#at least if I drew shitty you can tell that there was some kind of passion in it

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

I hate people who are like “AI allows me to do these things I wanted to do but can’t because I suck at it” do you think that every person before AI didn’t suck at what they were good at? Do you think it’s worth stealing other people’s passions so you can pretend you’re good at something instead of trying?

[dr-spectre]

Splatoon 2 Callie Explained - (In my interpretation)

So in this blog post I wanna go over what is going on with Callie in Splatoon 2 because there's a lot of misinformation being spread around due to how unclear the events of Splatoon 2 were. I'm going to provide my own thoughts into how the Hypnoshades actually affect Callie and clear up what hypnosis actually does to a person, because a lot of people think that Callie was kidnapped and then mind controlled but its actually a lot more complicated than that. I've done a ton of painstaking research into this so if you would like some sources to what I'm saying then I'll be happy to provide it in the comments below when asked!

Okay so first off we need to establish one thing right off the bat, no, Callie was not kidnapped in the sense that she was snatched up by DJ Octavio and then brainwashed while she was kicking and screaming trying to stop him. The idea that Callie was snatched up randomly is simply not to true due to the fact that the OFFICAL Splatoon 2 relationship chart states that Callie was willing to hear out DJ Octavio and go with him. Why? Because if you look at Sunken Scroll 21 and 22 in Splatoon 2, it gives insight into Callie's declining mental health as she struggles to put on a happy face as she walks through a huge crowd of people, as well as the fact that she drew a squid with a sad face on it in Sunken Scroll 22 which is a very clear giveaway that she isn't doing well. Also keep in mind Marie was busy with her own solo thing too and Callie even states in the relationship chart that she's busy and lonely. It also explains why Callie doesn't experience any sort of trauma, turmoil or resentment after Splatoon 2 because well, she wasn't kidnapped and the shades were not forcibly put on her. (Also in Squid Sister Stories chapter 7 there's an artwork piece of Callie walking towards DJ Octavio's star mark so there's that too....)

Now I want to get into how hypnosis actually affects a person and what being hypnotized is actually like. Being hypnotized is described as having "heightened attention, increased focus and heightened suggestibility." You do not get put to sleep and become a puppet as popular media shows it to be, but instead you are hyper aware of what is going on around you. It's also said to be highly relaxing and can help with patients who struggle with anxiety and other mental issues, which might explain why Callie kept putting the shades back on, she enjoys wearing them to some degree as it helps her deal with the pain of being a celebrity, kind of like an addiction but unfortunately Splatoon 2 doesn't explore it at all and Marie (CALLIE'S OWN GOD DAMN COUSIN BTW!) jokes about it..... ugh...... at least she overcomes that addiction OFF SCREEN unfortunately....

Now that part about "suggestibility" is important to consider because contrary to popular belief, you don't lose awareness and memories while you are hypnotized and the person who is in charge of hypnotizing you, CANNOT force you to do anything that's against your wishes and you do NOT lose control of your behavior. Meaning that on some level Callie actually wanted to side with the Octarians because her life beforehand was shitty. The shades do not control Callie but instead put her in a hypnotic state that relaxes her and increases her attention and suggestibility.

For example, if DJ Octavio were to tell Callie to kill Marie instead of Agent 4, she would probably have a ton of hesitation about it and probably not follow his orders. Callie doesn't want to kill Marie, but she doesn't care or know about Agent 4 and that's why she had no problems with following DJ Octavio's suggestions. She also didn't try to attack Marie during the final boss when she was flying around and she just wants Marie to leave her alone because guess what, she's suffering from mental health issues!!!!!! And her relationship with Marie got worse and worse overtime as shown with the Squid Sister Stories.

If you were hypnotized and then the person responsible of your hypnotism handed you a weapon and told you to kill your best friend, you wouldn't do it because it's against your wishes (unless you secretly wanna kill your best friend for some reason....)

With all of this information laid out, it actually does make Splatoon 2's admittedly mid story a bit more interesting, it shows that Callie does have these dark traits and flaws about her, and the Hypnoshades bring out the worst in her. The angry, power hungry and harsh side to her, that was even built up from Splatoon 1. If you look at the dialogue from the Naughty vs. Nice, Early Bird vs. Night Owl and Callie vs. Marie Splatfests, you can see that Callie actually got upset at Marie multiple times due to her attitude.

It really does make Tidal Rush more emotional and powerful as a song if you really think about it. It's a clashing of two cousins whose relationship has been broken apart and Marie is desperately trying to reach out to Callie and fix what she has done. Maybe Marie blames herself for why Callie ran away and that's why she sounds like she's on the brink of tears in the song.... And it makes Spicey Calamari Inkantation more triumphant as a song too.

It does make me a bit angry that Nintendo doesn't wanna dive into these topics as well as Callie. She is flawed and has dark traits about her but, she doesn't try to change or grow from them in any significant or well written way, its like they forgot about it in Splatoon 3 which.... sucks man. I'm hoping we get a Side Order type deal with the Squid Sisters for Splatoon 4 and we dive deeper into the psyches of these girls, because what we have is really interesting but it lacks explanation and nuance and everyone keeps boiling it down to "welp Callie got kidnapped and mind controlled!" Which... its more complex than that... With Agent 3 and Marina it's for sure mind control and i would like to talk about them in a future blog but, with Callie? It's different and there's a lot of layers a lot of people tend to ignore because Splatoon 2's story is just... meh.

[south-of-heaven]

damian taking care of reader after she had a bad date?

Picking up the pieces || Damian Priest x Reader

Summary: You get home after yet another shitty date, your roommate Damian is there to pick up the pieces.

You walked through the front door, feeling utterly dejected after yet another disappointing date. Your best friend and roommate, Damian immediately noticed your downcast expression and wrapped you in a comforting hug. He always had a way of sensing when you needed him most, and tonight was no exception.

"Another crappy date, huh?" he said softly, guiding you to the couch.

You nodded, unable to find the words to describe the disappointment and frustration you felt with your dating life. It seemed like every guy you met was just not right for you, leaving you feeling more discouraged with each attempt at finding love.

Damian sat down beside you, offering you a sympathetic smile as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

You managed a weak smile, grateful for his unwavering support. Damian had been by your side through thick and thin, and his friendship meant the world to you. He was the one person you could always count on, no matter what.

As the night went on, Damian did everything he could to lift your spirits. He made you your favorite comfort food, brought out a funny movie, and even tried his hand at cracking some jokes to make you laugh. His efforts were not in vain, as your laughter slowly but surely started to return.

"Thanks, Damian," you said sincerely, looking into his kind eyes. "You always know how to make me feel better."

He smiled warmly, a hint of sadness in his eyes that you didn't quite catch. "It's the least I can do. You mean a lot to me, and seeing you down like this breaks my heart."

His words tugged at your heartstrings, but you assumed it was just his usual caring nature. You didn't realize that there was more behind his statement – a deeper meaning that he was struggling to keep hidden.

As the night drew to a close, you yawned and stretched, feeling the weight of the day finally catching up with you. "I think I'm going to head to bed. Thanks again for everything, Damian."

He nodded, standing up to walk you to your room. "Anytime, sweet girl. Remember, I'm always here for you, no matter what you need."

You paused at your bedroom door, turning to face him. "And I'm here for you too, you know? If there's ever anything you want to talk about or need help with, I'm here."

Damian smiled softly, a mixture of gratitude and restraint in his expression. "I know, and I appreciate that more than you can imagine."

You gave him a final hug before retreating into your room, but as you lay in bed, you couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to Damian's actions tonight. There was a depth to his love and care that seemed to go beyond just friendship, and it left you feeling both curious and conflicted.

Little did you know, Damian was grappling with his own emotions as well. He had been in love with you for a long time, but he had always been hesitant to confess his feelings, fearing that it could jeopardize the beautiful friendship you shared. He wanted nothing more than to be the one who mended your heart, but he was willing to put your happiness above his own desires.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, you continued to lean on Damian, not realizing the depth of his affection for you. But with every moment spent together, every shared laugh and every tear wiped away, the bond between you grew stronger, and Damian found himself falling deeper in love with you.

Perhaps one day, the timing and circumstances would be right, and Damian would find the courage to tell you how he truly felt. Until then, he vowed to cherish every moment with you, grateful for the precious friendship you had and the opportunity to be the one who mended your heart, even if it meant keeping his own feelings a secret for a little while longer.

[meowmeow-motherfucker]

Covenant- Chapter 2

Summary: With the five year anniversary of the attack on New York approaching, Odin and Fury come to the agreement that an arranged marriage between Asgard and Earth would show good faith toward all future interactions. When Odin refuses Jane’s candidacy, Agent Coulson is tasked with finding a suitable wife for the prince of Asgard.

Pairing: Loki x OFC Claire

Warnings: Odin is a bad parent, arranged marriage, sexist societal norms, Loki being a dick

Read it on A03 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51197938/chapters/129363727#workskin

Covenant Chapter 2

New York

The following day, after a night of drinking, eating way too much greasy pizza, and binging action flicks, Claire went back to talk to Thor. The reality of her fate hadn’t quite settled in yet and Claire wanted to get some answers before she had time to overthink.

Claire had half expected Clint to drop from the vents again, but her elevator ride went undisturbed. It took her longer to find Thor, because people kept stopping her to congratulate her or talk to her. She hadn’t considered how quickly the news would have spread, and wished the floor would swallow her whole.

While the fifth person was talking her ear off about how lucky she was, Claire finally spotted Thor and Jane.

“Nice talking to you, gotta go!” she bolted toward the couple, leaving the woman in the dust. Thor turned toward her thundering footsteps and grinned, waving excitedly.

“Claire! How do you fare?” Thor asked as she drew near.

“Um…surviving,” Claire mumbled. “Do you have a minute? I was hoping to pick your brain.”

“Of course! Anything for my new sister!” Thor said cheerily, wrapping her in a tight hug that made her spine pop like a sheet of bubble wrap. “Are you preparing for your journey?”

“Yep. Totally,” Claire lied, wincing as he released her. “Actually no, I’ve been too focused on everything that’s about to happen to even think about packing. I was hoping you could tell me about Loki.”

“Ah,” Thor said gently. He turned to Jane and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Excuse us, my love, I shall be back soon.”

“Okay. Bye Claire.” Jane offered her a small wave, which Claire returned before she and Thor left the room.

“What would you like to know?” Thor asked as they walked toward the elevator.

“What the hell am I walking into?” Claire asked. “Loki wasn’t the most sane person when he came here, and he’s been in prison for the past five years, right? So safe to assume, he’s a basket case.”

“The years have not been kind to Loki, it is true,” Thor mused. “When I saw him last…he was not well. But I don’t wish for you to despair- he will not harm you.”

“I know- the contract is very clear,” Claire shook her head. “I can handle myself; that’s not- look, I know about what he was like when he was here, and clearly his mental state hasn’t improved since then. And I can’t exactly judge, but I need to know. What was he like before?” Claire asked. “I can work with shitty mental health, but didn’t you say he was at least a decent person when you guys were younger?”

“Oh yes,” Thor grinned. “Loki has always been mischievous, but underneath he was studious and honorable. He will treat you as you deserve.”

“So you think we’ll get along?”

“Oh, I have no doubt,” Thor said quickly. “You both are strong-willed, but in time I think- I know you will come to understand one another and who knows? Perhaps you will grow to love one another.”

“Yeah, that’s what every girl dreams of; maybe falling in love with her husband,” Claire snorted. “God, what was I thinking?”

“You were thinking to spare Jane and I from being forced to live a lifetime apart,” Thor replied. “You sacrificed your future for ours. For that I thank you. It was most admirable.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Claire brushed him off, the sentimentality making her feel nauseous. “I expect a fantastic wedding present.”

“Name it, and you shall have it.” Thor said with all seriousness. Claire didn’t really want anything, and she’d been joking about the gift.

“A talking llama.”

“A what?”

“A talking llama!” Claire insisted.

“I have never heard of such a thing.” Claire slapped Thor’s bicep as she laughed.

“I have faith in you, big guy,” she cackled. “Now, what else can you tell me about him? What was he like when you were kids?” Thor smiled.

“Have I ever told you about the time Loki stabbed me?” he asked excitedly.

~~~~

The two weeks waiting for Njord to return passed both too quickly, and too slowly. During the day, Claire spent her time going through her things and deciding what would go with her. Her furniture was sold, books were sorted, clothes were folded. She put in information requests for any and all intelligence S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed about the god of mischief and to her surprise, received it in less than 24 hours. Records was notoriously slow, but she supposed the fact she was about to marry the guy meant she had a right to file requests being fulfilled expediently.

Her nights were spent doubting every decision that led her here.

With one week burned, Claire shifted into research mode. The intelligence folder was lighter than she was hoping for, so she turned to the greatest possible resource: the internet. She spent days scouring every corner of the web, padding her intelligence folder as well as she could.

Phil came by several times to help her pack. Since she was traveling via bifrost, Thor had advised against taking too much at once. Phil helped her decide which books to put into short-term storage. The clothes and books she decided not to keep were hauled away by junior S.H.I.E.L.D agents to be donated. Phil made arrangements for whatever food she didn’t eat to be donated to a local food pantry.

With two days until her departure, Phil was at her apartment once again to go through the bags she’d packed and make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Claire was becoming slightly unhinged as her time on Earth dwindled. She’d made a list of every food she needed to eat ‘one last time’, and decided to spend every penny she had on food, booze, and books.

“Are you sober enough to have a serious conversation?” Phil asked.

“Sure,” Claire said, taking another sip of her whiskey. She really wasn’t, but she didn’t care. “Shoot.”

“What are you planning to do about your special project?” Claire’s heart twisted. Her mother’s murder, her ‘special project’ as she and Phil called it, had never been solved. Orphaned at sixteen, Claire had been trying to solve the mystery ever since. Fourteen years later, Claire had identified a number of Hydra agents who’d been present, but she still didn’t know why her mother had been targeted. Why she had been targeted.

Phil was the only family she had left. He’d been in her life since she was a child, and had taken her in after her mother’s death. He’d been the one to nudge her in the direction of S.H.I.E.L.D, sponsor her late entry into the academy. He’d also notified her of an opening on Captain Rogers’ S.T.R.I.K.E team, which would have been an excellent addition to her resume.

It also would have given her an opening to question Brock Rumlow, but Rogers picked Rollins instead. She was still pissed about it. For all his talk about equality, the man still seemed to favor men over women.

But in the massive disruption that occurred at the DC headquarters in 2014, her suspicions about Rumlow had been confirmed. Both he and Rollins were confirmed to be Hydra, as had many other agents she’d befriended over the years. Friend had turned against friend, not just in DC, but at every headquarters S.H.I.E.L.D operated out of. A number of the agents on her list were confirmed Hydra agents, but it was difficult to extract information out of a corpse.

“I don’t know,” Claire said softly. “There’s not much I’ll be able to do off-world.” The thought made her burn with rage. Her mom deserved justice. Putting the investigation aside, for any reason, made her beside herself with guilt. Working for S.H.I.E.L.D was different- her work as an investigator of 0-8-4’s allowed her to travel far and wide, and poke her nose where it didn’t belong, something she used to further the investigation into her mom’s case when she could.

Once she moved to Asgard...everything else would come to a standstill.

“Leave me a list,” Phil said. “You still you have the DNA from the crime scene, right?”

“Of course.”

“If anyone on your list gets injured, I’ll get something to compare to what you’ve got.”

“How are you going to get anything out of Medical?”

“If you must know, one of the staff owes me a favor,” Phil replied. “It’s not the end, Claire.” He knew how deeply this affected Claire. The death of her mother hung over her like a dark cloud, and as the years passed with one dead end leading to another, her guilt grew.

“Feels like it.” Claire drained her glass and set it aside heavily . Silence settled in the apartment as Claire

“ I got you something,” Phil produced a small wrapped package, holding it out to her. “Here.” Claire leaned over to grab the package, eagerly tearing into the paper to reveal a thick book on Norse mythology.

“Thanks, Uncle Phil,” Claire laughed, thumbing through the selection of tales. “I’m sure this will be very helpful.”

“Of course. I’d hate for you to go to Asgard without knowing anything.”

“ You’ll go with me, right?” Claire focused on the cover of the book, fingers trailing over the intricate knot work illustration. She glanced up, her eyes full of sudden doubt.

“ Of course I will. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you show up in style,” Phil assured her. “But first, you need to sober up.”

~~~~

     Asgard

For the first time in nearly five years, Loki woke in his bed in his chambers. It was still early in the morn, before the palace residents came alive to assume their duties. Servants were no doubt already awake and bustling about, preparing the morning meal and helping prepare their betters for the day.

As if on cue, Loki heard the main door to his chambers open. Within a few moments, Loki’s personal servant Astrid entered his sleeping quarters. He watched as she set about opening the curtains and putting away his laundered clothing. She disappeared into the large bathing room off his sleeping area, and he heard her start running a bath for him.

It was all so familiar and comforting. Like he’d never left. Loki’s eyes began to sting, and he was grateful to still be under the blankets. He absolutely was not crying. To cry over something so small would be foolish, indeed. He was not a child.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Astrid called to him gently. “I’ve started your bath.”

“Good morning Astrid,” Loki replied softly. “It is nice to be back.”

“It is nice to have you back, sire. Now come along, today is a big day for you.” Loki stomach sank like a stone.

His future wife arrived today.

Not for the first time since his release from prison, Loki wondered if he’d been a fool to agree to this.

“Come, come!” Astrid chirped, pulling the blankets down from his face. “Yes, yes, I know, but you cannot meet your future bride looking like a ragamuffin.” she chastised him when he groaned. She ushered him into the bath quickly, making quick work of wetting his hair.

“Gods, Astrid, must you remind me?” he sputtered as she scrubbed his scalp with determination.

“Oh, hush. One should think this is a happy day!” Astrid replied as she worked. “Perhaps it is simply because I have cared for you since you were a boy. To think, you will be married soon, with little ones of your own!”

“Ugh.” Loki groaned, sinking down into the water to rinse his hair.

“My goodness,” Astrid said as she began to scrub his skin. “If I did not know better, I would say His Majesty is not looking forward to meeting his intended.”

“Of course I’m not,” Loki grumbled, arms crossing over his chest as he scowled at the sudsy water. “I may be out of prison but I’m not free, Astrid, not really.” Astrid made a noise of sympathy as she scrubbed his shoulders.

“Sometimes what we want blinds us to what we need,” the older woman said wisely. “This could be a blessing in disguise.”

“It feels like a death sentence,” Loki spluttered as Astrid dumped water on him. “Well it does!” The woman clicked her tongue at him in disapproval.

“I’m sure she is perfectly lovely. No doubt this will be a big change for her as well,” Astrid said as she climbed out of the stone tub. “I shall leave you to collect your thoughts. Do not dawdle, Your Majesty.” she gave him a knowing look before leaving him alone in the bath. Loki sank into the water up to his nose, blowing bubbles in the cooling water as he exhaled. Astrid was right. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

Loki dried his body with magic as he walked out of the tub, making his way to the changing area where Astrid waited to help him dress. He didn’t speak as she wrangled him into his leathers with practiced precision and combed his hair.

“There. You look very handsome,” Astrid said with satisfaction as she straightened one of the panels on his chest. Loki noticed her eyes misting, but he supposed the room did need dusting. “Do try to be charming, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” Loki rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Astrid.” She curtsied as well as her aging knees allowed and he left without a backward glance.

~~~~

“You’re pacing.” Frigga said from her seat. Of course she was calm- her life was not changing for the worse today. Throughout breakfast and his morning’s preparations, Loki had felt increasingly ill at ease as the time passed. Based on the slant of the sun’s morning rays, he had barely twenty minutes of freedom left. The bifrost had already announced the arrival of the delegation from Midgard and his future wife. Loki pulled on his collar, convinced he could feel it tightening around his windpipe.

“I am tense.”

“Anyone could see that, my darling. Relax,” Frigga coached him, setting her needlework on her lap to look at him consolingly. “What troubles you?”

“Aside from the obvious?” Loki scoffed. Frigga’s gaze turned scolding before she resumed her needlework.

“I ask because I care.” she murmured, lancing Loki with guilt. He sighed, moving to sit beside her and letting his head fall back against the wall in exasperation.

“I am going out of my mind with worry,” he confessed. “I know nothing about her! What if-”

“Darling, you will exhaust yourself with that line of thinking,” Frigga said gently. “What is it exactly that worries you so?”

“What if she despises me like everyone else?” Loki hated how small he sounded, like a child whining to his mother. It was a valid fear, one he hid deep inside himself.

“Nonsense. She will love you.” Frigga abandoned her needlework to brush an errant hair from his face, the love in her gaze searing him as always.

“You know this for a fact?”

“A mother always knows.” Frigga said simply, her sly smile making Loki think she knew more than she let on.

“What did you see?” he asked. He did not fully understand his mother's gift, but he knew enough to trust it. “Mother, please tell me something!”

“You know I cannot!” Frigga argued. “To do so would risk everything, and I’ll not risk your future happiness.”

“Happiness?” Loki couldn’t help but scoff. “That could mean anything.”

“Precisely. Anything is possible, ” Frigga smiled warmly at him. “Now, are you prepared to meet your betrothed?”

As ready as he was to see Thanos again.

“How do I look?” Loki asked nervously.

“Very handsome,” Frigga tugged at a panel on his chest, adjusting it ever so slightly. “Remember to be courteous. This is a big adjustment for both of you, but more so for her. She will likely be overwhelmed. She has left behind everything- for you.”

“I did not ask- yes, mother,” Loki grimaced as Frigga continued to fuss over him. “I will remember.”

~~~~

Claire felt ill, and she blamed it entirely on that awful mode of transportation. The bifrost was breathtaking in beauty, but traveling inside it was like being sucked into a powerful vacuum. Everyone in the small party from Earth was disoriented and looking a little green around the gills as they reoriented themselves. Njord, of course, looked perfectly at ease, and Claire hated him a bit more for it. The smug man had been all too eager to whisk away from her home, watching on impatiently as she’d said goodbyes to the few people who’d come to see her off. Phil had traveled with her, of course.

“Welcome to Asgard.” A rich, velvety voice boomed from beside them, and Claire looked up to see a tall, broad shouldered man in golden armor. He pulled a massive broadsword from its resting place in the center of the floor, resting his hands atop it as he regarded them coolly. If Claire’s book was right, she was looking at Heimdall, the ever-watchful guardian of Asgard.

“Lady Claire, this is Heimdall. He is the keeper of bifrost and a faithful guardian of Asgard,” Njord explained. “Heimdall, this is Lady Claire. His Majesty Prince Loki’s intended.”

“My lady,” Heimdall gave her a respectful bow. “I hope you feel welcome in your new home.”

“Thank you. Nice to meet you.” Claire nodded respectfully as Njord complained that they should hurry.

“And you, young mortal.”

As Njord led Claire and Phil from the golden dome that housed the bifrost, they were awestruck by the sight in front of them.

The rainbow bridge stretched on ahead of them- for miles it seemed- with endless ocean on either side. Pristine beaches were visible in the distance, beyond were fields of such rich green Claire was reminded of Ireland. Tiny specks of farmland were visible past the open fields, crosshatching lines of crops jutting up toward the sky.

But beyond that-

“Holy shit.” Claire muttered what they were all thinking.

The golden (literally gold, if Njord wasn’t kidding) palace stood tall and gleaming above everything around it. It was behemoth, a grand sprawling beast that shone like a diamond in the early morning sun.

“That will be your new home, Lady Claire.” Njord said proudly as she gawked at it open-mouthed. His judgmental gaze dropped to her gaping jaw and Claire shut her mouth lest he comment on her teeth. “Is it not most impressive?”

“It’s something, alright,” Claire replied. “It’s very different from what I’m used to.”

“Yes, well,” Njord sniffed. “Some things can’t be helped,” He shrugged when Claire glared at him. “Come along.” He urged the two of them along the bifrost, leaving the golden dome and Heimdall behind. They walked in awed silence, Claire and Phil occasionally pointed objects of interest.

The sun had already risen yet the moon still hung in the sky, bright and full behind the mountains in the distance.

They spotted buildings built into the mountainside shaped like temples, libraries and universities. It seemed like there was something to see everywhere they looked.

They passed through a golden gatehouse close to shore, and two guards joined their small group to escort them through the city to the palace. Beyond the gatehouse, they passed through the fields and farmland they had seen from the bifrost dome. Eventually, the rural landscape began to bleed into small town-esque land, populated with homesteads here and there, but the landscape changed again shortly after, the houses growing more in number and closer together as they approached the city.

“The city surrounding the palace is divided into sections. There is some farmland near the shore, which we’ve just passed through. The areas surrounding the palace are more densely populated.” Njord said in a bored tone as they passed into the city itself.

Here, the streets bustled with activity. Overlapping shouts from merchants interspersed with guards calling to each other as they patrolled, the occasional bleat from livestock, all over a low hum of people chattering. Though it was early morning, people milled about shopping, working, shouting and laughing as they went about their day. The buildings on this street were clustered together like gossiping women, the streets paved with cobble stones. It was quaint and charming, and Claire wanted to stop and inspect the colorful stalls but Njord urged them on.

Claire would have liked to slip by unnoticed, but the guards and probably the obvious non-Asgardian clothes that Phil and Claire wore made them stick out. It didn’t help that the crowd parted as they walked; people stopping what they were doing to gawk at them. One little girl watched Claire with wide eyes, her round face lighting up with glee when Claire waved at her. Further ahead, one child ran into the street, a dark haired woman pulling him back into the crowd by his little arm.

“Do not engage with them,” Njord instructed from behind Claire. “They are beneath you now.”

“They are not-”

“Yes, they are,” Njord said sharply. “You are to be a princess. The first princess of Asgard in a millennia. They will be fascinated; that is natural. But you cannot indulge them.”

“I hardly think waving-”

“That is my point, Lady Claire, you do not think. You are not here to think.”

Njord was two syllables away from getting stabbed. Claire remained silent as they continued walking, her curiosity getting the better of her as the streets began to change. The streets leading toward the palace remained well-kept and attractive, but others leading deeper into the city grew dark with shadow despite the sun fully beating down. Claire paused at the mouth of one of the streets, looking down the long lane with curiosity. She could see dark shapes sitting in doorways, debris floating along the grimy cobblestones.

“What’s down there?”

“Those are the slums, Lady Claire,” Njord’s lip curled with disgust as he spared the street a cursory glance. “You’ll do well to stay away from that area.”

“Yes, it would be terrible if I got some poor on my fancy new clothes.” Claire snapped. Njord narrowed his eyes, reaching out to pull her along. Claire pulled away from his grasp, following behind stubbornly when he began walking toward the palace again.

“ Speaking of clothing,” Njord said in a clipped tone. “Once we reach the palace, you will have an opportunity to change out of...whatever this is.” he gestured toward her.

“No thank you,” Claire replied. “I will change when I want to, not when you tell me to.”

“Do you not wish to make a good impression upon your new family?” Njord asked. “Although I suppose it is better they see you as you are, so that your transformation will be all the more impressive.”

“I think it would be better if you stopped talking,” Claire growled. “You’ve made it clear you don’t like me, and I don’t like you either, so let’s just get where I need to be and then we don’t have to speak to each other again.” One of the guards escorting them coughed, his cheeks growing red beneath his helmet. Njord glared at the man with fire in his eyes, and the guard sucked in his cheeks as his companion cleared his throat.

“That is a most excellent idea, Lady Claire,” Njord huffed, ignoring the guards trying to contain their laughter. “It is not much further. Come along.”

The golden palace loomed larger than ever now. The noise of the marketplace had begun to fade. In front of them, the cobblestones stopped, the path turning smooth as the streets of the city continued on to the left and right. Njord continued onto the smooth path, leading them to another gate. As they approached, the gate opened, letting them see the ornate gilded doors beyond. Njord led their small party through the gate, the guards flanking the gate bowing respectfully as they passed.

The gilded doors opened before they reached it, revealing another pair of guards and an older woman awaiting them.

“Welcome to Valaskjalf,” the woman greeted them with a curtsy. “Please, allow us to take your things.” two men stepped forward to take Claire’s and Phil’s luggage, whisking it away without a backwards glance.

“Lady Claire, Son of Coul, this is the head housekeeper of Valaskjalf. She oversees everything within these halls.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Claire.” the woman curtsied again.

“Nice to meet you.” Claire replied, smiling awkwardly.

“Your rooms are already prepared for your arrival, and I shall be glad to direct you there myself,” the woman said. “Of course you will each have a staff assigned to you, but should either of you require anything, please do not hesitate to send for me.”

“Oh, thank you- wait, staff?” Claire asked in confusion.

“Yes, of course,” Njord replied with a bitter laugh. “You must forgive Lady Claire, she is not used to such finery. But of course, she is expected in the throne room and cannot see her chambers yet.”

“Surely the lady wishes to change?” the woman looked at Claire questioningly.

“The lady has already decreed she did not wish to,” Njord replied. “Isn’t that correct, Lady Claire?” he preened in satisfaction. Claire wanted to punch his teeth in.

“Yep.” Claire said through gritted teeth, smiling reassuringly at the housekeeper.

“As you wish, Lady Claire. I will be happy to direct you to your chambers when you are ready.”

“Thank you,” Claire replied, shooting a dark look at Njord. “Shall we?”

“But of course,” Njord nodded. “This way please.” He led them deeper into the palace, down long winding halls with cavernous painted ceilings and lit torches. Claire felt almost as though she’d stepped back in time. The city outside looked like the animation of Beauty and the Beast come to life, and the palace ceilings made her think of the Sistine Chapel.

There were no windows in these halls, the only light coming from the flickering torches. Claire could see daylight up ahead, so she kept walking and tried not to think about Game of Thrones. The dark hallway finally ended, spitting them out in an open-air passageway lined with columns. Beyond the columns Claire could see a sprawling garden, filled with tall flowers swaying in the delicious breeze. She could hear the sound of moving water from somewhere in the garden, and Claire inexplicably felt at peace. Her nerves dissipated as she followed after Njord, his figure turning a sharp corner before two massive golden doors came into view. Torches and guards flanked the doors, their armor glinting in the flickering light from the torches. Identical hallways branched to either side and Claire wondered where she would end up if she followed them. As the trio approached the guards opened the golden doors to allow them entry, and Claire stepped into the fanciest room she’d ever seen in her life.

Everything was gold. The marble pillars gleamed in the natural light coming from the high windows lining the walls. At the far end of the room, an old man with frizzled white hair sat upon a throne, with a middle-aged looking woman in a blue dress standing to the side, waiting for them.

“Soooo, how are you feeling?” Phil asked as the doors to the throne room closed behind them. Claire had been tense before they arrived in Asgard, but the altercation with Njord was close to putting her over the edge.

“Honestly?” Claire asked as Njord began his over-the-top introduction. “Decidedly unhappy. With Njord, with the whole situation in general. Really; arranged marriage? That’s the best way to form an alliance nowadays?” she scoffed.

“You agreed to it.” Phil deadpanned as Njord was dismissed. Claire locked eyes with the emissary, glaring at him as he shuffled back toward them. He passed them on his way out and Claire turned back to Phil.

“I’m claiming temporary insanity on that one,” she said bitterly. “You know how I feel about marriage in general, but arranged marriage?! It’s like a social experiment gone wrong.” Let’s watch as we force two strangers to cohabitate and fuck and hope they don’t kill each other!

“I’m not thrilled either, if it’s of any consolation.” A voice beside her said. Claire whipped around to see a dark haired man standing beside her dressed in leather armor accented with splashes of dark green and gold. His inky black hair fell to his shoulders and his emerald eyes glittered; a striking contrast to his pale skin. Despite having never met him, Claire recognized the dark prince of Asgard immediately. Damn, he’s tall.

“Silence!” Odin said before Claire could speak to the newcomer. “Lady Claire, this is my son Loki,” the man beside her snorted derisively. Odin spared him a withering stare before looking back at Claire, forcing her to stop staring at Loki. “In four weeks’ time, he will be your husband and you will become a member of the royal family. When the time comes, you will be granted a golden apple from Idunn’s orchard to ensure the endurance of our treaty with Midgard.”

“Right,” Claire said quietly. “What about visits? I have friends, family. I can’t just leave them behind.”

“You may visit Midgard once per year.” Odin permitted. Claire scoffed in disbelief.

“Once a year?!” she balked. “That’s not enough time! We don’t live forever!”

“Enough!” Odin said loudly, holding up a hand to stop her. “My decision is final.”

“Fantastic,” she quipped sarcastically. She turned her gaze to Loki as Odin started speaking again. “So…how are you feeling about all of this?” she asked. Loki’s green eyes settled on her and Claire knew he was sizing her up just like she was doing to him.

She had not yet changed out of her Midgardian clothing, dressed in smart black pants, a purple under shirt and a sleek leather jacket. She wore dark spectacles pushed up into her dark hair which she wore in a loose braid. This was the woman Midgard offered to him? She did not look like a woman of standing.

“Abysmal. Odin would have me tamed, like a beast condemned to a life in chains. My surroundings may have changed but nonetheless in shackles I remain.”

“Well you did try to take over my planet.” Claire snapped.

“Do you truly wish to discuss this now?” Loki asked heatedly. “I had my reasons, mortal, not that you would understand them.”

“Try me.” Claire returned hotly, glaring up at him. A sparkle on her face caught his attention, and Loki looked closer to see she wore a purple hoop through one of her nostrils.

How odd.

“If you’re quite finished,” Odin interrupted their spat by banging Gungnir on the golden floor. The woman to his side gave Claire a small, tight-lipped smile of what she hoped was encouragement. “There is much to be done. Son of Coul, you may retire to the chambers we have provided you,” he said as a servant appeared beside Phil to lead him to his room. “Lady Claire will accompany the queen to begin preparations-”

“Is that your mother?” Claire asked Loki quietly as Odin droned on. She could practically feel his annoyance before he answered her.

“Queen Frigga.” Loki answered shortly.

“And you’re close?” Claire asked, looking up at Loki. “I hear things.” She explained when he raised a brow at her. She wore diamond studs in her ears as well. Was this typical of Midgard?

“From that oaf Thor, I’m sure. He knows me so well.” Loki said sarcastically.

“About as well as one brother can know another, I suppose. We’re friends.” Claire shrugged. She decided to ignore the feral grimace Loki made at the mention of his brother. “So what made you say yes?” she asked.

“Pleasure to meet you too, darling.” Loki laughed sardonically.

“Hey, it’s nothing personal. I think marriage is dumb and people who willingly enter it are even dumber, but I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess.”

“I wasn’t given much of a choice in the matter,” Loki said derisively. “Marriage or incarceration. I’m simply trading one cell for another.”

“Felt that.” Claire grimaced.

“What?” Loki asked, looking down at the mortal with confusion.

“Nothing,” Claire said instead of explaining. “You haven’t answered my question.” Loki rolled his eyes.

“I agree marriage is foolish and I’ve never spared it much thought, but as part of the royal family I’ve always been expected to wed. Yet despite my title and status as one of the most eligible bachelors in Asgard, no family will have me.”

“I wonder why.” Claire answered dryly, shrugging when Loki glared at her sharply. “I’m just saying, the whole killing-80-people-in-two-days thing would put off most people.”

“But not you,” Loki murmured thoughtfully. “How odd. Are there not many options for suitors on Midgard these days?” He found it rather difficult to believe an attractive woman such as her had failed to secure a match until now. She was annoying, but from what he’d seen of her walk through the city she seemed charming enough. Surely some weak Midgardian man would appreciate that. Would that he had; if only to spare Loki having to deal with her for the rest of his long life.

“I’m not most people,” Claire replied. “And that’s rude. I happen to have high standards,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Loki spied silver rings on her fingers, as well as…claws? “And most people are weirded out by my fascination with serial killers.”

“What?” Loki scoffed, tearing his gaze from the black polish on her claws. “I’m not-”

“80 people in two days,” Claire repeated. “Try again, sugar plum.”

“Don’t call me that,” Loki hissed. “Besides, it’s not as if I killed them all personally. They were simply-”

“Collateral damage?” Claire guessed. “You made a pretty big mess for someone who wanted to lose.” She raised a slim brow at him in challenge, rankling Loki further.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” he said tersely.

“You think I haven’t done any digging? I was there, but I also know several of the Avengers personally. I wasn’t about to show up to the party without doing my homework; I’m not an idiot.”

“Clearly you are since you’ve agreed to marry me,” Loki hissed. “I’ve had enough of this inane conversation. You have duties to attend to, as do I.”

“Look, aside from completely upheaving my life, I’m still seventy percent optimistic that we’ll figure this shit out.”

“Figure what out?” Loki asked impatiently.

“I know, I know, I’m just a measly little human, but we actually have a lot in common. Daddy issues, mommy issues…” Claire trailed off when Loki growled beside her. She could practically feel the anger radiating off him, but continued to push him anyway. She was curious how far she could push his buttons before he stopped with the sexy growling and attacked her. “Plus you’re really hot.”

“I beg your pardon?” Loki balked, looking back at her to see her eyeing him up and down hungrily. “Excuse me.”

“What?” Claire gave an unrepentant grin. “I said what I said.”

“Is that why you agreed to this?” Loki asked. “Because you find me desirable?”

“It didn’t hurt,” Claire smirked. “Look, I like Thor. He’s nice. But I have zero interest in fucking nice.”

“But you do have an interest in fucking me?” Loki asked conspiratorially as Frigga approached to collect Claire.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Claire winked at him, her wicked mouth forming a devilish smile. The white of her teeth against the burnt umber of her lip paint made her appear almost predatory. “Later.”

Loki was left staring after her in awe. She was quite surprising, this mortal. She did not flinch from him, but instead challenged him head on. And she desired him. Openly.

Perhaps this venture would not be a total loss after all.

He turned to leave the throne room, only to be confronted by the steely glare of Phil. He returned the glare coolly.

“Pleasure to see you again, Son of Coul.” He said calmly.

“Save it,” Phil snapped. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how angry I am about Claire having to marry you. But seeing as I can’t do a damn thing about it…” Phil clenched his jaw angrily. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

“I would expect nothing less,” Loki chuckled lightly. “Don’t fret, Son of Coul, I have no intention of laying a hand on your precious niece. Marry her I must, but Odin has made quite clear the consequence should anything happen to her.”

“Oh, I can sleep peacefully now,” Phil replied sarcastically. “But just to be clear; she is protected.”

“I am capable of reading, Son of Coul. The treaty is quite explicit that her well-being is tantamount to my freedom and my life. I would be a fool to risk that,” Loki grinned as a guard approached to escort Phil to his chambers. “I do hope you find your chambers comfortable.” he added as Phil was led away to his guest rooms.

~~~~

“I am so pleased to meet you, Lady Claire,” Queen Frigga said excitedly as she led Claire out of the throne room. “It will be grand to have another lady in our family.”

“I’m sure dealing with three boys is a challenge,” Claire said diplomatically. “I’ve seen Thor eat, I can’t imagine what he was like during his growth spurts.”

“Oh Norns, the stories I could tell,” Frigga laughed politely. “But there is plenty of time for that! For now, let us show you to your chambers and you may change for supper.” the housekeeper Claire met earlier appeared at Frigga’s side, seemingly out of thin air.

“What should I change into? I didn’t really know what to pack.”

“Not to worry, dear. I’ve had several dresses made in anticipation of your arrival,” Frigga smiled warmly. “They will of course need alterations to fit you perfectly, but there is time for that.”

“Oh. Cool,” Claire said dumbly as she followed the women down the winding halls. Claire was not a dress wearer. “Earlier, you said something about a staff?” she asked the housekeeper.

“Yes, my lady,” the woman nodded. “I have assembled a team of my best. They are waiting to meet you and are eager to serve.”

“As is customary, you shall have a guard posted at your door for protection, two ladies to assist with dressing and styling your hair, a chambermaid to tidy your rooms and a personal servant to assist you with bathing, dressing, and anything else you should require.” Frigga explained.

“Bathing?” Claire balked. “I can- I mean, I don’t want to seem ungrateful but that really isn’t necessary. I can bathe myself.”

“It is your preference of course,” the housekeeper replied as they began to climb a set of stairs. “Your staff will do anything and everything you require, you merely need ask.”

“You are fully within your right to dismiss any member of your staff should they displease you,” Frigga added. “Should you dismiss them, they will be replaced quickly and with little disruption. Your personal servant will oversee everything and handle matters such as your correspondence and setting appointments. Should you travel, they will travel with you.” Frigga said as they reached the top of the stairs.

“How often will I meet with Loki?” Claire asked. Frigga and the housekeeper led her away from the landing and down a hallway.

“Many times, dear,” Frigga said gently. “There are official functions you will attend together prior to the wedding, but I remember well how it felt to arrive in a strange land to marry a strange man. I have already made arrangements for the two of you to become acquainted in the coming weeks.”

“That’s very thoughtful, thank you,” Claire smiled. She liked Frigga already. There was a calming air about her, and Frigga seemed kind and caring. “I take it you and Odin-”

“Oh yes,” Frigga chuckled. “We were betrothed for many, many years before I made the journey here to Asgard, but we did not meet until I arrived at the altar.”

“Yikes,” Claire cringed. “That sounds like a nightmare.”

“It was terrifying,” Frigga giggled, a fond look stealing over her face as they turned a corner. “I was shaking so horribly, I thought I might collapse! But I survived, and I have a wonderful marriage to show for it.”

“That’s...great.” Claire replied, slowing as she spied a line of people standing against the wall outside of a set of double doors.

“Here we are,” Frigga said jovially. “Your staff has prepared everything for you.” In unison, the five people outside the doors moved to pay their respects. The guard bowed at the waist, his armor clinking as he moved. The women curtsied, delicately and perfectly.

“May I present your ladies: Helga, Koza, Kari, and your personal servant Ragna.” As her name was spoken, each of the women bowed their heads in respect to Claire. Claire had seen many odd things in her line of work, but she had never before met a person with pink skin.

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Claire smiled. “I’m sure we will get along wonderfully.”

“That’s the spirit,” Frigga’s hand settled on Claire’s shoulder. “Come, come, let’s get you settled. Fetch the seamstress at once.” Frigga said as the door was opened. She allowed Claire to step inside first, following shortly after.

The door opened onto a spacious and lush living room. A fireplace crackled at one end of the room, a gilded mirror hanging above it. Built in shelving flanked the fireplace, tastefully decorated with items Claire was sure cost a fortune. A large white couch took up much of the wall beside the door, but what drew Claire’s attention were the tall windows lining the opposite wall. Floor to ceiling window panes bathed the room in buttery sunlight, the delicate lace of the curtains fluttering in the gentle breeze. A dining table sat against the wall opposite the fireplace, with an open door beside it. Claire followed the door, stepping into a bedroom with a sprawling bed and a desk. A room divider stood sentry in the corner beside another crackling fireplace. The bedroom led to a bathroom with a sunken stone tub and a beautiful vanity.

“Are you pleased?” Frigga asked hopefully as Claire returned to the bedroom.

“It’s beautiful,” Claire smiled. “Thank you so much. I love it.”

“This shall be where you stay until you marry. You may decorate any way you wish. Once you are wed, you will move to Loki’s chambers in the East wing.”

“Your Majesty?” one of Claire’s new staff stepped into the doorway. “The seamstress is here.” Frigga clapped her hands excitedly, eager to introduce her new daughter to the fine dresses she’d had made for her.

“Wonderful, show her in!”

~~~~

Several hours later, after Claire had been undressed, measured, dressed, pinned, then undressed again, it was mercifully time for dinner. Claire was annoyed beyond measure (ha) at having been subjected to feminine torture. She had never enjoyed wearing dresses and now it was all she was allowed to wear. She had tried to be excited- after all, the fabrics were sumptuous- but trying on dresses had never been her idea of fun.

To make matters worse, she’d already disappointed her future mother-in-law. Frigga was obviously excited to have her and Claire wanted to share her excitement, but being told she wasn’t allowed to wear pants was crossing the line.

So now she was at a massive feast- the pink skinned woman from earlier had shown her the way (Kira? Ragna?)- attempting to drown her sorrows in fantastic wine while people stared at her from their tables. Whether they didn’t approach out of fear, respect or maybe Frigga had asked them not to bother her; Claire didn’t care what the reason, she was just grateful.

She was not, however, grateful for the person sitting to her left.

“Are you attempting to drown yourself or make this event a better one?” Loki asked from beside her. “I believe that is your fourth.”

“Ha ha,” Claire replied flatly. “Look at you; able to count to four.”

“If you find that remarkable, you would overwhelmed by my ability to count beyond one hundred.”

Claire had been subject to such stimulating conversation since dinner began. She and Phil had already spent several minutes gushing about their new digs when Loki arrived like a storm cloud. Claire knew before she arrived that it would be a while before they got a feel for each other. Right now they were like two liquids trying to reach equilibrium, and all through the courses- a tiny salad with red and purple leaves and vinegar-y dressing, a spicy squash soup, and succulent roast lamb and fish, seared vegetables and broiled potatoes- they had been trading sarcastic barbs like merchants traded coins.

“Is there a reason you’re showing off your ability to imbibe?” Loki asked. “Are you unhappy with your chambers? Your new wardrobe perhaps?”

“Nope, this wine is just really good,” Claire said as she drained her goblet for the fourth time. “I think my cup is broken.”

“I am surprised it is intact, actually,” Loki remarked coolly. “I half expected you to smash it on the ground just as Thor would.”

“I can do that?” Claire asked excitedly. “I wanna smash stuff- hey!” she protested when Phil pulled the cup from her hand.

“No smashing,” he chastised. “This is our first night here, we need to make a good impression.”

“Yes mom,” Claire sneered. “Can I have my cup back?”

“Are you going to smash it?” Phil asked.

“No, I need it to keep drinking.”

“Perhaps you should stop,” Loki advised from her left. “Otherwise you’ll have a terrible case of veisalgia.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Claire replied, like a mature adult. “If I want to get blackout drunk, I will.”

“I am only offering advice, darling, you do not have to take it.”

“Aw thanks, sugar plum ,” Claire simpered, grinning unrepentantly when Loki glared at her. “So what is veisa- what did you call it?” she giggled. She was starting to feel the wine. Had the torches always been swirly? Oh, that lamb was sitting in her stomach like a stone. “Is that like a hangover?”

“Yes,” Loki huffed. “You are rather annoying, were you aware of that?”

“You’re annoying,” Claire scoffed. “So’s your-” a loud hiccup escaped her, to which Loki rolled his eyes. “Your face.”

“My face?” Loki balked. “What is wrong with my face?”

“Nothing,” Claire grumbled, scooting down in her seat to sulk like a child. “That’s why it’s annoying.”

Loki didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. Either way, this was shaping up to be a most amusing meal. Claire had clearly over-served herself and it was catching up to her.

“Do you always over-indulge?”

“Everybody has vices, sugar plum. Some of us drink really good wine, and some of us try to take over planets.” Claire giggled like she had told a hilarious joke, but Loki’s jaw flexed as rage boiled beneath his skin.

“You think to mock me?” he asked lowly, shifting in his seat to lean into her personal space. With her so low in her seat, he loomed over her. “You know nothing .” he snarled.

Something sparked in her blue eyes, and for a moment Loki thought he’d frightened her, but before he could feel the thrill of satisfaction, she grinned up at him.

“Talk more,” she pleaded. “You’re really sexy when you get all growly like that.” Loki made a noise of disgust before he shot to his feet, grabbing her empty goblet and smashing it on the stone floor.

“Another!” he shouted, leaving the great hall and his drunken future wife behind. She could drink herself into a stupor for all he cared.

[liminalpebble]

Teaser snippet for The Other Side

Hi Friends,

Some of you expressed interest in reading a WIP snippet of the new Eddie series I'm working on. No pressure at all to read or engage. Just thought you might enjoy.

Much Love!

Peb

---

The Other Side (Summary)

After the battle with Vecna and his presumed-death, Eddie begins his next life in the twilight world of the Upside Down.

His wounds are miraculously healing, but at the terrible price of a strange and monstrous appetite. Before long, Eddie is changing into something else...something not quite human.

Soon, Eddie the Banished finds himself in a battle to remain the man he is, before the dark dimension can make a monster of him.

On the other side, his long-time friend and classmate, Mina, goes on with her life, mourning the metalhead she always loved (though he never knew how deeply). She assumes that now he never will. Eddie had always taken her companionship for granted, but now their memories together mean more to him than she could ever know.

Mina and Eddie rediscover each other through mementos of their past, their interdimensional presence, and the lost pieces of themselves which the other manages to find. Will they find each other through the fog without losing themselves? Only time will tell, but for Eddie Munson, time is running out.

CW: talk of death, angst, eventual sex and gore

AN: OFC x kas!Eddie, slow burn, friends to lovers, Eddie's kind of a dick sometimes, but has a soft side...so, in line with the show's portrayal.

-----

All the World's a Stage (Snippet, Flashback)

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, gave a pissy little twitch of his head and a brooding huff, sending up flecks of sawdust in his wake. At least he put the drill down first, pausing his work on the platform. His clumsiness, though endearing, made her nervous sometimes...much of the time, actually.

“Well, just to warn you, I heard the basketball team talking...daring Chad to ask you as a fucking joke.”

His tone came with a gloating sneer, an unspoken I told you so itching on the tip of his tongue.

“I know. He already asked me and I already turned him down,” she replied coolly, praying that she sounded a hell of a lot more indifferent and imperturbable than she felt.

Mina stared down at the bold black numbers on the yellow tape measure unraveled before her very intently. Even so, she could feel Eddie's energy boring a hole through her as surely as the drill would.

She smoothed the plastic line down for the fifth time although she already knew it was straight enough; yielding the same measurement yet again. It was much harder than it should have been to do simple geometry when the dungeon master played for attention.

Eddie's eyes lit up as they bounced back to her.

“You're not going? So you're gonna come to Hellfire?”

He had sawdust in voluminous his hair, and goddammit, she thought, why won't that idiot ever wear safety glasses or tie his hair back?

“Why? To bring brownies, like I always do, and watch you guys play because you're too busy being awesome at it to deal with a Level 3?”

“Come on! You know you love our company! You're just gonna mope at home then?”

He loosened his posture, flopping dramatically onto his elbows over the podium between them, fixing her with the those big, expressive eyes.

“No. I'm going to prom.”

“Alone?” He says a little too loudly, jumping back up and clutching at his heart theatrically.

Mina averts her eyes, embarrassed, as her heart hits the long black floorboards. She hides it, as she always does. She's so good at playing this part by now and considers, wryly, that maybe she should have auditioned for a speaking role, after all.

He could be so mean when he thinks he's being playful. The insult pricked like the sting of puppy teeth. It drew blood, but she was unable to hate him for it.

“Jesus H. Christ, Mina! Why? Alone?” he repeats.

“Yes, Eddie...alone...because for one night I want to dance to their shitty music, and drink spiked punch, and wear a pretty dress, and feel like I belong, even though I don't. Just for one night. Okay? And I would have asked you, but I know you'd never go...so yeah...alone.”

Eddie blinked as if struck, realizing he'd hit a nerve.

She's usually so easy-going. What is her problem lately?

The silence sat heavy between them for a moment. Now they stood like mirrored chess pieces, arms crossed, eyes down; a no man's land littered with taped-on multicolored marks between them. The powerful stage lights hummed and heated the auditorium, painting some areas with strikingly sharp clarity, others in deep, contrasting, shadow.

Their eyes hurt.

The tension in the deserted theater hung around them like humidity, like several hundred invisible eyes were glued to them; ghosts in every seat, leaning forward, eagerly awaiting the next line of this drama unfolding before them.

Finally, Eddie broke the standoff, asking softly, “What color is your dress?”

“Dark...indigo...like...a nice purple-y blue.”

“Sounds...pretty.”

“Yeah...it is. It's a shame you won't get to see it.”

Silence again. A crushing, aching, silence, broken eventually by Mina's exhausted sigh.

“It's almost midnight. I need to get home...See you later, Eddie.”

Eddie grumbled a “yeah, okay.”

She barely heard it over the sharp tap of her feet carrying her past him, away from the interrogating rays and into the wings as quickly as possible.

The glaring lights were behind her, yet her eyes still stung with afterimages and her skin still burned.

(Thank you, friends, for reading! P.S. The final chapter of Eddie's Education really is on it's way, I promise. I'm just taking my sweet time to make sure I stick the landing, so thanks for your patience. Muwah. Love yas.

@somnambulic-thing @fairyysoup @lexr86 @hellfirenacht @little-wormwood @littlexdeaths @bettyfrommars @lesservillain @josephfakingquinn @sweetsigyn @anukulee @loz-3 @buttercupcookies-blog @take-everything-you-can @word-wytch @munson-blurbs @leelei1980 @msgexymunson @thenotoriouserg @ladyofthestayingpower @mediocredreams @lolahasmoxie @ultrabuzzlightyear @fandxmslxt69 @kissmyacdc @veemoon @elegantkoalapaper @eddiesxangel @amberolivia666 @bookworm-christina

[stormxpadme]

Whumptober 2024 Alternative prompt - Secrets Revealed

06/2017

Of all the shitholes on this planet, why Egypt?

Pyro pulled the dark, camouflaging cloth of his turban down his face just long enough to spit a combination of dry saliva and sand onto the scorching ground; his very personal declaration of love for this pile of dirt and slums. Three hours of dully standing around in the godforsaken middle of nowhere, and he was already desperate to get back home.

Mystique's ideas were becoming more and more absurd. While her timeless blue and red skin didn't look her impressive retirement age, all the more senility seemed to have taken hold of her mind in the last few months. Not that Pyro had ever suspected the bitch to have lots of sanity in the first place, especially not since she had been forced to take over the Brotherhood. But this ... was perverse.

“Fucking finally.” He made no effort to hide his bad mood when his leader finally approached this ruin of a camp again on her stolen horse, several miles from at least the saving grace of a glass of gin in some dump in Alexandria, where he'd been forced to sit out Mystique's latest madness. Hopefully, she had at least found whatever it was she was looking for, while Pyro had been guarding a piece of parched land without even the slightest clue as to what they were actually doing here. “You done?”

Mystique didn't even dignify him with an answer. The two of them had rarely ever engaged in extensive communication. She nimbly jumped from her mount and carelessly released the reins, sending the horse out into the open desert with a sharp slap on its white rear, where it probably wouldn't survive for more than half a day. A much slower, more torturous death than its owner had suffered this morning. The shape of a hooded junk dealer dissolved before Pyro's eyes, revealing Mystique's slender, bare silhouette as she leaned over a rotten wooden table, one of three pieces of furniture in this barely ten-square-meter shelter with only a very holey roof left. With two aggressive thick lines, she crossed out the picture of a house on the map she'd brought with her. “Destroyed,” she finally deigned to explain after all. “She's probably already back out on the streets alone.”

“Who?” Even though he should be used to not always being immediately informed of all the details after all these years, Pyro was slowly reaching his limit.

Mystique had been neglecting her duties in the White House for months. Pyro had had to put out fires for her more than once already to keep her cover from being blown.

And now this fruitless treasure hunt in this shitty environment, from which Pyro would take home nothing but severe sunburn and sand in all possible or impossible orifices ... He'd fucking had it. “Can you maybe finally be so kind ...”

“I don't know the name she went under with after her father's death, but I have photos,” Mystique spoke up unexpectedly, absent-mindedly, monotonously, while she drew abstract patterns on the map with her marker. ”I'll recognize her as soon as I see her. Without her, all this is pointless. I've already positioned scouts in all major cities. Until they are successful, we have to guard this site. Any incidents? Horsemen in the area? Tuareg? Military?”

“Not even scorpions.” Pyro rolled his eyes impatiently. First, they didn't tell him anything, and now he was supposed to be content with cryptic statements again. This day just got better and better.

“Good.” Mystique watched with an amused little twitch around her eye as Pyro repeatedly wrung out his soaked shirt. Thanks to her powers, she didn't mind the unpleasant ambiance half as much, a fact that only made Pyro more irritated. ”Apparently, we are indeed the only ones who know about this place so far. Install a camera on that beam over there. 24/7 surveillance, weekly report. If there's trouble here someday, after all, we'll have to station people at the dig until we find this girl. For now, we'll fly back and keep an eye on New York. The girl has been in the local media a few times too many because of her powers and her knowledge of historical facts that she actually can't even have. We need to make sure we don't lose her to Westchester."

“Why? What do you need her for? What the hell are we even looking for?” Pyro grabbed Mystique's arm before she could impatiently trigger the signal on her watch that would start the autopilot of the helicopter in the distance. At that moment, he didn't even care about sand, crawling nuisances, or sunstrokes. He finally wanted to know what was going on here. “Raven!”

There were certain surefire ways to throw the Brotherhood leader off course. Calling her by her slave name was one of them. Sometimes she was ridiculously predictable.

Pyro had anticipated the brutal attack maneuver and reacted instantly, spinning around Mystique and bringing her down with a strong kick to the back of the knee, holding her arms together behind her back at the elbows. Her rude curse had him grin broadly. She shouldn't have trained him so extensively if she hadn't wanted him to become just as good as she was. “Cut the crap. I'm one of your most important warlords. You can't treat me like a primitive henchman all my life. What are you looking for?” It happened faster than he realized that she had already freed herself, her limbs thinning out under his grasp, her powers melting her cells into a flexible mass slipping out from under him. One moment he was kneeling over her naked form in the sand, burning hot even in the shadow – a quite suggestive situation if it hadn't been so damn warm and Mystique hadn't always awoken about as much horniness as a freezer could in Pyro ever since he'd left puberty behind. The next, his eyes were staring up at the bright blue, cloudless sky, and a painful burning sensation spread through his stomach. “Okay, okay!” he managed to get out, panting for air, struggling in vain against the pressure of a muscular leg resting heavily on his solar plexus. ‘I'm just kidding, okay?”

“Finally grow up, Pyro, if you ever want me to take you seriously as a partner." Mystique was surprisingly generous today; she released him without another painful kick. “I didn't talk about it yet because I never knew for sure. But this ...” She gestured vaguely at the remains of the camp. ”This is exactly how it was described in the book that Erik left me. I've been searching for this place for years. It marks the entrance to an underground temple from the time of the Old Egyptian Middle Kingdom, protected by several deadly traps. We need someone who can make contact with those who have been there before, when it was still in use, before we can dig. Someone who knows their way around down there.”

Pyro spat out sand again, laughing and coughing at the same time. His leader was really losing it. “Where's the problem? Then all we have to do is find someone who can talk to the dead. Are you fucking with me?”

“This is exactly why I only need you for backup, not for strategy,” Mystique replied harshly. The faint sound of rotor blades in the distance revealed that she had already summoned her preferred mode of transport during their little scuffle. Time to go home. ”You never had any respect for things much bigger than yourself. Cameras. Now. I have a few phone calls to make.” With that, she took a few steps aside and dug out the cell phone from her belt pouch that was reserved for White House matters. The argument seemed already to be settled for her.

Pyro gritted his teeth and leaned over the bag of equipment that Toad had prepared for him yesterday, so foolproof that hopefully, he would be able to handle all this complicated technical stuff that had never really interested him much. He obviously wouldn't learn much more today, and Mystique had once again made it very clear to him how she viewed his role at her side. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be enough for her. It wasn't the first time he wondered why he put up with all this crap in the first place. Unfortunately, there were no other options. “Fine, you need a tour guide, gotcha. At least tell me what we're looking for down there. Do you want to fill our treasure troves with rusted gold and clay bowls?”

“That, my dear St. John ...” Mystique looked back over her shoulder at him with a pitiful smile, “… you won't believe anyway until you see it with your own eyes, thanks to your pitifully limited horizon. Now get to work. We have other things to do.”

*******************************************************************************

@whumptober | @whumptober-archive

[imagrindylow]

Duplicity - Chapter 6 - Breakfast

Past Sebastian / f!slytherin!Reader; Unrequited Ominis / Reader; Garreth / Reader

1.4k Words Content Warning: Hurt/comfort, Angst Chapter Summary: After a night of heavy drinking, you find that Ominis doesn't seem to remember much of what happened. Garreth confronts Ominis for being a shitty date and friend to you. Overall Work Summary: After your long term relationship with Sebastian Sallow ends, you're left to lean on your friends for support. While you try to move on and find happiness again, you come to realize that not all of the friends helping you actually have your best interests in mind.

Chapter Index Ao3 Link, if you prefer to read there. ~~~~~

The following morning, you awoke first. The sun was pouring in through the windows and spilling in through the tiny gaps in your bed curtains. You looked to Ominis. He was still out cold. You drew your bed curtains back slightly and peered around the room. It looked as though at least some of your dorm mates had already left for breakfast, or at least to start their mornings.

You shook Ominis a few times by his shoulder, eventually getting his eyes to flutter open. He seemed immediately confused. He reached under the pillow and fumbled around. “Where’s my wand?”

“Oh, let me grab it,” You reached your arm through the curtain and grabbed his wand from your bedside table, and handed it to him.

“Am I in your dorm? Why am I in your dorm?” He asked in a hushed tone. He sounded alarmed as he continued, “Did we sleep together?” He sat upright, turning his head towards the sound of your voice. His brows furrowed waiting for your response.

“Do you not remember anything?”

“Oh gods…” He shook his head a bit. “I will admit, there are some gaps in my recollection. I know I was very drunk. I don’t know why I am in bed with you. What happened? Please tell me nothing happened.”

You chuckled a bit and squeezed his arm in a reassuring gesture, before letting your hand fall back into your lap. “Relax, nothing happened. We slept next to each other, but nothing happened.” You explained, “You were very drunk. Very. You got quite sick… a number of times. I stayed with you until you were feeling a bit better to make sure you were alright, and then I brought you in here so I could just keep an eye over you. That’s all.”

He let out a relieved sigh. “I see. Well, I apologize for putting you through all of that trouble. I suppose I made a huge fool out of myself at the ball, then, didn’t I?”

“Not really, no. Overall, I had a nice time with you. But... you remember punching Sebastian, correct? Besides that, you were fine at the ball… When your fire whiskey started… catching up with you, we left. No one saw you get sick besides me.” You decided to spare his pride the detail of him tripping and falling during your last dance of the evening together.

“I do remember that… I feel like that is going to come back to haunt me.” He let his head fall back with a groan.

“Another reason I didn’t bring you back to your dorm last night… Couldn't have you dealing with Sebastian while absolutely wasted.”

He took some time to collect his thoughts. “Well, I appreciate that... And all of your help…. Are you positive that I didn’t… cross any lines? I just want to be certain. I hate that I don’t remember everything.”

“I promise, Ominis. It was fine, nothing happened… and you’re welcome, for the help, I mean. You’d have done the same for me if I was in that position.”

He nodded in response to your kind words. You studied Ominis’s expression and you could tell there was something weighing on his mind – or maybe he was just still not feeling well. But it wasn’t something you were going to press him about at the moment. “You should get back to your dorm, get ready for the day, and I’ll meet you back in the common room, then we can head to breakfast together.” You suggested.

He nodded and with his wand held out in front of him, he pulled the bed curtains back and he got up out of your bed and headed towards the door. He stopped and turned back to face you and said, “Thank you, again. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it, Ominis.”

With that he left, and you pulled yourself out of bed as well. You gathered your clothing from the wardrobe in your room and made your way across the hall into the bathroom to get ready for breakfast.

~~~

It wasn’t long before you were heading back down the stairs to the common room, dressed, and ready for the day. Ominis was already there waiting for you in his regular spot near the fireplace.

“Ready for breakfast?” You ask him to announce your presence as you approach him. He nodded and got up, wand in hand, and you headed to the Great Hall together. You spot Imelda at the Slytherin table, and both head to sit with her. Sebastian was notably absent from the table this morning. The three of you start chatting and filling your plates for breakfast. There was a large spread of options, seemingly more impressive than usual, as if to continue on the festivities from the night before.

It wasn’t long before Garreth approached your table along with Poppy and Leander who both sat down beside Imelda, but Garreth lingered, standing behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders, leaning over you slightly as he spoke, “Good morning you lot. Fun evening last night, wasn’t it?”

Of course most of you agreed, and began nodding and chatting all at once, already looking back fondly at the evening. But Ominis sat quietly. It was clear he was embarrassed of his behavior, and he just wasn't sure of what to say. Garreth spoke up again, “I see Sebastian decided not to grace you all with his presence this morning,” he gestured to you, Ominis and Imelda. “You really put him in his place, Ominis. Serves him bloody well right, the bastard.”

Ominis relented and finally spoke. “He did deserve it. I’ll be surprised if he speaks with me again after that.”

Garreth made a motion to sit down now, and you and your friends made way for him. He sat beside you, and opposite of Ominis. He spoke in a more hushed tone now, still directing his conversation at Ominis. “I wanted to thank you, again, for letting me steal your date away from you for so much of the evening, while you were drinking.”

Ominis couldn’t see the subtle glare in his eye, but it was clear from Garreth’s tone that he was being derisive. He was trying to challenge him. You nudged Garreth in the arm and shot him a look.

“I never said you could keep her,” Ominis spat back instinctively before he really had a chance to process the words.

“Ominis…?” You shook your head and scold him gently for his indiscretion. The two of them bickering was the last think you wanted to hear first thing in the morning.

Ominis was clearly frustrated with himself. He shouldn't have said that, but his head was still pounding from his escapades last night, and he just wasn’t thinking clearly. “I am never drinking again,” he said and palmed his forehead, resting his elbow against the table with a sigh.

“Can’t say that I blame you mate, you were pretty well loaded,” Garreth spoke pointedly.

Ominis shot back incredulously, “And what about you Garreth? I seem to recall you giving me that alcohol, and surly I wasn’t the only one enjoying it.”

“Difference is, I can hold my alcohol, thank you very much. I wasn't the one bloodying up my knuckles and falling all over the ground, leaving your date to take care of you. She practically had to carry you out of the hall.”

“That's enough both of you!” You scolded while trying to keep your voice down, not trying to attract any more attention than the two of them already were.

Garreth stood up, readying to leave the table. He looked to you with apologetic eyes, but even so he spoke at Ominis again. “Look, it was a fun evening. But I’m not to be blamed for your overindulgence. I warned you that it was strong. You knew what you were doing.”

Those words hit Ominis hard, his face went cold for a split second. ‘You knew what you were doing.’ Ominis could feel Garreth’s accusatory gaze on him, as though he could see right through his facade. There was no way Garreth could have actually known the inner workings of Ominis’s mind… of his twisted state of mind from the night before. But the very thought of it made Ominis uncomfortable, because Garreth wasn’t wrong.

Garreth shook his head and walked off back to his own table. Ominis slammed his palm down against the table with a huff, before getting up and making his way out of the hall without so much as another word to you. This time you wouldn't let him tell you not to, you got up and rushed to follow him. It was clear at this point, something was weighing on him.

Chapter 7

[genshinconfessions]

"Actually, Nahida only takes a smaller form because she's the youngest archon--"

So you're telling me she identifies most with a child body.

"Well, no, see she's just short-"

But you just related her form to her age and how she percieves her age

"Yeah, but she's so mature-"

Because of the trauma. Literally as a result of her trauma. Maybe she could've aged differently and chosen her form as such should she have been given a proper upbringing, but that doesn't change the fact that as of now she Views herself as a Child and Projects The Body Of One.

---- I'm sorry, I can't - with Sigewinne being revealed, I've been seeing more shit sexualizing children and I'm Tired. Lets just put it to rest, okay? Tall body models? Typically adults, no exceptions come to mind. Medium body models? Some young adults and some teenagers.

But characters with the Smallest Model? It's not just short. Look at their proportions. If they were just short, they'd still have similar proportions to the previous models, but they don't. Their heads are largened with softened features and their body shape matches other child models in the game. An argument for body type also doesn't work given Genshin isn't exactly inclusive and such logic would only apply to one of the three model categories. They are children. Stop fucking around with your "AcTUaLly" - It doesn't matter. You are attracted to CHILDREN and need HELP. If not help, then to be on a list. Either check yourself and improve, or at least quit making excuses so the rest of us can ignore you as we so please whilst also redirecting younger members of the community.

Not to mention, those that plea and cry that their "waifus" aren't actually children and are just short adults, typically don't have that reflect in their content created and consumed. Maybe I'd take y'all a little more at face value if y'all actually y'know, drew and wrote what you supposedly believe. Hell, it'd still be a problem if it were Jean or Lisa being sexualized, but drawn and written blatantly as children.

Also, anyone that may want to say "oh, you don't believe in short people" - I DO. I AM a short person. A short asian person who has been infantalized and not treated as an adult. But I have also been a child who was sexualized. And now both intermingle in my life. I am sick and tired of it all. It's all just shitty excuses. Thirst after literally anything else. Work out whatever you have going on with consenting adults instead of projecting it onto public media that has an audience of varying ages Including Minors. Additionally; Venting, coping, and exploring darker topics via fiction is NOT the same as GLORIFYING and INDULGING. That line should be Very Distinct.

(one last point: some people say characters like Dori and Sigewinne are a salesperson and nurse respectively, adult professions, yeah? Well friendly reminder, Barbara is ALSO a nurse. Fischl is an adventurer, and she's no older than 16. We are going by FANTASY LOGIC in which children can wield weapons and explore nations with little to no supervision! The given profession of any character as well as their attire means nothing in that kind of world.)

i'm sorry you've had to go through such things, anon :///

but i agree with you; it's a problem that definitely extends outside of genshin but for some reason, ppl seem so desensitized to it and shrug it off as 'oh waifu go brrrr' which is quite irresponsible imo

i'm a big proponent of 'fiction is fiction and you can think whatever you want as long as it doesn't harm anyone', but in this case, these things DO harm ppl; they harm all the very young children who play genshin and partake in fandom discussions

it's very important for everyone to realize that even if a piece of media is fictional and thinking/saying/doing certain things won't hurt the characters, your actions will absolutely set an example in real life, very possibly harming the younger members of the fandom

the line is quite gray sometimes, in fandom circles, and it might be hard to tell what's 'okay' and what's 'not okay', but i think most ppl have a good sense of what's simply enjoying a character vs sexualizing them

and hence, it becomes our responsibility to call out the things that are disturbing and potentially harmful. even if the original person who did those things won't change, you've at least spread awareness to others and let them know that [whatever the thing was] is unacceptable

katheryne from liyue

[aziraphalalala]

She stepped closer, understanding in her eyes.

“So, he left you… for a job opportunity?”

“Nngggghhhyyeeaaaah, you could say that.”

“Well, good riddance. If he didn’t choose you, he doesn’t deserve you.”

“He kind of does, you know.”

This snippet comes from my first ever fic, "In the bookshop, after". I promised I'd answer any asks with 500 words from anywhere on any fic I've written here, so, here we are. Author rambling meta, served piping hot, coming up!

Why did I write this fic?

This fic, albeit a short one-shot, was written in the emotional aftershock of *points finger at the last 15 minutes of Good Omens S2E6*.

The second season finally unleashed a burst of creativity and a desire to write in me that had been lying in wait for quite some time. Suddenly, I had so many ideas, and I needed to let it all out somehow. I drew. I sang. I wrote shitty poetry. I returned to tumblr to scream about Good Omens with everyone else.

Once I wrote this fic, it was like opening a Pandora's Box. I can no longer stop, nor do I want to. Writing gives me life. I enjoy it so much I am now writing a multi-chapter human AU fic which will end up being around 30,000 words. In less than 2 months.

It's crazy, and glorious.

Anyway, back to this snippet.

The characters, the dialogue, the context

This unnamed lady, who steps in to the bookshop as Crowley is slowly but steadily consuming quite extraordinary amounts of alcohol, has an uncanny way of picking up things she shouldn't be able to.

Crowley and the lady have a conversation which happens on multiple levels, especially for Crowley. He ends up being painfully honest, secure in his knowledge that most of it goes over the head of this random person.

We, the readers, are not sure whether that's truly the case. She appears rather unusually perceptive.

I have plans for that random person, and a whole backstory for her. I might write it one day. That fic would go a long way explaining her side of this conversation.

But for now, we don't really know her, and we leave it at that.

What was I thinking as I wrote this?

This moment, these lines, draw heavily from my own life. I, too, once imagined that love is an emotion that in itself can be enough for a relationship. Experience, sometimes harshly, has taught me that in the end, our actions and choices are more important than our intentions and emotions.

Does this person choose me? Do they prioritize my needs? Do they make an effort, day in day out, to make our relationship work?

This is the lesson the lady wishes to drill into Crowley. And if it were any other person in the world, a friend of mine for example, I'd tell them to move on. Good riddance. They don't choose you, they don't deserve you.

But. Aziraphale and Crowley have been friends, enemies and co-conspirators for six millennia. How does one even begin to define the complexities of their relationship?

Have they not, consistently, worked to keep each other safe, to find short moments together that they can share in secret?

Their relationship is a relationship that thrives despite being forbidden. Despite the fear that's ever present in their lives.

Some word choice trivia.

"Job opportunity" is a very purposeful choice, because it's a slightly revolting business jargon term. It's jarring, seeing it in the context of Good Omens and our two supernatural beings. It implies, heavily, that it's a bullshit opportunity, meaning it's not what it seems to be. It implies that the lady thinks Aziraphale made the stupidest choice on the planet for something that isn't worth it.

Crowley kinda agrees, but not whole-heartedly, because I believe he knows Aziraphale had very little choice in the end.

And, let's face it. Being an angel of Heaven is basically a shitty corporate job that sucks the life and soul out of you.

"He kind of does, you know." This is where the conversation really happens on a few different levels. Since Crowley understands why Aziraphale did what he did (at least in my head), he still has hope that they can be together, in the end. That they are, in fact, fighting the same fight, on the same side.

Finally.

I'll leave it to all of you to decide whether the lady truly knows what's up when we say "She stepped closer, understanding in her eyes."

Does she understand, think she understands, or do we misinterpret her expression? Again, how is she there? How can she just pick up the conversation, and so many details without being told?

One day I hope we'll find out.

Thanks for the ask, anon! This was fun. 😊

[mushiewrites]

can I just be sappy for a moment about 2022? It was so shitty for a multitude of reasons but you guys made it better ):

firstly everyone that interacts with my posts, i love u and appreciate u so much ): if i didn’t have people interacting, i wouldn’t really have a reason to want to keep writing.

but there are some very cool and lovely people I want to fawn over and just say a few things about 🫠

thank u to:

@an-inkling-of for hyping up my writing and always encouraging me to be mean (hehehe 😈)

@elliot-tword for being one of the first people i remember being so kind and supportive when i first started out writing

@fluffy-fics for making LITERAL BEAUTIFUL ART FROM MY FICS / DRABBLES???????? still so honored tbh 🥺💕

@sleepy--anon + @azuregiggles + @starshinenova for providing the best hc’s i’ve ever seen and allowing me to run wild with them 👀

@amitlee for being my enemy, one of my favorite people to bully/be bullied by, and also one of the best people i’ve gotten to meet on this hell site 🔥

I have a million more people I could thank, so if you weren’t mentioned, just know I love u and appreciate you. I want to tag you all 🥺

I hope every has an incredible 2023, it’s gonna be great I can feel it ✨

(okay i’m putting the longer ones under here…..this is going to be SAPPY sappy - this is your warning)

@cayjno - my baby jworm ): i don’t even know what to write for you. i went from freaking out in the best way over your fics to getting to be so close with you and i am still confused as to how????? i have no idea why but i was so nervy to speak with you bc u were just so COOL to me and i was scawwed. i remember the night we had our first real conversation, i was just so hype that you were as cool as i thought, probably even more so. you are one of the most kindest and sweetest humans i’ve ever met. i am so so thankful to know you and get to be in your life. you make me feel so safe, you never ever throw judgement on me and i am so grateful for that. i don’t ever feel scared telling you things because i know you’re not going to look at me differently for it. you also don’t let me brain run with bad things - you normally tell me straight up how something is if i seem to be going a different direction than what actually is happening in situations where that might normally happen. you are just such a lovely support person. we are so comfortable with each other and i love doing stupid things with you. you are so extremely talented in so many ways (i will never have another wallpaper that isn’t a juno drawing ever again btw). u are absolutely adorable and i adore you and your art and your writing and just skdndjdndjsj i love you ): i can’t wait until we invent teleporting so i can hug you for a million years ): i love u so much mouse 💕

@covenofwives - I literally stayed hyperfixated on The Blame Game for m o n t h s. you are SO UNBELIEVABLY COOL. the first few times we spoke i was so hype because you were so kind! we’ve gotten to be such nice little fwens and i love that for us ): we have our own little bobbi duo! i love when we exchange art and wips, it makes me feel so nice that you allow me to see your creations before they’re finished. you are so insanely talented as well, i’m still so hype that you drew Big Challenges on the beach just enjoying his day. you and your feathers are the cutest things EVER, i can’t wait to keep our cute lil friendship growing! i love and appreciate u and ur kindness always 🥺💕

and last but definitely not least

@awkwardtickleetoo - my lil baby puppy knight. the other half of puppyduo. mr bones. i could list everything we’ve ever called each other here but it would need to be a whole new post tbh. i adore you. you already know this. i remember being nervy to speak to you too, but god am i glad we started bc here we are now, months later and clingy as heck. we are the cutest little besties and i wouldn’t trade our weird little freaky conversations for anything. thank you for always bouncing ideas around with me or reading things if i need to know if things sound okay. i love that we don’t gatekeep, and i love that we bully each other about the embarrassing things we share. i love that we’ve resorted to using mostly pet-names for each other, and i love the ones you give me (all of them are good but you know my favorites 🥺) i love that we don’t EVER judge each other and i don’t ever second guess it when i tell you things that fluster me. you’re always so kind (and mean) in the best way and you are just such a lovely person. you, just like everyone else on this list are so extremely talented. you know i binge your fics and fawn over the shit you say all the time. i am very clearly cal stan #1. i actually could keep going but this would end up being very long and repetitive, but it’s all true. love you, idiot. 💕

[lady-griffin]

I don’t want to say I have complicated feeling towards Drew Barrymore and her show coming back on, because I really don’t; I like her as an actress and shit, but seriously -

Fuck you, Drew!

She keeps talking about how she’s so sorry, but she’s doing it nonetheless, so really how sorry is she?

Oh, I’m so sorry, I say, as I keep stabbing you in the back. This totally isn’t me and not at all indicative of the kind of person I am nor what my values are. Not at all. Honestly, I think you’re the one who's being the real jerk, screaming and telling everyone I’m a bad person for stabbing you. Rude.

Oh, but silly me, how could I forget that Drew is doing this because other jobs are on the line and of course this show started during the sensitive times of the pandemic and so of course it needs to be out for these current sensitive times of ours, and let us forget, how Drew’s intention was never to hurt anyone, as she stabs them in the back. That’s not who Drew is at all.

Bullshit. Fucking bullshit.

You keep saying you own this decision, Drew. Well then fucking own that this is who you are. Your actions aren’t separate from who you are as a person.

You chose to do this. No one put a gun to your head and is forcing you to do this; you weighed the pros and cons, and decided that putting your show back on was well worth it in the end, others be screwed.

Also please stop lying. You didn’t do this for other people and you're certainly not do this for the little guy or those struggling; because this doesn’t help them. It puts them in a weaker position going forward, especially when they’ll be fighting against the behemoth giants who are making these times so fucking sensitive, which is just...

How is your show for sensitive times? Wouldn’t your show need to be actually sensitive, for it to be a show for these sensitive times. So, you know, like the bare minimum of not screwing over your own writers?

Just a thought there.

Seriously, Fuck you, Drew Barrymore.

Like, I can’t stand Bill Maher. I mean the amount of loathing I feel for that man; I just...

I hate him. I just do.

I can barely listen to him speak for more than a few seconds.

But and don’t misunderstand me because he’s also a shitty person for his show breaking the line as well, but at least he acts like he’s a shitty person. I’m sure HE doesn’t think he’s that terrible, but let’s be real, he’s not someone who goes out of his way to be kind and understanding to others...

Bill Maher is an asshole who acts superior to everyone and complains about everyone else’s entitlement, as though he’s not some entitled, whiny jerk.

I just find it hard to believe that people are shock his show is coming back, because I’m really fucking not.  

That doesn’t make it okay or any more acceptable nor him any less of a scab, than Drew. NOT AT ALL!!!

Seriously, I need more news article calling him out.

But I already knew whose side he was on.

And it's not like my world view has been shattered by Drew’s talk show coming back – but like...

Spare your fucking crocodile tears.

You don’t get to fuck others over and then cry about people being mad at you.

You chose to do this. This was your fucking choice, stop acting like this is a nuanced and complicated situation and it’s just so tricky and hard to navigate, and that you’re in it for the little guy, because that’s PR talk if there ever was.

And again, how many times have you said that this was your decision and that you take full responsibility for it.

What did you think was going to happen?

Or maybe, you knew this was exactly how people were going to react and you accepted that some people are going to be mad at you now, but you’ll be fine. You’ll weather this no problem. Because they’ll forget and forgive, soon enough. You’ll be in good standing with the behemoths, and once this is all over with, people will see you as your charming and down-to-earth self, once more.

I sincerely hope that all those who are crossing the line now and, in the future, never recover from doing so.

That this will always be an ugly stain on their reputations and other celebrities, who can still be friends with them personally, I don’t care, will be like, yeah no about working with you buddy, because that is some stink, they can't have on themselves.

Like I want people to weigh the pros and cons of associating with these scabs and deciding the cons aren’t fucking worth it, at all.

-

In case you couldn't tell I'm very angry and worked up about this

[erica-cannot-draw]

Look at these horrible boring men that I really did not want to draw except for completeness's sake. I'm doing the characters from my shitty story first because I wanted to have a drawing of Jenna and the other characters were the next natural thing. You can tell which one is the antagonist and that the author was an egg simply by using your eyes and brain.

Jarravin is our Boring Boy Protagonist. He isn't very interesting.

In the very early versions of the story when I was still working from a model of "give every character a special talent, like the Baudelaires" his talent was to pick any lock as long as it wasn't "a simple lock and key."

Yes, I intended for the protagonist to be the guy who opens doors.

There are two interesting things about Jarravin, at least:

Due to time travel shenanigans, he is his own father. The major characters of this story are a family whose genetic code is in an incestuous information time loop.

A[redacted] is a clone of him. In fact he is a clone of himself. At a young age he got cut in half by a big laser. The halves were recovered by separate parties and regenerated, but since they each had only half a brain of memories they had to be mind-wiped, but traces of the trauma remained, which were slightly different per hemisphere. Jarravin became timid and reserved and A became cynical and vicious. This is cool in a stupid way, but also I came up with this after deciding that this setting featured souls, and never really noticed that there was any tension there.

Jarravin was adopted by Literally Just Some Guy that time travelers handed him off to in order to have him in the right place at the right time for the story to happen, which is stupid.

A is the guy behind the evil hive mind. (It's not really a hive mind.) A big reason I decided the premise was unsalvageable was there was simply no good reason for him to do that. His motivation was originally so that nobody would suffer as he had (his wife was fake-executed - I'll get to her in another post, she does more than just die) and also he was kind of tilted by that experience, but he also knew how his tech worked and knew it did not prevent suffering, just the outward expression of suffering. (It magnetically contains the soul away from control of the body while still letting it experience sensory inputs.)

When we first meet him he is the principal of the school Jarravin attends, because subtlety is for cowards. He is using some kind of new "discipline extracurricular" (???) as a cover to put students in the not-hive-mind.

Also when I drew him in the past I often gave him power armor that looked like plate armor for some reason. (One of the teachers in the school, if memory serves, actually wore plate armor).

You will notice a pattern, that this story seems oddly visual and not really suitable to being a book.

There is probably more I want to say but fatigue is really catching up to me.

[llycaons]

ep49 (2/3): I wish jgs was alive so we can kill him again (more painfully)

oh jgy is so good. he developed a fake tell for lying so he can deceive his brother more effectively. come to think of it, xy was also a lying liar who tricked the person who trusted him the most and sent him to his death. I'm sensing a theme

...read a fic once where lwj was gravely wounded at nightless and lxc blamed wwx and then killed him because of it. that was juicy as fuck. their relationship didn't recover for years, not until it was revealed wwx secretly survived. that was a parent trap AU. wild time. anyway

a really powerful move to cement him as the shy, loyal yet socially powerless illegitimate son

oh god oh fuck remember how well this was done? they nailed the tragedy and horror SO well

yayyy uncle nephew time. wwx and jl make me so happy they're FAMBLY!

legitimate greivance! but jgy, this isn't a justification for jin zixuan! you murdered one of the only high-ranking jins who actually liked you and treated you with respect

like if he'd killed his dad and zixun he probably would have been fine. guaranteed a high position and zixuan could pressure the rest of the sect to treat him with respect, which he wasn't close enough with nmj to really push the issue on

yep that IS fucked. jgy's resentment is long-held and justifiable

ugh god I don't even want to insult a pig by calling him that. piece of shit!

okay this was a slay move

this isn't helping your case dude. you just admitted to mass murder

I can't even tell if this is an act anymore. does he actually feel regret over any of this? does he rue the loss of his autonomy, his self-respect?

god what a disgusting person for real.

I refuse to post the quasi-kiss because it's nasty but also IT WAS NOT A KISS!!!! flirtatiously transferring fruit between mouths does not a kiss make!!!

fucking losing it. honestly I get it

buddy. lan xichen. you asked.

I forget if I already mentioned it, but the temple scene is really gorgeous. a good place for emotional showdowns, even if they drag a bit

aw fuck yes half-face shot that looks kind of awkward but metaphorically works PERFECTLY. also I complained about people being taken in by him but right here I was like 'okay finally we get some honesty from him! he's admitting he's a shitty person! it still might be an attempt to glean that very pity, but at least-' and then the ominous music starts and we get this shot

and I was like "FOR FUCK'S SAKE YOU JUST DON'T QUIT'

jc, calling to wwx as if he's trustworthy again...hm

lwj how did you come to that conclusion. what do you know about unorthodox qin string storage

WHERE??!!!! in his hand???

oh jeez he's really going for it. that's more blood than he drew from wwx...for once, someone suffers more than wwx (sorry jin ling)

FUNNIEST SHIT IN THE FINALE. jgy ditching his loyal retainer at the first possible opportunity. to quote that one post I know they fucked and su she is following him around bc he's hoping to do it again. and jgy is clearly not above leading people on to keep them devoted to him

oh my godddd

lsz got thrown in for no reason and also wen ning just showed up so the whole gang's here!!!

but seriously why is lsz here. where did he come from? why is he alone? he doesn't even do anything. I suppose it's so he can stare at wwx and clutch his little butterfly toy very tightly but he is blatantly just shoved into the scene for zero plot reason

it's not a complaint because he doesn't interfere or anything, and another trusted lan disciple relaying the truth of what happened in the temple can't hurt, but it's weird

there's jc again. now he trusts wwx again seemingly immediately, relying on him for information and clarification 🥺

[ahungeringknife]

365: February 20

Featuring my friend @noire610's Guardian Rosie

--

Eric had been insanely confused when Savant had shown up at her place and said he had a new girlfriend and Eric needed to come to lunch with them. A girlfriend? Savant only dated guys as far as she knew. But then who was this lady? But she’d gotten dressed and met Savant down in the City at the place he’d told her.

She didn’t know what she was expecting out of this ‘girlfriend’ but what she got wasn’t it. “Hi, I’m Lana O’Toole,” she said. She was average in height but seemed taller by how she held herself and was beautiful with way too much blonde hair and clear sky blue eyes. She didn’t look Savant’s type at all either but Eric wasn’t sure she knew what Savant’s type was when it came to women? That Savant had a type when it came to women. She held her hand out to Eric who shook it.

“Eric Moonheart-

“Oh! You’re her? Savvy’s told me all about you,” Lana said cheerfully.

“Has he now?” Eric said trying to sound chill. Also Savvy? What the fuck???

Savant came out of the restaurant then, “Our table is ready,” he said cheerfully.

Lunch was nice but Eric was wary at first. She knew Savant’s… track record. His luck with men was abysmal to say the least. He just knew how to pick the worst ones every time. Did he have the same problem with women? Eric could usually tell by the first or second meeting because she was a better judge of character than Savant. They sat for lunch and started talking and by the time entrées came around Eric had loosened up and wasn’t watching so hawkishly for Lana to do something shitty. She didn’t need to. She genuinely seemed nice!

As lunch drew to a close Savant got up to go pay leaving the girls alone. “I’m so glad we finally got to hang out,” Lana said with a smile. “Savvy talks about you all the time. It’s why I made sure he brought you, I was dying to know who this girl was.”

Eric didn’t tell Lana this was the first time she’d been mentioned. She knew Savant usually… waited a bit before introducing his partners to Eric. Mostly because he wanted to get smashed without her needling him that the guy he was dating sucked. “Well I hope I lived up to the hype,” Eric chuckled.

“I can tell you care a lot about Savant,” she said in such a kind way it took Eric aback.

“I do. He’s really important to me,” Eric said.

“Yes I know because of how much he talks about you,” Lana laughed. “Trust me, I am not here to mess that up.”

Eric blinked. “Yeah okay you can stay,” she said and Lana laughed again.

“Is the bar that low?”

“Girl the bar is on the floor.”

“He did mention something like that,” Lana allowed.

“I’m surprised by you honestly,” Eric said. “He’s mostly into guys. Didn’t expect a Warlock Barbie-

“Oh! You know about Golden Age stuff too?” Lana asked excitedly.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry that took so long,” Savant said, appearing again and sat next to Lana.

“Savvy, Savvy, we need to watch some Golden Age movies with Eric,” Lana said excitedly.

“Hmm? Which ones?”

“Those live action Barbie ones. Eric called me Warlock Barbie,” Lana said excited in a way that only Warlocks got that Eric was so fond of.

“She did! Shit… you really are,” Savant said gravely making Eric and Lana laugh.

“Heather, head back to my place and get the files prepped,” Lana said to her glittering baby pink Ghost.

“Now?” Eric asked though she didn’t know why she bothered. She was dealing with two excitable Warlocks who were now babbling about Golden Age movies she’d never heard of. Before she knew it they were leaving the restaurant and Eric was being dragged along.

Savant stopped them along the way. “Hold on,” he said.

“What?” Lana complained.

“Eric’s ‘bed time’ is usually in an hour and a half,” and he dragged Eric back down the street to a cafe Eric had been to enough times to recognize on sight as Daybreak Delights.

“It’s fine,” Eric tried to insist.

“I know Lana would be upset if you fell asleep during a movie watch and you’d feel guilty you couldn’t enjoy it because you were trying to stay awake: so yes,” he gently shoved her up to the counter.

Eric only knew the EXO at the counter because she came here often enough to be a regular but she wouldn’t call herself and Rosie friends. “What’s that about?” the Warlock blinked at her and looked at Savant behind her in confusion, recognizing Eric.

“Annoying boyfriend,” Eric said dismissively. “Can I just get two of my usual?”

Rosie gave her a look that Eric knew was about as much of a ‘squint’ as EXOs could manage. “That’s a lot of caffeine and you’re little,” she said.

“I’ll drink one later,” Eric whined. “I need to stay awake for a Warlock movie binge,” she complained.

“Ohhhh. Yeah you’ll need it,” Rosie giggled and went about making Eric’s regular which had enough caffeine in it to almost kill a Lightless child. Ghostie produced a cube of glimmer that was absolutely more than the two coffee drinks were worth. Rosie came back shortly with one hot and one cold version of her usual drink. “Here we go.”

“At last, a smart Warlock,” Eric sighed with a grin as she took the drinks.

Rosie giggled. “Don’t tell the others,” and she winked at Eric. “Have fun,” and she waved her off.

Eric went back outside where Savant was talking with Lana. They were talking at Warlock Speed which was too fast for even Eric to keep up with because it was about their special interests. “Okay I’m ready,” Eric said.

“Great, let’s go,” and unthinking Savant took her cold coffee so she didn’t have to carry it but grabbed Lana’s hand. Eric sipped her coffee as they headed back to the Wall listening to the two Warlocks babble about Golden Age movies.

[overnightheartbeats]

Her question had him further considering his answer, building on what he was already thinking to himself anyway. It was an odd effect, the way she easily drew the truth out of him. One look and he was undone. "Well, no. Most of the time, yes - feedback never hurts. Some people run with it though, the opportunity to give feedback turns into telling them every shitty thought you've ever had of them. So, 50/50 I'd say." He raised an eyebrow at the comment, completely interrupting his train of thought. "Your comments are that harsh huh? I should brace myself then, but you don't kick puppies..right? Unfortunately, that's kind of a deal breaker for me." Her teasing smile was adorable. Was the thought of extra credit amusing her? What a nerd. "Hey, I'll take anything to help me pass your unofficial class." Words he never thought he'd hear himself say. But, the way her smile only grew wider, it amused him (maybe even scared him). The way she could get him to do anything with a simple smile. Uh oh, he had said something wrong already, hadn't he? Oh wait, nope. Lydia couldn't remain serious long enough to make him believe. It was true. He didn't have another choice. Well, he could go. Call it a night, and go their separate ways, but Aaron was too far in. So, her way was right. His arms went up, surrendering immediately. He was in for a trip, he could already tell. "Well, alright. No choice it is, I'll find some way to make it work though. Don't worry about it." Aaron was determined to try, to give himself a shot. Part of him worried that both him and Lydia had too much in their respective lives, skeletons in your closet and all that. Things that may come back to haunt them, and make this more complicated. Failed marriages connected them, it wasn't a stretch to think things may come along. Perhaps, he was getting ahead of himself. Aaron just couldn't shake the feeling away, that Lydia was more than one date. The conversation going on for hours, the laughter and smiles, even the oversharing he had started - it all had to mean something. "Bad?" His nose scrunched up, was it bad? Oh, this was embarrassing. "Not used to it, yeah I guess I stand out that way." he half-teased. "Glad to hear you're adaptable, I fear my list of weird comments can only grow. You let me know if it gets too..funky."

Aaron shook his head at her remark, and there it was. The famed extra credit assignment, a lot of work laid ahead. He rested his chin on his palm, a smirk adorning his lips. "Just had a feeling. On it boss," he said, with a playful military salute. "I'll have to gather my cleaning supplies." Another laugh earned, he should start collecting these like badges. Tally how many times he's made her laugh. "Oh yikes...no, my mom would kill me if I didn't at least learn. She's very insistent on us being independent and what not. I prefer a steamer though, those handheld ones are super useful." And since when was he a walking advertisement for steamers? Snap out of it. "I will take care of those wrinkles, no problem." The word promise wasn't in there, and still - the words felt heavy. He worried a bit, worried he would fail miserably. It had happened once before.

Lydia leaned in and her eyes never left his. She was listening to him. It was a nice feeling, having someone who was actually paying attention to you. Actually listening, instead of just waiting for you to stop talking so they could say the next thing. It was nice to have that attention again, without the eyes full of pity staring back at him. Oh poor Aaron, they left him you know? Or, it's terrible, divorced already. I heard his wife ran off with someone else. It was all he had been hearing lately, at the family gatherings or around friends. Things with his ex-wife, they were done. For a long time, Aaron let his melancholy drive him. Love was a complicated feeling. He felt deep regret that it didn't work, wishful thoughts of what he could've done better or changed about their relationship. But love, it had faded. Like an old paper cut. You could never see it, but it stung here and there. Vanessa was that paper cut. Just an old reminder of what had caused him so much pain. "Silly things that are costing me now though. It's crazy." A weaker chuckle left his lips, if only Vanessa shared the same idea that Lydia did. "Right? I mean, I thought we were still doing fun things, or maybe not." Once again, he was losing himself in his thoughts and what-ifs. Analyzing a situation that had no change. Until he heard her voice, she continued talking and it snapped him out of his spiral. "No no, you're not crossing a line at all. I appreciate the honesty, it's nice to hear after only hearing I told you so. Apparently most of my friends and family shared an opinion about her. I guess you're right though, that she just needed to get out." Now it was his turn to learn, Aaron just hoped he didn't inadvertently pressured her to overshare like he had. His gaze remained on her, head only tilting slightly - all his attention was on her. Nothing could distract him. Wow, this guy was a piece of work. He was shocked. Floored. And Aaron could only hope that his expressions were not giving him away. But wow. Who even was this guy? If Aaron thought Vanessa left him with baggage, Lydia's ex had left the whole suitcase set. His lawyer? His mouth felt dry as Lydia continued talking, wait was his mouth open? The shock was evident apparently. "Wow...that's, a shit ton." Frankly, no other way to put it. Holy shit. "Props to you, honestly. He really put you through a lot, he sounds like a nasty piece of work. Lucky you got out when you did and, I may be connecting all the wrong dots, but it sounds like he may have been on some destructive journey. I am glad you're here..now, that he didn't take you down with him. He may have taken the lawyer, but not you. Eh," he shrugged as her next comment. "I mean, I never thought lawyers were all that smart. Seems you just proved my point, I mean..a kid. Woah." A low whistle left his lips, the thought of a child stuck with a dad like that...poor kid. Aaron could only nod when she smiled once more, oversharing was over huh. He didn't mind at all, these conversations weren't really meant for a coffee shop in his opinion. More like a bar, with some drinks in hand. "Greener pasture indeed, and does the greener pasture include lower tolerance for bullshit or?" He'd assume yes, which meant he had to thread carefully, but who knows - maybe she was like him, still deciding if his experience completely changed his outlook on relationships.

He felt content here, felt at peace while they sat here. It was a new feeling for him, one that had been dormant for some time. Her hand din't move away, and Aaron was in no rush to change that. He remained still, trying to not startle her out of moving back. "You got it boss, I'll take meticulous notes." He felt a warmth in his chest, the odd butterfly waking up in his stomach only to zoom around. As if to alert every other butterfly, hey wake up! he's feeling something again! "Not doubting, just double checking before I jump in. Isn't that the safe thing to do?" He gave his best innocent smile, the kind that would sometimes get him out of trouble. "I don't know specifically, just wondering you know. If I'm the first to receive a warning about moving forward." Her question prompted one of his own though. "Have you dated a lot though, after your ex-husband?

“Are you sure about that?" Lydia questioned with narrowed eyes. "You should have seen the faces of the newer assistants when they first started. They looked at me as though I'd kicked in their puppy." Constructive criticism, the higher-ups had told her. That was what she provided. Honestly, she shouldn't have been lumbered with them anyway; she had too much to do and not enough time as it was. If they were that sensitive to their own mistakes then that was their own problem to deal with, not hers. It's not like she was horrible about it. Just a matter of fact, which seemed to be the problem. Either way, she didn't care too much. Most of them never stayed that long anyway. Her brows rose when Aaron mentioned not being an extra credit kind of guy, another teasing smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she was about to playfully suggest, 'Oh, I see? You do not think I'm worth the extra credit then?' as a joke, but he clearly had a change of heart at the last minute which earned a laugh from her. “I’ll see what we can do about that then. You almost had me convinced there that you didn’t want it,” she quipped back jokingly, shaking her head a little to herself as Lydia failed to wipe the smile off of her face. On the other hand, she had been a teacher’s pet during her school years. Top of the class, highest marks, early graduation, the lot. The grin etched all across Aaron’s lips was truly contagious. It made her mirror his expression too, by default. She didn’t even need to try, nor did she even have to think about trying. It all came so naturally to her. He made it so easy which was definitely…different. Lydia liked the way he made her feel which was, well, a number of different things. “Ohhh. You could work with that?” she parroted his words, trying to sound semi serious but it was futile — she had no other choice but to crack up as she went on to say, “You have no other choice but to work with that.” Of course, she would say something like that. In a lot of instances, she would have been serious. In her world, what she said went — no questions asked. She was too stubborn for her own good and that could be a problem to plenty of people. Lydia liked things in order and meticulous, and would not stand for anything less than perfection. Which was hilarious, really, considering what her life had in fact become but she tried not to think of that in too much detail. It would only burst the little bubble she created for herself. A bubble that seemed to be…expanding or opening as such as Aaron was managing to slowly nestle his way into it. Honestly, she really was surprised at how easy it all was; he was just so easy to talk to and get along with. She couldn't remember the last time it was so easy to talk to someone like this, to get to know them better. Even with each other's differing opinions at times, they were always respectful. The way it should be. But even when their opinions dffered, it still felt like he could read her mind. It felt weird, starting all over again, like a new book. A new chapter. “A little weird but not necessarily...bad,” Lydia admitted with a small shrug as she mulled over it. She pulled a face at the word 'bad.' There were plenty of other words and that was the one she had chosen. Why did it matter? She was literally saying it wasn't a bad thing. Stop thinking. “No, don’t be sorry! It’s nice. It’s just…something I’m not used to, I suppose. Not to worry, I can get used to it. I am quite adaptable, you know.”

The more Lydia thought about her failed marriage, the more it pissed her off. It was doomed from the start, really. And she met her ex-husband whilst she was grieving the loss of her mother. She needed to escape. A distraction. And he provided her with that. Maybe going as far as detaching herself from her family and marrying the guy without even telling her siblings she was engaged was a bit much. Everyone grieved in their own ways, coped however they see fit and so she did. But it turned out the man she married was not the man she thought he was. Merely an illusion. She hadn’t realised how deeply he was involved in his criminal antics and when she did find out, he completely flipped. Suffice it to say, things hadn’t been the same since. Oh, who was she kidding? They were doomed from the start. She only wished the wool had been yanked from her eyes at the first opportunity instead of all those wasted years. It only made her discern just how much bullshit she tolerated. Every time she was snapped at for asking a simple question that resulted in a volatile argument, how she was always wrong for asking questions to begin with. There were good moments but she couldn't remember which good moments weren't tainted by the bad. They almost always resulted in an argument because he was always trying to hide some other shit from her and she was frustrated knowing he was up to no good as always. How she put up with it for so long, she would never know. Never again. It was probably why she had a low tolerance threshold for lies, deceit, and general bullshit or messing about. It was why she'd been rather comfortable being alone, remaining single. No drama that way. She could please herself. Up until now that was. Maybe it was time to have a change of heart...maybe. She didn't want to jump too soon. "Ah! You got me there. How did you know?" she exclaimed emphatically, her eyebrows shot up in an exaggerated arch and her expression wore a mask of astonishment. Even added a gasp for effect. "Damn it, Aaron. Spoiling the surprise details of your extra credit assignment, wow. I can't believe it." An addition to a joke from earlier in the conversation. She chuckled softly in response to his quip regarding his mother teaching him to iron, her laughter serving as a subtle affirmation of their shared sense of humour. She admired his determination; it seemed as though he had an snswer for everything. Quite like herself. "That's a relief. You would be surprised by how many grown adults have no idea how to use an iron. I am not the biggest fan of ironing so I'm happy to hand over my wrinkles into your specialist hands." The thought amused her endlessly.

What Lydia did not expect, however, was how open he was about his divorce and the reasons why his marriage ended/failed. This man really was a barrel of surprises, always keeping her guessing, unable to predict his next move. She noticed the slight change in his demeanor, the way his shoulders slackened. No witty retorts, even a sigh. Had she overstepped the mark by asking how long it had been for him? She never thought so, otherwise, she wouldn't have asked. But she was about to tell him he didn't have to answer but Aaron had already started talking. She leaned forward slightly, her gaze intently focused on him, eyes soft and receptive. It hadn't been what she expected to hear, but she couldn't help but appreciate his honesty. How he must have felt comfortable enough to share this information with her, especially so early on. The way he talked about it made her wonder whether he was truly over his ex-wife. Being together with someone for so long...it wasn't a reach. First loves had a profound effect on you. And by the sound of it, it was her who wanted the divorce. They were lingering questions in the back of Lydia's mind, and normally the kind that she would ask outright. However, it was still very early days and she wasn't sure she had the right to ask such questions. And why potentially ruin the lovely time they had so far? How to reply to that, though, was a good question. "We all do silly things when we're young and in love, like marrying someone," she offered. "I never did understand why people think you don't have to do anything fun as soon as you're married to someone. Being married doesn't mean you have to become boring...though, forgive me if I'm crossing a line because, of course, I know nothing about the circumstances. But...from what you've told me, it sounds like she was using any and every reason to go. And you deserve better than that." The question was directed to her now and she scoffed a humourless laugh at the thought. Where did she even begin with her story? Lydia could simply gloss over it and give him a timeframe like the question originally had asked. But he was so forthcoming with her, she felt no reason not to share the same. Besides, she had no problem telling anyone about what a waste of space her ex-husband was. "Timewise, I think we've been divorced around, hmm... four and a half, five years maybe. Separated five, five and a half. I don't really recall. But I think the relationship was pretty messed up well before that - I just did not realise it at the time." She paused to take a breath, pursing her lips together in a thin line. The thought of him made her blood boil, even now. "He happened to be there when I lost my mother. And I needed to get out of my head, away from everything. You know? And he did. But I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Just jumped right in; I was an idiot." She rolled her eyes at herself. "The man I married did not exist. I mean of course he was. But he had never been completely honest with me. It turned out he was involved with...a lot of illegal stuff. Stuff I could probably ruin his life with if I wanted to, but I do not have the energy. I put up with a lot from him, I think. I was so naive, it's funny really, how silly I was. Anyway, I found out...found out a lot of things actually. A drunken one-night stand with my sister, another thing. She didn't know I was even married, let alone to him, so I could never fault her for that. Found out they had a brief thing back in highschool - obviously, I didn't know or else I would never have even - ugh." Her face contorted with disgust. "How I never ditched his ass after that whole fiasco, I will never know. It became a constant cycle of arguments. He had a bad temper, though he never hurt me physically. The rows could be pretty explosive." This felt a lot like oversharing...but he'd made it so easy to tell him. And she had no reason to keep anything a secret.

"Anyway, I digress. The final straw was when I discovered he was having an affair with his lawyer. I found the texts on his phone. Not that I went snooping, for the record. I was working on something at home and I thought it was my phone. Confronted him about it and he didn't even deny it. And that was it; I finally reached my breaking point. Apparently, she 'understood him' in ways I never did. To top it all off, he got her knocked up with his kid. Poor child." The way she spoke was almost clinical, like she was delivering the details of an autopsy, or findings from an investigation or examination. Nonchalant, matter-of-fact, near monotonous. Mostly. Sometimes, there was obviously a bitter bite to some of the things she described. She could never be completely emotionless - but she made a hell of a good attempt. A sardonic laugh escaped her lips, devoid of any warmth, leaving a sour aftertaste in her mouth. "Better her than me, I must say." As far as she knew, Lydia heard through the grapevine that the relationship didn't last either. Which granted her a sick sense of satisfaction, knowing that she wasn't the problem after all. Clearing her throat, a hint of a more genuine smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she said, a bit more cheerful, "Here's to greener pasture, yes?"

She hadn't even noticed how she reached for him until she felt another rush of warmth flood through her and her eyes briefly drifted to where it was. Though she made no effort to move. Again, surprising herself; she had never been the overly affectionate type. Again, this was different. Again, this was new. "If you hear something other than a hollow echo, I urge you to report your findings immediately." Lydia gave Aaron's arm a gentle squeeze for added effect, her smile morphing into a small grin. "Are you doubting me and my intentions, Aaron? Why would I set you up for failure? Think that highly of me, do you?" Another laugh passed as she considered his question. "Who is everyone? How many first dates do you think I've been on?"

[twinkleimagines]

* Don’t be jealous princess*

You and Drew have been dating for over a year now, you had actually gotten together right after Chase and Maddie has. Usually you weren’t the jealous type but when you noticed that your boyfriend spent more time with Your shared friend Maddie than he did with you it had started to bother you.

“ hey chase” you spoke as you saw your friend and coworker from the show OBX’s face pop up on your screen.

“ howdie y/n what’s up?” He responded running his hands through his hair fluffing it out.

“ howdie howdie” you responded smiling down at your phone. “ I was gonna go live later this afternoon on the obx page and I was gonna see if you and Maddie wanted to join me at some point” you responded , flopping down on your sofa.

“ uhm duh” he beamed out.

“ awesome “ you responded nodding your head . “ where is Maddie ?”

“ oh she’s at Drew’s” you sat still for a Monet, your brows furrowing together.

“ huh” you responded, a frown placing on your face. “ that’s funny” you responded. It was really to yourself but Chase heard you.

“ what?” He asked getting curious himself.

“ Drew hasn’t talked to me all day” you responded softly, the expression showing clear on your face.

“ oh” was all chase could say, not really knowing what to say.

“ does it not bother you?”

“ what?”

“ they’re Always together Chase. “ you responded. Chase sighed heavily looking out one of his bedroom windows , thinking how to respond to your statement .

“ well, we’re all so close . The whole group. And they live in the same apartment complex. I’m also always busy so I can’t be around as much. “ you nodded slightly agreeing with him.

“ but” chases interrupted causing you to look back up at the phone. “ Drew could at least tell you he’s with her. If Maddie didn’t tell me and didn’t text me all day that would definitely have me worrying. “

“ I know! I feel like all day I’m fighting for his attention and they’re always together. It use to not bother me but when I’m waiting until the end of the day to hear from Drew just to find out he’s been with her all day is beyond annoying”. Chase nodded sighing heavily. You could tell by what all you were saying was starting to cause a concern for him as well.

“ I’m sorry chase I just-“

“ no no I get it y/n I do” he responded . “ I don’t personally think there is anything going on between the two of them but I would talk with Drew just to clear up and confusion and stuff” he suggested . You both spoke for another 30 minutes before hanging up. You sighed before attempting to call Drew, his phone going straight to voicemail which only angered you. You sighed with frustration as you dialed maddies number, pressing speaker as you waited for her to answer.

“ hey y/n” she responded with her bubbly voice.

“ hey” you responded kind of stern. It was honestly harder than you thought it would be to hide the envious of her being with your boyfriend .

“ what’s up you okay?” She asked , noticing the tone in your voice.

“ yeah” you responded, hardly convincing. “ where’s Drew?” You asked .

“ hold on” she said her tone lowering .

“ here Drew, it’s y/n” she said . You could hear her say in the back ground ‘ I think she’s upset’ before you heard Drew answer.

“ hey princess” he responded. You frowned, you were so happy to hear his voice but you wanted to be with him so bad and you hated how you were feeling jealous over his friendship with Maddie.

“ hey babe” you sighed out. “ what are you doing?”

“ I brought Maddie some of mommas casserole and then we’ve been playing board games. What are you up to princess ?” You rolled your eyes of the image of Drew and Maddie playing board games but quickly shook your head pushing those angered thoughts away.

“ well…. I was waiting on you” you replied softly, messing with the strings on your pajama shorts .

“ waiting on me?” He responded . You scoffed slightly. Of course he’d forget.

“ my OBX live is within the next hour, you were going to come over remember ? “ you exclaimed.

“ ahh… shit princess I’m sorry my phones been dead so I hadn’t even paid attention to the time. I’ll come over” he said moving around.

“ No no it’s okay, you won’t get here in time anyways..” there was a moment of silence between the two of you before Drew spoke up excitedly.

“ you can just add me and Maddie to your live!” He suggested excitedly . You pushed your lips together in frustration, squinting your eyes In anger.

“ yeah sure ok” you responded without much enthusiasm but Drew hadn’t caught on.

“ awesome princess I’ll charge my phone okay I love you “ he said .

“ I love you too” you said before hanging up.

“ ughhh” you groaned before throwing yourself back against your couch.

****

“ okay thanks chase we’re gonna bring Maddie and Drew on next ! “ you said into your phone. You had been on Instagram live with chase for a good 45 minutes , answering wild questions from the fans , waiting for Drew to text you that they were ready to come in the live .

“ okay love you y/n bye guys!” Chase said before ending his side of the chat.

“ okay let’s get Drew and Maddie on” you said quietly before biting your bottom lip as you searched Drew’s name in the view list .

“There they are!” You beamed before clicking Drew’s name .

“ hiiiiii!” Maddie said excitedly waving into the camera. Drew was sitting next to her on her couch, waving into the camera. You could feel the jealously pooling back through but this time you really had to hide it since over 20k people were watching . You had only been 5 minutes into it with Drew and Maddie when you started noticing comments from the views mentioning how it was weird that Drew was with Maddie and not you. You had even seen one comment

‘DREW- why are you not with your GF????’

You watched Madelyns face to see if she would notice the comments too and you could tell she had seeing as her smile went away. The live didn’t last much longer considering most the comments were nothing but shaming Drew and Madelyn for being together and not with you or Chase. It blew your mind since the fans never really pointed it out when it was chase on live with them but when it was you it was like that’s all they could speak on.

***

You were awoken from your nap to the sound of your doorbell ringing, your living room dark as it was night time.

“ coming” you said pulling one of Drews t-shirt down that he had left over at your house.

“ hey princess “ Drew said as you opened the door, a set of flowers. You were honestly very excited to see him, but being annoyed as to how much he’s being leaving your out for Madelyn was over powering your excitement.

“ thanks” you mumbled while grabbing the bouquet of flowers before stepping out of the door way letting him in.

“ I’m sorry I’m sent here for the live but I figured movie night can make up for it “ he said, his tall figure slouching down pecking your cheek.

“ sure” you answered walking towards your kitchen, grabbing a glass of water.

“ comedy? Horror?” Drew questioned following behind you. You sighed as you felt his large hands wrap around your waste, “ romance” he said seductively in your ear. You pushed his hands away stepping away from him.

“ Drew stop” you said walking towards your counter, pushing your hair behind your hair.

“ princess what’s wrong?” He asked, genuinely concerned. You furrowed your eyebrows, almost in anger at the fact he was being so clueless to it all.

“ really drew?” You responded . You really didn’t want to be one of those toxic controlling girlfriends, but you knew if you didn’t bring it to attention it was going to honestly eat you alive.

“Y/n what’s wrong?” He stated straight into his figure up looking at you with confusion.

“ ugh” you scoffed, throwing your hands up. “ isn’t it obvious?” Drew just looked at you dumbfounded and completely lost.

“ I miss my boyfriend “ you stated , leaning back against the counter , looking down at the floor.

“ what? Princess what are you talking about?” He said walking towards you.

“ we’ll drew, we’ve been together for over a year and yet you’re with Madelyn more than you are with me. And it’s becoming like an excessive amount.” You stated, pushing your hair back. He chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

“ are you fucking laughing ?” You scolded pushing yourself up off the counter .

“ yes I am “ he stated crossing his arms as he propped himself against the counter next to you. “ are you jealous?” He replied in a mocking tone, clearly amused. You went to speak but nothing coming out as you didn’t know how to respond.

“ don’t be jealous princess”

You rolled your eyes before brushing past him, purposely brushing your shoulder into his bicep since his figured towered over you. “ whatever Drew don’t take me serious then” you spatted out before flopping down on your couch , pulling your phone out.

“ princess I do take you serious” he said before standing in front of you , looking down at you. “ it’s just you’re so cute when you’re jealous, especially when you have nothing to be jealous about” he replied before grabbing your hands, pulling you up to stand with him. “ all of us are just such close friends, and Madelyn lives below me so we’re just closest to eachother when we need company. There’s nothing going on between us princess you never have to worry about that” you looked over looking around in your kitchen, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

“ I don’t mean to be jealous” you said still not making Eye contact. “ but when my boyfriend is with another girl s day and can’t even call me or text me at all the whole day… kind of hard to not question things. “ he sighed heavily nodding.

“ yeah honestly that was kind of shitty of me. I got lost in time and I had my phone up and - it doesn’t matter. I’ll do better princess. “ he said before leaning down to kiss your lips. You sighed with relief into the kiss, wrapping your arms tightly around his abdomen, pulling his muscular figure against yours. You giggled as he moved his lips from your cheek down to your neck , and then back up again to peck a quick one on the tip of your nose.

“ so” he said , holding your face in his hands. “ comedy, horror, or romance?” He asked again, with a big smirk playing on his face. You shrugged knowing the smile he was giving meant you guys weren’t going to make it through the movie anyways.

“ what ever “ you responded staring at his plump bottom lip, fantasizing about pressing against it once again.

“ whatever” he mocked before leaning down again to kiss you, this time his hands landing on your bottom, giving it a squeeze.

~~~~~~~~

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