#but shes arguably at her most interesting when she spends a night at the club with sylvia and we get more of an idea of her as a person | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nudgeling · 1 year ago

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The story of how the Broken Hearts Club came together was really nothing more than a string of unrelated events that by sheer coincidence managed to overlap just enough for three hurt destructive fools to band together. The Frog, Log and the Dog. Pearl, Martyn and Ren. It was really quite anticlimactic in retrospect, nothing that would compare to the utter carnage they would eventually leave in their wake. Every villain has an origin story, doesn't always mean it’s an interesting one. No disasters, no torture, no big betrayals… just college.

Martyn was first. When Cleo had broken up with him, only the most frivolous of incels would have said he took it well. The five stages of grief was a slip n’ slide of bad decisions. There was the denial by pretending they were still an item around even some of his closest friends. After all that had been cleared up he'd get into screaming matches with her over the smallest things, which more often than not ended in spewing out unfair insults that hit way too close to home. Cleo was guilty of that one too, but she was never the instigator. Later, much later, Martyn would cringe at his behavior, despite it being dwarfed by all the things to come.

He was well on his way through the 'bargaining' phase on the day of the pool party. Lately he'd been bending over backwards to be granted even a minute of Cleo's time, time he would then spend pulling every trick in the book to try and convince her to get back together. It never worked, obviously. Once it even earned him a sock in the face. He knew he deserved it.

He'd also picked up a nasty habit of… well, there was no sugarcoating it. Spying. Not quite stalking, he hadn’t gone so far as to follow her every move, but when they happened to be at the same place at the same time his attention was rather tunnel-visioned.

The pool party was no exception. They had both gotten a separate invite, seeing as they were both good friends of the hosts. Either Bdubs and Impulse hadn’t figured out the extent of how destructive their break-up had been yet, or they'd simply caved beneath indecisiveness and invited them both anyways in hopes that one of them would decline. But lo and behold, neither one did.

Martyn made the unfortunate choice of driving there, meaning that he had chained himself to sobriety. It was fine at first, but the more the general intoxication levels increased, the more it just felt like hell. The music choice was nothing but popular party-clichés blasted on a way too high volume, the crowd was too large and consisted of a majority of drunks-of-their-asses college students, and while the bbq was nice at first, it had been completely unattended to since the booze had circulated enough times among the 'responsible' group. It didn’t help that the hosts were the healthiest loving couple at the entire school, and that Cleo seemed to be having genuinely fun; laughing and dancing all night with a pretty cyan-haired man.

Martyn hadn’t approached her yet. Probably wouldn’t, either. He still had morals beneath all the heartache, and sense enough to know that causing a scene could put a real damper on the festivities everyone else seemed to enjoy. Adding to that, his face still stung from their latest encounter and he wasn’t keen on collecting another black eye so soon. One he could pull off, but two just made you look stupid.

However, he could only take so much before giving into another one of his vices: smoking. It was unhealthy, yes, but arguably better than the alternative of letting his anger fester. (aside from the option of straight up leaving, but that didn’t even occur to him at the time. Or maybe it did, and he refused to acknowledge it)

He went to the front of the house, away from the backyard where the party took place, to light one up. Impulse generally didn’t approve of the practice, and Martyn didn’t trust himself not to get into an argument at the moment. The music and loud chatter of drunk students could still be heard from his spot, but they were less all-consuming. Muted. Instead his world became the view of the undisturbed street and the quaint suburban houses that surrounded it. Ignoring the life behind him, it was a nice peaceful night. The stars were even out. He felt goosebumps prick his skin from a chill breeze as he put the cigarette to his lips and waited for the faux relaxation to overtake him.

He didn’t get that far though.

Bright yellow light and the sharp volume of the party cut through his tranquil existence as the front door flung open. He caught the tail end of Bdub's voice yelling "-get OUT!", before a person was shoved out into the night. They were a red blur that stumbled forward a couple steps before falling flat on their face in the street. The door shut with a loud BANG that made them both jump.

And so the peaceful night was back. Ish. It wasn’t that weird of a situation, really. Someone got drunk, maybe got a bit too argumentative or handsy, and was kicked out. Wasn’t that uncommon on events like these. Still, it was a sudden enough event to snap Martyn out of whatever moody pit his love sickness had dug for him, if only for a moment.

"Hey, uh, you alright there?" he asked, stepping carefully towards the figure. He could see now that they wore a bright red hoodie and had long frazzled brown hair that splayed out and scattered over the street floor.

They muttered a string of slurry unintelligible words as a response while shakily trying to push themself up. They failed, falling right back on their face.

"Want some help there mate?" It wasn't really an offer he expected they would refuse, so even as he said it he was walking over, flicking the still burning cigarette to the ground.

"I'm fine," the figure slurred. It was a female voice, and seemed to carry some kind of accent, but that could’ve just been the alcohol. Martyn found it very familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on where he'd heard it.

"Sure you are. Here." He reached out his hand.

For a couple of seconds she just laid there, watching the hand with blue glinting eyes under the shadow of her hood. Then she finally gave in, and out of the oversized jumper's arm slipped a pale small hand that took Martyn's. Despite her reluctance, his help was clearly needed since he was basically lifting her back up to her feet. From so close the stinking smell of booze was really quite intense, and Martyn instinctively wrinkled his nose.

"Christ, how much did you-" He paused. He got his first proper look at her face. It was wet from tears and her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was plastered to her skin from sweat. But more peculiar was that she looked an awfully lot like… "Pearl?"

She broke into a hollow smile. "That'sss my name, don't wear it out!" She lifted her hands to do finger guns, thereby losing her grip on his arms and her balance with it.

"Woah!" Martyn reached out and caught her just before hitting the ground.

"Oops. Sssorry." She broke out into giggles.

"Oh jeez, you're really out of it. I thought you didn’t drink, what did you do?"

"Got my heart broken, that’s what I did!" Her voice and expression were unnervingly joyful for that statement. His heart twisted in sympathy and he went to answer, but she went on.

"What is a girl supposed to do with that, stay sober? Well, I could, but then I'd feel miserable and I don’t want that. I feel great now! I'm not even thinking about Scott! Or Cleo! Or how all my friends have left me and I'm all alone. I… I'm great! Awesome."

"Wait, what was that about Cleo?"

"Not thinking about it!" she said in a sing-songy voice - completely ignoring him - with a smile on her face.

"Oh, brother."

He wrapped one arm securely around Pearl's shoulders while pulling out his phone with the available hand.

"Whaddaya doing?" Pearl slurred from his side.

"Calling your brother."

"No!" With great resolution she reached out and flapped the phone with her hand. It caught him so off-guard it nearly fell out of his grip.

"What are you doing!?"

"No Grian!"

She kept reaching for the phone, and Martyn had to apply remarkable strength to keep the drunk woman from slapping it out of his hand or pushing them both to the ground.

"Fine, FINE! No Grian!"

"Promise?"

"Yes, yes, I promise, now please calm yourself!"

She immediately slumped back into his side. All resolve left her eyes and left them glassy and unfocused. A dumb grin spread on her face, smiling at nothing at particular.

There was simply no way she was making it home on her own. Grian was apparently out of the picture, and seeing as she had been kicked out of the house alone, there was probably no one to her help here either. Which only left… him.

Cleo's loud barking laugh cut over the music and raucous chattering. A genuine laugh. Unbothered. While Martyn was a heartbroken mess, she was just… moving on. Like their three years didn’t even matter. Maybe they didn’t, for her.

The music got quieter and quieter as Martyn headed for his car with Pearl leaning on his shoulder.

________

The ride was quiet except for the low rumbling engine and Pearl's steady snoring. She had passed out within seconds of getting in the back seat, and Martyn wasn’t really in the mood for radio music.

The situation was… weird. Very weird. Pearl-freaking-Moon was passed out in his back seat, and from alcohol at that! They’d never really been friends, but they’d been around each other quite a bit when he used to hang out with the Hermits. She had always just been "Grian's sister" to him, though. He remembered her as a friendly and funny character that could match Grian's chaotic energy with ease whenever she wished to, but falling back into a reserved laid-back presence when she didn’t. He liked her, but he had his friend circle, and she had hers. Outside of group hangouts they never conversed more than the occasional small talk. Sometimes she tagged along to a party with them but never drank, although from the outside you'd never be able to tell. She kept up with their antics well enough without any influence, so he could only imagine what ruckus she had caused whilst being properly drunk.

Another thing that kept circling in his mind was her mention of Cleo and this "Scott" person. Could it be the cyan-haired man? Did she find a new partner already? He didn't know how to feel about that, honestly. He liked to imagine it was to make him jealous, or an 'inbetween' to get over him. Jumping into a serious relationship so soon seemed a bit weird, even for her. If it even was a relationship at all. If they even knew each other. All he really knew was that Pearl had gotten her heart broken by a "Scott" and that she also had reason to be upset with Cleo. He could very well just be jumping to conclusions.

After about half an hour of driving he suddenly realized that he didn’t know where Pearl lived.

"Shit. Hey Pearl?"

No response except more snores.

"Pearl! PEARL!"

Nothing.

Martyn sighed and dragged his hand down his face. He could call Grian. Maybe he should call Grian, but her earlier objections about it made him uneasy. He didn’t know any of her friends who wouldn’t have been at the party, which really only left him with two options. Dropping her over at the police… or his living room couch.

It didn’t really feel like a choice at the time. Only later, way later, did he wish that he’d chosen to do anything else than bringing her home that night.

#found this in my documents #had completley forgotten about this idea but i kinda dig it #anyone interested in seeing a continuation?#pearlescentmoon #inthelittlewood #trafficblr #doublelife #double life fanfic #tw alcohol #nudge.writing

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atlanticcanada · 1 year ago

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'I walk every day': New Brunswick outdoorsman proves age is just a number

It doesn’t matter the time of day or the weather conditions, Bill Mayo will find a way to keep moving.

“On a rainy day I have two machines in my apartment that I can get on and peddle and at night, if I watch TV, I can sit on a bicycle thing and watch TV,” he said.

Mayo also frequents local trails, the mall if he needs a change of scenery during bad weather, and around town.

Given his lifestyle and attitude, Mayo is proving that age really is just a number.

“I just forget I’m 90,” he laughed. “I walk every day, somewhere.”

His love of nature and being active started at a very young age. At just 10-years-old, Mayo would help his dad cut down and sell wood and they’d spend time together camping and on a fishing vessel.

Ever since, the outdoors is where Mayo likes to be.

“When I drove to Florida, I stopped at every village and asked people about trails and if it was interesting enough, I would go and do it,” he said.

“My wife would have to stay in the car though because she had trouble walking.”

After that, May says every trip turned into a week-long adventure to help ensure there would be enough time to explore.

From Sydney to P.E.I. to Florida, Mayo has decades worth of adventures. However, he doesn’t just lace up his hiking boots, he also helps build and maintain trails for other people to enjoy, including 10 kilometres of the Dobson Trail.

MAYO BRIDGE

He has also taken on projects that took a bit more team work, like the now Mayo Bridge.

“We used to cross brooks on the trail. You used to cut a big log or two logs, put them across the water, and that’s what you’d use for a bridge. So, one place every winter the ice took the trees out and we’d go back in the spring and the water’s up to here,” he said motioning to chest level.

Taking matters into his own hands, Mayo decided he was going to build a more permanent bridge out of rocks, logs and netting.

“The first year, beautiful – the logs were still there, so I said ‘good we’ve got it!’ Well the next year, the people down there, they clear-cut on the hill, so of course there’s nothing to stop the water. So we went in the first time and our bridge was gone,” he said.

Luckily, an engineer in Fredericton came to the rescue creating a steel bridge for the area that has been named Mayo’s Crossing.

42-KILOMETRE WALK

While age might have slowed his speed over the years, Mayo still has his sense of adventure and he won’t back down from a challenge.

On Saturday, he is taking on a 42-kilometre walk as part of the 40th anniversary for the Moncton Outdoor Enthusiasts Club. It starts at the Chocolate River Station in Riverview, N.B. and loops across both bridges. Each lap is seven kilometres long.

“I think Bill is pretty well an inspiration to everyone,” said event coordinator Julian Screawn.

“Just him being at the event itself will probably bring some others out. Like I said, he is an inspiration to many of the club members. I mean if you’re 90 years old and you can do 42 kilometres… if a 90-year-old can do it then you can.”

Mayo is the oldest member of the Outdoor Enthusiasts Club, but arguably one of the most dedicated.

“He had lost his license and he would still come to hikes,” said Screawn.

“He would walk to meeting points, which is about seven to eight kilometres and then he would do the hike, which would be anywhere from 10 to 12 kilometres. So basically, how can you say no to not getting out and exercising really.”

With nearly 200 members, the club is open to everyone and does regular hikes on the weekend. This year, it’s planning other events to celebrate 40 years, similar to the walk this weekend.

“A lot of people come out and they meet others and form their own groups, so it is a good way to socialize and also exercise at the same time and what could be better,” said Screawn.

If one group wasn’t enough, Mayo is also apart of the Dartmouth Volksmarch Club, which he says was started by his sister and her husband.

“I’m not trying to out race anybody anymore,” he said.

“I just do it at my pace and let them do their pace and I’ll just say, do what you can comfortably and stick with it.”

As for this weekend, he says he’s there’s no harm in trying to complete the entire 42-kilometre walk. The event starts at 9 a.m., but Mayo says he’s going to get a head start and should be hitting the trail by 8 a.m.

“The advice that I have is be active, but don’t over do it,” he said.

“Pick your norm that you can handle and do it every day if you can, that’s what I try to do.”

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/kILlKMH

#new brunswick #prince edward island #nova scotia #news #politics #canada #CTVAtlantic

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lorna-d-m · 3 years ago

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Lights Out: Chapter Four

Summary: Roxanne, recently graduated and unemployed, gets a call from her childhood friend and hero: her cousin James hunt. In need of a social media manager after one too many scandals, he can think of no one better than Roxanne for the position. Excited about a fun job and getting to know more about her cousin, she jumps at the chance. However, amongst all the bright lights of both the circuit and the media, Roxanne falls in love with his rival: Niki Lauda.

Pairing: Niki Lauda (Rush 2013) x fem!OC Roxanne Hunt

Word Count: 1750

T/W: language and it's definitely explicit now

A/N: I did not expect to finish this so soon after finishing ch. 3, but bon appetit babes. (It was going to be a part of ch. 3 and then I was like nah and now here we are) As usual, any mistakes are my own, let me know if you want to be added to the tag list, and if you're interested in being a beta reader let me know. <3 (Also I've never written smut before so if anyone has advice, give it please)

Previous chapter

South Africa, Kyalami Circuit

April 19th, 2020

Most of the drivers loved Kyalami. It had arguably the best clubhouse for them to hang out in, playing table tennis, soccer, and lounging by the pool until they needed to prepare for the race weekend. Because of this, many of them arrived early for the race, often a week ahead of schedule, to take a break. James Hunt was no exception. He loved the atmosphere at Kyalami. Located just outside of Johannesburg, he could spend all night out at a club or shacked up in a hotel room with a girl he met there, and in the afternoon he could shuffle around the clubhouse and join a match or go for a swim. It was the ideal situation for him.

Roxanne had been given the week off leading up to the race. They reasoned she could delete any post James made without being next to him, and it would be much better for her sanity if she didn’t accompany her cousin to every bar and club he found himself in. Some things were left better unseen and unheard.

This was fantastic news for Roxanne. As soon as she heard, she texted Niki to let him know it would be possible for them to finally get that dinner. They tried while still in Brazil, but regrettably, their schedules clashed and they never made it. He responded enthusiastically, saying his flight would land on Sunday morning and that it would be wonderful to have lunch.

Now, on that fateful day, Roxanne was panicking. Her suitcase was full of uniforms, pajamas, and only a handful of outfits to wear on days off. She wore the floral sundress when they went golfing together, and while she thought it was a great dress, she didn’t want to wear it again so soon. Sighing, Roxanne dug through the suitcase to find something else.

***

Niki arrived later in the morning than he intended, so he had to rush to set his bags in his room and get ready for his date. He rifled through his bag to find the cologne he wore last time and rearranged his hair before meeting her in the lobby. His face lit up when he saw her leave the elevator, and he drank in the cool blue of her shirt. It was refreshing to see her out of the black and white Hesketh uniform.

They didn’t tarry long in the lobby, only exchanging greetings and a brief discussion of plans before leaving. He was eager to start the drive into the city, and she followed him to the car. Niki held the door for her again, and she placed a quick kiss on his cheek before sitting in the car. “I see you got a car with tinted windows this time around,” she teased.

“Well, how could I not after the last time?” He fiddled with the air conditioning and the radio before making a displeased sound. “Ach, there’s never anything good on. Do you want to choose something?”

“Sure,” she pulled her phone out of her purse and started scrolling through her playlists. “Is there anything you would prefer?” Roxanne assumed he wouldn’t be a fan of her 2000s pop playlist she had been listening to on repeat lately.

He shrugged non-committedly as he maneuvered out of the parking lot, so she was left to decide by herself. Roxanne chose a simple mix of some of her favorites that she thought he might like. She connected her phone and pressed play, resisting the urge to see how he reacted when he listened to the music.

“Oh, Hozier.” A smile twitched on his lips. “How’d you know?”

“It just felt right.”

It just felt right. That was how it felt to Niki too. They made easy conversation on their way to the restaurant and all the while there. Sometimes they chatted away about everything and nothing, and sometimes they sat comfortably in the silence. Every time he used his biting wit, she was right there to match him. It was a back and forth, a give and take, that he relished. Roxanne enjoyed having a sparring partner as well who was unafraid to be blunt with her. She appreciated his no-bullshit attitude.

Despite being known as an asshole, Niki was a gentleman throughout their date. Sure, his eyes strayed too long at her neckline, and when she teased him about it he did not deny it, but he made up for it in other ways. Niki pulled out her seat for her, let her pick the wine to enjoy, and he paid for the meal despite her insistence to at least split it. He remembered there was an ice cream place or a frozen yogurt stand, he couldn’t recall which, down the street, and said if she insisted on paying for something she could do so there.

They got their desserts, with Roxanne teasing him endlessly for picking plain vanilla amongst all the choices, and sat at a little table under the awning. It was a busy street with plenty of passersby, but amongst all the people they were not Niki Lauda, Ferrari driver, and Roxanne Hunt, cousin and PA to James Hunt, but two people on a date. At one point she got ice cream on the corner of her lip without realizing it, and Niki licked it off, quickly turning it into a kiss. It was light and fun, completely different from their kiss days ago, but just as enjoyable.

***

“Mein Gott.”

Parked in the back of the hotel lot, tinted windows rolled up, Niki and Roxanne enjoyed what they did not in Brazil. He didn’t smell her perfume earlier in the day, but he inhaled it now as he traveled down her neck and to her chest. Sweet and intoxicating. As his lips trailed along her low neckline, his hands moved up her white skirt. He ran his calloused fingers along the lace edge of her underwear and smirked at her whimper. His eyes, blown wide with lust, locked with hers for a moment as his fingers explored the sensitive area.

“Already, you’re so excited,” he murmured with his lips still tantalizingly close.

She would have made some biting remark in response, something about how this car had tinted windows, but he inserted two fingers and curled them slightly, pressing against her front wall. The only thought in her head was to beg for more as the flushed feeling spread through her body.

Niki sensed her neediness, and he fed on it. He delighted in every noise she made and the clench around his fingers, and he wanted to hear more, feel more. The hand that wasn’t knuckle deep in her wandered up to unclasp her bra. With her breasts now freed, he placed tender kisses on them before nipping one of them just to hear how her breath would catch when he did. She fervently said his name when his thumb found her clit and started rubbing in slow circles.

Roxanne wasn’t sure if he was giving her everything she needed or taking it from her as he coaxed her higher and higher, his own arousal evident as it pressed into her thigh. His efforts doubled when she pulled on his curls, urging him for more. Niki gave it to her, eager to watch her fall apart under him. Roxanne felt like she was buzzing with electricity, lightning ready to strike at any second, and she cried out his name and pulled him closer when it did. He slowed his fingers down, not stopping, but easing her through her high, muttering how good she was and how beautiful she looked. She couldn’t remember any compliment he gave her before, but the way he called her an engel and pretty girl would stay in her head.

Niki stuck his fingers in his mouth to clean them off and enjoy the taste of her. When she felt like she could breathe again, Roxanne moved to unzip his jeans and bring him into her hand. He cursed, reveling in the way she stroked him.

“I have protection,” he said, his voice thick with lust. That morning Niki made sure to get a car with tinted windows and to put a condom in his pocket. He was glad he did.

Condom on, he carefully lined himself up. One hand clutched her hip, tight enough to leave little bruises in the shape of his fingers. He pushed in slowly, careful not to lose control or cause discomfort. Niki had warmed her up with his fingers, and she was plenty slick by now, but he was not a small man in length nor girth. The slow drag of him inside brought back the sizzling electricity in her, as she pulled his chest to hers.

He let out the sweetest of moans at the feel of her gripping him. Now it was Roxanne’s turn to see how she could make him whimper and groan as she tugged on his hair and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss. Slow but sure thrusts fueled the storm inside both of them. One of his hands still firmly held her hip while the other found her clit and started rubbing in time with his thrusts. Niki started sucking a mark on her breast, remembering how much she was embarrassed by the hickey on her neck only a few days ago. This one wouldn’t be visible. Once again begging him for more, he picked up speed as his head found the spot inside that made her see stars. Roxanne sobbed in pleasure, squeezing tight around him and bringing him to his own climax too.

“Scheisse.” Niki rested his head on her shoulder, reeling from the intensity of his high. They stayed there for a moment, panting and skin sticky from sweat until they felt ready to move.

“Niki,” she said quietly as he moved away from her.

“Yes, Schatz?”

“I think I made a mess of the seat.” The condom caught his orgasm, but it did nothing to stop the gush of her release that stained the seat.

He laughed at that, his head hitting the roof of the car. Her hair was in a tangle, her lipstick smudged on her lips, her bra undone and her skirt flipped up, but she worried about the car seat. “We’re a wonderful mess, Schetz.” She smiled too, seeing how flushed his cheeks still were and the traces of her lipstick across his face.

Next chapter

Tag list: @apparrio @scuttle-buttle

#daniel brühl niki lauda #rush 2013 #rush 2013 fanfic #niki lauda rush 2013 #niki lauda fanfiction #daniel brühl #lights out fic

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herotome · 4 years ago

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Hi again Wudgy, lol. Another day, another question in need of answering as someone excited to see everyone appear in-game (especially Warden). These questions are for everyone, lol. Before and after work and meeting the MC, what places does everyone like going to? What hobbies do they have and how much time do they spend with their coworkers outside of work? Representing the answer as a bubble map or with colored lines is also acceptable, lol. As always, I'm very interested in your answer.

How am I gonna tell @keikomochi that these goons have terrible work-life balance..... (especially Warden).

But!!! Hmm! Assuming you’re playing a goodie!MC who encourages them to, uh, take time for themselves and self-care and stuff, we can see some positive stonks to their personal habits. Let’s see.

Warden: The man takes smoking breaks and cold showers and that’s it, I guess I just gotta come out and say it. You will smell it on him but you will never catch him doing it because he’ll steal away around a corner or in a stairwell or something. The amount of time he spends with his team outside work is ZERO unless there’s some kind of problem. Not that he hates them, he just gets really uncomfortable really fast and would rather go punch something in the training hall because he’s quite good at that.

An involved MC who hangs out with the team will encourage him to also be a bit more present and involved in a “If you can do it, why can’t I” sort of way, but you have to be careful with him because he might also go like “Ah good, you do that :)" and leave you to it. Maybe consider throwing parties in the gym where he can’t escape. Most of the time though, if he’s not sleeping or smoking or working out, then he’s just plain working.

Griffin: Used to have a very active social life where he would go OUT and have PARTIES and always be NETWORKING, but after his accident he started getting tired of his old contacts and limits his interactions to phone calls. He does miss going out, but he’s gotten a bit picky about who he spends his time with. Nowadays he hangs around the agency with Jade (well -- more accurately, he texts or yells across the room), because everyone else is too busy doing field work. They’ve kind of influenced each other to become home-bodies because they’ll just bounce ideas off of each other and develop new technology and rant about whatever hyperfixation they’re into at the moment, and to a large extent they can trust that their connection isn’t coming from a place of pity or obligation.

MC only needs to join the agency to help break their cliquey co-dependence on each other, and if the MC chooses to date one of them, then the other one is 100% wholeheartedly so supportive and happy (and a little jealous, but only a little). Griffin will take you anywhere you want to go --- Exclusive VIP clubs? Cozy beachside restaurants? Brazil?? You wanna go to Brazil?? He has a pilot’s license, he’ll take you there tomorrow. Anything can become an excuse to show the MC off like

... but an introverted MC won’t have to worry; Griffin is equally comfortable spending alone time together, just the two of you, or giving you space as necessary. But God you should see the way his eyes light up when he catches yours.

Mia: is one of those extroverts who has a high quantity/low quality of friends, so she arguably has the best work-life balance because she hosts cute cafe get-togethers with other college kids from outside of work. She also has a strong sense of when to slow down and take some “me time,” although sometimes she only knows this because she gets overwhelmed and explodes/snarks at somebody and now she needs to apologize to them...

Mia wouldn’t reaaally change her schedule much just because of the MC, but she would invite the MC to join her once in a while? She’d certainly expect you to go grocery shopping together if you were dating, and she’d definitely be more involved with the agency if you were.

Dart: Works a night shift which means he’s a zombie if you try to get him to do anything in the morning. Around late afternoon you might find him in the garage making calibrations mods to his bike and he’ll hit up someone from his highly selective social circle once every two weeks. Dart spends a bit of time with Griffin and exchanges some niceties, but he doesn’ttt really make time to hang around anybody else.

Having an MC around won’t affect him at all unless she’s assigned to work directly with him -- and even then he’s not that interested in changing his routine. He’s pretty set in his ways! But idk he might be a bit friendlier with the others if he's coming to get you to go somewhere and you're in the middle of a conversation. Like, "[MC] let's go-- Oh, hi Mia." whereas normally he'd just leave without a word.

Jade: Does. Not. Leave. The. Agency. Unless she needs to handle a hella emergency. She also reads mean internet comments and intrusive gossip articles more often than she should. Griffin tries to distract her from all the noise; she tries to keep him company so he doesn’t get lonely. The cycle continues.

She’ll permit an MC to hang around in her presence and talk to her (and Griffin will magically appear to join in sometimes), but I don’t expect she’ll change her routine unless something pretty major happens.

tldr; Most everyone’s kinda passively like “Yeah you can come along/hang out while I do my thing” except for Griffin, whose idea of a cute date is flying you to Brazil.

Without the MC, sometimes they’ll try to make time to watch a movie or have breakfast together, but it’s not uncommon for other obligations to pull them away.

#herotome ask #interactive fiction #oelvn #character ask #RO: everyone

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accendimi · 3 years ago

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Are You Lonesome Tonight {Desrina}

TW: Binge Drinking, Drugs, Fade Out Sexy Times. Time: August 13-14th Weekend after the Swynlake Dream TL;DR: Sarina and DeSoto jet away for the weekend to get their heads out of the classic Swynlake bullshit. Being the little shits they are, they play a game that gets very real but let’s Sarina realize she has a family she never considered before.

Introducing Sarina Sykes.

We started this before the event and then realized the timing was perfect so the beginning doesn’t ref the event but just refer to the other Para.

Part One: I Need Your Love Tonight

@desotosykes

SARINA

It wasn’t a quick flight by any means but when you had the money and the motive things moved very quickly. It helped when you had a partner willing to partake in the mile high club to make things even a little more fun.

Because wouldn’t you believe Sarina had never been to Vegas.

Lights, Sex, Fun in the Sun. It sounded like a fun time for the girl that didn’t have any gigs lined up for the week and with DeSoto by her side it sounded like a great time.

At the moment they were bar hopping Sarina’s little black dress hiking up as they walked through the city her arms wrapped around DeSoto’s a blunt hanging from her lips.

“You know what would probably get us a few free drinks. A proposal.”

DESOTO

As much fun as being in Swynlake with one of his favorite partners-in-crime was, DeSoto craved time away from the not so often sleepy town. He’d had his fill of wacky Swynlake bullshit so when Sarina had mentioned the idea of a getaway, he was more than on board. Her idea of Vegas only solidified that notion.

More than a few drinks in and the eldest Sykes brother was feeling all sorts of good. He had his own arm wrapped around Sarina as he plucked the joint from between her lips and took a long drag of his own. “Probably get us more than a few,” he snickered as he stumbled just so slightly. Money clearly wasn’t a problem for them, DeSoto was more than willing to spend his money on Sarina and this little getaway. But fucking with people that had no clue who they were? That would never get old.

“Figure I can give yous this t’make it look real.” He gestured to his free hand where he wore the ring he stole from his father way too many years ago. Taking another long drag from the joint, he handed it back to Sarina with a smirk. “Guess dinner’s about t’be interesting, ain’t? Ham it up maybe even get dessert free too.”

SARINA

Sarina took the blunt with no argument bringing it to her lips. She missed nights like this. Towns like Swynlake were impossible to mess with (at least in this regard) too small and everyone thought they knew everything. DeSoto and Sarina getting hitched. No one would bat an eye. But here where they just looked like a smoking hot couple. It was perfect.

They looked like a power couple honestly.

"Now now Des you're truly going to steal my heart if I get a ring that you wear every day." With the blunt between her fingers Sarina set her hand over her heart with a wink before handing it back to him.

"Then we truly need to go somewhere expensive. Make it a show they won't soon forget. What do you think about Joël Robuchon?"

DESOTO

When he’d been much younger and, arguably, a little more dumber than he currently could be considered, DeSoto Sykes was a ladies man. He still was a ladies man but he didn’t sleep around as much as he did when he was younger. All that to say that he definitely knew how to steal hearts and break them. It wasn’t his fault that he was such a charmer or that girls were typically entirely too romantic for their own good.

Still, he returned the wink after taking a drag of the blunt with a smirk. “You mean I didn’t already have your heart to begin with? Guess yous really are just keepin’ me around for my looks.” He teased her, fully knowing that neither of them were in this for emotions. At least nothing as substantial as romance and love.

Even if they currently looked like they were a couple and acted like one.

“Joel Robuchon? Fancy. Yous gotta play the part of clueless while I talk to ‘em. Think yous can handle it?”

SARINA

“Well they aren’t bad looks, now are they? I could be keeping you around for the money which would you prefer?” Sarina’s heels clicked with them moving and she knew both of them were getting looks in the best way. Well in a way both of them liked.

“Don’t worry I’ll put on my best blonde impression and they’ll know nothing. They won’t even know we’re a few drinks in and looking to have some fun. I’ll look the ever loving girlfriend.”

DESOTO

If he was honest? DeSoto didn’t really give a shit either way. The man grew up with probably the world’s shittiest dad. Someone who made sure his kids knew, especially as they got older, that he only kept them around because they were good at their jobs within the family business. A trait that definitely transferred over to DeSoto. He was just… less vocal about it.

But this wasn’t a therapy session. It was a trip to Vegas with, arguably, one of his best friends. And he had a good buzz on just like she did and they were being their usual shit head selves with each other.

“Both’a us know it ain’t the money, babe,” he smirked with a slight pinch to her arm. “But it ain’t matter. S’long as I get t’spend time with you.” He tried his best to keep a straight face; a feat that was just a bit harder than usual with the drinks and drugs currently in his system. “C’mon. Ain’t that far away.”

SARINA

Sarina placed her free hand over her heart looking up at DeSoto as if she was completely swooning over the very thought. And it was sweet and Sarina recognized she had made great connections since being here and that would mean everything to her.

But beyond the impending proposal they didn’t need to be sappier.

Walking into the restaurant Sarina bounded up to the hostess glancing at the reservations with a quick glance.

“Hi I’m so sorry we’re a little earlier than expected but we have a reservation in about an hour under the name ‘Thompson’.” Sarina grinned brightly at the hostess, memorizing the information to call and cancel this little Thompson reservation and send them on a little goose chase to make sure her and Des had all the time they needed.

“Oh hello Ms. Thompson, let me see what I can do and if I can get you two in.” The hostess slipped away and Sarina smiled at Des.

“Let me go cancel the reservation for those two and you let me know where we’re sitting.” Sarina popped up on her toes to kiss DeSoto on the cheek as the hostess came back.

“Sorry business call I’ll be right back. I’ll be one second love. Business deals just can’t get done without me.” Sarina tacked on with a pretend sigh.

DESOTO

It took all of DeSoto’s willpower not to smirk as Sarina sweet talked the hostess with the most endearing smile. Really, the hostess made it all too easy to take advantage of the system. Instead of smirking, however, he just grinned as he wrapped an arm around Sarina’s waist and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “I’ll be here waiting, darling.”

That smile stayed on his lips as Sarina flitted away, phone pressed to her ear. Really, he could have very easily gotten them a seat without such a fuss but, well, where was the fun in that?

Turning back to the hostess, he pulled his hand from his pocket and showed her the ring that typically sat on his right hand. “We’re high school sweethearts, yous know. Been together a long time.” He watched with an inward smirk as he saw the hostess’ features soften even more than they had been. “We were waiting to have a stable income and all to get married but then… her ma got sick so it kinda put us back. This is the first vacation we’ve had in a few years and I figured now would be the best time t’ask. Yous think yous could help me do somethin’ real special for her? Make it a night she won’t forget?”

SARINA

The hostess did melt as she looked at the ring and then out at the girl who had left. What a sweet pair and gorgeous too. She couldn’t imagine they didn’t come from money considering how they were dressed but the mention of a sick mother and just, oh she could see it happening.

The pair against the world, finally getting a stable income. Only for her mother to fall sick. They take care of her and maybe she passes, maybe the mother tells them to go on and enjoy their life.

And that ring was most definitely a family ring.

“Of course. We should be able to celebrate with a bottle and a dessert. I’ll look into it for you as soon as we sit you down.”

All the while Sarina was outside waiting the time out. But then she saw the familiar glint of a ring, one that she thought DeSoto might like. Now it wasn’t as fancy as his family ring but it would be a nice touch if needed.

Turning her ankle slightly Sarina pretended to stumbled into the guy laughing and giggling, drunk off her ass. “I’m sorry,” She giggled. “Or am I you’re cute.” With one hand going up to his cheek the other took the hand that was steadying her and slipped off his ring. As he reassured it was okay she brought her hand to her chest slipping the ring into her bra.

“You should find me later. If you do I’m sure we’ll have a good time.” Kissing his cheek, Sarina stumbled into an hidden corner to wait him and the waitress out and when the coast was clear she strolled back in palming the ring into her clutch as she wrapped an arm around DeSoto smiling brilliantly at the woman as they were led in.

“You’re in luck we have the best table reserved for you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your visit with us.” Seating them the hostess all but ran off and Sarina raised an eyebrow.

“What’s our sob story?”

DESOTO

It was easy for DeSoto and Sarina to follow the woman as she led them to a rather impressive table. Secluded and candle lit. Entirely too romantic for the two of them but perfect for a couple about to get engaged. He thanked the lady as she walked away and then gave Sarina a shit eating grin.

“High school sweethearts,” he explained with a roll of his eyes. “But your mom got sick so it set us back a bit. I’m proposing tonight since it’s our first vacation in years.” It wasn’t the most inventive lie but it worked on the sap of a hostess and would work on the rest of the idiots working the restaurant.

When the waitress came over, Des didn’t have to even ask for a bottle of wine. “The finest wine on the menu, on the house.” A subtle wink was offered to DeSoto as the waitress poured two glasses and then set the bottle down in a small bucket of ice. “I’ll give you time to look through the menu. If you need anything just wave one of us over and we’ll be glad to help you.”

Des nodded with a smile as he took Sarina’s hand gently. “Thank yous. We’ll call if we need anything.” Turning back to Sarina once the waitress was gone, Des smirked. “Pick what yous want. M’sure the whole meal’s gonna be comped. Shit. Could probably get a swank hotel room if we’s play our cards right.”

SARINA

Sarina brushed her hair back giving both Des a show and she knew some other boys were looking too. It was cute as they tried not to having been on dates with their own significant others.

“That’s easy enough to remember then again we won’t need it after the night.” It would be even funnier if it dropped and they tried to run them out. Both Des and Sarina could get out without a second thought.

“Then let’s do their fancy four course whatever it is. Let them treat us. Honestly how do businesses stay in business and be this gullible.”

DESOTO

If DeSoto were a more possessive man, he’d be pissed at all the looks Sarina was getting. But he wasn’t possessive and he was getting the same sort of looks from those boys’ girlfriends. It was fun seeing the looks of longing. As if somehow in some different universe, DeSoto would be a good boyfriend and Sarina would make a good girlfriend. It made him want to laugh, though all he did was smirk as Sarina gave her own little show to those around them.

“Dunno. Works in our favor, though, ain’t?” He smirked before laughing. It was probably because they were soft. Emotional. They lived for these kinds of things. Engagements and anniversaries. Anything to celebrate. But who needed a special day to celebrate? Hell, he’d gotten tickets for them to Vegas just for the hell of it. Sarina hadn’t been and Des hadn’t had anything super important to do, so why not?

Calling the waitress back over, he grinned when he told her they’d like to have the four course meal, complete with the best dessert. And of course, he’d be more than willing to pay for their meal.

SARINA

The meal was fabulous, it wasn’t outside of Sarina’s budget, she liked to steal high value so she could live high value. But it was nice to share a fun time of mocking the employees with someone. At least she could always trust Des with that.

And he wasn’t wrong throughout the whole meal they played into the emotional card. Every once in awhile Sarina would look up at Des with those eyes full of wonder and amazement. She would reach out and just tuck a strand of hair back up and away from those beautiful eyes.

“You spoil me love.” Sarina knowing she was within ear shot as their dessert was delivered. “Better late than never and it was well worth the wait.”

DESOTO

The waitress had given DeSoto a small warning when they were about to bring out the dessert and Des easily excused himself so that he could slip his ring off of his finger and give it to the waitress to hide in their dessert.

Oh was the restaurant about to get the best show of their lives.

“You deserve the world, dearest.” He smiled back as their dessert was set in front of them. As expected his ring was nestled on top of the rather decadent looking cheesecake. All he had to do was wait for Sarina to notice for the real fun to begin.

Before she was able to really put on the show, Des rose from his seat so that he could kneel down next to her chair.

“This…. Shouldn’t be any surprise… You’ve been the love of my life since we were fifteen. And I’ve known you were the woman I was gonna spend the rest of my life with since I was sixteen.” He paused as he wiped a fake tear from his eye before taking his hand in hers. “I know things ain’t…. Ideal but why wait anymore? Marry me?”

SARINA

Sarina spotted the ring easily but took a moment to really spice it up her eyes widening as she looked between the dessert and DeSoto, back again until he got up and got on one knee. With on hand in his Sarina lifted her other hand to cover her lips and then when a fake tear rolled she lifted that hand as if to fan the tear away.

Nodding her head, Sarina fell into his arms taking his face in her hands to kiss him.

“Yes yes yes.” She repeated when she pulled away resting her forehead on hers. “I’d marry you this second if I could. I love you.”

DESOTO

Sarina was good. If he was on the outside looking in he’d definitely think this was a real proposal. The way she teared up and fell into his arms? Perfect. It made it all too easy, really.

One arm wrapped around her while the other cupped her cheek gently as he kissed her back, the smile not leaving his lips as their foreheads pressed together. He kissed her again before taking her hand in his and slipping his ring onto her finger.

An idea formed then and he couldn’t help the slight smirk that formed on his lips. Why not see just how far they could take this? They were in Vegas after all (and entirely too fucked up to be making decisions).

“Let’s get married then. Right now,” he huffed out before pressing another kiss to her lips. “I’m sure there’s a chapel close by. We can do a big wedding later.”

SARINA

The ring slipped onto her finger and Sarina admired it, and that was actually true. She could only imagine the stories behind this ring and what exactly Des had done while wearing it.

“Wait- Wait-” Sarina gasped out for a breath, pretending to be overwhelmed for the crowd and it was a crowd, their hostess, the waitress, even who she suspected was the manager. “I- well I got you something too.” Reaching out without leaving his arms Sarina grabbed her clutch pulling it toward her looking like she was stumbling but careful to hide any of the cigarettes and worse that she had in there.

Pulling out the ring that she had stolen earlier she held it up to him. “My mom gave it to me when she passed. It was the one she got my dad for their engagement. I’ve been carrying it with me since. So yes, let’s get married. I don’t think I could wait any longer.” The sad thing about that was Sarina actually did have her parents wedding rings. At this point they were locked up safe but she wasn’t about to leave that with her brothers.

The awes could be heard throughout the restaurant, and Sarina spied the waitress talking to the manager and him nodding. The show was good enough wasn’t it. What great publicity, and a story to tell everyone.

“Go, we’ll box up the dessert. Get married. You two have been waiting long enough.” The waitress whispered coming up to them and Sarina looked up at DeSoto with a smile.

“Let’s go get married.” And while she had tears in her eyes and she was pretending to be breathless she knew he saw the amusement in her eyes.

DESOTO

The show was going so well. Everyone in the restaurant truly believed what he and Sarina were saying. They were the only ones in on the joke and it was so hard to keep from losing his shit laughing. Neither were sincere at all. But, at their core, they were con artists. The best, it seemed.

Still, Des wrapped his arms around Sarina and held her close as she looked up at him. “Alright, love. M’sure we’s can find someone t’marry us. Can make this part of our honeymoon.” Smiling softly at her, he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips while everyone around them cooed at their little display.

At the behest of the waitress and her boss, Des stood and reached for Sarina’s hand. He was not gonna pass up the chance to get out without having to pay a bill. Even if he could afford it, they were doing #themost just for the hell of it.

As soon as they were out the door, he shifted to wrap an arm around Sarina’s shoulders and laughed. “Yous sure yous weren’t an actress before? They was eatin’ outta our hands,” he chuckled. “Where’d yous even get that ring from?”

SARINA

Sarina moved to wipe the tears from her eyes with a grin. “Maybe I was but then I actually had to listen to direction and that sounds like a bad time.” Hopefully all Sarina’s past lives were this exciting, and hopefully all her future ones would too.

After all. Die Young. Have Fun.

“When I stepped out to make that call it was fate, this guy had a ring that I thought you might like. I might have invited him to play later but I doubt he’ll be able to find me. Though with your possessive streak it might just make the night hotter when we do have our honeymoon.” Sarina teased. Spotting a club with a line out the door.

“Think we could get in? And keep the party going?”

DESOTO

It was easy to follow Sarina’s line of sight when the line was as long as it was. He hadn’t seen a line for a club that long since he’d been in New York. Of course, he’d never had to wait in a line that long before. All he had to do was give his name and he was in with whoever he wanted. He knew it’d be no different now, too; though he wouldn’t give his name, just flash that pretty family ring on his lovely partner’s finger.

“Course we can get in,” he huffed. “Look at us. And with yous layin’ that charm on? We’s in without a problem.”

Moving past the line, all while eyeing the people lined up and waiting, Des tucked Sarina closer and put on the same dopey grin he’d had at the restaurant. “Might as well figure out who’s you want t’share before we reach the door.”

He smirked as he pressed his lips to her cheeks as a cover to why he was so close to her. It only added to the image they were playing with. The naked eye would see only an intoxicated and in love couple. Not two devious masterminds plotting their next bit of fun.

“Hey, man… my fiancée’s been dyin’ t’get into this club all night. Said it was the best place t’celebrate n’shit. Yous think you can help us out?” He gave his best hopelessly in love look to Sarina before turning back to the bouncer at the front. “We’ll make it worth your while, aint?”

SARINA

It wasn’t hard to fall into the roll again, the doting and absolutely in love fiancée. Even as her eyes trailed over all the people in line. If any of them could handle her and DeSoto together. Smiling up at Des, Sarina slowly turned her eyes to the Bouncer who looked less than impressed.

“Lots of people want to get in, you two will have to go back to the end of the line like everyone else.”

“Baby do you hear that? Like everyone else. We’re not just everyone else? And he even promised to make it worth your while. Something no one here would have the means to do.” Sarina whined a little bit, like a spoiled little rich girl who expected to get her way.

“What’s the offer then?” The Bouncer asked glancing around quickly before returning to an unamused expression.

DESOTO

It was… beyond irritating that this guy wasn’t buying any of the bribes. It made him wish he’d taken her to New York; even if that was an insanely stupid idea. At least then he wouldn’t have to work so damn hard to get into clubs that probably were subpar at best.

But he didn’t let that show. Instead he gave a sheepish grin as he pulled Sarina closer. “Well, for starters money clearly isn’t an issue here. Unless… yous lookin’ for somethin’ else. More… fun.” He smirked as he pulled his other hand from his pocket.

The little baggie he revealed contained a good variety of pills. Mostly uppers that were only going to enhance their night. Party favors, really. They were celebrating after all.

“Or if that’s not your bag. Well, m’sure my fiancée could have some fun with yous. She’s amazing in the sack.”

SARINA

Well slow down there Dez. Sarina turned her attention to him with a raised eyebrow. Now would she have some fun with him. Potentially. Did she like being pimped out. Not at all.

“Only if I think you’re worth my time you’re better off taking the party favours.” Sarina instead stated as the man did look over the bag, Sarina had no idea what Des had in there but it was all good stuff she was sure and it looked like the man was actually considering it.

“Fine, you guys can go in. This stuff better be the good ones, Or I’ll drag your ass out myself.”

With him stepping aside to let them in, Sarina poked at Des’ chest. “No pimping me out again. Even if he’s hot. You can have him for yourself if you really want to.”

DESOTO

Was it his brightest idea? Not at all. He’d had worse but he was only focused on the goal. Getting into the club. Which they did. So technically he was going to count it as a win. Which was the reason why even though Sarina poked him not so gently and offered that warning, he still smirked. “Hey, got us in, aint? And yous ain’t hafta to do nothin’ except look a little mean.”

He slung an arm around her as they moved further into the club. They definitely picked a good one. The music was hot, bodies packed the dance floor, and everyone looked like they were ready for a good time. Drink girls were walking around scantily clad and Des took no time in grabbing two drinks. “Consider it my first apology of the night for attempting t’pimp yous out,” he grinned as he handed one of the shots to Sarina. Clinking their glasses together, he took his shot easily and deposited the empty glass onto another drink girl’s tray.

Scouting the place out it wasn’t hard to find where the life of the party was. It was a large group, a mix of guys and girls that were already pretty inebriated and loud. Perfect for what Des and Sarina had in mind. “Think we found our new suckers. Ain’t gonna hafta spend a dime tonight. Ready t’lay on the charm?”

SARINA

Sarina rolled her eyes when she took the drink. Irritating bugger, but she did like the thought of multiple apologies throughout the night. She would give him a pass for now and only now.

Glancing over the group Sarina grinned throwing her hair over her shoulder and nodding. “Got any extra party favours in there for us?” Sarina questioned with a grin before they joined the group.

And DeSoto hadn’t been wrong in his assumption, people kept calling for shots whenever they saw the ring and heard the sob story. Forgetting it and being reminded again and calling for more shots. That paired with whatever DeSoto had provided, Sarina was on a nice cloud.

“You guys should get married right now! Why wait!” One of the girls screeched out. “There’s so many places to get married. We can all come and be your witnesses. OMG we could find you some sexy lingerie as a wedding gift. It could be your something new!”

While the screeching was unpleasant the story had been repeated so many times the you know why not? Go with the flow. Really seal the deal.

“We could get married right now. They are right.” Sarina slurred just a bit throwing her arms around his shoulders as she kissed his neck. “Have a wicked honeymoon with the gifted lingerie.”

DESOTO

The party was beyond pumping. Their little group was the life of the party. People gathered around them like they were honey and Des loved it. The girls crowded around Sarina, all squealing and giggling and screeching, while the boys congregated with DeSoto offering congratulations and lewd comments about his partner. The drinks didn’t stop flowing and every once in a while a party favor would appear from DeSoto’s pocket.

Best to keep the party going.

He was feeling good, the mix of alcohol and drugs flowing through his system freely, and had an arm draped around Sarina’s waist. They’d just finished another (free) round of drinks and he’d made the decision to endure the screaming and screeching girls for it. Even laughed as they suggested getting married right then.

“Mmm, think we’s already havin’ a wicked time,” he grinned as he raised a hand to lift her chin up to kiss her. “But yous wanna get married? Let’s do it. Always wanted t’get married by Elvis.”

SARINA

They were having an wicked time but suddenly it just seemed like a good idea to get married. Why not? It was all for fun and they had been swinging that story around all night, it sounded better and better the more they talked about it.

“How else would I get married? I’m not a walk down the aisle in white type of bride.” Sarina stated easily, it was true. Sarina had never thought of it for herself. She hadn’t ever like the idea of getting married, being locked down into a family that would shackle her to the ground.

But now it felt like a good idea, a fun idea. Why not was the overall response.

“Why not?”

With all that as confirmation the girls tugged on Sarina. “We’re getting her a dress. Boys go get him a suit We’ll text you where to meet and the next time you see each other you’re going to be getting married.” Another screech. And god Sarina was sure her ears would burst.

DESOTO

Everything was happening in even more of a blur. While the beginning of the evening was still pretty clear, Des was losing coherency bit by bit. Not that it mattered. This was supposed to be a fun trip, a trip where he got to have fun and fuck with other people with one of his favorite people. And that’s what they were doing.

And also getting married but whatever.

Before he even had a chance to question it his newfound friends were dragging him away from Sarina and out of the club. “Man we gotta get you something awesome for your wedding! It’s Vegas bro! Gotta go big!” One of the men clapped him on the back before jumping up excitedly as they walked down the street. Des couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. “S’a Vegas wedding. Gotta be ridiculous, aint? Gotta find somethin’ cheesy as fuck. My girl’ll appreciate it. Trust me.”

They made their way into a suit shop that looked promising. It was filled with designer suits that, if he wasn’t high as hell, he’d buy. But that wasn’t what he was looking for. No. If Desoto was getting married in Vegas he was gonna get married in the worst fashion he could think of. Which alternatively meant it was the best fashion. Everyone knew Vegas had its own culture, it’s own ideas of what true fashion was.

And why not emulate the best of them?

He saw it in the back and knew immediately that whatever the cost he was gonna buy it. It looked exactly like something the King would wear and tonight? DeSoto was the King.

“Alright boys. Target acquired. Gotta get yous some ridiculous accessories and then we’d good t’go.” He grinned as he draped the suit bag over his shoulder and headed towards the wedding chapel.

SARINA

The girls were on two trips one to get a dress and two to get what went underneath. And Sarina had no problem modeling or stripping in front of them. And while they did stay with the traditional white, it had a high slit and a deep back. Sometimes it felt lucky that it even stayed up.

But that’s what Sarina wanted and paired some sexy lingerie the girl was set.

Sarina truly couldn’t remember how they got from there to the chapel but she was standing in front of it, her other outfit forgotten somewhere but it didn’t matter considering the things she did consider important were the jewelery she kept from her family.

But now music was playing (she didn’t know what) And her and Des were being summoned down the aisle while all these random people watched.

DESOTO

As usual, Sarina looked absolutely gorgeous. It took all of his power to keep his hands off of her because with everything running through his system all he wanted to do was strip that dress off of her. But there were more important things they had to do. Like meet Elvis.

The man had just finished crooning Teddy Bear when they reached the end of the aisle where Sarina’s new girlfriends and DeSoto’s new guy friends were waiting for them. Standing in his spot, Des grinned as he took Sarina’s hands in his.

“Alright, alright. We’re gathered here today in this house of love to wed these hunk’a hunk’a burnin’ loves,” Elvis started, swiveling his hips in a near perfect imitation of The King. “If there’s any suspicious minds out there thinkin’ these two need to go to the hearbreak hotel say your peace. It’s now or never.”

With no one saying anything, Elvis returned his attention back to Sarina and DeSoto. “So tell me my little hound dogs. Do you take this groovy lil mama to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Des smirked as he nodded. “Course I do.”

SARINA

Sarina hadn’t actually noticed it before, her music taste wasn’t exactly Elvis after all. But now seeing DeSoto and Elvis side by side she was having a hard enough time keeping the laughter at bay.

Especially for something that was supposed to be as serious as wedding. But she had way too much in her system to worry about that.

“And you do you take this hound dog to and promise to love him tender love him sweet?” Elvis turned his attention to her and Sarina had to quiet her giggles to respond.

“Of course I do.” That’s why they were here after all.

“Now with those good luck charms on your fingers already, it proves you just need one night to get stuck on each other forever. I pronounce you Husband and Wife! You may kiss your bride!”

DESOTO

DeSoto didn’t waste any time as Elvis said he could kiss his bride. He wrapped an arm around Sarina’s waist and pulled her close, even went as far as dipping her as he kissed her deeply. He’d never had a thought of getting married. Hell, Roscoe constantly teased him about the fact he hadn’t settled down. But at the moment this felt right. Very right.

At least that’s what his heavily intoxicated brain was telling him.

The group that came with them whooped and cheered before running over to congratulate them. Des laughed, keeping his arms wrapped around Sarina. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks guys,” Des chuckled, pressing a kiss to Sarina’s temple. “But, uh, me and my wife have a little less conversation planned, if yous know what I mean.” Wiggling his eyebrows he pulled himself and Sarina away from the group.

“Go have fun and celebrate for us,” he smirked, tossing them a baggie of assorted pills and some cash. The least he could do for all the help they’d been. “Me and my lady are gonna go have a private celebration.”

SARINA

Sarina laughed as Des dipped and kissed her. Phones went off and in theory that was a good thing because there was no way they would remember this in the morning. But Sarina didn’t care about details like that.

No she was much more excited about the private celebration they were about to have. And where. And with DeSoto’s gift she was sure the group was more concerned about their own private celebration as well.

Splitting up from that group, it wasn’t hard to walk into a fancy hotel and get a honeymoon Suite. Even plastered as they were, they were smart (debatable considering they just got married) and could handle themselves (Again debatable).

But Sarina was having fun so she didn’t care, Tugging DeSoto into the elevator, Sarina didn’t waste anymore time dragging Des into her and kissing him, setting his hand by the silt on her dress.

DESOTO

DeSoto easily anticipated Sarina’s attack in the elevator. They’d been behaving all night. Keeping their hands mostly to themselves in lieu of their little game. It made it all the more interesting, he felt. Built up the tension for when they finally decided to call it quits.

Tension that Sarina couldn’t handle by the time they got to the elevator. But neither could DeSoto. He responded eagerly, fingers curling in the hair at the nape of her neck as his other hand slipped up her leg using the slit there as access to push the dress farther up.

“We’s gonna get kicked out puttin’ on a show like this,” he huffed against her lips as the elevator dinged with each floor. It didn’t stop him, however, from resting both hands on her hips and squeezing.

SARINA

“We’re newly married, do they really think we can keep our hands to ourselves.” Sarina joked just as breathless against her lips. Her accent back to it’s normal Italian, having lost focus hours ago to keep it at the English one.

“I bet you anyone watching is just enjoying the free show. We could make it a good one for them if we would like.” Further and higher the dings went. Especially because Sarina didn’t want to stop.

DESOTO

“Only if yous want to, my hunk’a hunk’a burnin’ love,” he huffed, shifting his grip so that he could lift her easily. Wrapping her legs around his waist he moved to kiss her again while he shifted to push her against the back wall of the elevator.

The dings went ignored as he took his time working Sarina up. It was his favorite thing to do considering most of the time she gave as good as she got.

“Ahem…” a voice interrupted him and made him groan just slightly from where he’d been nipping at Sarina’s neck. Turning just slightly to the intruder, Des raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, we’s celebratin’.” A fake apology for an annoying person who definitely muttered something under their breath. Des didn’t care though. Not when they were close to their room and the real fun could begin.

SARINA

Sarina pouted when DeSoto stopped, tightening her grip around his waist to bring his attention back to her. “You know we just got married you should be congratulating us.” Sarina added waving and wiggling her fingers in the direction of the other eventually just giving them the middle finger when they muttered under their breath.

But honestly it was a surprise Sarina hadn’t accidentally given any sort of slip, then again Des at her waist his chest against hers, she was pretty secure.

Either way Sarina drew him back in until the other got off and they continued to rise to their floor.

DESOTO

By the time they got to their floor, DeSoto was more than ready to be off of the elevator. There was so much pent up energy coursing through him that he could barely contain himself on the elevator. Whoever was watching from the lobby got quite the show as he and Sarina groped and grabbed at each other, both barely keeping the rating below X-rated.

The show continued in the hallway as he stopped every few feet to push her against the wall as if showing her what was coming once they got into the room. He couldn’t stop touching her, didn’t want to.

Finally pushing the door to the suite open, Des fumbled in closing it behind them as he pulled Sarina closer once more and kissed her deeply. “I think it’s time we got outta this. Someone promised sexy lingerie and I wanna tear it off yous.”

SARINA

“Feel free to tear any of it off. I don’t hold any sentimental attachment to it.” As long as her family ring and now Des’ ring on her stayed safe, Sarina didn’t care. “Though you’ll have to buy me clothes in the morning. Not really sure where the dress I came here with ended up.” Trying to think back on the night they just had was nearly impossible.

Dropping her legs from his waist Sarina pulled away so she could start sliding it down.

“Unless you want a show of course.”

DESOTO

Des grinned as Sarina pulled away from him even though he missed the heat of her body. This was his favorite thing about mixing all his vices. Everything was heightened and he could never get close enough to whoever he shared the night with. It didn’t matter if he didn’t remember it in the morning. All he cared about was the moment they were in, satisfying every craving he and his partner had. Now, it was whatever craving he and his wife had.

“We’s can probably get somethin’ from the gift shop n’then do a proper shopping trip for clothes. Think I’d be dumb as fuck t’say no t’a show from yous,” he smirked as he took off his ridiculous scarf/sash and undid his shirt to let it hang open. “Show me what yous got.”

Moving to grab a chair, he sat in it and placed a hand in his lap all but waiting for Sarina to start whatever show she was going to put on for him.

SARINA

Sarina laughed and giggled and overall just let her guard down, not only was she with one of her best friends, and could now call her Husband. (Weird yes) But she was having fun, coming down off this one wasn’t going to be as fun though.

Until then Sarina promised a show.

Travelling her hand up her thigh slowly Sarina gave him the briefest glance at the red she wore underneath and the thin strings that connected it.

Turning her back to him Sarina brought her hair to the front slowly letting the dress fall and kicking it aside. Finally she turned to face him all the little straps connecting the top and bottom and yet none of it showed from behind.

Brushing her hair back Sarina grinned sitting on his lap. “It wouldn’t be fun if you couldn’t touch as I pulled the rest off.”

DESOTO

There was something… different about this time with Sarina. His feelings about her were still the same (even if they had recently gotten married) but there was something between the two that had changed. Or at least that was how DeSoto felt at the moment. Who knew if it was just the drugs and alcohol or if there was some truth to the way he was currently feeling.

All that mattered was Sarina in his lap with the sexiest lingerie he’d probably ever seen.

His hands traveled to her hips while he took in how little she wore and how well she wore it. “How’d yous know I liked red?” He teased, pulling lightly at one of the strings before letting it go so the he could trail that hand up her side.

SARINA

“Who doesn’t like red?” Sarina teased reaching back to unhook her bra almost completely bare to him and yet he was still dressed in the ridiculous get up. Pulling away once more Sarina stepped out of the rest and walking to the bed.

“You can join me but you should match me first in what you’re wearing and only then will you be welcomed in this bed.”

DESOTO

“Insane people probably,” he responded easily, though was quickly side tracked as she slipped the bra off. After that all train of thought left him and all he could do was work off of instinct. As she got up he followed her, making sure to get rid of his Elvis outfit in the process. No way was he going to jeopardize this night by insisting his outfit was perfectly suitable for joining her.

~~~~

Sunlight peaked in front the slightly open curtain and DeSoto couldn’t help the low groan that fell from his lips. His head was throbbing and the direct sunlight, no matter how slight it was, was not helping anything. Rolling over, another low groan left him. His body was sore but in a familiar way, a not unpleasant way. Just unexpected.

The details from the previous night were fuzzy as hell and as he reached to close the curtains more completely he frowned. His ring was gone. Turning back to look in his clothes, his frown deepened when he saw an overly flamboyant Elvis impersonator suit instead of the black one he’d been wearing when they touched down.

“What the fuck?” He swore lowly as he wandered around the rather large room, only taking notice of Sarina curled up in the bed he’d all but fallen from. “Hey… ‘Rina, wake up.”

SARINA

Sarina didn’t want to wake up everything hurt, her head most of all and her throat beyond dry. Even at Des’ voice she yawned and buried her head back into the pillow. At least it wasn’t another Swynlake dream.

Slowly she peeked at him with one eye open and one closed as she yawned.

They were in a room and it was just them, nothing to really write home about yet. “What’s up? Did you wanna get food or something.” the more she moved the more she felt the weight of her rings differently. Weird.

DESOTO

This wasn’t anything different for one of their romps. So he wasn’t exactly panicking. He just… wanted to know where his ring was and… and why he was wearing a completely different ring. On the wrong hand. What in the actual fuck had happened last night?

“Nah… yous ain’t seen my ring, aint? I ain’t gamble it away or trade it for this thing?” He asked as he took off the new ring and showed it to her. “Yous ain’t think I did somethin’ stupid with it after we left the restaurant?”

Was it dumb that he was upset about losing his father’s ring? Yeah. Probably. Especially since his dad was a complete piece of shit that would kill him on the spot if given the chance. But it still held sentimental value to DeSoto. Was still the one thing he wanted to keep from his bullshit family. (Other than his brother of course but that went without saying)

“D’yous even remember anything after we went t’the club?”

SARINA

The concern in Des’ voice actually had Sarina sitting up grabbing the blanket to cover herself a little bit. “No I don’t really remember anything about the club.” Sarina lifted her left hand to rub the sleep from her eyes pausing at the weight. Instead she held it out infront of her blinking at Des’ ring on her ring finger.

“Well I guess this solves that question.” Sarina held her hand up so he could see the ring was at least in the room with them and not lost to some random betting table. Glancing around Sarina looked at both his suit and her white dress and the red lingerie, which the later wasn’t surprising but a white dress.

“Do you know where your phone is?” His ring was on his ring finger, she had his on her ring finger and there was white suit and a white dress.

Sarina wasn’t sure this could go anywhere other than what she was thinking. Where was her phone?

DESOTO

His ring was on Sarina’s ring finger and Des was officially perplexed. Vaguely he remembered a fake proposal at the restaurant. Had they swapped rings so they could fake being married too? He could see how it would benefit them. This room, for one, was a fucking suite. They could have hosted a party and had people stay over if they’d wanted to. But from the looks and sounds of it they were completely alone.

“Nah. I woke up and shut the fuckin’ curtain cuz the sun was blinding me.” Over dramatic? Absolutely. But Des was hungover and confused. He was allowed to be a bit of a drama king.

Rummaging through the pockets of the disgustingly bedazzled suit, he found his phone and moved back to the bed. “I got a shit ton of texts from numbers that ain’t saved…” he trailed off as he opened the texts.

Each text thread was nothing but pictures. Pictures of him and Sarina at the club with a shit ton of strangers. They were clearly having a great time celebrating their fake proposal and judging by the amount of strangers in each picture they’d made plenty of friends. “Who the fuck are these people?” He huffed as he continued going through the texts.

Nearing the end it became all too clear why Sarina was wearing his ring on her ring finger. “Apparently we made good on that fake proposal…”

SARINA

“Yes yes.” Sarina nodded along with his dramatics pulling the sheet from the bed so she could wander around her mess of clothes. (After double checking her family ring was still on her.) It would actually be smart to get Des’ off her incase she needed to use magic. If it wasn’t enchanted to withstand the heat from her blasts it wouldn’t survive.

Eventually she found her phone in a manilla envelope just as DeSoto spoke. And yup there it was… a marriage license with their names on it.

“Looks legal too.” She flipped the paper to show DeSoto. “Uh- this is weird I mean I can burn it and we pretend this never happened?” Sarina offered grabbing her phone and flopping back onto the bed. Just the movement hurt her head and she was ready to go to sleep even when she started to thumb through all the photos that had been sent to her. “Or does this make me Sarina Sykes. It’s got a ring to it.” Sarina joked coping with humor.

DESOTO

DeSoto settled back into the bed easily, feeling the fatigue in his bones wanting to take back over. Still he took the marriage license from Sarina and looked it over with furrowed brows. He’d never contemplated marriage, never really thought he would get married. It didn’t matter to him, really. It’s not like he wanted to settle down and have what Roscoe had. He was perfectly happy being single.

“Hate t’say it but even if yous do burn it there’s probably another copy’a this,” he shrugged as he handed it back to her.

Laying back he let his eyes slip closed as he sighed lowly. “And s’probably more work getting it undone than it is t’get married here. S’just easier t’stay married cuz I dunno if I can be fucked t’even get back outta bed today.” A truer statement had never been spoken by DeSoto. It’d been a good while since he had partied quite that hard. Sleep sounded beautiful.

“But we’s can do whatever yous want,” he shrugged again. “Does got a ring to it, though.”

SARINA

Marriage, that wasn’t something Sarina had ever considered, never even considered staying in place long enough to meet someone and want to get married let alone have the time to do so.

She wasn’t a romantic, she had lost faith in humanity a lot time ago and didn’t trust enough people to give her heart to. Des was one of them but just in a way that was very different than for people that wanted to get married.

“Honestly, I don’t really care, it’s not like it’s gonna change our lives. Neither one of us is in love with the other and I don’t see us ever being in love with each other like that.” A piece of paper didn’t change that. Maybe she was still a little bit of a romantic. Wanting what her parents had.

Lifting her left hand up she looked at his ring on her hand. “After that dream- I mean, I ran away from my family Des. Never told you guys that. After that dream, I keep thinking about dying alone. Doesn’t really feel like I’ve been a Go, in a very long time. Not sure they even think about me anymore.” Sarina really was just alone at this point.

DESOTO

He could have fallen asleep once Sarina said she didn’t care either way. They were on the same page, at least. They cared about each other but they weren’t ever looking to get married. At least now the both of them had a scapegoat of sorts when people asked. They were married to each other, now all they had to do was avoid questions about starting families and shit. Something they could easily do.

But then Sarina brought up the dream and he knew that despite being tired, neither one of them were going to go back to sleep. There were things to unpack, things they had tried to run from by going to Vegas.

So instead, he shifted to sit up and lean against the headboard and wrap an arm around Sarina so he could pull her closer.

“I—- I get it,” he started quietly. “Me and Ros… we did the same thing sorta. But we got our own definition of what being a Sykes is. A little bit of our upbringing is in it but mainly it’s just us deciding what we wanna be. If your family don’t think of yous? Fuck ‘em. Yous got a family here. With me and Ros. Or whoever yous want. They can’t accept yous or somethin’ then yous too good for ‘em.”

SARINA

Moving with the touch Sarina curled into DeSoto. Maybe it wouldnt be bad being married to your best friend. There was barely any tax benefits though considering most of their work was illegal.

It was just Sarina wished she could agree with him. Fuck them. But it wasnt that easy, she was the bad guy in this situation.

"It wasnt that, my parents were killed at a magick rights protest, for the longest time my brothers and I always went with them fought with them. When they were killed I stopped fighting, the boys didnt. But I had to step in as a primary caregiver to them. They were utterly useless. I was the one that abandoned them." The dream just brought the guilt back stronger.

"Used to have a secret identity and be a vigilante if you would believe it."

DESOTO

Okay. Okay. DeSoto had no idea how to deal with dead parents. He wanted and actively planned how to kill his own father. He wasn’t a good guy. Had never been a good guy. Part of him couldn’t believe that Sarina had once been one of the good guys. But—- she hadn’t ever really opened up to him like this either, so there had to be truth to it.

“What made yous leave ‘em?” He asked it carefully, making sure to keep his hold on her light so that if she wanted to distance herself she could. Some family things were tough to talk about. There was a lot that he didn’t talk about or even acknowledge so he definitely understood that.

But he wanted to know more about this part of Sarina’s life. Especially if it was something that was bothering her this much. He could be a safe place for her if that was what she needed.

SARINA

"I was going to break, even when I was in University I was falling down a rabbit hole that I could barely see the light of. We were there fighting for magick rights and it was thrown in our faces, or we would try using our powers to help someone and we would be looked at like monsters." Sarina had planned to go into early education. She had wanted to help.

"The boys never saw it like that, they would keep helping but they lacked common sense. Would rush in without even thinking about it. Our parents held us together. Without them… I couldnt do it. I stopped caring about helping, I stopped caring about the things I couldnt control. I could kill myself over it or I could try to live. The boys wanted me to fill the void my parents left and I couldn't do it." The more she spoke about it the guiltier she felt.

"This ring is a family heirloom." Sarina held up her right hand for Des to see the simple silver band. "Enchanted to handle the heat from my energy blasts."

DESOTO

There were times that DeSoto actually forgot that Sarina was a Magick. He’d seen her use her magic but it still slipped his mind. Maybe because it wasn’t in your face like some but whatever it was he often treated it like out of sight out of mind. It didn’t matter to him that she was a Magick. Did it mean he cared about every other Magick out there? Absolutely not. He still thought there needed to be better policing of them out there but those thoughts didn’t pertain to her.

“That ain’t your fault, y’know,” he said instead. And it was true. Not wanting to be and do what her brothers wanted wasn’t wrong in any way. A hard concept to grapple with but true all the same. “I mean… I ain’t the son my pops wanted. And— yeah it sucks but, end of the day? I’m my own person.” Even if it wasn’t true and Des was always destined to be a follower.

Taking her hand, he looked over the ring before locking their fingers together. This was, perhaps, the most tender he’d ever been with someone. “Don’t feel bad yous couldn’t be something someone else wanted yous t’be. ‘Sides, yous wouldn’t be married t’me if yous had been.”

SARINA

Sarina let out a small laugh at that, leave it to Des to boil it down to something so simple. But he wasnt wrong. If she had stayed she wouldnt have met Des or the people she cared about at the Court.

Never would have met Drakken and dealt with his antics. She might not even be here still if she had stayed.

"Maybe one day I'll be strong enough to check in on them. But right now you think it's okay to weasel myself into your family. Be a Sykes." She wouldnt go around calling herself one, they might be married but they werent about to boast about it unless the situation needed it.

But it was truly more for herself than it was for other people.

“Do I get to keep the ring then?”

DESOTO

Sarina’s question was a silly one. Even though they hadn’t been married before she was still a part of his family. He cared for her just as much as he cared for Roscoe. Their bond was unbreakable. But he knew this was a rare moment for the two of them. A small bit of vulnerability shared in the quiet of the morning.

It was a new and terrifying type of relationship for DeSoto but he knew that Sarina would never betray him.

“Course yous a Sykes. Was one before we got married,” he huffed even as he pulled her closer. “Be a great addition to the family.”

Shifting so that they could both lay down again, Des shrugged at the next question. “Long as you’s don’t melt it? Sure.”

SARINA

Sarina smiled against his chest, maybe it wasn’t the most conventional marriage and maybe they would get divorced one day. But the very thought of this giving her a place to call home no matter what. It was kind of nice.

For someone who had her guard up all the time, it was nice to be vulnerable for once.

“No melting, don’t worry I have a way to make sure it’s fine.” And it seemed like a trip back to Italy was in order, it was about time she at least kept her parents wedding bands with her again. Maybe she could stop running in pieces.

But for now, sleep was good, curled up against her husband, they would deal with anything else after they woke up again.

#desotosykes #tw: drinking #tw: drugs

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sweet-savvy-slytherins · 4 years ago

Text

Hi, everyone!

Developing characters is something I really enjoy, so I had a lot of fun putting together a twin set of MCs! This is the first of the two, Evangeline! I’d love if people would give her a read, and let me know what you think of her!

For clarification, I used the Classified Text Generator in a few spots. That way, I didn’t have to leave any information out, and those who had reached that part of the game would recognize what I was talking about regardless, but those who hadn’t wouldn’t be spoiled.

Name:

Hypatia Nadine Linwood, originally

Evangeline Nadine Desrosiers, currently

Usually goes by Vany

Initials spell “END,” which she finds hilariously ominous

Gender: Cisgender female

Age: 16 years old

Birth Date: October 20th

Species: Human (despite her mother’s insistence that they’re part Veela)

Blood Status: Pureblood

Sexuality: Openly homoromantic and homosexual

Alignment: Chaotic good

Ethnicity: Afro-European

Residence: A condo in Bristol

Myer Briggs Personality Type: ESTP-A, the Entrepreneur

1st Wand: When she was eleven, Evangeline was matched with a dogwood wand that was nine inches in length, with a dragon heartstring core.

2nd Wand: In her fifth year, after she unwisely challenged Madam Rakepick and had her wand broken as a result, Evangeline found herself paired with a spruce wood wand, this one nine and two thirds inches in length with a phoenix tail feather core. While she resents Rakepick for breaking her first, Evangeline does admit to feeling like her second wand suited her better.

Animagus: Evangeline never becomes an animagus.

Miscellaneous Magical Abilities: Unlike Jacob and Enola, Evangeline is not a born legilimens. However, just like her mother, she is a Seer. (Because that is just like her mother, isn’t it? To pass on the world’s shittiest super power?) Most of the time, this ability manifests in the form of a vague sense or a murky dream. To this day, she’s only had one proper vision, and it was when she was very small.

Boggart Form: Her mother showering her with praise, and saying she was proud of the witch she’d grown to be. This tends to confuse her peers, since it seems so positive—but Evangeline knows her mother. The narcissist that she is, Mireille would never have praised her like that unless she molded Evangeline into her double. That is Evangeline’s worst fear: becoming her mother.

Riddikulus Form: Mireille more or less being turned into a cymbal-banging monkey, with a kazoo in her mouth, cymbals in her hands, and a silly hat.

Amortentia: When Evangeline smells amortentia, the scent is a combination of broom handle polish, leather, and buttered toast. If someone’s amortentia were to smell like her, it would smell like cherry lip gloss, orange pekoe tea, and, again, broom handle polish.

Patronus: A crow. Although they’re best known for supposedly being an omen of death, they’re also believed to symbolize destiny, flexibility, and mischievousness.

Patronus Memory: About a month before Evangeline turned nine, there was a night where her entire family—Aunt Felicienne, Jacob, Enola, and Casper—all let her paint their nails. They all talked and laughed the entire night, drinking cocoa and admiring their nails, and it was the first time they felt like a proper family.

Mirror of Erised: Her family not only together again, but being treated with the respect they deserve. Her brother’s bad reputation erased, the whispers about her aunt for being a squib silenced, and the ghost of their parents’ actions exorcised.

Specialized/Favorite Spells: Evangeline has an affinity for fun spells, like Colovaria and Orchideous. They may not be the most practical, but is that such a crime? Not every spell can serve a greater purpose.

Physique:

Athletic build, due to her involvement in Quidditch

Strong limbs and a toned figure

5′8 in heigh

Eye Color:

Dark grey in color

Always decorated with pristine eyeliner and a light brush of mascara

Hair Color:

Deep brown

Occasionally experiment with different hair colors using Colovaria

Naturally curly, but is often straightened

Hip length (when straightened)

Skin Tone:

Light brown

Warm undertones

Body Modifications:

One piercing in each ear

Scarring:

Extensive burn scars on both forearms — gained at 7 years old

Thin scar directly across the bridge of her nose — gained at 25 years old

Inventory:

Her favorite cherry lip gloss

A bag of butterscotch candies

A hair clip or two

Her treasured leather journal.

Fashion: Though Evangeline consciously tries not to be vain, knowing it was one of her mother’s vices, she does take pride in her appearance, and enjoys looking good. When not outfitted in her school robes, she usually tries to aim for a classy, feminine sort of style. More often than not her outfits consist of trendy sweaters or turtlenecks (never t-shirts), tea length skirts, and oxford pumps. As for accessories, Evangeline is quite fond of dainty earrings and delicate silver rings, as well as pretty hair clips. The one exception to her style tastes is Erika’s sweaters: they’re over-sized, a little more traditionally masculine, and more worn out than Evangeline likes to let her clothes get. Still, she absolutely covets them.

Hogwarts House: Slytherin, house of the cunning and ambitious. It’s garnered such a reputation for being the “mean house” that people always seem to be surprised to learn that Evangeline was placed there. But, as she’s always quick to remind them, “mean” is not a requisite for being in Slytherin. It’s just an unfortunate trend.

Ilvermorny House: Thunderbird, house of the soul, home to the adventurer.

Affiliations/Organizations: Obviously, as first a student and then an alum, Evangeline is affiliated with Hogwarts. She also joins ███ ██████ ██ ██████ out of support for Enola, and, later on, is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

Professions: After working as a spy for the Order during the second wizarding war, Evangeline builds a career as a grief counselor for magical children.

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: A

Charms: E

DADA: O

Flying: O

Herbology: P

History of Magic: A

Potions: A

Transfiguration: E

Electives:

Divination

Muggle Studies

Both are total goof off classes, considering she’s a Seer who was raised in a muggle community

Quidditch:

Seeker on the Slytherin team from third year onward

Played one season as a beater in her fourth year

Extra Curricular:

Art Club

Frog Choir

Favorite Professors:

Professor Hooch — fellow Quidditch lover

Professor Trelawney — endearingly kooky

Least Favorite Professors:

Professor Snape — killjoy

Professor Sinistra — uptight

Brother: The eldest of the Desrosiers children is Theron, who renamed himself Jacob after his parents’ death. Of his three younger siblings, he’s arguably closest to Evangeline, since she shares his charisma and occasional haughtiness. Evangeline understood, better than any of the others, how badly he wanted to restore both the Kastellanos and Desrosiers family names to their former glory. No, actually, not their former glory—a new glory, built on talent and respect, rather than on the subjugation of those considered “beneath” them.

Other Siblings: Older than Evangeline by six minutes, Enola is the second oldest Desrosiers sibling, and easily the one Evangeline is closest to. People can dismiss the notion of twin ESP all they want, but Evangeline believes it. Different as they may be, her and Enola have always been finely attuned to each other. They can read each other easily, and always know exactly what the other needs. There isn’t a chance they could ever be as close with someone else as they are with each other.

Evangeline also has a younger brother. Helios Kastellanos, renamed Casper by their Aunt Felicienne, is five years younger than the twins, and truth be told, Evangeline’s never had too strong of a relationship with him. It’s not like they argue, or they hate each other. They’ve just...never connected. He’s always clung to Enola, so Evangeline figures that it’s a trade off she had to make. She gets to be close with Jacob, at the cost of being close with Casper. Enola gets to be close with Casper, at the cost of being close with Jacob. It evens out.

Father: Truth be told, Evangeline remembers very little of her father, Proteus. Beyond not spending a lot of time at home, Proteus was more concerned with his male heirs than either of his daughters. Everything Evangeline knows about him, she’s learned secondhand, and even then, it’s very little. Felicienne and Jacob always waved off her questions, telling her she didn’t want to know about him, Enola remembered as little as she did, and Casper was only three when he died. Evangeline knows that he was a Death Eater, and that’s more or less it.

Mother: Now, her mother, Mireille, on the other hand...Evangeline remembers her quite vividly. Mireille was a woman who prided herself on beauty more than anything, and wanted to raise her daughters to be just the same—as long as they were never more beautiful than she was. Though she came from a family of blood purists, Mireille was the first Desrosiers to become a Death Eater, and Evangeline suspects that she got in over her head. It’s her theory that the stress drove Mireille crazy, and that was why she was so prone to paranoia and explosive bursts of anger. One of Evangeline’s most vivid memories of Mireille attempting to throw a pot of boiling water in her face when she was seven years old; Evangeline threw up her arms to defend herself, and she still bears the scars from the attack all these years later.

Love Interest: Evangeline has a big, fat, gay crush on Erika Rath, and she’s not ashamed to admit it. She’d already been attracted to her on an entirely physical level, and then Evangeline had to seek out her tutelage when the Slytherin team was short a Beater. Discovering the awkward, uncertain girl that existed beneath the gruff exterior completely sealed the deal. They bonded over their love for Quidditch, continuing to train together even when Evangeline switched back to playing Seeker, and with time, came to find that they really enjoyed each other’s company. Evangeline could make Erika laugh like no one else, and Erika felt like one of the only people Evangeline could be entirely herself with, even if that meant exposing the ugly pieces of herself as well as the polished ones. Finally, Evangeline asked Erika to the Celestial Ball, and the rest was history. It’s rather funny to see them side by side, with Erika, perpetually dressed in her jersey and scowling, towering over Evangeline, with her pressed skirts and sunny smiles.

Best Friends: One of Evangeline’s dearest friends at Hogwarts is local contraband dealer, Jae Kim. Truth be told, he was initially quite intimidated by her. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but despite Evangeline’s bubbly disposition, something about her always struck him as distinctly...eldritch. Like she was something unusual, and not entirely human. Maybe it was just the way she could flip her emotions on a dime, entirely of her own volition. Watching her be seething mad and then slap on a bright, sunny grin as she turned away, easy as flipping a switch, was unnerving. Regardless, the two bonded throughout their time spent in detention, and Enola is quite proud to boast that she’s one of the few people that can almost wrangle Jae into following the rules.

She’s also quite close with Penny Haywood and Diego Caplan, two Hufflepuffs who share Evangeline’s popularity and social skill. Evangeline likes to joke that she’s “Penny, but with edge.” Penny gets a kick out of it. Diego, on the other hand, did initially have slightly selfish reasons for befriending Evangeline—namely, his hope that she could help him get closer to Enola, who he had a crush on—but ended up genuinely bonding with her somewhere along the way. She’s his favorite dueling and dancing partner, and they trust each other more than anyone seems to realize.

Rivals: Some people might not understand how two people on the same team can be rivals, but Evangeline and Skye Parkin make it work. It’s not a mean rivalry by any means, but it’s an intense one, with both of them aiming to be the star player on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Evangeline also considers herself rivals with Emily Tyler, who reminds her uncomfortably of her mother, and Merula, who competes with her in, well, everything.

Enemies: Logically, Evangeline knows that there’s really nothing wrong with Talbott Winger. He’s an entirely decent guy, who minds his own business and keeps his head down. She has no reason to dislike him the way she does. But she just can’t help it. Maybe it’s his aloofness that rubs her the wrong way—Evangeline’s always liked to be liked, not to mention the nosy streak she possesses and she finds people that reserved and guarded frustrating. Maybe it’s the fact that she thinks he has eyes for her sister, when Enola could definitely do better. (Of course, this is only Evangeline’s perception. If she really wanted to know who had eyes for Enola, she’d have better luck looking at her best friend, Jae.) Either way, Evangeline isn’t a fan.

Dormmates: Evangeline shares a dorm with Rowan Khanna, Liz Tuttle, Skye Parkin, and her twin sister, Enola.

Pets: On the record, Evangeline has only one pet, and it’s a very old, exceptionally grumpy, melanistic Sphynx cat named Toodles. Despite being more or less a crotchety old man in cat form, Toodles is absolutely the light of Evangeline’s life, and she dotes on him like he is her actual child. The amount of money she’s dropped on Toodles is honestly kind of staggering, but Enola insists that it’s entirely necessary. Sphynx cats require a lot of careful care, and if Evangeline has her way, Toodles is only going to get the best of the best.

However, off the record, Evangeline has also grown unusually close to one Thestral in particular. She’s been sneaking into the Forbidden Forest to study them since she was in her 2nd year, and during one such excursion, she witnessed a Thestral foal being birthed. Since it provided a prime opportunity to study the life cycle of a Thestral, Evangeline focused most of her observations on that foal, which she named Melinoe, after the Greek goddess of ghosts and spirits. It took some time to build trust, but eventually, Melinoe and Evangeline were thick as thieves, and Melinoe greeted her like an excited puppy whenever she came to visit the forest. Leaving Melinoe behind is perhaps what Evangeline’s dreading most about her graduation from Hogwarts.

Closest Canon Friends: Jae Kim, Penny Haywood, Diego Caplan, Nymphadora Tonks, and Tulip Karasu.

Closest MC Friends: Outside of Enola, none yet, but looking!

Pre-Hogwarts: Hypatia was born the third child of Proteus and Mireille Kastellanos. She spent the first eight years of her life in Greece, living on her father’s family estate, roaming the grounds with her siblings, enjoying the abundance of wealth at her fingertips. It should’ve been a charmed life...but it wasn’t. See, Proteus and Mireille were both Death Eaters, and neither were much suited for parenthood. It was a household strife with unease and contempt, and if the ruthless mental (and occasionally physical) abuse Hypatia experienced wasn’t enough, her childhood was also plagued by terrible visions. In this visions, an explosion burst in her family parlor, leaving both her parents dead on the floor.

Then, when she was eight years old, the premonition came true. Aurors raided the manor, and in the ensuing fight, both Proteus and Mireille were killed, with their two young daughters bearing witness. The children were whisked away from the home, and eventually sent to live with their maternal aunt, Felicienne Desrosiers. A squib who had fled her Pureblood-supremist family to live in England, Felicienne was hardly equipped to take on four young, magical, traumatized children, but still, she stepped up to the plate, determined not to fail them the way that their parents had.

The first thing she did? She sat them down, and helped them choose out new names. While her family name wasn’t exactly sparkly clean, it carried less of a stigma than their father’s. And thus, Hypatia Kastellanos died with her parents, and Evangeline Desrosiers was born.

From that point on, Evangeline grew up to be a rather well-adjusted girl. Or, as well-adjusted as a girl with her experiences could be. The only real point of concern was the fixation she began to develop with death; she played funeral director far more often than she ever played princess, and was prone to checking out books on embalming methods from the local library. However, she wasn’t hurting anyone or thing and showed no desire to, so Felicenne decided it wasn’t anything to worry too much about. It was simply Evangeline’s way of coping. Throughout the years, Evangeline found happiness with her new family, and despite Jacob’s disappearance, despite Felicenne’s failing health, Evangeline is determined to protect that happiness.

2nd Wizarding War: As the war starts picking up steam, Evangeline establishes her allegiance to The Order of the Phoenix, and starts working as a spy, able to rely on her charisma and family heritage to gain the trust of dark wizards. She’s not accepted into the inner circle, not nearly, but she’s silver-tongued enough to get information from those that are. During this time, she secretly elopes with her long-term girlfriend, Erika Rath. She fights in the battle of Hogwarts, and in doing so, gains a scar directly across the bridge of her nose.

Post-War: Following the war, Evangeline finds that her ambitions have changed. Despite having wanted for years to be a mortician, she finds that the idea now lacks the appeal it did when she was young. Perhaps she’s just seen enough death. Still, she’s determined to put all of her years of research to use. She ends up finding her calling providing grief counseling to children, and, specifically, to magical children. She makes the unconventional choice to train Thestrals as a sort of therapy animal for children who have witnessed death. Her and Erika, now going public with their marriage, also adopt a set of siblings—an eight year old named Winifred, and a six year old named Josephine, the daughters of a friend of Erika’s who was, unfortunately, killed in the war. It’s difficult, considering both girls are old enough to remember and miss their parents, but Evangeline’s grief training comes in handy in helping them cope with the loss. It may take time, but eventually, they do truly feel like a family.

There's a lot more to Evangeline than there appears to be at a glance. Upon first meeting, she seems...well, vivacious. She loves to laugh and lights up a room with her smile alone, and is playful and a little mischievous by nature. She's also quite the hopeless romantic, and ultimately wants to end up happy with someone she loves. Some may say that this makes her pathetic, but she doesn't view it that way at all. What's so wrong with wanting to be happy?

Though Evangeline may not hand out her trust too quickly or freely, she is always willing to provide a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. Her loyalty to those who find a place in her heart is admirable, especially when it comes to her family, and she would willingly fight to the death to protect those she loves. She always finds some way to show her affection, whether it's through a warm hug when one is needed or a good laugh provided when sadness seems to be taking over. She’s charismatic and enigmatic and attractive, and most everyone she meets consider her to be a delightful young woman.

And then her smile sharpens just slightly, glinting like light on the blade of a dagger, and all of a sudden, it’s abundantly clear why she was sorted into the house of the cunning.

Now, the image Evangeline puts forth isn’t a lie. She is genuinely friendly and outgoing, and the majority of the time, everything she says and does is sincere. However, certain traits are exaggerated because she wants to present a specific image of herself—or rather, she wants certain parts of her to go unnoticed, so she emphasizes the ones she wants people to see and lets the other ones slip out of the edges of their perception.

Beneath the girlish laughter and perfect grins is a master manipulator, always poised for battle, whether they be fought with words or fists. The sweetness, the flattery, the pretty little smiles, they coax information out conversations faster than threats ever did. A true Slytherin at her core, Evangeline has long since learned how to use her beauty and natural charisma to get what she needs out of people and accomplish her goals, which are, fortunately, mostly altruistic. Who knows what sort chaos she could wrought, if she put her mind to it?

Total theater kid. She attended muggle primary schools prior to Hogwarts, and you can bet your bippy she jumped on every opportunity to get on stage that she was offered. Notable roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, the Wicked Witch of the West (ironically enough) in The Wizard of Oz, Wendy in Peter Pan, and Queen Zixi in Queen Zixi of Ix.

It’s no secret that Evangeline’s one premonition was of the raid that her parents died in. Her siblings all know, and none of them blame her. She was just a child; she didn’t understand what she was seeing. The secret is that, even if she had understood, Evangeline doesn’t think she would’ve warned anyone.

#hphm oc #hphm mc #jacob's sibling #hogwarts mystery #hphm #harry potter #hogwarts #slytherin #evangeline desrosiers #evangeline and enola #hogwarts mystery mc #hogwarts mystery oc #oc

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punkscowardschampions · 4 years ago

Text

Libi & Bobby

Libi: Guess what I’ve just seen

Bobby: ?

Libi: Had art first lesson

Libi: Look what was on the noticeboard when I got out

Libi: [Audition sign-up list]

Libi: !!!

Bobby: You haven’t written our names down yet

Libi: 😃😃 yeah?

Libi: The premise sounds interesting

Libi: not the worst; remember that Cinderella knock-off they did when I first started? That was REAL cringey

Bobby: There’s loads of people I’d fake kill, none I’d stay out til midnight 💃🕺 with

Libi: Maybe the ‘glass’ slippers are still in the cupboard

Libi: you can make it your diva request

Libi: you really FEEL your character would wear shoes made out of sellotape in every scene

Bobby: sticking to the floor might make me a bit easy to catch ❌🏃🏻🚔🚨

Bobby: I’ll probably save them to wear backstage

Libi: Power move

Libi: In English now, but I’ll go have a loo break and sign us up

Libi: There were only a few names already on there

Bobby: Hang on, is there anyone signed up that’ll put me off? You left that off the pic

Libi: Signing up doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll get a part

Bobby: yeah but

Bobby: whose name are you deliberately not saying

Libi: China must’ve had music, she would’ve passed by it too

Bobby: She’ll only be after the lead

Bobby: be alright when you get it, we won’t see no sign of her

Libi: There’s the 😇/😈 leads though

Libi: Which one do you think Jake will like? OMG! 🙄

Bobby: 😈🤘🎸 DUH

Libi: She already thinks she’s a femme fatale in her day-to-day

Libi: I hope someone else gets it, she’ll be seething

Libi: Mean but can you imagine?

Libi: She’d be unbearable

Bobby: You heard me say you will, unless you’re seriously gonna just audition for 😇

Libi: You think I could pull that off?

Libi: I’ll take any role I suit

Bobby: I think you’d suit a one-woman show but sir bothered to 💭 up all those roles now so it’d be a bit rude

Libi: You overestimate my abilities 😚

Libi: but it is encouraging

Libi: I think it could be really cool if you were the 😈 guy if I WERE to be the 😈 girl, because we could basically secretly communicate and no one would clock it was us ‘til the end and it’d be such a good reveal that we were signing in plain sight, you know?

Bobby: You underestimate yourself, that’s such a top idea, for 1.

Bobby: I was still trying to work out how to audition nevermind how they’d sort it if I got given the role

Bobby: 🏆🥇🎬

Bobby: Gutted you’re not directing it and all for 2.

Libi: You didn’t think I was going to volunteer us without a solid idea, did you?

Libi: Work on your brooding cold stare, Bobs 😝

Libi: I think they film it, but I also think Mr Mullan sets up a static tripod at the back of the hall and if anyone’s ma or da gets up the ‘shot’ is ruined 😷

Bobby: I never thought you wouldn’t get there, Libs, just wasn’t expecting it that fast

Bobby: I’ll stick on Clockwork Orange and The Shining and Voila! 👍

Bobby: Yeah? Didn’t have Mr M down as such an amateur

Libi: 🏃‍♀️

Libi: Oh, we have to have movie night

Libi: let Jim and Jan know it’s basically homework 🤞

Libi: Makes sense to get ahead of the competition

Libi: You’re free, right?

Bobby: If I wasn’t I’d be cancelling plans

Libi: I’d question who I was talking to if not

Bobby: 💔 if I’d been hacked and it took you this long to work it out

Libi: Never

Libi: not even in a bad teacher-written Agatha knock-off

Libi: too far fetched

Bobby: Sir sounds like he’s not above a 🔪 in the back murder if he’s still team tripod

Libi: I can’t wait to get out the corn syrup 😋

Libi: We can watch Scream even though it isn’t strictly genre

Bobby: Taxi Driver, The Godfather and Kill Bill too then for the 🥇🩸🏆

Libi: Now you’re talking

Libi: we might need a weekend marathon

Libi: now they’re boring adults, can’t pull all-nighters, even for 🥇🩸🏆

Bobby: maybe we can bribe them with back instead of front row seats

Bobby: not having to sit next to China’s mum could swing loads for us

Libi: Oh God

Libi: She LOVES to talk

Libi: and treat them like she’s known them since/they’re still kids

Bobby: I don’t wanna 🤞 that neither get roles, America’d probably be decent at the over the top stuff sir’s gonna want to make people laugh

Bobby: distance’ll have to do

Bobby: I’ll 🤞 instead that she don’t notice them sneaking in or out

Libi: She’ll for sure get a role, if she’s auditioning

Libi: Which I bet she will, the get-out-of-lessons-free pull is real for us all

Libi: She’ll be too busy making her own 📹 I reckon

Bobby: 🤔 How many lessons do you reckon we’ll end up missing?

Libi: The nearer the performance the more rehearsals they usually end up pulling for

Libi: But it’s Wednesday and Friday after school, so sometimes we get to miss last lesson on those days

Bobby: Alright, I’ll get over my 😳

Libi: You’ll be great

Libi: I wonder what other boys will audition

Libi: There’s never quite enough boys

Libi: What about Sean?

Bobby: I can’t imagine him learning lines

Bobby: Jake’s mates though, easy to 💭 of them trying to take over

Libi: Totally, every school event is a popularity contest as far as their egos are concerned

Libi: Some of them will think they’re too cool to even do it for a laugh but really it’s just 😳

Libi: As long as we have each other, it doesn’t matter

Bobby: It’ll be great, me and you, even if it takes me a sec longer to find my feet without sellotape 👠

Libi: 😚

Libi: It’ll be good to have a school thing we can actually do together

Libi: this school needs better clubs

Bobby: I bet he’ll let you start a 🎥📽🎞 club after the play

Bobby: when he’s 🤞🤩🤞 you’ll sign up for the next one

Libi: Okay I don’t know about that but that would be fun

Libi: even if it was just you and me again because no one else has seen a film that isn’t in Netflix’s catalogue 😆

Bobby: Even if it’s just us he’ll have a hard job ❌😒👎 when you’ve done such a good one

Libi: We’ll see 🤞

Libi: Usual spot at break then? I better go do some actual work now 😓

Bobby: 👀

Bobby: Me too, dunno who said there wasn’t any in transition year

Libi: They want to make it seem like there’s a break between exams, but as if they’re gonna let you get away with doing nothing

Libi: not got enough ideas to keep you busy 😏

Libi: Guess it is nice to have all that time to decide what to pick for next year but if you’ve already got a good idea… 🤷‍♀️

Bobby: Reckon if they could force everyone in the year towards that sign up sheet they would

Bobby: about as far as their ideas go

Bobby: good thing I can sort myself out

Libi: With a little help 🤏

Libi: I know my Grandma will help us out loads though, she’ll be buzzing about this

Bobby: Yeah 🤏 of work with Jim at his for a start

Bobby: when I’m not fake murdering people with you anyway

Bobby: he’ll be buzzing at the chance to art and craft again too 😏

Libi: Awh

Libi: Bet he’s missed school so much, like

Bobby: 😂

Libi: [Skip to day where they put the roles up]

Libi: I think I’m going to be late

Libi: If you want to walk to school without me

Bobby: I don’t mind waiting, not got loads on first thing

Libi: I can’t get my hair to do anything

Libi: stupid, I know

Bobby: I get it, you wanna look worthy of your starring role

Bobby: you’ve already earned it though

Libi: More like, I don’t want to look a total mess if I already made an idiot out of myself in auditions

Libi: China’s gloating will be insufferable enough without giving that satisfaction too

Bobby: I was there Libs, you didn’t

Bobby: China’ll be the one dreading the list and you can 😁 all you like

Libi: Lowkey feel like I’m gonna barf, this is ridiculous

Libi: and no one seems to know if they’ll put the list up break or lunch-time

Bobby: if you wanna stay home, I’ll keep lookout for it

Libi: No, I can’t do that

Libi: but thanks, I’ll only be 5 more minutes, max, promise

Bobby: enough time for me to make you a congrats card

Libi: Only if you make yourself one too

Libi: If I get a part, it’s only because of you, so you will too

Bobby: if I get a part it’s only because of you, more like

Bobby: and Jake’s mates messing up most of their lines

Libi: Okay, it’s not me admitting I was amazing to say some of them were awkwardly bad 😬

Libi: Thought Sir might start crying/have his nervous breakdown before we’d even started

Libi: Oh God what if one of us gets a role where we have to be all 😍 with one of that lot instead, that’ll be so… 😰

Bobby: I’d have to drop out of it before being 😍 with her

Bobby: save me from my own breakdown or her from a real murder

Libi: We can’t let you go that method, let the 🤩 go to your head

Bobby: You keep my head the right size, I’ll keep you from 🤮

Libi: Keep your hands clean of any real 🩸 it’s not that play

Libi: 🤐 on the name

Bobby: You don’t reckon I could play Scotish royalty? It’s not like I have to bother with the accent

Libi: ‘course you could

Libi: and she’d make an excellent witch

Libi: totally a compliment 😇

Libi: alright, I’m ready

Bobby: So’s your card

Bobby: If I was as 😇 as you, I’d have made her one saying sorry she missed out

Libi: no substitute for 🌹 at her feet, I feel

Libi: let’s 👀

Libi: [can skip again to after we actually know, ‘cos clearly that would be in person at school]

Bobby: [fuck that teacher for having a marvelous time ruining everything]

Libi: [could’ve been brave and taken that risk but nah, so rude]

Libi: hey

Libi: you awake?

Bobby: [at least IRL he could focus on being happy for her cos he is instead of having to pretend it’s fine when it’s not fine which she obvs would’ve seen through]

Bobby: You don’t need to keep worrying, you got the part over her and she’s still got one to keep her too busy if she fancies sabotage

Libi: I’m not worried

Libi: just bummed out, I suppose

Bobby: prospect of spending that much time with Jake’ll do that

Bobby: maybe China’ll bully him into quitting

Libi: he isn’t even her boyfriend

Libi: not that it matters, because it’s acting

Libi: I really thought he’d go for our idea

Bobby: I probably should’ve known he wouldn’t

Bobby: sorry for getting your hopes up, Libs

Libi: It’s not your fault

Libi: it feels kind of… wrong?

Libi: but not in a provable way, arguably he was better for the role and you still have one so

Libi: I don’t know

Libi: I’m sorry, are you alright?

Bobby: It’s not yours either, and yeah, maybe he was better

Bobby: face, and more importantly voice, fits

Bobby: we still get to hang out, that’s what’s alright by me

Libi: I don’t think he’s better

Libi: but yeah, that’s what it’s all about

Libi: and there’s plenty other people who got cast who are actually nice

Libi: we could do our own rehearsals separate to the regular ones, once a week or something, with those people, do some bonding

Libi: friday nights maybe? get takeout, watch a relevant movie or show, it doesn’t have to be all serious and 🤓

Bobby: Then I don’t care what sir thinks

Bobby: I’m in and Sean will be too, I don’t see why crew should be left out

Libi: 😊

Libi: Totally, whoever wants to come can

Libi: just think it’s fair to assume that they won’t wanna come any more than we’d really like them there

Bobby: What’s the first film or show gonna be?

Libi: That’s the question 🤔

Libi: [The relevant Poriot episodes] One of these, for sure, but how do you decide between a deadly murder mystery party and a deadly halloween party?!

Bobby: You were ready, have you been watching them both instead of 😴?

Libi: Maybe

Bobby: Your dreams are gonna be so on brand, let me know about it if you kill Jake

Libi: Bobby 😂

Libi: Imagine the look on her face if I was overheard dreaming about Jake

Bobby: 😡🤬🤯

Libi: Not trying too convince him it’s real, just the audience

Bobby: Neither of them need much convincing, they’re sure everyone’s 😍💘🌹 for them and their mate group

Libi: It’s so weird

Libi: How are they so unaware?

Bobby: I dunno but it don’t help now that sir has fuelled the 🔥

Libi: Yeah 🙄

Libi: Main characters of the School

Libi: must be nice to be so in 💘 with yourself

Bobby: You got a bit of their usual 👏🌹 today, what did you think?

Libi: I wouldn’t go that far

Libi: we all got parts

Libi: I don’t feel any different or better, that’d be weird

Bobby: 🤏 I said,‘cause I knew you wouldn’t

Bobby: but alright, I’m glad you’re still you

Libi: You thought I’d turn into a total diva? 🥺

Libi: how very rude 😏

Bobby: I’m just sulking ‘cause Mullan literally cast me as a mime, white gloves and all

Libi: Oh no

Libi: Can’t unsee 😬

Libi: but you’re gonna make it so much more than that

Libi: even if just to spite him, prove how 🔥 you can be without a voice

Bobby: and for the next play, unless it’s a musical or something even more 😬 than Cinderella

Libi: There’s the whole Disney catalogue to go through…

Libi: OMG

Bobby: Just don’t start dreaming of Jake as your prince charming

Libi: NO

Libi: LET ME STOP SHOUTING

Libi: but how cool would you as a boy Ariel be

Libi: unless you really want flowing long red hair

Bobby: BUT it’s such a fun throwback 🔊❕📢❗️

Bobby: 🤔💭?

Bobby: put it in the school suggestion box tomorrow in all CAPS

Libi: Hey! 😳

Libi: I was much younger and even more foolish back then

Libi: I’m reticent to give any more of my good ideas to Mr Mullan now

Bobby: yeah, what’s his excuse for being a poohead?

Libi: If we’re bringing up past embarrassments

Libi: I remember PLENTY too, FYI 😜

Libi: Honestly, I don’t know why J&J didn’t try harder to tell me to 🔉

Bobby: You’d never 😳 me when I’m down

Bobby: and you shouldn’t be 😳 for then, it was 🤝 not 👊

Bobby: your heart has always been massive and right where it should be

Libi: Backatcha Bobs 😊

Libi: Best friends for a reason

Bobby: Exactly, so you don’t have to worry

Bobby: we’ll have as much fun doing the play as we planned

Libi: That’s all I care about

Libi: well, I’d quite like to not shame myself and do a good job with this play

Libi: definitely 🥈 though

Bobby: Well that’s a given and all, didn’t you read your congrats card?

Bobby: I’ll have to get some real 🌹🌹 to chuck, you won’t be able to ignore them

Libi: Of course I did

Libi: but you’re my best friend, you HAVE to say all those things

Bobby: I’m a non-speaking character, saying it in spite of that

Bobby: must be important

Bobby: 🤏

Libi: I’ll stop worrying at full 🔊

Libi: It’ll be good

Libi: Do you think I should like, try to get together with Jake and Louie, get to know them and work out how to make our respective 💘s work?

Libi: I can’t think how to word it without sounding like I’m being thirsty

Bobby: *at any volume

Bobby: It will be good, I promise

Bobby: you could ask if they wanna run lines, see how they react, if they take it as you’re 😍💘🌹 1.’cause it’s them you’re expecting that and 2. it’s such a 😇🤓 request they’d be the ones who look 🤤

Libi: Ugh, how is that easy for you? 😎

Libi: That’s perfect

Libi: they signed up for the play too, they must wanna put some effort in too

Bobby: I wouldn’t go that far *😳

Bobby: It should work alright though, they bothered to learn their lines for the audition on top of signing up

Libi: Louie is alright

Libi: I’ll start with him

Libi: Lucie who’s playing the maid is cute

Bobby: He is, you’ll be alright

Libi: Don’t you think so?

Libi: She could be your 💘 and she can really beef up her role and be devastated when you get whacked

Bobby: I don’t mind her being 💔 if she wants but I don’t think I need a 💘

Libi: Married to the job

Libi: I see it

Bobby: There you go, it makes loads of sense

Libi: Plus Lord whatshisface might be being a rogue with her

Libi: that makes more sense

Bobby: 😂

Libi: Do you wanna go to the shops after school tomorrow? 👀 inspo even if we just window shop

Bobby: There’s loads of props I wanna have a go at making so I do need to have a look about to get them right

Bobby: it’s a date

Libi: I’ll wait on the 🌹🌹

Libi: Really should do some work for them first

Bobby: I can always put to 🖍 paper or fold you a paper one

Libi: Only if you colour it in [her favourite crayon colour name]

Bobby: [We’re obviously doing that as we watch these Agatha eps so prove of both those things in progress is gonna get sent]

Libi: 😇🤓 points x1000

Bobby: That’ll be why sir didn’t give me the 😈 role, if we asked

Libi: Hmm

Libi: He’s just failing to see your full potential but not for long

Libi: no one can ignore the talent

Bobby: He’s seen my potential for carrying a tray, might be as far as it goes for him

Bobby: least until my 🔈🧜‍♂️ starring role changes his mind

Libi: You are old enough to get that part-time job

Bobby: Imagine serving China and her mates ☕️ every day though

Bobby: not to disrespect the family trade but

Libi: 😅 I’m sure Jim would NEVER wish that on you

Libi: At least Asia was kinda nice, she could be anyway

Libi: Comparing her group to China’s now, feel like you’d be worse off

Bobby: he might wish the tips on me, but I reckon you’re right about it not being worth it

Libi: That’s true, it’s probably the best 💰💰 part-time

Libi: I want to get one, to help out, but I don’t know what I’ll do

Bobby: I’m gonna see if a proper job’ll come of going to work with him this year, even if that’s just doing ☕️ for everyone

Libi: That’d be ideal

Libi: I can totally see it happening, you’re enjoying it and they’re all impressed with you

Libi: 🤞🤞

Bobby: And we’ve got time to find a job for you 🎥📽🎞 that isn’t just scooping 🍿 into a carton

Libi: If I got to watch all the films for free

Libi: but that kind of slacking would make the whole job bit of it pointless 😅

Libi: We’ve got time

Libi: maybe I’ll be a maid

Libi: or a socialite, without the social-standing

Bobby: I bet [the name of a cinema that still plays films in an old school way] would train you as a projectionist

Libi: 😱

Libi: I can’t believe I’ve never thought about that

Libi: Do you think they would? That’d be-

Libi: -well 😍

Bobby: I’d put 💰💰 from my first wage on it

Bobby: you know loads of complicated stuff about 🎥📽🎞 already, I reckon they’d be 😁 to have you

Libi: I’ll take an IOU on a commission instead 🖼

Libi: 😘

Libi: Definitely going to look into it, I’ll have to see what hours they’d allow… nan and grandad might not be cool with the late shift a cinema allows for

Bobby: they might if J or J agree to pick you up

Bobby: but either way we’ve got a deal 🌹 not included

Libi: I could ask

Libi: but I don’t wanna put them out either

Libi: anyway, what am I even worrying about, it’s not like it’s happening yet, if at all 🤨🙄

Libi: Play hysteria is real

Bobby: by the time it is maybe you’ll let me pick you up 🚗

Libi: Maybe… 😱😜

Libi: Seems crazy you aren’t still 6 sometimes

Bobby: 😲!!!

Bobby: You must mean that I’m SO 🤴��🐲

Libi: Of course

Libi: You know I didn’t mean anything bad by it

Bobby: I 💭 you meant if we were still 6 we could do our own play with no adults telling us how

Libi: That is an 💭

Bobby: one that’s keeping us up

[a pause for realisation when she hasn’t replied that she’s fallen asleep lol]

Bobby: * me anyway 😂

Bobby: night Libs

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myncisworld-2point0 · 4 years ago

Link

[NOTE: This article is from 2014.]

According to some people, Mark Harmon is best known to his fans as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on CBS’s hit drama series NCIS. Those people are wrong, of course, because he’s always going to be Freddy Shoop, a summer school teacher in over his head in 1987’s appropriately-titled Summer School. Harmon turns the ripe, young age of 63 today, and it’s clearer than ever that this man is in possession of a map that leads to the Fountain of Youth, because Harmon ages with grace, am I right, ladies? In fact, while it’s no wonder why this actor was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986, it is rather shocking that he never received that accolade again, specifically in 1987, when the most important work of his career was released.

The coke-fueled era of the 1980s in Hollywood was filled with more high school movies about slackers and smartasses than anyone actually needed, especially when it came to featuring students who looked like they were older than the teachers. Summer School was always perhaps the most underrated of the decade’s tributes to slackademics (trademark pending) because what it lacked in the typical star power of, say, a John Hughes film, it more than made up for in creating arguably the most creative collection of “teenage” dipshits than any film of the genre. At the same time, it showed that Harmon, who was probably best known at the time for his role as the HIV-positive Dr. Robert Caldwell on St. Elsewhere, had a strong sense of comedy, while also confirming (along with her debut on Cheers that same year) that Kirstie Alley was much, much more than just a really attractive Vulcan.

youtube

Summer School isn’t just some cult classic that people love to mention whenever someone randomly asks, “Hey, whatever happened to Dean Cameron?” It was actually well-received at the box office, earning $36 million in theaters on what I assume was a budget of a few rolls of nickels and someone’s baseball card collection. Critics, however, were a little more mixed on this mindless comedy, as Roger Ebert gave it one-half star out of four, which sounds a lot better than one star out of eight, so you know what? I’ll take it.

Maybe in the movie business we could coin the term vaporfilm, for movies that zip right through our brains without hitting any memory molecules.

“Summer School” is a movie like that, a comedy so listless, leisurely and unspirited that it was an act of the will for me to care about it, even while I was watching it. This movie has no particular reason for being, other than to supply employment for people whose job possibilities will not be enhanced by it. (Via RogerEbert.com)

Here’s a tip for all of you aspiring film critics out there, courtesy of King Ebert – if you’re watching a movie with a title as lazy as Summer School, and the opening of the film features a school’s teachers trying to haul ass after the bell on the last day of the semester so they don’t get suckered into teaching the titular course, get up and walk out. Leave the movie for those of us who love to watch stupid movies and go to the next theater to watch and analyze La Bamba. Perhaps that’s why the fan reviews of Summer School on Netflix seem to be so glowing, as I only found three that were two stars or less. In fact, here’s the worst of them all:

Nothing but trash. Nothing worth seeing. Degenerate teens in bad need of harsh discipline. It’s depressing to think that so many young people actually enjoy this trash. This movie is immediately available from NF while so many more interesting ones languish in the ‘saved’ section, or in ‘short wait’, ‘long wait’, or ‘very long wait’ status. Just one more nail in the coffin of American culture, or lack thereof.

Thank God Armond White weighed in. The majority of people, myself included, fondly remember Summer School for what it is – a fun, stupid movie that was meant to make us laugh, while perhaps also rubbing our noses in the awesomeness of 80s California if we didn’t live there. But I’ll take this analysis one step further by laying out these 10 very important lessons that I took away from Summer School after watching it this morning, in paying tribute to Harmon, a man who was Kevin Costner before Kevin Costner was Kevin Costner.

Always put sunglasses on your dog.

Fact: 100% of movie posters that have dogs wearing sunglasses on them are movies that I’m willing to at least watch. The movie could be called This Dog Dies from Space AIDS, and I’d still be curious to see why that dog is wearing sunglasses.

Always have an escape plan.

When everybody else is hauling ass from the faculty parking lot at the last second, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t already be packed for your trip to Hawaii. I don’t like to point fingers, but Mr. Shoop’s girlfriend is clearly at fault here. All she had to do was pack the car for him, and he could have jumped in and taken off for the airport. Instead, Kim kicked her man while he was down and not only snatched her ticket to Hawaii from the pocket of his rad flowered shirt, but she also told him to drive her to the airport. I don’t mean to offend anyone who is overprotective of fictional characters, but I hope that Kim was eventually fed to the volcano gods.

Also, let’s consider this a lesson within a lesson – would you walk away from your teaching job right now if someone handed you a winning lottery ticket for $50,000? I say no. Just pass all of the morons while you spend the class time reading up on investment opportunities.

Never be afraid to encourage the creativity of your students.

https://youtu.be/-5Pku48YPFo

The true sign of a teacher’s efforts in a classroom is how far the students are willing to go to show others their appreciation of his work. In Shoop’s case, once he resigned because his students were greedy little pricks, those same students objected to a new teacher taking over the class by staging a gruesome and horrifying murder scene, complete with two of the students wielding chainsaws, declaring themselves psychopaths and thus taking credit for the violence. Of course, I can’t stress this enough, no high school students should ever think about trying to recreate this scene today.

On a side note, and I hate to nitpick true artistic masterpieces, if you’re going to have a severed hand pull a dude’s tongue out of his mouth and slap him with it, it’s really important that he not blink. Damn it, people, we need accuracy.

Being a male teacher in California in 1987 was probably terrifying.

https://youtu.be/farC0cWkpvc

Between Summer School and Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, 1987 was a huge year for Courtney Thorne-Smith. Hell, both movies came out in the same week in July, when she was just 19 years old and poised to become the next big things in terms of girls that all teen boys wanted to marry. Unfortunately, her movie career never really panned out, as the last live action role she had on the big screen was as Natalie in the Carrot Top hot fart Chairman of the Board. Her TV career was obviously a lot better, but that’s neither here nor there. Having her play a lovelorn surf goddess crushing on Shoop probably lured a lot of guys to the teaching profession, only to have them learn the hard way that prison sucks.

Additionally, there was the foreign exchange student Anna-Maria Mazarelli, who would grow up to win our hearts as Alotta Fagina. Was it standard procedure for foreign exchange students to be shoved into remedial English classes upon arrival? Sure.

It’s important to support fine arts programs.

https://youtu.be/u0kF24ceZMI

When I write about how hilarious it was how Hollywood tried to make us buy that some actors were teenagers when they were clearly at least a decade older, Ken Olandt is really Exhibit A. The guy who played Larry, the sleeping student by day and male stripper by night, was actually 29 when he was portraying a 17-year old, which is pretty hard to pass when very few teenage boys A) look like that and B) are hired to shake their dongs in strip clubs. Still, glaring age gaps and statutory and employment laws aside, it was nice to see that Shoop was so cool about Larry’s awesome after-school job. That is until he was busted by his mom and presumably spent the next decade in therapy.

It’s not lying if the company ripped you off in the first place.

The first time that I ever saw Summer School, I was convinced that the part about writing letters to companies to get free stuff would work every time. I spent a lot of time trying to write letters to the companies that made my favorite toys, so I could convince them that the action figures and especially the vehicles that I couldn’t afford had been broken. But then I realized that I might be called on my BS, and guys in suits might show up to my home demanding to see the broken toys, and then I’d be screwed and sent off to prison for lying. Ultimately, owning Krang’s fortress wasn’t worth a life spent in prison making license plates, which is how TV and movies taught me that license plates were made.

Jail in California looks very scary.

I still don’t know what the guy with the mustache is doing with his hand, but it’s really scary and I don’t want to ever have someone do that to me, so I’ve chosen to lead a life on the straight and narrow. Thank you, Summer School, for teaching us that jail is filled with scary perverts who want to do bad things to shirtless men on roller skates.

No matter the risk, steal your boss’s girlfriend.

https://youtu.be/B7ZTNm5o780

Vice Principal Gills was a pretty big bite in the ass, so we had to cheer for Shoop in pursuit of Robin Bishop, because Shoop was the coolest and his girlfriend had only recently taken off for Hawaii without him. Sure, Robin was kind of stuck up because she questioned the legitimacy of taking students to something as awesome as a petting zoo, which produced adorable moments like this:

And she also wore a denim shirt tucked into a different shade of denim skirt, because it was the 80s, but she had a good heart and she just wanted what was best for all students, even if it meant agreeing to a date with Shoop to get there. Also, Gills looked like a total goober-douche, and there’s no reason he should have been with Robin.

Education can be a compromise.

https://youtu.be/LzdoMQL_jR8

Is Alan Eakien one of the most underrated teen nerds of cinema? I say yes. That kid may have been dumber than rocks compared to his genius brothers, but he negotiated circles around Shoop. In exchange for a slightly-above-half-assed effort from less than half of the original class roster*, Shoop’s couch was set on fire, his goldfish murdered and car wrecked, bookending that whole going to jail for the two D-bags thing. Things could have been considerably worse, too, because Robin could have tried to get him banned from teaching for the rest of his life for allowing a female student to live with him.

But ultimately Shoop sacrificed so much for the sake of helping a few of his students learn some lessons about life, since they didn’t all pass their exams. Is he a good teacher for that or was he just an idiot being taken advantage of by other idiots? Especially idiots who looked like this:

Being an idiot isn’t all that bad, so long as you’re not a total idiot.

https://youtu.be/8fvhchY0UmY

Hey, in the end, some of those kids passed their exams, and the most important of them all was Pam, because that meant she could move on and not try to make it so Shoop returned to jail. This guy went from being just a run-of-the-mill bro’s bro gym teacher to making an impact in the lives of some kids who looked like they were grown adults. Sure, he couldn’t even talk a 17-year old out of stripping, and he allowed some of his students to treat the foreign exchange student like a sex model, but Freddy Shoop probably learned more than anyone.

Also, he totally stole the douchebag Vice Principal’s girlfriend, and Wonder Mutt found Bobby again in the end, so this really was a movie with a beautiful and happy ending.

#Summer School (1987)#Freddy Shoop #Robin Bishop #Mark Harmon #Kirstie Alley

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

Text

Free Falling, Chapter 8: Bring the Bitter Taste to a Halt (Branjie) - writworm42

A/N: Thank you holtzmanns for beta-ing! Title taken from Sweetener by Ariana Grande.

Last chapter: Brooke & Vanessa finally get together, thanks to some good old hijinks & tomfoolery from the others on the unit.

This chapter: Brooke & Vanessa go on their first date.

The Royale Diner was by no means the most romantic place in the city. Heck, it probably wasn’t the most romantic place in the intersection,not since that couple had gotten married in the McDonalds across the street last month. But if you asked Vanessa, it had the best comfort food in the world - and there was no better first date to her than sharing soul food with someone that very well could be her soulmate. And that night, when Vanessa caught a glimpse at Brooke’s face as she led her through the plexiglass doors, Vanessa knew that she had made the right choice.

It wasn’t every woman she took out who stared at the diner’s decor in awe before they were even through the plexiglass doors, mesmerized by their reflections the classic checkerboard floors and the glossy red finishes on the vinyl booth couches. It wasn’t every woman whose face lit up in admiration when the waitress came by and offered Vanessa her favourite table and a coffee on the house before they’d even finished saying hello. And it wasn’t every woman who ordered banana pancakes with such enthusiasm she almost broke the table when she slammed the menu shut determinately, blushing deeply when the waitress joked that she’d always known Vanessa liked women who knew what they wanted.

Nor was it every woman who stole pretty much all the fried chicken off of Vanessa’s plate without so much as a sheepish apology, but hey, it wasn’t every woman from whom Vanessa would allow it.

Vanessa wasn’t sure she could put her finger on it, but there was something different about their conversation as they ate. The topics were pretty much the same—their families, different dance competitions, how frustrating anti-vaxx campaigners were—but their tone was lighter, more cheerful, full of giggles and bashful pauses and looks stolen when they thought the other wasn’t looking. It was nice; for once, Vanessa didn’t have to wonder if Brooke’s lingering gaze was because she’d done something wrong, and there was no need for her own heart to quicken with anxiety every time Brooke caught her staring. For once, Vanessa didn’t feel pressure to draw out their contact for as long as possible, afraid to let the other woman go.

“You know, I’m really glad you’re gettin’ to know the kids.” Vanessa took advantage of a lull in conversation, thinking back to the card Brooke had given her. There was no way, thinking about it now, that Brooke had cut it herself, despite the cursive message scrawled there. Really, the jagged lines and safety scissor-crushed edges seemed much more characteristic of Monet, so much so that Vanessa wondered if Brooke had helped her make it. After all, Brooke had been spending more time with the families, trying to discern what they liked and didn’t like, what she could cut or move around or bring to the board to prove the unit was doing well. And Monet was exactly the kind of personality Brooke would love, confident and clever and eclectic, never anyone but herself.

In fact, in Vanessa’s opinion, Brooke probably needed to be around kids like Monet more often, to realize that she could be all those ways, too.

“Yeah, the focus groups have been going really well.” Brooke nodded enthusiastically. “I’m learning a lot.”

“I’m glad, but that’s not what I mean.” Vanessa chuckled, “I mean the rec programs–it’s really cool you sat in with Monet to help her cut the card you gave me.”

Brooke’s fork froze halfway to her mouth.

“Card?” her mouth dropped open mid-chew in disbelief, “I didn’t give you a card.”

“Well, your Valentine,” Vanessa rolled her eyes, “But it’s the same thing, really.”

“No, I–Vanessa, I didn’t get you a Valentine.” Brooke frowned. Realizing the implication of what she’d said, she looked back up at Vanessa in a panic, words tumbling from her mouth as she added, “That’s not to say I don’t like you! I like you so much, like, like you, that’s why I wanted to take you up on your offer of your date! I swear, I was so happy, it’s just that I didn’t think you’d be okay if I made the first–”

“Whoa, hold on, Mary!” Vanessa waved a hand to catch Brooke’s attention, confusion the only thing suppressing the laugh bubbling inside her throat. “What you mean, my offer of a date? You came to me .”

“But… Your card. The Valentine on my desk.” Brooke blinked, staring blankly at the woman across from her.

“Mama, there was no Valentine.” Vanessa shook her head.

There was a beat, the wheels turning in both of their heads, before the cogs finally clicked together.

“Oh my God, I’m gonna kill Nina.” Brooke laughed loudly, Vanessa unable to resist joining in.

“Well, I mean, all that shit they was tryin’ to pull finally worked, I guess.” Vanessa grinned, her heart swelling at the beaming smile that was still radiating off of Brooke, the blonde’s shoulders shaking with little chuckles as she tried and failed to calm down.

“I swear to God, it’s like elementary school again.” Brooke shook her head as the two finally settled, and Vanessa gave a little laugh, unable to do anything but agreed.

Those girls were all fucking nightmares, but God bless them for helping her experience such a wonderful dream as the woman sitting across from her, sipping her coffee over a wry, yet still giddy smile.

Unfortunately, dreams never did last, and so once the humour of the situation finally dissipated, the two were left in silence, the mention of the hospital and all it implied falling heavy over the air in the booth.

“Quarter’s coming up.” Vanessa prompted quietly.

“Yeah.” Brooke nodded, causing a twinge of remorse to sear through Vanessa’s chest when she noticed how suddenly the colour seemed to drain from the other woman’s face at the comment.

“You’re gonna be okay.” Vanessa reached across the table and gave Brooke’s hand a squeeze.

“Yeah.” Brooke’s face faltered briefly, her voice hollow, and Vanessa felt her heart crush. Their plates were empty now, and if Vanessa knew anything about Brooke, it was that the minute they left the restaurant, she’d be back en route into the hospital to try and do more work. She couldn’t let that happen; things couldn’t end that way. Not tonight.

Brooke deserved so much more than that.

“You wanna go see a movie?” the idea popped into Vanessa’s head at random, but she let it come out without hesitation; there was no time to think of another one, and anyway, there was a movie theatre not far from the diner that plays old family movies, and there was bound to be a romantic one playing for Valentine’s day.

“Yeah.” Brooke nodded, a reassured and grateful smile spreading across her face, and Vanessa breathed out a little, knowing she’d made the right choice.

—

As it turned out, there were no romantic movies playing at the Black Hole Cinema Club that night. Apparently the owner had just broken up with her girlfriend, meaning that the only movie playing was one chosen at random from the theatre’s Family Fun Night archives. As a result, less than thirty minutes later, Brooke and Vanessa sat munching on a large bag of popcorn as the opening credits of Daddy Daycare began to roll. Vanessa had never minded the movie; it was cute, and had some genuinely funny scenes. This time, though, she watched with a growing interest.

The second half of the movie involved the threat of cuts. The threat was responded to with a fundraiser, one that worked even better than needed for the daycare to succeed. A happy ending for all except the asshole trying to take the daycare down.

It was just a movie; real life didn’t work like that. But still, even after the movie had ended, the fundraiser scenes stuck in Vanessa’s mind.

It was crazy. It was foolish. It probably wouldn’t work.

But it also might, and for the unit, for Brooke , Vanessa was willing to take that chance.

The only snag in the plan was Brooke herself. After an hour or so of scheming and scribbling out plans on paper, exchanging texts with Silky, A’Keria, and the others, she realized with a jolt that she had never actually brought up the plan with Brooke, who was arguably the most important player in the whole operation. No, she had to get clearance first–it was only right, after all of Brooke’s hard work. She was about to pick up her phone and call the other woman, when suddenly, a thought froze her finger before she could dial.

If Vanessa’s plan did get put into action, it would take a tremendous amount of work, work that Brooke would no doubt try to take on almost entirely by herself. Vanessa could all too easily imagine Brooke losing entire nights of sleep applying for permits, calling vendors, and climbing into bed at 2 AM only to stay awake the rest of the night worrying.

The plan might keep the unit afloat, but Vanessa just couldn’t bring herself to drown Brooke in the process.

She put down the phone and continued planning, deciding that she would tell Brooke once things were more firmly in place.

–

If there’s one thing that Vanessa learned from her years as an occupational therapist, it was that whenever you’re getting ready to do something, you need to hope for the best but plan for the worst.

In this case, the worst came crashing through during rounds the next morning, and it was definitely something Vanessa hadn’t prepared for.

Everything started out normal; as planned, Vanessa told everyone to meet her a half-hour early for rounds so that they could talk fundraising. As planned, everyone showed up ready to get to work.

Unfortunately, what she hadn’t planned was for Brooke to see everyone going the same way into the meeting room, chattering excitedly. What she hadn’t planned was for Brooke to wonder what was going on, for the blonde to let herself think that maybe people were still talking about the date from yesterday. What she hadn’t planned was for Brooke to be in such a good mood that she thought she’d follow everyone in, catching them right in the middle of planning.

What she hadn’t planned was for Nina to have too much integrity to lie when Brooke asked what was going on.

And she certainly, definitely hadn’t planned for Brooke to be incredibly mad.

Vanessa had been on the receiving end of Brooke’s workplace-appropriate anger to know that when Brooke was upset, she didn’t yell or rage. Instead, she stood up even taller, let her smile fall flat, and made her voice go quietly, terrifyingly formal.

“Vanessa, may I please see you outside?” Brooke’s voice was quiet, but her gaze was pointed at Vanessa with a fire that Vanessa didn’t think she’d ever seen, one that made her shut up and follow Brooke out into the hallway without another word.

“Is this some kind of a joke to you?” The door had barely closed before Brooke turned on Vanessa, her rage now finally starting to spill out as she hissed, “I told you not to tell anyone!”

“It’s alright, though, they don’t blame you–”

“Shut up.” Brooke snapped, pure vitriol coating her voice. Vanessa blinked, the words taking a few moments to process before setting her crumbling.

Brooke had never spoken to her like that before. Even when she’d talked back, even when she’d been a bit of a jerk, Brooke had always been patient, at most putting up a hand and telling her to let her finish.

“You broke my trust.” Brooke continued, “I told you not to tell anyone, and you broke my trust. I told you I didn’t want people to worry, it was my business anyway–”

“Whoa whoa, slow down, Mary!” Vanessa snapped to, the comment bringing her back to her usual stubborn attention. “This ain’t just ‘your business’ here. Everyone could lose their job. You ain’t even care, you was gonna fire half of us a few months ago anyway–”

Now it was Brooke’s turn to be taken aback. “Fire… Oh, for God’s sake, Vanessa! That was different, and I wouldn’t even think of it now!”

“Well, if you’d just listen, you’d know that–”

“Hey, guys?” both of them stopped talking when Nina poked her head out of the meeting room, a worried frown on her face. “Listen, we couldn’t help but overhear, and we just wanted to let you know, Brooke, Vanjie only came to us because she had this idea for a fundraiser–”

“Go back inside, Nina.” Brooke put her face in her hands, her voice finally evening out. The calm was short-lived, though; once Nina had retreated back into the meeting room, Brooke turned back to Vanessa with a renewed fire, one that was even more intense than before.

“Brooke, listen–”

“No, Vanessa.” Brooke shook her head. “God, you’re really something else, you know that? Not only do you tell everyone something I told you not to, but you decide it’s perfectly fine to just undermine all my hard work–”

Her hard work?

Oh, no. Absolutely not.

“Now, listen, bitc–coin. Bitcoin. Listen. You ain’t the only one workin’ hard. Don’t you come up here actin’ like you ain’t the only one scared or the only one who cares! I ain’t do nothing but try to help, the least you could say is thank you!”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” Brooke gave a hollow laugh. “It’s not about the fundraiser, or about how this feels. It’s about the fact that I trusted you, Vanessa. And I shouldn’t have.”

Vanessa said nothing; deep down, she knew she should, but she couldn’t. Not just then, when she was this angry.

Besides, she didn’t really have the chance–a second had barely passed before Brooke was walking away.

#rpdr fanfiction #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #branjie #free falling #lesbian au #hospital au #writworm42

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capricxs · 5 years ago

Note

🎉 random act prompts for mags & vincent

🎉 for a hug filled with laughter

finding rhythm in life was one of maggie’s most comforting joys in life. she liked routine. she liked that every night, after vincent would leave the store and come home, he would find her at the table and give her a lingering kiss that would leave her reeling. he’d get himself a drink and ask her about her day. they’d catch up for an hour before he’d finally come to the verdict that it was time for dinner to start. other than the days when he was too tired, and takeout was the better option.

he’d move to the kitchen to start food, and she’d work on grading homework at the table. they didn’t have to spend every moment talking. they were comfortable with their own silence. she still enjoyed being in his company. to be able to look up at him when he had his back to her.

this particular day she kept looking at the cozy cardigan he’d chosen. she thought about taking it for herself later. for the moment, it looked too good to steal it off of him.

before he’d come home, she’d walk the dogs and make sure they were exhausted by the time he came home. she fed them, sat with them on the couch. took her own time alone. she knew he had to work long hours with his job. she knew she had to wake up painfully early, and he didn’t. she’d be up before the sun would come up sometimes. he’d be home long after dark other times. days went by where vincent couldn’t leave the store until closing time, and at that point, she’d be getting ready for bed.

it had been a crazy week leading up to tonight. it felt like she hadn’t actually spent time with him in days. but he had put responsibility onto the kid tonight so he could be home to spend time with her. considering he was up yesterday morning to say goodbye to her when going to work, she knew he wanted to be home with her just as much as she wanted it.

“oh my god, you guys are so clingy.” brenda had been carpooling with her and amy the last few weeks. saved maggie the stress of driving so she didn’t mind helping to clear brenda’s conscious of carbon emission.

they had to watch as vincent followed her out the door to give her her lunch, getting on last kiss on their stoop. he held her so tight for it to be so early. she hadn’t heard his moan in a while and if she wasn’t getting picked up, she’d beg him to make it quick just be late.

“they just like each other.” amy had said softly when maggie buckled herself in the back. “wish my husband and i were still like that.”

“i’m just jealous, maggie. don’t worry.” a hand reaches to pat her knee. “i mean, can you blame me?” she grins, looking from the rear-view mirror.

“i can’t.” she blushes. “i’m very lucky.”

“god your sex life must be amazing.” brenda huffs.

“well, it’s actually been a bit since we had sex.”

“wait, what?” amy turns around. “like… how long?”

“uhm…” maggie scratches her cheek as she counts in her mind. “like maybe a week?”

the car lurches, and brenda stops in the street. “that’s what you two call a bit?”

“now you’ve got me jealous.” amy turns around to face forward again.

“fuck, there must be something in your water.”

“i think they’re just two hot people, brenda.”

“that’s not the key to having good sex, you guys know that right?” maggie leans forward. “you ladies are beautiful, and your husbands are handsome too, but like… maybe you guys just need to take time to just find that sensuality again.” she puts a hand on amy’s shoulder. “like, i don’t know. find something that just makes you wholly into each other. things with vincent aren’t great when i’m only thinking about myself, you know?”

“you make that sound so easy.”

“you guys are so weird.”

“can we come over for dinner and just study you guys for a night.”

maggie laughs. “i mean sure. we’d love the company.”

after that morning, she spent her whole day thinking about when he’d come home and see her. so she could be wholly wrapped up in him and just be. but then she got the text saying he had to stay late. it wasn’t until she was reading in bed, nearly asleep, that she saw the door crack open to his face. it was nice just to be held, but disappointing that she hadn’t had more.

now, just being in the kitchen with him bought her some type of bliss.

she’s looking over her student’s papers when she feels a finger brush back some of her hair. she looks up, giving him a smile. she peeled one of her earbuds out.

“what are you listening to? something you didn’t want me to hear?”

“i just didn’t figure it was your thing.” she watches him take the free earbud and bring it to his hear. he looks down at her, and then raises his eyebrow.

“i did not take you for a kendrick girl.” he brings a hand to press on the table, the other on the back of her chair.

she looks up at him, giving him a smirk. “you’ve never really asked me what i listen to.”

“yeah i have.” he shakes his head.

“no, you’ve ask me if i listen to this person, or that person. you’ve never actually asked me what i listen to on me own.” she laughs.

“huh.” he nods, looking around. “so this is what you listen to, huh?”

pressing her lips together, she nods. “sometimes. i like the stuff i can move to.”

“i see.” he lets out a throaty laugh. “somehow, you have kept this from me.”

“you never asked. i always thought you were too classy for that.” she grins in amusement, plucking the headphones from their ears and pausing the music.

“classy?” he repeats, a bit incredulous.

“yeah,” she pokes his chest playfully. “not only are you like the classy hipster type who reads books and hangs out with his dogs, you’re like, older than me. i figured you had zero interest in the whole club rat thing.”

vincent laughs, shaking his head. maggie watches him closely. reaching up, she takes hold of his face. “what’s so funny?”

“i’m just surprised.”

“well, that’s on you, buddy. i was a hot girl who grew up with a poor family in queens. i snuck into so many clubs with my friends and got trashed… regularly.”

he lets a laugh out through his nose. “i would have killed to see that.”

“i was arguably too cool for you.”

“not sure about that.”

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

“you’re going to tell me you didn’t spend your years with a nose in a book chasing girls who were in band and shit.”

“first off, nothing wrong with band girls. second, i’m telling you that, yes.”

she shakes her head, turning back to the papers. “i’m not convinced.”

she peaks at him to see his grinning, then shaking his head. “i’m always interested in whatever you’re interested in.” he reaches to take her hand, pulling her form her chair so she stood in front of her. “also, i need to hear all the club rat stories.” his hand slide onto her hip, pulling her a bit closer. “and if you ever want to go out or just… show me what you were like, i’d kill to see what you looked like on the floor.”

she blushes, breaking his eye contact, “stop.”

there’s another burst of laughter, and he pulls her to wrap her in his arms. “you’re the sexiest woman i’ve seen, i can’t believe you’d think i wouldn’t want to see that. you’re nuts.”

she wraps her arms around his waist. “just thought you were above that.”

“never.” he laughs. “if i wasn’t cooking dinner i’d ask you to show me now.”

she hums. “i have to finish this anyways, and i know if you’d ask i’d say yes so consider it a blessing.”

“good thing we got all the time in the world.” he pulls back, giving her a smirk and kissing her forehead.

#nemesisrps #* otp: maggie & vincent.

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cherikyassss · 6 years ago

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Sins of the Flesh

Continuation of this.

The decision is one that Charles reflects on for the rest of the evening as he entertains other customers, as he showcases himself on the podium, as all around him angels and devils blur together creating a whirl of white and red. With every patron who Charles flirts with or dances for he thinks only of Erik- craving his presence, his attention, his touch only. Charles knows that in a matter of hours his shift will be over and he can heed Erik's request to go to him, the only problem is that to do so would be to break the number one rule of working at the Hellfire Club- do not date the customers.

It is known by everyone that Sebastian Shaw rules over the dancers who work at the club with an iron fist, and more than once Charles has seen the things that can happen to employees who break the rules. The last thing Charles wants is to fall foul of Shaw's vengeance, but at the same time the thought of seeing Erik outside the boundaries of Charles' workplace is so incredibly tempting that Charles has a hard time concentrating. More than once Charles finds himself simply staring into space, daydreaming about what it might be like to be with Erik in his home, in his bed- should things turn out to be that fortunate. It's what Charles expects of course- that being outside the confines of their usual encounters might prompt the heat between himself and Erik to rise up and boil over, resulting in an unforgettable night spent entwined beneath the sheets. It's what Charles wants more than anything, the only question that remains is- would it be worth the risk?

Charles has never been much of a risk-taker. At one time his life probably could have been considered quite boring, composed of little more than studying during the daytime and reading quietly at night, with perhaps a glass of whiskey to round off the evening if he'd had a particularly challenging day. Everything changed when he became disinherited- stripped of his family fortune and forced to take whatever job he could attain in order to keep a roof over himself and his sister Raven's head; something with limited choices given the unfavourable standing of mutants in society. Since starting to work at the Hellfire Club, Charles’ life has arguably become considerably more hazardous, but at the same time he operates under a strict set of rules and doctrines, knowing that to break them would be sheer folly.

By the time Charles' shift draws to a close he has spent hours contemplating what to do about the Erik situation, and still there is no definitive answer in sight. The logical part of Charles knows that it's merely a matter of risk versus reward, and that he simply needs to weigh up the pros and cons of the dilemma in order to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. However, no matter how many times Charles tries to bring deliberations to a close he cannot seem to reach a verdict, meaning that his mind continues to be a whirl of abject thought and indecision; a maelstrom of mentality, that shows no signs of being tempered.

Evidently, the turbulence of Charles' mind does not go unnoticed.

“Sugar, you need to relax before you give yourself an aneurism, or me for that matter…”

Charles looks over at where Emma is standing in front of a large mirror ringed with bright lights, the glow from which makes her seem even more otherworldly and ethereal. Initially Charles had hoped he might be able to slip into the changing room, get dressed, and then escape out of the back door without being seen, but of course Emma decided to pick that precise moment to come in to reapply her makeup- affording her the opportunity to wind Charles up, as she is so fond of doing.

Charles sighs, retrieving the bag containing his clothing from his locker and starting to rifle through to retrieve his shirt and trousers. Originally Charles planned to spend some time wiping off the silver body paint that adorns his back in the form of two large wings, but faced with Emma's smirking derision he finds he just wants to leave as soon as possible. For that reason Charles quickly pulls his trousers on over the scant white shorts he is wearing, before sliding his arms into his shirt and then starting to button it up. As he dresses Charles takes a moment to reinforce the telepathic shields he has placed around his mind, being met by a similar response from Emma as she briefly shifts into a glittering diamond form- a sight that is almost blinding due to the fluorescent lights in the room, until she returns to looking ‘human’ once more.

Emma turns to face Charles fully, the sly smile on her face ever-present.

“Now now, Charlie- there's no need to go getting all defensive. I'm not reading your mind, just merely… skimming. It's a pretty interesting picture, after all- lots of scandalous fantasies of tall German men with intense eyes and impressive trouser bulges… It's a wonder you're not already popping out of your underwear when faced with such scintillating thoughts”.

Charles scowls. “You know they have websites these days where you can see those kind of things without prying into other people's minds…”

“Ah, but where would be the fun in that? Your thoughts are infinitely more interesting- particularly when they might not just be daydreams after all, but things that may soon come to pass…”

Emma raises her eyebrows pointedly, and it is clear what she is referring to- Charles' continuing debate in regards to whether to see Erik outside of work or not. The silence stretches between them as Charles and Emma regard each other, as Charles finishes buttoning up his shirt before taking a seat in a nearby chair and beginning to pull on his shoes. It's clear that Emma is hoping to goad Charles into engaging with her, into responding to her accusations and perhaps confirming them, but Charles knows by now how easily Emma can lead him into a trap if he is not careful enough, and so he says nothing.

Eventually, Emma sighs.

“Oh Charles, must you be so stuffy and uptight all the time…” Emma says, folding her arms across her chest and fixing Charles with a haughty look. “This flirtation of yours with the German is just about the most interesting thing you’ve done since you started working here. You can't go all avoidant on me now”.

Charles stands up and places his bag back in his locker, regarding Emma dispassionately as he does so.

“Like I said…” Charles replies eventually. “There are websites online that I'm sure can provide you with the kind of titillation you're looking for”.

With the conversation between them seemingly concluded Charles turns and begins to walk over towards the door, of course expecting that at any moment he will be beset with yet more intrusive questions. However, to Charles surprise Emma remains completely quiet, until the point when Charles opens the door and she says softly: “Be careful…”

Charles can’t help turning back to look at her, his brows drawing together in a slight frown that displays his confusion.

“Um… I…” Charles mumbles uselessly, not knowing what- if anything- he is supposed to say.

When Charles doesn’t respond Emma shakes her head, the smile on her face seeming fond rather than smug for once.

“You don't have to look so shocked- I'm not a complete bitch, and I do care about you… I know what Shaw is like, and what he'll do to you should you break any one of his precious rules. I won't tell him, you don’t have to worry about that, but just make sure- if you do decide to do anything, or anyone for that matter- he doesn't somehow find out on his own…”

For a while Charles is still dumbfounded, because at most himself and Emma are work colleagues who share a kind of rivalry, and certainly not friends in any form. The last thing Charles has ever expected is for Emma to show any kind of concern towards him, and consequently he finds himself feeling unsure as to how to deal with it- particularly when he cannot be entirely confident that it's not just some kind of trick. For that reason Charles can offer Emma little more than a polite smile, before he exits the room and closes the door behind himself.

Outside, in darkened streets not yet lit with the light of a burgeoning new day, Emma's words resound in Charles' head as he begins to walk home. It's a short journey that should only take around ten minutes, but Charles knows approximately halfway through he will be forced to make a decision- to advance through the park towards the modest basement flat he shares with Raven, or to turn and instead head to the address Charles gleaned from Erik’s mind some hours earlier. As Charles walks he wraps his arms more firmly around himself in defense against the bitter cold, wishing he hadn't been quite so keen to escape Emma that he'd remembered to pick up his jacket before leaving. The idea of going to Erik, in perhaps deriving comfort from the warmth of Erik's body and the strength of his arms, is increasingly appealing, and as Charles reaches the gate at the front of the park he finally allows himself to fully contemplate what he really wants, before allowing his heart to guide him.

By the time Charles reaches the building where Erik lives the night is still vast and luminescent- stars spanning the sky above like glittering eyes. It's a nicer neighbourhood than Charles himself lives in, emphasised by the expensive cars that line the parking lot next to the apartment building, as well as the smartly-dressed doorman Charles can see just inside the lobby. Even from a distance Charles can see how the man's face is stern and humourless, and the last thing Charles wants is to face a barrage of questions as to what he's doing there. And so, as Charles approaches the front door he uses his telepathy to subtly plant suggestion in the doorman's mind, preventing him from noticing as Charles opens the door steps inside, before quickly heading across to the elevator on the opposing side.

As the elevator ascends Charles' heart pounds within his chest. The interior of the lift is mirrored, meaning Charles is afforded a clear view of himself as he stands there shifting on his feet, chewing nervously on his lower lip as he waits to arrive on the correct floor. When the elevator stops moving there is a small sound of a bell ringing as the doors open, and Charles inhales a deep, steadying breath before stepping out- immediately awed by the view before himself. Here too, like in the lobby of the building, the grandeur of the residence is made clear in plush furnishings and extravagant light fittings, and it reminds Charles in so many ways of the opulence of his former life, before he lost everything. As Charles arrives at the door to Erik's apartment he thinks of his past, his present, and all the irreconcilable differences between the two, and knows very firmly that he is standing somewhere he should not be- somewhere he does not belong.

“This is stupid…” Charles mutters to himself, hunching his shoulders as he turns and begins to walk away. However, Charles only manages to take a few steps before he hears the sound of a door opening and someone calls out his name, and Charles' stomach flips in recognition of the lightly accented tone.

Charles turns to regard Erik standing there in the doorway, and he is instantly entranced. Erik looks like he has just woken up- dressed in grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt which clings to the angular lines of his body, emphasising his broad shoulders and impossibly slim waist. He looks far too tempting, and immediately Charles feels arousal curl deep within the pit of his stomach as he regards Erik's gorgeous appearance, particularly the warm smile on his face, the look in his eyes, and the way his hair looks so soft and so tousled, as if he has just run his fingers through it in an attempt to form it into some sort of order.

“Hi…” Charles breathes, feeling himself gravitate towards Erik even though moments ago he was determined to leave. “I, um… I'm sorry if I woke you…”

“You didn't…” Erik says, leaning against the doorframe and smiling softly. “I've been sleeping on and off, and when I sensed you walking down the hallway I decided to get up”.

Charles can't help but frown a little. “You sensed me…?”

At first it isn't clear what Erik means, but then Charles feels a sudden pull on the metal fastenings of his trousers which draws him closer to Erik, and he laughs delightedly as Erik grins back at him.

“I could feel the metal on your clothing so I knew someone was out here, I only hoped it was you”, Erik explains. “Naturally I'm thrilled that I was right… So, are you coming inside?”

A fictitious voice in the back of Charles' mind that sounds suspiciously like Emma offers up objection, but Charles ignores the warning and moves forward to enter as Erik steps aside.

As Charles wanders into Erik’s apartment he can't help but look around in quiet awe at the magnificence of the space- all clean lines and minimalist décor, stunningly accessorised by the metal that forms part of every conceivable aspect. It is more than just the mirrors on the walls and the shimmering alloy of chandeliers above, it is tables and chairs and cabinets formed entirely of metal- a choice of furnishing that should be cold and clinical but instead is wholly…

“Beautiful…” Charles murmurs.

Even without looking Charles feels Erik step up behind himself, the warmth of Erik's body perceivable as he places one hand on Charles' shoulder and squeezes gently, prompting sparks of electricity to run through Charles' body that seem to emanate from the point of Erik's touch.

“Yes, I've always thought so…” Erik replies softly, and when Charles turns he finds Erik's eyes focused solely on himself. The blush that immediately rises up to colour Charles’ cheeks is undeniable, and not for the first time Charles wonders how he can feel so unbelievably enticed by little more than a favourable word from Erik, when he is subjected to an endless slew of lewd comments from his usual clients almost every night.

“Charles, I'd like to show you something”, Erik says. “Come with me?”

Erik removes his hand from Charles’ shoulder and holds it out in invitation, waiting expectantly as Charles pauses thoughtfully. There is really no question though- Charles knows now that he would follow Erik anywhere- and so he reaches forward to take Erik's hand, smiling shyly as Erik begins to lead him.

To be continued...

#cherik #charles xavier #erik lehnsherr #sins of the flesh #my fics

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blodreina-noumou · 6 years ago

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Hey, I was just curious: Do you have any thoughts, meta, headcanons, et cetera, et cetera, for Echo and Octavia? I love reading all your others writes, so I was wondering if you had any for these two? :-)

Sorry it took me a couple days to respond, and thanks for being patient! Also - oh my goodness, this is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me about my meta writings?? You gave me something new to chew on too, and I love that.

I see Echo and Octavia as foils. They have very similar arcs, if you break them down into basics - but each are defined by their choices, their losses, and how stable their homes are, especially during the time jump.

(More under the cut. This is a long one!)

Both grew up and came of age on the edges of their societies - Octavia as “the girl under the floor” and Echo as a young spy for Azgeda.

Both long for a home, for a place to belong, and don’t feel they have one until they fall in love with someone who they once viewed as an enemy.

Octavia finds her home with Lincoln, a grounder, when The Hundred are still very much so anti-grounder. In 2x15, Jackson implores Octavia to return home with him and the rest of Skaikru. Octavia, who thinks she’s about to lose her brother inside Mount Weather, and Lincoln to his clan’s brutal punishments for traitors, replies, “I have no home.”

Echo finds a place to belong with Bellamy and Spacekru, despite them being on opposite sides up until Praimfaya. She has a similar dark moment in 4x13 when she’s about to commit suicide and Bellamy interrupts her, telling her it would be easier to just step outside. She responds, “Go back to the sky where you belong, Bellamy. I belong nowhere.”

Both of them are fierce warriors, fighters - arguably the two strongest and most capable hand-to-hand combatants left in the human race. Both are loyal to their own people, whoever that might be in the timeline of the show, and are willing to break the rules and make ruthless choices for the sake of keeping those people alive. Neither is afraid of getting blood on her hands. Both were venerated within their own cultures for their exceptional ability at killing. Both eventually meet their downfall because of this ruthlessness and violence.

When the second Praimfaya comes, Echo is at rock bottom. She’s been cast out and stripped of her clan; she’s going to space, unheard of for a grounder, with a group of near strangers who were her enemies only days before. She’s alone, terrified, and about to enter an entirely new world.

Octavia, on the other hand, seems to be thriving. She finds redemption through winning the Conclave and saving all the tribes, creating Wonkru, uniting the clans in the way only a “true commander” was able to previously. She earns the veneration and respect of her people and becomes their leader.

(Side note: I personally found her s4 arc a bit confusing and I’m not sure this redemption was actually earned - whether that was bad writing or a herald of darker things to come is up to interpretation. I side with bad writing. The way we whiplash from her spiraling out of control, trying to walk into the black rain, and then choosing a peaceful farm life with Ilian - only for her to become Champion and earn so much respect by shedding so much blood only two episodes later - is very jarring and conflicts with the show’s primary themes.)

By the time s5 comes around, we see they’ve switched. Echo has Spacekru, a dedicated and kind romantic partner in Bellamy, and a stable, safe home on the Ring, undoubtedly for the first time in her life. Octavia has become a lonely, violent, bloodthirsty tyrant through bearing burdens for her home and clan that no one else was willing to. Echo loses a clan, but finds her family. Octavia loses her family and gains a clan. In this case, neither clan is good for either character - Azgeda pushes Echo to be a manipulative, scheming person who betrays and misleads former allies and friends. Wonkru pushes Octavia to incredibly dark places, up to and including executing her people for refusing survival cannibalism.

The difference in their arcs, the defining trait that makes them foils, is that Echo finds love, while Octavia, still grieving Lincoln, rejects it. We can see the hope and tragedy in that. Prior to s5, Echo seemed irredeemable, while Octavia could apparently do no wrong. After the second Praimfaya, they switch, with Octavia doing brutal and violent things for the sake of her people, and Echo laying down her sword and her burdens as a spy for a peaceful, domestic life with her family and Bellamy.In 5x13, this dynamic plays out to its fullest extent. Octavia is humbled, torn down from her oppressive throne, and reminds herself of who she was before all of this began. “It’s kind of like closing the door in the floor, right?”Echo, meanwhile, remains steady within Spacekru and their allies, being an instrumental part of the victory in the gorge. She ends the season more or less where she began - because with Bellamy and Spacekru, she’s already the best version of herself.But where does that leave them in relation to each other at the end of s5? My biggest issue with s5 is that we were robbed of so many character interactions at the very end. If only we had seen more of Echo and Octavia together onscreen besides that very brief scene where Becho blocks her from approaching Madi in 5x13. Octavia has seen the love Bellamy has for Echo now, she knows how far he’s willing to go to protect her and the rest of his family. Will that help her accept Echo? Can Echo ever accept Octavia after how vindictive and vengeful Octavia was towards her?I am interested in where these two fierce warrior queens go from here. Bellamy is clearly so important to them both. Octavia has lost all power and ability to maintain the banishment she placed on Echo before the second Praimfaya. Echo has so many allies, from Bellamy to Spacekru, and Octavia has never been more alone. Will she be able to swallow her pride and accept Echo? I imagine that struggle to forgive and be forgiven will play into her arc next season.My favorite headcanon for them right now is that Echo, Octavia, and Diyoza become best friends on the new planet and form a bad bitches club where they talk shit about everyone else and practice sparring with each other, since no one else really wants to keep getting their asses kicked. Echo helps Octavia learn to “fight like Azgeda” and that phrase becomes a compliment instead of an accusation. Diyoza somehow finds more tequila and they all three spend a drunk night braiding each other’s hair (after the baby is born, of course) and talking about hardwon spars and battles of the past. Octavia and Echo become fiercely protective aunts of Diyoza’s baby, and they watch her together - but mostly, it’s Octavia nagging Bellamy into doing her part, so he can learn how to change diapers and swaddle, since she’s more excited than ever to be a “real” aunt to a cute little Becho baby.Thank you so much for the question, and sorry I wrote you a novel! I had a lot of fun doing it, and I hope you enjoyed it too!

#the 100 meta #stephspeaks #echo #octavia blake #echo kom azgeda #the 100 headcanons #long post #the 100 #asks #socialmediapath #mine

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im-just-here-for-the-drama · 7 years ago

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Gay Characters in Kdramas: The Good, The Bad, and The Mediocre

Gay characters rarely show up in Korean dramas. Though there have been a few characters over the years, In terms of representation, the characterization and stories of these characters are usually nothing to write home about, but I figured, why not write about it anyway? Here’s my watch and don’t watch list, if you’re looking for gay characters in kdramas.

Warning for spoilers galore!

The Mediocre (these aren’t bad, but they’re not the best either)

Lily Fever (2015)

The Story: Kyung Ju heads to her friends house one day to find her missing passport. She finds Se Rang instead.

Should You Watch?: Sure. This show is quirky and just downright odd. The ending leaves a lot to be desired and the story itself is kind of all over the place, but it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s short, most of it’s nonsense, and the girls have lots of chemistry. It’s only a bonus that Se Rang is a standout character of this show. You’ll probably fall for her yourself by the end of the webseries.

The Lover: Joon Jae and Takuya (2015)

The Story: Different couples live together in an apartment building. The show shows us snippets of their lives. Joon Jae’s life gets turned upside down when he meets his new roommate Takuya.

Should You Watch?: Hmmm...yeah. I started watching this show expecting it would showcase the typical Korean bromance between the guys. The kind where the show makes it seem like the guys might have feelings for each other, but the show just skirts around the topic entirely. In the first few episodes, that’s exactly what happened between Joon Jae and Takuya (with a lot of sex jokes and penis jokes thrown in for good measure. That’s actually what most of the show is). But the show eventually, actually, went there. Joon Jae and Takuya don’t get a whole lot of screen time, but when they do, we get to see some serious feelings thrown in with all the crass humor, and Joon Jae and Takuya do admit to having feelings for one another. The ending could have been a little better, but it was a happy one, so baby steps.

Perseverance Goo Hae Ra: Jang Goon (2015)

The Story: A group of rag tags come together to form a band. Jang Goon joins the band and meets their manager Tae Poong who he’s had a crush on for years.

Should You Watch?: Only if you’re interested in the rest of the show. Jang Goon has a fairly interesting storyline. He has a friend who accepts him after finding out about his crush and he has to rebuild bridges with his father who doesn’t accept him doing music (and Jang Goon’s scared he wont accept his being gay either). But Jang Goon’s storyline is such a small part of the story it wouldn’t be worth it to skip through to only his parts.

Daughters of Club Bilitis (2011)

The Story: A one episode drama detailing the lives of four lesbian couples.

Should You Watch?: I watched this so long ago, I honestly don’t remember a single shred of what happened in it, but I’ll say yes, watch it. Because there are so few lesbians in asian dramas you have to watch the one’s that exist. The entire show is about lesbians, so I mean, why not?

Reply 1997: Jun Hee (2012)

The Story: The lives of a group of high school students in the year1997. Jun Hee has a crush on his friend Yoon Jae.

Should You Watch?: Yes and no. The Reply Series (Reply 97/94/88) are pretty good dramas after all. They’re great for nostalgia, family, friendship, and the like, but if you’re here solely for the gay? Probably not worth the time. Jun Hee’s a side character. We see him crushing on Yoon Jae and he confesses his feelings to Yoon Jae and another friend, but there’s not too much more than that.

Seonam girls high school investigators: Eps 11-12 (2014)

The Story: High School girls investigate and solve problems in their school. The show is episodic and in these two episodes the girls attempt to help Su Yeon and Eun Bin who have to hide their relationship from their classmates.

Should You Watch?: Yes. I honestly don’t remember much about this one either, but I do remember it being decently done. This show caused a lot of controversy years ago when it aired Korea’s first lesbian kiss ( probably korea’s first same sex kiss period that was a legitimate kiss and not used for laughs). It’s worth checking out to see what caused all the ridiculous uproar.

Wise Prison Life/Prison Playbook: Han Yang (2017)

The Story: Big time baseball player Kim Je Hyuk turns into a crimanal overnight. After he’s convicted, he has to face his new life in prison. He meets some interesting people in prison. Among them is the drug addict Han Yang.

Should You Watch?: Yes, because the story itself is a really interesting take about a man who goes to prison, meets a lot of different, people, and ultimately makes new friends/family. If you’re just watching for the gay? I’d still have to say yes, despite the fact that Han Yang doesn’t get the happy ending he deserved. Han Yang was one of my favorite characters in this show. I don’t know how he managed it, but I swear Han Yang got funnier as the episodes passed. I was really endeared towards him attempting to kick his drug habit while also trying to salvage his relationship with his ex-boyfriend Ji Won. He had such an interesting story arc, was such an entertaining character, and I didn’t feel like the show ever made fun of him for being gay. This character was just such a joy to watch, I definitely don’t regret watching, even though I wanted more.

Moment at Eighteen: Jung Oh Je (2019)

The Story: Transfer student Jun Woo has no interest in school life, as he is traumatized from being expelled from bullying. Meanwhile, Soo Bin has been watching Jun Woo all this time. She sees a different side to Jun Woo than the one that other people see. Oh Je, is Jun Woo’s best friend who starts to discover his sexuality.

Should you watch?: Hmmm… sure. Oh Je has a decent side plot. It was interesting to see him figuring out he liked Hwi Young and coming out to his ex girlfriend and his friends. I do wish his story was expanded a little more though. There were several things I would have liked to have seen, like coming out to his family, and I thought they wrapped his story up a little too quickly at the end.

Love with Flaws: Won Suk and Ho Dol (2019)

The Story: Joo Seo Yeon, is a hot-tempered physical education high school teacher who always wears sneakers, jeans and training uniforms. The death of her parents helped instill a deep sense of compassion, a generous heart and an outspoken objection for anyone who drinks and drives. Living in a house with three wild and very attractive brothers, she loathes flower boys. Her ideal type is someone who is “not handsome.” Won Suk is one of her handsome older brothers.

Won Suk has closed his heart to relationships and love, but he lives his life as an openly gay man. Ho Dol is closeted and lacks confidence. They meet one night at Won Suk’s bar.

Should you watch?: People have been kind enough to condense Won Suk’s and Ho Dol’s story into parts on YouTube so yeah, go ahead and check it out.

These two don’t get a whole lot of screen time, but the little they do get is nice. We get to see Won Seok help Ho Dol open up and be more confident with who he is and in turn, Won Seok opens up his heart.

The Bad (you probably shouldn’t waste your time on these ones)

Personal Taste: Director Choi (2010)

The Story: This dramas about a straight guy who pretends to be gay in order to gain access to the blueprints of a woman’s house…or something like that. Director Choi’s specific story revolves around his attempts at courting that guy.

Should You Watch?: Absolutely not. Half of the time the drama equates being a gay man to automatically being feminine, a woman, or not a “real man”. Director Choi is also a good deal older than the male lead and makes several attempts at courting him even though he’s not interested. It kind of came off as the “creepy old gay perv” and that didn’t sit well with me. I suppose you could skim through the drama to watch Director Choi’s scenes. If sad gay men Is your thing. I just felt bad for the guy most of the time.

Ho Gu’s Love: Kang Chul (2015)

The Story: Ho Gu’s a pushover, a fool, and kind of an idiot. He meets his old classmates and things get a complicated. One day in High School Kang Chul meets Ho Gu’s twin sister and mistakes her for Ho Gu. They spend the day together and she kisses him. The kiss sparks feelings in Kang Chul. Of course Kang Chul thinks it was Ho Gu who kissed him and years later, when he meets Ho Gu his feelings grow stronger.

Should You Watch?: Yes? Maybe? If you really want to, but mostly…no. With this, I expected that the typical drama set up would happen. Similar to all gender benders, Kang Chul would find out that it wasn’t Ho Gu he kissed. So any feelings he was having for him would immediately get swept under the rug where we could all pretend we never knew his heart fluttered for another man. Imagine my surprise when episode after episode passed and that didn’t happen. We got down to the last few episodes and Kang Chul had admitted to himself that he liked Ho Gu, he came out to his parents, and his coworkers assumed he was gay. The show was actually depicting the struggles of being gay in Korea and it was arguably one of the better storylines for a gay character on Korean t.v., but then the show couldn’t stay strong and they flipped the script. Predictably, Kang Chul finds out it was Ho Gu’s sister he kissed, the show copped out, and lo and behold Kang Chul was straight with no further mentions of any other possible sexuality. Watch it if you’re curious, but be prepared to be extremely disappointed by the end.

Graceful Family: Mo Wan Joon (2019)

The Story: Blah blah blah, revenge or something- at a point it’s revealed that Mo Wan Joon is a trans woman.

Should you watch?: If you really like revenge melos maybe, but if you’re looking for this show to do something good and offer up some good trans rep? Nope.

Literally nothing about Mo Wan Joon’s story is watchable. I wasn’t even entirely sure the show even knows what being transgender even means. It comes off as more of a plot twist to put the family all in a tizzy more than anything else. They don’t really show much of Wan Joon’s struggle or anything poignant or engaging.

Sweet Munchies: Tae Wan (2020)

The Story: Jin Sung pretends to be a gay chef to film a tv show for money. Tae Hwan, a closeted fashion designer falls for him.

Should you watch?: No. "Everyone loved Personal Taste right? What if we just did that again but with a chef this time?" This could have been potentially groundbreaking, but by the end of the show the two leads are unlikable and we just wind up with more sad gay tears. But Lee Hak Joo as Tae Wan? *Chef's kiss*. This man put me through the wringer and he does it so subtly. If you must watch, literally skim through Tae Wan’s parts.

The Good (these are worth the hours of your life you wont get back)

Painter of the Wind (2008)

The Story: Shin Yoon Bok is a talented painter who disguises herself as a boy to search for her father's murderer and meets a master painter who guides her into being a great painter. Kim Hong Do is the man who teaches Yoon Bok how to paint, and they develop a strong friendship of mentor and disciple.

Should You Watch?: Yes. On the surface this sounds pretty straight, but ignore the summary, because yes there’s a loveline between Yoon Bok and her mentor, but the most interesting story here is the loveline between Yoon Bok and a Gisaeng she meets named Jeong Hyang I’ve seen plenty of gender benders, but I’ve never seen one where a woman falls in love with the girl who’s pretending to be a boy. This drama isn’t technically supposed to be gay, but it’s extremely gay when when bisexual Yoon Bok hits on the gisaeng the first time they meet. Yoon Bok finds herself falling in love with the Jeong Hyang too and the love between them comes off as extremely genuine and sincere. I don’t care what that show was trying to tell me, Yoon Bok/Jeong Hyang was the true otp.

Life is Beautiful: Tae Sub and Kyung Soo (2010)

The Story: A family drama about a blended family. The show focuses heavily on Tae Sub and his boyfriend Kyung Soo

Should You Watch?: Absolutely. In this drama we actually get to see a same sex couple. There’s not just one gay character or a situation where you have to read between the lines. Tae Sub and Kyung Soo are a gay couple who get to be together and happy and they get screentime! The show focuses on Tae Sub coming out to his family, his family's acceptance/non-acceptance, and Kyungsoo’s family’s non-acceptance as well. We get to see the guys work through their problems together and we get to see how they’re relationship changes and grows. My only complaint about this show is that it aired seven years ago and korea has shown little to no progress in terms of lgbt characters and couples in kdramas since.

Rural Outcasts (2019)

The Story: Sun Hui moves to a small village where she lives her life as Soon Ho until she can make enough money to become her true self. Dong Ja, a feisty 12 year old, breaks into her house one day.

Should you watch? Yes, although, heads up, there’s a cis man playing a trans woman. Found family always makes for a heartwarming story and this one is no different. I loved the bond between Dong Ja and Sun Hui and I loved their mother daughter relationship. Very sweet and heartwarming, but be prepared for some heartbreak too.

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