#and she gets very loving parents who love to splurge on her special interests | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

biggest-stupidhead · 4 years ago

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Bad Timing (Levi x reader) Part 11

Summary: How do you tell your friends that you’re falling for your big brother’s best friend?

Word Count: 8.2K (longest one yet)

The next few days flew by in a snowy blur. Most of your time was spent wrapping gifts and packaging baked goods to deliver to family friends. You grunted as you leaned heavily on top of the Tupperware container as you shoved in more sugar cookies. This particular batch was going to Erwin's coach and his family. The sound of wrapping paper tearing made you cringe, turning around you saw Hange holding up the two uneven lengths of paper. She smiled sheepishly at you before shrugging and taping the pieces together once more. Your mom and Erwin were currently out shopping at the mall, which was a good hour away from the hick town you lived in.

You and Hange had already been out shopping the other day. It had been very stressful shopping for all your friends and family. You were glad to have gotten the ordeal over with. Although it was stressful, you had enjoyed picking out the perfect gift for your loved ones. Some highlights included: a camera lense for Armin, a set of chain necklaces for Mikasa, a turkey hat for Sasha, a safari hat for Connie, and your personal favorite was a set of fancy tea cups for Levi.

You really had outdone yourself this year, even going as far as buying Erwin supplies that he would need for College. For Hange you had purchased her a fresh set of glassware for her experiments, since she was majoring in Chemistry and enjoyed doing work outside of the classroom you thought it was a fitting gift. Hange held up her finished product proudly, judging by the size of the box you guessed it was a pair of shoes.

"I can't wait to give these to him!" she gushed as she set the box to the side and began folding a sweater that the two of you had purchased for your mom.

"Yeah I'm sure he'll love them." you agreed. You weren't the only one who had splurged this year. Hange had bought Erwin a fresh pair of cleats for his freshman season at college.

"I hope so!" she chuckled as she boxed the sweater and the pair of earrings for your mom.

"What did you ask for this year?" you asked as you set the stuffed container of cookies to the side.

"Oh nothing special." Hange waved her hand dismissively. You weren't surprised, she wasn't exactly interested in possessions. She valued knowledge above most things, so the closest you could get to filling that need was to give her books or items that helped her learn and shit. You had learned that the hard way, a few years ago you had given her a nice bracelet, which was currently collecting dust on her dresser.

"Well what about your parents, are they doing something special this year?" you inquired, you knew that she had learned to appreciate knowledge from them. They used to go on trips and spend Christmas soaking up the culture of wherever they went. One of their most notable trips was to South America, Hange's favorite trip to date. They hiked in the jungle and learned about the environment and shit.

"Aw sadly no, they wanted to take a break and focus on their research here." She shrugged as she wrapped the box in snowman wrapping paper.

"Really?" you mused, although Hange's family was unconventional you admired their free spirit.

"Yeah, I'm particularly interested in my mom's project, she's studying these penguins in South America right now-" she continued to ramble on about her mother's studies and her father's work. Both of her parents were very active in the zoology community. Hange's rant was cut short by the sound of her phone ringing, she apologized before answering the call, walking out of the room for some privacy. Which you thought was odd, she usually wasn't so private with her phone calls, which at times could be annoying. You brushed it off as most likely being a conversation about gifts. You picked up your phone, taking the opportunity to answer the text that Mikasa had sent you earlier that morning.

"We'll be over around 7." her text made you feel giddy with excitement. Although this year would be a bit different you were still excited to see all your friends.

"See you soon!" you responded, you realized that it was probably a good idea to start dinner for your mom. She should be home any minute but still you set about preheating the oven for the casserole and the ham. Thankfully the Jeagers brought dishes as well, Carla made a mean pumpkin pie. You weren't expecting Kenny to bring anything other than booze. You fell into an easy rhythm as you prepared the vegetable casserole. It couldn't have been more than an hour later that your mom and Erwin stumbled in the door and dropped the bags down by the card table where we had been wrapping gifts. Your mom was quick to wash her hands and start the mashed potatoes as you checked the ham. Hange had began to set the table with Erwin, a christmas playlist had been playing to set the mood.

The Jeagers arrived right at 7, just in time. Grisha's arms were full with gifts, Carla toted two pies, Eren held a board game, and Mikasa had two bottles of red wine with ribbons around the necks of the bottles. Hugs and formalities were exchanged as they entered and put their gifts under the tree. Carla joined your mom in the kitchen to finish carving the ham. You and the other teens finished setting the table as everyone trickled into the dining room.

Just as the ham was placed on the table and glasses of wine were poured, the doorbell rang once more. Kenny had arrived, surprisingly only thirty minutes late. He had a huge bottle of vodka and another sizable bottle of whiskey. Your mom greeted him, taking the liquor from him and pointing him to his seat. Now that all guests were accounted for you began to dish out food and recount the past holidays that your families spent together. It didn't go unnoticed that Kenny was a tad uncomfortable, but thanks to Grisha's easy going nature and Carla's friendliness, he slowly eased up. Of course you and the other teens had your own conversation separate from the adults.

"-Do you remember that one year that I creamed you guys in Just Dance?" Hange gloated as she waved a forkful of ham in Eren's face.

"Ugh yes, but only because that was the year that Mikasa's ankle was sprained." Eren deflected, lifting his own fork to push hers from his face. Mikasa blushed and shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"Well I guess we'll just have to see if that was the real reason after a rematch!" Hange teased before biting into the hunk of meat.

"I guess we will." Eren narrowed his eyes as he watched Hange chew the meat.

"We should play Mario Kart first, I want to redeem myself." Armin was quick to change the subject. Always quick to avoid possible conflict.

"Yeah I totally creamed you last time!" you gloated a cocky smile on your lips.

"W-What! No I had the most wins!" Eren's eyes were alight with anger. He was too easy to piss off.

"Wrong!" you said in a sing song voice.

"Knock it off you two." Erwin scolded from across the table, Eren's cheeks flushed when Erwin scolded him but you simply rolled your eyes. In the last few months Erwin had taken to hovering over you and your friends. It was strange, he had never shown so much interest in your social life until recently. At first you had been eager to tell him what was going on in your friend group, but now it was becoming annoying.

"Lay off Erwin, it's all talk." you scoffed with a roll of your eyes. Erwin's eyes hardened at your snarky tone, your guests eyes flickered between the two of you as you glared at one another. Until finally you snorted and looked away with a shake of your head.

"Uh...so who wants pie!" Armin, ever true to his anti confrontation nature filled the thick silence between the teens. Meanwhile the adults had continued to yammer on about all the hot hospital gossip.

"I-I would." Eren played into Armin's excuse to change the subject.

"Yeah sounds good." you sighed, defeated. Armin scrambled out of his seat and ducked into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with the pies. He dished out three pieces onto you and Eren's plates before serving himself. By the time he had returned, Hange had already changed the topic to the party the following day. You sat in silence as she rambled about the logistics for the party at your house.

"I think that Nanaba is bringing mac and cheese, Mike is probably going to bring those snicker doodles that he always makes-" You tuned her out, not interested in her current rant. Tomorrow's party wasn't the party you were really excited for. So you instead turned to Mikasa, hoping to talk about your plans for the 26th.

"So what time are you going to Annie's? Would you like to ride together?" you asked as you angled yourself to face her to better tune out Hange.

"We are heading over around 9, and sure I'm driving." Mikasa responded as she stretched to serve herself a piece of pie.

"Perfect, are you spending the night there?" you quizzed, unsure if you also wanted to spend the night there.

"No, we were going to go back to Armin's but I can drop you off here if you want." Mikasa answered as she took a bite of pie.

"Alright that sounds good!" you agreed, knowing that Mikasa was always a reliable designated driver.

Dinner had gone relatively smooth, despite the tension that now hung in the atmosphere between you and Erwin. The rest of the evening was spent in the living room opening gifts with a Christmas movie marathon playing in the background. The Jeagers left around eleven, which was later than they usually stayed. Kenny took the guest bedroom in the basement, since he was spending Christmas day with your family anyway. You checked your phone with a heavy sigh, already it was twelve am. You contemplated texting Levi to tell him happy birthday, but you weren't sure he would be awake. It was already six in the morning in France, and usually he got his three hours of sleep between four and seven in the morning. But you decided that if he didn't answer you could leave him a voicemail or shoot him a text. So after you changed into your pajamas and had snuggled beneath your covers, you pulled up Levi's contact, your thumb hovering over the small phone icon. Finally you just said 'fuck it' and pressed the button, the phone rang three times before he answered.

"Hey." his voice was thick and gravely as he spoke, immediately you felt bad. You knew that you must have woken him up and you cringed internally.

"Hey happy birthday!" you greeted, making sure to keep your voice low so you wouldn't disturb Erwin and Hange.

"Tch thanks." Levi mumbled, you pictured him running a hand down his face as he tried to wake up.

"you're welcome birthday boy." you teased as you fell back onto your pillows.

"shut up." Levi scoffed, you could hear his footsteps as he walked through the apartment, presumably to get his morning cup of black tea.

"you know you love it." you sighed.

"keep telling yourself that." Levi's voice was becoming clearer now that he was more awake.

"I think that I will." you answered with a light laugh.

"you still going to that party tomorrow?" Levi interrogated, you groaned. You had almost forgotten how he liked to stick his nose in your business, even when he was across the fucking ocean.

"Yeah what about it?" you huffed, feeling a bit defensive.

"Shouldn't you stay with your family or some shit." Levi sounded frustrated.

"My mom said I could go." you pouted childishly.

"Whatever." Levi grunted, and you frowned, unsure of where his frustration was coming form.

"Aw come on no need to be jealous, I'm sure you can find some rager in Paris. Not like you'll be missing much here." you chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hmph." Levi scoffed, you could hear the tinkling of his spoon as he stirred his tea.

"So....when are you due to be home?" you asked, deciding it was best to change the subject.

"Next week." Levi's tone was clipped.

"I'm so jealous." you sighed dreamily.

"Yeah Paris is way better than Shiganshina." Levi responded nonchalantly, you weren't sure if he was being serious or sarcastic. Either way he was telling the truth.

"No need to rub it in my face." you chuckled.

"Tch." He scoffed, you liked to imagine him smiling as he did so, even if he wasn't.

"Well I hope that this next week goes by fast, as much as I hate to admit it I've... missed you." you confessed, the tips of your ears scorching hot with embarrassment. The silence was deafening as you waited for him to say something, hell anything even if it was making fun of you.

"Whatever." he huffed, the butterflies in your stomach fluttered at the sound of his baritone voice.

"Just don't stay out late tomorrow." he quipped and you frowned, why did he care how late you stayed out?

"No need to worry about me, I'll probably just stay sober with Mikasa." You told him, only half honest.

"Never said I was worried about you." Levi sighed.

"Hmph fine be like that." you scoffed and rolled your eyes, not surprised with his response.

"Be like what?" He asked, genuinely curious what you meant.

"Like an ass." you quipped.

"Tch I'll quite being an ass when you stop being such a brat." Levi snapped, clearly you were approaching dangerous territory.

"Okay okay chill." you muttered, backing down before things got too heated.

"You're the one that brought it up.." Levi pointed out.

"Yeah and now I'm regretting that" you sighed, wishing he wouldn't be so stubborn for once. He sighed as well and you heard a small clatter on his end of the line, you figured he was starting the dishes.

"Look I've got some shit to do, I'll call you later okay?" Levi's voice was a tad strained and in the moment of silence you heard the sound of Isabel and Farlan bickering in hushed tones.

"Y-Yeah sure of course." you couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

"Happy birthday Levi." you wished him once more.

"Thanks, talk to you later brat." and with that he hung up, leaving you totally alone in your dark room. You plugged your phone in and rolled over onto your side, he could be so annoying. You inhaled sharply and decided that you would enjoy the party tomorrow to it's fullest. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him.

___

"Hey can I borrow your lip gloss?" you asked Mikasa as you leaned forward to apply another coat of mascara to your lashes.

"Sure which one?" she asked as she pulled her hair into high pigtails on top of her head.

"The cherry one." you answered after a moment of contemplation. She finished her hair before reaching into her makeup bag and pulled out the tube of clear gloss.

"Thanks." you said as you took the make up from her. You didn't usually put this much effort into your appearance when you went to parties but you figured since it was the first time you would be going to Annie's that this was a special occasion. Also you had a sneaking suspicion that two of your exes would be there and you at least wanted to look hot if you were going to get black out.

Plus Mikasa was also dressed up, she wore a tight fitting black top with long sleeves and a low cut neck line that showed off her pale collarbones and neck. She had chosen to wear a choker that had metallic studs surrounding the black leather along with some other layered necklaces. To match her top she had selected a red plaid skirt and some torn tights. You weren't dressed nearly as edgy as she was, but you too had gone for a grungier look. You'd opted to wear a tattered pair of mom jeans along with a black cropped tank and an oversized flannel to cover your shoulders.

You sighed as you finished applying the gloss and frowned, Eren and Armin were in the next room over blasting Post Malone. You assumed that Eren was on aux since Armin usually listened to Surfaces or Khalid.

"You ready?" Mikasa asked as she pulled on her Doc Martens and double checked her earrings.

"Yeah." you assured her as you stood up to grab your small backpack with an extra change of comfy clothes in case you ended up staying the night. The two of you left the room and knocked on Eren's door that was down the hall.

"Just a minute!" Armin's shrill voice sounded a bit panicked but Mikasa simply shrugged and headed towards the kitchen. The Jeager's house was a ranch style house with one main floor and a nice basement. The two of you waited patiently in the kitchen for the boys, it was already well past nine. You scrolled through your snapchat, most of the stories were the regular group picture of friends having a sleepover, the druggie kids showing off their weed, and of course Sasha and Connie posted a video showcasing the house party at Annie's. From what the short video showed, her house was dark except for some LED lights that flashed through multiple different colors. The music was deafening, and the kids that you could see seemed to be swaying to the pulsing music.Sasha spun the camera around as she knocked back a shot with her arm around Connie who blew a puff of vapor at the camera.

"Looks fun." Mikasa scoffed, you knew that she preferred more low-key parties.

"If you end up not liking it we can always dip." You shrugged, knowing that this wasn't exactly your speed either. Mikasa hummed in agreement and turned to look down the hallway as Eren's door opened. The boys emerged from Eren's room, Eren wore a pair of black jeans and a dark forrest green long sleeved shirt. Armin wore a baby blue knit sweater with a collared shirt underneath and black jeans as well.

"All set?" Mikasa asked as she turned to pull out a bottle of titos with a cute little sweater over it. You smiled at the cute accessory and nodded.

"Yep!" you said popping the p as the four of you all made your way out to Eren's car. You slid into the back seat next to Armin who was fiddling with the hem of his sweater nervously. Eren resumed his hype music as Mikasa backed out of the drive way. Eren pulled out his puff bar as soon as the car was out of the drive and took a long drag. Mikasa scoffed and cracked the window for him. He blew the billow of smoke out the window and reached to turn the music up. He reached back and dangled the puff for you to take, after a brief moment of hesitation you accepted it and cracked your window before taking a hit. Armin watched with wide eyes as you inhaled and blew the vapor out the crack.

"Since when did you vape?" Armin asked, his mouth agape in awe.

"I don't...at least not regularly." You admitted sheepishly.

"That's what they all say." Eren chuckled, smoke curling out from his lips as he smirked.

"Shut up I'm serious!" you snapped a playful smile on your face. Thankfully Annie's house wasn't far away, about a twenty minute drive. You pulled up to the house, it was huge. Standing at least three stories tall, with a long winding driveway. Mikasa pulled up behind one of the many cars in the drive way and parked the car. Mikasa led the way around to the side door, which was unlocked, piled of shoes littered the hallway. The sound of loud music greeted you as you walked into the kitchen on the main floor to set the alcohol you'd brought down. The real party was in the basement.

The lights were off, leaving the only source of light to be the flickering LED lights, you couldn't even tell who was who. The air was heavy with the mingling aromas of cologne, vapes, and weed. Armin practically clung to you as the four of you waded through the crowd to get to the seating area in the center of the room. As you got closer the overpowering scent of weed assaulted your nose. There on the large L shaped couch was Annie, she held a large bong to her lips as Bertolt held the lighter under the weed, she inhaled deeply and the bong bubbled. She pulled back and blew a puff of smoke right in Reiner's face, the blonde's face scrunched up in disgust as he turned away to cough.

"Yo." Annie greeted Mikasa who leaned down to dap her up. Once Annie had greeted Mikasa she turned her attention to Eren who was eyeing the bong.

"You want a drag?" Annie offered, patting the sofa next to her. Eren nodded and dropped down between her and Bertolt, who once again struck the lighter for Eren. Mikasa rolled her eyes and waited patiently for Eren to finish his drag. Once the bong was out of the way she lowered herself down onto his lap and pulled her puff bar out to take a long drag. Armin shifted awkwardly behind you and tugged on your sleeve.

"Want to go get something to drink?" he yelled over the booming music, you glanced at the bong longingly but decided that Armin needed you right now so you nodded in agreement.

"Sure." the two of you pushed through the crowd to the minibar where an impressive amount of liquor was waiting. You poured some Bacardi into a glass of and added some pineapple and orange concentrates before handing the cup to Armin. He thanked you and quickly got to work on finishing the mixed drink. You poured yourself a rum and coke and then two shots of Malibu for you and Armin to take. The two of you knocked back the shots before wandering back over towards the couch. The crowd had thinned out a bit, something about watching a movie in Annie's in home movie theater.

"-No that's bullshit, I know for a fact that you pissed your pants in the second grade Eren!" your eyebrows shot into your hairline at the words leaving Annie's mouth.

"Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't notice shit." She huffed as she lifted the juul in her hand to her lips and took a long drag.

"I-"

"Just take the L Eren we all remember." Bertolt shook his head and chuckled at Eren's flushed cheeks. You glanced at Mikasa, usually she would defend Eren but she seemed content to let him struggle through this one on his own, still perched on his lap.

"We've all had accidents before." Armin said with an awkward chuckle as he sat down beside Annie, who looked at him with a blank expression.

"Like that time you tripped down the stairs and broke both your legs in fourth grade?" Annie quipped, a small smirk curling onto her lips. You choked on your drink at Annie's remark, she was an absolute savage.

"Exactly..." Armin flushed, lifting his own cup to his lips. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, but you were too invested in the conversation to be bothered to pick it up.

"Want a hit?" Annie offered the bong to you, you nodded. Although you'd never had weed before, you'd tried asking Levi for some of his but he always denied you. Annie held her hand out to Bertolt who placed the lighter in his open palm. She packed some more weed into the bowl before handing you the bong.

"You ever done this before?" She asked as she kneeled in front of you. You shook your head,

"Okay so I'll tell you when to inhale, and you've got to take a huge breath so you can get the smoke in your system. But then you'll have to take another breath to get it in your lungs." she instructed as she pressed the weed deeper into the bowl.

"Okay." you agreed, she nodded and struck the lighter, holding the flame over the weed in the bowl. You pressed your lips to the mouth piece and waited for her instructions.

"Inhale." she said once the weed was lit. You sucked in a big breath and the water in the bong bubbled. The smoke burned the insides of your throat as you inhaled it, you pulled the bong off your mouth and sucked in once more to get the smoke into your lungs. She nodded in approval as you coughed, smoke curling out of your mouth.

"Not bad for your first time." she commented as she took the bong from you and passed it to Mikasa who took a long drag before passing it to Bertolt.

"Thanks, that stuff burns." you coughed, Annie sat down next to you on the couch and draped her arm over the back. You felt the buzz from the weed and the shots you'd taken earlier, making your head spin a bit. Annie's thigh brushed against your own, you tried to focus on what she was wearing, a pair of grey sweats and a cute cropped peachy colored tank top with spaghetti straps.

"I like your top." you complimented, her hand fell from the back of the couch to your shoulders.

"Thanks." she said, turning to gauge your reaction to her touch. You swallowed a bit nervously, you'd known Annie since kindergarten, but you'd never really been friends before, she was always so quiet.

"I always thought you were a good kid." Annie smirked, her eyes a bit playful.

"What made you think that?" You giggled, shuffling closer to her.

"Your brother is like the school's golden boy, and you are always in all the honors classes." she shrugged, you frowned. You were used to people coming up with these assumptions. She was right though, you did take honor classes, but that didn't mean you couldn't party!

"I guess...But that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy partying." you countered.

"I suppose." she chuckled, taking a hit from her juul and blowing the smoke away from your face. Your phone rang in your pocket and you frowned, as you dug it out of your pocket. Your frown deepened at the sight of Hange's contact lighting up your screen.

"Hang on I should take this." you apologized, moving to stand up to find a quiet place to answer the phone. Annie snatched your wrist and pulled you back down on the sofa, the room spun as you fell back down and slumped against her shoulder.

"Slow down there sweetheart." Annie chuckled as you leaned against her.

"I got to go answer my-"

"Nah just stay here, enjoy yourself." Annie pulled you closer, but your head was too foggy to protest, thoughts of your phone already fading into the back of your mind as Annie held the bong to your lips once more.

"She's still not answering." Hange chewed on her knuckle as she glanced at Erwin who was gripping the steering wheel. His brows were knit tightly together with worry, Levi shifted in the back seat, tapping his fingers impatiently.

"This is stupid, she can wait until tomorrow to see me." Levi huffed, trying his best to sound indifferent.

"Oh don't say that Levi." Hange frowned as she looked back at Levi, her eyes deep with worry.

"Don't worry about it." Levi grunted, turning his attention back to his phone. He opened snapchat, and scrolled through the stories. His eyes widened slightly when he stopped on Sasha's story, the video of the party played, he found himself looking for your silhouette among the swaying bodies. He tapped on his screen, expecting to move on to the next story, only to find a new video, added to her story less than ten minutes ago. A video of you with a red solo cup in one hand, and a juul in the other. You were leaned up against a blonde girl who was pushing a bottle of Pink Whitney against you, the pink alcohol sloshing in the glass.

"Come on (Y/n) finish it off!" Sasha encouraged as the other kids on the couch picked up on her chant.

"Finish it, Finish it." the crowd cheered as you sat down the cup and took the bottle from the blonde. You looked at the camera as Sasha shuffled closer.

"No pa-paparazzi please." you giggled, hiccuping half way through your sentence. You lifted the bottle to your lips and tilted your head back, the liquid spilled down your front, making your skin glisten in the colorful lights as you chugged the alcohol you managed to get in your mouth.

"Fuck yeah!!!" Sasha jeered, spinning the camera around to her face. The video ended and Levi felt his blood boil. He'd never seen you so out of it before and he hated it. He hated how easily you had given into doing something so stupid, he hated the sight of the juul in your fist, he hated the way the girl's arm was tightly wrapped around your waist, but most of all he hated that he wasn't there.

"Wait, I think Sasha's snap map is on." Hange mumbled, her phone screen casting a pale glow over her glasses as she zoomed in on Sasha's bitmoji. Sure enough Sasha's bitmoji was on the map, surrounded by at least twenty other bitmojis gathered in one location.

"Okay let's head that way then." Erwin sighed as he started the car and backed out of his parking spot in the airport parking lot. Erwin pulled out of the small airport that was about thirty minutes away from your town and set off towards Annie's house. Thankfully Annie lived on the outskirts of town so it wasn't as far of a drive. It wasn't long before Erwin was pulling up a long winding drive that was full of cars. He parked at the back of the line of cars and got out of the car with a heavy slam of his door. Levi slammed the back door of the minivan as hard as he could, the two of them marched up the driveway silently with Hange following nervously.

"You guys please slow down it's icy out here." Hange begged as she slipped on one of the steps to the side door. The three of them piled into the house, Hange knew it was bad when Levi didn't bother to kick his shoes off before continuing towards the basement steps. Erwin stormed down the steps, the music getting louder as they descended. Erwin paused at the bottom of the steps to take in the scene, cups littered the floor, the room was hazy with smoke from juuls and the scent of weed clung to the air. A group of partygoers was crowded onto the couch, Levi's eyes narrowed onto the back of your head.

"Yoooo that's ice cold." Eren's loud voice could be heard over the music as the teens passed the bong between one another.

"No it's the truth." you slurred, the empty bottle of alcohol still in your fist.

"Well sorryyy that I forgot that I had gum in my mouth." Connie said, waving his hands in front of his face.

"You're an idiot." Sasha laughed boisterously as she shoved a handful of pretzels into her mouth.

"damn straight." Annie agreed, taking the empty bottle from you and setting it on the coffee table. Erwin stalked across the room and stood behind Bertolt, who was now on the floor. The conversation came to a halt at the sight of the uninvited guests.

"Woah I think I'm seeing things." you said, tilting your head downwards as you tried to understand why you were seeing your brother.

"Me too." Reiner agreed, his own distant gaze honing in on his team captain.

"Get up we're going home." Erwin's voice was cold and commanding as he glowered at you.

"I don't wanna leave." your eyes hardened with denial. Erwin stepped over Bertolt, once he had moved your eyes landed on Levi, who was glaring at you with those dark eyes.

"I'm definitely seeing things." you grunted as Erwin pulled you off the couch and away from Annie's warmth.

"Hey man she said she didn't want to go." Annie snarled, jumping to her feet, her icy blue eyes sharp.

"Yeah well she's drunk as shit and doesn't know what she's saying." Levi snapped back at Annie, who had a hand clamped down around your arm. Hange shifted nervously behind the couch as she watched the scene unfold.

"You need to leave." Annie growled, pointing a finger at the stairs.

"That's what we're trying to do dumb ass." Levi growled, taking a step closer to the circle of teens.

"Leave her alone she can make her own decisions." Reiner quipped, rising to his own feet.

"Stay out of this Braun." Erwin ordered, releasing you so he could turn and face Reiner.

"I'm just saying, she chose to come here on her own and she's enjoying herself so let her be." Reiner shrugged.

"She's had enough tonight." Erwin countered, shifting his gaze back to you as you swayed on your feet.

"No I haven't" you frowned up at Erwin.

"Yes you have. We're leaving end of discussion." he said with finality, once more reaching for your wrist.

"I'm not leaving Erwin." you protested, pulling yourself free from his grasp. He snatched your wrist once more and tugged you away from the circle. You gasped and stumbled after him, the protests of your friends echoing loudly in your head. Erwin hauled you up the stairs and out the side door, Levi and Hange close on your heels. He only slowed once you were walking down the driveway. You wrenched yourself free once more with a strangled cry.

"I said I don't want to leave!" you screamed, a few tears sliding down your cheeks.

"You always embarrass me in front of my friends just give me this one night!" you cried, the cold air making your face beet red.

"You'll thank me later." He said simply before turning to continue down the driveway.

"No I won't I'm going back inside." you turned on your heel and marched back towards the door, only for Levi to catch your wrist.

"You've had enough for one night." He scolded as you struggled against his hold. Hange chewed on her bottom lip with worry at the sight, this was not how she planned your reunion.

"Levi let me go." you said with finality as you met his eyes.

"No, you're going home." Levi's voice was tense.

"No I'm not."

"(Y/n) you're going home and that's final." Erwin sighed, running a hand down the side of his face. You spun around and glared at him.

"You're not my fucking dad Erwin so quit acting like it! Jesus it's so annoying I'm tired of it!" you screamed, your chest heaving with frustration, your breath coming out with puffs of vapor. Hange and Levi stood deathly still, knowing that the topic of your father was a sensitive one.

"Fine be that way." Erwin snarled and marched to the van and climbed in with a slam of his door. Hange rushed to get in the car without a second glance over her shoulder. Levi remained firmly rooted to the ground, his hand still wrapped firmly around your wrist as you cried.

"Get out of here Levi." you sobbed, shaking your arm to throw his hand off. He finally let you go, his head tilted down to the ground. You huffed, wrapping your arms around your chest before turning on your heel and stalking back towards the house. Levi stood there a moment longer just listening to the sound of your receding footsteps before he padded back to Erwin's car and slid into the backseat.

Your head was spinning as you pressed your back against the bathroom door, your lip quivering as you tried to contain your tears. You knew that you'd hurt both Erwin's and Levi's feelings, you also knew that they were only trying to help you. But there was only so much help you could except from them without them toeing the line between helpful and overbearing. You slid down the door with a whimper, you hugged you knees to your chest and rested your chin on top of them. A knock startled you out of your moping,

"(Y/n)? You in there?" You groaned when you recognize Jean's voice.

"Open the door please." He said softly and you felt more tears fall down your cheeks as you reached up for the knob to unlock the door. The lock clicked and you shuffled to lean agains the wall so he could open the door.

"Hey" he said as he stuck his head in, his amber eyes soft with worry.

"Hey" you sniffled, turning your head up to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong?" He asked, slipping into the small bathroom and closing the door behind him. He crouched down in front of you, his elbows propped on his own knees as he got onto your level.

"Well for starters, you kissed someone else when we were talking." you said a bit venomously. He cringed and plopped down to sit criss cross applesauce instead.

"I'm sorry I know that I shouldn't have done that but, I've been really confused....like sexually I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and your frowned.

"I know, but it still hurt my feelings." you mumbled, a few fresh tears falling from your watery eyes.

"I shouldn't have led you on like that, it was a real jerk move." Jean agreed, his eyes still soft and comforting. You'd missed being his friend you realized as you sat on the cold tile.

"I've missed talking to you." you spoke your mind, managing a small smile.

"Me too, let's be friends again?" he proposed, offering his hand to you. Your smile grew wider as you extended your own hand to grasp his. You shook hands briefly.

"So are you and Marco a couple now?" you asked.

"Sort of.." Jean chuckled.

"You want to go back to the party now?" He asked, jutting a thumb towards the door. You nodded, although now you were beginning to sober up. He stood and offered his hands to help you to your feet. You accepted his hands and he pulled you to your feet. The two of you walked slowly down the steps to rejoin the circle of teens in the living room. Jean stopped at the bottom of the stairs his hand held loosely in your own. He squeezed your hand, asking for your attention. You turned and faced him, a questioning look on your face.

"You've got some-" He chuckled, lifting his thumb to his mouth and licking it before wiping away some rogue mascara off your cheeks. You gasped in mock offense as he wiped away the makeup.

"You're not my mom." you teased, pulling your face free as you turned to head back into the fray, trusting that Jean got all the black marks off your face.

"Nobody could replace Angie." Jean agreed as he followed you into the basement. The group of previously rowdy teens was now subdued due to your brother and his meddling party crasher friends.

"Hey look who's back!" Reiner greeted, causing all the heads to turn back to you. You smiled sheepishly and dropped back into your seat next to Annie.

"You alright?" She asked, her eyes scanning you meticulously for any signs of injury.

"Yeah I'm- I'll be alright." you stumbled over your words as the group watched you carefully.

"You want a uh beer or something?" Connie asked, lifting up an unopened can.

"No she doesn't you idiot!" Sasha snapped, elbowing Connie harshly.

"Ow well I was just trying to make her feel better!" Connie cried, turning to tackle Sasha. The two began to tussle, rolling around on the floor grunting as they struggled. You smiled, the pair never failed to make you happy. Annie draped her arm over you again as the boys began to place bets on who would come out victorious.

"If Sasha wins you've got to drink one of Connie's mixed drinks!" Eren said, leaning over to Bertolt who scoffed, his boyish features contorting with disgust. Connie was known for making the worst mixed drinks.

"You're on Jeager." he reached over Reiner and the two shook in agreement before turning their attention to the scuffle.

"Come on Sasha!" Eren jeered as Sasha bit down hard on Connie's hand. The boy yelped and tried to desperately pry her locked jaws off his hand. He gave up quickly and resorted to hitting her head with his closed fist, his face wild with panic.

"Tickle her neck" Mikasa suggested as she lifted a red solo cup to her lips. Your eyes widened in surprise, Mikasa usually kept quiet during these scuffles, unless of course it was Eren being thrown around. Connie's free hand flew down to Sasha's armpit and immediately Sasha released his other hand to roll away from him. Connie regained the upper hand, pinning Sasha beneath him as he tickled her ruthlessly. Jean groaned and slapped a wad of bills into Reiner's open palm as Sasha slapped the ground in defeat. Connie threw his hands into the air and rolled off Sasha who was fighting for breath.

"Traitor" she moaned, her brown eyes glaring at Mikasa who shrugged indifferently. Eren groaned and frowned at Mikasa.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked as Bertolt looked relieved. Mikasa shrugged once more a sly smile on her face as Eren pushed her off his lap.

"So" Connie jumped to his feet and clapped his hands together.

"About that drink." he turned and strutted over to the mini bar, followed by a sulking Eren and a smug Bertolt. You turned to Sasha who was now straddling Mikasa her hands around Mikasa's shoulders as she jostled the girl.

"Come on Mikasa why'd you sell me out like that?" she whined as she shook the girl, Mikasa's drink sloshing in her cup. Mikasa smiled as her eyes drifted to the group of boys, Connie had a large bottle of Tito's and a two liter of Mt. Dew in his hands as he inspected the two, his face scrunched up with concentration.

"Come on Sasha it's not like you wouldn't do the same if it were me." Mikasa scoffed with a roll of her eyes. You snorted at Mikasa's response, knowing that she was indeed correct. Sasha gasped and shook Mikasa harder.

"I would never do that to you! Besides you would win in any fight you fought." Sasha objected, leaning back on Mikasa's lap her arms extended.

"Psh whatever." Annie scoffed, a playful smirk on her lips.

"Not all of us are masters at kickboxing." Sasha pouted as she climbed off Mikasa's lap and dropped onto the empty space next to her. You knew that Mikasa had participated in the sport for the past few years, but you were confused when Sasha looked between Annie and Mikasa.

"What you didn't know?" Annie asked with a smirk. You shook your head,

"No I guess I don't know." you laughed as Annie licked her lips and she threw her arm back over your shoulders.

"Mikasa and I are on the same kickboxing club." She shrugged as you settled back into her side. Your mouth opened into an 'o' shape in realization as Annie dug her juul out of her pocket and took a hit. Mikasa nodded in agreement, her eyes shifting back over to the boys, who were laughing loudly as Eren chugged a cup of mystery liquid.

"Really? I had no idea." you said as you followed Mikasa's gaze. Eren was now leaned over gagging as Armin patted his back with a worried expression.

"-You dodged a bullet there!" Reiner quipped as he patted Bertolt's back as the tall boy watched with a disgusted face.

"Hey where did Ymir and Krista run off to?" Sasha asked, whipping her head around to look for the pair.

"Probably making out in some corner." Reiner scoffed as he dropped back onto the sofa, the rest of the boys rejoining the group as well. You nodded in agreement, it was no secret that the pair had been seeing each other recently.

"Guess so." Sasha sighed, slumping back into the sofa, throwing a glare at Connie who was now seated next to her with an arm over the back of the couch. Eren and Armin were the only once unaccounted for, you assumed that they had fled to the bathroom given the state Eren had been in after drinking Connie's concoction. Jean had managed to slip away with all the commotion, probably to return to Marco. Annie sighed, glancing at her phone with a frown, it was well past three at this point and you were starting to feel the fatigue.

"Well I think that I'm heading off to bed." Annie yawned, the others seemed to be mellowing out as well.

"You guys can crash here or my brother's room is open as well as my sisters rooms." She said as she stood up. You immediately missed her warmth as she lingered by the couch.

"I call Eric's room!" Sasha perked up, also standing up to run towards Annie's younger brother's room.

"No fair!" Connie yelled, giving chase. Mikasa sighed and stood up as well.

"I'd better go check on Eren and Armin." She mumbled as she stalked off towards the bathroom.

"Are you staying the night then?" Annie asked you as you also stood up, not sure if you should go after Mikasa.

"I'm not sure, Mikasa was going to take me back to her place..."

"You can sleep in my room with me." She offered, tilting her head towards the stairs. You bit your lip as you weighed your options. Mikasa had been drinking and smoking and you knew that she wasn't stupid enough to drive so you figured that you weren't leaving any more.

"We'll sleep in Sarah's room." Reiner said as he and Bertolt began to retreat up the stairs. Leaving just you and Annie in the basement living room, she raised a brow as she waited for your answer.

"No pressure." She said as she began to walk towards the stairs.

"Yeah I'll sleep with you." you blurted as you jogged to catch up to Annie. She smirked at your wording and you flushed.

"Not like that!" you slapped her arm as she led the way up to the top floor which was a maze of closed doors. She slipped into one of the closed doors, into a large bedroom with a queen sized bed in the center of the room. She emptied her pockets before climbing into bed, pulling the covers back for the both of you. You slid into the open side and sat your phone on the bedside table. Annie sighed with relief as she nestled into the covers, scrolling through her phone as you closed your eyes in an attempt to sleep. After a few minutes Annie put her phone down and rolled over, now her front was facing your back.

"You awake?" She whispered, you rolled over to face her as well.

"Yeah" you answered, resting your head on your arm as you focused on her features as best as you could in the dim lighting.

"You wanna make out?" she asked, your eyes widened in shock. You weren't sure if she was being serious or not.

"For real?" you blinked rapidly as Annie shuffled closer and pushed a lock of hair out of your face.

"I mean yeah." she huffed a shy smile on her face. You pursed your lips in thought, you had never kissed a girl before, and it wasn't like the thought of doing so had never crossed your mind. You shrugged and leaned slightly into her touch.

"Yes or no." She said as she propped herself up on her elbow so she was looking down on you.

"Sure." you agreed, she leaned down as soon as the words left your lips. Her lips were so soft compared to the boys that you'd kissed in the past. Her hand that had been in your hair now traced over your cheek bones as she licked your bottom lip. You opened your mouth for her to slip her tongue in, the taste of weed and pink whitney mingling on her breath. You met her tongue a bit timidly as she licked your bottom teeth. She pulled back after a moment to readjust herself so that she was now laying down on top of you, caging you in her arms as she leaned down to kiss your chin.

"You're so cute." she mused, her lips pressed against the corner of your mouth.

"You're really pretty" you breathed as her lips hovered over your own once more before connecting her lips with yours once more.

109 notes · View notes

justlookingvm · 4 years ago

Text

Tessa Virtue’s leap from Figure Skating Olympic Champion to Executive MBA | Kneading Dough Canada

https://youtu.be/JAAkEDRFJ1A

Host: Vinay Virmani

T: If you’re going to build something, you need options in your life. I’ll say this especially as females, it’s important to be independent. To feel like you can be self-reliant and to take care of yourself.

[Intro presented by Tangerine]

V: Tessa, welcome to Kneading Dough Canada.

T: Thank you so much for having me.

V: It’s a pleasure. Kneading Dough Canada is a financial empowerment platform as you know, where we talk money, we talk mindset, we talk about financial lessons that you’ve learned along the way to hopefully inspire the next generation.

T: Well I’m so grateful to be on, I really appreciate it. I think it’s always refreshing to hopefully lend that female lens but also maybe that perspective from the amateur sport world too.

V: Yeah, you know Tessa you’ve accomplished so much, both in your personal and in your professional life. As an athlete you have achieved so many incredible honours, you’ve represented us, this country of Canada at the highest of international levels, but what I’m really excited about is you’re about to add another accomplishment in the form of three very special letters, MBA behind your name. Talk to me about that decision.

T: It’s been you know lingering in my mind for a long time. Education was always a priority in my household growing up in my family, and I thought about law school for quite some time and then I retired at 28 or 29 and thought maybe that’s too long (giggle) and realized also I wanted to flex a bit of a creative muscle. So this MBA program has been a dream of mine for quite some time. I want to be a student again in every sense of the word and I’m eager to learn the ins and outs of the business realm and that corporate sphere that I’ve had a unique perspective of, you know for 10 15 years, but if I’m going to take on a new role whatever that may be then I really want to feel like I’ve adopted that rookie mindset once again, and earned my stripes, I’ve gotten the credibility to to deserve a place there.

V: I want to take it to the world of figure skating though, because the world of figure skating is so glamorous as a sport. You know

T: I wasn’t sure where that sentence was going to land. It could have gone so many directions.

V: I I’m so like fascinated by the world of figure skating because the glamour, the imagination, the costumes, the drama, the whole production value. It looks so beautiful and elegant, but behind it there’s also rigorous routine, training and it’s not cheap.

T: Uh huh

V: So growing up, dd you have those conversations with your family and did you understand the investment that it was taking to sort of put you through the highest levels of figure skating.

T: The 2 things that my parents were always wiling to invest in or prioritize were education and sport. And it was important to them that we were exposed to as much as we could be. I’m the youngest of four. You know I’m of two minds because on one hand I do believe they tried to shield me from the burden of that sacrifice, that they made for all kids and for you know all of these adventures. But I was also keenly aware of it. I knew the the toll and I knew the cost and um you know I felt that responsibility…

V: Was there anything that you remember early on where there was an incident or a moment where you were like, I recognize like you talked about the toll.

T: My parents were so conscious to ensure that I wasn’t carrying that weight, and yet I moved away from home when I was 13 and I was kind of budgeting at that age for groceries and 7-eleven runs (laughs), whatever it is that a 13 year old needs. Taking taxis everywhere and I made a decision when I was 15 um to be able to do it on my own. My mom was always quick to say you know you have to look after yourself and you always have to make your own way and she was all about sort of creating that sense of security and freedom, so that I had options.

To be honest I had a tumultuous relationship with my father when I was a teen and I think it was just a decision, at that point. I didn’t feel right.

V: Yeah

T: I didn’t feel right accepting that kind of support anymore um and maybe it was a bit of pride you know, not wanting to

V: You don’t want to be dependent on anybody.

T: Totally. Yeah, and that’s not to say that I’m not aware of the privilege that I had growing up to have those opportunities. It was just a real marker of OK, if this is the path I’m choosing, um and I really need to make sure that I can I can do it on my own or in a way that really isn’t such a burden.

V: You know talking to you today has reinforced independence. You know being independent, not being dependent and and just being self-sufficient. And how gratifying that is, you know I think a lot of people, especially as you said, I hope a lot of young women watch this show and and really listen to your advice. And the fact that you took that decision at such an early age.

T: You know it’s interesting I found old journals not too long ago, and there was a page in one and I don’t know, judging by my handwriting I might have been 12? 11 or 12? And I had written my goals and that were, you know the to win the Olympics, be on Oprah, which I’ll settle for uninterrupted and Kneading Dough, uh buy a cottage, like buy a family cottage

V: Right

T: And at 12 that was on my mind and the feeling of walking into this cottage that my mom and I were able to dream of and then buy together, is so visceral and it’s it’s so much about, like I think back to being young and maybe not having, especially for her like that sense of security and and just really feeling like that can be a safe place now. Um so again it’s more of the representation of that.

V: I’ve heard you say something that has really resonated with me always because it’s something that I believe in. That the highs are so much better when you’ve experienced the lows. And obviously Scott Moir and yourself accomplished so many great things together. Something that I always try to tell the younger generation is, sometimes you have to just sit back celebrate your failures.

T: Well we learned to embrace it by making it part of our process, in that, not only did we anticipate failure and expect it and embrace it, well, we practiced it. So we learned to fall on demand, get back up, refocus, and

V: OK

T: be back into our program still trying to amalgamate as many points as possible.

V: You know I remember once um I must have been in grade school and I and I failed a few subjects. I was never a good student.

T: OK

V: And you know we didn’t have a lot of money at the time and I remember my my dad, I was really afraid to tell him that you know I’ve failed these courses and blah blah blah, but he said to the family, he said, alright everybody get ready we’re going for dinner. And we went to this restaurant that was only saved for like birthdays or anniversaries. And so we get there and he’s ordering all these great things on the menu and I’m like “dad, I don’t think you heard me like I failed, like I failed and here you are taking it t the restaurant.” And I remember he looked at me and he said “You know I want you to celebrate this failure. I want you to take it in because if you’re winning all the time, you’re not going to learn anything.”

T: Wow, and obviously that stayed with you

V: Oh yeah, you’re always going to learn so much more from the losses.

This next set of questions is called the two cents round, so you can’t overthink these things.

Tessa, we all know about your discipline but what do you splurge on?

T: Clothes

V: Clothes, OK, all right. What part of your budget are you working on lowering?

T: Clothes (big laugh). Actually not really because I will say, it’s more what it represents like part of that is like my I love it and it’s become also intertwined with my career and my brand if you will. Um

V: Its an investment in yourself.

T: I think so, that’s how I twist it

V: So, what is us the best financial decision you’ve made so far?

T: Hire the right people

V: Building the right team around you.

T: Yeah absolutely.

V: Describe your financial persona in just one word.

T: I want to say careful?

V: Careful.

T: Careful in that I’m strategic

V: I like that, OK

T: But I’m willing to have some fun.

V: OK, all right. Tessa if you could run any business, what would it be?

T: My own.

V: Your own. OK. All right I’m not going to push you more. [Tessa laughs]. They say patience is a virtue, how long did your first paycheck last?

T: I mean I spent my whole career basically operating at a deficit, so everything went back into training. I worked towards certain things and the you know I was really fortunate to get some funding and bursary grants, and then eventually sponsors and um was able to build this little nest egg, but mostly it went right back into training.

V: Tessa, this year we’ve been having such important and meaningful conversations about women in sport. And you know of course there’s such a long way to go for those conversations really to achieve equality, but as somebody who’s such a big advocate for women’s empowerment in sport, how do you feel that you want to lend your voice to those conversations?

T: I think, currently the biggest impact I feel I can have is really connecting with those young female athletes at that precipice of maybe dropping out um for all the heart breaking reasons that we’re learning about through research. Whether that is you know body image, or lack of self-confidence, lack of self-worth, it’s just not good enough. Like the access to resources, there are opportunities, um I think those conversations are really important and that’s where I’ve been feeling most fulfilled, when I’m able to connect with those athletes and you know I’ve been able to benefit from all of the lessons and the opportunities that sport has lended it uh to my life. And I just so want that for other female athletes. And you know we’re seeing that there are more mentors, more representation, more access to viewing these formidable female athletes, and I hope that resonates.

V: Tessa, we’ve uh had the opportunity to work on a few branded campaigns together. There’s this Tessa grace, and there’s this element of everything being held to a certain standard. In everything that you do, especially things that are public facing. Talk to me a bit about that.

T: I hate the word brand but I’m going to say it, my brand has been

V: I mean you definitely have a very strong brand

T: Well it’s been built on the very foundation of me and my personality and if those values aren’t upheld in every sense of you know the word, then I’m I’m not useful to anyone. Then I’m then no brand would want to hire me, um because it if it gets diluted, then I then I just think um it’s losing the very essence of what resonates with people. And I’m really careful about that like I only partner and pair with brands that I would authentically stand behind and feel really good about promoting.

V: I love that

T: And I’m conscious of where I lend my voice and my likeness, a very clear mission statement, and you know I love to be hands on but that’s where like the creative fulfilment comes in

V: Right

T: And honestly that’s where the most successful engagement also comes. If I’m involved and it’s a collaborative process, um it’s much more successful for the brand too.

V: You know, over this past year, there’s been such a strong connection to mental health and financial wellness. Many Canadians have a very high debt to income ratio, which can be very stressful. For you, how do you protect not only your mental health, but when it comes to financial wellness. How do you really protect your sanity?

T: As an amateur athlete I grappled with that um day after day. I think it’s important to find purpose in saving and planning. So, you know my mom started those conversations with me when I was young but that was all to sort of plant the seed of like you need to plan for this. And if you’re going to build something you need options in your life. For me you know it’s helped having a corporation for example, because a lot of my money is tied up there and it it’s great um but, it’s also made me very careful and strategic in how I spend it.

V: What is your one big piece of financial advice to all young women out there?

T: Surround yourself with the right people and set yourself up for independence.

V: I love that. Financial freedom.

T: Financial freedom.

#Tessa Interview: Kneading Dough

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zoawrites · 4 years ago

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A Walk in the Park

Thanks for the prompt @severeearthquakebanana!

The result is absolute, teeth-rotting fluff and sweetness and I really enjoyed writing it! 🥰

Original Prompt: Rey and Ben are on a walk in a park and find something interesting (said thing can be any noun; person, place, or object)

🐾🐾🐾🐾

The evening was aglow with the soft, amber light of the sun as it sank beneath the horizon. In Rey’s opinion this was the perfect time to walk during spring. Not too warm yet but everything was blooming. Cherry trees blossomed along the sidewalk, as well as daffodils, tulips, and a rainbow of wildflowers. Grass greener than an Irish hill filled out the spaces between; it looked soft enough to wrap oneself in like a blanket. Oaks and maples spread out in the lawns beyond; scattered between the trees were benches and a play area for children which was emptying now as their parents guided them home for the night.

A cool breeze fluttered through the trees, lifting the stray hairs at the nape of her neck, and Rey tucked herself closer into the solid body walking at her side. Ben - who was very likely the love of her life - put his arm around her shoulders.

“Cold?” His deep voice reverberated pleasantly through Rey’s body. “I wish you’d worn a heavier jacket…”

“I don’t need one with you around,” she countered with a grin. “You’re all the warmth I need.”

“Funny from the girl who thought I was colder than a block of ice less than a year ago,” he retorted fondly.

“Time changes us all… Ben.” Rey stopped walking abruptly, gaze fixed on a furry ink blot trotting toward them. “Is that dog by itself?”

“Uh, yeah, looks like it. Rey, no…”

But Rey’s only thought was ‘Rey, yes,’ as she knelt down and called the dog to her in the sweetest, most unthreatening tone she could muster. The dog paused, head tilting one way, then the other, before cautiously moving forward. A cold, wet nose touched Rey’s outstretched fingers.

“That’s a good dog,” she crooned and was gratified to see the creature’s long, slightly curled tail start to wag and it stepped closer. “Oh, who’s a pretty doggie? She doesn’t have a collar.” Rey reported, glancing up at her grimacing boyfriend.

“How can you tell under all that fur?”

Indeed, the dog had a hot mess for a fur coat; tight, black curls which were matted in too many places to count. The fur on her head was smoother - more wavy than bouncy (the same as her tail) - but covered her eyes, which were revealed to be a gentle brown when Rey pushed aside the dark curtain over them. The dog blinked at her, batting the longest eyelashes Rey had ever seen on an animal and charming her completely.

“Ben…”

“We’re not taking it home.”

Rey turned her head up and glared at him. He gave a long-suffering sigh and Rey knew she’d won.

🐾🐾🐾🐾

The next day was spent first at the vet, where Rey had the poor dog checked out - she was fine; surprisingly healthy except for a few cuts that would heal easily with the help of some antibiotics and being thin from malnutrition - and a local groomer. No way was Rey going to leave the dog to suffer from the mats that tugged at her skin. She also splurged on a black and red leather collar… and a few toys…

And a dog bed.

🐾🐾🐾🐾

“Sweetheart, why’d you get a dog bed? We’re not keeping her.”

“She needs a comfortable place to sleep, Ben, since you won’t let her on our bed.”

“She was dirty!”

“Why can’t we keep her?” Rey bounced back to the original statement, scowling at him from her place on the couch. Beside her was the dog, lounging happily against Rey’s thigh with a rope toy in her mouth. Her new haircut made her look like a fluffy black teddy bear and Rey couldn’t have been more in love.

Ben waved an arm aimlessly. “Somebody might be looking for her. What about a chip?”

“The vet checked. She doesn’t have one. I think they left her, Ben,” Rey murmured sadly, stroking the dog’s long nose. “They just… left her.”

Suddenly Ben was on the couch at Rey’s free side and pressed his lips to her temple. “You don’t know that for sure,” he said gently.

Rey did know, she knew it in her bones. Because she’d been left, too.

“Let’s put up some flyers around the park,” Ben suggested. “If we don’t hear anything after a couple of weeks…”

“She’s mine.”

A soft laugh brought Rey’s attention back to Ben. He was smiling at her in a way that brought butterflies to her stomach. “Yeah,” he nodded. “She’s yours.”

🐾🐾🐾🐾

Rey counted the days after putting the first flyers up with a picture of the dog as they’d found her. Ben’s idea; he reasoned her owners might not recognize her with one of the five thousand new photos Rey had taken since the dog had gotten groomed.

So Rey waited, anxiously jumping if either her or Ben’s cell phone rang.

But two weeks passed and no one called to claim the poor dog, who Rey had deciphered was a poodle mix. Smart and clever, but friendlier than any other dog Rey had the pleasure to meet.

On the fifteenth day, Rey officially attached the dog’s new tag on the leather collar. Magpie. Because she was dark as a raven, but insisted on stealing Ben’s socks and hoarding them under the bed.

Or pooping them out, much to his dismay.

As sixteen, then twenty, then thirty days passed by, Rey forgot what life was like before Magpie’s appearance in it. Ben didn’t seem as enthusiastic about having a dog, but he didn’t make anymore arguments against keeping her, most likely knowing full well Rey would battle fiercely for her. And so the dog became a fixture in Rey and Ben’s life, despite Ben’s initial reluctance.

So much so, in fact, that she was a partner in a very special event Ben planned.

🐾🐾🐾🐾

Rey called for Magpie but for longest while the dog didn’t respond. Growing concerned, Rey sought her out, checking the kitchen, the bedroom, the living room, the kitchen again and finally back to the living room. On her third round about the house she heard the tell-tale soft padding of Magpie’s paws and turned with a relieved grin.

“Where have you been, silly girl?” she chastised gently. “I was starting to get worried.” Rey knelt to give the dog a scratch behind the ear, but her fingers brushed against something tied to her collar. Frowning, Rey tugged at the thing, which came loose easily, to find it was a small, black velvet box.

A soft noise behind her startled Rey so that she whipped around and gasped.

Ben was on one knee, a sheepish, nervous smile on his handsome face.

Eyes darting between the box and him, Rey understood suddenly what was happening.

Moments later, Magpie danced around the embracing couple, barking merrily as she tried to catch the light reflecting off Rey’s sparkling ring.

🐾🐾🐾🐾

Author’s Note:

Magpie is inspired by my beloved goldendoodle, Maggie, who crossed the rainbow bridge a little over a year ago. I’ve been meaning to write her into a story and she decided to appear in this one. I hope y’all enjoyed it! ❤️

#reylo #reylo fic #reylo fanfic #reylo fanfiction #reylo au #reylo prompt #reylo fluff #teeth rotting fluff #zoawrites #zoasworks #zoa speaks #severeearthquakebanana

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purplesurveys · 3 years ago

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1248

Your ex taps you on the shoulder and says, “I still love you.” You say? I feel like I’ve answered a similar situation recently, but I would assume it was a drunk text or wrong text, inform them about it, and move on.

Do you play video games? Nah. I do feel a sort of connection of video games since I grew up surrounded by them, though; but I’m more of a watcher than anything. I like watching playthroughs of video games I’ll never play. Do you spend a lot of time with family? No. We used to, back when the quarantine was still a relatively new thing – we hung out in the living room all the time. But now that we’ve settled in this new normal, we’re back to our normal routines and I usually like staying in my room.

Is your house more than two stories tall? Technically, yes. We have a rooftop that serves as the ‘third’ floor.

Have you ever hit your significant other? Has he/she ever hit you? My ex and I never hit one another; that’s a gigantic red flag even I would notice, considering I ignored most of the ones I saw hahaha.

What makes you an attractive person? (Talk about your personality too!) I’m not sure if I’ll be able to answer this question directly, but I like my generosity. I’m not sure if I can call it attractive, though. But if we were focusing on physical features, I like my smile.

What color is your hairbrush/comb? Pink.

What snacks do you have available in your household atm? My dad splurged on chips in his last grocery run so we actually have quite a lot of junk food in the pantry at the moment. He also bought several packs of cookie sandwiches, wafers, sunflower seeds, and garlic-flavored peanuts.

Has anyone recently told you that they like you, or find you attractive? Neither.

Are you attracted to the last person you Facebook messaged? No, she’s just a good friend of mine.

Do you care about anyone that doesn’t care about you? I guess I don’t, because I’m not even aware of them.

Was your last Facebook friend requests from a male or female? Guy. It was another reporter, so I just ignored it and luckily he didn’t PM me just to ask to add him back, which others have already done. I really hate when work people try to make their way into my personal accounts.

Which one of your relatives is most likely to embarrass you? My parents, especially when they are rude to service crew. Gen X-ers are impeccably talented at that, apparently.

When was the last time you ate a bar of chocolate? Around two or three weeks ago when I had dinner at Angela’s. Her dad gave me a bar of Crunch so I can have something sweet after our meal.

Do you play any games on Facebook? No, I never did hop on that trend.

What would you like to get a degree in? I wanted a degree in journalism, and graduated with such. At the end of my college stint I didn’t want to pursue it anymore, but I pushed through with it anyway because it was too much of a hassle to shift and start all over.

Do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? Technically not, because I stay up until the middle of the night anyway. It’s been a while since I fell asleep anywhere between 8 to 10 PM.

Would you prefer to read a book, watch a movie or TV show, or play a video game? Watch a show.

Do you usually get popcorn or soda at the movie theater? I don’t like either; I get fries instead.

What genre of films do you like the best? Drama.

How many bank accounts do you have? Two but I haven’t been using the other one in months. That was the bank account I initially opened when I first started ~adulting~ but when I got employed I was required to enroll in this other specific bank, so that’s what I mainly use now.

Have you ever had the flu? Not really. I just get the occasional fever that pop out of nowhere.

What is your goal for the next few months? Start saving FOR REAL, and also prioritizing furniture over merch for a while so I can finally fix up my room, which is quickly starting to look and feel like just a warehouse and not very homey at all.

Have you ever had some kind of sleep-disorder? How did it affect your life? Nope.

Have you ever had food poisoning before? Describe the experience. Yeah, it was from barbecue that apparently went bad, even though it tasted nothing of the sort. I woke up at 3 AM sweating profusely and with the most excruciating stomachache; I was feeling hot, cold, and nauseous all at the same time, and it probably lasted for like an hour or so.

What are two things that you have no problem paying full price for? Sealed albums and my pets’ vet expenses.

Funny, charming, cute, romantic, smart - choose only 2 for the opposite sex. Charming and smart.

Have you ever let somebody use you? Why did you do it? It felt nice to help people.

You can go back in time & change something in your mom’s past - what is it? Good question; I’ve never encountered this before. I would let her live a more comfortable, privileged life, where she didn’t have to staple her shoes to keep them closed or have to choose between eating at a fast food restaurant or being able to commute back home.

Do you know anybody who is around the exact same size as you? Who? I’m not sure, actually. Everyone’s always slightly taller than me.

Ever been to a haunted house? How scared were you? I haven’t.

Been on any websites today you wouldn’t want your parents to see? Tumblr, I guess? My survey blog isn’t for any irls to see.

Which is worse: dusting or mopping? I don’t really do either often, but I’ll go with mopping.

Would you marry somebody who was intensely religious? Not for me.

Did you pull a senior prank? No, that’s not a thing here. Did you graduate? Yeah, elementary, high school, and college.

Have you ever been unfaithful in a serious relationship? Nope.

What was the last song you listened to? It’s a song called Epiphany.

Are you one of those lucky people with 20/20 vision? Not ever since I was like 9 lol.

Is fashion one of your interests? I’m way more interested in it now for sure, mostly because the celebrities I’m into these days put a lot of effort when it comes to their style; so it makes me more aware of the trends that come and go, as well.

Do you think you’ll eventually find that special someone? I’m keeping it as a possibility, but it’s not a priority for me now.

Do you care what people think? To an extent, I would say. My life doesn’t depend on it, though.

Is acting something you enjoy? Never been.

What was the last thing you broke/sprained? Do you mean a thing or a body part? Anyway, I’ll answer both. The last thing I broke was my BTS Mic Drop pen of V looooooooooool the figurine came off the pen :(( It was pretty cheap though so I’m fine with it; I can always get another one. Last body part I sprained was my ankle, when I had a bad fall a couple of years ago.

Have you ever fought with a friend because of their boyfriend/girlfriend? Because of yours? Either hasn’t happened.

Has a stranger ever yelled at you for your language? I don’t think so.

Whose house, other than yours and your families', are you most comfortable at? Angela’s. Also JM’s, just because their family doesn’t hover and that vibe can sometimes be nice whenever I’m at someone else’s place.

Has any of your friends’ family ever yelled at you? Never.

Did you ever play a sport as a little kid? Did you enjoy it? Not as a very young kid, but I took up table tennis starting when I was 12. Did you ever watch the show Full House? Nope.

Is there a celebrity you are just DETERMINED to marry? Now that’s just delusional haha. I’m pretty obsessed with some celebrities, that much I can admit; but thinking of them in the context of marriage is so many steps overboard.

Have you ever burned someone’s picture? No. I could, but I am scared of fire and will probably just think of other ways to express my anger, like tearing up the photograph. What’s the longest hike you’ve ever been on? Total length was probably like 3 hours. I haven’t gone too far when it comes to hiking.

Would you ever get a lip tattoo? Not interested.

Who is the first person of the opposite sex that pops into your head? Hans.

Do your parents smoke cigarettes? My mom tried it once in her life, I think. My dad has never smoked.

What does one of your T-shirts have written on it? “Hope right here!”

Name a pet you definitely wouldn’t want. Anything that’s supposed to roam freely in the wild, like squirrels.

Would you prefer your partner smaller or taller? Taller, since I’m already quite pint-sized to begin with lol.

Do you enjoy going through old pictures? Sometimes. Other times, it's too painful. It also depends on the era of the pictures. < Agree, especially with the eras. Childhood photos are always fun to look at, but I have had to delete a CHUNK of photos from years ranging from 2014 to 2020 because I’ve lost a handful of friends from that period.

Do you believe people when they say they don’t judge people? It’s hard to for the most part, but I’ve noticed very few people people really don’t. Most of the time it’s bullshit though.

What did you love the most about the town you grew up in? That it’s pretty close to the metro.

What’s a movie that you laughed the hardest during? Hmm, I prefer TV shows if I’m craving comedy.

What’s a movie you cried the hardest during? Life Is Beautiful.

What’s your favorite restaurant? Omakase for my sushi fix; School Tteokbokki if I want Korean; Yabu if I’m looking for a generous rice meal.

Is there a dessert you don’t like? Anything with fruits.

Favorite album? After Laughter by Paramore.

What’s a book that you read because everyone else was reading it? I can name authors instead of books – John Green and Haruki Murakami.

Underwater or outer space? Outer space.

Dogs or cats? Dogs.

Kittens or puppies? Puppies.

Bird watching or whale watching? Whale watching. I don’t get to be in the water as much, so I would jump at the opportunity.

What is your spirit animal? I dunno if I have one but let’s just go with dog and elephant, I guess? They’re my favorites.

What was your best subject in school? History.

What was your worst subject in school? Chemistry.

What is one thing you wish you knew in high school? Don’t waste your time.

Who is your fashion icon? Audrey Hepburn.

Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.

What color dress did you wear to prom? For my own prom it was cream-colored/beige. When I went to Mike’s ball, I went with a royal blue gown.

What’s your favorite plot-twist? I don’t think I’ve found my favorite yet.

Honestly, are you jealous of someone right now? Not actively.

Honestly, what’s the worst thing you’ve done when you were mad? I dunno...road rage, maybe?

Honestly, ever made anyone cry when you were mad? It’s very likely.

Honestly, when was the last time you REALLY cried your heart out? Sometime in the last week.

Ever pop someone else’s pimple? No thanks.

Do you need to return anyone’s phone call? Nope.

Who are you closest to? Angela.

Have you ever had a bad concert experience? No, all the ones I’ve been to have been amazing experiences.

Are you currently sad about anything? Not really. I can’t complain.

Have you had any form of exercise today? Nah.

Can you handle blood? Nope, I will feel faint if I see it 100%.

Has any place hired you underage for a job? No.

Have you ever carried a concealed weapon? I haven’t.

Are you currently searching for a job? No, I like the one I have.

Does eating breakfast make you sick? No?

#survey #surveys

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somegirlsnerdywords2 · 4 years ago

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Manga/ Manhwa/ Webtoons i’ve Read

Completed titles starting with the letters C, D, G, or H!

I remember most manga even less than the oldest anime i’ve watched unless it was properly amazing so i’m not even going to bother attempting a review of any sort for these guys. In this posts i’ll simply be sharing with you any titles i’ve given a 9 or 10 rating to... as you can imagine some were read quite a few years ago so who’s to say i’d give all of them the same rating today! Let’s go!

Can’t See Can’t Hear But Love - 10/10 - 83 Chapters

Genres: comedy, drama, romance, slice of life, seinen

Synopsis: Min Geun Soo, a manhwa artist, lives with his special-needs mother who seems to suffer from an intellectual disability and cannot perform the most basic of activities, such as using the toilet or even brushing her teeth. He draws day and night to support them, working himself ragged and straining his eyes in the process. However, one unfortunate day, he completely loses his eyesight. The future seems bleak for a manhwa artist who can no longer draw. All seems to be going downhill, when one day, he meets Jeon So Ri. So Ri is a deaf girl, and happens to be in love with Geun Soo's work. Thus begins a love story between a deaf woman and a blind man about finding the strength and will to live despite numerous trials. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai - 10/10 - 43 Chapters

Genres: comedy, romance, josei

Synopsis: Recently unemployed, 29-year-old Michiko Shibata has barely any money left and so must survive solely on cabbages. With no qualifications and little experience for her age, all of her job interviews have been unfruitful. Despite this, she continues to splurge on expensive gifts for her young "boyfriend" in the hopes that her romantic interest will someday marry and support her. Eventually, Shibata finds out that her feelings are one-sided, for her boyfriend has been lying and using her for money.

At the lowest point of her life, she unexpectedly reunites with Ayumu Kurosawa, her strict former boss whom she resents. Feeling responsible for her unemployment, Kurosawa agrees to help Shibata and once again becomes her employer.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Gozen 3-ji no Muhouchitai - 9/10 - 15 Chapters

Genres: comedy, romance, josei

Synopsis: Momoko Nanase wants to be an illustrator, so it is unclear why she remains at a company that designs materials for pachinko parlors. The work is difficult and unrelated to her aspirations, assignments accumulate quickly, her coworkers range from the eccentric to the perverted, and all-nighters are common if not mandatory. The only times Momoko sees her boyfriend are when she sleeps over at his apartment, leading them to gradually grow apart. He and Momoko's female friends urge her to quit while she is still new and not yet burnt out. But despite having written a resignation letter, she keeps it in her desk drawer and is hesitant to turn it in. One night, Momoko has a rooftop encounter with Masashi Tagaya, who works on the same floor in their building. She confides in him about her intention to quit, only to be told that the people who say that usually end up staying until the end. As time passes, Momoko questions if and when she should leave, as well as whether she wants to know Tagaya better. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hana no Miyako de - 9/10 - 5 Chapters

Genres: drama, historical, romance, yaoi

Synopsis: Hana no Miyako de

Motoharu Tsujimura and Akira Hazumi belong to different social classes, but despite that, they have been friends since childhood. A rift grows between them when Motoharu confesses his love to Akira and is rejected, yet even this is not enough to completely drive them apart. When Akira, who is greatly interested in botany, chooses a certain university at which to study agriculture, Motoharu follows him to the same school and department. One afternoon, Akira asks to walk home together with Motoharu, like they used to do—only this time, Akira intends to discuss something important that will impact both their futures. Hana no Migoro ni Youichi Arikawa and Shouta Misaki came to know each other when they both served as assistants to Professor Tsujimura in his agricultural laboratory. The two of them fell in love, and now they live together in the old house that Misaki inherited from his late grandfather Akira. Having grown older and graduated from university, Arikawa and Misaki experience new strains on their relationship, different from the ones they are used to. Outside the walls of their home, they are regarded as friends and roommates. Arikawa's mother wants the two to visit during a holiday weekend, but though Arikawa proposes to tell her that he and Misaki are going out, the latter prefers to keep the truth silent. Unexpectedly, Arikawa's older sister returns home on the same weekend. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hana nomi zo Shiru - 9/10 - 13 Chapters

Genres: drama, romance, yaoi

Synopsis: In a series of chance encounters, university students Youichi Arikawa and Shouta Misaki are brought together. When they meet very briefly for the first and second time, Arikawa is not wearing the proper lenses needed to correct his terrible eyesight. All he has to remember Misaki by is a fuzzy impression of his figure and a necklace with a glass flower pendant that he dropped before hurrying away. Even though they never introduced themselves, Arikawa dreams of Misaki repeatedly, somehow knowing what name to call out in his sleep. When he meets Misaki for a third time, now with clear vision, Arikawa finally sees his face and confirms his name. Although Arikawa is unsure why he is so strongly infatuated by this person, he knows for certain that he cherishes the man in his dreams, so he candidly confesses to Misaki! Can love at first sight strike as strangely as this? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hana to Rakurai - 9/10 - 8 Chapters

Genres: romance, school, shoujo

Synopsis: The story centers on Umiho, a high school girl who has a crush on schoolmate Namose, a boy from a different class whom Umiho manages to meet through an integrated math class. Because Namose is often busy with club work, he always uses Umiho's notes to study, and she falls in love with him after spending time together. But after Namose drops out of the class due to bad grades and they are separated, Umiho is saddened. At that point, she meets and befriends Yachiyo, a girl who supports Umiho in pursuing a relationship with Namose. (Source: ANN)

Hirunaka no Ryuusei -9/10 - 86 Chapters

Genres: comedy, romance, school, shoujo, slice of life

Synopsis: Suzume Yosano has spent the entire 15 years of her life in the countryside, so when her parents decide to move overseas for work and leave her with her uncle in Tokyo, she finds herself in a whole new environment. On the way to her uncle's house, however, she gets lost and faints. Waking up safely at her uncle's house, she learns that a strange man had carried her there and that he happens to be an acquaintance of her uncle. Moreover, when Suzume goes to her new school for the first time, she discovers that the weird man in question, named Satsuki Shishio, is actually her homeroom teacher! Now, Suzume must adapt to her new school and make friends, since her blossoming high school life in the city has just begun! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

#manga #manhwa #can't see can't hear but love #dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai #gozen 3-ji no muhouchitai #hana no miyako de #hana nomi zo shiru #hana to Rakurai #hirunaka no ryuusei

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leiascully · 6 years ago

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Fic: Baseball Metaphors (5/?)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

You can thank @kateyes224 and the icy weather for this.

The waiter, as if summoned by the scent of Mulder's desperation, appears at his elbow.

"Monsieur, Madame, bienvenue," he says in a bored tone, with a terrible accent. "I see the rest of your party has arrived. Our special tonight is trout with beurre blanc, or we have a filet mignon wrapped in bacon. Do you need a few minutes or are you ready to order?"

Jenny dithers between the steak and the boeuf bourguignon, Ethan encouraging her to splurge, and he ends up ordering the steak and promising her a few bites. Mulder would have to struggle not to roll his eyes if he and Scully weren't splitting their food. It's high-octane couple behavior. It's undiluted heterosexual cliché.

He feels a little bad. Ethan and Jenny seem like genuinely nice people, just the kind of genuinely nice people that he's never really liked. They're not wealthy enough to be truly cruel, unlike the people he grew up with. Ethan and Jenny are only trying to rub their happiness in Scully's face a little. Mostly they're just happy, and if Mulder remembers correctly, it's hard not to project that to the world at large. It's been a while. He could be wrong.

Either way, he takes Scully's hand and rubs his thumb gently over her knuckles. He can feel her relax almost imperceptibly. She sips at her wine and smiles. He doesn't think Ethan can tell the expression is a little stiff.

"Where were we?" she says.

"We were thinking about a Mother Goose theme for the nursery," Jenny gushes.

"We've been looking for a house and we found this cute little bungalow," Ethan says. "The room we're thinking of for the nursery just has the perfect morning light." He grins at Jenny. "I can't wait to see you in there, sitting in the rocker, holding our baby in front of the old woman who lives in the shoe and the clock from Hickory Dickory Dock that I'm going to paint on the wall."

"It's going to be perfect," Jenny says, and she really is glowing. Mulder reaches for his wine glass. He wonders if his parents ever had a conversation like this. He doesn't remember his nursery. Sam's was pink and lacy, but he doesn't remember any personal touches. No hand-painted storybook scenes, definitely. Scully was probably a baby in base housing, but he imagines that there were well-loved accessories: hand-me down blankets, grubby board books, a mobile over the crib that countless babies had cooed at.

"It sounds perfect," Scully says.

"Could be you two, one of these days," Ethan says jovially.

"You never know," Mulder says. "I would have gone for a Goodnight Moon nursery personally."

"I'm learning so much about you," Scully says, looking at him with genuine interest in her eyes.

"Who can resist a quiet old lady whispering hush?" Mulder teases. "No baby I know."

"A quiet old lady whispering hush has nothing on you talking about old cases," Scully says.

"If that doesn't work, you can read it your autopsy reports," Mulder shoots back, and they smile at each other, and he feels a pang in his heart for all the things that will never happen. It's easy to pretend he and Scully are together. It's easy to pretend their future could include domestic moments. He can see her in a rocking chair, murmuring to an infant, her hair disheveled and her robe only loosely tied.

"I'm not sure autopsy reports are appropriate for a baby," Jenny says, frowning.

"Just a little FBI humor," Mulder reassures her.

"He prefers fairy tales to science anyway," Scully says, squeezing his hand.

"I love happy endings, what can I say?" he says, gazing into her eyes. God, they're blue. He forgets how blue her eyes are sometimes, since they're usually narrowed at him.

The waiter coughs next to them. "Monsieur, Madame," he says, motioning to a server. Mulder and Scully lean back so that the server can set the plates in front of them. "Is theree anything else you need at the moment?"

"Not right now, thanks," Ethan says.

The quiche is slightly overbaked and a little rubbery. The tarte flambée is salty. They eat it anyway. Mulder pours Scully another glass of wine, and then another, until she gets a little flush in her cheeks. He tips the bottle invitingly at Ethan, who waves him away with a chuckle. Scully asks Jenny about work and Jenny goes into a long story about the interns, who are apparently unable to alphabetize without singing the song out loud to themselves, which means everyone in the whole office is constantly humming the alphabet song.

"We don't have any cute stories in our office," Mulder says.

"Mmm," Scully agrees, sipping her wine. "Nobody ever steals bunnies from a pet store or shoplifts a birthday cake for a needy child in our division."

"If they did steal bunnies, it would probably be for some unspeakable purpose," Mulder quips.

"Wow," Ethan says, shaking his head. "I tell you what, I couldn't do it. Kudos to both of you."

"It helps to have each other," Mulder says in a moment of inspiration. He reaches out and puts his arm around Scully's shoulders. "I couldn't do it without her."

"And I couldn't do it without him," she says, leaning into him. He kisses the top of her head.

"That's so sweet," Jenny says, wiping away a tear. "Oh, don't mind me, I just cry over everything these days!"

"It's true," Ethan assures them. "She cried about a GAP ad the other day." He shakes his head lovingly. "Can't wait to see what the next six months brings."

"I'm so glad you have each other," Jenny says. She dabs at her eyes with a napkin. "Just thinking about all you do to keep our country safe - it's so inspirational, and it must be so hard. Thank goodness there's some reward for all your hard work."

Scully reaches across the table and squeezes Jenny's hand. "That's so kind."

"It's so nice you two are getting along," Ethan says. "I know I should have called when I heard you were back, Dana, but I'll be honest, I just didn't see us having a future. I'm glad I understand that feeling now." He looks at Mulder. "It seems pretty clear that we both made the right choice."

Scully stiffens against Mulder's shoulder and lets go of Jenny's hand, but fortunately, they're interrupted again by the waiter. "Dessert?" he intones.

"I think we can indulge," Mulder says. "What do you think, babe?"

"You always put me in the mood for something sweet," she says, gazing up at him. The tiny creases between her brows and at the corners of her eyes smooth out as he looks at her, as if whatever she sees in his face calms her.

"Then we better feed that appetite," he murmurs.

The waiter clears his throat. "Very good. We have tonight an exquisite crème brûlée, a sumptuous chocolate cake with a molten center, and a delightful fruit tart."

"And a surplus of adjectives," Mulder whispers to Scully and she giggles. Maybe he shouldn't have poured her so much wine.

"Chocolate cake," she says decisively.

"And I'll have the crème brûlée," Mulder says. "A little sweet, a little edge, that's how I like it."

"If you want to get to the good stuff, you have to be willing to break through some walls," Scully teases.

"It's worth it," he says, and kisses the top of her head again.

Jenny sniffs loudly. "I'll have the fruit tart."

"I'm also going to try the crème brûlée," Ethan says. "Thank you."

"Very good," the waiter says, and wanders away looking faintly disgusted. At least that's authentically French.

#the x-files fic #xfiles fic #the xfiles fic #msr #mulder x scully #fic: baseball metaphors #my fic

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thvnderstrck · 6 years ago

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Um, hello ??? For once, I come prepared with an intro, the start statistics and a few wanted plots that I will finish . . . later . . . ; my excitement levels have been through the roof and I’m super excited to get this RP started !!! My name is Effy, also known as Admin Peach and I’ll be playing Han Beomgyu, member of The Kings and resident asshole who is 99.9% done with life & the people around him. INSPO , INSPO , INSPO , INSPO , INSPO ( tw: flashing lights ) ! And here you can find his BIOGRAPHY & ( unfinished asdfghjkl ) STATISTICS & ( unfinished asdfghjkl ) WANTED PLOTS & QUICK PLOTS I haven’t entirely fleshed out !! Smash that cute little heart ( ♡ ) and I’ll come slide into your ims or feel free to hit me up on d*scord , just ask for it because i have to hunt down the correct email address connected to it !!!

┅ ☆ ★ ✮ ∟ ‖ kim taehyung. 23. cismale. he/him. ‖ — dancing with the devil , a game of russian roulette , an inability to kick bad habits. 」did you hear that HAN BEOMGYU is a member of the KINGS ?! i guess that’s how they’re able to afford the PURPLE BUGATTI CHIRON i always see them in. who would’ve thought being a STREET RACER & BARTENDER paid so well … i know people say they’re really ZEALOUS , MELLOW & ALLURING , but don’t you think they come off way too SARDONIC , CAPRICIOUS & SYBARITIC ? i can’t help but thinking of them whenever BADBYE by RM comes on shuffle. you know what they say , live fast , die young ; but i hope this one makes it. ┠ effy , cst , 24 & she/her ┨

BACKSTORY

TW: substance abuse , alcohol abuse , suicidal references , child abuse , violence

Born in Daegu, South Korea on October 31st to parents addicted to alcohol and narcotics.

Growing up, they were very poor due to funds going to fuel his parents addictions.

He has a little sister and he tried his best to protect her from their parents when they were younger.

His father was prone to violent fits of rage, and often times it was channeled onto Beomgyu. His mother was prone to turning a blind eye.

Because his father was also physically abusive to his sister, often times he’d purposely make himself a target in order to spare her.

Life was super hard for him, he had to take car of his little sister so he really couldn’t just be a kid. Never harbored any ill feelings for her though, because at the same time she was the one thing who made life better for him.

Still, he wasn’t a happy person and felt like he had to hide that fact from his sister because he didn’t want to worry her. Became accustomed to wearing masks.

When he was seventeen, he came home and found his father beating his sister ( he’d find out it was because she came home “ late “ despite having come right home from school ).

Absolutely enraged, he ends up killing his father. His mother, however, cleans up the scene a bit, cleans him up and makes it look like she did it. She takes the fall and in sentenced to 16 years in prison with a manslaughter charge.

After their aunt is given custody of them both, he ends up running away with nothing but the clothes on his back. Their aunt is nice and he reasons his sister will be happy, so he doesn’t need to stick around any longer. Does not keep in contact with either.

Finds himself in Busan, South Korea doing absolutely nothing good with his life. After picking a fight with a man, he gets beat up but he doesn’t care. The man ends up giving him a helping hand, and is the person who gets him into the KINGS.

Once he starts raking in cash from being a street racer and winning, he starts sending his sister money, but he rarely ever calls her.

Despite only wanting to protect her, he’s recently discovered she’s come to Busan to find him, and has ended up with the HELLCATS. He’s super upset because he wanted her to do something good with her life. Also feels like she’s paying him back from leaving without at least saying bye.

PERSONALITY

To put it simply, Kang Beomgyu is an asshole and he knows it.

Uses sarcasm and nonchalance as a defense mechanism, and generally is not afraid to be mean.

The size of his ego is massive, he’s entirely full of himself.

Puts up a lot of fronts and likes others to believe he does not give a shit, really doesn’t give a shit, but at the same time he does care about certain things and people, he’s just not super open about it.

Certified heartbreaker, but he doesn’t try to hide it. He’s really upfront about his intentions solely being him wanting sex, and it’s not his fault if others delude themselves into believing it could turn into something else.

But he’s passionate and attentive and the kind of lover a person can get addicted to, so he’s not surprised when people start thinking maybe they’re special to him. No, he’s just not selfish in bed and perhaps wants them to be thinking of him the next time they’re with someone else.

Likes being in control, becomes frustrated when someone takes the reigns from him. Unless you’re a close friend, then he just goes with it because there is not a lot of people he can be honest with and rely on, so it’s nice to be able to.

Petty and bitter, he can hold a grudge for a lifetime. But he’s upfront and painfully honest, so he’ll insult people to their face.

He’s kind of spoiled? The man who took him under his wings has a pretty high position in the KINGS so he was given a lot of special treatment, and he is one of their best racers so he’ll complain if he’s told to do something he really doesn’t want to do.

ACTUALLY A REALLY GOOD FRIEND. He might complain and call his friends annoying, but catch him lowkey acting protective. If someone’s a really good friend to him, it usually means he thinks he can trust them 100% and, like, he’ll die for them.

On the flipside, if someone is a really good friend to him and then they stab him in the back, he’s absolutely crushed because he doesn’t invest in people easily and it just hurts, man. Catch him moping about it even when he’s sixty.

Relationships and him are not a good combo, honestly. Usually ends super messy because he has a habit of falling in love and then getting hurt, he doesn’t pick ‘em well and tends to be given a dose of his own medicine ( heartbreak that should’ve been obvious ).

Oof, he’s lazy as all fuck. Which sucks because if he applied himself, he’d do really well in life. But he’s only interested in being zealous when it comes to the things he likes. Everything else can fuck right on off. Also, sleeps way too much and, perhaps, he will turn into the biggest baby when someone attempts to wake him up.

TRIVIA

Massive sweet tooth. Uncontrollable craving for sweets, will dig through drawers and cabinets and get pissy if he can’t find anything sweet. The easiest way to his heart is to provide him with something sweet. Likes food in general, really. Good food. He’s an excellent cook himself because he cooked all his family’s meals, but he’d prefer it if someone else cooks for him because he’s lazy and doesn’t want people pestering him to cook more. Loves animals, especially cats. Has a cat he calls a “ stray ” but it’s named Crank and he buys it toys and treats and lets it in once it starts scratching as hit window or door. Definitely not his cat, though. Just a stray. Hates losing and hates the HELLCATS who have beaten him. Just. Cannot deal with it. He’s used to being one of the best, if not the best, and being beaten by a new gang that’s still wet behind the ears? Does his pride the fuck in. Maybe because he was poor the majority of his life, but right now he splurges on clothes. Fashion icon, honestly. Likes buying really nice things and likes when others give him really nice things. Currently his hair is dark brown, but he tends to dye it often. He cycles through black, platinum blonde, cotton candy pink and ash brown. He’s fucking bad at following the rules, thinks as long as he doesn’t get caught it’s fine. A bad fucking fighter, he tried once and got knocked the fuck out. Was super pissy for like a month because of it, and he’s never tried again because he’s damn good racer and he claims he’s too worried he’ll mess up the only thing God gave him -- good fucking looks. On the real, though, he’s just too prideful to lose again otherwise he’d have kept trying.

#tempointro #tw violence #tw alcohol #tw child abuse #tw suicide #tw substance abuse #tw murder #EVERYTHING IS VAGUE #but just in case be warned.#the way this is copy and pasted and still took me forever ...

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dhbelzinone · 5 years ago

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𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓯𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓼 (ᴬⁿᵈ ᴬˡˡ ᵀʰᵃᵗ ᴶᵃᶻᶻ)

𝓞𝓞𝓒 𝓘𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓸 𝓟𝓸𝓼𝓽

Hi hello I’ve never done anything like this before but it looks like there’s a blog specifically for ooc intros so here’s my best. ♡

Hi my name is Sal, I go by they/them/theirs, and I’m a med school reject turned gender studies honors student. I’m currently working on a thesis about sex worker rights so I’m balls deep I can be in the industry without the good money and devoting the rest of my undergrad career to fighting for their right to make theirs. I’m also an artist and run an indie if y'all wanna see more of my muse’s roots. Bel’s been my emotional support muse for a good while and has gone through more character development than I have my entire lifetime, so although she may seem like a big softie compared to the rest of the muse crowd here, here’s hoping she can hold her own!

Bel Zinone Abridged: Devil’s Highway Vers.

Her mama is an undocumented immigrant who fought tooth and nail for her piece of the American dream. Much of this was due to the help of a vigilante organization that helped her flee from Europe, but her reputation was volatile enough to charm them into seeking out her membership.

Thanks to their international influence, she was able to keep running with the Wallflowers across the continental U. S. She soon settled down with her husband, a high profile (albeit black market) doctor, and raised her two children beneath the protection of the empire they built all the way from the city underbelly up to the high class elite.

Bel and her older brother Beau were relatively spoiled children until he left for the army and the family secrets started to leak. Adolescence was already hard on her, with her elusive sexuality and growing dysphoria yanking her identity chains, but as soon as she discovered her parents’ reign over the criminal underground, Bel doubted the authenticity of her upbringing and fled to the southern inlands with the resolve to make it on her own.

Little did she know that she’d find herself right smack in the middle of a gang war of the very nature she tried to escape. However, this time was going to be different. She wasn’t going to be at their mercy.

They were going to be at hers, for she offered one of the few medical resources in the entire desert that didn’t come with the liability of a paper trail.

In the meantime, she floats between bunny ranches, strip clubs, and the odd burlesque show. When she’s not working, she can be found frequenting bars, on Instagram, streaming her cam, tinkering with her Widowmaker, or looking for a good meatball sub.

Whereas she would’ve used her earnings to run as far away as possible from her past, Bel ironically finds solace in the lucrative lifestyle, calling a cozy studio apartment home and splurging on the occasional odds and ends that make the closeted queer life she embodies just a bit more bearable.

Relationships for her? I’m not gonna lie: despite the past rancor she’s had for her parent’s occupations, she genuinely wants to help and support people, patching them up so they’re good to go back to whatever they were doing without judgement. Her view of the life’s changed and she’s come to understand the institutions (as well as will) that brings people to commit and run with crime. She’s yet to make peace with her family, but she’s come to terms with the blood she’s from and wants to make a difference in peoples’ lives. That being said:

Give her your tired, your poor, your horny

A job @ Paradise, maybe? Maybe she could learn about the surrounding gang activity from other dancers / affiliates or Kimi when she applies?

Maybe she could’ve known Esmeray from medical school?

Seeing other muses in the medical field are inspiring some joint black market clinic potential~

Maybe she could’ve known Rodrigo from when he was doing his work, possibly from Backpage before it got shut down?

On this note, maybe Nikki too? (Hello~)

If there are any other queer muses around, maybe they can shine a community light on her? Potentially while she’s yanking a shank out of their shoulder?

If there are any single muses too, I’d love to develop a ride-or-die boo or friend for her.

Last but not least, if we still need prospects and other make characters I’d be game af to have Beau go AWOL and trade his fatigues for a potential patch (maybe through the Mexican border with Nikki, if she’s gonna hate Bel asdkjfnaks). ♡

𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION: Sal (24) they/them/theirs ; PST ACTIVITY: I'm in my last year of undergraduate study and will have class three days a week on average. I'll be online at least once a day and will be able to devote most of my week to nitty-gritty writing as well as plotting. PASSCODE: angel wings and/or crown MISCELLANEOUS: I've been running an indie oc rp blog for almost five years (same character @belzinone) and this will be my first group/skeleton/rl fc rp. I'm worried about being ignored/left behind/largely uninvolved in threads and plotting because that has largely been my experience in discord server rp groups, but y'all seem to have good administration going on so I'm not feeling so worried anymore. I look forward to the experience if you'll have me. :)

IN CHARACTER

NAME: Bel Zinone DATE OF BIRTH: (March/08/1991) (28) PLACE OF BIRTH: San Francisco, California GENDER/PRONOUNS: demifemme｜she/her/hers AFFILIATION: N/A RANKING: N/A OCCUPATION: freelance sex worker, hitwoman, & black market physician FACE CLAIM: Antonia Thomas

BIOGRAPHY

triggers: domestic violence, murder, abuse, misandry, severe burns, sex work Her mother was an undocumented immigrant, fleeing from her orphaned past and domestic abuse in the Italian slums. A headstrong, promiscuous, and violent woman, it wasn't long until she found sisterhood amongst a like-minded gang of vigilante women with international influence called the Wallflowers, well-versed in her infamy and coming to her aid while she was pregnant with her son and escaping prosecution for murdering her husband. Risa Zinone, codenamed La Eglantina, docked in New York city, giving birth to her son Beau Zinone and raising him with the rest of her sorella while continuing her bloodthirsty occupation of murdering abusive men and liberating survivors from their regimes of terror. However, one could only run with the Wallflowers for so long before beginning to challenge their belief system, however righteous it claimed to be. The murderer mother fell in love with the black market doctor who saved her life and once again fled across the country and retired so she could live a peaceful life with him, safe from the constraints and watchful eyes of the sisterhood, but not without heavy cost. She suffered major burns to her entire body by a fire and had to undergo near total facial reconstruction, a miracle performed by the love of her life. In exchange for her life, she'd no longer bear resemblance to her children. Thus Bel Zinone was born on the opposite side of the country as her brother, hilly San Franscisco. She was a wildly rambunctious child, calmed only by the sounds of her brother's guitar strings and a profound interest in her father's work. Little did she know, her living was earned via the illicit means of her parents and their continued association with the country's underbelly. Shambled by the loss of one of their most valuable members, the Wallflowers had undergone a civil war. A near complete overhaul of organizational structure and creed had taken place, leading to an abysmal divide between the matriarchal supremacy of days past and the new order. Enemies of the new regime all around the world were sought out, assassinated, and replaced with a stronger, more diverse membership. During that witch hunt, Risa was reinstated into the Wallflowers with her husband Dmitri and the power couple ruled the pacific branch. The Zinone's hid their criminal affiliations well. Dmitri, a renowned surgeon specializing in the central nervous system, Risa, an uptown socialite who moonlighted cabaret clubs as a jazz singer. Their children had a generous, almost spotless adolescence until Beau graduated high school and joined the military. He was an upstanding, self-righteous man, yet his fatigues all but killed the respect his little sister had for him. As the Zinone siblings grew up, their parents had to try all that much harder to hide their criminal affiliations, often leaving the two with ample bonding time and hiding various criminal survival skills (like how to fight and use firearms among other things) under the guise of "street smarts". Combined with her surfacing struggles with her sexuality and gender identity, Beau's abandonment was very hard on Bel. Her high school antics began to resemble those of her mother during her youth, starting fights, finishing others' fights, and getting dress coded nearly every day. If not for physical altercations, the young lady spent most of her time in the principal's office for getting into arguments with teachers and staff over technicalities in her STEM courses and exposing discrimination in curriculums and attitudes throughout. If not for her parents' powerful influence, she never would've dodged juvie, let alone made it to college. Fortunately, she found her calling and started settling down as soon as her father invited her to his workplace in the hospital. College was a breeze for her, even as a fierce insistence to be independent led to her paying her own tuition. She was no party animal or sorority sister, but the continuing troubles she had with her sexuality and gender identity pushed her towards casual sex work and the porn industry when work-study wasn't enough. Bel was steadily making her way through adult life, planning to devote the rest of it to medicine like her father. However, as she started having to use her special "survival skills" more and more, she slowly began to realize there was more to her parents than she thought. The Wallflowers were growing in influence, and La Eglantina's daughter was growing a bounty on her head as well. By the time she cornered her parents with the truth, she was already well into medical school and bore nods of her mother's pseudonym and her father's occupation on her back. The betrayal she felt when her brother left her resurfaced as she uncovered her parents lies, spurring her to cut her familial ties and live her own life exclusively by her own means. Bel rejected her father's footsteps in favor of sex work, something she pursued entirely of her own volition, and eventually found herself amongst the "bunny ranches" in Las Vegas, where her life in the crossfire between the Sinners and Jokers would begin. CHARACTER QUOTE: "Do no harm but take no shit." CHARACTER ANTHEM: Half God Half Devil｜In This Moment

EDIT: Risa Zinone fled from Europe as a result of Romani persecution.

P.S.: I reiterate that this is my first group/skeleton/rl fc rp. This is all pretty overwhelming so please have patience with me and for those of y’all who have a lot of experience with these things, please help me out <3

#info

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greensconnor · 6 years ago

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TRR or ILB for the mc thing? (or both LOL)

i WILL do both but seriously ty all so much for these asks i had a rough day and this has calmed me down significantly shskshs

trr/trh mc: maya abernathy

how tall are they?

maya is really tall! she’s 5′11″ which is about an inch shorter than i imagine her husband to be but he’s a king so what does he have to worry about?

how do they tend to dress?

maya has always had a very classy style, even before she was queen of cordonia. she loves bright colours and floral patterns, and really adores light and breezy things. she does miss the functionality of jeans now that she’s a royal, but she makes do with some very classy pantsuits even though pixelberry are cowards and won’t give them to me.

do they like how they look?

yes! maya’s grandma always made sure that she got her self-worth from her actions and the way she treated people as opposed to how she looks, and maya is really proud of herself and doesn’t really care all that much about what other people think of her!

are they an only child or do they have any siblings?

maya’s an only child! i hate to think that her parents or family just don’t care enough to come to her wedding, so my headcanon for her is that her parents died in a car crash when she was young, and so she was cared for by her only surviving relative, her grandmother, until her death in maya’s first year of college. since she doesn’t have any living family that’s why no one was there like seriously what the fuck pixelberry

are they a morning person or night owl?

morning person! maya’s friends always joked that she had the soul of an 80 year old woman but she really does go to bed pretty early all the time and she likes to wake up to the sun! she loves sunshine and she loves hearing birds singing in the morning, which is her favourite part about being at duchy valtoria!

are they a cat person or a dog person?

maya’s a dog person! she likes cats, and she loved the last cat her grandmother had very much, but she’s always liked dogs a lot more by sheer virtue of being an outdoorsy kid who loves to be playing and getting muddy in the back yard, which was much easier to do with a dog than a cat.

got any favourite foods?

LOVES rogan josh and barbecue. anything spicy or smokey your home girl got it covered, but her favourite dessert is cheesecake!

how about favourite drinks?

maya loves traditional lemonade! she had a lemon tree in her back garden growing up, and her grandma taught her how to make lemonade from the fresh lemons. she also grew up drinking tea with her gran, but she isn’t really one for caffeine in general and much prefers hot chocolate since she has a sweet tooth.

what are their favourite movies/tv shows?

maya LOVES period dramas. laps that shit up. stans the jennifer ehle and colin firth pride and prejudice adaptation, could rewatch anna karenina time and time again and actually really liked the great gatsby movie, plus she tends to like shakespeare movies with kenneth branagh, or recordings of stage productions from the globe theatre which she has yet to visit, but as queen of cordonia she wants to see her favourite play (othello) put on there!

do they have any hidden talents?

maya is a really good singer! it’s only been busted out at karaoke, but she’s also an excellent mathematician and can do really complex equations in her head, which scares... pretty much all of her friends.

do they believe in love at first sight?

maya is a romantic at heart, and her grandma used to tell her stories about how she and her husband fell in love at first sight, so she’d like to believe it was true! it’s part of the reason that she decided to go to cordonia in the first place, because of the connection she felt with the then-prince.

who is their love interest?

,,,, hajime which is a renamed prince liam i know i’m sorry we don’t deserve rights that’s true but you don’t understand. the association with the name ‘liam’ is my gay cousin who came out after both me and his older brother came out, left to sweden and now lives in berlin djing gay leather clubs, doing drag and posting on his Very Public Facebook Page asking for recommendations for the best gay bdsm clubs in berlin so i really can’t unmarry that image and i had to change his name i just had to i couldn’t do it. anyway maya and hajime are very happy together

what are they afraid of?

maya isn’t afraid of water or the ocean, but she is afraid of sharks and jellyfish. she prefers to swim in fresh water or pools, but there was a period where she was terrified of crocodiles and alligators as well despite not living anywhere near crocodiles or alligators.

what are their guilty pleasures?

carrie underwood singalongs and those 80′s aerobics videos.... maxwell bought her a pair of legwarmers for her birthday because of it and she cherishes them

what was their dream job as a kid? is it still their dream?

maya wanted to be a vet when she was little, but when she got older she realized she was too squeamish for it ahskshs. it’s not really her dream anymore, but she’s happy with where she is in life!

have they ever broken a bone?

no, she was a very careful child!

have they ever been in trouble with the law?

not really no! she’s been involved in a few marches/protests that met skirmishes with law enforcement, but she’s never been arrested or charged with anything, except for like. the trouble in cordonia i guess.

+ three other random facts about them!

it is my greatest heacanon that maya used the money she inherited from her grandma to get through college with a degree in communications, and before she was waitress-ing she’d been working pretty long-term for a business in PR but her boss was paying her unfair wages and refused to negotiate so she just quit and was looking for another job, so having justin/anton assigned as her PR ‘team’ was a grievous insult to her ahskshs. another fact is before the royal heir i already decided that maya and hajime have three kids: hollis (after maya’s dad), charlainne “charlie” (after her mum) and oliver, in that order, and the third fact is that her favourite colour is green!

ilb mc: leon vance

how tall are they?

leon is 6′5″ which makes him the tallest of the ilb gang, even taller than parker who is still so in awe that someone managed to be bigger than him

how do they tend to dress?

leon is a frat boy jock with the countenance of a golden retriever. he has an extensive snapback collection, but for the most part his outfit is pretty easy just jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, lots of hoodies, some shorts and those big low-cut singlets etc etc

do they like how they look?

yeah lmao... the one downside is that sometimes people think he’s straight which he’s not about but like. self-confidence is sexy and i don’t fear god so none of my ocs do too. if someone talks shit about him leon will just beat them up ahskshsjsls

are they an only child or do they have any siblings?

leon has elliot ofc, and i hc that his dad re-married and has two young daughters with his second wife, but leon doesn’t know them because he and his dad have virtually no relationship at all.

are they a morning person or night owl?

night owl! leon thinks the stillness of the night is really calming and he’s pretty energetic, but he’s also an early riser. he prefers nights but he also doesn’t sleep in very often since he likes to go for a run before the sun comes up while it’s still nice and cool, plus he usually gets to watch the sun rise on the way back!

are they a cat person or a dog person?

dog.... big, big fluffy dogs. it’s not really surprising when he’s basically just three golden retrievers and one kinda angry chihuahua in a human-shaped trenchcoat but tom gets a lot of no-context pictures of dogs all hours of the night.

got any favourite foods?

leon loves cajun wedges. he thinks there’s an art to making them and he’ll stand by that, but he’s also a bit of a pizza snob and he splurges on wood-fired pizza for him and elliot on uber eats nights whenever he can, although he can’t really do that in pine springs.

how about favourite drinks?

leon vance is the MASTER of keg stands and he’s learned to love shitty bears, but he tends to like dark lagers the best, and besides that he’s a big fan of peach drinks from the chinese grocer down the road from his apartment near campus.

what are their favourite movies/tv shows?

leon loooooves animated movies and elliot is a bit old for him to use as an excuse to go see them, but his favourites are mulan, brave and the quest for camelot which is pretty obscure but garrett was his first love... in terms of tv shows he really likes comedies and watches a lot of comedy specials on netflix too but he’ll also watch pretty much anything with steven yeun in it because he has.... a crush

do they have any hidden talents?

not many people get it initially but leon can actually draw really well! most people think he’s just kind of a meatheaded jock, but his degree is in software engineering and he wants to get into making video games, which is something he decided to do because he loved playing games so much with elliot and he wanted to make something for his brother! he cleans up on rhythm games, and he also plays the piano and the guitar and can sing! he’s very talented!

do they believe in love at first sight?

not really? he wants to believe in romantic things like that, and he definitely believes in attraction at first sight, but he’s a little cynical about the idea of being able to love somebody just from a glance.

who is their love interest?

tom! he & tom are really happy together and one of their favourite things to do is make pancakes on sunday mornings for elliot, and then tom will read his book while sitting on leon’s back while he does pushups. domestic co-existence ahskshs.

what are they afraid of?

leon has always been too bold for his own good, but he’s really not a fan of thunder or lightning and he gets really freaked out during storms.

what are their guilty pleasures?

loves playing roblox with the lads, also he was a gay kid growing up in the 2000′s, a bitch read homestuck and warrior cats and given the opportunity he WILL conduct full-scale discourses about it. yes this is me projecting. no i do not have the decency to be ashamed about it anyway stan vriska

what was their dream job as a kid? is it still their dream?

initially, leon wanted to be an astronaut, but only so he could meet aliens. as he grew up he realized he didn’t really want to get involved in that field, especially since with his sports career he kind of looked like he had a set path anyway.

have they ever broken a bone?

he’s broken his nose a couple of times and his toe twice, but other than that he’s been very careful because he kind of needs his bones in order to like... do sport.... which is what his scholarship is for.

have they ever been in trouble with the law?

his frat has had noise control turn up a couple of times and once he got picked up for speeding home with medication for elliot’s cough because he was worried but other than that he’s squeaky clean aside from antagonizing chief kelly in pine springs ahsklshsjsh

+ three other random facts about them!

he’s quarterback on his university’s team and looking at prospects of an nfl draft, but he’s also a competitive swimmer and has competed in the junior olympics where he has a silver and a gold medal individually and a gold team medal. second fact is that he’d most like to travel to australia because he likes the accents, and the third is that his favourite animals are bears so he felt personally attacked by the bear lake monster attacking him and his friends

ask me about my choices mcs!

#sol.txt #answered #ilb #it lives beneath #the royal romance #trr #mc: maya abernathy #mc: leon vance #ty for the ask!#long post #maxunwell

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im-gonna-liveforever · 6 years ago

Text

ITS HECKIN TWISTED APPRECIATION WEEK SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS (part 1/2)

“YEAH THAT’S RIGHT I’M GONNA YELL ABOUT THE SOUNDTRACK LIKE I DID LAST WEEK BC TWISTED IS A GOOD HECKING MUSICAL WITH A GOOD HECKING SOUNDTRACK

(Now with favorite lines! bc why not, right?) (favorite lines either there bc I like the lyrics in that part or I really like how it sounds within the song)

I’m not a professional music person (I’ve been in band for several years and I’m pretty good, but I don’t know anything about music theory or anything abt singing) but AH WELL, I LIKE RANTING ABT MY SPECIAL INTERESTS AND THE INTERNET IS A GOOD PLACE TO FEEL LIKE I’M TALKING TO SOMEONE, SO HERE WE GO

(also there’s definitely going to be Twisted spoilers under the cut (for act one, at least), so watch out if you haven't seen it)

(also also I split this into two parts bc it’s getting late and as you can see by how this progresses, I got sleep deprived quickly plus it got way too long. This is part one with all the first act songs, part two will have the second act songs and should be up by tomorrow.)

OK THE OPENING NUMBER RIGHT?? THE INSTRUMENTALS?? THE HARMONIES??? THE GENERAL SAJKFDASJKFHDSJK???!?!? Like, it literally sounds like a Disney song but they cuss! It’s amazing!! (And all the citizens?? Comedy gold, every one of them, I swear) (AND THE FUCKINGJDSJKJDSKL SOPRANO PART???!? I’M C R Y I N G I FORGOT WHAT HER NAME WAS BUT SHES SUCH A GOOD SINGER THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOICE)

Favorite lines:

“May the Rats ejaculate upon you!” “Thank you, thank you very much!”

“Why is everyone in the kingdom white?” “Uhh... Jafar?”

“But ugliness permits a man to use his wits, ‘cause pretty people never have to try”

“UGLY OLD JAFAR!!”

pretty much the whole song past the line “Why am I the only one who sees things as they are?”

Specifically “I want to be a cat!” “Wha-” “FUCK YOU!”

But more specially “Whistle while you swallow a spoonful of sugar and your dreams will come true upon a star!!!!” bc OH MY GOD IT’S BEAUTIFUL

Everyone listing how they want Jafar to die

ALSO SPECIALLY THE LAST 30 SECONDS BC AHJSAHJKADS (everything at and past the lines “and if we dream a little harder/ our patience and our honor...” etc.)

OK I STEAL EVERYTHING TIME! ULTIMATE CHAOS SONG, AND I LOVE. BE THE EVIL GREMLIN YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD. Also: the jazziness?? the opening instrumentals??? it’s so good. To the people playing the instrumentals for this musical: ,,,thank you,,,.,. (Also I learned recently that most of Jeff’s songs are in my range so guess who’s gonna try and learn this song?)

Favorite lines:

“Fetch, ya fucks!”

Did I mention the instrumentals?? bc hfhhhjdklsajk They seem simple but they’re also going ham and I love it

“Monkey thought we should just kill you, but I said ‘No, monkey, that’s crazy’ but now I’m thinking, yeah, no more fucking raisins...’“

“Thanks but no, thanks, ‘The Man’“

Honestly every line in this is golden, but I can’t put them all in and that sucks

“You’re only in trouble if you get caught!” “Aladdin?” “I’m in trouble!”

“Just one question, why, man?” “’Cause you stole my daughter’s hymen!” “That’s completely fair, but, in my defense, dude, your daughter’s hot!”

EVERYTHING AND MOOREE!!! SHE WANTS IT ALL AND I’M CRYING BC SHE SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL WHILE DOING SO. (I just realized that there’s 14 songs on this soundtrack and I’m sorry in advance for how long this post A) already is and B) is going to get) This song is so dramatic and that somehow fits the mood of her character and I love it so much and just ahdshjkds. Also it’s just?? So pretty????

Favorite lines:

“But it’s just like, whatever”

“I just want to be free so badly! You slaves could never understand. :(”

“You’re probably thinking, she’s got everything. Well, it’s true, ‘cause I do, but so the fuck what?”

“I WANT THE MOON! I WANT TO LIVE ON THE MOON! And eat it in a pie! And keep it as a pet! and wear it like a gemstone in my hair!”

“As I laugh in their faces of moonbeam pie!!”

“It’s enough to make me with I were lowly and poor... But like... with money!”

THA GOLDEN FUCJKLCIODIGN RULE. LIKE HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH. AND THE DANCING THEY DO WITH IT IN THE SHOW ITSELF??? IT’S THE BEST. THE FIUCUING BEST. I’M CRYING. THE DANCING IS SO GOOD. AND SO IS THIS SONG. Also, it’s the #1 Starkid song I’d be comfortable showing to my mom, which is a definite plus! (I could also show this to my church pastor and he’d?? definitely like it, so that’s also a definite plus) And everyone’s so nice to Jafar, espically compared to the opening number and it just makes me so sad and let me give Jafar a hug, goddammit. ALSO also please let me meet the saxophone player and shake his hand, I don’t play saxophone but what he’s doing here is amazing. WAIT ALSO ALSO ALSO MAY I MEET THAT FLUTE PLAYER BC I’M JUST NOW HEARING THE FLUTE (AND HOW DID I NOT NOTICE IT BEFORE, I PLAY THAT INSTRUMENT???) AND I’M FUCJKIGDFONG HOLY SHIT JSUT FUCKINGJDSJKL ;BOUNCE AROUND ON THOSE NOTES WHY DON’T YOU I’M SAJDSKCDSJS

Favorite lines:

“Why it’s as easy as a 1,2,3,4!”

“Always treat others like sisters and brothers!”

all of the lines just sound so good, I can’t choose

The way Dylan Saunders says “Man” that that first time, like holy shit

The whole conversation between Omar and the thief

[completely monotone] “My hunger blinded me and forced me to act like an animal.”

AND THEN OMAR AND THE THIEF SING THE PART AND IT SOUNDS SO GOOD

The “boop boop bop doop zeep do-wow!” in the background during that part

“Good luck Jafar! And! Re! Mem! Ber!”

And then the whole ensemble sings it and it sounds so good

oh good god we’re not even 5 songs in yet i’m so sorry

GOLDEN RULE: EVIL REPRISE, OR, AS I CALL IT, “GOLDEN RULE WENT EMO BUT I STILL LOVE AND SUPPORT THEM”. Those dissonant sounds at the beginning? beautiful. All the random evil laughter? amazing. Whatever the heck the saxophonist is doing at the end? breathtaking, give me more. Joe Walker’s voice?? just fucking dhdsfjkfdlashjdsfklhfdsjkl

Favorite lines:

“Lets him rule the land WITH an iron fist!”

“The prize for winning? MORE GOLD, HAHA! And the game begins again!”

[sarcastically] “’Follow the golden rule’? Boy don’t be such a fool!”

“Follow the gold! Follow the gold! Follow the gold!” “AND RUUULE!!”

DID I MENTION THAT FUCKING SAXOPHONE PLAYER BC DUDE FUCKING AHSDJKDFS

the final “And Rule!”

Don’t be fooled bc this one is so short, it’s nearing midnight for me and also this song is really short. In reality, I fucking love this song and it’s one of my absolute favorite starkid villain songs and also one of my absolute favorites from this musical.

A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS IS SOME FUCKINGNDSKLJ; GOOD SHIT I’M. Also, I don’t listen to it enough, so I’m giving y’all a running commentary as I listen to it for the first time outside of watching the whole musical 1) I love accidentals and key changes, and i’m,,, crying just the first verse is so good already, why haven’t I listened to this song enough 2) I’M CRYING I WANT TO KNOW THEIR STORY TOO THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS I’M CRYINGHJFDSJKSD 3) they keep using the word “’twist” and i’m ahsdhjkds bro 4) DYLAN YOUR VOICE. YOUR VOICE, IT’S TOO GOOD. IT MUST BE STOPPED, YOU’RE TOO GOOD, DYLAN 5) “LINGER OVER EVERY PART” OH MAN IT SOUDNS SO GOOD. SO GOOD. AHHHHHHDSHJDSFKLHJK 6) OK I’M LIKE ACTUALLY CRYINGN NOW THEY’RE IN LOVE. THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS. OH GOD OH FUCK 7) AND THEY SOUND SO GOOD, TOO, WHY HAVEN’T I LISTENED TO THIS SONG ENOUGH AHDHJKLDAS

OK I haven’t listened to this song enough to have favorite lines just yet, also I want to at least get to the end of the first act before I go to bed and it’s already midnight rn, so we’re going ahead and moving on (so sorry!)

IF I BE-FUCKIN-LIEVED. OH GOD. THIS ONE. THIS ONE IS SO GOOD. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. THE FLUTE, THE WORDS, THE SINGING LIKE GODDAMN. This one is also kinda within my range so I’m also trying to learn to sing it bc it’s just that good (cons of being a contralto: you get no female songs in musicals, pros of being a contralto: you get all the cool higher tenor songs) The raw emotion in his voice??? I’m crying??? The strength and soul and beauty and just ashjdskl;jdsfkl; it’s so, so beautifully and wonderfully amazing

Favorite lines:

“Science says you’re dead and gone forever! Reason says I’m talking to the air! But something in my heart, some secret, hidden part, illogically insists that you are there! Somewhere!!”

“Perhaps it’s not too late, to change the course of fate?”

“‘Cause after all, I must be pretty great... if you believed in me...”

Again this song is really short and there’s not a lot of lines to choose from and also I love them all and dfhjskdskjl this is just such a good song

I’m still crying

ORPHANED AT 33!!! [insert Peggle 2 gif] CHAOS... T W O!!!! HE’S MR ORPHAN, AKA CHAOS MAN (NOW WITH A MUSICAL NUMBER!) (I’m also trying to learn this one bc let me splurge in trying to teach myself Twisted songs, ok?) He’s being tragic and over-dramatic and it’s a beautiful song! and I also love how in the studio version, he doesn’t mention that they died earlier that year, so it almost comes as a shock when he says “when I was orphaned at... thirty-three” and it just makes the song that much funnier, trust me

Favorite lines:

I know I said this abt most of the other songs up to this point, but can I say all the lines? because all the lines

“[My parents are] dead... that makes me an orphan :’(”

“‘Cause my story’s just too saaad!”

“They call me a jerk off! a burn-out! A punk! But I can’t let that stuff in my head!”

“All things considered, I think I turned out pretty good! I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and started s t e a l i n g a l l I c o u l d!”

”I’ll make it through somehow, despite being so sadly and crushingly all alone...”

“I’ll BREAK THE CHAIN!! YOU’LL SEE!!! I’M GONNA L I V E F O R E V E R!!!!1!111!”

The last “thirty-three” bc Jeff oh my god what is that voice

HAPPY ENDING TIME, HECK YEAH!!!!! THIS SONG,,,, SO, SO GOOD, I’M A FUCKING SUCKER FOR SONGS WITH MORE THAN ONE PART THAT ALL END TOGETHER IN A HARMONY. THAT IS PEAK MUSICIANSHIP AND JUSTHSDHJFKSAD Also someone pointed this out to me, but the way to goes from Aladdin’s weirdly horny lines straight to the princess going “oh Aladdin, you poor, innocent soul :(” is just the funniest thing to me. And how it calls back to thier own solos, I’m???!? OH AND INSTRUMENTALS AGAIN. THE BAND FUCKING KILLED IT WITH THIS MUSICAL, IT’S SO, SO GOOD JUST AHDSJKLAKKFAnd the energy in it?? The excitement for the next act??? I’m pumped!! Are you pumped?? WELL GET READY BC YOU WILL BE

Favorite lines:

Yet a-fucking-gain I love every goshdarn line in this song, it’s just too good

“They’ll throw a parade in my honor, with peacocks and monkeys galore!”

“The people will cheer!” [cool guitar bit]

[Jafar’s relatively calm part ends] [electric guitar starts back up and Aladdin jumps on stage] “I CaN’T wAiT tO bE A RicH DUdE!!!11!1!″

“Stealing is so much easier when you’ve already got tons of gold!”

“I’ve got my eye! On what money can’t buy! ‘cause that princess is OH! Hella tight! I’ll be the one who plunders her cave of wonders! I’ll get my happy ending tonight!”

“My innocent Aladdin!”

Yes i’m fully aware I put pretty much Aladdin’s full part in there, stop judging me, it’s a good part

“It puts a damper on our love if you don’t have a head”

“So with with your permission, I’d like to bring back your bride!”

just. Jafar’s whole fantasy where he’s happy with his wife. I’m crying again, please just let him be happy

THE ENDING PART WHERE THEY ALL START UP AND BRING UP THIER OWN HOPES FOR THAT NIGHT AND THEY SING THE FINAL”TONIGHT!!!” ALL TOGETHER AND THEN THERE’S THAT COOL LITTLE 2 SECOND INSTRUMENTAL BIT AT THE VERY END IT’S JUST,.,, SO GOOD I’M DSJHDASHJKSDJK

Ok yeah that’s the end of the first act of songs! I should have the next part up by tomorrow, so get ready for more capslock and keysmashes and me generally being excited abt music bc MUSIC HECK YEAH DFFHADSJKHDAS

#twisted #twisted musical #starkid twisted #twisted starkid #starkid rewind #music #i love each and every song on this playlist and if you asked me to choose a favorite I'd black out for at least 2 days trying to decide #honestly tho these songs are so good #twisted soundtrack #musicals #musicals soundtrack

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leggigoesabroad · 6 years ago

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we were staying in paris to get away from our parents

Lyric from “Paris” by the Chainsmokers. We (Rach and I) used to love the Chainsmokers until we found out they were trash humans who cheated on their girlfriends with no remorse, and instead we’ve followed the ex-girlfriends loyally since the breakups. Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARY!! It’s 11:23 am here in Paris on Cinco de Mayberger and I wish I was in Philly holding that muffin and celebrating our girl, but hopefully I can be soon.

I really shouldn’t be blogging right now because I’m sitting in a super cool cafe that is meant for working and co-working and I’m paying to be here, so I shouldn’t waste my paid time on blogging... but hey, I’m waiting for my Adderall to kick in and also I think this is the coolest concept ever. It’s a super cozy space and you pay for the length of time you’re here. It’s a little expensive but I have no sense of responsibility anymore. It’s 5 euro an hour and that gets you access to the wifi, convenient plugs everywhere, and an all-inclusive self-serve tea and coffee bar. I think it’s kind of genius!! There’s snacks, bread, nutella, all kinds of tea, coffee, etc. Takes away all the stress of posting up at a coffee shop for hours and wondering how much you need to buy to make yourself feel okay about using their space all day. Kitty and I are personally very passionate about rental businesses/unlimited concepts like this, and I’m making a mental note to tell her about this so we can open one at home. There’s a chance Americans wouldn’t go for it, but I think at the right price it’d be dope. Of course, it basically reminds me of a bottomless brunch, and I’m pre-panicked I won’t get my money’s worth. What if we served mimosas at our place, Kitty?! Interesting. I wish it wasn’t 3:30 am in Breck right now so we could discuss this.

Last I left off I was on the train to Paris. Vienna and Prague genuinely feel like years ago. Such a weird trip, start to finish. Not the kind I’d design on my own, but not NOT... just odd to be here mostly alone without a plan and kind of figuring it out as I go. Not my style. I got into Gare de L’est in Paris and figured out the Metro to Angie and Adam’s place around 7 pm. Their 7-month-old is very French and goes to bed around 9:30 pm, so we bonded right away and she instantly took to me. They tell me she’s mostly like that with all strangers, but I feel I’m special to her. She cries when I leave the room!! I had to sneak out to the cafe this morning because she was bawling when I went to my room after saying good morning to her. Sweet angel. Her name is “Thea” but they exclusively call her “Doodle” and it reminds me of our muff. We ended up just hanging out all night on their couch and catching up, and then they got some pizzas and pasta from the place across the street for dinner and I ate All Of It. The French don’t fuck around with their food (she says, shoving a shortbread cake coated in Nutella in her mouth between keystrokes.) Had a bottle of wine and we stayed up until 1 am or so, just so lovely.

I woke up Saturday morning and braved what was admittedly freezing rain to walk to the local bakery Angie suggested. Since they live right next to the Luxembourg Gardens I also popped in there, as it reminds me of the photo Amy and I took sitting on the fountain mirroring each other, back in January 2011. I captioned it “The City of Love and Weight Gain” and steel trap Amanda remembered that ever since and recently posted a pic with the same caption, smh, she’s incredible. Learned on this morning walk that my right black boot had worn through the sole, so my foot got soaked and I felt that “squidge squidge” with each step... so fun. Went to the bakery and had a panic attack leading up to the order as I rehearsed what I was going to say in my head a million times over. Eventually spit out “Je voudrais... trois croissants....deux pain au chocolat... et un baguette....s’il vois plait....” and to the girl’s credit, she didn’t immediately transfer to English upon hearing how painfully transparently American I sounded, and gave me the total in French! I obviously had blacked out and couldn’t hear her, but the total was displayed on the cash register, so I paid and survived.

After lazing around a bit the rest of the morning, we all packed up and went across town to a Scottish bar that was playing the Tottenham game that Adam was interested in. I love sports so I was happy to go, but man, soccer is dumb. At one point one guy got a red card for lightly shoving a player after the play, and I almost burst out laughing at how that move disqualified him from that game and the next game, whereas in hockey that’s literally encouraged and we tally how many hits per game a player has. Our friend Aaron came to join us!! So good to see him, I think the last time I saw him was December 2016 right after I had moved to Denver and he was passing through town. I remember specifically because I showed him my apartment, that first one in Uptown next to Kitty, and it was completely empty. Back when I glamped all day. He’s near fluent in French now and I find it attractive.

We all went to an ex-pat bar after that and met up with Adam’s English co-worker and her friend who I found enchanting. They’re both from Brighton and were just lovely, interesting, funny women. We talked a little bit about the differences between England vs. the States and they said, “one thing we’ve always wanted to know - why do you have those huge gaps in the doors between your public bathrooms? You can practically see inside!” I said “I honestly have no idea and we all hate it too. Ask me something else I can answer!!!” We drank there for a while until Angie took Thea home because she was starting to get a little under the weather and fussy, and Aaron had a weird reaction to his IPA and immediately lost his voice. Adam went home to Angie, and Angie’s niece who had just come in asked if I wanted to get dinner. To be honest, I did not want to get dinner. She is a little odd for a 30-year-old female and I didn’t have any idea what we were going to talk about. Spoiler: I was correct. She’s the kind of person who just won’t respond if she isn’t interested in what you have to say. So we’d be walking along chatting, and I’d say something, and she’d just be silent. Laaa dee daaa... she also lived in Versailles in college and is also fluent in French, and knew her way around very well, so I unintentionally just felt dumb and patronized. We stopped at a place she wanted to go to for “authentic French cuisine”, blech, and I just got an omelette. The menu was all in French and luckily I mostly knew what I was reading, but she didn’t even lightly offer to translate. Ha. She eventually got more approachable and bubbly when we started talking about dating and her boyfriend and the online dating scene. After dinner, to her credit, she thanked me for agreeing to dinner with her and humoring me on the choice of restaurant and walking together. So maybe she’s just one of those people who doesn’t emote well but is kind and appreciative on the inside. Walked home and went to sleep, again in silence.

Woke up intermittently and kept checking the Phillies’ score in the middle of the night, only to see a very sad ending... sigh. At least Rhys and Bryce looked hot AF. Angie and Adam are Nats fans but admittedly love both Rhys and Bryce. I showed Adam the press conference of Bryce thanking Ned as a part of his signing, and Adam was THOROUGHLY impressed, so that made it all worth it.

Going to stay at this cafe for several hours and try to give Angie and Adam some space, as Angie thinks she and Thea are getting sick and I don’t want to impose more than I already have. I may walk to the 6th later to visit the Hotel Raphael, Hotel Majestic, and the Peninsula; as ER has places in each of them and it would be amazing to see them firsthand. Usually people on-site are very kind to me when I just pop in and say I work for ER, because it’s in their best interest to show me good service so I highly recommend them to my members. Maybe I’ll splurge and have a cocktail or a short massage at the world-famous Peninsula hotel!! TBD, the day is young. For now, hopefully I accomplish my freelance work so I’m not a miserable jet-lagged shrew next week. Wish me luck!!

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lizzybeth1986 · 7 years ago

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This is going to be a relatively short post, since the scene doesn’t exactly get Hana-centric until the last few minutes of the diamond sequence. This scene is meant to be a bonus trust-gaining exercise for Penelope (you will still gain her trust even if you don’t take this option), a chance to build reputation by modelling for a famous designer, with some romance in the backstage dressing room. There is very little by way of background story, or emotional investment - in comparison to a scene like the Moonflower scene in Chapter 4. I will try to discuss points that I think this scene touches upon, but I’m afraid the latter part of this essay is going to dissolve into a bit of a rant. Please bear with me.

Past and Present

The girls’ meeting with Lancelin St Clair, results in an interesting proposition. Prior to this scene, the MC gets the chance to wear one of St Clair’s prized outfits, a beautiful flowy gown with an intricate floral print. Just before the show begins, he approaches Hana, whose default pink dress turns out to be one of St Clair’s first original designs. By having both the MC and Hana participate in the show, St Clair manages to place the achievements of both his past and present on an international stage, while also having a Cordonian presence on a platform meant to benefit Cordonia in its time of crisis. Agreeing to his offer is not only a great experience for them but also sends a pretty great message on Cordonian-French ties politically.

Penelope

This diamond scene happens at a crucial point in the story. By this time we have learned that the credit card used to purchase the photos belonged to Penelope, and that her past few months at court have been extremely rough. At this point in the story, the MC and Hana are working on building trust in Penelope, so she can eventually confess to them why she was involved in the scheme to smear the MC’s name.

Throughout the second book, Hana is shown to be a comforting, educative presence for Penelope. She validates Penelope’s feelings way before anyone else - even the MC - does, and shows an amazing amount of empathy for Penelope’s situation. Whether it’s the picnic where Hana comforts Penelope on not impressing the suitors, or the Italian dinner where she gives Penelope extremely useful advice for managing crowds, she has shown Penelope that there are people who have her back, even in the Cordonian royal court.

It is Hana who first suggests to the MC that bringing Penelope along with them will help them later, leading the MC to admire her “craftiness”. But this goes way beyond just craftiness. It goes into Hana’s most special quality: her ability to recognize what certain people need and cater to them. It helps her immensely in educating the MC on international relations, and in this case it helps the MC plan ahead. Hana understands not just how tough Court can be, but also how essential it is to have coping mechanisms in place. Which is why she seems to understand Penelope’s need for her poodles the most.

Modelling History

For the most part, I had assumed that Hana was part of the nobility. Yet given the evidence building up in the books, it is possible that she might be from a nouveau riche family - one that is aware they are at some disadvantage in high society and therefore feels the need to select a groom for Hana by rank and titles. There have been indications of this as early as chapter 3, where Olivia introduces the other suitors by their lineage, but only refers to Hana by how she is “training to learn the courtly graces of conversation and seduction”. Olivia also implies, later on in the conversation, that her parents are throwing her at every available bachelor in a bid to get her to “climb the social ladder”.

Hana’s parents are extremely rich, but unlike the Cordonian nobles who don’t seem to particularly care much about showing their wealth, they feel the pressure of splurging - both on material things (the yacht, the bull elephant for Liam’s coronation), as well as teaching Hana certain skills to give Hana a competitive edge. One of the many skills she is pushed to learning is modelling.

Many of Hana’s skills are veered towards making her as appealing to the men who come to see her as possible, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Hana admits, in the Applewood boutique in Book 2 Chapter 4, that her mother taught her to fake being clumsy because it would make her look like a “damsel-in-distress”. The modelling is another attempt at making her appear desirable, one that they realise might backfire on her later. Much of Hana’s training teaches her to put up a front: a helpless, delicate yet alluring front that is meant to draw suitors to her, but doesn’t help her very much when she wants to actively pursue someone.

Taking Charge

(The screenshots in this section have been taken from the Abhirio YouTube channel)

The best part of this sequence definitely lies in the backstage dressing-room romance, for several reasons. One: it allows the Hana-shipping reader to choose how they want to kiss her. Two: in both options, she is an enthusiastic participant - nor shy nor baffled by the attention anymore, but confident in her lover’s desire for her and her own needs. In fact in the “be rough” option, she takes charge, kissing the MC’s neck as she presses her against a wall.

This scene is special, because Hana seems not just to be responding to the MC’s advances but taking initiative as well. She answers the MC’s pleas to kiss her with a knowing smile and “well, what are you waiting for?”, presses her against the wall as she kisses her neck, straight-out tells the MC she fantasizes about her (“in dressing rooms…and elsewhere”). When another model enters the dressing-room, it is the MC who is flustered by the interruption, and Hana who - smoothly and confidently - acts like nothing had happened mere seconds ago.

This scene shows us a Hana who is a little more comfortable in her sexuality and her needs than what we’ve usually seen. She takes initiative, she is less shocked at the notion that the object of her affections loves her back, and she is an active participant in their makeout sessions. For someone from a background like hers’, someone who has learned her entire life to place what she wants on the back-burner, being able to do this is a very big deal. And it is essential she reaches this point sometime in the story, because by the time they reach China, there is a chance we might meet her parents and confront/convince them about how harmful their methods are, and help them see her side of things for once. This is only truly possible when Hana is certain about what she wants, enough to attend least make it clear to her parents that she should be able to decide how she wants to live her life.

With this ends my analysis of the scene. Which leaves me with something I have been noticing about Hana’s scenes since Book 2 began…

Why Are Hana’s Diamond Scenes Getting the Short End of the Stick?

Take this week’s chapter, for instance. As I have mentioned before, the 8th chapters in the TRR series tend to be a game-changer for all the LIs - with each LI getting an exclusive scene each - and is meant to highlight significant development in the LIs story. Drake’s is shocking and emotional, with the reunion with his sister and discovery that he has a nephew - leading the kiss that occurs later to emerge from an emotional high experienced by both characters. Liam’s shows us a rich symbolic parallel to their first meeting and their boat trip to see Liberty, and touches briefly on why being King matters so much to him - leading the kiss to emerge organically and naturally.

Hana, on the other hand? She barely features except at the beginning of her own damn Diamond sequence, and the focus is on her only during the dressing room scene. Yes, the scene is about a number of things, such as representing Cordonia and getting Penelope to trust them, but because this is such a mish-mash of different things, Hana recieves very little by way of character development or actual story. The kiss in the dressing room may be passionate and amazing as an individual scene, but there is precious little buildup to that point compared to Drake’s or Liam’s.

And this isn’t the first time this has happened. In Chapter 2, Hana and Drake both get diamond scenes, but Drake gets to relate the entire flashback even though Hana was literally there. This was one opportunity the writers had to let Hana’s Hot Chocolate scene be more than a catch-up exercise, given that she knew what Liam was planning as well and was as important a player in this game of chess, as Drake was. Yet Drake’s marshmallow-toasting scene, and Liam’s balcony scene in the first chapter, come out richer and more power-packed, than Hana’s.

Hana’s other scene this month, the diamond scene in Chapter 7, is a group scene that begins with her feelings of humiliation and failure, but winds up becoming about everyone else. While this largely worked, we must remember that it was advertised as a Hana scene, but had very little of her.

One would assume that after being the catalyst of a group diamond scene, Hana would get a pretty loaded scene this chapter - with plenty of history and development and a better understanding of her character. After all, Drake was given a group scene with Olivia in Chapter 5, and then an exclusive scene at an Italian restaurant in Chapter 6. It would make sense for Hana to receive the same…yet that isn’t what happens at all. She gets a scene that is several things at once, and we get to know little about her besides a tiny bit of trivia on her brush with modelling.

It isn’t as if Hana cannot have good scenes. Every scene of Hana’s in Book 1 was rich with background history and burgeoning confusing feelings. The Cordonian Waltz where she talks about her broken engagement. The piano scene where she trusts the MC enough to share her music. The binge eating in her room where she confesses her love to the MC for the first time. Her wishlist. All of these were beautiful, emotional experiences…and all of them helped us understand her better. The only Hana-centric diamond scene so far in Book 2, that even compares to the brilliance of these, is the Moonflower sequence in Chapter 4.

The three central places - Capri, Paris, China - are central to three different LIs, yes. And China will eventually be Hana’s home front, s so she may well get better scenes there. But this has never stopped the writers from giving Drake a wonderful scene in Capri or Liam one in Paris. So why do Hana’s scenes since the beginning of the engagement tour include so little of her?

–

#the royal romance #hana x mc #hana lee #trr hana #hana: diamond scenes #parisian runway #trr penelope #cordonia #part essay part rant

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bestbabygiftsnrry600-blog · 5 years ago

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Expectant ladies intend to unwind as well as relax at the end of the day, so why not gather some treats she can enjoy in the bathroom. A present basket complete of lotion, gel, soaps, candle lights, and also much more will offer the new mother an extra boost to alleviate any kind of discomfort that maternity may bring.

A leisure gift basket or package is the excellent method to give the brand-new mommy a little "me time" feeling rejuvenated as well as spoiled from head to toe. A couple of things you might include for a relaxation package might be a bathrobe, a publication( perhaps even maternity publications!), comfortable cushion, cream, treats, as well as also a few of your favorite flicks.

Several of the most effective pregnancy presents for newbie mamas are presents she will value for a lifetime. You might make a full day from it by establishing a hair and makeup consultation for her adhered to by an unique image shoot. Do not neglect to add an extremely charming image frame to make sure that she can frame these special pictures and also record this remarkable time in her life.

More About Maternity Gifts

A few items new mom usually need (or would certainly love to have helpful) are a covering, pillows, snacks, baby diapers, wipes, a book, a onesie for the infant, and also certainly coffee for the tired mom! Remaining healthy and balanced is at the top of every expecting mama's checklist. Certainly, she'll delight in her yearnings, but it is necessary to maintain health and wellness a top priority not simply for mama, however additionally for the child expanding within.

Today, the largest patterns in fashion jewelry are little as well as dainty items like straightforward lockets with a first or a dainty adorable bracelet. Another terrific way to make that new moms in your life really feel special is with maternity apparel. New mommies may not intend to splurge on garments they wouldn't be wearing for long, so when a close friend purchases her a few brand-new clothing, she will immediately felt better regarding herself.

So I conserved among the best presents ideas for last. What regarding a very elegant and useful diaper bag!.?.!? This is the best way to store as well as lug every one of the infant basics while on-the-go. Be certain to locate a baby diaper bag that has whole lots of storage room, comfy bands, as well as bonus factors if it includes an altering pad! We wish you appreciated our checklist of the most effective presents for new mothers.

It is created for mommies to delight themselves and also leave for When someone close to you announces that they are anticipating an infant, congratulation presents for pregnancy can be a purposeful means to allow them know you care. A maternity can cause a great deal of anxiety. To find out more concerning one If one infant is enjoyable, 2 are double the happiness.

Kind by Kind by Featured Finest Marketing Alphabetically, A-Z Alphabetically, Z-A Cost, low to high Rate, high to reduced Day, brand-new to old Day, old to brand-new $108.00 $102.00 In Supply 154 testimonials 15 For baby diaper task failed Peanut Changer Keekaroo bedbathandbeyond.com $129.99 Remember when a blow-out indicated a peaceful see to Drybar that led to a sleekly styled hair? Ah, those were the days. The Keekaroo has made dreadful baby diaper adjustments a lot more sanitarythe polyurethane pad limitations germs development and can merely be wiped cleanand my washing tons all the lighter.

Yet it has given that become my outright favored feeding product. We swiftly ascribed to the fed-is-best mindset when our little monster infant was six weeks old and also weeping for food every 90 minutes, all day (and also evening), each day. Supplementing was a game-changer and also, at first, I hand-shook bottles of formula when neededuntil I ultimately unboxed the Brezza.

About Gift Ideas For New Moms

17 For restroom breaks (since you need them, too) Baby Lounger Keep your boppy on the floor, plunk your child in its facility, and also enjoy a couple of hands-free moments while you have them. 18 For the days when rolling is just around the edge Baby bouncer Fisher-Price target.com $24.99 Rolling over is a milestoneand a huge reminder that you can not take your eyes off your youngster regardless of how badly you require to shower.

It took him three months to ultimately get the monkey between to do a full flip, but our kid loved this. As well as I liked showering without having to jab my go out every five secs to look at him. 19 For brainless clean-ups Roomba 675 App-Controlled Robotic Vacuum cleaner iRobot bestbuy.com $269.99 Our pup began shedding like crazy when we brought our kid home from the health center.

I was bewildered by the layer of dog hair that appeared to cover our living-room. So we spent lavishly on a Roomba and also our floorings (and dust rollers) are grateful. 20 The Peloton Bike They state 9 months on, 9 months off. I'm quite certain my body will never ever go back to the shape it when was, but who cares? I brought a human into the world as well as he is worth much even more than washboard abdominals.

For more stories such as this, including star news, elegance as well as style suggestions, savvy political commentary, as well as interesting functions, enroll in the Marie Claire newsletter. This material is developed as well as preserved by a 3rd party, as well as imported onto this web page to help individuals offer their email addresses. You might be able to locate more details concerning this and similar content at piano.io This commenting area is created and also Find out more maintained by a third event, and also imported onto this web page.

An Unbiased View of Pregnancy Gifts

Ladies undergo so much while pregnant. There are highs, there are lows, there's great deals of waiting, stress and anxiety, terrifying moments and even more. As well as it's the excellent opportunity to offer those females you like something extra special during this rollercoaster of a time. And right here are 25 of the most ideal Do It Yourself gifts for the pregnant women in your life.Todayi has one of the finest and also simplest to work up suggestions on the listing. DIY Maternity has all the details.See Kate Stitchmakes a ruffled tummy band that's simply as well lovable. Make her among these and also enable her garments to fit better while making her more comfortable as well as stylish. Head on over to Somewhat Straightforward and get some inspiration for this maternity journal Do It Yourself. If she's close to her due date, do her a large support! Whip her up some of these registered nurse.

thank you bags suggestion from Deer Park Farms. She can pass them out when the hard part is around. What better method to a pregnantfemale's heart than with food? Create a breakfast basket like you see below from Everyday Affairs and also really make her smile!Garden Therapy has an excellent DIY dish for a natural foot soak. Over at Something Turquoise, you'll find an eat DIY present to work up as well as amaze your pregnant good friend with. The method to her heart is with.

The Of Baby Presents

her stomach!Unoriginal Mama has one of the most time-saving, life-saving Dos it yourself on the checklist. The mommy-to-be will definitely enjoy these child submits to arrange LIFE with!Make her work a little much easier in your home or when she goes into the healthcare facility. Have her indulgene a little bit and offer in to a yearning with these healthy and balanced delicious chocolate truffles from Wellness Mama. Take place and work up a set for her!Pamper her a bit with some home made strawberry body scrub, that's secure for the baby! Head on over to Superstar Baby Washing for the recipe.See Kate Sew likewise has this cool DIY featured. Aid her keep stretch marks and also itching as bay by whipping up several of this Do It Yourself maternity stubborn belly butter. Jellibean Journals has the recipe!Homemade Salute shows us just how to make a shape cushion for the mom-to-be! Make her naps and also overnights so much a lot more comfy throughout her maternity this method. Discover how to develop them over at Made by Rae. If she's having a little woman, this DIY project is the excellent present to help her obtain organized and also delighted! U Develop has all the details. Here's another item of charming apparel you can make for the mommy-to-be in your life. Make the mom in your life really feel remarkable with pregnancy presents from Gap. Store pregnancy vacation presents for the anticipating mama on your list. Maternity fashion has come a lengthy method as well as now resembles the most up to date patterns as well as designs, no matter size. Our maternity collection has those wonderful very easy gifts an expecting female wishes to make her trip fashionable yet comfortable. Pick from crewneck, V-neck and turtleneck styles in a range of striking shades. There are fundamental neutrals like navy and also grey plus abundant colors like siren red and also canary yellow. Many are tunic length styles which makes it easy for the expecting mother to move with ease. Include one of our comfy tights from the Pure Body collection and also she has a comfortable, casual clothing that functions for numerous occasions.

Shop light-weight knits, amazing draped gowns as well as jeans for trend-driven fashion for anticipating ladies. The expecting mama wishes to kick back in vogue, even if she does not understand it. Seek to our jersey mix as well as cotton PJs for expectant moms. Liquid two-piece collections with comfortable button-up t-shirts or carefree sleep t-shirts wrap the expecting mama in simplicity as she relaxes. Several expectant ladies continue their workouts throughout the maternity. Gift her exercise equipment developed for anticipating mamas. Storage tank tops with extensive panels that sit tight throughout yoga exercise postures or runs and leggings that keep at the midsection are several of the leading gifts desired by active pregnant females. Show her you support her ventures with a special gift aimed at making her feeling great as she trains.

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charmingturkeysandwich · 7 years ago

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COMPLETE! Knock, Knock Ch. 27/27

The epilogue is here! I’ve loved writing this story more than I can even explain and I hope that you all enjoy where it’s ended up. It makes me inordinately happy and I hope you can feel at least a little of that. Let me know what you think? Maybe?

Thank you for reading!

Read on AO3.

Start from the beginning on tumblr.

So many things get easier the older you get, the more life experience you have.

Moving is not one of those things.

Despite having more money, more help, more space, and more time… moving still fucking sucked.

In fact, if it weren’t for the bitter memories of filling up the last house from scratch, Emma would just burn all this shit and start over. But that was an overreaction. She was just stressed. Moving did that to you.

And kids did that to you, too.

The business had been great. In the last year, she and Killian had invested in another whole ship and small crew. They’d been on the water nearly every good-weather day with some kind of touring group, and spent the entire off-season taking classes and attending conventions and getting all kinds of educational certificates and accolades.

Schools from towns a hundred miles away were booking trips with them. The summer camps had waiting lists a mile long. And finally – finally – Emma had been able to work out a grant deal that allowed the kids who couldn’t afford the camp to actually attend.

To say she’d been riding a high for the last 365 days would sound like an overstatement, but it still felt deeply true.

She and Killian still had their share of problems. Killian nearly kicked her out of the house a few times (exaggeration) over her inability to put her clothes back in their closet and Emma had a few mild meltdowns over Killian not closing the shower curtain when he left the bathroom (do you want mold, Killian?!), but they were happy. Their life was successful, joyful, beautiful, and now – growing.

“How did we decide to transport the mugs, love?” Killian called from the kitchen, his Captain Hook mug in one hand and Emma’s Princess one in the other.

“Shit ton of bubble wrap, I guess?” she called back, still trying to pack away all of their photo frames without breaking anything.

She’d known when they moved into this house it was going to be a “starter home,” a place they rented until they were able to truly put down roots. She just hadn’t anticipated those roots sprouting so damn fast. But here they were, ready to upgrade from 2 bedrooms to 3, from tiny yard to acreage, from couple to family.

It all started back in spring, their grant funding having come through and Emma celebrating by visiting the local group home that would benefit from it. It was tough seeing that many kids without homes, without support, but their enthusiasm for the coming summer was tangible. They were so excited about the freedom of the open water that they were actually interested in learningand so Emma sat down with them and started sharing some of the things they’d be covering – from the history of New England to the creatures of the ocean to how fishermen bring us home our dinner. All the kids were captivated and gathered around Emma, but two of them stood out the most for her.

Hovering near the back of the crowd and huddled together like they were riding out a storm were two young girls, enthralled in Emma’s words but seemingly afraid to come any closer.

Emma knew all too well what that felt like – without the benefit of someone to cling to.

Afterward she’d asked the director of the group home about the two of them. Ava and Anastasia had been in the group home for a few months now, their last foster home having returned them for being “too needy” and “a burden on the household.” They wouldn’t leave each other, the man explained, not after having gotten separated from their parents just before they were murdered by some kind of drug lord.

Their parents hadn’t been perfect, obviously messed up with some troubled and dangerous people, but they’d been loving parents, dedicated to giving their girls a good life, one better than they’d had. Emma could respect that desire (while simultaneously wanting to punch them for having put their children in this situation). Ava and Ana didn’t have any other family, their parents having been an orphan and a runaway themselves, and so the girls just drifted through life, seemingly unwanted.

Emma couldn’t have it.

So she went home that afternoon and told Killian about them, determined to find them someone who could help.

“We could contact CASA? With a Court Appointed Special Advocate, they’re far more likely to get adopted,” Emma offered, her fingers busily tapping away on her phone.

“Or we could do the obvious,” Killian said after a long pause.

“The obvious?” Emma had echoed, clearly needing some further cues as to what was apparently right in front of her.

“We could foster them.”

And so the next day they’d applied to be foster parents. When they indicated they were interested in fostering the girls, they began doing weekly visits with them, allowing them to gauge if it would be a good fit.

At first they were beyond shy. They hardly spoke and when they did they seemed to be afraid that what they said had been the wrong thing. Or something. But Killian and Emma just kept coming, kept telling them stories of their times on the ship, of their painful pasts, of the things they liked to do for fun on the weekends when they weren’t sailing. Bit by bit the girls started sharing more of themselves. At first everything was framed as “we.” No matter which of them spoke – usually Ava, though – it was always a collective answer. We love dogs. We have a red wooden sled. We’ve never had homemade pizza. But gradually they began to cling to one another less, to speak about something they liked individually.

Ava, it seemed, was just a little bit more like Emma. She was very physical – loved sports and adventure. Anastasia, on the other hand, was very analytical. She was good with numbers and liked to make plans. A lot like Killian.

Every week’s visit proved more and more that they could do this. They could be foster parents to these 8 and 10 year old girls.

And so, just as summer was beginning, the girls gathered their black trash bags full of what belongings they’d kept and they stood outside the group home waiting for Killian and Emma. When they arrived, Emma promptly opened the trunk of the car and pulled two different sets of luggage – purple for Ava and pink for Anastasia – and insisted they transfer their things, leaving behind that black garbage bag forever.

“But Emma, I might need it again,” Anastasia mumbled, hesitating to pick up her new luggage.

“Sweetheart, this is yours now. No matter where you go, you’ll take this with you. The things you own are yours and they’re absolutely not trash. Your stuff matters and you matter.

Ana was quiet, playing with the blue drawstrings on the garbage bag and scraping her feet against the sidewalk. “I don’t want to have to go anywhere again,” she finally said.

“And we’re hoping you won’t have to,” Killian added from behind her, his arms full of Ava’s things as she packed them into her new suitcase.

It was certainly an adjustment having two more people in the house. Dinners were a total fiasco, some days, Killian still trying to figure out portions and who liked what. Emma decided they should invest in a dishwasher, a convenience they didn’t think they should splurge on when it was just the two of them. But now the dishes would pile up like crazy and it just wasn’t worth all the effort to hand wash several days’ worth at a time. So they caved.

They bought a lot of things that summer. A swing set for their small back yard. The cutest bunkbed set you’d ever seen (yes, it was shaped like a ship and yes, they were that cliché).

Ava and Ana loved their room, decorating it in every color you could imagine with pictures of animals and boats and pop singers all over. They were still fairly shy and at times uncertain of their place in the home, but they continued to open up every day they spent in the Swan/Jones household.

Their friends had all been so supportive. Robin and Regina often came over to visit, bringing pizza and video games with them. Belle would, predictably, bring them books, but she also offered to take them for rides in her police car (at first, that had upset them – the last time they’d seen police vehicles was their parents’ death. But Belle was determined to show them the good side of it all, and it seemed she’d won them over). Even Will enjoyed their company, his own humor leaning toward the immature side giving him a little boost in conversation. And Ruby – she would Skype them and talk about Seattle and beg them all to come and visit (you know, after Killian and Emma were removed from the no-fly list).

No one was happier than Mary Margaret and David. Constantly exhausted with their infant, they loved spending time with kids who actually spoke and the two of them would “babysit” often when both Killian and Emma were needed on their ships.

Mostly they’d started taking turns leading the groups, insistent that the girls be with them as often as possible. So much so that the girls actually participated in every single age-appropriate excursion they offered. At first they’d been part of the learning groups, completing the activities with the “class,” but eventually they graduated to being Killian and Emma’s little helpers, aiding the other students as they learned.

It had been simply amazing to watch them blossom like that, all in the span of a few months.

“Can you believe this is our life now?” Emma had whispered one night, tucked away in their bed in the wee hours of the morning.

“Aye, I can. I think it’s what I’ve always wanted, love. If you can believe that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

They asked the girls if they could adopt them on a Sunday. Killian had made sure his ship wasn’t booked for anything that day, and they’d gone sailing on a purely non-work adventure, Emma and him showing Ava how to steer and Anastasia how to tie knots. Once they’d found a good, calm spot of open ocean, Killian had dropped anchor and sat the girls down, Emma nervously clinging to his arm.

“We were wondering…” Killian began, looking back and forth between the now even-more-nervous-than-Emma children.

“We want to adopt you!” Emma shouted, unable to allow that fearful look in her girls’ eyes any longer.

(She knew the feeling of waiting for someone to tell you they were sending you back. Doing it nicely or not – it didn’t really matter to a lost girl. It hurt all the same. And bracing for it was a pain all its own.)

“Yes!” Ava screamed, jumping up and into Emma’s arms. The two of them were giggling and hugging and purely ecstatic – until they realized that Anastasia hadn’t said a word.

“Ana, sweetheart, is that OK? Do you want us to be your home?” Killian asked, kneeling in front of the still-shocked, scared kid.

“But… are you sure? What if you leave us?”

“They’re not leaving, Ana! Stop being such a baby,” Ava snapped.

“Mom and dad weren’t going to leave us either!” Anastasia returned, her face flushed and her arms shaking.

It wasn’t like them to fight and it had nearly broken Emma to watch, but emotions came out in odd ways. It had to play out as it would.

“They never promised that, you know. But Emma and Killian promised. And they don’t break promises. Right?” Ava looked to Killian, her eyes boring into his.

“Never.”

Damn, what a difference a couple years could make.

Paperwork.

Paperwork was the fucking worst.

Killian’s hand was cramped from all the forms, the signing, the checklists, the mortgages and loans and adoption papers and marriage licenses.

Yep, marriage licenses. You’d think a committed couple who owned a successful business together could adopt a couple of kids with no trouble, but, you know, you’d be wrong. They wanted proof of all kinds of things, including “stability.” Which apparently meant married.

So he’d been robbed of the grand proposal he’d always envisioned, settling instead for an exasperated, “well I guess we’ll get married then,” in the uncomfortable chairs at the lawyer’s office.

“How romantic,” Emma had grumbled, making Killian feel even worse about himself than he already did. But, in the end, they knew it didn’t matter. They were going to be together always, were already partners and were now going to be a team – them and their girls (and hopefully a dog, once they moved into the bigger house).

They decided on a courthouse wedding, planning it for three days later (they had to get the blasted paperwork in order). Telling their friends hadn’t been a fun task – the men’s horror at a lack of bachelor party quite comical – but they were supportive in the end (of course).

So supportive, in fact, that they all showed up. To the least impressive wedding in all of time and space.

And he meant all of them showed up. When Emma and Killian and Ava and Anastasia opened the courthouse doors and started walking down the marble hallway, they were greeted by Mary Margaret, David, baby Leo, Regina, Belle, Will, Robin, Ruby, and Whale – all leaned against the wall as there simply wasn’t enough seating in such a small space.

The magistrate led them to a tiny room, certainly not suited for 14 people, and proceeded to marry the leather-clad couple in a 5-minute ceremony that culminated in a quick kiss on the lips and a giant family group hug that the magistrate remarked was the oddest thing he’d yet seen at one of these proceedings.

(Odd was kind of their thing, Killian had thought.)

Rings exchanged and house bought, the big old friends-turned-family began the grueling process of lugging all of their shit from one place to the next, Emma and Killian finally finding their permanent home (you know, the literal, physical kind. Metaphorically they’d obviously found that long ago in one another – and now in Anastasia and Ava).

Emma had been cranky as all hell. Moving was awful, he, of course, agreed, but Emma was simply not having it.

“Emma, where do you think we should put the linens?”

“Ugh, I don’t care!” She’d snapped in return, slumping against the bookshelf she was currently emptying.

“Come on, Em! I know it’s awful, but we’re going to have a yard!” Ava called, proudly dragging around her suitcase, despite the fact they wouldn’t be leaving officially until the next day.

“And a dog! Don’t forget the dog,” Anastasia added, her nose still firmly planted in the latest Hardy Boys book Belle had brought over.

“Of course,” Emma had chuckled, reaching out for Ava and pulling her into a bear hug. “Can’t forget that.”

The next morning was an absolute mess. Really, he’d assumed that more help meant fewer problems, but it was seeming that the opposite was true. Too many people had too many different organizational strategies and opinions and attitudes and complaints and was it actually possible to hate your own belongings this much?

But they’d survived it. All their crap made it to the new house – the anchor-clad pillows and afghans only having fallen in a smallmud puddle on the way – and the family was what you would call pooped.

“Can we clear off the couch and watch a movie, Killy?” Killian grinned at Ava’s new nickname for him, but his face fell when he realized he couldn’t actually tell her yes.

“I’ve no clue where the DVD player is, love. And we don’t have wi-fi yet, so no Netflix.”

“I could read us a book!” Ana offered, Ava groaning (comically).

“Or Killy could tell us a story,” Emma said, her eyes alight with warmth and glee, despite her exhaustion. She leaned into him and he gave her a tight squeeze, reveling in their new life.

“Once upon a time there lived a pirate who worked on Wall Street,” he began, his girls all working together to clear off the couch for them to pile onto it.

“What’s Wall Street?” Anastasia interjected, tossing a box of Emma’s old files into the corner.

“Oh, a terrible place full of greedy people.”

“Killian, don’t vilify finance for them already. Anastasia might turn out to be a hell of a broker someday.”

“Swan, language,” Killian gasped, earning chuckles from his girls.

The four of them plopped onto the couch, Anastasia curling into Emma and Ava sitting directly on Killian lap, Emma intertwining her fingers with Killian’s as he continued his story. “The pirate had all the treasure in the world, but then he lost a great love, and he thought his life was going to be empty forever.”

“But it’s not, right?” Ana nervously interjected (always the interrupter, his little girl).

“Don’t worry, my love, this story has the happiest of happy endings.”

When the story was finished and the yawning had overtaken the talking, Killian and Emma led the girls to their very own bedrooms. Not much was set up in each, of course, but their beds were made and for the first time in their lives, these girls had their own spaces.

Killian and Emma had provided that for them and the swell of pride and love in his heart at that thought was something he’d never felt before. When he’d fallen in love with his feisty, beautiful, headstrong neighbor, he’d thought his heart could never have been fuller – not after she’d confessed she loved him, too. But now – now it’s like his insides had gotten bigger to make room for more feelings he’d never dreamed he’d have.

It took longer than he hoped for them to simply find the pajama boxes and set up the toiletries, but within the hour, the girls were all ready for bed, Emma and Killian each taking turns tucking them in.

“But I’ve never slept alone,” Ava whispered, clutching a pillow. “Ana’s always been with me. I could always call her name and she’d answer me and I’d know we were going to be OK.”

“Oh, my little love. She’s not far,” Killian soothed, a perfect remedy popping into mind.

How appropriate this should come full circle, he thought.

“You know, Emma and I used to live apart. And we didn’t like being alone either.”

“I know. You were neighbors, though, so you weren’t far away.”

“Exactly. And now so are you and your sister. She’s just through this wall, you know,” Killian said, his hand resting on the wall behind Ava’s head. “And she’s probably feeling scared and sad just like you. So you can reach back just like this and give the wall a little knock, knock, letting Ana know you’re here.”

“Like this, Killy?” Ava balled her fist and hesitantly tapped her knuckles against the wall.

He couldn’t hear any conversation or movement from the other side – their house had properly insulated walls and all – but the return knock, knock came quickly.

“See? Ana’s OK, over there with Emma. And you’re OK. We’re all together now and always will be.”

“We’re a little pirate family?” Ava questioned, the hope in her eyes making his heart swell just that much more.

“Aye, love. A perfect little pirate family.”

Thank you for reading <3

#cs ff #cs au #cs au ff #cs fanfiction #keisha writes #knock knock

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