Sophie ‘connects’ with the horse and that they are compatible.” 

“Look, the owner of the horse ranch is a buddy of mine.  I will be at the polo match tomorrow morning and the horse ranch is close by. I can personally help to match her to a horse that she would be happy with.” 

“I trust your judgement, Drake.” 

“It’s my pleasure. Thank you, Bertrand. I appreciate it.” 

*** 

After touring the grounds of the estate, Sophie went up to her room. She changed into her pajamas and lay down on her bed. 

She stared at the ceiling listening to music. 

Her thoughts were filled with the day’s events. 

She thought about her mother’s death and about how sad she was when she died. 

She cried herself to sleep. 

*** 

Sophie awoke the next morning to a knock on her door. 

“Sophia, breakfast is being served downstairs in 30 minutes.”  

“Thank you, auntie.” 

While eating breakfast, Sophie talked to her aunt about the horse showing. 

“I want to be able to ride the horse before making any commitments.” 

“I know, I just worry about you Sophie.” 

“I’m fine, Auntie Beth, I promise. This isn’t the first time I’ve been around horses. I think I will be okay.” 

“I know you will, sweetie.” 

“Max, can you come with me to the horse ranch? 

“Of course, I am coming!” 

“Thanks, Max” 

*** 

Sophie, Maxwell and Bertrand drove to the horse ranch which was approximately 30 minutes away from Ramsford. 

Along the way, the town car passes the entrance to the CRPC; The Cordonian Royal Polo Club.