#everyones-favourite-marshal

[un-souper-tendu]

@everyones-favourite-marshal & @commandant-des-traitres

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Oh. So that's your conversational partner. Yeah, this might get weird. You might try to maintain some civility, you might simply remain deeply cold to each other, or perhaps your potentially mutual dislike of your partner will prove to be too strong to resist, resulting in some form of argument.

Please use this thread to converse - or argue - with your partner. If you're stuck, we'd recommend starting with your reaction to realising who your partner is.

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OOC Considerations:

Please converse with your partner in this thread. Do not post in other specific pairing threads you are not tagged in - if you would like to address someone else (or stare pleadingly at a friend for help), you can use the general table thread.

While our characters will be aware of appropriate manners in this situation, it's up to you whether or not they maintain civility given their present circumstances. Arguments, tension and awkwardness are all encouraged, just don't get too disruptive like setting the place on fire or something.

Don't take in-character actions personally. We're literally sitting people who hate each other together for the explicit purpose of observing the resulting carnage. Rudeness in-character does not reflect out-of-character feelings.

As I'm sure we're all aware, we are humans with lives, and it's okay if you can't respond immediately to everything. So long as there is some amount of conversation we can call it a success.

These threads can run for as long as you want to keep them running. While officially the event lasts for 4 weeks, if you have a good thread going on you are absolutely welcome to continue it past that time.

If your partner has disappeared (or not appeared to begin with), feel free to communicate with others through the general table thread. Conversations had here are considered separate to the (in-character) private ones in the designated threads.

Enjoy!

[murillo-enthusiast]

"Hey its our little 'art connoisseur' how are you enjoying that valued collection of yours hm, you know the one's you 'rightfully own'?

Ah. A second appearance of the esteemed King of Naples. Bonjour, Monsieur.

I am quite enjoying my collection which, as you have pointed out, I do rightfully own. I can show you authentic titles, notarized deeds, letters of conveyance and express declarations. If you can read, of course.

Do not tell me that you have not lead your hussars and the rest of your cavalry on far worse excursions, plundering the landscape of food and drink for the men and horses - and leaving none for the infantrymen who came after. Do not tell me that you have not engaged in the same habits that all of us have found ourselves in a position to benefit from. Perhaps you told yourself that it was to benefit your family, your wife and children.

And what are you doing, now, in this afterlife? This second chance? You reach out only to slander me. Pitiful behaviour. How far you have fallen, Roi de Naples.

I continue to lead men to victory against that which threatens our existence. You… I do not know what you are doing now, Murat. It is surely a far cry from palaces and grand cavalry charges.

Good day.

[taasgirl]

monaco pt. 3 - charles leclerc

summary: y/n is new to ferrari and is working very closely with charles, so it's inevitable that they fall right?

a/n: the outcomes of these races are fictional!! they're altered to fit the story, and there's no specific face claim!

PART ONE PART TWO

liked by charlesleclerc, scuderiaferrari, landonorris, and 776, 387 others ynusername hey monaco! who's ready for some racing? tagged: charlesleclerc

alex_albon Meeee I'm ready

scuderiaferrari ❤️🤍

user53929 STOP STOP STOP THIS IS SO CUTE

user92838 goodluck y/n and charles!!

user39822 the matching outfits (i'm deceased)

user43773 Is that not just their team uniform lol

liked by alex_albon, ynusername, mclaren, and 3, 653, 223 others landonorris It's Friday thennnnn tagged: ynusername, charlesleclerc, danielricciardo

ynusername saturday sunday whaaat

user63392 Not Y/N and Charles with the matching Cars shirts 😏

user00231 bring lando and daniel back plssss

user53833 lando basically confirming y/n and charles

user93447 I'm so here for it tho

liked by f1, sergioramos, charlesleclerc, and 5, 553, 983 others scuderiaferrari Welcome to Monaco! @ charlesleclerc's home race, and @ ynusername's first race here! Our drivers will begin Qualifying shortly, Forza Ferrari!

user53948 as much as i want y/n to win again, please let charles win his home race 🙏🙏

ynusername 🏎️🏎️ liked by scuderiaferrari

user83744 Everyone is a ferrari fan fr

user99834 my favourite track oat, i'm so fucking ready

charlesleclerc 🇲🇨

liked by user76773, user87383, user99295, and 1, 654, 984 others scuderiaferrari We can confirm that driver Y/N L/N is in hospital, being treated for burns and injuries following a serious crash during the Monaco Qualifying. We are all here for you Y/N.

landonorris Praying for you 🧡🧡

redbullracing Speedy Recovery @ ynusername

user78473 please tell me she'll be alright for tomorrow

user65847 did you see the crash?? there's no way she's racing

user59584 SOMEONE CHECK UP ON CHARLES PLEASE

user64765 Oh my god y/n we're all here for you

liked by charlesleclerc, oscarpiastri, f1, and 2, 467, 998 others ynusername this girl is on fireeeeee.

Thank you all for your support, unfortunately I will not be racing tomorrow in monaco ☹️ but I'll be there to show all my support for @ charlesleclerc! I'm sorry to all the fans and people at Scuderia Ferrari for letting you down in such an important race for the Championship, but I promise to come back stronger. Thank you to all the marshalls and medical staff who basically saved my life lolz.

But hey at least that's a pretty sick photo right??

charlesleclerc 🔥🔥

user87488 not charles with the fire emojis 😭

logansargeant Get better comrade🫡

user69488 Y/N YOU HAVEN'T LET US DOWN WTFFFF WE'RE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU AND HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE liked by ynusername

user09492 no y/n in monaco 😞😞

user65933 ngl that second photo is fucking sick

user98374 How can you literally total your car and be on fire, and still looke so effortlessly beautiful???

user59838 she's built different fr

liked by user87487, user93748, user44475, and 154 others user03082 Y/N IS AT THE GP!!! she's not racing but she's walking around fine and serving c*nt.

user64839 she's so dedicated, love her

user02873 I feel like her and charles will confirm their relationship today ���

user78387 Hey so is it too late to get her in a ferrari orrrr

user87632 REAL

user93627 she was on fire a few hrs ago, and is still on fire fr

user64993 HAHAHA

view ynusername's story

liked by ynusername, scuderiaferrari, lukamodric, and 1, 263, 938 others f1 The Monaco Grand Prix has begun! 19 drivers and 10 teams are battling for Championship points. Who do you think will win?

ynusername me i hope

user87474 homegirl is so unserious

user47387 Pastry boyyy

user28173 I'm praying that Charles wins for y/n

user63974 is it too late to say y/n??

user98365 Why didn't ferrari use a reserve driver?

ynusername well i kinda destroyed the car, so like yes we have a reserve but no car

liked by user64893, user87432, user89384, and 46, 837 others user68394 CHARLES JUST WON THE FUCKING MONCAO GRAND PRIX AND RAN STRAIGHT TO Y/N TO KISS HER IN FRONT OF EVERYONE OMFG I'M GONNA BE SICK

user86349 this might actually be the hardest hard launch

user64838 OH MY GOD

user22839 HE WON AT HOME AND KISSED HIS GIRL!! WHAT A FAIRYTALE MOMENT

user98372 no one understands how much this means to me

user59383 what a photo wow

liked by ynusername, f1, williamsracing, and 4, 711, 363 others scuderiaferrari He's done it! Charles Leclerc wins his home race, leading the grid by almost nine seconds. Congratulations Charles!

ynusername my boyyyyy 🥰

user93648 MY BOY STOP Y'ALL ARE SO CUTE

user68843 he really did it for y/n

user99837 HE WINS IN SPA HE WINS IN MONZA HE WINS AT HOME

user54557 Ferrari comeback is crazy

user39828 they've finally made a good car

user47363 Don't be shy, post the photo of charles 'celebrating' with y/n 😏😊 liked by ynusername

liked by lewishamilton, landonorris, f1, and 2, 354, 984 others ynusername charlie wins again!! i'm sosososo proud of you but next time we're in monaco, that win is mine. also i have no photos of you on the podium because i was crying... i love you baby 💗

charlesleclerc Thank you Mon beau ❤️

user28384 MON BEAU I'M SO FUCKING UP

landonorris Awww ferrari friends 🖕🖕

user83748 'i love you baby' nopenope too much for me

user54983 Posting the wrong photo y/n smh

user92282 agreed, where's the kissing photo huh??

liked by ynusername, logansargeant, lilymhe, and 1, 589, 856 others charlesleclerc Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so proud to have won my first race of the season in my home country, and to have the support from Ferrari and my beautiful girlfriend. This win is for you mon amour @ ynusername

ynusername omg who's the lucky girl??

charlesleclerc I don't know, she forced me to kiss her 🤷

user26374 Charles didn't even post a photo of him on the podium, just him and the people he loves omg

user53636 such a lover boy

user83746 Charles World Champion Leclerc

user32567 these two are so in love

liked by logansargeant, lilymhe, charlesleclerc, and 1, 453, 784 others yn.jpg wyd when you find out that charles and I have been dating for more than a year? lol we're good at keeping secrets @ charlesleclerc

charlesleclerc My gorgeous girl, I love you so much

ynusername too kind perceval

landonorris I have a question, are you two together?

ynusername No sorry I don't know him actually

user55373 MORE THAN A YEAR WHAT WHAT WHAT??

user87364 wdym more than a year??? y'all knew each other before ferrari?

user63894 We need the relationship timeline immediately

charlesleclerc She stalked me and forced me to date her ynusername @ charelesleclerc liar he begged me to date him charlesleclerc @ ynusername Seems fair

user78939 oh my fucking god how did no one know about this

user29837 I won't ever stop thinking about this.

user98398 The most attractive couple of all time

user56793 I reckon the rest of the drivers get jealous when they see y/n and charles together like damn they really can spend ALL their time together

thank you for your support guys!! the monaco smau is officially done, please let me know if you liked this! my reqs are open (football and f1)

@samantha-chicago @arrowheadleadingushome13 @meadhbhcavanagh @ameliaalvarez06 @sheslikeacurse

[anjee0]

Bad day

Female!reader x Eminem (Feel free to put in your own oc insert as well)

Description - Marshall decides to treat Y/n after a rough day at work.

Warnings - Fluff, hickeys, short and sweet

Requested by @marshall-is-my-husband

Y/N had bad day at work and Marshall make for her little suprise like. Its evening she just took shower, she put on his Lions sweatshirt and comfortable sweatpants, she came back to the living room and he had prepared on the big comfy sofa a lot of pillows, warm blankets, some fast food for her and invited her to relax with him in front of the TV, some cuddles, sweet kisses, small talks, neck massage, candles you know something cute like this...

Y/n groaned as she entered the house, feeling a sense of relief that her rough day was over, but still annoyed with the earlier events of today. In her mind, she kept on telling herself she didn’t want to over exaggerate the heaviness of the situation, but she couldn’t but keep telling herself that today was one of her worst days at work. It was busier than usual, making most of her co-workers (and especially her boss) cranky to get work done quickly. She lost track on how many times her boss had gotten frustrated at everyone today.

As soon as she stepped in though and saw Marshall, lounging on the couch, reading a comic, all the frantic energy hanging around her had lessened to a quiet hum instead. At the end of the day, Y/n only wanted to see her husband and jump into his arms. As Marshall looked up, he noticed in an instant that something was wrong.

“Everything okay?” He asked, closing the comic and setting aside.

“Not really. Terrible day at work. It was so busy, and everyone was cranky. Boss was a pain in the ass. I’m just happy to see you.” She sat down next to Marshall on the sofa and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“That sounds rough, but I’m glad to see you though. Hey, why don’t you take a shower and we can spend some time on the couch?”

“That sounds great. I’ll be quick.”

Y/n quickly went upstairs and into the bathroom, immediately turning on the shower. She stripped herself off her uniform and stepped into the hot water, that brought a ripple of comfort throughout her body. She stood under the pouring water, taking in the warmth that came with it. She scrubbed herself with her favourite body wash, that smelled like fresh and sweet strawberries. She finally rinsed herself and turned the shower off, surrounding herself in the hot steam that the water had left for her.

After drying herself and wrapping her body in her towel, she made her way into the bedroom, feeling the dramatic change of the temperature as she stepped away from the warmth of the bathroom. Y/n noticed on the bed a folded blue hoodie and sweatpants with a sticky note on top. She took it off the clothes and read it carefully.

Figured you’d need something comfortable to wear. Take my Lions hoodie and sweatpants. Love you. -Marshall.

Y/n felt an eruption of butterflies in her stomach as the corners of her lips rose into a smile. She couldn’t help but feel grateful that Marshall was willing to give her one of his favourite hoodies. As she put it on, she basked herself in the comforting warmth that came with the clothes. She exhaled softly through her nose, taking in his scent that stuck on the hoodie. 

As Y/n made her way downstairs, a small wave of shock hit her as she saw blankets and pillows set up on the sofa, with the coffee table full of snacks, drinks and pizza boxes. Vanilla scented candles were lit around, bringing a romantic ambience to the room. Marshall sat on the sofa with a pleasing smile on his face as he stretched his arms out to welcome his girl in.

“Come here baby.” He said.

Y/n jumped into his arms and wrapped herself around him, feeling absolutely joyful. “What’s all of this?”

“Just some treatment for your bad day.”

“I should have bad days more often.” She looked around once more, processing the scene set out of her. “When did you have time to do all of this?”

“Well, I knew you’d spend some time in the shower, so it gave me enough time to sort all  of this out.”

“When did you get time to order pizza?”

“Well, I have my ways to get it here quickly. I figured we could watch a movie, cuddle, talk, share some kisses, I can give you a neck rub, I know you love those.”

“Oh that sounds perfect. You really didn’t have to do all of this.”

“But I wanted to. I want the best for my girl. Also, those clothes look great on you.”

Marshall turned on the TV and put on a random movie that he found on Netflix, that the two agreed to watch. He turned off the living room lights, the only light being the illuminating screen from the TV and the dimmed candles. The pair both stayed close to each other, not a single space between them at all. They wrapped themselves in the blankets, letting a spread of snugness and cosiness come over them.

Y/n rested her head on Marshall’s chest, she steadied her breathing to match his, as she studied how his chest would rise and fall. Marshall wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he rested his chin on top of her head. Every few minutes, he would place a soft kiss on her head, taking in the scent of her hair at the same time.

Marshall’s hands made their way to Y/n’s neck, as he started rubbing circles into the side of it, massaging the tension out of her. He listened closely to the quiet moans Y/n would let escape from her mouth as his touch deepened. The knots in her neck untied, leaving her in a state of pure bliss and relaxation.

Eventually, the movie was forgotten about and quickly turned into a makeout session. Their kiss started off slow and tender, taking their time as they captured each other’s feelings in the kiss. As it deepened and progressed, it poured out more desire and strong adoration. Marshall’s lips travelled his way down to Y/n’s neck, gently sucking on her sweet spot as his teeth grazed her soft skin. The pressure left a love bite that was obvious and very noticeable to the naked eye. He buried his face in her neck, leaving more softer kisses now and humming in appreciation. 

By the end of the night, the snacks, drink were finished as empty pizza boxes (some still have one or two slices in them) were left on the coffee table. The TV was left turned on the Netflix home screen, still illuminating the dark room. And on the couch, laid Y/n and Marshall cuddling each other and wrapped in blankets as they slept peacefully in each other's embrace.

A/N: its quite short, but I hope u enjoyed it :))

[the-possum-writes]

You may have gotten a request like this already so please ignore it if you have!

I really enjoy your works so far and I'd like to request the nsfw alphabet with Marshall Lee if that's something you'd like to do! Gender neutral or afab anatomy if that's okay but I really don't mind if you keep it fully gender neutral!

I hope this request finds you well and happy! Thank you for your time to read this ask and for sharing your work, it's very enjoyable to read! (It also helps that I adore possums hehe)

[Marshall Lee NS/FW Alphabet]

Tags: NS/FW, mentions of voyeurism, hcs, dirty alphabet

A/n: Thanks for requesting! Ya'll eating good tonight-! This is for the AT version of Marshall, the F&C Marshall would probs have some differences without the whole vampire thing.

A = Aftercare

Marshall doesn't need sleep so he'll help you clean up asap and lay in bed with you so his low body temperature can help ya cool off, he would also sing you to sleep in compensation if he went too rough on you.

B = Body part

Regarding his partner's, he's fond of your chest. He doesn't breathe so he likes seeing it rise and fall whenever you're panting, and enjoys listening  to your heartbeat during cuddle sessions.

As for his body, he likes every aspect of it but if he had to choose it would probably be his eyes. They're the first thing someone sees when he's lurking in the dark.

C= Cum

Slick like glue, and lacks any kind of odor or taste (I guess it's because he's a supernatural creature). He doesn't produce an exaggerated amount of cum in a single shot but he's determined enough to fill you up until it's sliding down your thigh, no matter how many rounds it takes.

D= Dirty Secret

Marshall snuck into your house once cause he wanted to gonna prank you by hiding your toothbrush and other stuff but he accidentally floated in on you in a private time and didn't leave until you finished. Nowadays he knocks before visiting you, but there are times where he touched himself to that memory.

E= Experience

Marshall has been around for thousand years, he knows his likes and dislikes regarding stuff done to him, and what he likes in a partner. He's confident in his performance as well, he has skill and learns fast, he knows that he'll find and exploit your weak points that'll have you sobbing in a good way.

F= Favourite Position

The dude can fly, he likes having you cowgirl (or reverse cowgirl) style while on mid air even though you've told him how dangerous it is.

G= Goofy

Though he gets heavily feral most of the time Marshall is a versatile man who can still crack a laugh even at the most heated times, if he's feeling playful and is on a full teasing rampage he'd use wordplay/puns that depend on the location you two are at.

H= Hair

Marshall is well trimmed but not fully shaved, his pubes are just as dark and wavy as his hair. However, sometimes he'd occasionally try to do funny patterns and would walk out of the bathroom bare ass naked and ask. "Does this look like a bat to you?"

I= Intimacy

Okay so we all know Marshall portrays himself as the residential bad boy and everyone buys it, but in reality he keeps his relationships at an arms length since he's lost people close to him. The guy craves intimacy and it's evident in the small affectionate gestures during sex like how he intertwineds his fingers in your hands, and after sex, he's got his legs tangled in yours, plays with your hair and rests his head on your beating chest.

J= Jack Off

In the early years of vampire hunting he couldn't allow himself a single moment of vulnerability even if his hormones were getting the best of him, but in current times in Aaa where he isn't always on guard he wanks it on occasion here and there when he's lacking company. Once he starts dating you he can't help but stoke himself in front of you when you touch yourself for him.

K= Kink

Pray/Predator play:

He loves playing the part so much. On a full moon he will give you a 10 minute headstart to let you run loose through the woods in that white transparent nightgown he likes so much (fits your role as the helpless victim) as he shape shifts into a wolf or a giant bat and hunts you down by the scent of your arousal alone.

Size difference:

Okay hear me out on this- The guy can shape shift, it would be impossible that he wouldn't develop a knack out of it (especially with the prey/predator thing) when he's near you. He gets a thrill out of it when he's in his bat form, slowly diving you down on his shaft until your thighs come in contact with his fur.

Blood kink:

At first he wasn't interested since he had enough fighting those bloodsuckers (and because it's an obvious thing for him to have). So everyday he fought the blood kink allegations but after years of denying it, its become a new curiosity. He doesn't need to drink the stuff to survive but there's something euphoric about yours that tastes better than any shade of crimson, he'd avoid your neck the first few times but would obtain it from you inner thigh, it's like biting into a lovely jelly donut.

Voyeurism:

It's rude to spy on others but Marshall is well known to watch over others regardless if they're aware of it or not, you'd learn it the hard way when he caught sight of you touching yourself in your private time. In recent times you purposely masturbate in front of him as he sits back in a comfy seat but only after kicking his ass for being a creep.

Exhibitionism: He doesn't mind taking things in a public space like a bathroom stall or just outside a party, he already has his initials marked all over Aaa so a quickie is just another way to mark his place as his.

Praise kink: can't get enough when hearing you say how much you love him, how good he feels inside you or the sensation of his mouth all over you.

L= Location

Anywhere, anytime. The only place he refuses to go is the Nightosphere cause his mom has eyes and ear everywhere and those pesky demons would rattle him out and before he know it his mom is asking for grandchildren.

M= Motivation

It takes so little to rile him up but the fastest way is when you're wearing on of his band shirts.

N= NO

Alright hot take. Although he jokes around with it sometimes; Marshall refuses to actually bite your neck with his fangs. Sure he'll nibble on your neck and bite your shoulder but his fangs never really pierce the skin of your jugular, it brings bad memories of his own forceful transformation and how it made him feel.

O= Oral

Appreciates anyone who's brave enough to let his teeth near their privates.

P= Pace

He goes rough and fast, he knows he gets too carried away but he forgets it right away when he sees you enjoy it as much as he does.

Q= Quickie

Doesn't mind them.

R= Risk

Definitely a risk taker. There's many ways to turn him on and he'd love to share them with you, his safe word is probably something like batshit or fries.

S= Stamia

Impecable. Unless you're a supernatural creature you can't match up with his subhuman self.

T= Toy

Marshall likes them both on himself and on his partner, he likes the dildo varities in particular (when he needs to prepare you for his bat form) and how crazy some designs can get.

U= Unfair

Ultimate tease, if you start taunting Marshall he's gonna return it in an instant. Doesn't care if you're out in public he'll get handsy with you as punishment, and dear glob have mercy on you in the bedroom cause he'd edge that bratty attitude out of you.

V= Volume

He isn't as vocal compared to you when he takes the lead, he would mostly let out an occasional hiss or groan intertwined with his dirty talk or teasing. Buuut, if he's the one on the receiving end he'll cry, whine and moan like a bish.

W= Wild Card

If it wasn't because of his vampire regeneration abilities he'd get dick piercings.

X= x-ray

A nice 9 inches long with a slight curve upwards, he's long but a bit on the slender side like most of his body, it's color is just as pale too but halfway it leads to a small dark gray tip.

Y= Yearning

High libido, watch out. Although he doesn't need to eat or sleep he can still feel lust and hunger which become stronger the longer his needs go unfulfilled.

Z= Zzz

He doesn't really sleep much nor does he get exhausted easily, if he's with a mortal partner he'd pretend to sleep just to keep you company or sing/ play a lullaby on his guitar for you.

[armagnac-army]

Friendly company incoming!

THE FUCK YOU DOIN IN MY HOUSE

BONJOUR MURAT

WHERES MY HUSBAND

(( @bayard-de-la-garde, @everyones-favourite-marshal ))

Excuse me for the rude intrusion old friend, I hope I didn't disturb anything important, but I needed a break from everything going on at home.

Murat seemed to have better days despite the chilling cold he was drenched in sweat and had dark circles under his eyes from a clear lack of rest.

Let's just say many things have been going on lately, and well you're the first person that came to mind so here I am...Uhh, surprise!

There was no sight of his normally well-kept appearance; his hair was in a hastily done ponytail; though as always he had brought over a 'party gift' which was a bottle of the finest wine.

Excuse my less-than-stellar appearance; I would've dressed for the occasion but; things got...complicated let's say.

Bessières' eyes widen at the sorry state of his old friend, but he quickly recovers from the shock enough to compose himself.

Please, do come in. Sit down with me, by the fire, you look soaked through.

He thinks of bringing Murat a blanket, or some hot food, but he is worried about the former prince of Naples prickling at being treated like a beggar given shelter at Christmas.

My dear friend, I am sorry to hear that misfortunes have befallen you. Is there any way in which I could help? Or would you like to simply talk about it?

Talk, sitting side by side, like when they were two young soldiers in the Guarde Nationale, bored out of their minds and shooting the breeze waiting to be relieved of duty. It has been a long time and a great many events since then, and life had, in its cruel fashion, held them further apart the longer it went on. Bessières would be grateful for a chance to reconnect properly.

[ohsohoney]

When it comes to love you're just as blinded.

Part Seven

Eminem x Musician

Summary: It starts with a drunk embarrassing video, it spirals into something a whole lot more.

Note: Seven!! Sorry it's taken a while, I've been busy with life and went away with some friends, but it's finally here! It's a long one too, so hoping it makes up for the wait. Also, I write music but fuckkk is it hard trying to actually rap, so this is just a forewarning to everyone seeing as there's a scene in this part that involves exactly that! Hope you enjoy it anyway:) Thank you for all the love on this series!

| Set in 2014, just after the release of LP 2

taglist: @thelastemzy

Masterlist

“What’s your favourite chocolate?” I wondered around the Twizzler I’d gone ahead and stolen from the bag he’d gotten at the 7-Eleven. We’d been driving for a little while now, just under a half hour if I had to guess, and between us we had already succumbed to three short-lived encounters with brain freeze, all down to the Slurpee we continued to keep sharing. 

“Like brand?” Marshall questioned me, face wrinkling in confusion as he made another left hand turn, fingers loosening around the steering wheel when it righted itself.

“No,” I shook my head in answer, chewing on the red stick before I held out its end to Em when he tipped his chin in an asking gesture, “I don't know. Like, type?”

He had to think about it for a second, jaw working against the chewy sweet whilst his eyes continued to trail the length of road ahead. “Fuck, I don’ know. Like a Hershey’s maybe?”

I pulled a face at the reply, “Boring. Figured you might say M&M’s or something. Bring a little irony to the table, you know?”

Marshall’s head tilted sideways to level me with a snide look before he stole the next Twizzler right from out of my hand, “Hilarious.” He deadpanned as he took a big bite, “Come on then, Judge Judy. Tell me yours.”

Even whilst wrinkling my nose at his reference to the Tv Judge, I was quick with my retort, “Easy. Can’t go wrong with a Flake or a KitKat.”

“Heard of that first one.” Marshall mentioned, face dropping its previous snark as he pondered on my answer, “Ain’t ever tried it though.”

My eyes widened as I simultaneously turned to face him, ignoring the way my knee knocked against the centre console in my haste. “Oh, you’ve got to! It’s honest to God like Heaven melting in your mouth.”

With an unconvinced brow, Marshall just blew out a breath and shook his head at me. “But a KitKat?” He added after a second passed, “I don’t know. I mean, a chunky I could prolly get behind.”

My upper lip curled, “A chunky, really? What are you, twelve?”

Marshall returned the quip with a stupid look and then stole the rest of the Twizzler pack as a form of retaliation.

I rolled my eyes and it wasn’t long before he waved the topic away, claiming it was stupid anyway because Oreos were supposedly where it was at. An opinion which was strong enough steered us onto a whole new debate: biscuits vs cookies. 

I was still fighting for my life by the time Em eventually pulled the car off to the side, rolling up onto a curb outside a strip of buildings that appeared to get a whole lot of use. “All I’m saying is that a cookie is a kind of biscuit, right? So what the fuck sense does it make to claim that they’re all cookies?”

We’d since come to a slow stop, so confused I pivoted in my seat to look around us with a slight frown, catching sight of a bar on the very corner, a stretch of offices sat on the opposing side, and a huge block building that had long been dubbed ‘Saint Andrew’s’.

“This some sort of convent?” I wondered out loud whilst Marshall simply switched off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. When I glanced over at him again I found him already wearing an amused smirk, one which seemed to brighten at my words, though he just shook his head at my question. It was then that he chose to jump out. “Marsh?”

I was left with the low sound of his chuckle just as the door clicked shut behind him, leaving me in sudden silence whilst I watched the man round the front of the car. Blinking, I could only move to follow him, undoing my belt and finishing the last of the Slurpee before my door was opening all on its own. I raised a brow at Em’s gentlemanly act when I climbed out to join him on the pavement, but kept quiet about it as he shut the door behind me and locked up.

“Thanks.” I breathed out before peering around us once more, taking in the noisy street and the rowdy crowd that was gathered inside the bar a couple car lengths away. “Will you tell me where we are now though?”

“And spoil all the fun?” Marshall smirked, eyes glistening now as he backed away from the curb to start up the set of stairs leading into the big block building that had caught my eye a minute earlier. 

My face flattened, “You’re the only one having fun here.”

The grin he flashed me was cheeky and only lasted that of a split second before he was gesturing me to follow him up, tucking his hands away in his pockets when we finally reached the top step and came to a stop in front of a pair of heavy wooden doors that gave off such a retro feel. 

Staying quiet, Marshall was quick to push through them, as though he’d done it a thousand times before, slipping inside and holding the bottom plank open with just a foot so that I could join him. I wrapped my arms around myself slightly as the door stilted shut behind us, the sound echoing out. 

As I walked a little further inside, my gaze caught on the building’s lofty interior, a total contrast from both its outer disguise and what I’d first expected. It was a large lobby of sorts; four long tables were stationed in the very centre, a short stretch away from a snazzy looking bar detailed with ebony wood and warm lighting in the back, and adjacent to a set of stairs which led upwards.

I glanced back over at Em, who appeared to be watching me rather than taking in the room. I felt myself flush lightly under his gaze but quick to cover it up as I took another glance around, noting a different set of double doors sat on the other side of the room and a couple of sofas dotted around by the surrounding walls. I swallowed lightly before turning back to him, “Bit early to be drinking, no?”

It was a joke, a silly one seeing as he’d been sober for years, but one which seemed to loosen the atmosphere around us further as his mouth quirked upwards slightly and he moved to walk once more, nodding his head at me to follow. 

Follow I did, eyes catching on all sorts of details the building had to offer as he led me across the room and through the mentioned pair of doors, turning away from what appeared to be the ‘main event’ (a rather large hall decked out with a stage and a plethora of seating rows) so that he could instead jog down a hall full of metal stairs. 

The heavy door at the very bottom opened with a long squeak and although there had been people dotting the building here and there as we’d walked through, I took quick note of the small group which resided down here. There were only about six of them, from what I could first tell, the majority messing about with wires and other equipment by a platform stage whilst another two stood behind what looked to be a bar. 

My attention was ultimately caught though by the two men bickering back and forth by the side of the stage, just in front of a DJ booth.

“Fuck you, man. I’ma do what I like!” The first one spat, nose wrinkled as he swiped a microphone right from out of the other man’s hand. He was a few inches shorter than the latter but didn’t seem to mind, nor care, about that fact as he practically tiptoed to better get in the guy’s face. 

“Awh Jesus man, Soup! Why you always clownin’ around?” The second blew out, tossing the rest of the mic’s lead his way as he swatted at the air, “I mean, come on. You always tryna switch shit up when shit don’ need to be switched up!”

Soup? If that really was his name, didn’t seem to much care about his mate’s lack of excitement for whatever plans he had brewing as he fumbled with the jack lead and jumped back at him to defend himself. “I ain’t clownin’, dawg! Just trust me here on this one, this is gone bring a whole load’a new people in, D! I just know they gone be linin’ up out the door to get their hands on this stuff.”

“We ain’t sellin’ fuckin’ club merch, Soup. How many times I gotta say it?” ‘D’ retorted and shook his head as he turned his back on the other man to grab the rest of the equipment they’d obviously been unboxing.

“Yo, when have I ever been wrong ‘bout shit like this?” Soup followed up, unrelenting as he dragged the mic along with him, creating enough of a trip hazard that I worried when a young guy in a yellow cap swerved on past him. But it appeared that everyone here was far too used to the duo’s antics because the man in the cap skipped over the lead with an ease that looked utterly effortless, making it to the bar in one piece whilst the other two continued on none the wiser.

“How ‘bout every damn time?” D huffed with a look thrown over his shoulder, before he then sighed, “We stick to what we know, man. Stop houndin’ me with all this other crap.”

It was just as Soup opened his mouth to argue his case yet again that Marshall laughed from beside me, making me jump ever so as the noise rang out across the room. Heads spun in our direction then, most eyes widening at the sight of the infamous newcomer but mine were caught on the matching set of grins that Em was immediately met with when kicked off the wall he’d been leaning against, content with having watched the argument play out.

“Mickey, my man!” D hollered, dropping what he held back into the box to meet Marshall halfway. 

“Thought I told you to stop callin’ me that.” But even with the snippy retort, Em was smiling as the two of them clapped hands, sharing a short embrace before Soup wormed his way between them. 

D shook his head as he took a large step back, although the man was still grinning, eyes captured on the two friends, “Shit, man. It’s good to see you.”

Marshall just smiled before he turned to the shorter man and clapped him on the back, “How you doin’, Soup?” He let his hood fall back as he stood before the small group around us, seeming to become more alive in their presence, “Still mouthin’ off, I see.”

My own lips quirked up at that, watching the three of them from the sidelines. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they had history, all of them sharing an easy comradery that I hadn’t much seen yet with Em since I’d first arrived, and already I was hooked on watching it all play out.

“I ain’t mouthin’ off, man. This idea’s the real deal!” Soup countered and he was smiling so wide that I could see the silver tooth that was embedded where his front left should have been over from where I stood. “Genius even! Could see it settin’ us up ‘til The Jam finally passes.”

I had no idea what the fuck ‘The Jam’ was but I had a calculating thought as to what the underground level of Saint Andrew’s supposedly was now. It was a little surreal once I’d latched onto the idea, in truth, never having figured I’d be standing in The Shelter of all places. The building was notorious on its own, having hosted a plethora of artists up in the main hall, people like Nirvana, R.E.M., The Beastie Boys, Iggy Pop, Blur, and Bob Dylan. And so I kicked myself for not having realised it sooner, the venue truly was one of the best in the city! Then again, I’d only ever really heard it iconically dubbed as The Shelter.

Marshall appeared to look back over at me then as he shook his head at Soup’s justification, grin softening ever so. I smiled back at him, gaze flickering over the expanse of his face, taking in what I could.

“Yo, come on over.” He said, voice travelling over to me without him even having to yell. The two men seemed to recognise my presence then as they turned to get a good glance at just who Em seemed to be speaking to. So, accompanied by only a little trepidation, I walked over to meet them, D eyes calculating whilst Soup’s lips pursed in an act of surprise, his eyes raking over me.

“Woo, Slim. And they claim you gotta type!” Soup all but whistled at my approach, earning a raised brow from me and a hearty backhand from his promoter friend. 

Marshall just rolled his eyes, seemingly used to it, arm stretching out to welcome me into the odd triangle they’d created, an action I allowed even as his hand came to rest on the small of my back. “Ignore Soup, he ain’t never been near a lady.” 

Blowing out an unexpected chuckle, I pressed my lips together before they eventually settled into akin to a smirk, eyes flitting over the two men. “Most would beg to differ with those pretty eyes.” I quipped, ignoring the man’s previous remark but filing it away for later.

Soup blinked at the obvious complement, seemingly dazed for a split second before he bounced back with a kilowatt grin. He looked between Marshall and D smugly, batting his eyelashes. “Y’all see?” He said, before he turned to me, “I been tellin’ ‘em, baby. But do they listen? No.”

D rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics, apparently done with him as he shoved Soup hard enough for the man to stumble slightly to the side, ignoring the scowl he got in turn whilst Marshall just snorted, the hand on my back unmoving. “You really gone dropped yourself in it now.” D chuckled to him, peering over at me with a sweet smile that warmed his face whilst Soup tried to right himself, “What, Mickey didn’t warn you?”

“Mickey?” I wondered, eyes flitting between the two. I grinned when Em groaned lowly, tossing his head back a tad.

D laughed at my ask, the sound bright in the shrouded shadows of which lower levels of the building offered, “As a kid he had these giant fuckin’ ears, his momma called him it the first time she picked him up from school and well, it sorta stuck.”

“Actually?” I looked back over at Marshall with an almost adoring face, peering past the brim of his cap to get a better look at his ears, “Oh my god, I can actually see it now!”

I joined D in his snickering after, muffling my amusement slightly when Em’s eyes narrowed a tad in a playful way, his hand dropping from my lower back to pinch my furthest hip. I raised my own in a silent surrender, but his settled there. 

“Yeah, yeah. Eat it up.” The man scoffed whilst he shook his head at us, pointing an accusing finger over at D, who’d since settled a hand on his stomach to keep from bowling over, “You know I’ma have to get you back for that one.”

D merely waved the warning away, just as Soup slid on over to pipe up once more, “Ayo, you gone introduce us to yo girl then, Slim, or you just waitin’ on me to work my magic?” He asked around a smug smile, shucking the collar of his heavy jacket before he flashed me a flirty look, “Homegirl’s got a real pretty voice, too. Where you from, baby?”

Never had I ever had someone be so blatant, I was honestly unsure if he was just messing around in hopes to annoy Em or if he was actually trying his luck with me. A little wide eyed, I looked back at Marshall stumped. The man’s face had flattened a tad at Soup’s remarks but his smirk was still ever present.

“Lay off it, man.” D sighed before Marshall could say anything at all, cheek dimpling as he shook his head once more at the shorter man. 

“I’m just sayin’!” Soup proclaimed before he spun back around to face Em, “A girl that fine is gone get snatched up real quick, man.”

“Keep talkin’ and you might not keep your tongue.” Marshall responded calmly enough, though it shocked me enough to have me keeping quiet as the man stared back at Soup unblinkingly, lifting an eyebrow at him whilst his hand continued to reside at my hip.

“Oo and the claws have come out!” D cut in with a whoop, obviously humoured by it all, but his response was enough to have Marshall rolling his eyes and for another small smirk to toy at the corner of his lips.

Soup grinned as well, hands held up in a placating gesture, “You know I mean no harm, Slim.”

“Yeah, you ain’t never mean it.” Marshall shot back around a low chuckle, clucking his tongue when Soup immediately tried to argue his case, rapidly mentioning a house fire, some sort of robbery that had gone wrong and then an accidental shooting far too quickly for me to really ask anymore about it, because Em chose then to speak over him, ultimately cutting him off. “You done?”

With a huff, Soup let up. “I was just sayin’.”

D snorted, “When the hell are you not just sayin’, my man."

Marshall shook his head at the duo and wet his lower lip before he finally moved to introduce us, although it was also in that moment that his hand finally slipped away. The lack of it had me blinking. 

“Boys, this is Elia. El, this here is Soup and Drew.” Drew shot me a smile alongside a slight tilt of his chin, whilst Soup just wiggled his brow. Marshall continued on with a swift jab to the latter’s abdomen, ignoring the slight squark given, “Known these guys since middle school.”

I tried to add up the age in my head, forever baffled by the difference in education here to that back home. Em must have realised it too, because his next smile was wry and knowing.

“‘Bout ten, if I had to guess.” He mentioned just to settle the matter for me, before he looked back at D and Soup to explain, “Girl’s from London, they do shit different over there.”

I rolled my eyes, though my smile gave away to the fact that he’d amused me with his explanation. Drew nodded in understanding whilst Soup– well, he was Soup, “Oh shit! I thought all them talked real classy.”

My brow rose all on its own, “This your way of saying I’m not classy?”

His eyes grew huge as he realised his mistake, stuttering to correct himself and stumbling ever so to be sure of it, “Nah, no! What? I jus’– I meant it like–” He spluttered before he finally landed on, “I said you had a real pretty voice!”

Snorting, I let myself smile which appeared to ease the man’s evident worry over having offended me and had the remaining two snickering between themselves. He shot the pair of them a scathing look and elbowed Drew, who in return just laughed that little bit harder.

“Shut it.”

I almost felt bad. Peering back over at Soup, I eventually spoke, “You’re all good. I was just teasing.”

“Teasin’.” Soup seemed to linger on the word, twirling it over his tongue and around his mouth as he muttered the word over again, lower lip turning itself out in thought. “Dope.”

Marshall shook his head with a huff before his eyes eventually landed on me once more, I widened my own in jest, but the wordless moment was cut short by D. “Aye, you ain’t the same Elia that sung Sinnerman are you?”

My head jolted back ever so slightly in surprise. Sinnerman had been an early days cover, one from when I’d been busking in pubs way back when and of the few that had been filmed on a shaky camcorder and uploaded to the internet by some random patron. I hadn’t thought of the video in well over a decade, but remembered it had managed to gather a large enough viewing at some point that it had dragged more people into the pub to see me.

Fishmouthing slightly, I nodded just the once. “Yeah. God, yeah. Wow, you saw that?”

Marshall’s brow had since furrowed, watching the conversation play out between us just as Drew’s face brightened considerably. “Hell yeah I saw that! That shit was cold, girl. Remembered hearin’ your voice and thinkin’ 'she’s gone make it someday.” He told me, making me flush a tad at the praise, “‘n I was right.” He continued on, nudging his chin over in my direction with a thoughtful smile, “Knew I recognised you from somewhere. Saw one of your shows when I was last in LA, couple years back now though.”

I actually giggled at that, fingers jumping up to cover my mouth whilst I shook my head slightly, “That’s insane.”

“Hold up,” Soup interrupted, a bemused look marring his face, “So you famous too? You ‘member how I just said you was fine, yeah?”

“Soup, man.” Marshall warned around a put upon sigh.

“I’m jus–”

“Just sayin’. Yeah, we know.” Drew finished for him, smirking as he rolled his brown eyes.

Chuckling, I went a little easy on the former, “I’ll make sure to remember.”

Soup perked up at that, tossing the other two a prideful look, whilst Em’s gaze turned Heavenwards. 

It was then that Drew turned to pick up the equipment he’d since dropped, the three of us following him as he spoke, “So what you doin’ down in these parts anyway? Figured you’d be workin’ or some shit ‘cause last we saw you was way back in December.” He threw a couple of cables Soup’s way, huffing out a soft chuckle when the man fumbled to catch them, earning himself a glare he didn’t respond to. “Made a fuckton of sales then though. Got me thinkin’ maybe you should show your face ‘round here more often. We all know those magazines don’t want it no more.”

Marshall flipped him off but came to a stand beside him, reaching inside the box to help out. “Still as unfunny as ever, D.” He replied, handing me a couple of packs to hold onto whilst he grabbed a few more, “Was showin’ Ms. London over there the neighbourhood, so I thought I’d stop in to see how you two knuckleheads were doin’ without me.”

“Hey we survived this long!” Soup exclaimed to him around a laugh, struggling with a mic stand he’d since dragged up onto the stage.

“Don’t I know it.” Drew murmured in a funny sort of self-suffering way that made me grin, “You take her to Cow’s head?”

The question had Marshall rolling his eyes as the man sorted through the packs he’d gathered, me aiding with the process whilst I listened. “Shithole’s gone be there longer than I ever will be, figured I’d have time.”

D blew out a chuckle, “Ain’t that the truth.”

“Red.” I mentioned, handing back the pack Marshall had attempted to give me, fingers brushing over the back of his as he dipped his chin in a show of acknowledgement. “What’s the Cow’s head anyway?”

“Old ice-cream stand on Mack. Used to use it during drivebys or to just deal. You remember Jimmy? He still works that corner.” Drew explained, aiming that last bit over at Em, which ended up making the man chuckle around a small tutting sound. D continued on though, for my supposed benefit, “But mostly it was just a place people got caught hookin’ up behind.”

Feeling bold, I was quick to quip, “And I paint you as that type of girl, do I, D?”

Widening my stare up at the man when his head darted backwards with a shuttered expression, Marshall could only snicker beside me. “Awh, come on, be nice.” He said, though his smile was jeering, “I tell you, Drew’s a real feminist.”

Sharing a smile with him, I was quick to look back at the man in question, who in turn merely tossed another pack at Em, who narrowly avoided it hitting him upside the head. “Asshole.” Drew sniped, “A guy dates one vegan chick and a brother never lets him live it down.”

“It weren’t ‘cause she didn’t like meat, man!” Soup added his two cents in, smile smug as he propped himself up on the mic stand, “It was ‘cause she didn’t - like - meat!”

Marshall’s loud laugh had me looking up, instantly invested in watching the way his eyes closed with the action and how his cheeks then appled. He caught me watching him when he lowered his head and rolled his eyes fondly at his friend, figuring I’d only been staring because I hadn’t caught onto Soup’s joke, “Next person she dated was this vampy chick who worked at Chilly's.”

My mouth formed into an ‘o’ shape before I was tittering away too, much to Drew’s obvious displeasure, the man waved the three of us away with a lazy hand before he carried on hooking up a couple mics.

It continued on that way for a short while, me listening to the trios odd stories and funny tales from their youth whilst Drew and Soup grew comfortable enough to ask me a little more about myself. Though both of them were wholly invested in the story of how Marshall and I met, Soup latching onto it before I could think about where the explanation might lead.

“Come on then, woman.” The man was quick to start, jerking his head at me in a sudden rush of enthusiasm as he jumped past the DJ booth, “Let’s see what you’re made of.”

My forehead pinched in confusion as I pushed myself up from where I’d been crouching down by an amp. It was an older model and the fuse at the back really needed to be resoldered, but it would work for a while longer. I looked over at the man and his newfound excitement, brows furrowing further, “What?”

Soup just waved me over though to where he was now centred midstage. “You heard me, get yo ass up here!”

I could only look to Em then and when he didn’t offer me anything other than an amused shrug, cheek twitching, I turned to Drew.

The tall man simply raised his hands before he shrugged too, smiling ever so sweetly. “Need to mic check anyway,” He mentioned, jutting his chin over to where Soup continued to stand, “I propose a battle.”

“Hell yeah, man!” Soup hollered loudly, already moving to grab a set of mics from the front panel, sending an audible squeak through the room that had most of its occupants wincing. 

“Not happening.” I quickly shot down, shaking my head as I moved away from the amp– and therefore the stage. 

“Why, you scared?” Soup prodded mockingly, earning a low ‘ooh’ from both Marshall and Drew. 

“Terrified.” Came my deadened retort, before I chewed at the inside of my cheek, gaze flitting back and forth between Soup and the duo perched by the side of the deck. “There’s no way I’m doing it.” I added, furthering my previous answer.

“Don’t have to be long. A minute max.” Drew assured me, already moving to work the amp that the mics were connected to. My eyes widened at the move, flicking back to Em in one final plea.

“Don’t look at me.” The older man laughed, his blue eyes shining. “I already done did my time here.”

Way to rub it in, I thought to myself before looking towards the stage with a pinched expression. 

One final glance between the three men and I knew I couldn’t say no, not without a fight at the very least, so I let go of the heavy breath I was holding and took a big step up onto the stage’s panelling, holding out a hand to Soup for the remaining microphone. “Don’t say I never did nothing.” I heard myself say, earning a round of chuckles just as D finished setting up and Soup started to stretch theatrically. “I hate you all.”

“El-i-a.” Marshall started up and immediately my head snapped over to find him stood by the front of the stage, hands circling his mouth. “El-i-a!” He chanted again right as a steady beat came through the overhead speakers. I felt my stomach flip and was quick to shoot the man a scathing glare, not that Em minded it, continuing to grin up at me. Smug as could be.

It was that, I supposed, which had me forcing back the bile that was now building, enough to try and shake the nerves away too. I could do it, I breathed in deeply, it was just a little fun. Nothing unlike what Danny and I used to do as kids, making breakfast whilst mum was dead asleep in the next room or off getting high someplace else.

“You ready, Limey?” Soup snarked, but it only proved to further stoke that fire that had started. 

“You first.” 

Soup dipped his head before he started bouncing it to the rhythm, torso soon following it. I tensed as I waited for his first line, sole focus on the man stood across from me and wondering how the fuck people did this in front of such a huge crowd. All I could do was pray that I didn’t embarrass myself too much.

“See, this here is a little white girl, 

Who’s momma told her she could have the whole wide-world,

But just ‘cause she got Slim wrapped ‘round her fin-ger,

Don’t mean that my boy’s ever gonna ring her,

He’s a wraith, yeah, which means he never ling-ers,

Have her sleepin’ in his bed ‘fore he finds another singer.

And that’s not on me clownin’ girl, I’ve seen it,

He’ll wrap and tap, and then he’ll jus’ go ‘n leave it,

You cute and all but you ain’t nothin’ spec-ial,

We all know white girls ain’t on a brother’s lev-el,

So while you thinkin’ you out here makin’ it big,

Jus’ remember who’s runnin’ this motherfuckin’ gig.”

Pursing my lips to keep from grinning too broadly– an act to keep up the facade that this was a very real battle and that his words had actually stung me– I then booed the performance whilst the rest of the room applauded, a few laughs and cheers echoing out around us. “Alright, I see. That’s how it’s gonna be.”

Soup shrugged cooly, though his smile was wide and teasing. “I went easy on you, girl.”

I hummed disbelievingly, then looked over my shoulder at Drew, who nodded in understanding, moving to continue the beat. I sucked in a small breath and attempted to feel the rhythm, the way it pulsed beneath my feet and how it seemed to jump between my ribs. 

It was a split second decision I made to glance over at Marshall in the next moment which came and although he stood surly, arms crossed over his chest whilst he waited for me to start, his eyes were watching, anticipating. Between us we’d yet to work on any real music and so I figured this could be my shot to show him what I was really made of.

I inhaled.

“Man, you know for a rapper I think you’re missing one restriction,

The same type they tell kids is in the terms ‘n conditions, 

When they try and ride the big boy rides at the theme park, 

Only to find out that they went and fucking missed the mark.

I mean, I guess you’re kinda cute for a– short guy,

But kings are made, baby, so I won’t spin you a lie,

‘Bout how it’s okay to only miss a couple inches,

‘Cause it's one thing height wise, but your dick looks like the Grinches.

And I know I should probably stop before I hurt your ego,

But with a name like Soup that ships since sailed, amigo,

Like I can’t help but wonder who’d your mother hate more?

You, or that motherfucking grocery store.”

A loud chorus of applause went up as soon as the beat dropped, leaving me looking back at Soup’s slack jaw in the stooped light. It was only when Drew whooped right by my ear that I realised he’d jumped past the booth to drag both Soup and I into his hold, shaking our shoulders hard enough to rattle the pair of us. 

I let the mic slip slightly in my hold, arm dropping to my side as I casted a slow glance out at the audience, finding that a few more people had slipped into the room since we’d started the stupid battle. My chest tightened a little at the realisation but it was easy to let go of the anxiety when Drew was all but bouncing beside me.

“Damn, girl! That was cold, honestly thought Soup would have you there.” D grinned, looking down at me whilst Soup managed to release himself from the taller man’s hold. “You did anything like this before?” He asked and I had to shake my head.

“Hang on. You just butchered and served me up on a plate, ‘n now you gone deny not ever battlin’ before?” Soup spluttered, eyes wide as dinner plates, enough though to match his growing grin, “Woman, you don’t expect me to really believe you.”

Laughing, I tried to rally, but it was then that another body joined the masses, sliding in beside me. It was their appearance that had Drew’s arm loosening its hold on me. 

“She ain’t lyin’. I’ve heard her spit a little before, I won’t deny it, but that was some next level shit.” Marshall commented, absorbing all of my attention. “You went in hard.” He laughed incredulously, eyes roaming over me as though he was taking me in again in a whole other way. I felt my cheeks heat but couldn't decide whether or not it was down to the sudden attention we’d garnered or just him. 

“Hard?” Drew cut in, “Girl killed him!”

Soup shoved him as payback but it wasn’t enough to really trip the man. “I said I went easy!”

D hummed sarcastically, dragging it out long enough to earn himself another hearty shove before he then chuckled, “Face it, Soup. You got yo short ass handed to you.”

“Sorry, man.” Marshall stepped in before it could escalate and it was then he draped his arm over my shoulders, drawing me in enough to have me leaning against his side. “D ain’t wrong. Best hope no one breathes a word, otherwise you gone be fighting for your life in the next battle.”

I rolled my eyes at the sudden dramatics, and again when Soup’s expression troubled slightly, I shook my head. “I’m gonna say it again, I hate all of you.”

The words earned me a few laughs and the feel of Em’s chin coming to rest atop my head.

–

The drive back was made up of a dull buzzing tension, most of which emanated from me, seeing as I was still riding out the waves of anxiety I’d experienced throughout the battle and then after. I’d gotten a few nods of approval once I’d stepped off the stage under Em’s arm, Soup still echoing his previous sentiment of having gone easy on the new girl, and then a couple people's praises when Marshall had finally decided to head on out, claiming that we had places to be. 

So he’d said his goodbyes to his longtime friends, with both Soup and Drew managing to worm their way into my followers list on Twitter and having put their numbers in my phone. They’d claimed it was so I always knew that I had a place to come visit if I ever found myself back in Detroit and so I echoed the notion, saying that they could have tickets to any show they liked and a tour of London if they ever made the trip. Something which had seemed to please Marshall, seeing as his smile stuck all the way back up to the car. 

“I still can’t believe I did that.” I breathed once we were a little way away, The Shelter less than a dot behind us in the rearview mirror. 

Marshall blew out a small chuckle, “Why not?”

Shrugging, I found that I didn’t really have an obvious answer to his question. “I don’t know, just not my thing, you know? Like I never pictured myself doing anything like that.”

He made a short hum in retort, “I get that. Still, it was a sight to see.” He snickered after, mouth lifting into what I’d label a sarky smile, “Doubt Soup will live it down for a while.”

I winced before eventually laughing too, thinking back on the entire experience. “They’re good guys, real nice. It’s been a while since I really had fun like that.”

Marshall’s head turned to look over at me, eyes lingering on mine. “Me too.”

The smile that took over my face truly was unavoidable and so I looked towards the passenger window in hopes to shield him from it. “You do that often then?” I asked once a half a dozen shop fronts had passed us by, “Drag people down there in hopes they’ll destroy what’s left of Soup’s reputation.” I added teasingly when all he’d done was gift me a look of vague confusion. 

The skin between his brows slackened in understanding before he then shook his head, “Nah, reckon you’re the first.”

I blinked slowly at that revelation. “But you said–”

Marshall glanced over at me but was quick to hone his focus back on the road. “Know what I said. Also mentioned that it never worked out, remember?”

I did, remember that is. And immediately thought back to the earlier conversation we’d shared on the car ride over to his old home and how the people he’d let in never seemed to get why all this mattered so much. “Was that what Soup was on about then? When he claimed people thought you had a type.”

Em had to think back on that one and was quiet for a second or two before he worked his jaw. I wondered if he was reminded of the fact that once again he’d failed to mention that I wasn't in fact his girl. I didn’t ask about it.

“Nah, I guess that’s down to them havin’ met a couple of the women I’ve dated.” Marshall evaded slightly, confusing me enough to prod.

“What do you mean?”

He was silent for a long moment, but I allowed him it, figuring that whether he answered or not would be down to him. I wasn’t the type to force shit out of a person. 

“After Kim,” He started slowly, already assuming that I knew most of it, which wasn’t incorrect, if you listened to the guy’s music then you probably knew more than needed. “Lot of the girls I was seeing were fling type shit. Superficial, you know? A couple models, other famous people wantin’ to hop on the wagon. Tried to date a few women who weren’t immersed in that lifestyle after rehab and my divorce, but it didn’t work out the way I’d hoped.”

I chewed on my inner cheek, pondering over the string of women who had been welcomed into Marshall’s life. Still stuck on the thought that Soup reckoned I was different to them just from looking at me. ‘Cause see, I knew I was probably overthinking this but I wasn’t horrible looking, had to be at least a little attractive to sell albums with my face on, but I was far from being that of a model. That much I knew. In truth, I didn’t even know why I was so hung up on the thought, me and Em were just friends, that was all.

“Still, I figured that maybe Kim just fucked all that up for me. Hard to trust, to let people in. ‘Sposed it was easier just havin’ people leave before they could fuck me up any further.” Marshall explained, none the wiser to my thoughts as he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel, “Drew and Soup, they’ve been ‘round for a long while, before Dre, ‘fore I ever even thought too hard about rappin’. They saw me through it all. I guess when you came over they kind of figured that shit had to be different, I ain’t never brought no one ‘round here to them, let alone a girl they’d never met.”

I ran my tongue over my lower lip as I listened, it wasn’t a complete answer to my question— why Soup had figured Marshall had a type and me being far from it— but it was him opening up and I wasn’t about to spit in his face and get all prickly over it.

“Should I feel a sense of privilege then?” I found myself poking fun at him instead, an effort to get away from the handful of ideas that had started to plague my mind. “‘Cause I feel like I should.”

Em laughed, the gesture light, easy. It felt like the visit to Saint Andrew’s had done us both some good. “Fuckin’ right. Shelter alone is somethin’ I don’t visit all that often. D and Soup are just an added nuisance, I guess.”

“Shut up.” I chuckled in return, shaking my head at his words, knowing just how much bullshit they held after having witnessed the relationship the three of them shared. “You love ‘em.”

With a grunt, Marshall then shrugged around a quiet smirk. “Come on, today’s been all about me, I’m sick of it. Don’t tell me you ain’t got no mad stories about a couple crappy exes.”

It was an invite as well as a dip into a pool of unasked questions, a topic where Em didn’t seem too keen on overstepping. But he was right, he’d given me a lot today and that meant something.

“I don’t know what to say really.” I answered him with a subtle shrug, “Never really had an ex.”

Marshall almost came to a full stop with the way his foot stuttered over the brake. The action would have earned us a lot of loud beeps, maybe even a small collision if we hadn’t been the only ones driving down this particular side road.

“Shit, Marshall! What the fuck?” I exclaimed in one fluid breath, releasing my hold on the car door I’d gone and grabbed onto in my haste to stop my body from propelling forward into the dash. I fixed him with a wide eyed stare, “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Why’d I do that? Why’d you say that?” He countered, as if he was making any sense at all. 

“Say what!” I asked him, voice shrill and still a decibel too high after the sudden scare, but Marshall appeared mostly unphased by it, having started driving again despite everything. 

He scoffed, “That someone as pretty as you don’t have no exes.” 

I paused, noting that the way my heart stuttered was very similar to the way the car had, suddenly and then all at once. But although I was surprised by the compliment, I forced myself to relax a tad, ignoring how my pulse jumped rapidly in my throat– down to the scare or his words I wouldn’t ever know. 

“I don’t.” I told him point blank, hoping that the heat I felt in my face was just that and not me blushing. “I mean, I've had little flings and the odd date, but nothing like— I don’t know, nothing too real or long lasting.” Describing that fact was more than a little embarrassing, I wouldn’t lie, it always made me feel less than in a strange way. 

“There ain’t no way.” Marshall continued on, unknowingly driving that particular wedge in further I supposed. “There’s gotta be somebody.”

I sighed. “No. But if you want a story, the last person I was seeing was this singer, we worked together on my last album, flirted, fucked and then went on a couple dates. He stayed with me in London for a while but ended up sleeping with one of my close friends on my sofa, so, you know.”

I let go of the rest of breath I’d been holding onto then, shoulders slumping a little with it, before I suddenly remembered the next part to that particular tale. 

“Oh! And he also decided to dedicate the whole B side of his next album to it. Can you believe that? The B side, Marshall. I mean fair enough, write about an experience and what fucking not, but the B side? That’s just kicking a person whilst they’re already down, no?” I added, shaking my head in hopes to get rid of the memory, but no such luck. “He was the one who did that film too, um— I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it, but when they won that Academy award last year he mentioned me as the ‘one who got away’ and then thanked me for being the reason he was able to channel so much of his ability into the character.”

I actually had to laugh at the reminder, having been utterly fuming when the whole thing had gone down. But I guessed that enough time had passed since then that I only questioned the very decision I’d made to have let that arsehole and his tiny dick anywhere near me whenever his name was mentioned. 

“Shit’s messed up.” Em blew out, eyes alert and flitting back and forth between me and the road.

Snorting in reply to that, I couldn’t help but shoot him a wry grin. “No shit. But yeah, I don’t know. I’ve never really let anyone get too close, I ‘spose. Just easier to keep people at arm's length than give them the chance to hurt me.”

“Damn,” Marshall said, “talk about daddy issues.”

Surprised by his words, a laugh bubbled up out of me, “Like you’re one to talk.”

Em’s lips pursed in an attempt to dim his amusement to that, turning the wheel with a single motion and letting it drag back over his palm when we turned onto the next street. “Still. It’s hard to believe.”

I gave a soft chuckle in reply, letting my head loll against the headrest so that I could bat my lashes in his direction, “Why, ‘cause I’m so pretty?” I teased him, recalling his earlier statement.

Marshall’s head shake was slight but visible, as was the tiny curve his mouth made.

I reached out to poke his shoulder, smirking now. “Come on, say it again.”

He swatted my hand away before I could continue on with my fun, “Anyone ever tell you you’re also annoyin’ as fuck?”

“Yes.” I replied easily enough, “No one’s ever called me pretty though.”

“Liar.”

I laughed, the bright sound filling up the car. “Yeah, but at least I’m pretty too.” He went to open his mouth after I said that but I beat him to the jump, “Can’t take it back now you’ve already said it!”

Tutting, Marshall had to shake his head again, eyes flitting over to my wide smile, trailing the length of it. “Such a shithead.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“What are you, two?”

“Maybe.” I shot back, pointing over at him. “What’s that make you then, if I’m two and you think I’m pretty?”

Marshall caught my finger with his free hand in retaliation and clung to it as he resettled his arm back in his lap, “Fuckin’ weirdo.”

“Least I’m not a creep.”

“Asshole.” 

“Dickhead.”

“Bitch.” He quipped, eyes gleaming as they darted over to meet mine.

I shook my head in hopes to hide my growing grin, but it was then that I instantly perked up, gaze catching on the large allotment sat up ahead. “Oh, let’s go there!”

“What, to Trader Joe's?” Marshall voiced his confusion at the sudden switch in topic, though his expression was much softer than I had expected in the face of my excitement when I peered back around to look over at him.

“Yeah, can we?” I pushed, an idea now blossoming. “I wanna get some ingredients, bake something nice before Rosie gets home.”

Lifting a single brow, Marshall’s eyes flickered rapidly between my own for a split second. He was quiet before he eventually flipped his indicator to switch lanes, “You gone bake me a cake just ‘cause I called you pretty?”

A full blown grin broke out on my face at that and it was too hard to hide this one from Marshall, seeing as I’d been looking right at him. “No, ‘cause you’re gonna help me.”

[isaterriblebore]

Starlight Express Appreciation Month 2024

Hello! So I originally wasn't going to do one this year, but a few people motivated me to give it a go.

I know there were some issues last year with how I grouped the characters. This year, I made an effort to improve things with feedback from the Discord server. However, with the addition of the new London character, it became quite tricky to assign everyone their own day, especially since we now have a total of 46 characters!

Due to this, I've had to leave out a few minor characters (Sleepers, Duvay, Gang, Marshals), but I've added a day for the minor characters at the end for anyone who wants to focus on them! If you'd prefer to choose one of these characters over another, feel free to do so! The list is simply a suggestion.

Start date: 1st September 2024

Question prompts for each day if you want to use them: - Favourite Actor? - Favourite Song/Scenes? - Favourite Costumes? - Favourite Ships/Friendships? - Headcanons? - Unpopular Opinion?

[lustrousbratz]

How do I truly become a pink Pilates princess on a budget?

Pink Pilates Princess 101

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

When I think of a pink pilates princess, I think of a girly person that romanticized their life in terms of wellness! a lot of people find the phrase annoying but i think it’s fun and cute! Here’s some things you can do to feel more like a pink pilates princess 💞

pic credit: all 3 pics from me posted on my pinterest @ nallyssajones

1. Doing pilates!

There’s mat pilates (only need a mat) and reformer pilates (using a reformer machine). Going to classes multiple times a week can be a tad expensive, so an alternative would be:

A) Signing up for paid subscriptions that have detailed classes for e.g; Alo moves, Pilates anytime, glo etc.

B) Following videos from youtubers that do mat pilates. My fave channels are; Move with Nicole, Sanne Vloet, Dansique fitness (she mostly does hitt pilates videos)

* Yoga is another amazing way to get movement in and feel connected to your body and spirit.

* Go on a hot girl walk! Going on mini walks around your neighborhood or even your house allows you to get some steps in daily.

2. Eating well!

pic credit: my pics posted on my pinterest @nallyssajones

This is different for everyone but here are some ideas that you can add to your diet;

- Drinking green juice

- Try out yogurt bowls! It's my favourite breakfast food because it's easy to make and can be very nutritious depending on what I put into it. I like to add greek yogurt, a nice granola, matcha powder, frozen and fresh berries, pomegranate, ground flax and almonds🫐🍓

- Increasing protein intake. A lot of people have tried to eat 1 g per each lb that they weigh daily and have felt really good. My fellow anemic girlies, please increase your protein intake if you can!

- Taking your vitamins/supplements! get a blood test done to see what you’re deficient in and research supplements that might be helpful for you personally.

3. Finding cute workout+lounge sets

(pic credit: from @ lyssithadoll on ig and twitter)

Working out and going out in cute loungewear and workout sets can make you feel really nice and girly! I like to thrift nice quality brands like lululemon or even purchase specific pieces from depop and poshmark! Amazon is a good place to find sets as well but I would recommend buying high quality secondhand pieces💞 Some good brands to look out for are lululemon, alo yoga, halara and girlfriend collective.

4. Get cute exercise equipment

pic credit: my picture posted on my pinterest and ig @ nallyssajones

Get pink workout equipment if you’d like! Marshalls, dollarama, and amazon sell workout equipment that you can get for $5-$20! I got the pink fila mat in the pic above from marshalls for $19.99:) Here are some equipment ideas:

- yoga mat

- yoga strap

- wrist/ankle weights

- 5 lbs dumbbells

- gym bag

*these things aren’t needed btw! just ideas if you’d like to have more equipment.

5. Practice self care

You can do whatever self care that you'd like but here are some examples that you can incorporate into your life:

- Take a relaxing bath (the book "ritual baths" has amazing bath ideas

- Engage in your favourite hobbies (sports, reading, watching a tv show etc.)

- Spend time with your loved ones

- Take care of your skin and have a routine down. You do not need 15 products but even adding a serum or a spot treatment to your routine can improve your skin!

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

I hope that you liked this post! This is all for fun and anyone can be a pink pilates princess 🧚🏾💞

[daisyblog]

Uncle Popstar

Our Story Masterlist Summary: Freddie goes to one of Harry's shows.

YN was ecstatic when Louis and Briana agreed that she could take Freddie to Harry’s show at Madison Square Garden. But Freddie was even more excited to go and watch his Uncle sing. 

Harry and YN picked up their nephew before they headed off to the venue. Freddie was sat in the backseats of Harry’s Range Rover telling his auntie and uncle all about his morning adventures on the beach. 

“Auntie YN…look at what I can do”. YN turned around in the front seat to see what Louis’ double could do. At the sight she burst into laughter at the little boy holding his fingers up in a peace sign, causing Harry to take a look through the rear view mirror.

“That’s so cool little man”. Harry complimented him as he turned his eyes back to the road.

“I was copying you and Auntie YN”.

Once the three arrived at the venue and was escorted backstage by Harry’s security. Harry took Freddie on a tour of the arena whilst YN stayed in the dressing room with Sarah and Mitch and their little one. 

Freddie’s little hand held Harry’s as they walked around. Harry was introducing him to everyone that they passed and telling him what was planned for tonight’s show. 

“When your Dad and I were in the band we played here”. Harry began to explain that One Direction had performed in the exact arena.

“Really?” Freddie’s American accent shone through.

“Yeh..shall I tell you a little secret?”. Freddie nodded his head as he waited patiently to hear what his Uncle’s secret was.

“I’m a bit scared”.

“Why?”.

“It’s going to be a really big show here…and of course I have a special guest watching”.

“Who?”. The excitement in Freddie’s voice could be heard as he looked up at Harry with his father’s big blue eyes.

“It’s you little man”.

When Harry and Freddie got back to the dressing room, Freddie was quick to run over to his aunt and tell her everything he had seen. To keep Freddie occupied before the show began, Mitch showed him some of his guitar collection and even allowed him to have a go.

Before YN and Freddie were taken to the side of the pits to watch the show, they wished Harry a good luck. Freddie and Harry doing their handshake and ending it with a big cuddle. YN pecked his lips with an “I love you”.

YN and Freddie were taken to their spots and due to Freddie being at the show, Harry insisted that two of his security stayed with them the whole time. YN placed Freddie’s ear defenders on him just before they entered the arena. 

Fans were quick to notice YN but even more excited to see her nephew at the show. Fans in Jonny’s place waved at them and even gave one of the marshals a bracelet to give to Freddie. 

YN and Freddie sang and danced together all night. They jumped up and down during Daydreaming, Freddie loving the “ba ba ba” part of the song. YN covered Freddie’s eyes during Keep Driving when Harry sang a particular inappropriate part. During Satellite, Freddie tried copying the Satellite stomping moves, quoting “I’m just like Uncle Harry”. But after Harry sang Treat People With Kindness, he took his microphone and began to walk closer to where YN and Freddie were standing.

“I have a special guest here tonight”. The fans scream with excitement, but some fans already knowing that Freddie was there. “He’s a very special little boy, who I absolutely love with all my heart…and that’s my nephew Freddie”. Again, screams are heard and Freddie is jumping down with excitement at Harry saying his name. “This is first time at one of my shows…and I know this his favourite song…this is What Makes You Beautiful”.

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed

But when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell

You don't know, oh-oh

You don't know you're beautiful

Harry included Freddie in his concert once more by asking him if he wanted to open up the song As It Was. After one of the stage crew passed Freddie a microphone and YN helped him to hold it, his sweet voice spoke “C’mon Uncle Harry we wanna say goodnight to you”. 

So they could both be backstage to greet Harry when he finished the show, YN and Freddie headed backstage before Kiwi ended, waving to fans as they walked passed.

Freddie was the first to spot Harry coming off stage, “Uncle Harry” the little boys legs ran towards him and Harry catching him and lifting him up into the air.

“So how did you I do?” Harry smiled brightly at the boy in his arms.

“Best show ever!” Freddie shouted, making everyone around them laugh.

“Well don’t tell your Dad that, okay?” Harry joked.

YN walked over and Harry wrapped his free arms around her and pecked her lips, after she praised him for his performance. 

“Okay little man, let’s go for the best sleepover ever!” Harry placed Freddie back down on the grown so he could hold his and YN’s hands.

“Yaaaaay! Best Auntie and Uncle ever!”.

YN's Instagram Story:

liked by louisfan, harryfan, and 455,698 others

tomlinsonupdates Freddie at Harry's show tonight! View all 32,987 comments

ynfan I was there!! He was with YN and they were singing and dancing all night❤️

harryfan So cute!!

1Dfan9 Why wasn't Louis there?

louisfan He's Louis double 💙

harryynupdate Harry looked so happy with Freddie there!

Tag List: (let me know if you would like to be added) @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @harrys-flower @platinumbarbie143 @frickin-bats @harrysbbyh0ney @chronicallybubbly @goldensunflowe-r  @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @kaverichauhan @peterholland04 @panicattheuc @indierockgirrl @or-was-it-just-a-dream @hittiesontour @bunnyharold @fanfictioncafe @lilfreakjez @jerseygirlinca @iamahallucinationnn @theekyliepage

[midnightoncoruscant]

Thanks to the amazing encouragement of, and inspiration from @moonlightwarriorqueen I present my first fanfic in clone wars fandom. This is a Pride and Prejudice inspired Wolffe x Reader fluffy romp, with added appearances from my favourite Marshall Commander Fox, the Wolf Pack, Plo Koon and as many characters as I can shoehorn in appropriately lol.

P.S. If you haven’t read the amazingly gorgeous work of @moonlightwarriorqueen please can I suggest you do so forthwith. Their work is like a warm hug on a frosty day.

A truth acknowledged universally (part 1)

Wolffe x fem!Reader

Rating G

Trigger warnings: anti clone/adoptee discrimination in future chapters, discussions of money and food insecurity.

Wolffe scowled as the party reeled around him. The patch covering his eye itched something fierce, as the musket wound was still healing beneath it. .He had been dragged from his enforced solitude by the rambunctious pleas of his younger brothers, affectionately dubbed the “Wolf Pack” by those who had the misfortune to know them at their most exuberant.

To his left his father, Plo, dozed lightly despite the loud music played aggressively on the pianoforte which guided the dancers around the room. Wolffe moved gracefully to ensure that the blanket upon his father’s lap didn’t slip away under the weight of the abandoned book within his lap. His father had spent too long this afternoon expending his energy and had refused Wolffe’s gruff requests to rest. Despite being ostensibly retired, Doctor Koon spent many hours teaching the younger children in the village to read, saving their parents the schooling fees, so that they may more easily feed their families with the money saved. Wolffe could not be cross with his father, but he was concerned with the personal toll the unrelenting kindness took on his father as he entered his twilight years.

With a bone weary exhale, Wolffe watched as his younger brothers, Sinker and Boost, spun their latest objects of affection around the ballroom, both of them possessed with a giddiness and breathless joy he himself had not been party to in years. Wolffe didn’t begrudge them that joy, far from it, he wished he could bottle and preserve it for all his brothers so that they would never be without, but as the eldest sibling, the responsibility for his family's fortunes weighed heavily. The burden had become harder to shoulder since his injury at the hands of a French assassin had forced him home to recuperate. Wolffe could only afford a few more weeks before returning to the front line would be necessary for all of his family to remain solvent. Internally, Wolffe began to calculate the amount of time he had to remain before it would be deemed socially acceptable to leave.

With a crunch of strained wood, the ballroom doors swung open with an unbecoming lack of decorum. Wolffe’s gaze snapped to the entryway, assuming his other brothers, Comet and Wildfire, the irrepressible twins, had either escaped or joined the party without permission. Instead, he was surprised to see new faces. Arrivals were hard to keep under wraps in a village this small. Everyone knew each other's business faster than the carrier pigeons could arrive.

Wolffe studied the group who had interrupted the festivities. A bearded gentleman in naval uniform maybe a decade older than Wolffe led the way, his natural leadership and presence evident in his stride. He was flanked by a sandy haired young man with intense eyes, clad in a junior officers uniform, who was escorting a younger girl, whose dazzling blue eyes and scandalously matching coloured hair suggested trouble.

With a short whisper to the host, they were announced as First Sea Lord Benjamin Kenobi, and his young charges Officer Anakin and Ahsoka Kenobi. Behind them both, trying her best to blend into the wallpaper, was a young woman, unannounced and unnamed, she followed the trio indoors, eyes cast downwards.

Wolffe watched as the Lord and his family worked the room, intriguing all around them. There was an unseemly amount of fawning over the new arrivals which caused more than one exasperated eye roll from Wolffe as both Sinker and Boost, abandoning their dates for the evening, fell over themselves to pester Lord Benjamin for tales of maritime warfare and adventure.

Beside him, Doctor Koon stirred, awoken by the change in background ambience. He looked to Wolffe for support as he tried to rise to his feet, which his son provided dutifully and automatically without glancing downwards. Rubbing the unexpected sleep from his eyes, he felt his joints ache from the position in which he had taken his impromptu nap. No doubt he would be subject to a light scolding from his eldest son, who worried for everyone but himself. Plo looked to see what had taken Wolffe’s attention.

Wolffe seemed enraptured by a young lady who had entered behind the newcomers. Whilst they held court, this lady had sought out the serving staff and it looked as though she had asked, to their bafflement, to be put to work.

Plo supposed that this ask for employment was a diversionary tactic to avoid participation in the pantomime currently underway from her companions. Whilst Lord Ben and his young family enjoyed every moment of attention, this girl was determined to avoid it, and when her offer of assistance was politely declined, she took herself to the chairs at the furthest, and most empty corner of the room. She looked for all the world as though she wished to blend into the wallpaper. Dr Koon was surprised she hadn’t acknowledged Wolffe’s stern and probing gaze so far, but what was even more unexpected was the small jolt which travelled through his son as she did finally return his stare.

Icy blue gray eyes met the Wolffe’s remaining amber eye and a silent conversation took place.

Koon knowingly chuckled as he patted Wolffe’s arm, drawing his attention downwards, to support more of his weight. However, the brandy he had had after dinner sought to rush to his head and he swayed heavily, his heart fluttering too fast and too unevenly. As his vision narrowed, and the familiar blackness of unconsciousness encroached, all Koon could think was how much this would further worry Wolffe. He hoped the arms of oblivion would let him return. He had much to do.

[gloomwitchwrites]

You said you're encouraging more than one request for your follower event. 😁

So would it be okay if I grab the following:

1. Lord of the Rings

2. Éomer

3. Favourite foods

4. It would be fun to explore Éomer's cooking skills. I bet he grew up never really having the need to cook food when dwelling in Edoras, only when he was riding through Rohan with his éored, so can he cook and if yes, can he cook his favourite meals for his sweetheart and be able to impress her? Fem!reader please.

Thanks so much! ❤️

You're the best!

I am encouraging people to send in more than one request. These are all quick headcanons. Just fun, brief, writing prompts for me to do for all of you. This is a follower event after all!

Goodness, I adore Éomer so so so much. Out of all the characters, that one is the man I’d marry (other than Sam because he’d be such a good husband).

1k Follower Event Rules

Word Count: 447

ao3 // taglist // 1k follower event masterlist // main masterlist

Éomer is a decent cook. He’s much better than Éowyn (sorry girly I love you).

Growing up in Edoras, Éomer did not need to look after himself in this regard. If he needed to eat, someone would provide for him. It’s not a life skill he had to learn until he began riding.

I would even make the argument that he had to start learning this skill early on. Before he’s made Marshal of the Mark, Éomer had to take rides out with different companies of éored as a way to learn. I can easily see a young, preteen to teenage Éomer riding out and learning the necessary skills to survive, one of them being cooking.

Éomer doesn’t always cook. I imagine an éored will either have an assigned cook or the duty is rotated amongst several to help feed everyone. This frees up hands to do other tasks like take care of the horses and sharpen blades. But I also think Éomer wouldn’t discount himself. Éomer takes care of his men, and he isn’t arrogant. He’s a leader who sees himself in the eyes of the men he rides with. No duty is too small or insignificant, and even Éomer will assist in cooking for his men from time to time.

Because of that, Éomer learned to create hearty and filling meals for himself and his men. Not only does he utilize the food provided, Éomer knows how to live off the land and use its resources to cook.

He absolutely takes pride in this skill.

When it comes to a romantic meal for his partner, I can see Éomer wanting to cook something to impress them or take care of them. This is one way he shows affection and creates connection with his partner. He doesn’t do it all the time, but when he does, he goes all the way. Éomer will make sure a private table is set up in his quarters, that the mood is romantic, and that you’re having a pleasant time. He wouldn’t expect anything afterwards. Éomer is a gentleman. He respects boundaries.

Éomer wouldn’t cook a meal that he makes for his men, but I can see him adapting or changing a few things he’s learned to do something for his partner/wife/lover, etc. For example, he might swap out something he’d scavenge out in the wilds for something readily available from the kitchens.

And Éomer absolutely cooks everything in the kitchen of Meduseld and every single cook in there silently judges his skills. They won’t say anything to his face, but they will judge and make sure he doesn’t accidentally set anything on fire or burn anything in the process.

taglist:

@foxxy-126 @glassgulls @km-ffluv @firelightinferno @glitterypirateduck

@tiredmetalenthusiast @protosslady @childofyuggoth @miaraei @coffeecaketornado

@cherryofdeath @berarenado @ninman82 @thewulf @ferns-fics @beebeechaos

[weclassybouquetfun]

On Jennifer Hudson's talk show she does a spirit tunnel where her staff flank the walls and sing repurposed songs crafted for the guest/s. While you're supposed to dance (think Soul Train line), many just walk, which I understand if they feel they can't dance. But I say everyone can dance, no one says you have to dance well - just dance. Life is too short and at time oh so rough, why not give yourself the over to a bit of fun?

Some Spirt Tunnel participants in this clip:

-Brian Tyree Henry always passes the vibe check. He can currently be seen in Rachel Morrison's THE FIRE INSIDE starring Ryan Destiny. The film is the true story of Olypmpic boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields.

Aaron Taylor Johnson - #1 Brian Tyree Henry fan.

In the last two years there have been some solid true story sports filim - from great to good. I, sadly, don't think any of them will become favourites like "Rudy", "Remember the Titans" or "We Are Marshall", but if you want a nice day in watching sports-themed films "The Fire Inside", 'Unstoppable", "Young Woman and the Sea" and 'The Boys in the Boat" make a nice quartet.

-Aaron Pierre - Currently voicing Mufasa in MUFASA: THE LION KING and will soon be seen as Green Lantern in WB/DC's LANTERNS. Pierre will be the first live action John Stewart. You can also watch him in Netflix's REBEL RIDGE, an excellent film about police corruption and forfeiture.

-Jodie Turner-Smith - Can currently be seen on Showtime/Paramount+'s THE AGENCY alongside Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere.

Turner Smith is in the midst of divorce proceedings with ABC's DOCTOR ODYSSEY star Joshua Jackson. They have been at it for a while, but the new wrinkle is that Turner-Smith is requesting spousal support and an increase in child support for their four-year old daughter. In Turner-Smith's initial divorce petition she asked the courts to terminate the rights to either parties demanding support, but since the divorce proceedings have dragged on and her legal costs are mounting, she is now requesting support.

-Cynthia Erivo. Currenty can be seen in WICKED PART 1 which has now hit digital release and has already racked in $70 million dollars.

There are fans who are shipping Cynthia and her WICKED costar Ariana Grande because, why not? Funny to me that there are some people just now finding out that there was a rumour that Cynthia's current partner Lena Waithe left her wife for Cynthia. We're losing recipes!!! All that went on during the Tessa Thompson/Janelle Monae era.

-NOBODY WANTS THIS cast - Adam Brody is the only one committed to the bit. Sadly, Brody and his wife Leighton Meester lost their home in the current wildfires that are raging in Los Angeles.

Gold Stars for the ladies of REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS, especially Dorit; and the ladies of THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT, Teyonah Parris and Olatunde (O-T) Fagbenle of Netflix's NO GOOD DEED who made up for the lackluster participation of Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow, Gwen Stefani because she's Gwen Stefani, Courtney B. Vance, The Propoerty Brothers and Derek Hough because they are having the most fun.

And AGATHA ALL ALONG's Kathryn Hahn dancing to a remixed version of "Ballad of the Witches' Road" from the series.

[ninja-muse]

So yeah, that happened… (Not as bad as it looks, though. The top half is books I own and read this month, not books I've acquired.)

November has been a month of highs and lows for me. Mostly lows, if I'm being honest. The US election kicked my brain back to 2020 for a couple days and I don't think I've really reset yet. (It's taken me three years and counting to reset from 2020 itself so I'm not surprised.) For any American reading this, I'm still very saddened for you and I wish there was something I could do beyond listening and sympathizing. I wish the world was a better place to live in.

And speaking of 2020 mode, I haven't been writing. I was at a crossroads at the end of October with a difficult scene, and even though I've fixed it so it's better, I still haven't continued. It's hard for me to write cheery, upbeat things when I'm scared and angry, and work's getting busier for the holidays, and both Bake Offs I follow were airing and that just seemed more important. At least this time, it's definitely writer's block rather than a terror of traumatizing people by writing diversely. (2020 was fun, y'all.)

And I also didn't write for five days because my mom and sister and I went to Disneyland. This was, of course, the high of the month! It was good to spend that time together, and do the rides and the whole experience, and see Disneyland as an adult. I'm especially glad we went when we did because I don't think I'm ever going to visit the States again.

It was also a fairly lukewarm reading month for me, which I don't think it helping the mental stuff. The best book I read was intense and heavy, a few of the others also dealt with dark stuff, and pretty much everything was "fine". No new favourites, though I've added the rest of Claudia Gray's Austenian mysteries to my TBR and I'm still thoroughly enjoying the Lady Trent novels. A couple of the other books (the Clarke, the Stearns) were ones I was hyped for but which didn't live up to expectations.

That said, for all that it's my lowest ranked book, The Price of the Stars was surprisingly fun. It's completely mindless, cliched space opera that reads like an off-brand Star Wars novel and I'm sure I'll have just as much fun with the sequel (also on my physical TBR). But I also recognize that the writing's on par with mediocre fanfiction or cult 1980s B-movies.

Books and otherwise, here's hoping for a better December.

And now, as always, here’s my list of everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

Submerged - Hillel Levin

A journalist dives into a 1990s murder case—the disappearance, the first suspect, the second investigation, the innocent man in jail, the family secrets…

8.5/10

warning: grooming, molestation, rape, victim blaming, failures of the justice system

reading copy

The Murder of Mr. Wickham - Claudia Gray

The Darcys, the Tilneys, and sundry other friends and relations are attending the Knightleys’ house party when Mr. Wickham (uninvited) is killed. The murderer’s still in the house but everyone had motive.

7/10

major autistic character

warning: homophobia

off my TBR

The Empress Letters - Linda Rogers

A mother in the 1920s writes her life story in a series of letters to the daughter she’s searching for in China.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bisexual), Jewish protagonist, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic, gay), Jewish secondary characters, Chinese secondary characters, 🇨🇦,

warning: death of parent, sexual exposure, adult-teen relationship, anti-Chinese racism, fetal remains, homophobia

off my TBR

The Voyage of the Basilisk - Marie Brennan

To create a taxonomy of dragons, Isabella Camherst takes a voyage around the world—but as always, she runs afoul of politics, social mores, and other perils.

7/10

Middle Eastern-coded secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (third gender), Polynesian secondary characters

library book

The Secret History of Audrey James - Heather Marshall

In 1938 Berlin, piano student Audrey steps into danger when her Jewish hosts are arrested and she must turn housekeeper to Nazis to protect her best friend. In 2010, Kate takes a job at a hotel to restart her life after tragedy—and must convince Audrey, the owner, to let her stay.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (sapphic), major Jewish secondary characters, secondary character with partial leg paralysis and a cane, 🇨🇦

warning: antisemitism, murder, police brutality, misogyny and sexism

library book

The Wood at Midwinter - Susanna Clarke

A young woman enters a midwinter wood alone and encounters a fox, a crow, and a bargain.

6.5/10

library ebook

Under a New and Brilliant Sky - R.E. Stearns

Elys, on the run from Republic authorities, is brought to Alyansa to fix a failure in their city’s AI. But the Republic knows where to find her, and she can’t quite trust that the Alyansans will keep her safe.

6/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (sapphic), protagonist with auditory processing disorder, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (trans woman), brown-skinned secondary characters

warning: xenophobia, colonialism

digital reading copy/won

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble - Alexis Hall

Paris isn’t really sure why he’s on Bake Expectations and he definitely isn’t sure how he feels about the contestant he keeps flirting with, if you can call it flirting, oh god, how do you relationship when anxiety?

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), protagonist with anxiety disorder, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay, sapphic), major Bangladeshi Muslim character, fat secondary character, Bangladeshi Muslim secondary characters, Chinese-British secondary character

warning: realistically depicts anxiety disorder and panic attacks

library ebook

Rivers of London Vol. 12: Stray Cat Blues - Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel with José María Beroy (Illustrator)

Abigail and the foxes are “hired” by a cat-woman to break her fellow hybrids out of a brothel. Easy, right? Out in December.

7/10

wajor Black British characters, disabled secondary character

warning: sex trafficking

purchased/off my TBR

The Price of the Stars - Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald

When Beka’s politician mother is assassinated, her father gives her his warship in exchange for her tracking the assassins down. Cue a pan-galactic adventure!

6/10

warning: sexual assault, gun violence

off my TBR

Currently reading

The Stardust Grail - Yume Kitasei

Maya’s put her thieving past aside to pursue academia, but when a chance to find the legendary stardust grail (and save her friend’s species) falls into her lap, she can’t help but be tempted—even if Earth wants to use it to save itself.

protagonist with Japanese heritage, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (achillean, nonbinary, alternate gender system)

library book

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin

A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 10 Yearly total: 116 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 0 Books by women: 6.5 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 2 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 4 Books hauled: 5 ARCs acquired: 2 ARCs unhauled: 2 DNFs: 0

January February March April May June July August September October

[maralovesescapism]

I’m curious. I want to see who Obi-Wan is shipped with most commonly shipped with.

I personally am a CodyWan shipper, and I would like to hear the reasoning for some of the other ships I see frequently.

You can comment your favourite ship of these and explain your thoughts on your choice of you want! I want to know everyone’s opinion!

Thanks!

[veilkeeper]

@curiouslavellan tagged me to put my 5 favourite characters into a poll and make them duke it out, so here we go...

tagging: @idlenight @crossdressingdeath @goldencruel @aetherealmoss and @spellmage to do the same, if you wish.