#and stop hating Liam bc who the fuck hates Liam

[godofstupidsentences]

2023’s resolution: making my best friend ship thiam

[cha-melodius]

Thanks to everyone who tagged me in the 'last sentences written in 2023' (tags below)—something I would have jumped on if I'd written a single word since I published You're the Perfect Gift for Me. The fact is, it's been A Time, and today is the first day since pretty much then that I have a brain (or time) for writing.

I know I said I was going to jump back into False Dichotomy and I AM, but my brain wrote this scene while I was lying in bed this morning and I had to get it down (this will eventually turn into a fandom fest prompt fill, some day). Slightly long but I wanted to get the drop in there lmao.

“It’s about your First Officer position,” Ellen says, glancing down at the PADD on her desk. “I know you requested Lt. Commander Clark—” Alex doesn’t like the sound of where this is going. Surely she can’t object to that pick, of all of them. “Liam will be perfect. He’s got a stellar record, excellent scores on all his exams, not to mention we already know we work well together—” “When’s the last time you actually talked to Liam, sugar?” his mom interrupts. “What?” “Liam requested to be assigned with his partner, Commander Spencer Williams, who’s serving as the Chief Science Officer on the Endeavour, which I granted. He’s not available.” Alex’s mouth opens and closes again without putting voice to the question on the tip of his tongue, because there’s no way he’s going to ask his mother for information about his friend’s partner. Fuck. Liam is involved with someone, and Alex had no clue. A male someone, not that it matters, except then what does that mean about him and Alex… Ok, now is not the time for whatever this is. “Well I need a science officer too,” he says instead. “They could both be transferred to the Enterprise.” Ellen cocks an eyebrow at him. “Or… I could find someone else,” he allows reluctantly. “I’ll look over the candidate profiles.” “No need. I’ve got the perfect First Officer for you,” she says. “Commander Henry Fox.” “No way,” Alex blurts before he can stop himself, wincing at the look on Ellen’s face. “Sorry, Mom. Admiral Claremont. Ma’am. It’s just— anyone but him. Please.” “He’s an exceptional officer, Alex,” his mother says, her tone heavy with disapproval. “His record speaks for itself. Any starship would be lucky to have him.” “Then give him to anyone else,” he pleads. “I don’t need a stuck up, humorless, asshole royal who thinks he’s better than everyone on my bridge.” “Funny how everyone who’s actually worked with him has nothing but glowing things to say about him,” she returns dryly. “I think he’d be good for you, sugar. You’ve got what it takes to be a brilliant captain, but you need someone as a First Officer who will balance you. Someone like Fox.” “You’re forgetting that he hates me,” Alex argues. “He’ll never agree to this.” Ellen stares at him for a beat. “He requested the assignment, actually.”

I am tempted not to tag anyone bc I'm not sure I'm ready for this one to be perceived but OH WELL. Tags below the cut.

Thanks for the various end-of-23, beginning-of-24, and WIP Wednesday tags @orchidscript, @kiwiana-writes, @cricketnationrise, @firenati0n, @cultofsappho, @leaves-of-laurelin, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @inexplicablymine

Tagging @rmd-writes, @clottedcreamfudge, @myheartalivewrites, @dumbpeachjuice, @three-drink-amy, @indomitable-love, @indestructibleheart, @lizzie-bennetdarcy, @ships-to-sail, @iboatedhere, @sherryvalli, @tintagel-or-cockleshells, @loki-is-my-kink-awakening, @nicijones, @heytheredeann, @mirilyawrites and anyone who wants an open tag, jump on it and tag me!

[rosiiclouds]

OK SO I GET TO INFODUMP ABOUT MY OWN KNOWLEDGE OF THE DC COMICS SO YIPPEE YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME

so basically, we’re starting with batfam and the multitudes of robins there is, bc it’s one of th e most confusing thing there is.

The favorite, the classic, Richard Grayson (otherwise known as dick but I. I can’t, I just can’t-)

Orphan, pretty sure his parents died in an accident with their circus act, but idr, I think it also kinda had to do with the joker? Again, don’t remeber

afterwards Bruce adopts him and he becomes Batman’s first sidekick, Robin. He’s the Fun robin, the classic, the quip-er, the silly, a literal twelve year old child fighting crime. Everyone loves him. Everyone has heard of him.

In his teen years, he gets a little more unique, no longer JUST being Batman’s sidekick, but also being a part of the teen titans (after being inspired by the Justice League, Batman’s own superhero club.) he ends up being a bit more rebellious in his own way, and even rejects the Robin mantle, and becoming Nightwing (there was also a Discowing at some point but shhhhhhh)

he also ends up moving out of Gotham to Bludhaven in his adulthood.

then we move onto The Second Robin, also a fan favors.

2. Jason Todd, aka, the guy who has a white streak in his hair.

yea the white streak actually has a lot of plot importance lmao

Jason’s parent also died, completely forgot how, probably another Joker thing-

Bruce takes him in, and he becomes the Next Robin.

Things are good (ish, I mean it’s dc) for a while, but THEN

The Joker Decides To Be a Little Silly (derogatory)

he kidnaps Jason, and Batman… idr if he just doesn’t care or plain just can’t find him, but he doesn’t come to rescue Jason until the very last minute.

Jason is sitting there, thinking Bruce with save him, clinging to that idea, all the while being TORTURED and eventually BRUTALLY PIPE MURDERED BY THE JOKER

I also think the building might’ve blown up at some point but I might be misremembering, or mixing two different canons idk.

BUT THEN

Jason ends up getting revived Due To Stuff I Never Rememebr (something about a Pit, it was green, looked like nukulaer waste).

and he doesn’t remeber SHIT other then being pissed at both the joker and Batman.

so he tries to kill both as (which yeah, Batman didn’t even kill the joker after, just kinda threw him in prison, which he quickly broke out of again. Thanks Batman.), he also now goes by Red Hood, and he gets guns! :D

but you see.

The Next Robin.

3. Tim drake.

rich parents hated and neglected him, he then got adopted by Bruce.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know as much about Tim, but I do know that when Jason came back, he felt betrayed (bc at some point he regains his memories but shhhhh I don’t remeber when) and like Batman replaced him, which is no fault of Tim ofc, but Jason doesn’t know that, and tries to take revenge on both of them

eventually, Jason gets stopped, again I don’t remeber exactly how since a lot of what I know is from other people, not all the comics, but jason eventually leaves them alone and stops trying to kill everyone.

Tim Needs A Fucking Break, so he decides to get a little Silly (not like joker) and goes away for a few years and leaves being Robin behind, (also I think aorund this point he gets his Spleen taken by Guy Who’s Name I Forget But In The Dark Knight Trilogy He’s Played By Liam neson.)

durring this time we get our Fourth Robin, Stephanie Brown.

4. Steph!

she and Tim date at one point but we all decided to side step that so we don’t talk about it nope we do not not right now that is a can of worms we do NOT have time for

Stephanie was raised by this Ofher Guy I Always Forget Name Of, and was trained to be an assassin to both accompany him and take his place. Eventually, she breaks away from him, and joins Batman. She becomes Robin for a while, and has Imposter Syndrome. I love her so much she’s so fun.

after Tim comes back, he takes the Robin role again, and so she’s kinda left without a role, until she is offered the title of Batgirl after Cassandra Cain becomes her own thing (iirc. Also don’t get me started on batgirl it’s a lot, it deserves its own post/ask)

also at one point I think she kills herr dad but there’s no harmonica solo (/ref).

THEN.

5. Damian Al Ghoul/Wayne.

Bruce’s biological son.

he was raised by his mother, (who Jason fucked I think) and grandmother (who stole Tim’s spleen) to be an assassin (AGAIN, this has happened so many times wtf-), and on a mission, he’s assigned to kill Batman.

……..

HES FUCKING EIGHT FUCKING YEARS OLD

he’s I think the youngest Robin too.

anyways he tries to kill Tim. Bc my man can’t fucking catch a break.

and then Bruce adopts him.

and makes Tim give up the mantle of Robin. So Tim gives Robin over to Damian. And it’s one big fucked up family that has a canon Fluff Fic on Webtoon.

there’s also ofc Barbara and Katie and cass and duke but first I need to tell you what Tim did right after Damian becomes robing.

Tim 1) takes o r Wayne enterprises, and 2) keeps doing vigilante work under, get this, the name of RED ROBIN.

I’m not joking,

he’s named afer a fucking restaurant.

tumblr isn’t letting me put images but omg.

he danced around on trade mark to get hit with the next.

so that’s the robins. (Abridged ofc)

how old was everyone .

How old was Tim during the million attempts on his life

HOW OLD WAS JASON WHEN HE DIED

[gracefullou]

THANK YOU!! Harry Styles doesn’t care about Liam and he never cared, Louis and Zayn were the only ones who really had relationships with Liam. And that man has always been friends with these two weirdos (who mind you didn’t care about Liam either) like give me a fucking break and stop acting like you (and Harry Styles) cares about anyone but themselves. Honestly this shit pisses me off sm especially since HARRYS fans were the ones who started the hate train against Liam all these years ago.

Look despite what i think from what we've seen, i would like to think that he cared even a little for Liam, that the death of someone with whom one shared so many life altering experiences will never be so insignificant to a human being. The thing is i wasn't trying discuss this or "hate" on him, mainly bc i wanted to respect this day as much as possible, it was just that i was surprised in a VERY negative way that he showed up with that scum and said that that was evil (i still stand by it) without mentioning any names or even the event i was referring to. But ofc, you can't say anything no matter how indirectly and how true without his crazy fans camping in your inbox. The hypocrisy of pretending you even care about that funeral when your biggest worry is user gracefullou on fucking Tumblr of all places doesn't like that your babygirl showed up with that creature to the funeral and called him evil for that. But what do we expect from this breed 😬. Now, they're even praising James Cordon and saying he's always been there for the boys 💀. These people will always stop at Simon Cowell at the top of the chain when it comes to evil people in the 1D universe, they'll always willingly switch their brains off before they reach Sony and more importantly fullstop management and co bc protecting that man will always be their number one priority. Scratch that, their only priority really. Even at such circumstances, they HAVE to defend him against any potential criticism, they can't help it.

[nochi-quinn]

candela obscura chapter 3 episode 3: slay the empress

candles in the wind, got it

oh no aabria looks SO GOOD

the gold on the fingers???

hey what the fuck

"a chair outside of elsie's room" weh

not the vermin guard posted outside the room

wait hang on what are nokari's pronouns? am I delusional?

a brain right off the bat??

A TOKEN RIGHT OFF THE BAT??

"you…kept it?" you two are going to kill me but also is this the TIME

"oscar is an interesting fellow" ducks the shippers

AABRIA

"that's all of them, friend"

everyone here has two hands

cosmo

hey liam fuck you

LIGHTS?

HEARTBEAT??

SLOWING HEARTBEAT??

madame glask's mic is currently fucked

mama glask

"but I go here"

roll to convince child not to alcohol

I had to step away, did oscar just say he likes kids bc they're easy to lie to

samuel

"you're killing aabria. look at her."

cheese it it's the fuzz

party of Many

LIGHTS

are they fucking MOLOTOVING THE CASINO

"of COURSE"

GINA

samuel

people's elbow

aabria said no pigeons at this table

stress level: sam's going "oh boye"

"powers?? of….persuasion???"

"HEY STOP THAT"

"pop a titty out" aabria

"well then fuck"

"I WANT TO KICK ASS" noshir bby

roll to persuade the gm

HEY AABRIA???

"you guys can be here now" "…no thanks"

fuck bran the soldier all my homies hate bran the soldier

guns is cheating

YEAH

"can I have my dice back?"

okay flash powder pearl earring is pretty good

girl with the flash powder earring

"I feel like I would beast out immediately" "oh, GOOD"

I feel like two sixes should cancel out a one

aabria MEAN

"she'll probably choose nice things" press x

"fucking COCK"

"do you drive?" "who do I look like?"

"I have no depth perception!"

oh ashly's panic noises :(

RAJ. CONTROL THYSELF.

"DON'T KINKSHAME."

"this is the monsterfucker season!"

no we need travis reverse psychologizing the dice

oh no

oh NO

"BURCH"

"he's a billion years old"

"I think of my mother" fuck you liam o'brien

these monster noises are like bricks scraping together but bass-boosted and I'm into it

"I like that pitch"

aabria. aabria no.

"she's so mean"

"what are you doing over there?" HER BEST

these two are going to k i l l me

and possibly each other

probably definitely cosmo

"I could never strike my queen" lays in the floor

"and he's made of talcum powder"

"you need to roll like him"

hey liam

hey liam what the fuck does that mean

just a bunch of passed-out fuckers outside the burning casino

"I just want to let you know you're so pretty right now"

aabria: take a bleed and you can kill this gu sam: done

"we take it back, mina, you can drink"

oh buddy

buff mina!!

imposter god??

fuck yeah multisentry

she's in her morphing clothes

liam do not manipulate this so you die

I'm still not sure he didn't knock the tower over on purpose in sagas of sundry

I'm typing so I don't have to listen to his describe how horrifically he's fucked up

NOW I'M TYPING SO I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO NOSHIR

sam is me

"I'm gonna take off HIS coat and wrap his arm"

liam your noises are unneccesary and unappreciated

samuel

"he's very hittable"

"what a sight" rajan

underground??

"it's called rollies"

"you have to beat a 3" "well I got a 1"

MINA D:

I absolutely called he was going to block mina with his body

sam's just like that

"an os-scar"

"edit that out please" "they absolutely will not"

that's so many drive

spend 3 drive to Slap

gina

aabria's going to murder you

"every time I have a problem, I just throw a molotov. then boom, I have a different problem."

wait I need raj's arm to fall the rest of the way off so I can have HFW feels

sam

"everyone take three points of bleed"

slow-release molotov

sounds!

"they're like birthday candles"

OOH

I appreciate the committment to the bit

TIME BUGS

"'you' feels like a 'we' in your mouth"

oh jesus this is supposed to run another 2 and a half hours

"I wouldn't worry about that" too late am worried

noshir

you're going to give sam an anuerysm

candela obscura has magic pockets

hey sam

hey sam drop your location I just wanna talk

SAM

"there is a wish" sam's not allowed to say those words in my presence

"if you say it it won't come true"

"it never makes a splash" hey aabria what the fuck

THIS is why it's another two hours

"did you say 'friend'?!" "…NO."

baka rajan-kun

"I heard you~"

"don't hurt yourself"

…is aabria done up as Iomene

at this point I wouldn't be surprised if cosmo just pulled out his own literal jawbone

"how adorably pedestrian" rajan

I'm starting to get slay the princess vibes. I have no basis for this, it's literally just Vibes

"like a giant……maw."

"I'm gonna tiptoe into chernobyl"

these two are gonna KILL ME

bruce banner negotiating with the hulk vibes

ykw this polycule is canon and I'll fight you about it

not the breathing

"I would punch her out of the way"

w e l p

these five are going to all kill each other and also me

"there might be time later"

"WHICH ONE WAS IT"

"I'm sure that's fine"

if there's one thing liam o'brien's gonna do it's make me cry about his character's mom

is The Old Way blood

hey cosmo whatcha doin

aaaahhhhh noises

EARTHQUAKE LIGHTS

oh that's a cool idea for a scar

I've loved everybody's scars in general, they're all really creative

yeah yeah tears of the kingdom we've all played it

oh it's one of THOSE

I like the split screen but one of my favorite things is watching the other players react to the wild shit people do solo and I so desperately want to see ashly's face right now

aabria you can't just cut ALL the lights like that I have anxiety

and so does sam

hello 911 aabria and sam are killing me with acting again

the slay the princess vibes continue

lays in the floor about elsie roberts

"you contain multitudes" some of them have big big teeth

"I have notes"

"not as old as you" "rude"

he said the thing

oh sam's been crying, liam got sam

no fuck you I did the "five go in one comes out" with madness I'm not doing this again

erika ishii already ripped my heart out you can't have it aabria

lays in the floor about elsie roberts harder

sam

oh gina

liam just has that voice now

[necro-hamster]

top ten funniest liam facts 3 2 1 GO

1) his apartment is a fucking disaster and definitely has a box of porn bds hidden somewhere. wires everywhere. hacked vending machine. complete fire hazard. damn bitch you live like this?

2) he used to get babysat by local animal groups when he was really young. they were like his go to people when he was a teenager and needed life advice. they mostly just taught him how to hit things really really really hard

3) he has optics w a yellow iris and white pupil and everyone thinks he got them custom made bc they're not a style usually sold. but he actually just stole them on a job lol. he hates how they look #fail

4) idk if furries r a thing in cyberpunk world but if they are then he's definitely a closet furry. if he had a fursuit he'd be like 20% more mentally stable

5) he gets into screaming matches w johnny. like out loud not in his head. his neighbors r so sick of him. but it's really par for the course living in a megabuilding

6) his mom thinks he has like an office job and that's where he's getting money to send to her LMAOOOOO she doesn't know her kid is a fucking street merc chat 😂😂😂

7) when he was like 19 he got into an accident where he was on his bike and a car fully ran him over. he was clinically dead for like 30 seconds. would've definitely died if the person who hit him wasn't decent enough to stop and try to help and also didn't have enough money to pay for medical bills. probably the luckiest thing that's ever happened to him. he still rides without a helmet

8) he romances kerry but they're both fucking disasters and neither of them are cleaning the fucking house. damn bitch you still live like this????

9) related. when kerry started bending over on that damn boat liam almost had a heart attack cuz he's autistic and awful at picking up on flirting. he wasn't upset but he was surprised. at first he even like asked just to make sure. like um are you aware your hole is out kerry was that on purpose or..

10) he has a stutter and it does not go away when johnny is steering. it pisses johnny off so so so bad because he's never had to deal with a speech issue before. he had the audacity to whine about it after going on his little joyride. typical johnny L. the stutter does eventually go away for liam all around as more of his brain is rewritten and even tho he's in a ton of pain he thinks it's really funny. johnny not so much (on account of liam actively dying)

[alitgblog]

s9 vol 7 thoughts: ah fuck this season has its problems but I don't think I've ever been this conflicted over love interests in a while

STEFAN 😍😍😍 literally I have to change my top five islanders now like I'm so sorry evan. AND he's an artist?? And it's my own fault for already buying into the second chance romance bit before he even showed up but like he's not ugly? omg stop. oof it's tough, like, shit I'm so sorry Natasha and Hamish I don't know who to pick in this love square they've got

him illustrating his sister's book for his sisters?? 🥺 I may be folding for that alone

I like Cassius' design. I like it more than Theo's but he does remind me of Liam unfortunately. and also he's looking like my MC's cousin this season so I gotta pass this time but makes it easier for me. but he does seem great, I like him and he's sweet without being boring (so far), but I also kinda wish we had an LI that gave us more pushback/banter? bc I picked a few options that disagreed with his whole thing about love/fate and he was just like "yeah fs that's a cool opinion too" which OK I get it he's nice but I'm just kinda sick of all the Islanders being so agreeable to MC. I guess Marshall is supposed to be the banter-y one but I have problems with him being here so I wish it was Cassius instead.

that being said they're fucking teasing me with this response to why are you here though

also at some point Cassius calls his season boring and I thought it was funny fusebox was dunking on themselves bc I didn't finish s7 either but no he was just referring to the fact he got dumped quickly.

I'm glad Lyle is back, like I'd be upset if an islander was only brought on for a date and then left, so I'm not mad at this even though he was momentarily mad at MC (and that became nothing?? like just take out that plot point) and i dont really care hes only coded in for Kat now. I'm just more upset bc they've literally already done this in S8 bc your LI has to pick between Sienna and Bea when they get "dumped" and then Sienna comes back in Casa.

And then we get to marshall and I don't even wanna talk about it. And ive made separate posts and reblogged some opinions on that so ill just add that also i hate his orange outfit. him dressing all white and ozzy all black was peak I hate he's out here in orange smh.. anyway so that'll be easy for me to not pick this season

although we get this and I thought it was funny like OK fine you got me marshall

he says it with a smile too not even angry/sarcastic

then after that I honestly don't remember what happens apart from way too many challenges all at once and the whole Stefan storyline. I wanted him to be a little upset initially bc it did seem like MC had some misunderstanding and then left him so quickly like I just wanted a little bit of angst where he came in with the gameplan of wanting to give her a piece of his mind and was on the show bc he couldn't contact her any other way, before he realized he was being silly and just was happy to see her again. like if anything, the story beats that Lyle goes through being snarky at mc in episode 1 then immediately asking for forgiveness by episode 3 makes more sense for Stefan but nah instead it just feels like another perfect li loyal route (which is fine but I like some tension in the story). like we can still have the terrace scene where he explains things though.

also if I saw this on love island? I'd be voting for them without question the angst is so good

OK I'm looking thru my screenshots and am now remembering I was upset at raunchy races for being subjective again. notable offenses:

straight out the gate, most creative boy and Kelly says "craft brewing is creative" gtfo as if it's not Chen the set designer (and anyone who brought back Lyle from the dates, I'd imagine musician over craft beer brewer as well)

Kat somehow doesn't win best dancer

I love Kelly and sure, biggest foodie but not when my mc is a chef smh at least in S6 the dialogue would change slightly with your occupation lmao

the physical challenge is OK but I just think it doesn't belong in casa. like on the actual show where they spend real days in casa it's fine but for the game that has to shorten it bc the volumes definitely don't add up to the length of real love island, it feels like a waste. if anything, the real villa needed a physical challenge rather than continuing to do variations on excess baggage type games.

someone help Kelly out with the mask pls

anyway the OG islander to visit instead of a postcard is interesting. I think a postcard makes the most sense but bc the game has to fabricate drama while also probably wanting most of the guys to still look good since the villa is like 75% love interests for MC, maybe it makes sense?

I think having it be MC's partner doesn't give us a lot of drama unless MC wants to bring up Stefan. Finn and Hamish could be interesting whether you're pursuing them or not. Like under the guise of them checking in on their partner, but they just care about MC and are asking her not to forget them. Most likely i think it'll be Kat's partner and he'll make up some lies about what's happening in the villa.

anyway a little rough first few weeks of the season but I'm enjoying at least this episode, surprisingly, so we'll seeeeee.... I think the seasons generally gets worse post casa so I'm not betting on this being a good season overall, but I'm not calling it a flop just yet.

[maxemilianverstappen]

We shouldn't forget that liam has been rb's and at's reserve driver since last year and he's the test and one of the sim drivers at rb (not sure about at), so he knows the current and will know future rb better. If dr gets the rb seat in 2025 he won't perform better than checo and will get destroyed (more than 2018 - which made him run, 2021 and 2022). He in his prime couldn't handle max who wasn't in his prime yet. Imagine a burned out driver against max who is in his prime. He'd paint max and rb as the evil more than he (or his team doesn't matter) did back then and more than they did last year with mclaren. Wish horner wakes up bc dr is his agenda

If he can get the seat for 2025 and flops, I don't think DR would attempt to insuniate anything bad against Redbull. He can't act ungrateful after all that happened. And if he gets the seat, he will know he will just be a Max's wing man. Which... in a dominant car like RB19 is needless because Max is also leading the WCC all alone by himself.

From a marketing point of view, DR seems like a good investment as a seat warmer right before another Reg Change, but the hate and the motherfuckery that his lunatical fans will bring in might not even be worth it. Tbh, they might even surpass Checo's hateful fans.

I don't think he has anything to add to the Redbull team currently other than a different flavor of PR and maybe more team points than Checo. And in all honesty, I hate some of the M*xiel shippers and I don't give a fuck about what Danny does as long as Max continues winning and is happy.

It is RedBull's problem. And both Horner and Marko really should stop thinking with their sentimentality and rotten reasoning respectively.

[iguessricciardo]

The shock I felt today seeing so much Daniel hate on my OWN dashboard. Damn like what the fuck. I admit I enjoy hate scrolling and I sniffed out some blogs talking shit about Daniel and blah blah but to see it on my own dash from people I enjoy following..praying for Daniel to flop compared to Yuki…where the fuck did all this “support young drivers” come from. How do they know there isn’t already a pre determined agreement with Liam for AT 2024? Why would he stop his stint in super formula if he could continue what he’s doing now and start the season fresh with a new car. Is Daniel just supposed to keel over and admit defeat and give others a chance?? Give me a fucking BREAK. I think going into AT knowing it’s a shitty situation is NOT the same as going into McLaren thinking it would be all sunshine and rainbows. It just always feels like there’s specific outrage at Daniel that’s rarely directed at other drivers. It’s so hard to draw the line between us being optimistic/delusional versus actually seeing the point and what path this could lead to for him. But damn there’s no reason for people to be so damn mean and cunty.

i feel you but honestly after the hell we’ve been through last season i genuinely stopped giving a fuck about anyone’s opinion. they’d write think pieces about what should and shouldn’t happen but if anything remotely close happens to their favorite driver suddenly the rules have changed lol. so yeah im gonna choose to enjoy my little gremlin and his big smile every weekend and leave all the negativity with them lol bc sooner or later something will happen to their favorite driver and guess who won’t give a fuck? as a sports fan since basically i was born, just enjoy the things you like and ignore everything else.

[rotisseries]

so thats the end of 5a with him being a chimera pack leader. couple other things happened. he got malia to trust him the most. liam backed off after stiles and liam followed him to the creek where his sister died and saw him toss a white flower into it. Liam said he didnt smell just sad. he smelled grief (werewolves can smell chemosignals. they can read if you're sad/angry/happy etc.) liam was skeptical sure, but he didnt see anything wrong with theo (they have things wrong with them in common) anyway. after that interaction, stiles was alone. all the evidence he had was the fact his dad's signature was different from a parking ticket from years ago. theo gagged him with the "so my dads not my dad?..??" 😭😭 i mean he was right tho. his dad is not his dad. anyway. fun fact about theo. he can control his heart rate. the main way you can tell if someone is lying is by their heart beat. he controls that. hes a very good liar. even can cry on command. hes also so good at lying hes calm when he does it yk. like ... no sweat .. idk if the heart rate thing is related to tara though. i like 2 think so... oh and one more thing from s5a . he had this kid donovan try to kill stiles and during theo's manipulative little conversation he says "But it doesnt matter because...you got something else now. Power. Real power. strength,speed, heightened senses. so what do you do with power like that? i knoww what you're thinking. go after stilinski" (he has a grudge against stiles dad the sherriff because he got his dad paralyzed when they were partners n hes pissed about it.) "break his leggs cut off his ears... pull out his teeth. problem is though, sooner or later, physical pain it's...it's manageable. see... Real pain is emotional pain. that is the kind of pain that lasts." introducing the popular headcanon that theo raeken can seperate himself from pain!!!!!!! everyone cheered. hes been through so much in those 8 years he learned to deal with back breaking excruciating pain like nothing. goes numb. do not come at him with a scalpel.

theo's pack includes josh diaz, corey bryant, hayden romero, and tracy stewart. he killed tracy and josh. killed them for their power. he wanted tracy's kanima ablity (paralysing venom) and josh's electric ability. he can absorb and dish it out!! he's only had 1 love interest maybe 2 if u count that weird flirty scene with malia, and the other one was tracy and thats bc he kissed her to distract her while he took her power and killed her.

in 5B the whole thing was trying to figure out who La Bete was and how to stop them. Theo thought he could take the beast's power. he was pressured into killing josh and he killed tracy because he had

this interaction and he was pissed off and sad because he thought he was weak, and needed more power to prove he wasnt a failure . it's very obviously literally i can tell from watching my damn screen. and the person who manipulated him into killing josh reallt just wanted him to have fewer allies and corey and hayden left bc their partners were in the OTHER pack and . no one liked theo. scared of him sure. very sure. but he didnt have a moral system. no one was safe. in 5B he was just grasping at any straws for information, since he left the dread doctors, and everyone made him out to be something he wasnt. they had a valid readon to hate him. he thrned scotts entire pack against him and literallt killed him. and then stiles said shit like "i think you pushed her. and i think you liked it" to theo even though he KNEW theo in 4th grade and that doesnt sound like SHIT A 9yr old would DO unless they were FORCED. think bbg.... sorry anyway. he tried to take power from LA BETE the orginal beast/werwwolf but its genuinely so powerful that that just wasnt happening. he got knocked out. he woke up ans tried to fight scott and deucalion and the whole fucking pack idk. but then kira (who just got back from the skinwalkers) took her sword, and slammed it into the ground and it opened up, and she said "your sister says hello." and he started to fall in. and he looked really scared and his voice broke as he screamed for help and he even screamed for Scott because you would think. the person who saves everyone. would save you. but he didnt even move. and then he couldnt grip any longer and he fell. and the ground closed up. and it was silent.

[moriartyluver]

Liam in New York would be so funny but also so sad💀 like bro did all that ‘I don’t love you’ act to make fl feel less shitty abt him dying but instead it just made everything worse, and bro didn’t even die😭

He’s so down bad it’s concerning but also silly and cute so who cares

Louis cares

But this ain’t abt him

Stop him loving her too much to make her jealous😭 they’re so cute omfg

BRO I SWEAR IF MORAN COCKBLOCK ONE MORE TIME😭

Josephine should bully him more fr fr

Girl you are not bad at coming up with spicy scenarios, do you not remember the whole thing in William’s office after fl found out he lied to her⁉️ but then that little good for nothing crusty musty broke manwhore gambler cheater 50% off Kuroo + Kuroo if his volleyball career didn’t work out decided to interrupt💔

🎀.

Sherlock strikes me as the type to know nothing about love or romance. I know bro was sick of that idiot each time he would cry about fl. like he’d just be like ‘why don’t you just find her and tell her you love her? She’ll probably forgive you.’

Also liam wrote a letter to fl similar to the Sherlock one and he told Sherlock to give it to fl but because Sherlock went to go stop liam from dying like an idiot, he accidentally took the letter with him and now fl doesn’t know what liam said in the letter. The moment sherly tells liam he starts breaking down crying

Speaking of letters, while liam is gone, fl writes liams letters every so often (like every week or so) as if he’s still alive (but she thinks he’s dead bc she’s not delulu) and every time she visits his grave, she burries the letters beside his empty tomb.

Not Louis getting completely ignored 😭

Fl and Liam would be such cuties if they went to therapy but nooooo the blond wants to kill himself and the future grand duchess can’t talk about her feelings

Regarding the spicy scenarios, I couldn’t even write about them making out without feeling a little out of my comfort zone (not in a bad way. It’s just a bit new to me) also they should have fucked in the office scene /hj

Large amount of the spicy scenarios can’t be done because liams a stupid virgin and fl can’t get over the fact that she hates him but loves him at the same time. It has to be done tho in order to inflict trauma on fl ‼️‼️

Not Moran getting absolutely violated 😭 KUROO IF HIS VOLLEYBALL CAREER DIDNT WORK OUT IM DONE

[midnightmisadventures]

Trial dream pt 3

So now everyone else is filing in, and the trial is about to start and i am SOOOOO distracted lol. I can’t even begin to think about the intensity of the trial and stuff because hyfr just told me he never wanted a divorce and he wants to get back together and im realizing all the feelings i still had for him. And i was desperate for a real conversation that was not hush hush next to a bunch of people who hate us. And frankly, want scandalous details about the divorce. 

Oh god, now it seems like he was a “spy” for the other side to distract me and this dream is a allegory to spiritual warfare against the devils. 

Anyway, trial is still going on. But now me and hubby are so touchy feely lmao. Calling eachother babe, and getting really comfortable. I was like holding on to him now. our resting position was him hugging me. I was falling in love and fast. 

For a split second i went “oh no, is this the choice i have to make between Liam and hyfr” bc based on the way i was feeling in this moment that felt so hard. And Liam like present day was no where to be found, and here is hyfr who is so hot and im so compatible with and have so much love for (and is so ripped lmao) like i wanted to pursue it, but bottom line we had a lot to talk about.

When that day of trial ended him and i were dismissed to “our lockers” and to pack up and catch the bus. I didnt know if we were gonna do anything together but just based on the terms we were now on i assumed we’d talk soon and i could text him and it wouldnt be weird. I hugged him goodbye and went to my locker. To my surprise 5 minutes later after he had got his bag he came back to mine and was waiting for me. 

He was telling people around us about the trial and how insane it was. Then he was telling me “i cant get off at your stop on the bus lol” and im like yea...and he’s like so we need to be driven home (by like a friend). And im like “whos car would we go in, you’d come home with me” and he’s like “i can arrange that” 

So then i was excited cause he was gonna come to my house and we’d get to talk and he was serious and it felt like we were together and i was happy. 

Thats it, but like WHAT THE FUCK

Even writing about this i can feel like love and comfort towards hyfr and want to be with him. WHAT IS GOING ON it really is 2013!!!! 

[karahalloway]

One glance at the caller ID and he was wide awake. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed as he answered. “Bas. What’s wrong?”

I'm getting some bad juju already...!

She hesitated as her hand hovered over the knob. Something was clearly wrong, or the head of the Royal Guard wouldn’t be on the phone with her fiancé. The memory of being shot at engulfed her. The smell of gunpowder in her nose, the thunderous booming of the gun in her ears, the wet stickiness of Drake’s blood on her skin, and the crippling fear of loss all washed over her with incapacitating suddenness.

God, I get chills just reading this description...!

“Who is it?” “Riley? It’s Liam.”

Of-fucking-course 😣

The brokenness in his voice obliterated her fear and spurred her into action. She flung the door open, her eyes widening in shock and concern as she took in his expression.

Oh... This is the burning of Applewood, isn't it...? Sorry Liam...

She understood instantly why he was in her room, in her arms. She might not understand yet what had transpired, but she understood that he could not, and would not, show weakness to the world. Not that caring, tears or grief were weaknesses. No, she counted those things as strengths.

Eugh... As much as he has been pushing boundaries in this fic with Riley, I do hate that he is in this situation... That he has to keep his feelings bottled up publically, and there isn't really anyone else he can confide in, or find solace with, apart from Riley...

Drake exited the bathroom with a grim expression. His eyes darted from the empty bed to the sight that greeted him at the doorway of the bedroom. The king of Cordonian was wrapped in his fiancée’s arms.

😬😬😬😬😬

Riley’s eyes met his over Liam���s shoulder. He nodded at her as he read everything he needed to know in her expression.

Okay, phew! I was worried that the stuff that happened during the polo match was going to erupt here bc everyone is feeling super raw...! But, luckily, Drake seems to have a good read on the situation.

“Hey,” Drake’s voice softened considerably as he clasped a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Don’t be sorry for being human, Li. That’s a good thing. Unfeeling rulers are the dangerous ones.”

The extensive and ancient orchards at Applewood had been razed. The terror group Sons of the Earth was taking credit.

They better be praying to their maker...

A little thrill ran through her, despite the gravity of the situation. She was suddenly and intensely aware of the proximity of both men. Their body heat, the smoothness of Liam’s palm in hers, the roughness of Drake’s. Her heart beat a little faster.

This is going to end up in a poly set-up, isn't it? 😆

He leaned forward in his seat and turned sideways so he had a clear view of both Riley and Liam. “You’ll both wear body armor.” Liam tried to protest. “I don’t think—” “The ultra-light stuff. Under your clothes. Trust me, no one will know it’s there.”

I'm glad you put this in here! Under the circumstances, it make complete sense, and it really is like wearing another shirt under your clothes. That said, it won't stop anything with a large caliber... or a head shot 😬

“And remember,” Madeleine chided as she shuffled the notecards in her own hands, “You are representing Cordonia up there so for the love of God, remember to keep your back straight, make eye contact with a few of the reporters, and don’t forget your facial expressions! You want to convey—” “That’s enough!” The usually restrained and controlled Drake spun on the countess, the fury dancing in his eyes enough to cause her to jerk back in startlement. He released Riley and took a step in her direction as he fumed. “Could you lay off her for one goddamn minute? We have five minutes before they have to be on stage and I’m trying to save her fucking life!”

Whooo! Go Drake! I agree - Maddy is complete focused on the wrong things here...

Madeleine’s already anemic pallor went even paler.

This line... 🤣🤣🤣 👌

Riley stepped into Drake’s arms and took his face in her hands. “I love you. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

I've got a bad feeling about this... 🫣

Drake himself had tried to make Liam feel better, but nothing he said had made an impression. He’d watched as Liam’s friends and family members had tried to offer advice, condolences, and comfort. No one had succeeded in that endeavor. No one but Riley. Because Liam was still in love with her, and his love for her was deep and it was true, and it was real. Just like his own.

“There is a way for all three of us to be happy.”

🤣

Liam moved closer to Riley, then hesitated, shooting a glance at Drake. When he found nothing but encouragement there, he reached for her hand. “Please give this proposal due consideration before you make a decision. I implore you not to dismiss it out of hand. This is something that I want…. you have no idea how much…. but I won’t pressure you and I won’t rush you. Take all the time you need.” His eyes flicked back to Drake. “Both of you. If we move forward with this, we must all be on the same page. I want no room for misunderstandings or resentment.”

👏👏👏

I have to admit, I had my heart in my mouth throughout this entire chapter, wondering if when Drake was going to explode at Liam again, but I am happy to see that the gravity of the situation has forced a reassessment of priorities, and that he was actually the one to propose the open marriage solution 🥰 Well done, Walker! 🖖

The De Facto Queen Chapter 5: Come Together

Series: The De Facto Queen

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Drake, Riley x Liam

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: language, destruction of apple orchards

Word Count: 3,907 (approximately 30 minutes reading time)

Summary: Riley and Drake awake to devastating news about the orchards at Applewood.

A/N: I started this chapter thinking it would be the last chapter. Halfway through, I still thought that. Maybe three-fourths of the way through I was like...oh, no. This doesn't wrap up so neatly or so soon.

My other stuff: Master List.

The sun wasn’t even completely up when the shrillness of a phone cut through the early morning silence. Riley moaned in protest and scooted her body back, snuggling closer into the warmth of the man wrapped around her.

Drake’s arm tightened around her, and he drew her closer as his eyes blinked open, taking in the earliness of the hour. They weren’t scheduled to leave until after breakfast. There was no valid reason for anyone to be calling him at this hour unless something had gone wrong somewhere. “Sorry, babe.” He mumbled as he released her to roll over and grab his phone off the nightstand. One glance at the caller ID and he was wide awake. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed as he answered. “Bas. What’s wrong?”

Riley tried to go back to sleep, but the hard edge in Drake’s tone, despite his attempt to keep his voice low as he disappeared into the bathroom to keep from waking her, alerted her that something was amiss. She pushed out of the covers and reached for her robe. She had barely finished tying it when a knock sounded at the door.

Riley froze as her eyes tracked to the bathroom and back. Drake was still in there on the phone with Bastien. Whoever was at the door had to have gotten past her security detail, so she decided it was safe to open it.

She hesitated as her hand hovered over the knob. Something was clearly wrong, or the head of the Royal Guard wouldn’t be on the phone with her fiancé. The memory of being shot at engulfed her. The smell of gunpowder in her nose, the thunderous booming of the gun in her ears, the wet stickiness of Drake’s blood on her skin, and the crippling fear of loss all washed over her with incapacitating suddenness.

The knock sounded again. She jumped, jerking away from the door as if she’d been scalded. “Who is it?”

“Riley? It’s Liam.”

The brokenness in his voice obliterated her fear and spurred her into action. She flung the door open, her eyes widening in shock and concern as she took in his expression.

Liam stumbled into the room and, without warning or preamble, fell into her arms. His face pressed into her chest as a shuddering sob broke free.

Her arms wrapped instinctively around him. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

His arms tightened around her as he pressed his face harder into her body. Half-coherent words fell from his lips as his body shook with tears. “Terrorists…. the orchards…. burned….”

She understood instantly why he was in her room, in her arms. She might not understand yet what had transpired, but she understood that he could not, and would not, show weakness to the world.

Not that caring, tears or grief were weaknesses. No, she counted those things as strengths.

Nonetheless, his father had instilled in him a deep shame of those very qualities. But Constantine had never broken Liam, merely forced the better parts of him into hiding.

She was the safe place for him to show all of his vulnerability. She wouldn’t judge him; she wouldn’t question his fitness for the throne. She would support him; she would console him. That part of their relationship had never changed, and it never would.

Instead of questioning him, she did her best to soothe him. Her fingers ran through his hair, her hand patted his back as she murmured quiet words of comfort to him. Her eyes flicked to the door to ensure it was closed.

His emotions didn’t make him weak, but there was no point in having a servant or a guard witness their king’s most vulnerable moment. The people of Cordonia would need to see him strong and steadfast when he dealt with whatever had happened.

Crying was for private moments. Stoicism and strength were for the public. Unwavering surety in their next course of action.

They clung together, sympathetic tears streaming down her face. She didn’t need to know what had happened to feel his pain and that was enough to stir her own.

Terrorists…. burnt orchards…..it was enough for her to gather there had been another attack. Just days after Liam had confessed his insecurities about being a good enough ruler to her.

Liam, in tears in her arms, and Drake on the phone with Bastien before dawn, hinted at just how dire the situation was. Her jaw set with resolve. “Whatever happened, we will get through it together and we will fix it, okay?”

He nodded, his tears slacked, but he remained still and silent in her embrace.

Drake exited the bathroom with a grim expression. His eyes darted from the empty bed to the sight that greeted him at the doorway of the bedroom.

The king of Cordonian was wrapped in his fiancée’s arms.

Riley’s eyes met his over Liam’s shoulder. He nodded at her as he read everything he needed to know in her expression.

Drake made his way across the room and then cleared his throat to get Liam’s attention. “I just got off the phone with Bas…”

Liam’s head jerked up, and he stepped away from Riley guiltily. “I’m sorry…I just…”

“Hey,” Drake’s voice softened considerably as he clasped a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Don’t be sorry for being human, Li. That’s a good thing. Unfeeling rulers are the dangerous ones.”

Drake’s eyes flicked up to Riley’s again, acknowledging to himself that she brought out the softer, more in touch with his humanity side of his best friend and that it was a good thing.

Of course, Liam was upset. It wasn’t just an attack on his country. Applewood was the seat of House Rys, his ancestral home. It was a strike at his very heart. Nothing represented Cordonia more than the apple orchards at Applewood. It was a clear message that Liam could protect nothing and no one.

It could not be allowed to stand.

Liam stared back into his friend’s eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you.”

Drake’s jaw clenched. “Don’t thank me until we catch the bastards that did this.”

“Would one of you like to fill me in on what’s going on?��� Riley looked expectantly back and forth between them.

Drake pulled out his phone and handed it to her.

She watched the video in horror.

The extensive and ancient orchards at Applewood had been razed. The terror group Sons of the Earth was taking credit.

“Oh…” tears streaked down her face again.

Drake looped an arm around her as he retrieved his phone from her grasp. “It’s going to be okay, baby, I promise.”

Her grief steeled Liam’s resolve. He pulled himself completely upright as he decided, “We’re diverting the unity tour. We have to go to Applewood. Get Katarina looped in. She can meet us there with the PR team. We need to address this publicly as quickly as possible.”

“On it.” Drake was already dialing the palace press secretary, Katarina Trakas, as he released Riley and stepped away to make the arrangements.

Less than half an hour later, they were in the back of a bulletproof SUV on their way to Applewood, joined by Max and Hana.

Riley sat in the middle, Liam on one side of her, Drake on the other. Max and Hana were across from her. Liam’s face darkened as he recounted all the information he had on the situation at Applewood. She reached for his hand without thought, instinctively comforting him.

He looked over at her in surprise, then gave her a grateful smile as he squeezed her hand. His gaze went to Drake, then back to Riley, indecision creasing his brow briefly before coming to some sort of decision. He went back to the conversation without releasing her hand.

She watched his face for a moment. Stress shown in the grim lines of his face, but there was a subtle relaxing of his shoulders, a slight but noticeable easing of tension in his body at her touch.

Riley’s head swung around to find her fiancé, anxiety gripping her as she anticipated his response. Drake met her gaze with equanimity. He gave her a reassuring smile as he reached for her other hand. There was nothing but love and acceptance in his eyes as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

A little thrill ran through her, despite the gravity of the situation. She was suddenly and intensely aware of the proximity of both men. Their body heat, the smoothness of Liam’s palm in hers, the roughness of Drake’s. Her heart beat a little faster.

Riley’s eyes lifted to meet Hana’s. Her best friend lifted an eyebrow in question. Riley widened her eyes a little to convey her uncertainty about what was going on.

While she struggled to put her focus back where it belonged, Liam and Drake coordinated over secured lines with the head of the King Guard and the Royal Press Secretary. Liam wanted to hit the ground running the moment they arrived. Drake was determined to have as much information as humanly possible before Liam set foot in front of a podium.

“I’m just saying it would be safer to just televise the press conference from a secure location to ensure that—”

“No,” Liam cut him off, “I won’t hide. That would send the exact wrong message.”

“It wouldn’t be hiding—”

“We’ll do the conference on the west lawn,” Liam said firmly, with finality.

“Fine,” Drake grunted with a shake of his head. His best friend was about to risk an assassination attempt and all he could do was quadruple security and search every person who stepped foot on Applewood grounds and hope it was enough.

Even worse, Riley would be on that stage with him. He clamped his mouth shut with a great deal of effort. What was he going to say? He had encouraged her to accept this role. Some degree of danger would always be present. It came with the territory. He squeezed her hand tighter as his mind whirled with ways to minimize the risk. An idea seized him.

He leaned forward in his seat and turned sideways so he had a clear view of both Riley and Liam. “You’ll both wear body armor.”

Liam tried to protest. “I don’t think—”

“The ultra-light stuff. Under your clothes. Trust me, no one will know it’s there.”

Liam hesitated as he considered it.

“Do it so I can focus on the security.” Drake pushed the one trump card he knew would sway Liam. Riley’s safety. “I won’t be able to think straight if she’s up there unprotected.”

It was the thought of Riley being shot at again that convinced him. With a curt nod, the king agreed. His eyes cut sideways at her as he gripped her hand a little firmer.

He couldn’t…he wouldn’t risk her life.

Drake let out an audible sigh of relief as he released her hand and typed furiously into his phone. “Everything will be ready when we arrive.”

Two hours later, Riley was fidgeting nervously as she read over the notes Madeleine had thrust into her hands while Drake was strapping her into the bulletproof vest.

“Would you stand still?” He grunted in annoyance as he tugged one of her side straps a little tighter.

“Sorry,” she murmured as her eyes flicked from the notecards in her hand to the blond who was giving her instructions as if she’d never done a press conference before.

“And remember,” Madeleine chided as she shuffled the notecards in her own hands, “You are representing Cordonia up there so for the love of God, remember to keep your back straight, make eye contact with a few of the reporters, and don’t forget your facial expressions! You want to convey—”

“That’s enough!” The usually restrained and controlled Drake spun on the countess, the fury dancing in his eyes enough to cause her to jerk back in startlement. He released Riley and took a step in her direction as he fumed. “Could you lay off her for one goddamn minute? We have five minutes before they have to be on stage and I’m trying to save her fucking life!”

“I—” Madeleine gulped as she took another step backward.

Drake swiped the cards from her hands as he fixed her with a death glare. “She’s done dozens of these. She knows how to fucking stand!”

Madeleine’s already anemic pallor went even paler. “I just—”

“Drake!” Riley touched his shoulder. “It’s okay! She’s just doing her job. The one I asked her to do!”

Drake’s eyes fluttered briefly shut as he beat his fear, anger, and anxiety back. He blew out a careful breath before turning back to face her. “I’m sorry, baby. I just need you to focus on the thing that’s going to keep you alive before worrying about the rest.”

Riley nodded vigorously. “I am. I will! Please finish helping me with the vest. I’ll read the cards after we’re done.”

His shoulders relaxed as some of the tension eased out of his body. He resumed fussing with the vest as he told Madeleine without looking back. “Sorry. This is just stressful.”

“For all of us.” The countess sniffed. She looked down at her shaking hands then back up at Riley, watching as Drake strapped her into a bulletproof vest, knowing she was about to step onto a public stage outside in broad daylight where she could be the potential target of another assignation attempt. “I didn’t mean any disrespect. This is just…all I can contribute.”

“It’s fine.” Drake finished, stepping back to inspect his handiwork with a critical eye. “Okay, you can get dressed now.”

Riley hurriedly dressed as she directed her next remark to Madeleine. “Could you please go let Liam know that I need two more minutes?”

“But the press—”

“Can wait.”

Madeleine hesitated a fraction of a second, then nodded in acquiescence and retreated from the room.

Riley stepped into Drake’s arms and took his face in her hands. “I love you. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that.” He whispered before pulling her into a long, lingering kiss. He poured all his love and fear for her into that kiss, wanting nothing more than to grab her, get back in the limo, and get her as far away from danger as possible. Instead, he released her and forced himself to step away. “Okay, it’s time.”

Applewood had been secured before they had arrived and swept again after they arrived. There were no buildings close enough to the manor for a sniper to hide in and, thanks to the orchard burning, no trees either. He was still a bundle of nerves as he watched her climb the steps to the stage.

Riley stood at the podium next to Liam, like she belonged there. It was becoming commonplace. Drake tried to remember the last press conference Liam held where Riley hadn’t been standing right beside him.

Perhaps when he’d announced the itinerary for the engagement tour. Madeleine had been beside him then and the stiffness in his posture had radiated his discomfort, at least to those who knew him well.

His body language when he was on stage next to Riley was different. More relaxed. More open. More at ease. Even in these exigent circumstances, a simple glance in her direction and his shoulders straightened almost imperceptibly. Confidence flooded back into his posture. Hope shone from his features.

Drake had to admit that Riley’s speech was well received by the public, perhaps even more so than Liam’s. They loved her. He didn’t blame them.

When the press conference was over, Riley joined Liam in the orchard to plant a new apple tree. A sapling. A symbol of Cordonia, of hope for the future. The area was cordoned off to keep the masses away from the royal couple.

Not that they were a couple, and only Liam was royal. Though the image they presented was very much one of a royal couple. A king and his beloved queen.

Drake shook his head to clear it of those thoughts as he circulated through the press of people, his eyes scanning the crowd for threats, his ears open for anything suspicious.

What he heard were hundreds of conversations about what Cordonia had lost by not having Riley as its queen.

“Would have been an amazing queen….”

“It’s a shame that scandal happened. I heard it was all a setup. She never…”

“They say that’s why the king ended his engagement with the countess….”

“The king still loves her…. “

“She’s so down to earth. Just want Cordonia needs…..”

“She should have been queen…”

The crowd cheered as Riley and Liam packed the dirt around the sapling. They stood and waved to the onlookers before the security team ushered them inside the manor.

Drake let out a long sigh of relief as the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders.

There had been no assassination attempt. Riley and Liam were safe inside Applewood.

His relief was short-lived.

The moment the last of the public was cleared from the property, Liam stepped out the front door with Riley on his arm.

“What the actual fuck?” Drake growled, taking a step in their direction. A firm hand on his arm stopped him.

He turned to find Bastien giving him a sympathetic shake of his head. “Let them be. The grounds have been cleared. Liam wants to see the damage up close. It’s his prerogative.”

Drake shook off his godfather’s touch as a shadow crossed his face, but he stayed put. Bastien was right. The grounds had been cleared and there was no immediate danger. He watched from a distance as Riley and Liam walked through the remnants of the once-verdant landscape.

Mere hours before, a vibrant, lush thousand-acre orchard had stood there. Living hues had painted the grounds. Deep greens and vibrant reds had delighted the eye. The crisp, apple-scented air had pleased the nose. Now charred stumps rose toward the sky, blackened husks dotted the scorched earth. The acrid scent of carbonized trees wafted on the breeze.

They walked cautiously across the blistered ground, tendrils of gray smoke curling around their ankles and rising into the late afternoon air.

Drake stood on the sidelines watching as his fiancée and best friend stopped walking and held each other in the middle of the charred orchard. Not in a sexual way. It was clear she was comforting him. What was even clearer was that it was working. Much of the tension had drained out of the king’s body as he returned her embrace. There was a genuine smile on his face as they pulled apart.

Drake himself had tried to make Liam feel better, but nothing he said had made an impression. He’d watched as Liam’s friends and family members had tried to offer advice, condolences, and comfort. No one had succeeded in that endeavor. No one but Riley. Because Liam was still in love with her, and his love for her was deep and it was true, and it was real. Just like his own.

Liam entwined his fingers with hers as they made their way back toward the manor.

Drake couldn’t stand still a moment longer. He charged across the grounds, intercepting them at the front door. “I need to speak to you both. Privately.”

“Oh, I…” Liam dropped Riley’s hand and stepped away from her. He shoved his hands in his pockets with a flush. “I hope I haven’t overstepped any bound—”

“That’s what I want to talk about.” Drake ushered them both through the entryway and into a small sitting room just off the main hall. He shut the door behind him and then turned to face his best friend. “You still love her.”

“Drake, I’m sorry I’ve tried—”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Drake clasped, then released his shoulder quickly. “You love who you love.”

He would know. He had fought his feelings for her for months and failed abysmally. Turning to face his fiancée, he stated, “You still love him, too. It’s obvious.”

Riley’s lower lip started to tremble. This was exactly what she didn’t want. Her head shook back and forth. “We talked about this! I thought—”

He nodded impatiently. “We did talk about it, and I’ve realized something.”

“What?” she asked with trepidation.

“I don’t want to spend our lives together constantly worrying about you and Liam fighting these feelings.”

“Drake! I love—”

“I know.” He held a hand up to stop her. “I’m not questioning that one bit. I love you too, Riley, and I’m not breaking up with you. Would you just listen?”

Riley pressed her lips together with a fair amount of effort.

“There is a way for all three of us to be happy.”

Riley blinked. “What do you mean?”

Liam’s body froze as his head jerked up, his gaze suddenly penetrating and intense as he watched the exchange.

“I mean…” he took her hand in his and pulled her into his body, “What if you didn’t have to choose?”

Her brows pulled together in confusion. “I already chose—”

“You chose to marry me and to spend the rest of your life with me, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. But you also chose to close off a part of yourself and fight your feelings for Liam. Believe me, I have some experience with that. I’m telling you that you don’t have to.”

“Wait…” Riley’s mind spun. “Are you saying that you’re okay with me having…with Liam and I…. what are you saying, exactly?”

“I’m telling you that I would be okay with you continuing your relationship with Liam. I’m amenable to an open marriage. Well….” His eyes darted to Liam and then back to Riley. “Maybe not entirely open, but I’m willing to make room for Liam in a triad situation.”

Riley shot a sidelong glance at Liam before responding. “Drake. That’s incredibly generous of you…”

“But?”

“What would that even look like?”

He lifted his shoulders expansively. “We’ll figure that out together.”

Riley stared at him for a long moment as confusion turned into astonishment. “You’re serious!”

Drake nodded with equanimity. “Mm-hm.”

“May I speak?” Liam’s voice was quiet but filled with restrained hopefulness.

“Please do.” Drake gave a respectful nod as he stepped back and turned so that he was looking at Liam instead of Riley.

Liam moved closer to Riley, then hesitated, shooting a glance at Drake. When he found nothing but encouragement there, he reached for her hand. “Please give this proposal due consideration before you make a decision. I implore you not to dismiss it out of hand. This is something that I want…. you have no idea how much…. but I won’t pressure you and I won’t rush you. Take all the time you need.” His eyes flicked back to Drake. “Both of you. If we move forward with this, we must all be on the same page. I want no room for misunderstandings or resentment.”

Her resolve to reject Drake’s offer out of a sense of loyalty faltered in the face of Liam’s impassioned plea. Dropping her eyes from his, she nodded. Her voice was barely a whisper as she told the floor, “Okay, I’ll consider it.”

[troglobite]

wtf (cr related stuff including spoilers and me being bitchy lol)

i thought SURELY that the YOUTUBE COMMENTS on the latest episode would've had at least ONE PERSON talking abt the absurdity, logical loopholes, totally out of character choices, and aggressive and mean railroading that matt pulled off

but no. nothing.

everyone just loves it.

"this'll be an ep to remember!"

....as the one time matt railroaded everybody bc he's been planning something and got attached to one idea/outcome, rolls, rp choices, and logical in-character actions be damned?

i feel like i'm so rarely in the minority, here, and i'm NEVER on the side of "critical role Bad Story/Game"

even when molly died, when terrible PC c1 choices were made, bad plans, annoying/boring episodes

idk. it all felt like. a game. w choices that mattered.

and to me, that episode made all of that disappear.

they spent 50 episode in c3 making choices and plans--and granted, they were all terrible and stupid. i don't particularly like these PCs, but things were at least interesting plot-wise, for the most part, so i dipped in and out.

but they spent 50 episodes doing shit they thought mattered.

and matt said, in one episode, one fell swoop, "nope, you're all idiots who played into my own plan, and NOTHING you do can change it bc i'm making it happen! haha!"

as a player, i would be furious to find out that nothing i did mattered.

i am working my ASS off to make my players' choices MATTER in my campaign

[jo and cass stop reading]

.

.

i have things in motion! i have things written! i have things that "just had to happen", absolutely!

BUT I GIVE THEM FUCKING AGENCY

i'm trying to make their choices matter! and tbh the annoying bit is that they're just. not making choices yet. lol but it's early!

.

.

[jo and cass you can continue reading]

so it feels so evil and mean to me for matt to have blinders on and ONLY see that he can finally do his Big Ol Plan, player choice and action be damned.

i fully DO NOT BELIEVE that ANYTHING laura/imogen did would've changed what lilianna did. not at all. "roll persuasion with advantage" so that she can....do what, exactly? maybe work harder to save imogen and NONE of her friends while she CONTINUES down this horrible apocalyptic path?

"yeah absolutely make a [whatever] check and break the power generators"

okay, for whatever? apparently they don't need them and it's all a distraction from the real source of power, which is double-perma-killing vax.

which is. objectively the meanest thing he could've done.

vax's story and conclusion was SO IMPORTANT to liam and EVERYONE.

and matt went

"what a fun and interesting opportunity to stomp all over this deeply emotionally important character and kill him a SECOND TIME for my own shits and giggles and funtime apocalypse"

i know i'm an outsider. i know they wouldn't be playing this game like this if any of them TRULY hated it or were uncomfortable. i have to wonder if they would ever re-record if matt did something that one of them was like "no, that crosses too many lines" or if they simply talk abt afterwards and matt rectifies the situation then, in the future.

and i'm not privy to any of that.

but just from an outside perspective it's so.

unlike matt.

and i really can't get over it.

and everyone else is just sucked in by the spectacle, which to me was just mean anyway.

i don't like wasting my time watching 50 episodes only for them to NOT FUCKING MATTER AT ALL.

calamity was a specific thing where we all went in KNOWING shit would be fucked. that it'd be a miracle if anything worked out the way it was supposed to.

i was prepared. and it was POIGNANT and COMPELLING. there really WERE forces they couldn't control--and they really DID change things! they saved lives! they INFLUENCED HISTORY in the world of exandria! their choices MATTERED.

but not here. in a livestream game longform campaign, 50 episodes of choices didn't matter at all.

whereas in calamity, 4 episodes of choices literally changed history.

i am. really not getting over this.

[gracefullou]

"Not my problem that man chooses to associate with them everyday even at a time like this."

Exactly, it's not your problem. It's entirely irrelevant to you who Harry Styles is friends with. So can you not exercise some self-restraint and stop throwing about words like "evil" on the day of Liam's funeral? You said the same over-the-top hateful stuff about Liam before he died. Such hatred, it'll eat you up.

Directioners and their pathetic obsession with anyone who doesn't like that man. Why are you even stalking my blog? I didn't even take any names before i was flooded with 10 asks about this subject. I don't care if that man chooses to be besties with that trash but showing up with them at the funeral was so low, even for him. And before you start with why do you care? you hate Liam? Well, i didn't. I had a soft spot for him for the longest time after 2019 before he kind of lost it and also the whole abuse allegations came out. And though i wasn't a fan of his and especially not a fan of many things he did, as someone who saw all the hate he got in 2019- 2020 and how that man ignored his existence at the time and said nothing to defend him against his vile fans, i can't help but feel infuriated me to see that man just casually and very proudly waltzing with Winston to his fucking funeral. Also, you anon don't love Liam, you don't care about him so stop with the day of Liam's funeral as if you care bc you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have left all the things going on to slide anonymously to my inbox and defend Harry Styles. He's your god, we get it but can YOU reatrain yourself for a day and focus on the more important thing as you claim

[nochi-quinn]

campaign 3 episode 68: I'm not making the 'nice' joke about next episode bc last time I did that someone died

okay let's see if I can get through this one without having a panic attack ten minutes in

(that's why there wasn't a liveblog last week)

I was making a sandwich during sam's ad and came back to Suddenly Bear

and then I saw "Baldur's Gate 3" in the subs and it all made sense

"that is your wife" which wife, laura, marisha or liam?

a teensy weensy little demon pact

oh, we have that autobots shirt sam's wearing

kiddo wears it to school for jersey days :D

Graz'tchar

NO

throw it in the hole

talking weapons: not even once

ashley what

swordmance

per spoilers in the group chat, Sword Bad

that thing is twice his size isn't it

ashton has the brain cell

"I don't care about you" letters

King of Fuckingwhere

A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON

travis' face

but who's on the council

ashton: please hold

grizzly man

ashton is the best narrator in this moment

yeah yeah hell yeah

fcg in his mind palace

matt doing the mass effect codex voice

prince fruitoftheloom

s a m u e l

STOP GIVING TRAVIS CURSED SWORDS

travis

sam

both of you

fresh cut "I can fix him" grass

fcg: the vibes are rancid

nigerian demon prince

"you can eat my ass, this is my card right now"

king butterknife

oh hell

hate THAT

NICE

"he barely listens to us"

liam :(

how fuckin old is ludinis

kiki :(

kiki!

keyleth pace urself

I love that cloak so fucking much

the Hand of the Tempest does sound really fucking cool

liam you can't make me cry that's illegal

everybody hates the raven queen but keyleth especially hates the raven queen

(okay they don't all HATE the raven queen, I'm just saying)

liam: that winged man, that beautiful angel, that absolute specimen of masculinity -

matthew so help me god not the tr - I HATE YOU

"those who call themselves gods" dang

it must be nice, it must be nice, to have asmodeus on your side

but no dogs. no dogs on the moon.

they just run right off the damn thing

just do dark moon magic in the room of the head of state who just recovered from an assassination attempt, nbd

until her what now

travis and marisha

"I've got wind chimes where my name should be"

"fuck off, ghost!"

oh y'all were gonna get blood fountain'd

vox machina road trip

"there was an accident and here I am"

ashton lore ashtON LORE

TITAN BLOOD

travis: that was me! :D

oh we got chair perch

"vast and frightening"

the key is to stop trying to apply logic to your friends

I'm assuming this is the blight tree from - IT IS THE BLIGHT TREE

"the enemy of my enemy is a dick"

marisha: you KNOW what I'm saying, just TELL ME

"all our allies are dead or doin' stuff"

what IS dorian doing. give me my boy back.

liam and his tea

keyleth's BEEN elementals. several of them!

"how are we gonna make fun of that name, it's too hard to pronounce"

oh kiki :(

stop saying entities

quick go find milo

cut ludinis off at the root

highlander the bitch

vecNA

"I READ BOOKS >:("

"you battled an earth titan" "I mean TECHNICALLY"

delilah alarm weewooweewoo

fearne would be a choice chaos deity

milo-joe dream team

"don't tell him I said that"

"he is a brilliant mind with specific limitations"

"I can feel my heart rate rising!" and then he went into cardiac arrest

I fully recognize ashton's tone re: fcg trying to contact dancer, that is a parent's "redirecting a child away from an inappropriate choice" tone

I feel like it's dancer tbh

it's time to d-d-d-d-duel

"oh changebringer, what the FUCK does that mean"

it IS dancer

"the changebringer…..sucks"

matTHEW

listen, I remember some of those vm planning sessions, this is high strategery

marisha: leave me aLONE

you're gonna carry that weight

oh no I'm gonna cry again

SAVIOR BLADE

oh shut the fuck up

just put me in the fucking ground

can laudna get a tattoo? would the skin just kind of. fall off?