#This is mostly inspired by a few riders

[ray935sworld]

I adore mtogp because they are crazy. They prove that it's okay to be funny insane, make stupid jokes, let your intrusive thoughts win. And there will always be people who appreaciate you and love you no matter what. There are people who think/ act the same and match your freak. And my awkward teenage self definitly needed that realisation more than anything

[descendant-of-truth]

Decided to try my hand at one of those outfit redesigns and got a little carried away

[we-were-beautiful]

Unraveled Ends Chapter 2

Pre chapter Shenanigans 

a/n: Sooooo long time no post but I'm here now and that's what matters. Writers block hit me like a brick wall after my last piece that I did for the riders quadrant fic exchange back in July, that piece was only supposed to be 3k in words but ended up around 7.8k. I had been working on this chapter at the same time and had roughly 2k words but after I got through the edits on the gift fic couldn't seem to string together a coherent sentence much less moving the plot forward. all my photos for the moodboard/aesthetic come from pinterest. Last bit of info is that we did pick up two beta readers for this story( but I am always open for more if people want to hop in). So big Thanks to @loving-and-dreaming and @curse-bearing-hips for reviewing this chapter. That said we are all still human so there is more than likely some mistakes. And a huge thanks to @whisplion for inspiring me to write this fic. Hope y’all enjoy  

Summary: A tailor in the heart of Velaris finds herself mated to the two most powerful fae in Prythian. Unfortunately for her the mating bond only snapped for her, leaving her to question on how to move forward. Should she wait for her mates to feel the bond or should she go ahead and reject it and live with the gaping hole in her heart  

Poly!Feysand x Reader 

Warnings: None but there is angst

WC:3.1k

The next few weeks are nothing short of hell. I didn’t know pretending like nothing is wrong would be as exhausting as it has been. It was a never ending cycle of waking up, getting ready, going to work, and coming home. At work I was dancing a fine line of hiding everything from my seamstresses and sister and failing miserably. The only small mercy that I have had was that I haven’t had to see my mates. Thank the mother for that; I don’t know how I would have reacted to seeing them so soon after the bond had snapped. Not seeing them however did nothing to dampen the feelings that the two of them would throw down the bond unknowingly. Deep down  I know that they didn’t mean to send those memories and feelings to me, but on a good day it makes me sick to my stomach. I don’t know why it has gotten worse. I was fine for a year of burying the feelings that I have for the two down.

They were so happy together, and I don’t have a place in their perfect lifestyle. I thought that I had seen them around town a lot when they were just my customers but now it felt like every time I turned around they were there. It has increased since they came in to get their outfits for Starfall designed. I swear I ran into Rhys yesterday when I went to get lunch for myself. I ran into Feyre the other night while I was getting the groceries for my sisters and me. The two of them had actually approached me a week ago while I was at the park with my baby sister. They had little Nyx with them then and it felt like someone had taken a hold of my heart and started squeezing. The babe was adorable at two years of age. He's starting to reign terror on his parents who had apparently decided he needed to run off his energy at the park. The two of them are far more friendly with people than I would have liked, but mostly that friendliness was targeted towards me. As they joined me on the bench sandwiching me between them. They ended up chatting my ear off for the better part of an hour. There brushes of hands against my body that were too well placed to be incidental. It felt like a vice clamping down around my heart as I left the park with my sister to head home. Feyre had wanted me to stay a bit longer so that she could continue talking to me about my sketches. 

The physical interactions with them weren't the worst thing though. It was the images and emotions that the two had unknowingly sent down the bond. It wasn’t unusual to get a flash of lust from one of them at any given time of the day. It was inconvenient to just get hit with the overwhelming need for someone when I’m with clients. Late at night though I get the images. Of my mates tangled up in pleasure. Sometimes it was flashes of Feyre's face screwed up in pleasure; other of Rhys’s eyes alight with lust and desire. Those nights sleep was hard to come by. A few of those nights I found myself back in the shop working on my clients orders, anything to keep my mind from lingering on the two people that didn’t know I was bound to them.  I was surprised to be receiving so much from them down the bond given that both of them are powerful Demati. I figured that they would be skilled at keeping to themselves. 

Last night was one of those sleepless nights. It was a damn near endless barrage of want and need coming from both of them. If I hadn’t known that their mating bond had been accepted between them I would have assumed that they had accepted it last night. I left a note for my middle sister in the kitchen before heading to the shop in the dead of night. Being the night court, plenty of people were milling about the streets and shops in the palace of thread and jewels. Thankfully it isn’t one of the nights we keep the shop open for those who live under the stars, I could work in peace and not be bothered by anyone. No customers, no seamstresses, no nosy sisters, and most importantly no over friendly mates or their friends. 

It was wonderful to sit in the shop and do what I love with my shadows dancing around me. The shadows had been my friends since I was a very small faeling. They were more shy when I was out in public but when it is just me they come to life and sing. I had only seen two other people like me. One was my maternal grandfather who was from a court that had long since been lost; and the other was Azriel. Grandfather was able to teach me how to control the shadows and use them to my advantage. But he also told me to keep the gift to myself. Shadowsingers had long been coveted by the courts to be used as spies; and he and my parents were worried that the former High Lord would have conscripted me into his spy network if it was ever found out. I had successfully kept it a secret for nearly 400 years. Though times like this, when the shop is closed and I have the room to myself, I let them loose. A soft smile grows on my face as I watch the playful shadows dance about the room. A few of them try to be helpful by handing me tools and instruments that I need as I work on Feyre’s Starfall gown. 

Feyre’s dress had been coming along beautifully. She had come in for a fitting last week where we were checking the fit on the mock up. The High Lady had all but begged to have a similar fabric to my own. We had more of the fabric left; thank gods for that; the last thing I wanted to do was take a trip to the Autumn court to source more. I lose track of time working on the dress; so much so that I didn’t realize the sun had risen until I heard the lock on the door turn. 

“Sis, are you still here?” Genevieve calls out. Of course she came here. “I saw your note on the counter this morning. I dropped Itty bitty off at school and brought breakfast.” 

I sigh and set my things down to make my way out of the work room. Genevieve stands in the room looking so much like our mother; hair tied up in a worn red scarf, a dark red linen shirt and comfortable leather trousers. Ready for a day at the blacksmith. In her hands she balances a bag of what I assume is the breakfast and two cups in the other. 

“Your shadows are so helpful I’m jealous.” She passes me one of the cups and I take a sniff and immediately am greeted by the comforting scent of coffee “ Were you here all night again?” 

It's not hard to hear the concern in her voice as she takes a once over of me. 

“Yes” I responded, taking a sip of the delicious coffee that she had brought. 

“Ok what is going on with you.” She cocks her head to the side “It seems like you have been stressed this past year. Well more so than normal. This is starting to get worrisome. The number of times you have left the house in the middle of the night and worked through to morning is ridiculous.”

“What’s going on? I know it's not money since I help with the books and we have two sources of income coming in.” She takes a breath. “You can talk to me Sis.” 

“Let's go into the office. The ladies should be coming in soon.” I led her into my office not wanting to state what was going on when one of my employees could walk in. Once we are in the office I gesture for her to take a seat in front of my desk. I take a seat and my chair, bones creaking as I sit on the soft leather. She fixes me with a look telling me to start talking. 

“So I met my mates.” I sigh running a hand through my hair 

“You met your mate. That's good news right.” She starts rifling through the bag of food 

“Mates. Two of them.” She stops looking up at me 

“Two. Is that possible?” Her eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline. 

“It is.” I lean back in my chair. “Incredibly rare but possible.” 

“So let me repeat my earlier question. That’s good news right?” 

“It’s complicated.” I bite my lower lip “The two of them are already mated. Sealed the bond and everything. But the bond only snapped for me.” 

“They don’t know.” Her voice drops in concern 

“No,they don’t.” 

“So what is stressing you out about it? You wouldn’t be leaving the house in the middle of the night over nothing?” 

“They are sending things down the bond. Images, emotions; it’s driving me crazy Gen.” 

“Shit, well can you block them out.” Mom had taught the two of us how to shield from Demati when we were younger. 

“I’ve tried; it only is able to dull it.” I fidget in my seat.  “It also doesn’t help that I keep seeing the two of them every time I go out into the city.” 

“Oh..” She hesitates “Do you mind if I ask who it is.?”  I quickly sent a few shadows out to make sure that the shop was still empty and that there were no busy bodies lurking around the shop. 

“It's the High Lord and Lady.” This was the first time I had ever said those words out loud. I guess I had thought that if I didn’t say it then I could pretend it wasn’t real and that it didn’t bother me. Gen lets out a low whistle.

“That does complicate things. I was going to tell you to grow a pair and tell them but fuck. The High Lord and Lady that… that makes things way more complex.” 

“You see why I am stressed now.” I can feel the ugly emotions filling my chest.

“Yeah, you are in the world's shittiest situation.” She lets out a sigh “It's not like you can go up to them and say hey I am your mate. Fuck I am sorry Sis.” 

I let out a wet laugh, a few tears escaped my eyes and rolled down my cheeks “ There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I just got dealt a shitty hand by the mother.” 

“Are you going to…” She trails off. I know what she was going to say though. It wasn’t something that was talked about often and not in polite company. Rejecting the bond. 

“It’s an option, and I am considering it. I want to ask a few friends of mine in Day about it first though. Since it hasn’t snapped for them they shouldn’t notice but I would like some confirmation first.” It helped that I had friends in other courts that I could gather information from; and there was no better place for information than  the Day Court.

“I will support whatever decision you make. You deserve to be happy Sis, and if your happiness is achieved by breaking the bond then do it.” 

The conversation between us dies after that as she passes me a blueberry muffin from the bag. Seems she stopped by our favorite bakery before heading over here. Time seems to fly too quickly and all too soon Gen has to leave for work leaving me here by myself. Although I’m not on my own for too much longer as my employees start trickling in.

The day seems to stretch on and on as clients make their way into the shop for fittings or to pick up their orders. The dull chatter of my employees and the various customers buzzes in my ears as I methodically pull a small needle through water-like silk. It's hard to make out any distinguishable conversation from behind my office door. Today seems like one of those days when time is just suspended and I can work in peace. There is a quiet content hum from my mates bond; one of the few times that I haven't felt heightened emotions from either of them. 

A soft knock shatters the silence of the office, effectively breaking the spell of tranquility that had fallen over me 

“Come in.” My voice cracks just a bit from not using it. The door squeaks open as a familiar head of midnight hair pokes in. Violet eyes twinkle in amusement as a smile grows across his stupidly handsome face. 

“Sweetheart!” The door swings open the rest of the way as Rhysand swaggers his way into my office like he owns it. I am quick to stand from my desk. 

“High lord.” I give him a polite curtsy, slamming my mental shields up before meeting his gaze

“How many times do I have to tell you it's Rhys?” He laughs before taking a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of my desk. “ So are you ready for my fitting or should I come back later.”  

Shit… Shit shit shit. I had completely forgotten that he was on my books for his second fitting today. It wasn’t like I was completely unprepared. No his suit was ready for the fitting but I was nowhere near mentally prepared for a fitting and not having slept the night before was going to be the actual death of me. 

“No, you are fine.” I move from behind the desk “Let me go grab your suit and we will get you out of here in no time.” 

“No need to rush, I quite enjoy your company.” I cannot afford to focus on my racing heart right now. I need to get him out of this shop as quickly as possible. I move through the back of the shop with practiced ease quickly locating the High Lord’s suit hanging neatly next to the High Lady’s gown. The two pieces were works of art in themselves that compliment each other. The suit as dark as the night sky embossed fabric giving the illusion of swirling depths. The dress flowed off the hanger like liquid moonlight, the delicate silk the identical twin to my own gown. Small gems sewn into the bodice catch and reflect the light like the stars that will make their journey across the sky on Starfall. For as much as I don’t want to care about the two, these pieces tell a different story. If I wasn’t just a little bit attached to the two of them I would have passed the designs along to another dressmaker and been done with it; but now I painstakingly designed and sewn these garments for my mates. I let out a small sigh before reaching up to grab the suite. Once I get back to my office I am quick to pass the suit off to Rhys directing him to the small changing area at the back of the office. I quickly begin to route around my desk for my supplies.  

An hour, all I have to do is make it an hour and then I will be free of Rhysand for the time being. It feels like forever before he walks out from behind the curtain. It is only years of working with Rhysand that keeps me from gasping out. If the suit was beautiful on the hanger and dress form it is absolutely stunning on the male it was made for. Rhys makes his way over to the platform and mirror in the office stepping up before moving to fuss with the cuffs. 

“This is a beautiful suit Sweetheart.” He moves to pick off the smallest piece of lint on the  collar. I move to stand behind him to begin the process of adjusting the way the suit sits on Rhysand.

We continued the song and dance that we had done for many years to get the suit to fit him perfectly. I can't help the small ache in my chest as I circle around him placing pins and chalk lines where minute alterations need to be made. Rhys is beaming the whole time chatting away like we hadn’t seen each other just the other day. I can feel the long day in my bones, my hands ache from the countless hours of work. My fingertips are raw from the amount of times I have jammed pins and needles into them. While I try to appropriately match Rhys energy, it's easy to tell that he isn’t buying the act. 

“You seem tired.” He arches a brow at me as I move to pin the hem of his pants. 

“My mates kept me up last night.” A mischievous glint grows in his violet eyes.

“Oh. They kept you up .” He teased but hidden in the back of his teasing tone seemed to be a bit of jealousy… possessiveness. 

“Yeah the two of them kept sending all of their emotions down the bond last night.” I sigh looking up at him from my spot on the floor 

“Two mates…” He stumbles with his words. He hasn’t done that since he was a teen and I was helping my father with his fitting “The mother has blessed you.” 

“Blessed or cursed.” I put the pins down. 

“Cursed.” He questions

“The bond only snapped for me.” A small sad smile grows on my face.  My mental shields are intact and stronger than ever and it's not like I can tell Rhys that he and Feyre are my mates. 

“Have you told them?” He questions, holding a hand out to help me from the floor 

“No. The two of them have already sealed the bond and have started their own perfect little family.” It feels like an Illyrian has punched me in the gut as I make this confession to him “I don’t want to ruin that for them.” 

“So what are you planning to do?” He tilts his head looking at me in sympathy “ Because you seem to have wilted these past few months. 

“I have a few things I am thinking about doing. I want to seek out a few friends in Day first before committing to it.”

“Committing to what Sweetheart?” he gazes at me with concern 

“Breaking the bond.” And as those words leave my lips you can see the color drain from his face.

Tag list: @rachelnicolee @goldenmagnolias @jesssicapanigua @sweetorangeblossom @cat-or-kitten @alowint @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @coldpeachkitten @esposadomd @araneea92 @saltedcoffeescotch @persephonesalvatore

[slugmentality]

Renaissance Faire TF141 x reader

So I know of tf141 in regency and renaissance eras. But what about these guys just simply going to a good old fashioned, 21 century, Renaissance fair!!! (I did my best for gender neutral!)

TW: sexual content(mild, mdni), more just thought then actual writing. Poor editing

 800+ words

These are my first thoughts

Kyle is a nerd, full “garbs” he made more personal as he got more adult money. Majority of his(final) props are handmade but he did buy the fucking coolest custom sword that just scratched that itch. (1,500 he would have burned if he couldnt have it. Money be damned) will do a couple's “garb”, his favorite one is the high fae (gaz)/wood elf (you). His favorite solo garb is his wendigo full suit, he gets the most pictures and likes chasing/scaring people as they pass. Mostly there for the vibes and to nerd out and forget about the world for a few hours. Knows how to sew. At the end of the day, he's the best to decompress with, talking about the day and all the cool things you did together. Showering together and rubbing circulation back to any body part that might need it and then some.

Johnny is kinda easy, full kilt, but shirts come off once he gets through the gate. Has on viking war paint on his face, patchy streaks across his face. He's getting a huge viking inspired Henna tattoo on his chest, arm, shoulder? One big ass one over it all? Two people worked on it, took 45 mins, and was a little patchy in the staining, he obviously didn’t leave it alone long enough. Plays all the battle games, wins the strong man category. Braided mohawk, whether it's you or a vendor, yes. Fucking loves showing off to his pretty elf, prince/princess, or really anything you want to be. Unless you match him the most couple thing will probably be matching hair ornaments. Wants a war ax, but by year three, he gets it. He's still as horny as he is anyday, eating you out under your pretty skirt, smearing some of the paint on his face on your thighs. And with a raging boner for the majority of the day, watching you watch him, he's begging for a handjob on the way home, after winning the strong man award, he's got you in a full nelson, right in front of the full length mirror.

Johnny and his bird got Simon to go. First year he is not dressing up or buying himself anything. When his bird falls in love with the fair he's taking them to get fitting for the costume they want. Likes that everyone there is a little weird, hates how hot it is. You're going to be fanning this man like a king so he doesn't get heat stroke but get a nice shady corner at one of the shows and he finds you enjoying yourself. Year two, wore his eye paint over his eye and forehead, got a kilt from Johnny the Christmas before, black, and a thin poet shirt. Big scary dog energy and fuck does her look good. You're definitely late due to a last minute blowjob. He finds out why johnny likes kilt so much, easiest fucking access. The handiest, tugging you around more than letting you lead. Won the ax throwing. Again he's got his hand on you, if you've got a lot to your costume, hes telling you to start taking it off when you get to the car when you leave, the chemise is fine, perfect even. 

John Price goes because his partner likes going, walking in normal and walking out a changed man. He found a dragon shoulder puppet two hours in. Made a home at the hookah lounge. Fucking loves his pretty love gorgouse and happy, so its a no brainer that your his favrote part but also looks around at all the cool costumes and wants to participate with you. Is either a dragon rider or the dragon itself. Will need the most help getting ready, his makeup is slay though. Likes picking out home decor the most with you, will not admit it out loud how much he loves the dragon hoard your home is slowly becoming as each year passes. Speaking of, once you're home with all your new trinkets, he's got in bed, talking about finally having his favorite treasure back where it belongs, satisfied under him.  

They compete at the ax throwing. Simon and John are most likely to stand in line for food while you watch a show. Johnny doesn't want to be alone for that long and Kyle gets the meal and show instead of the vendors. They all fuck with the music, idk its good and they get it.

[letters-from-dekarios]

so high school

summary: you’re the high school’s star football player. never would you have imagined that your eyes would set on the dorky english club head and class president during the hottest party of the year, but some things are meant to be.

or: you flirt with gale at a party

word count: 7.5k

tags: modern high school!au, 18!gale x 18!reader, m!reader, some VERY minor suggested NSFW, another t!swift inspired fic, all the people are in this one somehow, football coach halsin, english teacher mystra (still part of the hate club), high school tropes, kind of underaged drinking (i don’t condone!)

Being the best wasn’t easy. Whether it was sports, academics, or the streets, dealing with the pressure of staying on top of everything was about the most difficult thing someone could do. Having to do all of that, while still being young and impressionable, just made it all the more arduous.

Yet, here you stood— star of the football team, the greatest quarterback your school had in years. You were already being offered full-ride scholarships to play for some of the most formidable teams. Naturally, everything was going tremendously. How you’d managed to get this far was just astounding, especially considering you weren’t exactly known for being intellectual or getting all a’s. It spoke volumes to receive the stacks of offers from different colleges despite all that. A part of you couldn’t help but feel guilty for it, taking away the opportunities from someone who’d grow up to do much greater things in life than you. But the other part of you was just glad to be recognized for the hard work you put into your body.

After all, you were tall, lean, and incredibly fit. All the girls fawned over you like they were going to lose you if they didn’t. And you were hot, so that helped, too. Even some of the guys looked at you twice, despite the fact you were about 70% sure you didn’t swing that way. At least, you didn’t for the guys you caught looking at you. The other 30% was reserved for guys who looked like Flynn Rider, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and a few of your teammates who you’d always joked that you’d date if you were a girl.

You were well-liked, popular, and knew anybody who was anybody in your hometown. You had connections thick and thin, and, really, you were the teamiest player who could play teams. Okay, that was stupid, but you were a teenage boy— virtually everything you said that wasn’t about football was.

It was getting to that time of year when all the school dances and after-parties were happening, and you were being invited to all of them. You, of course, were also accepting every invitation that came your way, making promises you knew you’d try, and fail, to keep. But, hey, at least you tried.

And then there was Gale. He was… well, a dork to say the least. He was handsome, sure, but he didn’t stand out to anyone besides being the class president and English club head. He was geeky, nerdy, and whatever other adjective you could think of for people who spent their free time analyzing the psychological effects of cannibalism in literature. Yeah, he was liked by the other nerds who were in the same club as him, but he wasn’t exactly popular. He was elected class president mostly as a joke, and you hated to admit that you were one of those votes. He was a nice guy and didn’t do anyone any harm but, alas, high school is a feeding ground for the wildest of beasts.

The most riveting thing about him was that there were rumors of him and the English teacher doing it in her classroom. With the way she looked at him and gave him unique treatment, it almost wasn’t even gossip. Everyone in the school believed it, and everyone in the school meant you, too. It wasn’t unheard of before, teachers going after their students, but that didn’t make it ethical or legal. Still, people talked about it like it was some article in the Sunday newspaper to be marveled at. Mostly, he kept to himself aside from the occasional class meeting that required him to talk to everyone, and was generally quiet.

This particular day happened to be one of his required meetings. You, and your grades’ peers, were gathered in the gymnasium for “information” on the school prom. Despite graduation coming so close, prom felt a million miles away.

You and your friends sat and joked with one another about mindless things, idiotic things, as you waited for whatever announcement was to come.

“Dude, when do you think it started?” Your friend, Wyll, asked you.

“What started?” You questioned, watching as he pointed to Mystra’s longing gaze directed behind the curtain. “Oh my god, we have this conversation like sixteen times a week. Can we please talk about something else?” You groaned, gaining a disapproving shove from Wyll.

“Oh, yes, I’d much rather talk about what we’re each going to have for dinner,” Astarion sarcastically remarked from behind you, kicking you softly. “Don’t be so dull! We have to get through this pointless meeting one way or another,” he pouted, and you nearly wanted to punch his perfect little face in.

“Don’t be so snide, Astarion. I’d much rather talk about that than the sex lives of our teachers,” Jenevelle retorted, rolling her eyes at all three of you.

“Tchk, boys. That is all they care about. Sticking their little wands into whatever hole will open for them,” Lae’zel added on, and all four of you audibly cringed at that. “What? Do I not speak the truth?”

You sighed, waving a hand to dismiss everyone’s comments. “Look, I want to figure out what our stupid prom theme is going to be and get out of here. Let’s talk sex when it won’t get us kicked out,” you told them, and a warning look from your coach, Halsin, signified your conversation was not as private as you thought.

“That’s enough, Mister Y/L/N,” Halsin called up to you, and you bowed your head in acknowledgement. Wyll nudged you playfully, and you snapped at him under your breath to cut it out.

“It is my pleasure and honor to introduce your beloved class president- Gale Dekarios!” Mystra, unmistakably, introduced Gale to the class who gave half-assed applause.

“Hello-“ Gale cleared his throat, glancing down at the notes he had written down. You always found it funny how anxious he’d get on stage. You’d see him start messing with the hem of his shirt, on the side, rubbing it repetitively between his fingertips, and then he’d start talking. This interaction was not foreign.

“On behalf of the students and faculty, it’s my pleasure to be able to announce this year’s prom theme with you all,” Gale began, and you heard some douchebag start booing him. He was quickly shut up by a teacher quickly shushing him, and Gale began again. “The faculty present at this event requested I start with the regulations first. So let’s get into that,” he smiled at everyone, turned a page, and went on.

“Oh brother, this guy stinks!” You heard one of your teammates reference behind you, a small chorus of laughter emitting from his section, you included. Gale went on about how there was no drinking, no aggressive or verbally offensive music, and definitely no sex. Some other rules were mentioned about dress and grooming but nobody ever paid any attention to those.

“This year’s prom theme is…” he allowed tension to build for a brief second, and then smiled as he looked up at everyone, “Midnight Masquerade!”

Your class erupted with both relief and joy. The previous year had ‘Under the Sea’ as their theme and it was a dumpster fire disaster. You all feared what the teachers and principal would decide but, thankfully, it seemed they pulled through this year.

“Looks like you might finally get laid, Lae’zel,” Jenevelle teased, only to be met with a hardened glare. “It’s only a joke, cut that out.”

Once the meeting was dismissed, everyone began discussing what their outfits would be. You had a few weeks to prepare, and you were already forming ideas in your head.

Those few weeks soon turned into days, and then hours as you and all your friends piled into a limo Wyll’s dad had rented for you all.

“Move over, asshole!” You finally got comfortable in the limo with some shifting about, everyone’s dates beside them. For the most part, at least.

“Dude, I thought you were going with Alfira? What happened to that?” Wyll asked you, and you shrugged.

“Dude,” you mocked, “We talked about this. She’s into girls, she’s going out with that one from the D&D club,” you reminded him, and he nodded in distinction.

“Damn, Y/N, going to the prom with no date? And I thought you were mister popular,” Astarion poked fun at you, while you rolled your eyes.

“I’m sure I’ll be going to the afterparty with someone, don’t doubt me on that,” you chuckled, and Wyll whacked your arm playfully.

“That’s the spirit! Or, hey, maybe you’ll meet someone at the afterparty instead. I heard there’s supposed to be booze,” Wyll grinned at you, and you kicked him back.

“Yeah, 'cause it’s happening at your bigass mansion,” you joked, then you and your party were off.

You each slipped on your intricate masks as you drove into the parking lot. Yours matched your suit, a navy blue color that had intricate black designs hand-sewn into it. The patterns made out flowers and daggers, twisting together into an amalgamation. The mask itself was also a navy blue color, with black lace lined over top. Your tie was the reverse, black lace on blue fabric, and you wore a black shirt that complemented the entire outfit. You were the star of the show, as expected.

You ate, danced, took stupid photo booth pictures with your friends all crammed into the tiny box— you had a good time. Eventually, the voting opened for the prom royalties and you knew immediately who would win.

The night went on, and people partnered for the slower songs that played over the speakers. Somehow, you were pushed up against a guy and encouraged to dance together. You shrugged, pulled him against your waist, and followed the motions of those around you.

“You look nice,” he complimented, his hands resting up at your shoulders.

“So do you,” you returned his adoration and observed his suit. It was a deep purple color that matched his skin tone. Much like your own, it was stitched with a lighter purple and gold that made intricate starry designs. The mask hiding his face was also like yours, matching the color of his suit and overlaid with golden lace.

You leaned down towards him, pulling his waist flush against you as you whispered low into his ear. “You look like royalty,” you hummed, feeling his hands tighten at your shoulders.

“Thank you…” he smiled softly as your lips brushed against his cheek. The warmth radiated off of his face and pulled into your own, his blushing far from hidden even under the mask. “I don’t think you’d say that without the disguise, though..” he laughed awkwardly and you stood straight up again.

“Oh? Why do you say that?” You asked, continuing to move around the dance floor with him, moving between other couples.

“Just a… general observation,” he shrugged, messing with your hair gently.

You lowered down near him again, brushing your noses together while looking into his eyes. “I’m going to take that as a challenge,” you grinned, glancing down at his lips and then back up at his eyes. “I’ll find out who you are and you’ll be mine by the end of the school year,” you smirked, and he gave a half-smile back.

“You can certainly try,” he teased and then began to pull away from you as the song came to a close. He stepped back towards his group, eyes still trained on you.

“Oh, I will,” you nodded in recognition before going back to your friends, who were laughing hysterically at you.

There was something magical about the energy he had, one that couldn't be replicated so easily. Despite the minor interaction, you were drawn directly to him. You knew that he’d stick in your mind like a bad stain you couldn’t wash out, clinging to the foreground of your mind. You wouldn’t escape him even if you tried, and you didn’t exactly want to.

“What?” You asked, taking a drink handed to you from Jen as you returned.

“What do you mean ‘what’? You were practically making out with that guy!” Wyll laughed, patting your shoulder reassuringly.

“You pushed me to him!” You defended, hands in the air as if you were on trial.

“That doesn’t mean you have to cause a scene,” Jen teased, nudging you in the side.

“You guys are just jealous I have more game than you,” you chuckled, everyone hitting you playfully.

“Mate, if you have more game than me then that means I’m dead,” Karlach cackled, the girl at her side giggling at her comments.

“Screw all of you. Seriously.” You shook your head at them, striking up a different conversation while the music slowly quieted. The lights moved from the dance floor to the stage as one of the teachers walked on stage.

“Homecoming and prom, let’s do this,” you smiled down at Jenevelle as the votes were beginning to be counted. Hands interlocked, you’d been praying for this for weeks. It didn’t mean anything academically, but it was the event that counted. The two of you had won the year prior at your junior homecoming and were slated to win prom, too. You had been childhood best friends, none the wiser, and always voted each other for things like this. You shared every joyous moment like blood siblings, and you believed this would be another to add to your memories.

“Alright students, gather around!” All the masked teens huddled near the stage, everyone whispering about who would be voted up this year.

“This year’s prom royalties are…” Since it was a masquerade, they got around saying names by simply pointing you out in a crowd. Both winners were shown with a bright spotlight highlighting them.

You, unsurprisingly, were one of them. You turned to Jen, expecting her to be lit up like you were, but found her shrouded in darkness instead. You looked up at the teacher, beaming at the crowd and motioning for you to step on stage. You were confident you and Jen were going on stage together! But as your eyes found the other light, twinkling in the back of the crowd, you saw it shining on another boy.

Another guy? Who voted for him? And how did he get enough votes to kick Jen out of her spot you were so sure was secured?

Your heart broke for a moment realizing that you’d lost out on this with her. What was supposed to be your final bow turned into breaking ankles. It didn’t feel right.

Jen pat your arm reassuringly and motioned you up to the stage. You smiled despite the hurt, walked through the crowd, and stepped up in front of everyone. The other winner followed a moment after, his friends encouraging him to make his way up. You recognised the suit belonging to the mystery dancer from before, a piece of you glad for it to be him and not a stranger. Even though he was, still, a stranger.

“Let’s give a hand to our royals!” The teacher stepped away from the mic to clap, allowing the other faculty member to place the plastic crowns on each of your heads. You glanced over at the other, who was clearly uncomfortable, and sighed internally. You’d make this easy for him, at least.

“Just follow my lead,” You told him, taking his hand and holding each of yours up with your award-winning smile. You waved with your free hand and pulled him down the stairs and to the dance floor. He barely contested with you, allowing you to guide him. You pondered over the challenge you’d proposed, wondering how you’d find out who he was. You only had so long to do it, of course, so you had to be on your toes to memorize any detail you could about him.

“Now, our traditional slow dance!” The same teacher called into the microphone before the music faded back in over the speakers.

“Just like before, yeah?” Raising a suggestive eyebrow at him, you wrapped your arm tightly around his waist, hand planted firmly against his lower back. His hands went back up to your shoulders like they had before, steadying himself against you.

“I didn’t mean to steal this from her,” the boy apologized, and you made a face to brush off the comment.

“You didn’t exactly look thrilled to do this, so I can’t assume you voted for yourself,” you shrugged, tugging him close by the waist. You took one of his hands, spun him away from you, and then back in. “Besides, I can get more clues from you this way. And put on a little show,” your eyes flicked towards the people recording, and the boy in your arms nodded in understanding.

“Thanks, for this,” he replied, smiling faintly at you. You could only nod your head to accept his gratitude, though you would have done the same no matter who was there with you.

When it finally ended, you two parted ways without much discussion and returned to your friend groups yet again. Though, the air was different this time.

“That was the same guy. Who is he?” Jen asked, and you shrugged. You had no idea, but you wanted to find out.

“I have no idea, but he’s cool,” you took the crown off your head and popped it on hers, smiling down at Jen. “There, now you can experience it,” you joked.

She took the crown off, and handed it back to you, flattening out her hair. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t want to get head lice from you,” she shook her head, freeing herself of the thought.

“You’re so dramatic,” you laughed, ruffling her hair slightly, causing her to whack your arm.

“Hey! That was crazy!” Karlach came running over, another girl in her arms, tossing her other across your shoulders. Sometimes you wondered why she wasn’t the quarterback, but she much preferred other sports.

“You going to the afterparty?” You asked over the music as it got louder again, consuming your thoughts.

“Hells yeah I am! You?” She asked, shaking you slightly in excitement.

“Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t go!” You laughed with her, though you could never understand her excitement half the time. She was good company, and you knew the afterparty would be ten times more enjoyable with her there, so who were you to complain?

Your group noticed people starting to leave and took that as your queue to head out. You slipped back into the limo, the party continuing on with the drive back to Wyll’s.

With everyone linked up with their significant others, or their dates for only the one night, you couldn’t help feeling lonely. Each of your friends had a partner, and you were just.. there. Fame meant nothing if there was nobody to share it with. And, no, you weren’t going to not share it with your friends— but sharing it with a lover was so much different. It would’ve been nice to have someone to joke with about dancing with another person that wasn’t them. Yeah, you claimed you didn’t really “swing that way” but, maybe, you kind of did? After all, you’d just essentially flirted with a guy for half the night. Maybe you wouldn’t mind it if it meant you had a partner who fit against you like the missing piece of your puzzle.

“You look spaced out, Y/N, you good?” Wyll asked suddenly, and you snapped out of the daze you’d been in.

“Huh? Oh- yeah! I’m just thinking about how tired we’re going to be tomorrow,” you laughed, and Jen patted your knee in agreement. With all the thoughts bouncing around your head, you were sure you’d leave almost immediately after arriving. But at least you tried!

In the back of the limo, as you all pulled up to the event, each of you began shimmying out of your tight-fitting clothes. Thankfully, you had on an undershirt and pants stored in the car so your change was rather easy. You stuck your suit under the seat to grab later while you changed out of your shoes.

“Hey, Wyll, thank your dad for getting this bigass limo for us!” Karlach shouted as she helped Jen out of her dress, everyone tangled within one another as they changed.

“Yeah, and for hosting the afterparty,” you added, everyone cheering because you knew you’d have a good time.

Once you pulled up, you were back to being stupid, wild teenagers again. Some people stayed in their outfits, but not many, and most had gotten comfortable long before they got there.

Once again, music cut through your thoughts as you entered. You flipped a switch instantaneously, smiling and waving at people who knew you as you passed through. You caught up in idle conversations here and there, laughing with your teammates and drinking back the lingering feeling you had earlier. But the longer the party went on, the lonelier you got.

You were so adored by everyone that nobody considered loving you. How does that even happen?

Maybe you were just notorious for turning girls down- claiming you didn’t want anything serious. It’s not like you slept around, either. You tried to be a gentleman, but the girls who always wanted you only wanted to change you. They wanted you for their little football player fantasies, and when they couldn’t have you they moved on to someone else. It was weird. You shined and sparkled like the night sky, but who was your moon to ignite the atoms that made you who you were?

Eventually, in your tipsy state, you ended up alone in a library, seeking solace from the throbbing of the world around you. Red solo cup in hand, slumped down on the white leather couch, you scrolled aimlessly through your phone. You didn’t hear the door creak open until it was shut, and someone sat on the couch next to you.

“Oh- sorry. I hope you don’t mind,” you turned your head to look at who had joined you, only to find Gale seated there.

“It’s fine,” you shrugged, taking another sip and going back to your phone. “Trying to find quiet from the party?” You asked, not bothering to look up.

“Ah… yes. I wasn’t exactly expecting to receive an invitation and I’m quite dreading the fact I said yes and showed up,” he chuckled, and you saw him messing with his shirt like usual out of the corner of your eye.

“You do that a lot,” you remarked suddenly, and he looked confused.

“Apologies? I do what a lot?” He asked, head tilted at you.

“The shirt thing. When you get nervous you rub the corner hem of your shirt between your fingers.”

“You noticed that?”

You blinked at your phone, realizing what you’d said aloud. You didn’t mean it in a bad way, it was just an observation of his habits. After all, you had to stare at him while he talked about class politics and whatnot for hours during the semesters- you saw him do it all the time.

“I don’t.. sorry, I…” you cleared your throat, taking a sip of the drink in your cup with a small shrug. “Don’t mean it in a bad way, I guess. I just noticed it,”

“Oh. Okay.”

Gale pulled out his phone, knee bouncing as he got comfortable and assumed a position similar to yours.

“Congratulations, by the way,” he added after a second, and you weren’t sure what he meant.

“On what?”

“Being prom king. It was expected, but congratulations anyway,” he smiled over at you, and you returned it half-heartedly.

“Thanks. I have no clue who was up there with me, though,” you laughed slightly, though the confusion was genuine. Something felt so right about dancing there with that boy that you weren’t sure what it was. Fate, or simply that nagging longing in the back of your mind looking for someone to fill the void?

Gale was about to respond, but several of your teammates came barging in, all yelling and talking over one another.

“Dude! Lae’zel just got dared to jump in the pool from the roof and she’s gonna do it!” You finally made out, and your face changed as you ran out with them to watch her.

Chaos resumed and your thoughts were no longer your own again, instead they belonged to the teenage relevancy of idiotic decisions and crazed actions. When you all returned inside, dry, save for Lae’zel, you kept up with the party once more.

But your eyes kept flickering back to the library, and then around the room. Gale had such an interesting aura about him, you couldn’t put a finger on it. Then, your mind wandered and you wondered if you could tell who your mystery dancer was, like Cinderella’s prince.

You tried to recall the details of the masked man, the way his eyes creased with your jokes, laughing like you were the best comedian there could be. The way his lips turned with his emotions, covering but not concealing what he was truly thinking.

“Dude, did you see Gale showed up? We all thought he’d be all up in Mystra by now!” One of your friends cackled, and you laughed slightly, but not really wholeheartedly this time.

“You know that’s not really that funny,” you stated, and the looks you got were borderline dangerous. It was like jumping into a pit of snakes and stepping on their tails- you had stepped into hazardous territory with your challenge.

“What?”

“I said it’s not funny.”

“Are you serious right now? Since when did you care about Gale? We joke about him all the time!” That struck a nerve. The guy had been nothing but nice to everyone and this is how he got treated? You almost felt sick. But why now? Why did it suddenly matter?

“Just- drop it, okay? Let’s have fun without screwing people over,” you waved their discussion off and moved to play beer pong with some people. The party began to dwindle, and you caught Gale in a group of some people looking like he was enjoying himself. At least he had that going for him.

Eventually, there were only a few people left in the room, and someone had the bright idea to play spin the bottle mixed with truth or dare.

“Alright, we need some ground rules here,” Jen said as she folded her legs neatly while she sat on the floor.

“Either truth or dare, or you kiss the person who spun you,” someone else said, and everyone seemed to agree on that.

Shots were handed out and, with newfound confidence, you and the small group were enjoying yourselves. Stupid pranks were being pulled, dumb secrets were being untold, and things were getting heated. Kind of, at least. Some people had gone home, which left you, Wyll, Lae’zel, Jenevelle, Karlach, Astarion, and Gale. Astarion was just kissing everyone whenever he didn’t like the dare, Karlach was full-throttle choosing dare every time, Jen only picked truth until someone forced her to pick dare, and between Wyll and Lae’zel you couldn’t tell who was more balanced in choices. Though, Lae’zel had less clothes on than anyone so perhaps her scales were tilted. Gale, he was the odd one. He’d stay away from choosing to kiss someone and hadn’t kissed anyone at all. You realized you hadn’t either, and the two of you kept going back between truths and dares so nobody forced you to do so.

“Gods, this is getting boring! Someone needs to make out.” Astarion yawned, draped over Karlach with his shirt tossed off to the side.

Wyll spun the empty bottle in the center of your group and it landed on you once it finally slowed to a stop. Within seconds, he got a bright idea in his head. There was no way you’d end up kissing him, not in a million years, and Astarion wanted action. What better way to do so than messing with you?

“Truth or dare, mate,” he grinned at you, and you sighed. You hadn’t picked dare in a while, so it was time.

“Dare. Give it to me good, jackass,” you smiled right back at him and watched in abject horror as his grin turned into a smirk.

“I dare you to do seven minutes in heaven with…”

He paused, looked at the crew of people left, and then met Gale’s shy gaze. “Gale.”

“What?” You both asked in unison, almost making the same face at him.

“Go on. Or you can kiss me, but, I don’t think you want to do that,” he smirked, and you cursed everything in him that made him that way.

“You’re an asshole.”

“There’s a bedroom right around the corner, might as well take that one,” he ushered you two up, and you both begrudgingly stood. “Your timer starts... Now!” He closed the door after walking you inside and locked it almost immediately.

“Look, we don’t have to-“

“It’s alright,” Gale interrupted you, waving a hand to dismiss your concern as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ll mess up my hair and shirt in a few moments and they’ll be none the wiser if you do the same.” He smiled, and you recognized the pain behind the eyes. Too bright to be looked at without burning, he sought nearly the same thing as you. “I’m only here as a joke anyway, right?” He chuckled sadly, shrugging. “You don’t have to make me feel like more of one.”

“That’s not—“

“I overheard you talking about me. Quite plenty of people forget that I, too, have ears. You all believe I’m imperiously deafened to the rumors you spread in the halls. I hear them all, you know. I know where they begin and I know the last person who’s been touched by them. There’s no stopping the wildfire that’s been set ablaze in my wake, the vicious jokes made in my name, the roughened edges I’ve created to save myself from it all. But please, I ask that you not twist the dagger any more than it’s already been plunged inside me.”

You blinked at him, not… exactly sure of what to say to that. As you decoded the poetic words in your mind, you understood his point clearer.

“I’m sorry, about all of that,” you began, sitting down beside him and messing with your hands. “I don’t really know why they—“

“You say it too.”

You cleared your throat and began again, “Why we… say all that stuff. It’s just bullshit to keep us entertained, I guess,” you shrugged, head low as you thought of all the people you indirectly hurt climbing your way to the top. How many others like him did you turn to gold with your Midas touch? Forever banning them to a life of solitude in your shadow, forcing them under your submission, and rarely quashing the arbitrary lies that were told under you? How many people had you turned into stone statues with your headdress of snakes? Those who claimed to identify as friends but ruined your peace in the process? Would you ever find out? Would you ever have the time to apologize for letting your kingdom go so cold as the heat of your infamy died down?

“It hurts, so you’re aware. Mystra.. she’s not what you all believe her to be. She’s quite the teacher, and she sees the potential that I have in her class,” Gale sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I just want to do right by people, whether or not I’m put in positions of power as a sick prank. I could have declined, but who else would take my place? Who would have stepped up and made the changes for all of you like I had? I fight for the good and get treated like the dirt beneath everyone’s feet.” He coughed and then shook his head. “I know it’s not just you. But I heard you tonight, so right now it’s about you and everyone else, too. I don’t mean to discard these feelings on you but…” he trailed off.

“I tried defending you. I don’t think you’re a bad person and you definitely haven’t gotten as much recognition as you should have,” you started, trying to find the words. “I didn’t… get to know you, and just made opinions based on stupid rumors. I’m sorry. About that.” You cleared your throat once more, and a quiet hush fell between the space that separated you. He didn’t owe you a thanks for your apologies over your hurtful actions, and he wasn’t about to offer one, either.

“You’re really… uh… what’s the word?”

“Eloquent?”

“Yeah, eloquent. I see it.. now,” you smiled over at him and then looked to the floor once more.

“Thanks,” he returned your grin, and then quiet fell into the bedroom once more.

“Three-minute warning!” You heard Wyll call from outside the door, and the two of you groaned in unison.

“You have a girlfriend?” You asked him, and he shook his head no. “Are you… not into girls?”

“What-“ his face flushed and he looked at you with wide eyes.

“Like, are you gay? I mean, it’s cool, there’s a shit ton of gay people at our school. I was just asking,” you shrugged.

“I… I’m not exactly..”

“Out of the closet?”

“Can you let the words come from my mouth before you finish my sentences?” He huffed, and you made the motion of locking your lips. “I do like women. But I also like men. And I like whatever is the in-between of it all,” he started again and then sighed. “To me, it’s more about connection and personality. I can have a romantic relationship with just about anyone, but it’s not because of their gender. It’s because of who they are as a person, do you understand?”

“Yeah, I get that,” you nodded, looking over at his shoes. A striking familiarity crossed in your mind, as you connected the shoes he was wearing to the man you’d danced with earlier in the night. You gazed up at his face, studying it intently.

“Do I have something on me?” He asked, wiping at his face.

“You’re him…” you replied, leaning closer toward him.

“What- who..?”

You gently grabbed his chin, turning his face towards your own as you studied the details of him. You couldn’t be mistaken, you’d recognize those eyes anywhere. You laughed slightly, brushing your thumb over his bottom lip.

“What…” You could see it in his eyes, he knew exactly what you meant. But could he dare indulge in it? In the idea of you?

“The one I danced with tonight, the other royal…” you hummed, smirking softly as you leaned back again. “You knew it was me, didn’t you?”

He stuttered in an attempt to find a lie, an excuse, but gave up after a moment of embarrassment. “Who couldn’t?” He replied, lowering his head in shame.

“You know—“

“Just kiss me.”

You blinked, glancing over at him. He made eye contact with you, strong and unwavering, and you raised a brow.

“Don’t lead me on to something I know is never going to happen. Don’t set your sights on me and leave me high and dry. It’s not fair for you to make me feel a certain way and then hang me on your line of people you’ve caught in the traps you unknowingly laid. Please, just get it over with bec-“

You grabbed his face, pressing your lips together hastily. Why? Did you just want to get this over with so you could each move on?

You didn’t know him as well as your friends, but this aching feeling came bursting through your chest. It desired to be let go, set free into the world. You needed him, your other half, to balance you out. Something in you knew this wasn’t just a one-off moment to save him the heartbreak, you knew you were now tied to one another whether you’d like it or not. But you could pretend to be “getting it over with” for the sake of this interaction.

His hand steadied himself on your shoulder, and you wrapped an arm around his waist. Swiftly, you pulled him into you and onto your lap, your other hand on the back of his head to keep him there. He made a small noise you could akin to satisfaction, and you laughed against his lips. Your head tilted to the side, leaning up into him as the kiss continued. Your hands moved down to his sides, grabbing his waist tightly.

He broke it off after a second, his breathing heavy as he looked down at you. His eyes screamed love and lust all in one, wrapped in a delicate bow, those soft eyes of his and the lingering smile tying it all together.

“You…”

“Hm?” You tilted your head at him, bringing his chin down to grab his attention. He focused entirely on you, eyes connected and unbreaking.

“You’re really good at that…” he laughed nervously, adjusting the way he sat in your lap. You felt him up against you, and a sly smirk found its way onto your face.

“Yeah? You think so?” You asked, pulling his hips forward, hands slipping around to his ass.

“I mean, I have a practiced tongue with what I read, but..”

“A practiced tongue?” You laughed at him, squeezing where you could as you threw your head back.

“Hey! Don’t laugh at me!” He whacked your chest, which only made you laugh more.

“What, you get practice rolling your r’s over those fancy words of yours?” You cackled, leaning up towards him once again.

“You’re so childish,” he tsk-ed, lowering his head down to you, your noses touching again.

“But you seem to be into it,” you claimed, raising the argument with him.

“This feels just… so high school,” he stated, and you tilted your head as to what that meant. He noted your confusion and continued, “Truth or dare, spin the bottle… you know how to ball, I know Aristotle…” he raised both eyebrows, hoping you understood the trope he was getting at.

You laughed again at his comment, shaking your head at him. “You’re so funny,”

“It’s true! Swear, scouts honor,” he leaned into you, brushing his lips against yours. Then, out of pure adrenaline, he said something he never would’ve imagined ever stating to anyone else. “I want you to touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto…”

You smirked at that, connecting your lips briefly. “You’re gonna have to stifle your sighs for that one,” you teased, kissing him again. He returned your kiss, allowing you to trace your lips down his neck.

“Times u-“ Wyll burst in, and then stared directly at both of you. You were rather unfazed by it, but Gale turned to stone in your arms. You continued kissing his neck, ignoring Wyll just… standing there. Hello? Say something!

“Fuck off, Wyll.”

“Yeah! Yep! I’m- ahuh!” Wyll turned back around and closed the door again, shell-shocked from what he perceived as a horror before him. Not that gay people scared him, but you were kissing Gale? He didn’t actually expect you two to be like that.

“Y/N-“ Gale pleaded, gently pushing at your shoulders.

“Hmm?” You switched sides, slipping your hands under his shirt and holding tight onto his waist.

“Please-“ He pushed again on your shoulders, and you got the hint. You pulled back and looked up at him, in awe of his beauty.

“This was really, really nice. But I don’t.. want to do this if it’s just to prove a point,” he slipped out of your hold and stood up, fixing his hair and his shirt.

“That’s not-“

“Again, spare me. Spare me from the horrors that will unfold from your pursuit of this. Whatever reason you might have, I don’t desire to be the object of any more jokes,” he cleared his throat, clearly holding back the pain he felt.

“Gale-“

“Please,” He begged, his voice quiet. He didn’t want to become a laughingstock if things went south.

“Okay, okay,” you put your hands up defensively. You stood, running a hand through your hair. He was about to leave, but you grabbed his hand before he could. “I don’t want to hurt you,” you paused, letting go of his hand as you looked down at him.

“But I do… want to get to know you. We can be friends, yeah?” You pulled out your phone from your pocket, holding it towards him to input his number. “Doesn’t have to be anything else. And I can probably get people to stop making rumors,” you offered, and Gale sighed at you.

“Are you going to marry, kiss, or kill me?” He asked quizzically as he inputted his number. What was that supposed to mean?

“It’s just a game-“

“But really,” he looked up at you, sighing once again. “I’m betting on all three for us two.” He handed your phone back, his hand slipping down to rub the edge of his shirt. He laughed a little bit at the idea of marriage. Gods, no. “No one’s ever had me, not like you. I don’t want things to go south if we head into things too strongly,” he pushed his hands into his pockets, all too aware of his anxious stimming. “I’d appreciate it if you’d get rid of the rumors. We can be friends, but that’s all I’d like for right now.”

“Can we make out every once in a while because I’m kinda getting the practiced tongue thing now-“ you joked, only to be met with Gale shoving you slightly.

“What did I just say, Prometheus?”

“Alright, alright. I get it.” You saved his number in your phone and then opened the door for him to leave. Skipping past everyone, you led Gale out to his car. “Uh.. who’s Prometheus? Asking for a friend, definitely not for me,”

“You don’t know who Prometheus is?” Gale stopped walking entirely to look at you with horror and hurt, a look worse than when he talked about the rumors. Jesus, this guy cared about literature more than anything.

“Is it an English club thing? I only ‘know how to ball’,” you recounted his former comment, laughing as he made a face of annoyance now, walking to his car without another word.

“Oh, come on! That was a funny sentence!” You followed him as he got into the driver’s seat, and you leaned against the window while he started the car. You knocked on the window, pouting at him softly.

He rolled the window down and you took the opportunity to reach in, open the door from the inside, and lean on the top of the car while keeping him from closing it again. “Don’t be mad at me, Dekarios,” you grinned at him, but that didn’t change the annoyance in his eyes.

“Is this how you treat all your friends?” He cocked an eyebrow at you, arms crossed tight over his chest now.

“Just the ones I really like…” you lowered yourself down towards his face, biting your bottom lip slightly. He pushed your face to the side, ignoring the temptation.

“I’d prefer if you liked me a little less, just for now,” he retorted, and you laughed at his joke wholeheartedly.

“I’ll try,” you nodded, hitting the top of the car as you stepped back and closed the door for him. “Get home safe, yeah? I’m going to send you my number.”

“I’ll try,” he copied, and you couldn’t help but want to kiss his pretty little face again and again and again and- okay, we get the idea.

As you watched him drive off, your heart felt a little less lonely. You weren’t technically dating, and it would take a goddamn long time before you’d get there, but you had a friend with hope for you. A not-so-more-than-friends, friend.

You entered back into the mansion with a stupid grin on your face that was instantly wiped away as you saw everyone staring at you.

“So, you made out with Gale, huh?”

“I actually fucking hate you guys,” you laughed as you rejoined the group, recounting the entire event that was getting to make out with Gale Dekarios.

Maybe it was the brink of a wrinkle in time, bittersweet endings, and brand new beginnings. You couldn’t tell what possessed you to be like that with him, and Gale wondered the same on his way home.

In a few years, where would you find yourselves? You hoped you’d be waking up to your poet wrapped in your arms, comfortable in the space you’d created together. But you were still in high school, and lots of things could change between now and then.

For now? You’d just be happy with what you had.

[elderscrollsconceptart]

Text below is transcribed from Ray Lederer's 2012 blogpost about Adam Adamowicz after Adam had passed away.

Both were artists on Skyrim and shared an office together. They were very very close.

---

[Ray Lederer (L) and Adam Adamowicz (R)]

-Tuesday, February 14, 2012

I first met Adam when I started working at a tiny game development studio in Boulder, Colorado back in 1998 called Devil’s Thumb Entertainment. I walked into the studio on my first day of work and I’m pretty sure The Cramps were playing full blast from his general direction. There he was, sun baked and surrounded with what at the time I assumed were rare Jaimie Hewlett sketches pasted up around him, loads of cds and flyers for rockabilly rollerderby raver chicks with squids on their heads. ‘Welcome to the monster factory!’ he said and I thought instantly ‘Oh hell yeah! I came to the right place!’ It didn’t take long to figure out that what I thought were Jaimie Hewlett drawings were actually his and to be quite honest were 10 times more appealing and hilarious. (No offense Jaimie!)

When I finally got the chance to see his apartment in Denver I realized I was stepping into the mind of a creative genius. His entire apartment from floor to ceiling, front to back was covered with his paintings, massive cardboard sculptural cat like gargoyles, christmas lights, intricate costumes (designed with little more than a leather jacket, cheap sombrero, toys from a thrift shop, black and silver spray paint and hot glue) flyers for previous rent parties from his old warehouse, Tank Girl comics, Low Rider and American Artist magazines, Thomas Pynchon novels and a constant stream of music. Every square inch was interesting and VITAL and ALIVE. This was an intellect far beyond anyone else I’d ever met and there was not a single hint of pretentiousness to him. His entire life was a beautifully structured and disciplined chaos. Even then I began to see that not only was I in the presence of greatness, I was in the presence of one of the more important illustrators of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He just didn’t know it yet and neither did anyone else. Quite frankly he wouldn’t give a shit if someone gave him that label. He simply wanted to come up with more ideas and get better at drawing. Period.

Since then we got into many beer soaked adventures that sometimes included late night bike rides through the city streets of Denver with a boom-box strapped to the back blasting Big Audio Dynamite with sparklers hanging off the handlebars(and some stiches on the scalp of yours truly). Dangerously drunken skateboarding with cap guns, ditching psychedelic parties to go laugh our asses off and throw giant rocks in a frozen river, concerts, weekend long patio surfing tours in the Colorado summers, trips to the reservoir to float around wearing finely crafted and thrilling 12pack headgear, lunchtime bike rides up to our favorite outdoor patio Rhumba in Boulder for $2 Red Stripes and then back to work again, and many hours working close to him and learning as much as I could about being an artist and a better human being. He once said to me “I may not be Mozart, but at least I can try to be the Pixies.” He just wanted to entertain people in any way he could.

In his last few days we spent together in the hospital we sat on his hospital bed listening to music for hours, talking, and drawing in our sketchbooks. Our conversations were tinted with what was happening for him in the moment certainly, but mostly we talked about friends, art, music, and life. We spoke without much nostalgia or finality, just very real and present and forward looking despite the circumstances. He kept drawing until he couldn't possibly draw anymore, squeezing every last ounce he could out of life, just as he always had.

Watch papa go to work.

I love you Adam. You continue to be my friend, mentor, and greatest inspiration

---

Original post can be found here:

[buffyfan145]

So glad "The War of the Rohirrim" NYCC panel had a live stream today as I was able to watch it and I'm even more excited to see it!!! 😀 Stephen Colbert moderated and revealed he got to see the movie already and loved it. Am tagging as spoilers but from what the writers, director, producers, and cast talked about today mostly does match what is in the LOTR appendices. Also tagging "Rings of Power" as they actually mentioned it when talking about Héra.

First off the creative team talked about the movie and how they wanted to expand of Helm's daughter Héra, as she was unnamed in the books but the story does revolve so much around her since the war all starts because of the rejected marriage proposal from Wulf's father to unite her and Wulf and their people.

Brian Cox, who voices Helm Hammerhand, said Helm and Héra's relationship is a very loving father/daughter one and sets up things that happen later in the story. Brian also told some funny stories too and loved being able to be part of a LOTR movie.

The producers want us to love Wulf before we hate him and he's very different at the beginning of the movie before his father's death. Sounded very similar to the "ROP" creatives about how they made Sauron/Halbrand on the show. Stephen also said he was impressed with how amazing Wulf's hair is the whole movie. LOL

Gaia Wise and Luke Pasqualino then both talked about Héra and Wulf's relationship and confirmed there is a whole "What if?" situation with them as it's hinted at they likely would've married anyway if what happened between their fathers never happened. They teased about it being similar to childhood friends growing up and falling in love if the worst hadn't happened. I had also seen from a preview of the upcoming artwork book that Wulf is in love with Héra, but for her character only teased that she never realized it and till that point never thought of it. I'm very curious where this is going to go as I've also seen she tries to use their friendship to get him to stop the war. This is also why I keep tagging my posts about this movie as Haladriel as it does feel similar to them on "ROP" and even some of our AU fics where we kept him as human.

Gaia also confirmed she used a few LOTR characters as inspirations for Héra including her descendant Éowyn (Miranda Otto also narrates this movie as her too), but she also named Galadriel. I've noticed this too not just from "ROP" but from the books and how younger Galadriel is described to be.

The producers also said they are thinking of other LOTR anime movies after this. Depends on how successful this movie is and they will be making live-action movies like "The Hunt for Gollum" too.

They also showed some clips but us watching the live stream couldn't see. One of these clips showed that there is a Ring of Power involved. I don't think it's the One Ring but very curious what that means, especially since Wulf usually does end up recruiting some of the Easterlings that work for Sauron.

There was a motion tapestry of scenes from the movie released and a new song by a well known singer called "The Rider" will be released in November.

[biomic]

gotchard... kinda got away from itself in the end there, unfortunately.

far too many plates to spin by the end and not enough time to properly resolve them all, especially twilight majade and valvarad kurogane's debuts which could've been so much more effective had they at least been two-parters. i think it's easy to single out the legend arc as where things started to go wrong, but i'd disagree. a month-long detour isn't not disruptive, but we had about 15 episodes afterwards to tie everything together, and other shows have done more with less. in hindsight i think gigist's initial death and the introduction of the other two kings were more trouble than they were worth. i was interested to see where it went at the time, but in the end they were pretty much glorified mooks. not worth it

and you know, given that agito was a point of inspiration for the season, i wonder if things would've gone smoother had they taken a page out of that book and gone for an extended epilogue after rainbow's debut. i joked about a version where tacchan was the "true" final boss, but honestly? i think something like that could've benefited the themes the show was going for. make the whole endgame about alchemists and chemies being exposed instead of just the final few episodes, and what hotaro and the gang have to do to truly bring the two worlds together. you'd still have room for the stuff that mostly worked (sabi and kajiki's resolutions, hotaro vs spanner, etc.) without trying to constantly one-up what you did before (there's no beating hotaro's magic egg prison!)

still, despite any disappointments i might have, it's hard not to come away from that final scene with a full heart and a smile on your face. one last "hoppah!" to cure all ailments.

and at the end of the day, that's my main takeaway from gotchard. i loved this show, flaws and all. i loved spending time with these characters. i loved all the silly little creatures and the awful cgi forms and the massive tonal whiplashes and ms inoue's twisted mind and spanner's STUPID ass catchphrase. i may have been a bit hyperbolic in my comparisons to early phase 2 heisei seasons, but this show really did bring me back to that feeling i got when i first started watching kamen rider with shows like fourze and wizard, and it'll always be special to me because of it <3

and the good news is, with gotchard season 2 airing now, they'll have plenty of time t— [holds a finger up to my earpiece] im sorry? [...] oh... i see... [...] [grimacing] you said two Vs?

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

The Love of a Princess (Part 2) - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Simpson!OC (Princess Alexandra)

Word Count: 3.2k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

Series Warnings: (Modern-ish) Royal AU; Meant to Be Set in 1920s/1930s; AU Country/World; Inspired by History; Bodyguard AU; Implied Very Much Legal Age Gap; Sexism; Angst

Summary: Princess Alexandra confronts her father about his decision. Rooster struggles to adapt to royal protocol.

Part 1

Master List

Princess Alexandra glared at her own image as her maid brushed out her hair, letting her hair fall naturally down her back. She would have to wash the product out of it later, but so long as it allowed her some freedom, then she was content enough. Wiping her makeup from her face, she snapped her compact shut with extra harshness that made her maid pause. 

“Is everything alright, miss?” Jane asked kindly. 

“No, it’s not, I’m afraid,” Alexandra stated as Jane arranged the pins that she pulled from Alexandra’s hair. “I’m sure that they’ve already given you the orders to pack my things for me. For my trip out to the countryside.”

“Yes, miss.”

“How long did they tell you to pack for?”

“A few months, miss.”

“Of course,” Alexandra sighed, looking down at her hands for a moment. Fiddling with her mother’s ring, she straightened up again. “Thank you, Jane.”

“Yes, miss. Did you need anything else?”

“Not right now, Jane, thank you.” Alexandra stood up and let Jane unzip her dress for her so that she could slip into a far less formal one. “But can you please make sure that a hot bath is waiting for me when I return from my meeting with my father? I’d prefer to wash the day away from me.”

“Certainly. Did you wish for me to be on hand, miss?”

“No, I can handle it. You get your rest. I’ll be fine,” Alexandra replied, stepping out of her state dress. Once her less formal dress was zipped up, Alexandra was slipping into flats and turning to leave the room. “If anyone comes looking for me, Jane, please tell them that I am spending time with my sisters and do not wish to be disturbed.” 

“Yes, miss, of course.” 

~~~~~

Bradley stood beside the couch that Maverick was sitting on, his hands loosely folded behind his back. After one of the most boring lunches of his life and entertaining himself out in the garden while the more senior members of the military and government conducted their meetings with the King, it was finally his turn. 

And he found himself wishing that he was out in the gardens again. 

“And what of your medical training?” the king asked him, looking down at Bradley’s profile.

“I have First Aid training, Your Majesty.”

“Anything beyond that?”

“No, sir, I leave anything beyond that to the medics and doctors.” 

“There is a nurse staying with them,” Solomon Bates, the king’s private secretary and right hand man, reminded the king gently. “And a doctor is a phone call away in the nearest town.” 

“How good are you with horses?” the king asked next, looking up at Bradley. 

“Horses, sir?” 

“Yes, you’ll find that my daughters are all avid riders. You will need to be able to keep stride with them. Or to chase after them.” 

“I can ride a horse, sir. I’m no jockey, but I can stay in the saddle.” 

“I’m sure that they will put a test to that,” the king remarked, mostly to himself, though Solomon cracked a smile as well. “DId you grow up with any sisters, Lieutenant?” 

“No, sir. I’m an only child. Always have been.” 

“Well, you will learn quickly. You will have to in order to survive.” Closing the folder, Beau placed it onto the coffee table and turned back to Bradley. “You will be given a room in the castle, of course. It will be close to the princess’s rooms, should you need to rush to their aid, but far enough away to maintain a sense of properness.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Any guests to the castle, other than the usual staff and providers, will have to be vetted through my private secretary,” the king explained, gesturing to Solomon. “And while I cannot stop you from leaving the castle for your personal needs, as it is not a prison, you are to conduct yourself with the utmost sense of properness in the surrounding town.” 

“Of course, sir. That goes without saying.” 

“Good.” Standing up from his seat, and causing everyone else to get to their feet as well. “You shall meet the princesses tomorrow before you embark by train to the countryside. I am sure that will give you more than enough time to get your affairs in order and pack.” 

“Yes, sir. It is most generous, really,” Bradley replied, not sure if he was overdoing it. 

“If you would all excuse me, I must speak with my daughters now,” the king stated, before exiting the room. 

It was only after the door closed that Bradley allowed himself to take a breath. Solomon turned to Maverick and the two nodded to each other like old friends before Solomon turned to Bradley. Walking over to him, Solomon handed Bradley a small journal.

“Here is all of the information that you will need for this assignment. Information about the princesses and all of the staff and everything else that goes on that you should be aware about. I expect a report by telephone every Friday after breakfast at 10 sharp. You can also always call me with concerns, Lieutenant.” 

“Thank you, sir.” 

“And good luck,” Solomon remarked, causing Bradley to raise an eyebrow before he walked off. 

“I believe that you’ve just found what you’ll be doing for the rest of the evening,” Maverick commented, tapping the top of the journal Bradley was handed. “But get some rest. It is not a short trip to their country estate.” 

Bradley nodded, glancing down at the journal, before he and Maverick left. 

~~~~~

“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” Princess Ellie stated, lounging on the couch. “You hate being in the city.” 

“No, I don’t,” Alexandra insisted, staring out the window and into the gardens.

“Well, then you don’t like it as much as you like the countryside,” Ellie sighed, staring at the ceiling. “But are you going to be this huffy the whole time we’re there?” 

“Ellie,” Princess Sophie sighed, hitting her older sister with a pillow. “Don’t be rude.” 

“I’m just saying,” Ellie groaned, rolling to sit up. “You’re getting a vacation and you’re throwing a fit about it?”

“I’m not throwing a fit. And it’s not a vacation, it’s a banishment,” Alexandra stated, folding her arms over her chest. “And as next in line, I have a right to be involved in these meetings. Or at least the right to stay in the same building as them. I’m not a child, but everyone insists on treating me as one.” 

“Maybe because you throw a tantrum every time someone tells you that you can’t do anything?” Ellie suggested, earning a glare from her elder sister. “What?” 

“If I’m going to be queen one day, I need a hands-on education. Not one from a thousand miles behind the first sign of action.” 

“No one’s forgotten that you’ll be queen one day, Alexandra,” Ellie sighed, leaning back in her seat. “Because you never let them forget it.” 

The sound of the door opening tore Alexandra’s glare away from Ellie and towards her father. Beau was still dressed in the uniform that he wore at the lunch, having been in meetings since its conclusion. And when he saw Alexandra’s annoyed expression, he walked straight towards the brandy he kept in the room. 

“Ellie, stop prodding your sister,” Beau stated firmly, causing Ellie to sigh. 

“Sorry, Dad.” 

“I’m not who you should be apologizing to, Ellie.” 

“Sorry, Ms. Heir to the Throne,” Ellie replied condescendingly, causing Alexandra to snap. 

“You’re such a pain in the ass, Ellie!” Alexandra roared, grabbing the nearest pillow and throwing it at Ellie with force.

“Stop it, right now!” Beau stepped in between his two eldest daughters to stop the risk of another pillow sailing across the room. “You are both acting like children! Sophie’s the youngest of you, but she’s the only one acting responsibly right now!” 

“Is that why you won’t let me stay for these meetings?” Alexandra demanded of her father, who turned to her with a tired expression that only made tears well in her eyes. For this was far from the first time that they had ever had this conversation. “How can I be heir and one day the queen, if you don’t allow me to learn my duties?” 

“You will, Alexandra. But this is a very difficult time for our nation and the world and it is not the best time for that. But it will come.” 

“When?” 

“When you are ready.” 

“Or when you and the rest of the establishment are ready?” Alexandra challenged her father. 

“That’s not fair, Alexandra.” 

“Why isn’t it fair? I have completed my academic courses with top marks. Took extra subjects. More than you did. Learned additional languages. I know the Constitution from start to finish. I’ve read thousands of pages of the history of our nation. And then reread them. I stay current on events happening in our country and around the world. I conduct myself positively at every event that I attend. All I want—all I need—is a chance!” 

“I understand that, Alexandra. But the time is not right for that chance.” 

Her face screwed into a frown, Alexandra turned on her heel and stepped away from her father, returning to the window. Beau sighed and shot his middle daughter a look that she proceeded to ignore before sharing a look with his youngest daughter. 

“All three of you should use this time away from the chaos of the city to reflect and grow on your own. The countryside will provide you with that space, with that peace. Of course, you know that you can always call me, but it might be at odd hours. There will be a lot going on in Miramar while you three are gone.” 

“Will you ever come up to visit us?” Sophie asked, causing Beau to turn to her sadly.

“I’m not sure, sweetheart.” 

“So, that means ‘no,’” Ellie remarked, causing Beau to turn to her. 

“Might I suggest that you use all of that free time, Ellie, to learn the difference between honesty and cruelty?” 

“Yes, Father,” she replied quietly, looking down. 

“And Sophie, I’m sure that you want to improve on your riding.”

“I like the piano more these days,” Sophie stated, leaning back in her seat. 

“Well, there’s at least two grand pianos there. I can have someone find some music for you before you leave.” 

“Ms. Holloway can’t come up to the countryside?”

“She’s got three young children at home, sweetheart. She should remain in Miramar with them.” 

When he heard his eldest daughter’s scoff at his words, Beau turned to face her. Alexandra kept her back to him and her posture rigid. Composing himself, Beau took a step towards Alexandra, but did not move too much closer when she was easily provoked. 

“And you, Alexandra, should take some time and learn that there are other important aspects to being a leader than just the knowledge that you carry with you. Go out riding. Find some new hobbies. Live less like an heir and more like a human. And when you return to Miramar, we can discuss your position and ongoing education.” 

Alexandra turned from the window and walked past her father, heading out of the room. No one made any move to make her stay, knowing that Alexandra required solitude and would lash out if she was not granted it.

“Good night,” was all Alexandra offered before she shut the door behind her. 

~~~~~

Bradley was dressed in a civilian suit and without a single hair out of place while he waited in the courtyard to meet the princesses. Their luggage was already being loaded into a car, but there was no sign of the princesses themselves. His singular bag, which looked so ratty next to their luggage, was loaded in last. 

“Are they always late?” he asked one of the attendants.

“They are not late, Mr. Bradshaw. You are simply early,” the attendant replied, a bit snootily, before walking off as if he had been personally offended. 

“Christ,” Bradley sighed, throwing his head back for a moment. 

He let out another breath and straightened up, staring straight in front of him. But soon enough, he heard the sound of footsteps. Standing at attention, Bradley spotted the youngest of the three princesses first. 

“You’re the Navy man that’s joining us?” she asked, walking straight to him. 

She could not have been very far at all into her teens and yet she had enough mischief in her smile that Bradley suddenly understood why everyone told him to get his rest while he could. Pausing for a moment, Bradley offered her a small smile. 

“What makes you say that?” he questioned, looking down at her. 

“You’re the only man today that I’ve never seen before at the palace,” she pointed out, folding her hands in front of her. “Alexandra said that your name is Bradley.” 

“Yes, it is, Your Highness. Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw, at your service,” he stated, bowing his head to her and earning an amused grin from her in return. 

“You can stop all the stuffy stuff when we get away. We all hate it,” she added with a whisper, causing Bradley to smile. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“All I’m saying is that I don’t understand why we have to leave so early,” Ellie sighed, walking out of the palace next. 

“Because it’s never a bad idea to get an early start. Another lesson that you could learn,” the king replied, before the two of them turned to Bradley. “Ah, Lieutenant Bradshaw. I hope that we did not keep you waiting for too long.” 

“Not at all, Your Majesty,” Bradley stated, bowing to the king. 

“You’re the man who’s accompanying us?” Ellie asked, smiling flirtatiously up at Bradley. 

“Car. Now,” Beau stated firmly, pointing at the vehicle. 

Ellie huffed and sent Bradley one last smile before getting into the first car that pulled up. Sophie got in behind her and the door was shut behind them. Bradley turned to the king and was about to stammer out some kind of apology, but the king held up a hand. 

“You do not have to apologize, Lieutenant Bradshaw. I must, in fact, apologize to you. My middle daughter simply tries to get a reaction that she would find amusing out of you with comments like that. You shouldn’t take it any other way. And you should ensure that no other young men who she might come into contact with take it that way as well.” 

“Yes, sir. I understand, sir.” 

Princess Alexandra stepped out of the palace last, talking with Solomon Bates as she walked. She gave Solomon a squeeze on his shoulder in goodbye before moving on to say goodbye to her father. Though they had a spat the night before, Alexandra still accepted her father’s hug and kiss on the top of her head. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Alexandra replied quietly before releasing her father. “I’ll call myself when we arrive, if that would put you at ease.” 

“I’d appreciate it.” 

Alexandra nodded before walking around her father and to the second car. The attendant opened the door for her, and she slipped inside. With one last bow to the king, Bradley moved to sit beside her. As the heir apparent to the throne, she was entitled to more protection than her sisters. 

“Lieutenant Bradshaw,” she greeted him as she set her purse on her lap. He nodded back to her before the door shut and the car started towards the station. “I hope that the luncheon wasn’t too horrible for you yesterday.” 

“I’m not used to such events,” Bradley remarked before hastily adding, “Your Royal Highness.” 

“I’d prefer for you to just call me Alexandra if we’re not at a formal event,” Alexandra replied, looking out the window. 

“Your sister said the same, actually.” 

“Sophie?” 

“Yes. Does she prefer for everyone to call her Sophie?” 

“We’ve called her Sophie since the day that she was born,” Alexandra explained, turning back to Bradley. “And anyone who calls Ellie ‘Eleanor’ is at risk of severe personal injury. So, if you hear me call her that, it’s best to duck for cover.” 

“And do you have any nicknames that I should be aware of?” Bradley asked, staring her down for a moment and causing Alexandra’s cheeks to warm. 

“No. It’s just Alexandra.” 

“Alright,” Bradley replied, nodding slowly, “Alexandra.” 

She offered him a small smile and nod before looking out of the window, watching the streets of Miramar pass them by. Bradley looked around the car, running his hands over the tops of his thighs, before turning back to Alexandra. She sat calmly in the seat beside him, looking like the picture of poise that everyone knew her as. 

“Have you spent a lot of time in the countryside?” he asked after a time of silence. 

“Yes, but not so much recently. Over the last few years, we’ve really only gone out there a few weeks out of the year,” Alexandra admitted, still staring out the window. “But Sophie was actually born out there.” 

“Was that why your father asked me if I had any medical training?”

“Oh God,” she sighed, holding a hand to her head. “We have a nurse who lives with us while we’re there. He appointed her himself. And the doctor is ten minutes down the road.”

“That’s what your father’s private secretary said.”

“Don’t let anything that he said worry you too much. You wouldn’t have been appointed to the position if there was a sizable doubt in his head about you. He doesn’t let anyone around us that hasn’t been heavily vetted,” she added with a note of attitude.

“I’m supposed to check in with Mr. Bates every Friday morning, after breakfast,” Bradley told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow. 

“Only once a week? That’s a note of high praise.”

“Is it?”

“He made some in a similar position to yours check in every day. Of course, that was when Prime Minister Cain was in charge. My father trusts Tom Kazansky’s opinion with his life. And his daughters.”

“Many do, I would think.”

“How do you know the Prime Minister?” Alexandra asked Bradley, who shifted in his seat. 

“My uncle knows him. Peter Mitchell. Though I grew up calling him ‘Mav’ and the Prime Minister ‘Ice.’ Those were nicknames that they received in the war. They were very close and so I sort of grew up around the Prime Minister.”

“It helps that you’re in the Navy too. My father goes on and on about his Navy days to us. He misses it terribly, though not the war. The comradery of it.” Alexandra looked away from Bradley and stared ahead. “It’s very lonely at the top.”

“I can only imagine,” he replied softly. 

Alexandra turned back to him and the two locked eyes for a moment. There seemed to be a measure of curiosity on both sides before the driver broke the moment and announced that they arrived at the station. 

[astridhoff03]

Little cuddly session the second

Astrid pressed herself against Hiccup as he began kissing down her neck until he was at her shoulder. She felt him smile lovingly as he looked into her eyes again and casually wrapped his arm around her bare waist. His thumb slowly stroked her soft skin. Relaxed, she snuggled up against his shoulder again and wrapped her arms around his neck. Suddenly she let herself fall back and pulled him back down into the soft down. His beautiful face was above hers and his thumb was stroking the base of her breasts. Astrid smiled contentedly at her fiancé. Yes, that really was the best Snoggeltog they had ever had together. It had been so long since she and Hiccup had made time for each other, as Hiccup's father had taken quite a bit of his time over the last few months; with meetings of various tribal chiefs, council meetings on Berk or other problems that had arisen on Berk. Astrid understood that as a future chief he still had to learn everything, but she would still have preferred to come with him more often and spend a little time with him afterwards. Ever since they returned from Dragons Edge, his father had claimed him almost every time. Even when Astrid was Hiccup's fiancée and the two weren't married yet, she mostly only made representative appearances or took care of training new dragon riders. That's why she was all the happier for her that he agreed to her idea that they would meet every other evening and spend time together. Hiccup was just about to lean down to kiss her again when suddenly a loud rumbling from downstairs startled her. Hiccup groaned in annoyance and pulled away from Astrid's face a little. “What was that?” she asked worriedly. Hiccup gently stroked her waist and stomach before lying down next to her. “I think my drunk father just came home.” Astrid looked at him, puzzled. She didn't even know that her future father-in-law drank. “Should we help him? Or should I go? It wouldn't be very beneficial if he saw us like that." Hiccup shook his head and drew circles over her flat stomach. “No, stay. He won't notice you when he's drunk anyway. I just hope Gobber is with him, otherwise he won't make it up the stairs." Astrid bit her lower lip and pulled the blanket tighter around her bare breasts. Maybe it really was better if she left when Hiccup's father was drunk and a perhaps sober Gobber was with him. Her job as future chieftess was to represent and not to produce a successor right before the wedding and disappoint her parents, who always expected the fullest responsibility and discipline from her. But sometimes she just needed a little distraction and relaxation, preferably with Hiccup. She looked at her lover skeptically, a question still burning on her tongue. "Why does your father drink, he's our leader?" Hiccup just smiled amused and continued to draw circles over Astrid's upper body. “That actually happens relatively rarely. It's just because it's Snoggeltog evening and the others on the council often drag him along a bit. Mostly Snotlout‘s father.” Now Astrid had to smile a little. “Why doesn’t this surprise me.” They both grinned at each other and Hiccup moved a little closer to her so he could wrap her in his arms better. Astrid laughed as he brushed her long hair off her shoulder and planted kiss after kiss on her. "You're pretty cocky today." Hiccup smiled flattered and kissed her cheek. “Only the best for my future wife.”

Inspired by these two art pieces.

[outeremissary]

🌱, ☘️, and 🌟? for the oc questions :)

Thanks! Given dealer’s choice, it seemed to make the most sense to answer for Carmen, one of my few OCs with a defined relationship with an animal. Besides, Wrath for Wrath- it seems appropriate.

[prompt list]

🌱- Does this oc have any pets? Do they have any pets they want?

Carmen has never had “pets.” She grew up in a farming village; from a young age she was surrounded by working animals, and even having affection for these animals comes with the understanding that they aren’t idle beasts or companions of sport. Her lifestyle and living conditions also don’t lend themselves well to looking after an animal that can’t look after itself and requires attention and care separate from your own day to day activities. I don’t think she dislikes pets as a concept, but she definitely thinks it’s better to keep animals as companions who Do Things than to just them just for the sake of keeping them (especially when it comes to the foolish indulgences of the idle and the rich).

And as a cavalier, Carmen is of course accompanied constantly by a working animal of her own- her warhorse, June. June is a chestnut brown mare with a white blaze on her forehead and a black mane. She’s more slight than might be expected for a creature brought into combat, and has a very skittish nature that makes her difficult for anyone except her master to handle. What she lacks in power and persistence of spirit she more than makes up for in agility and reflex, however. June and Carmen are an unrelenting, unstoppable force on the battlefield, and the mobility and height June grants her rider compensate significantly for the disparities between human and demonic abilities and physiques.

Carmen has a deep affection for her horse and insists on seeing to June’s care herself, even in Drezen with the army’s grooms readily available. There is some self-indulgence to putting so much time into that horse, but it wouldn’t be a mistake to call June Carmen’s closest companion. She trusts June in a way that she trusts few others, see June as reliable like she sees few others, and is soft with June like she is with few others. I’m not sure you could come up with a person she treats with more care. On some level, it does pain her to always be putting her beloved mount in harm’s way- although she knows June will likely meet an end as violent as her own, she wants to imagine that one day her horse will retire to a peaceful pasture instead.

🍀- Around when does this oc get up in the morning?

Carmen gets up early- before the sun is fully up in most seasons. It’s a force of long habit to be up with the day: even before her fighting days, it was the way she was raised on the farm. She doesn’t feel productive if she’s not up early, and she hates the sense of being idle. Especially when it feels like there’s always so, so much to do dragging the great beast of the crusade towards its goal. She has to work harder than anyone else. She has to see it prepared, disciplined. Underneath that habit there’s a restlessness, I think. A sense that she personally has to be ready to respond to something at all times, that it’s not sufficient to trust in others. The instincts of an aeon only deepen this egoistic compulsion.

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

Carmen is fucking abysmal at expressing herself through words unless what you want expressed is “imminent threat of violence,” and even that is carried mostly by body language and demonstrated willingness to back it up with action. She hates talking. She doesn’t like explaining herself. She doesn’t care for in depth discussion or debate. And she’s really not good at any of it. She doesn’t mind barking orders, but you’d be hard pressed to get her to do any more leaderly speaking. She’s quite content to let the more charismatic leaders of the crusade take the lead when it comes to communication and inspiration. She was dismayed to be named Knight Commander by Galfrey- she would have preferred to serve the queen, who she considers a far more fitting leader despite their disagreements. It was a relief to be relieved of command in the Midnight Fane, and she went into the Abyss trusting that the crusade was in better hands (especially after the purges she had conducted without the queen present to protest the housekeeping).

Despite all that, Carmen is oddly eloquent in writing. She has been a prolific letter writer throughout her life and is also a very effective field report writer. Her range of skills is wide enough to adapt to specific tasks- her journals and reports are detailed but succinct and organized, her personal correspondences are charming and thoughtful, and the official announcements she drafts herself are written with a touching compassion for the common soldiers and civilians they address that forms more than just the bones of good speech material. A woman of unexpected talents, Miss Regis.

[salty-medley]

It's been a long time I wanted to draw my rider in the iconic SSL/og SSO style and for various reasons including laziness I never did it.

It's done.

So as I decided after checking with myself to keep the 70s fire witch headcanon, here's her casual outfit, it's 70s but 2020s at the same time. I can't decide between the two paletteseven if I feel that the orange one suits her slightly better. The only point was: no pink and green.

The body type is a classic hourglass, and directly based on few real women like Loren, Ekberg and Page. As for the hairstyle, it's based on a well known actress, who's tragic ending partially inspired Cornelia's new story.

Her wardrobe is mostly 70s, 80s and some modern pieces too.

[asknarashikari]

New Revice au!

Because my Revice brainrot is never ending.

Anyways, so this one is sort of a role swap au. In where the Igarashi siblings take the role of Aguilera, Orteca, and Julio. Meanwhile, Hana, Hikaru, and Tamaki take over the igarashi siblings' role. How I imagine it plays is that Yukimi in this au is a part of the Giff Cult as a project leader. Her project involved creating descendants of Giff to lead their cult in the near future of their lord's awakening. Her test subject is Genta, who has already become Kamen Rider Vail. She manages to get some genetic samples from him (how I don't want to say). Around the same time, Karizaki Sr. breaks Genta out of the facility, with some help from outside forces, and the two go on the run. Due to the fact that they already have genetic samples of someone with Giff's blood already, they cut their losses and scrap the whole kamen rider project, allowing Yukimi to gain more funding for her own little project. Over the next few years, Genta and Karizaki Sr would form Weekend and try to put a stop to the cult slowly and in the shadows. Around 8 years later, Genta would come across what was supposed to be a hideout for the cult as Kamen Rider Vail, but all that was left was a servant clinging to life, handing over to him a little girl who was supposed to be the bride of Giff but plans changed. So Genta, not being the type to abandon a homeless child and also out of grief for the loss of his own family, takes in the girl and names her Hana. Of course, a few years later, Genta also picks up a grieving Hikaru who just watched his parents get murdered by demons. So Genta has two kids now. He picks up a third one when Hana and Hikaru start to attend high school years later and befriend Tamaki. Genta and Vail in this AU would have a far better relationship than in cannon, mostly because Genta was alone and Vail was the only person he had. Genta does sometimes do odd jobs for Weekend as a kamen rider, but he is mostly retired from that life because he has kids to focus on. I will update the AU when more inspiration strikes

Oooh. I've seen a fic where the Igarashi sibs and the Deadman trio switch places before, but otherwise this AU is quite different from that one. I love to see where you take it

(Also I want to know where Hiromi is in this AU... everyone and their mother knows I am obsessed with that man lmao)

[cmilesfm]

if you go down to hammond, you'll never come back.

[ josh o'connor, cis-male, he / him ]  — whoa! MILES COATES just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for 6 YEARS, working as a TENNIS ATHLETE. that can’t be easy, especially at only 32 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit DISTRACTED and BITTER, but i know them to be UNINHIBITED and RESOURCEFUL. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to BROOKLYN!

in my opinion, you're on the wrong track.

pinterest. playlist. google doc.

basics

full name: miles coates. age: thirty-two. occupation: professional tennis player (struggling) with rare moonlighting as a coach for adolescents, he's not fond of broadcasting his situation at all. borough: brooklyn. sexuality: bisexual. gender: cis male. pronouns: he/him. birthplace: new canaan, connecticut. zodiac: gemini. positive traits: persuasive. eager. competitive. negative traits: stubborn. shameful. directionless.

biography

miles lives in a cramped apartment in brooklyn he affords by scrounging around for tournament money. it's mostly old furniture, old trophies absent-mindedly left in random places and hordes of beaten rackets, unopened wilson ball canisters and ruined sneakers. he barely fits his bed, which is another feeling beyond embarrassing, so he ops for the couch instead. a tiny place.

he grew up in the suburbs of connecticut to a regular, middle-class family. his home life was consistent, with a brother and sister, mother and father. to this day, they're still together and remain a rooting anchor for miles despite his worst qualities.

he moved out pretty young given his new found career, his second semester into college.

after graduating, he followed where ever tennis took him, but only recently did he settle down in new york. a little over an hour away from new canaan.

his career has always streamlined a climate of, "just enough." just enough to float around circuits with buzz that might propel you into a better tournament which might finally get your stats high enough to qualify for an actual pro tour.

miles has always been an edgy, loose at the seams kind of guy. aimless in a way that left his family worried, but unable to reel in. if he were more self aware, he might attribute this attitude to his lackluster tennis career and personal life.

the last time he had legitimate success was in his mid twenties. he had breached the ranks with numbers that put him in hopeful, local tennis talk, with an agent and coach who prodded his ear with, " hey, maybe with a few more seasons like this, the US open could happen? " it never did.

now, besides lingering in matches with guys far younger than him, he offers coaching to bleary eyed kids who don't know if they actually want to pursue tennis beyond their parent's pushing. too much of his time is spent loitering in empty tennis club courts with lazy kids with equally lazy forehands, the sound of the ball bouncing into the racket only to land out.

he's embarrassed by what he does to make ends meet. he's too prideful to admit his run is over and he knows he wouldn't be able to bear the looks promising 20 year olds would give him if they knew he resorted to what is essentially a high school tennis coach.

ultimately, he's always been an introverted sort of guy and intertwined any charisma he has into tennis. so for his game to recede and his disposition to look more and more pathetic, he's become dissatisfied. not only with himself, but his life as well, making him unmoored and rather malignant.

inspirations

big little lies: the general atmosphere of seeing the interior lives of characters, simple details and minor disasters. their private relationships, the language of each character's romantic relationships. trust for trust's sake. the blue hues. moments of introspection in the car rider line. when needing to fall back on somebody suddenly occurs and you realize you need to learn how to clean up after yourself.

the bear, richie jerimovich: when you're at a point in your life when you know there's nothing else to do other than hit the wall, or at least that's how it feels. a tiny apartment to be alone in. a cigarette habit. stubbornly understanding that, yes, you do need the support of others. asking a relative to help you out despite your less than responsible history. the character who feels stuck in a lack of purpose. being the relative who awkwardly relates to the younger table of the family and not on account of some kind of "hip," younger taste.

potential connections

coaching clientele. drifting friendships that always go to catch up over a quick bite, but never seem to remediate their time spent apart. childhood friends. ex-agents. past tennis opponents. ex's and they hate each other, hate. a persistent, familiar friendship he's had since his boston college days. a disgruntled, older mentor (not strictly tennis). current or previous neighbors. his siblings. the inane deck of people you meet during your time in new york. ex-flings. annoying acquaintances. someone who genuinely ruins his day. people he knows from the gym he frequents. the missed connection of someone who could've been the good steady in his life. his physician who knows him well enough to give him life advice while recommending him a physical therapist due to tennis. (off the top of my head, i'm interested to see other potential plot ideas!)

associations

a pile of crumpled, used tennis shoes. a fridge with lazy health foods because he can't be bothered to stay on regimen. the too small feeling he gets when visiting his parents and subsequently the nausea when he stays at his childhood home. the atlantic coast. the oily paper wrapping from his morning breakfast. when his uber drops his request at the worst moment possible. the vague BPM of house music at some club he should really forget about. compulsively checking tournament calendars. forgetting to hold his racket loose. windbreakers. the way he should make sense at a country club, but he visibly looks odd in the setting. an incredibly threadbare and worn wallet he refuses to ditch.

misc

at 27, he had to move back home with his parents. he has since internalized this and it always circles in his thoughts when he's self-loathing.

there's a nearby balkan food joint that he frequents that believes he's a legitimate figure in tennis. he doesn't have the heart to let them know he hasn't qualified for anything serious in years and they have a picture of him on the wall that they took themselves. he's pictured awkwardly giving a thumbs up by the counter.

there was a point in his college career that he debated taking leave to focus on tennis, but his parents were the one's to keep him in school. he graduated from BU with a degree in economics he's never had to use.

admin notes

hello all, it's sash! i just wanna leave this off on an excited note. i cannot wait to plot with everyone until my heart shrivels up!

[baji-sideblog]

What summer activity would the yans do?

Hmmm that’s a bit of a tricky one

Luka likes to spend his time indoors with you catching up on any movies or shows you two enjoy. For him it’s hard to spend summer together doing anything very active outside. Seeing as werewolves in this world are inspired by Cerebus (which is why Luka has two heads in his werewolf form) so they tend to be very hot due to the inferno fires in them. So durning summer he’s more of an indoor guy especially because he has ac and he doesn’t want to loose cuddling time with you because he’s warm.

Rider is the same mostly with being indoors due his fur, but he does have a love for swimming finding it very fun. He’ll take you to a more private lake he found so no one will be able to look at you in a swimsuit. (Or nude if he’s feeling more spicy that day which is almost always)

Mandus doesn’t really have a summer activity he enjoys especially since he works a lot at the office. Though he would enjoy watching fireflies with you and catching a few.

Topaz enjoys lighting up fireworks with you and eating watermelon together. Mostly because she likes the way you look while watching them she finds it cute. If you’re afraid of fireworks then she would instead enjoy getting a slip and slide and doing that with you. Or water balloons she honestly loves doing that a lot.

For Quinn they like going out and exploring outdoors with you whenever they’re not streaming. They like showing you any cool bugs or animals they find. If you don’t like bugs they won’t show it to you, but they will show you snakes and other reptiles since as a dragon they’re heavily bias towards scaley creatures. Though they have to be careful with how hot it is because the hotter they are the more energy they have. And the more energetic they are the worse crash they have when that energy goes away. So besides going outside they like to play a lot of games with you. Specifically horror cause it’s one of their favorite genres.

[localsharkcryptid]

Official LSC DSMP AU Project List!

A few of these are just gonna have summaries as if they were books (mostly), since I hope to write them all some day or something similar!

Their respective tags will be in the tags section though I haven't spoken about a lot of these! Additionally if you have any questions at all feel free to send an ask or two my way, I genuinely do my best when I'm prompted to explain something so I'd be happy to answer whatever about whatever if people are curious!!

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Also note, when I list 'Relationships' in this case it means what usually would be a ship - I'm weird about relationship labels and pretty much every close dynamic is freeform to me/doesn't fit the usual romantic vibes, so just, any pairing in the relationship label take it as me listing it as a ship or just saying "HEY THEY'RE GONNA KISS AND/OR FUCK AND/OR GO ON BOYFRIEND DATES"

I love shipping I'm just iffy with the labels of dating/ships cause it's more complex to me - I see it as like qpr/romantic usually but anyways that's enough of my own qpr influencing me.

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Dragon Rider AU (DRAU)

-Will be getting an official title eventually

Main Focus Character(s): Dream & XD (Primary POVs)

Ensemble Cast (I think I have 90% of the SMP in here)

Relationship(s): Drunz, XDnf

A story separated into three large arcs, primarily following the young prince, Dream, who is presumptive heir to his kingdom's throne and his brother (XD) who reigns as King as they try to navigate their newfound positions in their kingdom and everything that comes with that.

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Mer/Siren AU

-Will also be getting a name eventually (Been calling it Fathom but not set on it yet)

Main Focus Characters: Dream

Ensemble Cast Mostly

Relationship(s): Awesamdrunz

Dream finds himself in the care of humans after unfortunately getting a bit too close to shore - becoming victim to net entanglement and proceeding to get himself more injured trying to escape. During his time at this little rehabilitation facility he makes friends and learns more than he expected about the world about the waves.

This discovery spirals quickly into a whole new ordeal, as the facility members aren't the only ones on the island who've found a mermaid - and soon news coverage starts going on about some 'rogue animal' attacking fishermen on their boats offshore.

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"What Keeps Us Human" TLOU AU

Main Focus Characters: Dream, Punz, Purpled & Tommy

Other characters work as cameos mostly, The Syndicate is important late game though!

Relationship(s): Drunz

The story follows the separate duos throughout their travels as they both make their way to a designated meet up spot - a place that initially was just for Purpled and Punz but both of them have picked up company, so now the duos face the threats of this post apocalyptic world alongside their own inner turmoil. In the end though, there is something better for them on the horizon.

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"Prisoner"

-Very Very loosely based on/Inspired by Damsel

Main Focus Characters: Dream, Sam

Pre-Doomsday Cast mostly

Relationship(s): Awesamdream

After a rather notable series of unfortunate events Dream lands himself imprisoned. It's an unfavorable situation at best which only gets worse as his slight... "hobby" of being a necromancer is revealed to Quackity of all people. So now he finds himself in the depths of an elaborate cavern known as Pandora's Labyrinth, getting tortured on occasion and at the mercy of a dragon who he's only known as 'The Warden'...

Sam is this dragon (think DND style dragon, sapient/can shape-shift/magic n all that but with the vibes of the one from Damsel/Khaevis) and merely a legend, a fairy tale if you will to the vast majority of the land. Dragons died out with magic, that is what is said, and sure some of them may have perished but he certainly did not. Now he's tasked with keeping Dream within his own lair, fueled by the promise that he's doing something good for the kingdom who lives in the shadow of his mountains and the other part of this deal that Quackity struck with him, a promise of information...

Though like everything there is far more to this tale, as secrets wait to be unburied and the most unlikely of relationships will develop.

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Other Projects - Mostly Ideas/Old Concepts/Things That Need Work or Are In Progress Just Not As Finalized As The Others

•Making at least ONE standalone AU for most of the Dream ships/and variants of said ships cause god I love poly dynamics (I'm also the multishipper guy ever and wish to give each ship enjoyer group a little treat also Dream deserves to kiss men and by men I mean all of them)

•The Good Ending - FUCK YOU DSMP HAPPY ENDING FOR EVERY FUCKIN CHARACTER, NO FAVORITISM, EVERYONE GETS TO BECOME BETTER!!!!

•Alien Isolation AU - Locking everyone on a space station with a Xenomorph, specifically THE Xenomorph from Alien/Big Chap, Dream is the final girl I take NO criticisms

•Subnautica AU!!!!!

•A Dozen or so Monster AUs For Various Characters - Nagas/Mermaids/Sirens/Werewolves/Werewhatevers/and so on, literally whatever I love monsters and the implications and you can't stop me.

•Origins SMP/Origins Mod Based AU but it's like casual fun

•Supernatural Town AU tm, a little town in a nondescript area in the Pacific Northwest host to all kinds of monsters, shenanigans ensue.

•Httyd AU, it's a must for me

•Various Hybrid AUs, more so just differing designs but like I'm putting them in the AU category cause usually the changes would mess with the plot a little

•Some sort of fantasy carnival/circus AU, Quackity runs the thing and basically did that thing of tricking people/making concerning sales pitches like with Las Nevadas but bigger scale. Also Awesamdrunz again and Dream's a fucked up rabbit creature (a wolpertinger)

•Rivals Duo but I force them into FNAF 2 and then the plot got elaborate - there's so much more to this than I planned, please send help

•Egg Apocalypse AU, based on RE:7 & Village

•The AU where I let George go powermad cause he decided to throw XD a bone and now has god as an attack dog (this one gets interesting)

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More To Inevitably Be Added