#guess what kind of goodies came from this photo set | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

let-me-luve-you · 4 years ago

Text

Overlooked and Overworked

Tom Holland x Sister

Summary: Being Tom Holland’s little sister was great growing up, but after his success she’s a little left behind. Y/N Holland is willing to do whatever for her family because she loves them.

Warnings: Angst, fluff ending, rude Tom, overworked, sleep deprived

A/N: I don’t think Tom or any of the members of the Holland’s would allow this to happen to any member of their family or friends, I just had this idea and wrote it. Also I wrote this back in like January and just now got the guts to post it!

MASTERLIST BUY ME A COFFEE

The past couple of years for you have been an emotional roller coaster. You’ve been so excited and happy to see your brother succeed in his career. It’s always fun to see him on the big screen as someone else. But it’s also been tiring and sad because you feel left out. You don’t get to go to set often, you don’t get to travel with him, and you aren’t a part of his charity. The Brothers Trust is just him and your 3 other brothers. Given you help out way more than all of the brothers. Since you went to school for business, you help your mum and dad with both of their businesses and then run The Brothers Trust.

Tom is the oldest, then it’s you, the twins, and then Paddy. You’re only a year and a half younger than Tom. You were very close growing up, but once he started doing movies, you slowly grew apart. Him and the twins then grew closer. You loved him dearly but it just wasn’t the same since you never felt included. He took Harry to sets with him and on press tours. Sam would join along when he wasn’t working at the restaurant. Paddy would join during school breaks. But every time you would try to join him, he would say no. That he was too busy or too tired. You didn’t want to fight him but you were always crushed.

When he got the role of Spiderman, he decided then he wanted to move out into his own apartment. You offered to help him find a place since you had been looking for yourself. You offered to share a place and split rent but he said he wanted to be completely on his own. But shortly after he moved into his new 4 bedroom apartment, he had Harrison, Tuwaine, Sam, and Harry move in.

“The twins are moving in with Tom. Can you help pack and move them this weekend?” Your dad asked.

“What? They’re moving in with Tom? I thought he wanted his own space?” You asked him.

“He said he wanted to be around people because it was too lonely and quiet. Did you ever find a place? If so, you may want roommates too.”

“No I realized I can’t afford a place in a nice area to live alone. All my mates have moved off to continue their education or they have jobs else where.” You said sadly.

“Tom should of asked you then. I’m sorry y/n/n.”

“It’s fine. He hangs out with all four of them all the time. I would of just been in the way.” You said as you got up and left the room.

It’s been a couple of years and you still can’t afford to get your own place. Between helping run three businesses, you don’t have time to get a part time job. You pay your parents for rent and help pay bills so you are doing adult things. Plus it helps your parents financially. It’s busy season since your mum is picking up gigs for photoshoots, your dad is on tour for standup and his new book, plus you are planning a movie event through the trust as well as trying to get all the merch bagged and shipped. You have been working 14-15 hour days for the past 3 weeks without a day off. You are feeling the tiredness mentally and physically.

Tom has time off from the movie he is filming now. They gave him a month off for the holidays. Him and Harry have been home but all they have done is hung out with friends and go to the pub. You have been holed up in your office/bedroom for 3 days straight. Only to go out to the bathroom and kitchen to grab food.

“Where has y/n been? I haven’t seen much of her since we got home.” Harry asks Tom.

“She might be finalizing the Spies in Disguise event and getting things ready.” Tom responded.

“Oh good. Y/n is great at getting a head start on things so I’m guessing she’s done with all the prep and souvenirs.” Harry smiled. Tom laughed in response.

On Christmas Day, you only came out of your room for breakfast and lunch and then went back in your room to work. No one noticed the bags under your eyes that you tried to hide with makeup. No one noticed you almost falling asleep at the table. No one thought twice about why you spent most of Christmas alone in your room. But you were behind. You still had a lot of orders to fulfill and send out. You still had get all of the souvenirs together for the event that was in two days. You still had to finish sending out your dads orders for his book as well as finalize his January travel plans and stand up dates. Your mum had booked 12 more shoots and you had to finalize times and dates. And everything was supposed to be done in the next week. You finally caved and decided to ask Tom for help since it was his event after all.

“Hey Tom can I have you help me out for a little bit?” You asked him Christmas evening.

“Do you need me tonight?” He asked.

“If you can that would be great.”

“Sorry y/n/n. I can’t. I’m meeting to boys at the apartment.”

“Well maybe they can help too.” You sounded hopeful to get more help to lighten your load.

“No can do. We have drinks and plans.”

“Well then can you come tomorrow morning or early afternoon?”

“Can’t. I have a meeting with my manager to discuss everything that’s coming up and then all of us at the apartment and Paddy are going into the city. Maybe I can help you after the event?”

“No it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.” You said sadly as you turned to go back to your room.

“What about Paddy? Or mum or dad?” He asked.

“Paddy has football that mum is taking him to before she does a shoot tomorrow. Dad is working on some other stuff for his January shows.”

“Sam or Harry?”

“Well both will be with you tonight and tomorrow.”

“What about in the morning?”

“Sam has to work remember. And I think Harry is meeting with some mates to catch up with them or something along those lines. It’s fine. I’ve got it handled. Have fun tonight and tomorrow. Be safe. Love you.” You turned and almost ran back to your room. You wanted to break down in tears from being overwhelmed and for not being included in any of Tom’s plans of hanging out and catching up. You’ve barely seen Tom in the past year. Only when he’s in London. You shook the thoughts of your brother out of your head and pulled out a sheet of paper. You wrote down everything that needed to be done. Then on your white board, wrote them down in most important the least important.

First up was getting all of the brothers trust bags done. You went to the storage closest and pulled out everything you would need and set the boxes on your bed. Then you went and grabbed a tote to put the finished product in. It took you until 4 am, but you finally finished putting them together. You went into the kitchen and made you some tea. You went back in your room and marked the brothers trust goody bags off of your list. Next you started finalizing plans for your mum. That just involved organizing times and dates. You finished that around 1030 am. You marked that off the list as well.

Before you emailed all of the clients their dates and times, you went to the kitchen to grab and snack and drink. Your mum was in the kitchen.

“Morning love.” She smiled at you.

“Morning.” You said back waiting on your tea.

“So I’m going to drop Paddy off at football in 20 minutes and then Tom will pick him up to go into the city. I have to go to my shoot. Do you have the invoice I can give them?”

“I do.” You rushed to your room and grabbed it from a folder then went back and handed it to her. “Everything is on there. The deposit has been paid and it shows that as well as the price for the shoot and the editing. It also gives the timeline of when they will get the pictures.”

“Great. This is wonderful. Thank you. Also the theater called and said we can set it up today at 3 pm. Are you okay to handle that on your own?”

You sighed but answered, “yes I can handle it. I finished the bags last night. I just need to print off the papers to put on the seats as well. Plus get the itinerary finished which I will have by tonight so Tom knows what’s going on.”

“That’s great. I’ll be there to take photos as well as Harry but the boys will all be busy with fans and making sure they all feel special.”

“Sounds good. Have fun on your shoot.”

Your mum smiled as her and paddy left the house. You went back into your room and emailed everyone for your mum. Then you printed the brothers trust sheets that said what the event was supporting and how we were thankful for their donations. As those were printing you forgot you had to pick up an order of pictures so Tom could sign them for the guest coming to the screening. You looked up and saw that it was 130 and if you were going to be on time you needed to leave in the next 15 minutes.

After you loaded the goody bags into your car, you drove the 20 minutes to the print shop to pick up the pictures. You then went to the theater and set everything out. It took 45 minutes to lay everything out and make sure it was perfect. You then snagged some photos for Instagram and posted them. By the time you got home it was just shy of 5. You went straight to your room to finalize the itinerary. At 8 pm your mum knocked on the door.

“Hey baby. I’m back. How did everything go setting up wise?”

“It was good. Took longer than expected but wasn’t too bad for being the only one there. Also here is the itinerary for you and dad. I also have one for each of the boys.”

“Wow. This is detailed perfectly.”

“It kind of had to be since Tom has an event to go to tomorrow night and he can’t be late. I figured the more detailed, the less things can go wrong.”

“Fair point. Love I’m not sure if the boys notice the work you put in, but I do. Have you slept yet?”

You looked at her shocked, “what do you mean?”

“I mean that I can tell you are exhausted. I woke up at 2 am last night and heard you in here and saw your light was still on.” She paused and looked at your long list on the white board. “And by the looks of it, you have a long to do list. Do you need help? After we get through the event I can help. I don’t have a shoot for a couple of days.”

“I appreciate mum, but this list needs to be done by then. And everything you can help me with will be done already. But thank you.”

“Did you ask your brothers to help? I mean this is there thing. They should be helping you. Not leaving it to you to do yourself.”

“I asked Tom to help so I could have him do the goody bags for tomorrow but he had a guys night with Sam and Harry and them last night. Then they were all busy this morning and then went into the city. But it’s fine. I did the bags last night. That’s what you heard when you woke up.”

“I’m sorry baby. I’m going to have a talk with him. Have you had a break to just hangout with Tom. I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen him.”

“No he’s always in a meeting or with the boys. But if Tom wanted to see me, he’d make time but when I try, he can’t. But with all this work, I haven’t really done much outside of this room in a while so it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You both used to be so close. Almost like you were twins. Weirdly enough closer than the twins have ever been. I hope you two can work whatever this is out.”

“Me too mum. Me too.” You looked at her as she slowly walked out.

After your mum left the room, you got back to work finalizing your dads stuff. Thankfully it was only 12 am when you finished. Deciding to pack all of the orders so you can drop them off to be shipped in the morning, you went and grabbed everything you would need from the storage closet and got to work. You stayed up all night working. You finally finished all the orders at 9 am. When you realized the time you rushed to get dressed and cleaned up as best you could. By 10 am you were out the door to go to the post office to ship the orders and then you were off to the theater to make sure everything was set. By 1pm the rest of your family showed up. And by 2 the theater was full of people who were excited to see the brothers and the movie.

People knew who you were. Everyone knew Tom had a sister. But you did great staying out of the eye of people. None of your brothers posted much about you on social. Your dad mainly posted about Tom and the brothers golf adventures. Your mum would occasionally when she made you model when she was trying something new. So when people arrived, they walk past you and straight to the four brothers who were ready to greet everyone.

When the event started, you weren’t really needed so you went to a back room they had set up for your brothers to relax away from people and sat on the couch. Not sleeping since Christmas Eve was starting to catch up with you but some how you forced yourself to stay awake.

“Y/n we have a problem.” Your youngest brother said as he came in the room. “The movie hasn’t started yet and it was supposed to 15 minutes ago.”

“Okay I’ll go see what’s going on.” You went to the manager of the theater and she explained to you how the light in the projector went out and it was going to be another 20 minutes before it started. She apologized multiple times.

“Hey Tom. Can you do a q&a for 20 minutes or so?”

“No the movie is supposed to be on.”

“They are having technical difficulties and it’s going to take 20 minutes to fix it.”

Tom got annoyed because he knew this was pushing the entire timeline back and it was now be pushing it for him to be on time for his event tonight. “Sure.”

“Thanks. I’ll let you know when we are good to go.”

After 30 minutes. The movie was finally ready to go. Every one was enjoying it and all four of your brothers moved around the theater so the kids felt like they were watching the movie with them personally. When it was over everyone was ushered into a lobby where there was a meet and greet with photos. By the time the boys were done with everyone, it was 20 minutes until Toms next event.

“Great. I’m going to be late. Thanks for that y/n. Why didn’t you have them check everything yesterday?”

“Because I didn’t think of it.”

“So stupid. How could you not think of it? It’s literally the first thing on the list of things to check when prepping the theater. Do your job better. Thats what you are paid to do. I’ll see you later.” Tom rolled his eyes and stormed off. You just stared feeling humiliated since the theater staff and your family had witnessed that. You were holding in your emotional breakdown until you could do it in private.

“Sorry guys. Y’all can go ahead and head out. I’ll clean this up and bring home whatever is ours.” Sam, Harry, and Paddy saw this as a get of jail free card and booked it out of the theater. Your dad came by and kissed you on the head and said I have to finish up some work and headed out. Your mum looked at you sadly.

“I’ll help you baby.”

“No it’s okay mum. Go edit the photos so we can get them sent out.” You smiled at her.

“It’s okay. I can do them later tonight.”

“Mum seriously. Go home. I got this. I’ll be home later. You kissed her on the cheek as you walked back in the theater. You thankfully left the tote yesterday which made it easier to put everything in. You put the tote in your car and headed back in the theater to sweep and clean up the mess. By the time you got home, it was 9 pm. You had been up for 61 hours straight. You were exhausted. You just wanted to sleep. But Tom was home and he was livid.

“What the hell?” He asked.

“What?” You asked back.

“You know I got yelled at by my manger for 30 minutes about how I was irresponsible and immature for being almost a hour late to the event tonight?”

“Why did you get yelled at? You were doing stuff for charity. He should get over it.”

“He was mad because SOMEONE told him I would be done with our event in plenty of time to go to this other one. And when I told him there was technical difficulties because that same SOMEONE didn’t do their job, he got even more mad.”

“I get that I probably should of checked but things happen Tom. Okay? Things I can’t control. Things the theater can’t control. I did this entire event by myself. Sorry for not checking but other than the delay the people loved it and we raised money which is okay because our charity now can help so many more.”

“You didn’t do this by yourself. We all help. And our charity? Our? You mean mine? Sams? Harry’s? Paddys? It’s our faces that make that charity. And when something goes wrong we are the ones that look bad. Not the person behind the scenes that only does some of the work.”

You looked at him like he was a stranger. What he said broke your heart. That’s what he really thought? You just shook your head lightly and walked to your room. You shut the door and locked it.

“Really Tom?” Your mum asked as her and your dad walked in during the argument.

“Yeah mum. We do all the work and she’s trying to take the credit. We’ve all noticed and it’s getting out of hand. You do more than she does.”

“Tom I’m extremely disappointed in you right now.” Your dad said.

“Tom she does all of the work. The planning, the scheduling, the packaging, social media, distributing the money, and figuring out all the ways we can make money to help those smaller charities.” Your mum added.

“She does?”

“Yes Tom. On top of helping me and your father with our businesses. We’ve seen you more than her this past month because she’s been so busy.” Your mum said.

“Wow.”

“Did you know she was up until 4 am on Christmas night so she could finish the goody bags before we had to prep the theater. That she had those pictures printed so you could sign them for the guest. That she made an itinerary so detailed that nothing could go wrong. Except she didn’t account for technical difficulties. She set up the theater and cleaned the theater all by herself. None of us helped her. We just showed up for the event.” Your mum said.

“Tom have you not noticed how exhausted she looks? It looks like she hasn’t slept in days. She’s trying her best to handle everything so we can have everything run smoothly for us. She even mentioned your event and how she needed to get you out of there so you wouldn’t be late. We’ve all been horrible to her by letting her do this by herself.” Your dad said.

“I... I didn’t know. I’m going to go talk to her.”

Tom got up and knocked on your door. He couldn’t hear anything so he tried opening it. He noticed it was locked and went to his old room and found the key you gave him years ago. When he unlocked it he noticed the mess around your room of boxes, plastic, mail bags for packages, and stacks of papers. He saw you on your bed and saw you were asleep. He went over and tucked you in. He went to your desk and saw the white board with everything marked off under the to do list. He then looked on your desk and saw how your mum and dads plans were finalized. He knew you mentioned everything when you asked him for help Christmas night and now you were done with it. Even all the orders were done and he saw the receipt from the post office proving the orders were shipped. He felt horrible knowing the only way that you got everything done was by staying up all night.

He turned and walked back to you and finally noticed the bags under your eyes. As well as tear stains that he knows he’s the cause for. It broke his heart knowing he was the cause. It also broke knowing that you asked for help so you wouldn’t fall in the deep end, but by saying he couldn’t help, he pushed you in and watched you drown without even realizing.

He gave you a kiss on the head and got up and quietly walked out.

“What time did y/n wake up on Christmas Day?”

“From what we know, maybe around 8 or 9.” Your dad said. Tom sat there quietly while doing the math in his head.

“61 hours.” He suddenly said.

“What?” Your mum said.

“61 hours. That’s how long she went without sleep. She asked me for help and told me why and I said no. She’s finished the list. She’s organized both of your stuff. She’s packed and shipped out all of the orders. She did everything for the event. She hasn’t slept. She’s asleep now but it was 61 hours. How could I let my sister do that? How did I not see it?” Tom asked his parents. They looked at him in shock.

“My poor baby” your mum said.

“We will talk to her tomorrow when she wakes up.” Your dad said.

“I want to be here when she wakes up so I can apologize. I’m going to go see her again.”

He got up and walked to your room. He quietly started cleaning up the mess left from packaging orders. He then laid on the other side of your bed thinking about how he messed up so bad. Shortly after he fell asleep too.

-——————

Around 7 am you woke up still exhausted but you needed a glass of water. When you went to throw the blanket off of you, you saw Tom asleep in your bed still in his clothes from the night before.

You were confused as to why he was in your bed, but you chose to ignore him. You stood up and went to the kitchen. Your mum was already cooking breakfast.

“Morning baby. How’d you sleep?” Your mum asked.

“Alright. I’m probably going to catch a few more hours. Just needed water.” You said. “By the way, do you know why Tom is in my bed?”

“He felt bad about how he has treated you lately.” She said. “He figured out you went 60 something hours without sleep.”

You looked at her shocked and sat down. She came over and gave you a hug.

“Why did you do that to yourself? Why didn’t you ask for help?” Your dad said as he joined both of you in the kitchen.

“You were working on new stuff. Mum had shoots and a house to run. I asked Tom and thought maybe him and the boys could help but they had plans. It needed to be done before the new year and definitely needed to be done before the event.”

“We appreciate you so much baby girl. I hope you know that. You do a lot for this family and this family isn’t great at giving back. We do love you.” Your mum said as she gave you a kiss on the head. “Now please go get some sleep. Sleep all day if you’d like and I can bring you food later.”

You smiled at her and walked back to your room. Tom still hadn’t moved. You sat your water on your bedside table and crawled back under the covers. You turned your back towards Tom. You were still really saddened by his words last night, that you didn’t want to face him yet.

“Y/n/n are you awake?” You heard Tom whisper.

“Go back to sleep or get out.” You said back not opening your eyes.

“I’m sorry y/n. What I said last night was wrong. I didn’t realize you do everything for our trust. I thought mum and dad did it all. I know you’ve been killing yourself to try and catch up then get ahead, but you can’t do that to yourself. You need proper rest. I’m going to make sure you never do the 61 hours straight again. I’d rather myself do it before I let you do it again.”

“Tom it’s okay. But seriously. Leave or go back to sleep.”

“No it’s not okay. I’ve royally fucked up. I’ve let us get so far apart we are almost strangers to one another. I have a charity that doesn’t even have your name on it and you do all the work. You make sure my fans are happy as well as making sure we help other small charities. You’re absolutely amazing and I’ve treated you like shit for the last few years. I don’t even give you the time of day. I promise you this, I will do better. We will be like we used to. Even if I have to kidnap you and take you with me different places. I love you and I don’t want to be the one hurting you anymore.”

You rolled over and looked at him with tears in your eyes. Your brother finally recognized you for you. He finally realized what he’s done.

“Thank you Tom. I love you too.”

He smiled at you and leaned over to give you a hug and kiss on the forehead.

“It really means a lot that you said that. But can I please go back to sleep. I’m still exhausted.” You said.

Tom pulled you to him so your head was on his chest and shoulder. And he cuddled you so you felt protected from all the horrible things that can go wrong for you.

“Get some sleep and when you wake up, me and you will hang out. Just the two of us.” Tom said. You smiled as you drifted back to sleep.

#tom holland #tom holland sister #brother!tom holland #holland!reader #tom holland x reader #tom holland x sister!reader #angst #fluff ending #the brothers trust #tom holland facfic #tom holland one shot #tom holland imagine #y/n holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland x y/n #brother!tom holland x sister!reader #tom holland angst #holland!sister

1K notes · View notes

vintage-squid · 4 years ago

Text

Threading Our Future

Summary: When up-and-coming designer Virgil Psykhe lands an interview with his favourite fashion label, he has no idea that the attention he's drawn to himself is being taken away from someone very important: the Lady of the Summer Court. Scorned and furious, she sends her son to kill the insolent human.

But when Janus lays eyes on Virgil for the first time, his breath is stolen by the fluttering of his heart and he knows he won't be able to follow through with his mother's orders.

A modern fae re-telling of the Eros and Psyche myth!

Pairing: Virgil/Janus (background Logan/Patton) Characters: Virgil, Janus, Roman, Remy, Patton, Logan, Remus Rating: T Warnings: mild violence and blood mention, nonsexual nudity, literal sleeping together Word count: 10 363

-----

Virgil Psykhe groaned as he stood from his chair, bracing both hands against the small of his back and pressing until he felt a satisfying series of pops from his hips and up his spine. He should know better by now than to spend hours on end hunched over his projects without taking proper breaks, but he honestly couldn’t help it. Once he got focused, his whole world narrowed to sketch, cut, sew, trim. It was like he was possessed by some crazy spirit who deemed his sarcastic, introverted ass worthy enough to use as a vessel for creation. At least, that’s how he described the near-frenzy he would fall into when his worried fathers questioned after his health.

Was he getting enough sleep? (No.) When was the last time he’d had something to eat? (Did the granola bar he had earlier count?) Would he be willing to drink more water if Papa cut up some citrus to add? (Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea...)

He knew their fretting came from a place of love. As the youngest of three, he was the baby of the family. Both of his older sisters had married a few years ago, now living with their husbands in a couple of larger, nearby cities. They had told their parents the distant moves were for their husband’s jobs, but Virgil knew better. His sisters had never seemed to fit with the unique … energy of their small hometown.

Virgil, however, had yet to even move out, let alone find anyone who would want to spend the rest of their life with him. Thankfully, while his dads did want him to eventually find love, they were mostly just happy to support his dreams of becoming a famous designer.

Rolling his eyes, Virgil glanced around his cluttered studio. Like he would ever actually be a big name in the fashion industry. Yeah, sure, he wanted more than anything to get his designs out there for models of all backgrounds and appearances to showcase the beauty that was in every body type, but he didn’t want his first name attached to that kind of attention. Nope. No thanks. He would much rather people enjoy his work for what it was, not just because it came from him.

Maybe a pseudonym would work? Eh, he still had time to think about it anyway. It wasn’t like he was going to be traveling far from his studio in his dads’ basement any time soon after all. Picking up his phone, Virgil glanced at the time and cursed under his breath. Shit, he was late to meet up with Remy, and he had forgotten to plug his charger in. He groaned as he shoved his phone in his pocket anyway and grabbed his wallet, headphones, and house key. That drama queen was probably going to bitch and moan about being made to wait until Virgil finally agreed to pay for his drink. Not that Virgil really minded, but he had appearances to keep up.

With one last glance around to make sure he had everything, he dashed up the stairs to head out.

-----

Jogging down the street, Virgil turned past the Spirits’ Temple, where the town’s inhabitants left offerings to the spirits of the forest on the first of every month. Tradition claimed that each month was to be dedicated to one of the twelve local spirits who held dominion over different areas of day-to-day life, and that by honouring them, the town would prosper. At the height of the monthly festivals, there would be candles lining the marble steps, fake vines and string lights wrapped around the temple’s stone columns, and a wide spread of wine and honey-sweetened foods to be served. Some of this would be up for grabs on the buffet table, but a selection was always saved to be placed in one of the twelve bronze braziers, which one depended on the month, lining the sides of the temple. Each brazier was set in front of a stone statue carved with a symbol that denoted which spirit it belonged to.

At some point during the evening, everyone in town would take a moment to approach the massive fireplace along the back wall of the temple and toss in a part of their meal with a quietly murmured prayer for luck in some strange-sounding language. To this day, Virgil wasn’t sure what exactly he was saying, but his dad had taught him the correct pronunciation, and he was too superstitious not to follow through. Besides, it wasn’t like he could look too ridiculous doing it when literally everyone else was doing the same thing.

Approaching one of the two coffee shops in town, and the only one he ever frequented, Virgil shook his head to rid himself of thoughts of weird small-town rituals. Inside, it was easy to spot Remy sitting at their usual table with his sunglasses tucked into the front of his shirt and a drink already in hand. As he slid into his side of the booth, Virgil was surprised to see his favourite order (hot chocolate with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, and a slice of banana bread) already waiting for him.

“I was gonna apologize for being late, but clearly I don’t have to,” he said, glancing up and narrowing his eyes. “What did you do?”

Remy threw both hands up in a gesture of innocence. “Hey now, why did I have to do something wrong in order to surprise my best friend with his favourite goodies?”

Virgil snorted and crossed his arms, giving his friend a Look.

“Fine, fine!” Remy blew out a sigh and dropped his hands onto the table. “So, maybe I did do something, and maybe you’re gonna be a little mad at me for it, but I promise it’s okay! It’s gonna pay off and you’re totally going to thank me for this one day!”

Virgil dropped his face into his hands with a groan and dug the heels of his palms against his eyelids. “Just spit it out, Remy. What the fuck did you do?”

“Remember that photoshoot we did a couple weeks back with the latest ‘famous-one-day’ designs you sewed up?” Virgil could hear the familiar sounds of Remy typing on his phone. “Well babe, you’ve been making ‘one days’ for too long! So I decided to make ‘one day’ into ‘today’! Ta-dah!”

Bracing himself, Virgil peeked out from the dark safety of his hands, blinking a few times to clear his blurry vision and focus on the phone screen wavering in front of him. Right there, staring back at him from within Remy’s well-manicured clutch, was an email addressed to Penelope with attached photos from their shoot.

“Please, please tell me you didn’t sen-”

“I sent our pics to your favourite fashion label! The one and only Penelope! Known for their breathtaking lines like ‘Faith’ and ‘Fidelity’ that reimagined what it meant to be fashionable! And the best part!” Remy paused for dramatic effect, all but wiggling in his seat. “They emailed me back! They want to do an interview with you next month on the first!”

There was a loud thud as Virgil’s head met the table. If they hadn’t been sitting in public, he definitely would have started screaming too. Instead, all that came out was a muttered, “I fucking hate you. Why would you do this to me? You know I suck at talking to people; they’re gonna hate me and then tell all of the other companies to never work with me and then I’ll definitely never make it.”

A hand settled on top of his head and began to run through his hair, gently scratching at his scalp at the same time. “Don’t be so dramatic, Virge. This is gonna be great for you, I promise. When have I ever led you astray?”

Virgil glared at his friend and opened his mouth, but Remy cut him off.

“Ahp-ahp! Rhetorical question, babes. You're going to thank me for this, I promise.”

When Virgil remained silent, the hand that had been petting his hair slid down to cup his cheek and lift his chin up.

“Hey,” his best friend murmured softly. “If you really, really don’t want to do this, I can email them back and cancel, but I think you should go for it, Virge. This could be your big break!” Remy’s thumb had begun running a soothingly back and forth over his cheek. Virgil didn’t even try to hide the way he relaxed into the comforting gesture, leaning more weight into his friend’s palm. “I’ll even come with you to the interview, okay? I’ll be right there the entire time - gotta make sure they meet your number one model after all,” he added with a playful wink.

Damn Remy and his extroverted influence. Virgil sighed and sat up fully, reluctantly pulling away from the comforting hold and silently relieved when Remy’s hand dropped to link their fingers instead. “I guess as long as you’re there too, then I won’t be the only one making a fool of myself.”

“That’s the spirit!” Remy cheered, ignoring the looks some of the other patrons shot their way at the noise.

Keeping their hands interlocked, Virgil picked up his hot chocolate and took a sip of the sweet ambrosia as he listened to his best friend ramble about his plans for their future.

-----

Somehow, the word got out. Everyone and their cousin’s dog knew about Virgil’s interview and had seen some of the photos that had been leaked. All of them wanted to get a glimpse of not only the representatives of the big fashion label (who may as well have been celebrities to the small community), but also the unobtrusive young man who had brought the attention onto their town.

Virgil clung to Remy’s hand as they approached the café where the interview was going to be taking place. It wasn’t their usual haunt, something Virgil was grateful for; if things went south, he didn’t want that memory attached to one of his favourite places. People were already gathering outside, gossiping amongst themselves or attempting to peer through the front windows. He longed to pull his hood up and hide his face, but Papa had spent all morning helping him make sure his hair and make-up (and everything else) looked interview ready. Not to mention he wasn’t even wearing his favourite hoodie to tuck himself away into.

At Remy’s insistence, he had donned one of the outfits he made last year. The top was made of a flowy material, tighter at the wrists and loose in the arms, wrapping comfortably around his chest to tie in the front above his navel. It was sewn from a high-quality plum linen with a black lace webbing over top. For the bottom, Virgil had pieced together different shades of grey and black fabrics until he had a pair of loose patchwork pants that sat at the hips and left a strip of his stomach visible. He had completed the look with a fresh pair of high-tops that tied the look together despite the discordant styles. With one last look to his best friend for reassurance, Virgil nodded and they waded through the crowd together, on their way to their future.

-----

Singing to herself, Roman stepped through the woods with all the ethereal grace granted to her by her station. As she made her way to the quaint little human town, Roman was accompanied by a pair of mourning doves. While one had alighted on her shoulder, the other fluttered about, and both were cooing in harmony with her otherworldly song.

Her body was draped in a sheer chiffon number, as blood-red as the wine she drank from each year at the celebration of her power and beauty. It was naught much more than a thin layer of fabric over one shoulder and wrapped about her shapely waist, exposing one breast and leaving little work for the imagination on the rest of her body. The finest embroidery coloured the lower hem with twisting rose vines, as if they had sprung from the ground she walked on and reached up for her attention. Her hair was left to tumble free, as wild and untamed as the waves she had been born from so long ago. The Lady of the Summer Court had arrived.

In no time at all, the temple the humans of the village had built for her and her compatriots so long ago came into view. Roman hurried her steps, eager to feast on the delightful offerings she knew would be awaiting her. She hoped one of them left pomegranate; it was her favourite. The plump fruit so easy to tear open to reveal the juicy flesh inside - and the crunchy seeds! Oh!

Grinning, Roman moved around the side of the temple, stepping between the columns to slip inside and make her way towards her ceremonial statue along the right with the other ruling gentry of the Seelie Court. However, when she got close enough to see into the massive dish, indignation began to boil in her blood. Before her, in her brazier, lay half as many offerings as were given to her in the years passed. She looked around, hoping to find something else had been set aside or misplaced, but there was nothing. Seething, she spun on her heel and stalked towards the front of the temple in search of answers.

Outside, two attendants were working to douse the remaining candles to be collected on the morrow after Roman had departed. Well, they were certainly going to be in for a surprise when they returned to find their pitiful offerings still there in the morning. Even with the great distance between them, as a fae, Roman’s sharp ears did not struggle to overhear the conversation between the two humans.

“-believe something like this could happen in our little town,” the one on the right was saying. “Especially from that quiet kid! What’d you say his name was again?”

“He’s the Psykhe’s youngest boy, Virgil.

“No kidding! Sam was telling me the kid showed up for the interview wearing this wild statement piece, like a full fashion runway. I bet his dads sure are proud. I heard half the town was outside Burnsen’s hoping to get a front-row seat. They certainly weren’t here, that’s for sure.”

“Damn shame,” the second human agreed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a turn out this small for a Spirit’s Night. I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass.”

The pair continued their gossip as they finished with the candles and moved onto tidying some of the other nonessential decorations. Roman wasn’t interested in listening any further; she had what she needed. Turning away from the pitiful little temple those putrid humans had so desecrated on her day of honour, the Lady of the Summer Court stormed back into the forest, seething vitriol.

“How dare these humans offer this worthless boy the worship and reverence meant for me! My status is all but set in the very stars and they do nothing more than drag it through the muddy earth!” She screeched, scaring away the doves who had been lingering nearby. “So much for me, the ancient mother of this forest who feeds and fosters the very nature of this place! If nothing lusts, then nothing reproduces! Did they ever consider that before they forced me to associate my status with a mere mortal child?”

As Roman cried out, the very trees parted for her, leaning their trunks away and raising their boughs out of the path of the furious fae. She paid them little heed as she marched down a trail long familiar. “Won’t this boy, whoever he is, be glad to know he has claimed the honours that are due to me by right? Not for much longer, this I swear by my very name! He will regret this beauty to which he has no claim!”

At the climax of her tirade, Roman stopped before the ivy-woven doors of her son’s lofty domain. She would teach this Virgil what happened when you scorned the fae.

-----

Across town, still wearing the outfit and makeup from earlier, though much disheveled, Virgil ran as if his life depended on it. At this point, though, his life may as well have been over, so what was the point in struggling on? Down the street and through the park, he sprinted until he could go no further and crumbled to the ground at the top of the large hill that overlooked the fish ponds. On his hands and knees, he clutched at the damp earth and panted heavily through his heaving sobs.

It was over. Penelope didn’t want to pick him up as a designer. Sure, they liked the selection that Remy had sent them, enough to come talk to him about it, but when the representatives had taken a look through the rest of his portfolio? They hadn’t said they hated it outright, but Virgil was certain his designs were too gothic, too dark, too risky for mainstream fashion. They were going to talk with some of the higher-ups back at the designer studio, but Virgil wasn’t going to be holding his breath. He’d seen their expressions clear as day while they flipped through his work.

Collapsing forward, Virgil buried his face into the crook of his elbow and curled his knees towards his chest, sobbing even harder. He had told Remy after the interview that he needed some space, but now that he was out here alone, he wanted nothing more than a hug from his best friend. Fuck, how was he going to tell his dads about this? It would break their heart!

Virgil shook his head free of the thought; he couldn’t handle any more right now. So he lay on the ground with his cheek pressed against the cool night grass, and cried until he passed out from exhaustion.

-----

In the twilight between wakefulness and sleep, Virgil stirred when he felt a pair of arms slide under his body and hoist him up into a strong hold. His head lolled to the side until his temple dropped against a firm body. Then, a kiss was pressed to his forehead, tickling his skin with...a mustache?

“Go back to sleep, little human,” a high, scratchy-sounding voice said. “Jay doesn’t want you to see anything just yet! We don’t want to ruin the surprise, eh?”

Virgil’s face scrunched in confusion, but before he could crack his eyes open to see who was carrying him, a warm breath blew across his face and carried him off to his dreams like a gentle breeze spiraling high into the air.

-----

When Virgil woke for the second time, it was with far more peace and tranquility than he usually felt when greeting the day. His bed was extra soft and luxurious beneath the swell of his hip and he was comfortably warm, though he couldn’t feel the usual weight of his blanket. Stretching his arms far above his head, Virgil suddenly snapped his eyes open when his fingertips were greeted not with the hard wall behind his headboard, but with a damp, spongy texture instead.

Scrambled to his feet, he looked around to discover he was at the edge of a clearing, carpeted with a thick moss that his feet sank slightly into and surrounded by trees who towered so far above him their canopies seemed lost secrets of the sky. To one side a stream babbled a song, its waters bright as day and clear as glass. Breathless, he turned a slow circle, feasting on the seemingly supernatural wonders with starving eyes. The sight that greeted Virgil as he turned full around, however, could have subsisted him for a lifetime.

At the very heart of the grove, sitting in its focal point, rose what he could only describe as a palace. The trees which made up its supporting columns were an ivory birch, though much wider than any Virgil had ever seen, with leaves seemingly grown from pure gold that glittered in the dappled sunlight they let through. Framed by these otherworldly goliaths, ivy vines had been woven together to form a grand door which opened of its own accord and bid Virgil to enter. Under a spell spun from his own awe and curiosity (and probably some of whatever magic this place had to be made of), Virgil strode forward.

Inside, the palace seemed to emulate its own light, reflecting off the vaulted ceiling and highlighting the polished stone walls decorated with endless silver reliefs of animals real and imagined. Virgil trailed his fingertips along the slithering spine of a snake as he passed, admiring the lifelike detail in each scale, but before he could venture much further, a voice spoke.

“Welcome.”

Virgil jumped, spinning around to search for the source of the voice, but no one was there. When they spoke again, it sounded like they were right over his shoulder.

“You have been invited into the home of the fae as a guest of honour, Virgil.” The man in question felt a strange twinge in his chest hearing his name from the voice. “If you follow the doors to your left, you will find a dining hall in which you may eat your fill; the foods are from your home world and you need not fear consuming them. To your right lay the bathing and bed chambers. Please, make yourself at home. You are safe here, my darling.”

“Who are you? How do you know my name?” Virgil called out into the empty room.

There was a small pause before the voice replied. “You may call me Janus for the time being. It matters not how I know your name, but you need not worry that I will give it to anyone else.”

“Not creepy at all,” Virgil murmured before raising his voice once more. “Where are you? Why can’t I see you?”

“Ahh, my darling, take care with your curiosity before it gets you into trouble. Fret not, I am here with you, though you cannot see me. I know it is hard, but you must trust in me, my love. I shall visit you this evening after the light of day has given way to the dark of night. So long as you promise not to look upon my face and let me remain shrouded in shadows, then I shall answer more of your questions then.”

“What? I’m supposed to trust you, but I’m not allowed to look at your face? What the fuck, dude?”

“I understand this may be a cause for alarm, but you must understand my perspective, dear one. If you were to gaze upon me uninhibited, I fear you would not fall in love with me in a manner which would be best for us both. Promise to me, Virgil.”

“Okay, okay, I promise. Why is this so important to you anyway?”

“Thank you. I wish to form a genuine bond with you, beloved, and I cannot do that if you are influenced by my appearance. That is not how I desire to court my future husband.”

“Husband? What do you mean future husband!?”

Virgil stood in place, waiting for any further response from the invisible person, but it seemed his host had vanished into the very air he spoke from. Blowing out a heavy sigh, Virgil looked from left to right and decided the faint grumbling in his abdomen was something he could ignore for the time being; he probably wouldn’t be able to stomach anything right now anyway. So, he made his way towards the baths, hoping a splash of cool water could wake him from this crazy dream.

Unfortunately, even after dunking his head under the cool water, Virgil was still stuck in the extravagant palace with an invisible host. He braced his hands on the sides of the stone bowl carved from the wall, staring blankly at the trickling waterfall that fed into the dish he had rinsed in. How the fuck did he get into this mess? The voice had mentioned something about this place belonging to the fae? What the fuck? There’s no way any of this could be real. Well, that Janus had said he would answer Virgil’s questions tonight, so there seemed little more he could do than wait.

The bedroom he had been given was grand, far larger than even his entire basement suite back home, and all of its drapings were more luxurious than Virgil had ever seen. He ran his fingers down the curtains that hung from the bedposts, marvelling at the quality and the depth of the colour. What he wouldn’t give to be able to create with fabrics of this pedigree. He fiddled with the tie of his shirt around his middle and settled onto one of the plush armchairs by the window. Now, to wait.

-----

Hours later, Virgil was startled awake from a light doze by the sound of footsteps approaching his door. He scrambled to his feet, keeping one hand braced on a bedpost to orient himself as he squinted through the darkness. It was so dark he couldn’t even make out the vague outlines of the furniture around the room.

The door opened.

Virgil tensed, gripping the bedpost tighter and raising his other arm in front of him defensively. From what he could see, backlit from the hall, the figure entering the room was about his height, maybe a little taller. It was difficult to make out in the dark, but the shadow he cast onto the floor seemed to be larger than his body mass would produce. The door closed, leaving the two of them alone in the dark.

“Janus?” Virgil asked nervously, hoping there wasn’t anyone else in the palace who would be coming into his room this late at night.

“Breathe, Virgil, it is only me.”

It was as if a spell of calm soothed over him, easing the tension from around his neck and within his chest. Virgil took a deep, relieving breath. Janus hadn’t come any further into the room, seemingly content to linger by the door.

“Um… hi?” Virgil winced at how awkward he sounded, but continued on regardless. “You said you would answer more of my questions, right?”

“That is correct, beloved. I will tell you as much as I am able to at this time.” There was the sound of shuffling in the dark. “May I join you on the bed? I think we will both be much more comfortable being seated for this conversation.”

Virgil bit his lip, looking between the bed and Janus despite not being able to see either. Eventually, he nodded, and then blushed when he realized what he’d done.

“Yeah… yeah, you can come sit over here, I guess.”

“Thank you, my darling.”

When the pair had gotten settled, Janus was seated at the foot of the bed, leaning up against the bedpost and seemingly unbothered by the strange situation. Virgil, on the other hand, had his back pressed against the headboard with his knees hugged to his chest. His feet were buried in the blankets and he was absently scrunching the soft material under his toes in a comforting, rhythmic motion. It was Janus who broke the silence first.

“What would you ask of me first, dearest?”

Virgil blew out a sigh. “Why did you bring me here? What are you going to do with me? Am I ever going to be allowed to go home? Will you-”

"Sh sh sh,” Janus crooned, “One at a time, beloved, all will be answered. In short, I do not know when you will be able to return to your home, or if you ever will, but it is for your own good!” Janus hurriedly added before Virgil could panic. “You see, there is someone very powerful who is very angry with you. Intentionally or not, you have caused her a great disrespect, and she will not rest until her dues have been met.”

“How do you know all of this?”

Janus sighed. “Because she is my mother, and she sent me to kill you.”

“What!?” Virgil screeched, throwing himself off the bed and slamming against the nearby wall. His nails scrabbled at the stone, desperate to clutch, claw, escape. No, no, no, he didn’t want to die! He snapped his head back and forth, searching for any sort of way out, but he was blinded by shadows and fear. A sharp cry escaped him when a hand suddenly wrapped around one of his own and he whimpered as it squeezed, expecting pain. Instead, a gentle crooning cut through the ringing in his ears.

“Breathe, Virgil, you are not in danger. You must calm down and listen.”

Janus’ voice was surprisingly tender for how powerfully it could be heard through Virgil’s panic. He was able to focus on it like a tether to pull himself into a more relaxed state of mind. At some point, he had begun to time his breathing with Janus’ as well, steady and even to a count known only to the fae holding him. When Virgil had relaxed enough to come back to himself, he tensed all over again, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“How can you say I’m safe, when you’re gonna kill me?”

“Because I have no intentions of killing you,” Janus replied, now cradling both of Virgil’s hands to his chest. Even this close, the darkness was so impenetrably thick that Virgil had no hope of glimpsing his face. He kept his eyes averted regardless. “I brought you here to remove you from my mother’s gaze and conceal you from her misplaced wrath.”

Virgil was silent, processing, as Janus gently tugged on his hands and guided him back onto the bed. There, the fae leaned against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him and carefully pulled Virgil to recline on his chest. Virgil resisted for only a moment before complying. Everything else about this was already way out of his depth to manage, he may as well allow himself to be comfortable wherever he could. Janus was either going to kill him or leave him alive, and there likely wasn’t anything Virgil could do to sway that decision at this point. So, Virgil settled himself against Janus’ chest with his body laying between Janus’ legs and stretching out until their legs tangled together. He was grateful now for the dark that hid a probably searing blush as his cheek pressed flush against the fae’s warm skin; Janus wasn’t wearing a shirt and his nude torso was warm to cuddle against.

“Now,” Janus murmured, shifting Virgil’s focus from his embarrassment to the situation at hand. His fingers ran over Virgil’s scalp and through his hair, carefully brushing out any tangles and soothing in the same motion. “If you will let me continue, I was going to say my mother had ordered for you to be killed, however, I do not agree with her decision. She is acting rashly over a slight you did not directly commit.”

“What did I even do to piss her off so bad?” Virgil murmured from where his face was tucked against Janus’ collar, resting more of his weight closer with each breath.

“I do not know the exact details, only that you were the cause for drawing her worshippers away from the temple on her day of adulation. The fae do not take kindly to being stolen from, especially not my mother.”

“The interview,” Virgil breathed in horror. Pushing himself upright, he clutched at Janus’ arm. “I swear, I didn’t mean for everyone to skip out on the Spirit’s Festival! If it had been up to me, none of them would have even been at the cafe! I didn’t want them there, you have to believe me!”

“Calm yourself, beloved. I believe that you did not intentionally act to anger her. However, you must understand that even a perceived slight is considered very real and serious to the fae. That is why you must remain here under my protection, until my mother’s ire cools or I can convince her to redirect her anger.”

As Janus fell silent, Virgil curled in again and pondered what he had been told, trying to remember anything he could about the fae. It wasn’t like there was one consistent guidebook he could follow, but some of the stories the older people used to tell his grade school classes at the library were starting to make a little more sense now. He had been told the forest couldn’t lie, so maybe that meant the fae were bound by the truth? A stretch, sure, but weren’t all myths rooted somehow in reality? They were also regularly told that the spirits of the forest loved beauty, especially in the form of attractive people, and could bestow gifts on those they enjoyed looking upon. Virgil had always felt so disheartened hearing that. He wasn’t anything special, just a plain-looking boy, so the forest would never favour him.

Why then had Janus?

“So,” Virgil broke into the quiet, “you supposedly brought me here to protect me from your mother, but that doesn’t explain why you called me your future husband earlier.”

Janus hummed. “When I set out to observe the human who had offended my mother, I was prepared to be faced with a disgusting example of your kind. What I found instead was the most beautiful face I had ever laid eyes on.” Virgil gasped when the hand that had been in his hair slipped down to cup his cheek and tilt his chin up. He felt a pair of lips brush so lightly against his forehead that he thought he imagined it. “You were sobbing so hard for a deeply rooted pain. I found myself desiring nothing more than to stop your tears and see how much your already breathtaking countenance would shine when lit by a smile.”

“I - you -”

Virgil was sure that he had been kissed before, because now he felt those lips curl into a smile.

“Is it so hard to believe you are so attractive?”

“Well, yeah,” Virgil huffed, his eyes closed as he leaned into Janus’ palm. “It’s not like I heard it all that often.”

“Mmm, I shall have to change that, then,” Janus whispered, resting his cheek on Virgil’s head, cradling him close once more. “Do you have any more questions, beloved? If not, it is time for you to rest, you’ve had a long day.”

The gentle petting and warm embrace were taking their toll on Virgil’s exhausted mind. He let himself rest heavily on Janus, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck and wrapping an arm around the fae’s chest. “Jus’ one,” he murmured, voice already dipping into that sleepy slur. “Wanna make sure m’dads know ‘m safe…”

“I’ll see what I can do, my love. Rest now, Virgil.”

Like a spell had been cast over him, Virgil drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

-----

When Virgil had awoken, he was alone in the massive bed. He was surprised to feel a twinge of disappointment in his chest, having hoped Janus would stay despite the fae not wanting to show his face. Sighing, he slid out of bed and got himself ready for the day, slipping into some comfortable clothes he found in a set of drawers. When he came down for breakfast, his host’s invisible voice greeted him and informed him that his dads had been told of the situation and were relieved Virgil was alive and relatively safe.

The next few days played out much the same. Virgil was left to his own devices during the day, waited on by some sort of invisible staff as he explored the palace. He never saw another soul, but whenever he needed something, he learned to simply call out for it and it would be delivered to him by magic.

Each night, Janus would arrive in his bedroom once the sun had disappeared. He never asked for more than Virgil was willing to give, but Virgil found himself cuddled close every night without fail. They would speak for hours - about Virgil’s dreams, his dads, and Remy - nothing was too simple for Janus to inquire about. The fae was fascinated by every aspect of human life, and Virgil enjoyed discovering a sense of romantic joy over the little things he had experienced. There was something about Janus that soothed away the ever-present worries that were always yelling inside Virgil’s head.

There was one worry that couldn’t be silenced, however. No matter how much Virgil was coming to trust his protector, he could not ignore the fact that he had no idea what Janus even looked like. It was eating away at him not to know, and the longer he sat alone, the Janus in his head looked more and more like a monster waiting to prey upon him. This couldn’t go on. He had to know.

-----

During the day before he was going to enact his plan, Virgil spent his time in the massive library he had discovered on the second day, scanning the shelves and making a show of selecting a couple books. He made himself comfortable in one of the oversized cushions piled near the floor-to-ceiling window and pretended to read. Between absently scanning the pages, Virgil looked up and glanced around the room, as if his mind were wandering with the tale he was apparently focused on. In reality, he was scouring the room for ideas.

Countless candles were lit around the library, their wax melting at different stages, some newly pooling while others formed thick layers around the base of the candelabras. They were lit now, but there was no way for him to have an already burning flame in the bedroom when Janus arrived for the night. He would have to find some way to light one on his own. Maybe he could just -

“Excuse me?” He called into the air. “Could I please have more candles, and some matches for them? I want to go read in my room, but, um, the smell is really nice in here.”

Like always, the items he requested popped into existence on a low table nearby: three candles and a pair of matches. Huh, he hadn’t actually thought that was going to work.

“Thank you!”

Hugging both books to his chest, Virgil collected his new tools and jogged up to his room. There, he placed the candles onto the small table between the armchairs and lit them with a match. The second match, he carefully tucked inside the front knot of his shirt, pressing against his breast. Now prepared, he settled in to actually focus on the novel he had picked up. There was nothing but time to kill.

-----

By the time Janus arrived, Virgil had already blown out the candles and crawled into bed. He cuddled in as soon as Janus had laid down, laying his head on the fae’s chest and trying to keep his breathing steady as they fell into their usually nighttime conversation. Janus’ claws delicately traced the bumps of his spine the entire time they spoke.

Once Virgil was sure Janus had fallen asleep, he began the slow process of extracting himself from the fae’s embrace. Janus really was a cuddler, and loved to hold Virgil close while they slept, but thankfully he was also quite a deep sleeper. Virgil was able to carefully pull himself away and tuck a pillow into Janus’ arms. The fae squished it to his chest and curled onto his side, none the wiser.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Virgil went to work. He grabbed one of the candles and fished the match out from under his shirt, striking it against the table to light it. One hand held onto the base of the candle, while the other carefully cupped around the flame, protecting it as Virgil walked around to the other side of the bed where Janus lay. With a deep breath to steady himself, he pulled his hand away and gasped at the sight in front of him.

Janus never wore a shirt, which meant Virgil’s hands had felt the broad expanse of his naked back every night they had slept together. That didn’t explain why there were now a pair of gorgeous, tawny wings sprouting from between Janus’ shoulder blades. The feathers looked softer than anything Virgil could imagine and shined like spun gold in the candlelight. Virgil ached to caress the speckled feathers, to scrunch his fingers in the fluffy down near the wings’ base, but as he reached out, Janus rolled over and Virgil’s breath was punched from his lungs. The face of his protector was carved by the gods. Janus’ skin was a rich, dark brown, reflecting the candle light to accent his strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. Virgil could only imagine what colour his eyes could be behind his lids, framed by perfectly shaped brows and a shapely nose. Oh! Those lips! So plump and full! What would they feel like pressed against his own?

Enraptured, Virgil tried to get a better look, but as he leaned forward, some of the melted wax from the candle spilled over and landed on Janus’ cheek. The fae yelped, startling awake and clutching at his face as he threw himself upright. Virgil jumped back in shock, falling on his ass while somehow keeping the candle lit. The clatter drew Janus’ attention and his head snapped to the side to look at Virgil, who saw the moment Janus’ eyes widened with understanding and heartbreaking betrayal.

“You promised!” Janus hissed. “You promised me you wouldn’t look! Does your word mean so little to you!?”

“N-No - I, I just, I wanted-”

“What!? What was so important that you had to break your promise?”

“I wanted to, to make sure you weren’t some sort of … monster … who had kidnapped me to… to eat me,” Virgil muttered, suddenly feeling incredibly foolish. Why did he have to give in to his anxieties so easily? The next moment, his heart crumpled with Janus’ expression.

“Get out.”

“Wait, what?”

“I said. Get. Out.” Janus growled, spreading his wings high above his head as he leaned over the edge of the bed. “Get out of my sight, and out of my home! If you cannot hold to one simple promise, then I will not protect you! You can deal with my mother’s wrath on your own!”

About to protest, Virgil cried out in fear as Janus slashed out him, narrowly missing his face with those lethal claws. He didn’t waste any more time, dropping the candle and scrambling to his feet to run out of the bedroom. The empty halls echoed with his laboured breathing and the slap of his bare feet against the tiled floor as he sprinted through the palace and out the ivy-woven doors. The moment he was out, the doors slammed shut behind him.

Panting heavily, Virgil bent over with his hands on his knees, his entire body trembling from fear and exertion. He dropped to the ground and clutched his head in both hands, curling smaller and crying as silently as he could muster. It was a long time before his breathing evened out and he was able to drag himself back to his feet.

A glance around the clearing revealed what he had known upon his first arrival: he had no idea where in the forest he was, or which way led back home. So, he did the only thing he could and picked a direction to start walking. Through the night he stumbled over roots and around tangled shrubs, not stopping until he finally tripped over his own exhausted feet and fell into the shockingly cold waters of a stream. He spluttered and gasped, miserably dragging himself back up the bank. The sun was rising overhead, the forest waking up around him; he didn’t have the time to huddle here in a ball feeling sorry for himself.

-----

As the day progressed, Virgil noticed the trees beginning to thin and the gaps between the trunks growing wider. Suddenly, the canopy overhead parted to reveal a mountain, vast and tall, that should have been visible long before this moment. Placed at irregular intervals up the cliffside were six palaces woven of different plants woven together with even more grandeur than Janus’ home. Over the edge of the mountain, the tips and edges of presumably more palaces - these ones sculpted and shaped from various stones - were visible against the pale sky.

Virgil squinted, trying to get a better look at the strangely familiar shapes carved into the rock face near each palace. He gasped. The symbols matched those carved into the statues above the bronze dishes in the Spirit’s Temple, more specifically, the dishes meant for the spirits honoured in the spring and summer. That would mean - there! On the left! Beneath a palace of myrtle trees and rose vines, was the symbol belonging to the seventh spirit. That had to be the home of Janus’ mother, the spirit - or fae, rather - who was supposed to have been honoured at the start of this month.

Biting his lip, Virgil looked back the way he came then up at the palace once more. If what Janus said was true, and he wasn’t going to be offering protection anymore, then Virgil would have to face her on his own. It was either that, or cowering away until she tracked him down and killed him. Also not a desirable option, but Virgil would rather have some form of control over the end of his life. Beginning to climb, he just wished he would have been able to say goodbye to his dads first.

While there were worn deer trails to follow, the journey was not an easy one. Virgil had to cling to the rocks, heaving himself ever upwards, trying not to slice his bare feet or palms on the uneven shale. The summer sun climbed alongside him, growing hotter and hotter, sapping his energy and strength. Still, he pushed on until he stood before the lush gates shaking with exhaustion and dizzy from the heat.

Before he could gather his wits, the thorny vines that sealed the palace from the outside world began to withdraw. Where they parted, massive sanguine roses bloomed, as if to cushion a passerby from the sharp thorns. From within the depths of the palace strode out a figure so radiant and commanding, Virgil immediately felt subservient to her will. He quickly looked away, cheeks hot, as both of her breasts were exposed and only a lightweight wrap covered her lower body. His body recoiled when her piercing laugh broke the silence.

“Finally! The wretched beast comes crawling to its master, the Lady of the Summer Court. Had enough of playing at royalty, have you? Look at me when I’m talking to you, Virgil!”

Virgil immediately snapped his head back towards her, paling when his eyes met with her seething ire, but unable to drop his gaze any lower. He gripped the sides of his pants with white knuckles. “I - I’m so, so sorry! I n-never meant-”

“Look at this!” The fae cut in, causing Virgil to flinch again. “The pathetic mortal trying to inspire pity from me with your anxiety and melancholy! I will not be made a fool and relegated to some cheap handmaiden!”

With a shriek of rage, the Lady of Summer darted forward faster than Virgil’s eyes could track. The next moment, he was sprawled on the ground, ears ringing. He brought a shaky hand up to his stinging cheek and felt his stomach drop when his fingertips came away bloody. Rolling onto his back, he choked. The Lady was looming over him, one of her hands dripping with his blood as she pinned him down with a foot on his chest.

“It seems only fair to me, mortal, that I give you some chance to win back my good graces. Therefore, you shall complete a task for me, or else I will take your life as compensation for your disrespect.” The Lady of Summer announced with a wave of her hand. Virgil looked to the side, wincing as the cuts in his cheek dug into the gravel, and watched in surprise as a pile of mixed grains appeared nearby.

“You will sort this mass and disarray of seeds - wheat, barley, millet, poppy, chickpea, and lentil - into individual piles. I will know if a single grain lays with the wrong group. You have until this evening.” With that, the Lady of Summer kicked off his ribs and spun her skirts, vanishing into thin air with a flourish and leaving only the heady scent of roses as a sign of her presence.

Virgil lay on the ground in silence for a long time after she disappeared, barely daring to breathe. When he was finally able to bring himself to move, he slowly rolled onto his hands and knees, hissing at the pain in his ribs - definitely bruised. Crawling over to the pile of seeds, he reached a hand out but hesitated before he could touch the tiny grains. How the fuck was he supposed to sort these? He could hardly begin to tell them apart! Sitting back on his ass, Virgil dropped his face into his hands and burst into tears.

Then, he heard a high-pitched giggle.

Flitting to-and-fro above him were four - five - eight, no - seven? Seven little pixies were spinning, twirling, dancing through the air above him. Their bright, insect-like wings caught the sunlight and sent out flashes of colour like a rainbow in motion. One-by-one they drifted to the ground, settling in a half circle in front of Virgil and his miserable collection of seeds. They stood only several inches tall and were dressed in leaves and petals. A pair stepped forward in front of the rest; they were holding hands.

“Hello, hello!” The one on the right chirped, waving up with his free hand. He had gorgeous light blue butterfly wings that fluttered when he spoke. “We heard you crying and came to see, to see! What happened here, here?”

Virgil sniffled, wiping away his tears and snot on his sleeve. “Well, um,” he hiccupped and took a deep breath. “It’s the Lady of the Summer Court. She wants me to sort all of these seeds by type before tonight, but I have no idea how I’m going to do that so she’s definitely going to kill me!” He slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle a sob, tears running down his face.

“Easy now,” a new voice murmured as two little hands pressed against his knee. Virgil blinked his eyes open to see the second pixie - this one with veiny wings like a beetle’s - rubbing his leg soothingly. “You need to take slow, deep breaths to calm yourself.”

Virgil nodded and attempted to follow suit, counting to four on each inhale and exhale until the tears had slowed and he was able to relax somewhat to continue the conversation. “Th-thank you, um, what are your names?”

“You can call me Pat, Pat!” The first pixie announced twirling himself up into the air and drifting back down again.

“Ah, so you are quite new around here,” the second pixie mused, keeping his hands on Virgil’s leg. “You may call me Lo. Names have great power to the fae and it is imperative that you do not give yours away lightly, else someone may have complete control over your will.��

“But the Lady of the Summer Court already knows my name, and so did Jan- her son.”

“At any point did you give it to them, though?”

Virgil thought back over the last few weeks. “No… no, they both just, sorta, knew it somehow. Oh, uh, I guess you can call me Vee, then?”

Lo nodded. “Then it is likely they only heard your name somewhere, but they do not own it. Do you understand? They can exert some measure of power over you, but they cannot remove your free will entirely. Now then. Why is it the Lady wants you dead?” The pixie offered a small smile, nodding his head as Virgil explained how he got into this situation, that he knew Janus (though he referred to him as Jay), and why he wasn’t with the other fae anymore. When he finished, it was Pat who puffed up angrily.

“The Lady has gone too far, too far! You didn’t mean to make those people leave, leave! And it sounds like you didn’t actually make a binding promise, so Jay is acting a bit silly, bit silly. So, we’re gonna help you sort these seeds, and get everything cleared up, up!”

Logan nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Pat, you stay here with the others to aid Vee. I am going to go have a word with our feathered friend.” With that, Lo leaned in, kissed Pat’s cheek, and flew off down the mountainside.

Virgil watched the glint of Lo’s wings until he was out of sight, then turned back to the remaining pixies to watch as their quick, tiny hands got to work on the grains. “So… how do you know Jay?

Pat grinned widely up at him. “Jay is one of the Princes of Spring, Spring!” He works with love magic, and helped Lo and I get together decades ago in exchange for our help weaving that pretty gate in front of his palace, his palace!”

While they continued to converse, the pixies worked away at the seeds to form six unique piles, sorted from darkest to lightest. Before long, the entire jumbled mass had been reorganized without a single seed out of place. Once their job was complete, the five other pixies twittered their goodbyes and flew off up the mountain. Only Pat remained, sitting on his knee and chattering away as the sun set. Virgil shivered as a chill breeze licked at his exposed skin.

A sudden snap rent the night air, spooking Virgil, who lurched forward to cradle Pat in his hands protectively. Looking over his shoulder, he felt like vomiting when he saw the Lady of Summer standing over the grain piles with her arms crossed. He internally thanked any of the spirits who may be on his side that her chest was covered this time.

“This is not your work,” she hissed. “These were not organized by your hand, but by his!” She pointed an accusing finger at Pat, who had been peeking around Virgil’s arm but quickly hid back against his chest at the attention. “How dare you attempt to deceive me, you cretin!”

With a wordless shriek, the Lady lashed out with her vicious claws, aiming for the unmarked side of Virgil’s face. He scrambled back on his hands and heels, his ass dragging on the ground while Pat clung to the front of his shirt. Before she could take a second swipe, however, the dust and grit kicked up around them, obscuring their vision.

With his eyes covered, Virgil could only hear the flapping of large wings that cut off before there was the thud of a body dropping in front of him. Opening his eyes, he gasped. There, with his back to Virgil, stood Janus, with his great wings spread wide and his claws flexed at his sides. Lo, who had been holding onto the fae’s shoulder, now zipped down to the pair on the ground, holding Pat close and ensuring he was unharmed while the pixies huddled together on Virgil’s lap.

“You will not lay another hand on him,” Janus hissed, standing over Virgil protectively. Virgil felt Pat grip his thumb, but he couldn’t look away from the pair above them.

“What are you doing? Get out of the way, my son.”

“No. You wanted your revenge on him, and you got it. Look at him; he’s terrified, injured, and exhausted. The original disrespect against you was not even intentionally caused by him; it was the doing of numerous others. I do not fault you for your affront, but you are carrying on like a tantruming toddler!”

The Lady of Summer took a step back and clutched at her bosom. “You dare to speak to me like that?”

“I do, and so does the rest of the Seelie Court.” Virgil watched as Janus rolled his shoulders back and stood straighter. The Prince of Spring then reached into a bag tied at his hip and pulled out some sort of wooden charm dangling from a hemp rope. At the sight of it the Lady of Summer gasped and covered her mouth. “I have spoken before the Queen and her retinue, and she has decreed you will leave this mortal alone. In exchange, he will return to his town and gather a proper celebration for you by the end of this month.”

Virgil held his breath, not daring to twitch a muscle as he awaited his fate. The Lady of Summer let nothing show in her expression, but the hard lines of her face had softened attractively as Janus spoke. She shifted, looking over Janus shoulder and directly at Virgil. “You. You will do as this deal demands?”

Nodding rapidly, Virgil held up his hand in oath. “I will, I promise. I’ll go back home and speak with the curator of the Spirit’s Temple. We’ll host another festival and you’ll get the offerings you were supposed to be given at the start of the month.”

As if a switch had been flipped, the Lady of the Summer Court beamed a smile and grasped her hands over her heart. “Well then! That wasn’t so hard, was it! My dear, smart son, finding a way to set things right. I’m so proud of you, my little songbird.” Looking at her son, she cooed and cupped Janus’ cheek to tilt him up to kiss his forehead, smiling at his grumbling. “I won’t linger much longer, don’t you worry. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of my future son-in-law after all! I’ll see you soon, Virgil, dear,” she called, a cool edge to her voice for a moment before she smiled brightly once more and waggled her fingers. With a dramatic wave of her hands, the Lady of Summer vanished once more.

A quiet settled over the remaining quartet, broken by a tinny clearing of a throat. Lo stood in Virgil’s lap, tugging Pat up next to him. “I believe it is time for us to depart as well. I am relieved we were able to arrive in time to prevent any harm coming to you, Vee.” The pixie looked from Janus to Virgil and smiled. “Let us know when you are in the woods, we would enjoy visiting under more ideal circumstances. Farewell, for now.”

“Goodbye, Vee, Vee!”

In a flash, the pair of pixies flew off into the night, their hands held tight together. They flew loops and circles over the others before darting off in the direction the other pixies had traveled hours ago.

On the ground, Janus helped Virgil to his feet. He cooed in sympathy, tenderly touching the tips of his fingers beneath the angry red cuts on Virgil’s cheek. “I am so sorry for what she has done to you, darling. And I am even more sorry that my own actions drove you from the safety of my side. I was meant to protect you from unearned rage, but instead I subjected you to further punishment and drove you towards your would-be killer. If I hadn’t gotten here in time-” Janus exhaled heavily, his wings sagging behind him. “I am so sorry, Virgil.”

“I mean, I’m not gonna say it’s okay, because none of this has been okay, but, I guess I can understand where you were coming from. If I were as attractive as you, I’d also be worried about people taking advantage of me.” Virgil blushed and dragged his big toe through the dirt. “So, yeah, I forgive you, or whatever.” He looked up with a fire in his eyes and jabbed his finger into the center of Janus’ chest. “But don’t you ever do that again, you hear me?”

Janus hands cupped around his own, cradling it close. “I swear, to the end of my days, I will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve, my dearest.”

Despite the tenderness of the gesture, Virgil was unmoved. “I mean it, Janus. If you want us to work out, then I can’t be afraid that you’re going to banish me from your home every time you get upset. It’s not a relationship if you’re going to treat me like I’m disposable. I’m worth more than that. If you want more reassurance, or something, on my promises, then we can work something out, but what you put me through was terrifying, and I can’t go through it again. I won’t.”

Janus sighed, holding Virgil’s hands up to his lips and resting there a moment before slowly gathering Virgil into his arms. His embrace was loose enough to break, if Virgil wanted. “I understand, darling, and I will never be able to apologize enough for what I have done. However, it is not my words you want, but my actions, and I will do whatever you desire of me in order to make it up to you.” He cupped Virgil’s uninjured cheek. “I want us to work, too.”

There was a long pause as Virgil searched Janus’ golden eyes for any signs of deception. When he found only an earnest honesty, Virgil allowed himself to be held closer. He wasn’t sure which of them moved next, but they came together as one, lips pressing softly at first before quickly gaining heat. Then he was spun and dipped down, laughing hard as he clung to Janus’ shoulders, the fae’s wings held aloft to keep them balanced.

Maybe ‘future husband’ didn’t sound so bad after all.

#anxceit #healthy anxciet #virgil sanders #janus sanders #sanders sides #fae au #eros and psyche #squid scribbles

58 notes · View notes

annab-nana · 5 years ago

Text

Kiss Me In Your Dreams - Aryia Emrani

Aryia decides to surprise his single buddies with all of his love and a bunch of little gifts for Valentine’s Day this year for a video and with y/n’s recent and terrible breakup, it is just the thing to cheer her up.

Requested by an amazing anon 💙

Warnings: some curse words; mentions of an awful breakup

Word Count: 1.5k+

--------------------------------------------------

What kind of prick breaks up with his girlfriend of almost a year two days before Valentine's Day? Jay Anderson, that's who. Guess which idiot is alone in her apartment bawling her eyes out over said boy on Valentine's Day? This idiot. Me. I am. Our fucking anniversary would have been on February 18th. I had already gotten him a gift. I made him a whole basket with several little things, like his favorite candy and other little cute shit. I collected photos of my favorite memories with him and wrote on the back of them how much I loved each memory.

Now I sit here eating all the candy and looking at all the pictures and reading all the memories. I don't know why I am doing this to myself. I wish I would not have wasted a whole year of my life on that asshole, but I did. I am such a damn idiot. Crawling back into bed, I cuddle my pillow and cry some more.

ARYIA'S POV

"Okay guys, we are on our fourth and final Valentine and will probably be the hardest. I might not get to film most of this because if you follow y/n on any social media, you know that she is taking a bit of a break because she’s going through a breakup and she's taking it really hard. But y/n is always the one who always checks up on everyone else and makes sure that everyone is always happy and she cares so much about her friends, so I hope that all this shows her that I care just as much about her and at least brings a little bit of light to her day. So, let's go," I say to the camera before turning it off and grabbing all the Valentine's Day goodies I bought earlier. I manage to sneak into her apartment building and go up the elevator until I reach the third floor.

"Okay, so I made it into y/n's apartment building, and we are about to knock on her door so let's go!" I whisper to the camera before knocking on the door. I wait a minute with no response before knocking once more. I really hope she answers.

"Coming." I hear her speak through the door and when she swings the door open, the sight before me breaks my fucking heart. Her eyes are so red and puffy from crying continuously and she looks like she hasn't gotten a lot of sleep either. I drop everything and pull her into a hug.

Y/N'S POV

Please whoever you are, go the fuck away. I do not want to be bothered right now. I just want to cry and wallow in my bed by myself.

Another knock at the door sounds through my apartment, signaling me that the visitor will not leave me alone and I get up as I wipe whatever tears are left on my face away on the back of my hoodie sleeve. I swing the door open to see Aryia, hands full of all kinds of Valentine's Day things. It all just reminds me of Jay, but then I think about what Aryia is doing here. Is all this for me? A few tears well up in my eyes before Aryia sets everything down and pulls me into his arms.

"Is all that for me?" I ask as tears fall down my face.

"Yeah." My tears are no longer tears of sadness, but they are tears of happiness and love and they flow down my face even harder. Aryia is so sweet for thinking of me, especially after all the shit that has happened in the past few days.

"Come inside," I tell him as I pull away from the embrace, wiping away my tears, and help him pick it all up. We set everything down on the kitchen counter before he shouts, "Happy Valentine's Day!" I go in for another hug as I whisper a thank you in his ear before pulling away again.

"Can I film you opening it? It's okay if you don't want me to, but if I can, I would like to remember this. Might post it on YouTube too," he asks as he holds his camera.

"Let me at least brush my hair and then you can, okay?" He nods as I walk into my bathroom and grab my hairbrush, brushing through my very knotted hair. I haven't done anything with it for a few days, so it isn't the cleanest, but it isn't terrible. There is absolutely nothing I can do for my face except smile so that is exactly what I will do.

"How do I look?" I joke as I flip my hair behind me.

"Absolutely beautiful, y/n." I smile at the compliment before he pulls out his camera and begins to film. First, I grab the huge ass stuffed pink bunny that had little stars on it before I notice a brown spot on the front of it.

"Did you step on it?" I laugh as he chuckles with me.

"No, Benji's and Colby's had shit stains on them too. I guess I should have looked at them closer." I giggle.

“I’ll just have to wash him, but he will definitely be my new cuddle buddy.” Aryia smiles sweetly as I set the stuffed animal. I move onto the candle before taking in a big whiff of the delicious scent. It smells just like its name, fresh-baked cookie. Then, I saw a card. I pulled the card out of the envelope and read the front of it.

"For your wife? We're married now," I eye him as he shrugs. A laugh leaves my mouth before I open it.

"After all these years, you still make my heart flutter. I'm so glad you picked me over all the others. Happy Valentine's Day!" I read aloud what the actual card says, not what Aryia had written which I read next.

"Who needs stupid boys when you can have stupid friends? Am I right? Haha but on a real note, y/n, you deserve so much more than you have been given and you are worth so much more than you have been treated. You care so much about your friends and I am here to show you that we care about you just as much. I know that right now it hurts, and it sucks but that part will be over soon, and you will be so happy in a few weeks. I know it. So, fuck love. Fuck Valentine's Day. And most importantly fuck him. Love, Aryia." The tears came back after reading that and go to hug him again.

"How did I get so lucky to have amazing friends like you?" I ask and he pulls away from me.

"If anyone is lucky, it's us. We get to have you as our friend." I fall back into his chest and cry as I feel him press a small kiss to the top of my head.

"I love you Aryia and thank you for all of this. It means so much to me," I say as I look up at him. He brings his hand up to my face to wipe away my tears.

"Why don't you say thank you by giving me a cupcake?" He asks sweetly before laughing. I giggle and nod before handing him a cupcake and getting one for myself as we film his outro. I lick at the icing as he tells everyone to like and comment down below. We wave goodbye and he sets the camera down while it's still filming.

"Okay now that the camera is off, wanna fuck?" He jokes.

"Hell yeah!" I play along as I continue to lick the icing off the cupcake. He chuckles again before telling the viewers he is just kidding. He turns the camera off and sits on the couch with me.

"So how have you been?"

"Honestly, not the greatest, but now, I am so happy, thanks to you," I say as I finish with the icing and then eat the cake part of the cupcake. He has the remote and is searching around on Disney + to find something to watch.

"I am glad I could make you happy and this should too," he says as he gestures towards the screen. He put on my favorite movie, Tangled. I smile at him before we both become engrossed in the movie, but due to the lack of sleep I have been getting, I lay down and fall asleep on the couch.

Just before I slip into a deep sleep, I feel a blanket being placed on me and hear his soft whisper say, "Goodnight beautiful. I hope you have amazing dreams that make you forget about that loser and maybe, you'll even dream about me. If you see me in your dreams, kiss me. It's what I've always wanted. Goodbye y/n."

He must have thought I was completely knocked out but since I wasn’t, I leaned my head up and pressed my lips to his cheek for a soft and gentle kiss.

"Goodbye Aryia," I whisper before falling asleep.

#aryia #aryia emrani #cute #krac house #fanfic #fanfiction #aryia fanfic #aryia fanfiction #badboywolfy #aryia x reader #y/n #colby #colby brock #benji #benjamin seda #sncnetwork

80 notes · View notes

literaryeagle · 5 years ago

Text

For my sixty-ninth Evangelion book review, here is Eva Extra 04. The first three issues of Eva Extra were free magazines to promote the Evangelion: 2.0 movie, and then the fourth magazine (shown above) was sold in Japanese theaters when the movie came out. Eva Extra 04 collects some of the material from the first three issues and also includes more art, plus it comes with additional goodies and is all packaged in a plastic slipcase and folder. I'll show you some of that stuff later in this review.

By the way, there were more issues of Eva Extra after 04, to promote stuff such as the Evangelion: 2.22 DVD/Blu-ray, and the Evangelion: 3.0 movie. Some of them were magazines, and some of them were videos instead... and nowadays Eva Extra is a mobile app that has content from the previous issues plus keeps adding new stuff in order to promote the upcoming Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 movie. Times sure have changed! Anyway, even if you already have the mobile app, hopefully you will still enjoy this review to see what the physical magazine and included goodies are like.

This magazine is not available in English or French (although there are a few bits of English text here and there), but there are plenty of pictures. Most of the illustrations are in full color, and there are a few sketches as well. Eva Extra 04 starts with foldout pages of Asuka, Rei, and Mari, all drawn by Kazuya Tsurumaki. Here is what the Asuka page looks like:

Keep reading for the rest of the book review, plus a few more pictures… actually, more than just a few pictures. This post is going to be image-heavy!

After the three foldout pages and the title page, the magazine has a two-page spread called "Playback Evangelion: 1.0", which summarizes Evangelion: 1.0 by showing a whole bunch of small screenshots from the movie (although most of them are not in chronological order). Then it proceeds with the main topic, which is promoting the Evangelion: 2.0 movie! There is a two-page spread with the movie's English title, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, and then Asuka, Rei, and Mari each get a page with screenshots and a small quote. For example, here is the Rei page, which shows her saying "Oishii" ("Delicious") in reaction to some soup that Shinji made:

Next, there is a beautiful foldout page of Evangelion Unit-01 drawn by Ikuto Yamashita (the art on the front cover of the magazine is a shortened version of this picture). This is followed by several pages of sketches and screenshots of the Evangelions in this movie: Unit-01, Unit-00, Unit-02, Unit-03, Unit-04 (Since we didn't get to actually see Unit-04 onscreen, the magazine simply shows a picture of an explosion!), Unit-05, and Mark.06. Here's a piece of a page that has Unit-01 sketches accompanied by some pretty shades of purple:

Many of the screenshots in this section are arranged in very cool and artistic ways. For example, check out how these screenshots of Evangelion Unit-00 are displayed in shapes that give a feeling of movement and speed:

Pretty nifty!

After the pages devoted to the Evangelions, there are three "About Evangelion: 2.0" articles that were originally published in the previous issues of Eva Extra. These articles are accompanied by some photographs, and screenshots from the movie. Here is a small sample of screenshots, showing Rei, Shinji, and Kaworu:

After the "About Evangelion: 2.0" articles, there is a two-page spread with a colorful sketch of an explosion, and then several pages of screenshots. Some of these screenshots are set up in artistic arrangements, like the Unit-00 screenshots I showed you earlier. This two-page spread makes me think of stained glass windows:

The magazine comes to an end with another quote from the movie, and lyrics for "The Final Decision We All Must Take", plus a few pages of credits. But wait, we're not done yet! Now it's time to talk about the extras that come with the magazine. First, there is a flyer advertising some Evangelion-related stuff on both sides. I'll show you one of those sides, which is an ad for the Evangelion pachinko game "~Saigo no Shisha~ The Beginning and the End" ("~The Final Messenger~ The Beginning and the End"):

Oh wow, that's Evangelion Unit-04! Usually that Eva gets blown up before we ever get to see it in anime form, however Unit-04 has appeared in a few video games such as this one.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Eva Extra 04 is packaged in a plastic slipcase and folder, so I'll show you those next:

If you open the folder, you will see four clear pockets. The pocket on the far right is for holding the magazine, and the other three are for holding large postcards that are included as bonus items:

Each of the card pockets actually contains more than one postcard, so now I'm going to take all the cards out so you can see them. Here are the first four cards:

So in the above photo, the images in the four cards are (starting with the upper left card and moving clockwise): A screenshot of Unit-01 that was used as the cover for Eva Extra 01, a picture of Asuka drawn by Kazuya Tsurumaki (the same illustration as the foldout page shown earlier in this review except the background is different), a pic of Unit-01 drawn by Ikuto Yamashita that was used as the cover for Eva Extra 04, and another screenshot of Unit-01.

Okay, now here are the next four cards:

In the above photo, the images in the four cards are (starting with the upper left and going clockwise): a screenshot of Rei that was used as the cover for Eva Extra 02, a screenshot of Mari that was used as the cover for Eva Extra 03, a picture of Mari drawn by Kazuya Tsurumaki, and a pic of Rei drawn by Kazuya Tsurumaki.

Overall, Eva Extra 04 is a nice souvenir of the Evangelion: 2.0 movie. Even though I usually prefer Evangelion books that contain mostly "new" illustrations instead of mainly screenshots, a number of the screenshots are arranged so stylishly that I still find this magazine very enjoyable to look at. The foldout pages, spiffy packaging, and included postcards are pretty cool as well.

Now that Eva Extra is a mobile app, I guess owning the magazine is kind of unnecessary for many people. However, if you would still like to add it to your collection, you can try checking websites that specialize in selling used Japanese books, such as Mandarake.

Well, that’s it for my sixty-ninth Evangelion book review. I have plenty more Evangelion books to discuss, so keep checking my blog for new reviews!

#Evangelion #Asuka Langley Shikinami #Rei Ayanami #Shinji Ikari #Kaworu Nagisa #Mari Illustrious Makinami #Evangelion Unit 01 #Evangelion Unit 00 #Evangelion Unit 04 #Spear of Longinus #book review

75 notes · View notes

purplesurveys · 4 years ago

Text

1114

survey by dishwallafied

WHO was the last person...

you spoke to, in person? I think it was my sister, like earlier at 1 AM. She was the last person apart from me to head upstairs for bed.

you called? I tried calling our internet service provider’s hotline to inquire about our lost connection last weekend, but all I got was a useless automated message saying they’re on top of all concerns and will be addressing ours soon, which did not make any fucking sense because I didn’t get to report my issue anyway. Their social media was virtually useless too, and my dad had to physically go to one of their offices last Monday to settle the issue.

that called you? My phone’s not near me at the moment (omg a rarity) but it was the delivery person for Reggy’s croissants. GPS has always hated our street and has never been able to identify it, so whenever anyone in the family makes a purchase for delivery we’re bound to get a call or two from the rider assigned to our order to ask for directions.

you texted? It was the same delivery guy. He had tried to call me but I was in a meeting that I couldn’t get out of, so I explained to him I could only text. I also gave him a Waze link containing the exact positioning of our house so that he could set it up on his phone.

that sent you a text? I think it was just my mobile services provider sending out some random promotional text. Idk, I never open those.

you kissed? Gabie.

that kissed you? Also her. I don’t plan on kissing anyone new any time soon.

you yelled at? I haven’t recently been in a situation where I’ve had to yell at anyone...I do slightly raise my voice a lot on video call meetings just so I’m sure everybody on the call can hear me. That’s the closest I’ve got.

that yelled at you? My mom, when she was being a real drama queen about MY money a couple of weeks ago.

you watched a movie with? I watched it by myself, but I remember calling my ex for comfort because the movie was a little scary and creepy. I also remember how bothered she sounded that I was calling her, as if I was a huge burden, so...there’s that. Y’all do me a favor and be with someone who gets delighted when you call instead of making you feel like you’re a waste of space okie?? Good

you ate dinner with? My family. My dad laksa for dinner, which was perfect because I had been watching 2 Days 1 Night yesterday and the cast members kept eating ramyeon, which made me develop a serious craving for noodles all day.

you were in a photo with? I think it had been a family selfie. My family and I were about to leave the accommodation we stayed at in Tagaytay, and my mom wanted a final photo in the living room before we stepped out.

you took a photo of? My employer sent out heart-shaped red velvet cakes for all of us for Valentine’s Day, so I took a photo of it with Cooper in the background to share to the work group chat. I definitely did not expect any goodie sendout considering I never viewed Valentine’s as a special day even when I was still in a relationship, so it was a nice surprise to receive.

you went to a concert with? Oh my Paramore show was a solo date. Gabie did come to the arena with me and I also drove Denise, Erycka, and Leigh, but the three of them settled for a different section somewhere farther out given how they already did VIP seats for Paramore’s previous concert in 2013. It was my turn to have a front-row seat and since I didn’t know anyone who was as big of a fan as I was or was willing to shell out ₱7,000 for a VIP seat, I went by myself.

you lied to? I think it was Bea, my manager? She scheduled a quick call last Tuesday just to do a check-in with me, and she was asking how I was. Of course I had to tell her I was doing fine, which is never completely true for a lot of people, I think. I didn’t want her to ask me to open up anyway, so saying I was fine was the easy way to go.

you invited somewhere? I recently saw a music clip of a certain song that’s played a lot in bars, so I tagged my entire college barkada telling them we should go back to TK soon, at least when the lockdown and the pandemic subside considerably.

you dated? Gabie.

you dumped? It worked the other way around.

you rejected? I mean, I guess I technically rejected the girl Mik told me was interested in me. We never met since Mik refused to tell me her name or show a photo, but I informed him I wasn’t planning on talking with anyone soon so she can stop thinking I’m available.

you held hands with? Angela.

you hugged? Andi, before they got out of my car since we were parting ways for the evening.

you let cry on your shoulder? This hasn’t happened in a very long time. Most likely Gabie, but this would’ve been around at the start of 2020 when we could still see each other regularly.

that let you cry on their shoulder? Figuratively, Angela and Andi.

you bought a gift for? I got a weekend accommodation for my family, but it was really meant for my dad for his 50th birthday.

you wished a happy birthday? Hans.

that disappointed you? I was more annoyed than disappointed, but it was some random Fil-Am who was being ignorant at the Subtle Filipino Traits Facebook group. That community gives me a huge migraine most days because of Fil-Ams who continue to romanticize the ~beauty~ of the country whilst completely ignoring the socio-political trainwreck here, but the group is kind of the place to be for Filipinos so I can’t see myself leaving it either.

that stayed over at your place? They didn’t stay over for the night but Angela and Hans did a surprise visit to my house a few days after Christmas.

that let you crash at their place? Gab. I used to always crash at her place when I’ve had a few drinks.

that made you angry? Idk man, can I give Mark Zuckerberg as an answer? HAHAHA I went on Facebook first thing today and the first thing I saw was a Facebook Memory, and it was a photo of me and Gabie at Athenna’s birthday party four years ago. I got irritated at first until I remembered that we were both tagged in the post, which means it would most likely show up on her feed as a Memory as well. Just to humor my petty ass, I kinda hope the memory would make her sad, wherever she is; but otherwise seeing the Memory pop up didn’t make me sad or bothered anymore so that’s a win for meee.

that complimented you? Leah, my employer’s CEO. She did a check-in call with me recently to get to know me better, so one of the first things she asked was a list of the clients I handle. I happen to be in the team that works with the company’s more big-league clients, so once she heard the brands she told me I must be a good enough worker to be assigned those clients. It meant a lot and it still does.

whom you complimented? Bea. I just let her know how helpful she’s been with me considering I’m a fresh graduate on her first job in a work-from-home setup in the middle of a global pandemic.

you thanked? A supplier I’m currently in contact with, for work.

that thanked you? The said supplier thanked me back.

you saw, in person? My sister.

that bought you something? Dad bought siopaos for us yesterday.

that made you laugh? The cast of 2 Days 1 Night, from when I was watching the show last night.

that you said you loved? I don’t remember. I think it was Kate since she helped me out with a favor.

that said they loved you? Hannah.

you flipped off? I haven’t whipped out the finger in a while, come to think of it.

you made a silly face at? Not a person, but Cooper.

that drove you somewhere? Dad was the driver for our Tagaytay trip.

WHAT was the last thing you...

touched? Aside from my keyboard, my vape pen.

threw? Cooper’s bowling pin squeak toy. He’s gotten a lot better at catching things with his mouth, so I’ve been throwing it a lot at him to continue training him.

ate? A caramel croissant.

drank? Coffee.

found stuck in your teeth? Haven’t had this happen to me in a while.

cooked? I’ve never tried cooking anything.

baked? Idk, maybe cookies 873984732842 years ago.

threw away/tossed out? The packet for the sauce that came with the siopao my dad bought.

bought? I made a purchase for 20 bags for a work thing, but only because I was assigned to do the whole correspondence with the supplier. My manager was the one who sent over the payment when the purchase was confirmed.

sold? I don’t think I’ve ever tried selling anything before.

took a photo of? Cooper hahaha. I had been dancing to a song and he was staring at me.

were frustrated with? Our internet provider when they cut off the connection last weekend.

broke? I’m not sure if I can say I broke it, but the adaptor for my phone charger finally gave up on me the other day. I’ve taken to borrowing my sister’s for now, since she says she “doesn’t use it a lot” anyway.

spilled? Some drops of coffee spilled out of my mug when I dumped several ice cubes in it.

tripped on? Kimi. He follows me evvvvvvverywhere, so I bump into him at least once a day.

kicked? I’m not really sure.

put batteries in? Haven’t had to use batteries in a while, either.

turned on? The Bluetooth on my laptop.

turned off? The electric fan last night since I found it loud.

wrote? Other than my answers to this survey, I’ve also been talking with Angela this morning over Messenger.

wrote on? Other than my phone/laptop, my journal.

cleaned? My glasses.

stuck up your nose??? My finger when a nostril itched recently.

WHERE was the last place you...

dined at? Ramen Nagi.

ordered something to go? I don’t do takeout deliveries, but the last thing I got for delivery was banh mi and iced Vietnamese coffee last week.

bought something? Facebook Marketplace.

cried? In the living room. I came across that viral video of a guy proposing to her girlfriend at a Taylor Swift concert, when he knelt at the exact moment Taylor sang “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring” from Love Story. It was such a sweet, classy, non-cringey public proposal and I allowed myself to be swept away by the cheesiness of it all, haha.

felt uncomfortable? Dining room table. I was sharing a story to my parents about work involving a guy and my mom asked me if I had a crush on him. My dad kind of snorted and said, “Her? Crush on a guy?” which told me he knew something was up re: my preferences lmao. They’ve never heard anything from me yet, so that made me feel awkward and I most especially didn’t want my mom to catch on to the question and suddenly put me in the hot seat.

drove to? Other than back home, I last drove to UPTC.

had an appointment at? Google Meet, hahaha.

went on vacation? Tagaytay.

hung out with a friend? Andi and I went to a Korean barbecue place at UPTC (again), but we also drove to UP after just to revisit the good old days of being in campus.

bought clothes? H&M in Feliz.

spent more than you had planned? Ramen Nagi. I had a couple of add-ons in my meal and I didn’t know their service fee was going to be quite high, so my final bill ended up being slightly more than the budget I planned out for that day.

saw a band/singer/musician perform? Late 2019. My ex and I stopped by a jazz bar and there was a live band playing.

WHEN was the last time you...

told someone 'I love you'? Last Friday.

cried? Last night.

laughed? This morning. Cooper was being silly around me and my dad, as always. This time he was unusually behaved when we let him out, and the bizarreness of it all made us so unsettled we ended up laughing.

left your home? Last Sunday. I might go out later, too.

drank a soda/pop? Early last year. There was Coke being served at an org event, and since I felt thirsty and there was no drinking fountain around I just said fuck it and drank the soda.

made your bed? Last night when I left my room to settle in the living room.

visited a doctor? May last year.

went to the emergency room? Other than when 23 years ago when I was born, I’ve never been brought to the emergency room.

kissed someone? September.

hugged someone? Mid-January.

prayed? Six years ago. Or maybe five; I can’t really tell when exactly I made it a point to stop for good.

worked out? Around a week ago. I’m thinking if I should keep at it or if I should just stop, seeing as I’m not willing to give up my favorite foods anyway lmao.

made a phone call? I tried to make a phone call to our internet provider last weekend.

answered a phone? The other evening when the landline rang.

had an argument? Two weeks ago, instigated by my mom as usual.

played a video game? I think 2-3 weeks ago when I got in the mood to play the Switch.

played a card game? Safe to say at least a couple of years ago.

played a board game? November when we suffered a power outage for two days and had nothing to do at home.

rode a bike? LOOOOOOOOL March. The lockdown had just started and I made plans to learn how to ride a bike, but those plans fell through as soon as they began.

fell on your butt? This doesn’t happen often.

took a shower? Last night.

took a bubble bath? I can’t even remember anymore; this is a rare occasion for me.

watched TV? I last watched a TV show in general last night, but I last watched something on an actual television last Sunday when my family watched a Sunday mass livestream.

saw a movie at a theater? December 2019.

ate fast food? I got Bonchon for my family last December, if I remember correctly. My dad had done a huge favor for me and I asked what I can do to repay it, and he said to just buy dinner for the 5 of us for that evening.

ordered a pizza? Last month.

made someone laugh? I’m not sure if I had made her laugh in real life, but Angela and I had a humorous conversation over chat earlier this morning.

sang? Few minutes ago.

played a musical instrument? Absolutely no clue.

read a book? Couple of weeks ago when my employer sent me this book on PR that I was asked to read in preparation for my meeting with Leah.

drove a car? Last Sunday.

went swimming? Think it may have been my Nasugbu trip with Angela, Sofie, and Gabie back in August 2019.

got a sunburn? Idk man, when I was 8? I stopped getting sunburns as I got older.

went to church or temple? The last Sunday in March before the lockdown started.

went shopping? I did my final around of Christmas shopping last month for friends I still had to give presents to.

drank alcohol? Sometime last month after my work shift, following back-to-back meetings with my least favorite client.

smoked a cigarette? Feb last year, I think. I don’t buy cigarettes of my own and I’m also a lot more watchful of my cigarette usage, so I haven’t been able to smoke since I haven’t been around a crowd who does. I mostly vape.

threw up? I last felt like throwing up back in May, but I haven’t actualy thrown up in at least a couple of years now.

had a headache? Just this Thursday.

had a cold? No idea.

had the flu? It wasn’t strictly the flu, but I was last sick in May.

had your hair cut? March last year.

dyed your hair? Never done it.

laughed so hard that you cried? It’s happened in at least the past couple of weeks, I’m sure.

#survey #surveys

4 notes · View notes

lelliefant · 5 years ago

Text

Spoiler Alert!

The following photo set includes images that contain spoilers for the Loki TV series.

We’ve got new behind-the-scenes photos from the Loki series set! You know what this means...

It’s Time for More of Lellie’s Wild Speculations Based on Minimal Footage!*

Goody!

Now...what have we here?

Observations:

Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) and an unknown character (played by Owen Wilson) are walking across a parking lot in the rain, surrounded by several uniformed soldiers or guards of some kind, who are wearing helmets and body armor. Owen’s character wears a raincoat and Loki wears a short rain jacket that does not cover his legs, so his pants are totally soaked in the rain.

Loki’s jacket and pants are the same beige as the shirt he wore in the Super Bowl ad for Disney+ that came out earlier this year, where he was in a jail cell of some sort and apparently wearing a prison uniform.

(Opinion: Loki would normally not be caught dead wearing beige. )

Both Owen’s coat and Loki’s jacket appear to have the orange TVA (Time Variance Authority) insignia on their chests.

In some of the shots, Tom/Loki has his hands in his pockets, and in others he has his hands gripped together in front of him.

In some of the shots you can see that the soldiers are holding some kind of stick or wand, rather than guns.

In some of the shots, the soldiers are laughing and smiling.

In all of the shots, the soldiers are somewhat scattered, rather than walking in tight formation around Loki.

There appears to be a massive shopping cart in the background to the right of the group, along with one of those cart stalls you see outside the grocery store. By “massive,” I mean the cart appears to be at least six feet tall, unless the size is a trick of the camera’s telephoto lens.

Speculations:

This scene takes place on Earth, in the parking lot of a strip mall or big box store where shopping carts are used. (I’m going to assume the oversized shopping cart behind Loki in one of the photos is a trick of the camera lens.)

The scene takes place within the last 30 or so years of history—since those stalls for shopping carts in the parking lot weren’t invented until the ‘70s or ‘80s. (People used to walk their empty carts back into the store themselves.) Or the scene could take place in the next few decades ahead of us, before shopping carts and cart corrals become obsolete for some reason or another (like, robots do all the household shopping?).

I think some of these photos show the actual scene while it’s being filmed, but others do not. The shots in which the soldiers are laughing may be from a rehersal or other off-camera preparation. (I would not expect military troops to smile and laugh while they should be on alert.)

The soldiers surrounding Owen and Tom are TVA troops. (If you look closely at the ones in back of the group, you can see the beige TVA outfits under their body armor.)

Those funky wands the troopers are holding are their weapons. The wands could be electric shockers or ray guns, but I would expect something a little more unusual. Like, maybe they can use those wands to freeze time in a selected area or something like that.

Owen’s character appears to be a senior TVA official or authority of some kind. He is definitely with the TVA.

I speculate that Loki is voluntarily leading Owen’s character and the troopers to something hidden somewhere inside the mall/shopping center.

The troopers are not guarding Loki closely (as the SHIELD troops guarded him on the helicarrier in Avengers1). Their more relaxed formation seems to indicate they do not see Loki as a threat. They are probably primarily a protective escort for Owen’s character—not there to restrain Loki.

Since Tom is gripping his hands together in front of him in some of the shots, Loki may be wearing handcuffs. However, I’m guessing he’s not, because he has his hands in his pockets in other shots.

I think Loki is cooperating with the TVA, but he is not actually a TVA agent, as some have already suggested. For one thing, Loki is not a team player. He is an agent of chaos. He would revel in the disorder the TVA is trying to control. On top of that, Loki is a prince and a god. Can you imagine him working—for a boss—at some agency?

Knowing Loki, he is probably working with the TVA here because they have something he needs/wants, and vice-versa. Loki will not hesitate to turn on them if necessary.

I think the TVA have some sort of technology that prohibits Loki’s magic—otherwise they would not have been able to incarcerate him in the scene from the Disney+ Super Bowl ad. (That said, it’s always possible Loki was pretending to be captured for his own reasons—as in Avengers1.)

If the TVA is able to restrict Loki’s magic, that would explain why Loki is wearing those hideous beige clothes that appear to be standard-issue TVA gear—when we know he would prefer to wear a Gucci suit. If Loki had his powers I think he’d dress himself differently. In any case, Loki is incognito, masquerading in human clothing rather than wearing his Asgardian armor (except in one noteworthy photo, which I’ll come back to).

Maybe Loki’s threat of “burning the place to the ground” (from the Disney+ Super Bowl ad) was idle—he really was captured and powerless in the scene from that clip (and probably pissed about it). So, he had to find another way to get out of jail. Maybe he struck a bargain with the TVA to get them something they want or to show them something important.

What might the TVA want that they can’t get themselves? If they can go anywhere, at any time they want, nothing is inaccessible to them—as long as they know where it might exist at any point in time.

For example, if the TVA wants to stop a bomb from going off in a shopping mall, they could go back to anytime the bomber was making the bomb or setting it up. If they want to prevent an assassination on the President, they could capture the assassin at any point in his lifetime. The TVA would have extraordinary power over the universe.

Suppose what the TVA wants is the Tesseract. Remember, in Endgame, Loki took it out of it’s proper place in time/space, creating an alternate reality. The TVA—an organization that tries to control time anomalies—probably didn’t like this. Perhaps the existence of Loki’s timeline threatens the regular time-space continuum. Suppose the TVA needs to secure the Tesseract in order to end or eliminate Loki’s alternate timeline.

What if the TVA was chasing Loki and managed to capture him—but not the Tesseract? Maybe Loki stashed it...in a shopping mall, of all places. Maybe Loki convinced the TVA to let him go in exchange for bringing them to the Tesseract.

I would think that normally the TVA could just find a good place in the timeline to take the Tesseract from Loki—but none of this is occurring in the normal timeline. We’re in Loki’s timeline, which isn’t supposed to exist. Perhaps the TVA can’t travel or see forward in Loki’s timeline. This stands to reason because Loki’s timeline is uncharted territory. It should not be, so the normal rules of time and space don’t apply. (What a perfectly chaotic environment for the God of Mischief!)

It looks to me that the time travel in the Loki series will happen through the use of whatever technology the TVA uses—not through the Time Stone (Infinity Stone).

So, in this scene, Loki has to work with the TVA to win his freedom and get his powers back, while the TVA needs to work with Loki to get the Tesseract. But their interests probably sharply diverge from there. The TVA will probably be trying to eliminate Loki’s alternate timeline because they can’t control it. Meanwhile, Loki will be trying to keep it going because if the timeline ceases to exist, so does this version of Loki—unless he can escape into the regular timeline first. Thus, both parties will be struggling for power over the Tesseract while racing to stop or save the alternate timeline.

Finally, there’s this:

Confirmation of a Lady Loki! She is definitely wearing Loki’s Asgardian armor. I can’t wait to see how she fits into all of this! If she appears in this particular scene in the parking lot, which seems likely, I imagine Loki gets his powers back during the scene.

Or all of these ideas could be completely incorrect. Once again, these are just my wild speculations, based only on these new photos and my problematic knowledge base on MCU Loki.

I’m working through some further theories regarding time travel in Loki’s timeline, but they’re still simmering. I’ll share them if they wind up making any sense!

Special thanks to Torrilla for sharing these photos from the Loki series shoot!

*Note: Lelliefant’s speculations are sometimes uncannily correct but occasionally way, way off base. Lelliefant claims no responsibility for any lost bets or dsmaged otherwise incurred by Tumblr readers, stans, or mutuals resulting from adherence to the aforementioned speculations.

#spoiler alert!#Loki series #new footage #behind the scenes #loki #tom hiddleston #marvel #mcu #disney+#loki series #Owen Wilson #Loki series spoilers #wild speculation #via torrilla #hiddlestoners #loki’s army

87 notes · View notes

too-many-baes · 5 years ago

Text

Who Needs Prom

Pairing: fem!reader x Peter Maximoff

Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 2.2K

Summary/Request: Work colleagues and mutual crushes at X Mansion, Peter and you both manage to skip out of chaperoning for prom. You get to talking and discover Peter never went to prom, so you do your best to make it up to him. - by @evanpeters-petermaximoff

A/N: Once again big thanks to my darling for sending me another BOMB request. This was just such a cute request and I swear I had just like the goofiest grin on my face the whole time I was writing it. I don’t think I’m the best at writing dialogue, so sorry this one is pretty much just that P.S. Sorry it took me a gazillion years to get it up. Hope y’all enjoy!

The room is quiet, the halls empty. The only sound filling the room is you rustling around in the pantry, scavenging what you can while no one’s around to catch you in the act. You smile at your find, a box of chocolate covered Oreos, tucking them under your arm as you continue your search.

A little part of you wishes that X Mansion could be like this more often, quiet and serene to match the buildings grand exterior. You shake your head slightly at yourself, knowing that you don’t really wish that at all. You love the usually loud halls, the roaring voices and constant murmur reminding you that you’re privileged enough to work somewhere that provides a safe place where mutant teens feel free and happy.

In a regular school the mutants would be the solemn and removed ones, too scared of causing a scene or being discovered to do anything but keep their heads down. Not here. Here those same kids laugh, a laughter free of care and worry. Being a teacher at such a place fills you with immeasurable pride, knowing you’re making a positive impact on their lives.

Goodies carefully nestled under your arm and feeling triumphant you head down the hallway to your room. You’d barely sat down on your bed and opened the box when a loud gust of air immediately followed by rapid knocks at your door signifies the arrival of your favourite co-worker.

“Hello Peter” you greet in synchronisation with you opening the door, the silver haired boy leaning against the bannister opposite your room.

“That’s not fair, how’d you guess?” He says as he enters your room and plonks himself in the dead centre of your bed, brushing past you and increasing your heart rate unknowingly in the process. No matter how many times Peter has come into your room, the sight of him on your bed always makes you feel like a school girl with her first crush. Absolutely ridiculous, you’d scolded yourself more times than you can count, you’re a teacher, he’s a teacher. You’re too old for sillly crushes.

“What is this?” Peter asks with a gasp, holding up the open but uneaten box of Oreos accusatorily. “A whole box and you weren’t even going to share.” You raise an eyebrow at him, prompting him to swiftly grab several chocolate coated biscuits from within.

“Hey!” You rush to your bedside, leaning to grab your prized box as he holds it out of reach, “I found those fair and square!” Try as you might you can’t reach the cookies, Peter having longer limbs than you.

“Oh doesn’t feel nice when someone doesn’t share does it?” He asks teasingly. Throwing your hands up in defeat you sit on your mattress directly beside him, resting your back on the wall behind. His amusement ending with your defeat, he reluctantly places the now half finished box between the both of you.

Neither of you speak as you enjoy your chocolate treat and the increased beating of your heart. You’d have assumed your veins would be accustomed to Peter’s presence by now, but every time their increasing speed of moving blood around your body proves you wrong.

If you’d known each other when you were teenagers you’re sure things would have already played out differently, when you were more flirty and confident, unafraid to make a move and make your intentions known. Things are different now, you’re older and less inclined to take frivolous risks. In favour of keeping the work place as free from awkward encounters as possible you had chosen not to act on your school girl crush for now. No matter how much you wanted to.

“So”, you begin after you’d helped demolish the box, “what’d you do to weasel your way out of chaperoning?” As you spoke the entire student body were at the large hall that had been hired to host prom. This was the first year you and Peter were working together that one was held. Having been made to attend the previous ones, you wondered how he managed to evade attending his very first one.

“You really think Professor X would trust me at a glorified party without joining in?” He queries with a quirked brow, eliciting a laugh in agreeance from you. “What about you? Would’ve thought prom would’ve been your thing.” You tilt your head and furrow your brows in confusion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You question light-heartedly, earning a disbelieving look from him.

“Oh c’mon, a girl like you? I’m sure you were prom queen five years running.” You let out a hearty laugh while you try to disguise the blush that crept its way on your cheeks with his words.

“You couldn’t be more wrong actually,” you disagree, “I was pretty forgettable in high school.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Just like the blush that had almost dissipated came flooding back brighter than before at his kind words and eyes that rested on your face.

“Okay then Mr. Class Clown”, you change the subject to bring some normalcy to your features, “what were you doing at prom? Spiking the punch bowl I bet.” Oh how wrong your joke was.

“I was never even at one.” You couldn’t keep the shock off your face which made Peter laugh lightly at you.

“Not a single one?” Your shock even more evident in your voice than it is on your face. He shakes his head, a smile at your surprise still present. “Why not?”

“I don’t know really. I didn’t get on with a lot of the kids at school and I guess I didn’t think it was important”, ending his sentence with a dismissive shrug.

“Do you regret it?” He thought on your question for a minute before answering.

“Yea… I think I do.” While you weren’t the prom queen Peter had predicted, you had always gone with a group of your friends. The photos and memories you have of those nights you cherish, the fact Peter couldn’t share in that saddened you for him indescribably. You’re sure he would have loved it. Laughing, clowning around, slow dancing… Slow dancing. That gave you an idea. You perk up instantly, tucking your feet excitedly under your body as you turn to face him.

“Peter, where’s your Walkman?” He seems confused, but like a puppy with other puppies he latches on to your excitement.

“In my room.” He ends with an upwards inflection as if it was a question.

“Go grab it.” Your hair flies around your face as you blink, seeing a seemingly unmoved Peter, but now his portable cassette player was firmly in hand. This time you all but leap from the bed, grasping Peter’s free hand in your own as you tug him out of your room.

“Where are we going?” He struggles to get his sentence out amidst his excited laughter.

“To the lake now c’mon.” You tug his hand even tighter with your last word. Unexpectedly he yanks back, briefly making you collide with his chest, effectively stilling your movement.

“I know how we can get there quicker.” You remind yourself to breathe as he quickly and firmly wraps his arms around your middle. “Hold on tight”, he speaks in your hair. You’re pretty sure you know what’s coming so you close your eyes as a precaution. One minute you were in the halls in the X-Mansion, the next you’re at the aforementioned lake separating yourself from Peter and gasping for air. Your empty lungs, while still to do with Peter, were not merely down to his presence or words alone this time.

“Sorry, it’s a bit jarring the first few times.” Eventually you settle yourself enough that you can stand up straight once more. You finally allow yourself to take in your surroundings as Peter was already doing. The lake usually shrouded with students was completely void of anyone barring you and Peter. The water rippled occasionally in the light breeze and the moon cast its beams upon it. Looking at the picturesque view before you it was almost like being in a Van Gogh painting, although you preferred your reality that included the speedster beside you.

“Set it up to start at the next song.” You motion with your head at the Walkman. He obliges, taking only a second before a genuinely innocent smile crosses his face. He hands you the right earbud, the left already taken by him.

“Haven’t worn through these ones just yet huh?” You ask, still smiling from his previous gesture which had made you notice he was using the headphones you’d gifted him. It was his birthday not all that long ago, you’d wanted to get him something so he knew you were thinking of him but you’d struggled finding an item that fit. Eventually you’d chosen the white headphones before you now, as the packet had guaranteed the buds would stay put while exercising. Perfect for a man that never stops doing just that.

“I think they’re the best ones I’ve ever had.” The music was quiet, probably due to the fact you were both restricted to one earbud. You reach over and increase the volume a couple of notches, the melody to one of your favourite songs filling your ears. It was slow too, perfect to dance to. You start swaying, but only just so it was noticeable. Peter gazes at you, watching you shift your weight from foot to foot in time with the song. Tentatively you take one of his hands in yours, holding it out to the side.

“Usually when music’s playing people dance.” Your joking probe breaks him of his momentary trance. Clipping the Walkman to his belt his places a delicate hand upon your waist, your free one laying upon his shoulder. You both sway like awkward teens making you realise you were giving him much more of an authentic prom experience than what you had thought you could. In Peter’s soft gaze your nerves dissolve more and more with every word sung in your ear. You get the courage to release his hand in favour of wrapping your arms around his neck, him following suit and encircling your waist.

If I had a box just for wishes

And dreams that had never come true

Jim Croce’s voice is melodic, it fills the moonlit air around you with a magic only the two of you could feel.

The box would be empty

Except for the memory

If you had a choice you’d stay in this moment forever, just you, Peter, the moon and his Walkman.

Of how they were answered by you

As answered by the very song you were listening to you just couldn’t, time would always slip away from you, no matter how much you wanted to cling to it in the hopes of eternalising this precious moment.

“Y/N?” He takes your unflinching eye contact as a response, and with a sudden confidence he leans in, capturing your waiting lips in a chaste kiss.

But there never seems to be enough time

To do the things you want to do

Once you find them

You thought Peter was done stealing the air from your lungs but his lips moving away from yours proves you wrong. He rests his forehead on yours, close enough that the breath he stole could dance against your face.

I've looked around enough to know

That you're the one I want to go

Through time with

The final notes of the song float through your ears. When it finishes neither of you can move, almost glued to one another. Maybe it was the moon, or the music that put magic in the air. Whatever it was you never wanted it to relinquish its hold on the both of you.

“Everything in my life is fast Y/N, I have trouble slowing down”, he announces seemingly out of the blue. You reluctantly move your forehead away from his to get a better look in his eyes, gently playing with the hair at the back of his neck. “No matter how fast, you’re the one I want to go through time with.”

If anybody else on planet Earth had spoken those words to you you’d have rolled your eyes, maybe even laughed right at them. The man in front of you was the only exception to that rule. He could make dirty words sound pretty, and he could turn cliché ones into poetry handwritten for your ears only.

The smile on your face is contagious, his lips mirroring your own while you search for the right words to say. How do you even tell him how you feel? He summed it up so perfectly that any words you could think to use seem feeble in comparison.

“Really?” is the only word that manages to make it past your teeth, leaving Peter to smile at you and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

“I had no idea how to tell you, I’ve been too nervous.” You’re surprised at his words, you’d never have pegged Peter as one for nerves. “Apparently all I needed was prom.” Peter reaches down long enough to restart Time in a Bottle.

“Just once more” was the biggest lie told all night. That song played over and over, leaving you both in that magic moment you wanted to hold on to.

This was no prom. You had no chaperones, no curfew, no rules you had to follow. You’re both adults, making your own rules as you go. You had to silently disagree with Peter on one point though.

He didn’t need prom, neither did you. Prom paled in comparison to tonight.

305 notes · View notes

danetobelieve · 4 years ago

Text

Tech-tonic Shift || Dave and Winston

When: week beginning 12/07 or so Who: @seizethecarpe & @danetobelieve Where: the station and etc. Summary: Dave brings Winston some technology that they found at the beach. Warnings: content warnings for death discussion, some slight description of gore and the like

Winston was actually starting to be able to do their job again. They’d taken the week off after Bea’s resurrection, mainly because all the tech around them had immediately gone haywire. After a week it hadn’t really been that workable but Winston had barely been in the job a week and taking an extended period of time off was hardly ideal. Things had improved vastly since then. A knock at the door however dragged them from their thoughts and Winston looked up from the array of monitors they’d been given as part of their new role. Honestly, one of the reasons that Winston enjoyed their work so much was the cool stuff they got to work with. Obviously this wasn’t all top of the line, but then again it was a ‘sleepy’ backwater town in Maine. Looking up, Winston spotted officer Redwood. “Hey Winston, there’s a guy here to see you, found some tech on the beach or something … seems more your area then ours?” Winston honestly wasn’t sure that it was, but when it came to anything with anymore then a six inch screen they were usually the one who ended up doing it. Apparently things hadn’t changed with the new job. Which was fine. “Sure, I’m happy to take a look at it.” Winston held the door open and spotted someone almost exactly there height. “Hi, my names Winston Dane, I’m a forensic technician here, you had something you’d brought in?”

Sometimes the end of the hunt wasn’t a successful kill, but the hope of closure. Dave knew a thing or two about that. Some days he woke up with nothing but the desire to feel the fury’s neck tear under his teeth, and sometimes he was too worn to want anything but the chance to say goodbye. Figured it was the same for everyone else, so when he’d heard rumbles of a beach that was the site of a number of disappearances he’d had to explore it. When he saw some seals hauled up and untouched, it looked all kinds of friendly to him, even with the broken down warning signs. But when he’d had a real walk, he’d begun finding them. Bits of sunglasses here, phones there. After an hour's walk on the beach, he’d found some things worth salvaging. Things that had been spit back out after. Some of it was beyond rescue, some of it wasn’t, but hell, maybe there was someone who would want them back. And hell, Dave had no idea what people could do with tech these days. So he’d brought the whole batch over to the WCPD. When he was finally directed to the person who could help, he offered them a wide hand to shake. “Dave Herring. I was having a walk on one of them beaches that no one sunbathes on, and found all of these ipods and kindles and I don’t know what kinda gizmos. I was told you might be able to help me get them to the right persons.”

Honestly, when Winston had started their day today (with coffee as usual) they hadn’t expected this. But it was certainly an interesting problem. Winston paused for a moment as they considered what this guy was saying. “Okay Dave, cool to meet you…” Winston glanced at the man opposite them before pulling up a chair and taking another one for themselves. “I don’t know if you’ve got all of that stuff with you, but the best way to do it would probably to see if we can work out who they belong to and then I can try and get in contact with them and let them know that you found them and returned them. I’m sure they’ll be really grateful, it’s really nice of you to bring these up.” Winston found that it was less nerve wracking talking to people in a professional capacity then it was when they were in a social environment. “Which beach did you find these at?” Winston asked, curious as to why there was such a great variety of items just being abandoned on a beach.

“As a matter’o fact, I do,” Dave replied, swinging a rough looking tackle bag from his back, that he hadn’t updated since at least the eighties. Why replace what you could stitch and fix back together? ‘Specially when things these days weren’t made to last. Piece by piece, he picked out the salvaged tech, sand grains sticking to each piece. No matter how battered each individual thing was, he set it down on this young Dane’s desk with careful reverence. Some of these things likely had photos of the people that had lost them, and maybe answers too. “Uh, the one just south of Vicker’s beach.”

“Oh, wow, cool.” Winston was pretty sure that the bag that Dave had used to bring the proverbial goodies into Winston was older then they were. However, they weren’t going to complain. At least he had thought to have the good sense to bring them in at all, which was more then most people. Apparently that fact was more true on the one just south of Vicker’s beach. Winston was pretty sure that there was a veritable plethora of iPods (there was an old nano, an iPod classic, two iPod shuffles and four iPod touches), several phones, a couple of kindles and a few other versions of e-readers, an iPad and what looked like the very battered remains of a Alienware laptop. Winston pulled on a set of gloves and glanced at the tech. “You weren’t kidding, this is really a lot of stuff. Weird that people would just leave this all behind, I guess the first thing to do is clean them all up as best I can, then get them charged and see if I can access them.” Winston looked up at Dave. “This is gonna take me a while Dave, can you come back in like a few days or something and I can let you know what sort of progress I’ve made?”

“Sure thing,” Dave said, slinging the worn canvas bag back onto his back, looking at the random assortments he’d left on the technician’s desk. Hoped this Dane person would be able to find their homes, even if their owners were long gone. Plucking his sunglasses from his shirt pocked, Dave nodded his head, and headed out. No point in lingering to waste anyone here’s time.

-------

Several days’d passed, and Dave’d eventually made the trip back to the station to see where the electronic detective had gotten with all them gizmos. He’d done another pass of the beach in the mean time, running his fingers through the sand, but nothing new had surfaced. But sand beaches could swallow and unearth their secrets at any time and maybe he’d found all the big things on his first round. Maybe he wasn’t the only one patrolling the beach for little treasure treats. All the same, he was quickly directed back to Dane’s office, and knocked politely, summer hat clasped in his hands.

Winston had been working on the lost items as much as possible. Finding all the various charging cables had been challenging in itself. Of the gizmos that had been brought into Winston, a good proportion of them would need repairs to hardware before they could be recharged. A few had broken screens which made accessing them difficult. The rest worked to varying degrees. Spotting Dave knocking at the door to their office, Winston pulled it open and ushered him in. “Hey, welcome back Dave, you want a drink or anything …” they weren’t sure if Police Station Coffee would be to Dave’s taste but it was polite to offer, “You didn’t find anymore tech did you?” Winston asked, a little concerned about the amount of it that was apparently turning up.

“Nah, I’m alright, thanks all the same,” Dave replied, waving away any such coffee request as he stepped inside. He set his bag down, and pulled out a quarter of some old kindle, and what had once been the motherboard of some kind of smart phone. “Ain’t too sure you’ll get any use out of these. It’s just that one shore, though. You’ll find trash anywhere, but just whole things abandoned on this one.”

“Sure, it’s cool, the coffee here sucks,” Winston raised an eyebrow at the scraps that Dave had brought in. “I’ll take a look at them if it’s all the same to you, I don’t really know what I might be able to do with it. You never know what you might be able to pull off of something, even if there’s no way to access any of the data that was once there forensics can get a lot. I’m always … surprised by it.” Winston paused for a second. “Anyway, I’ve managed to get into one of the phones, it’s one of the newer models actually and the lady who owned it had a pretty good case on it. It was just scratched up really.” Winston pulled a evidence bag towards them and turned it over so Dave could see the phone inside. “It’s belongs to a lady called Elaine Thompson, she lived here in town, is a retired lawyer apparently. When I matched the phone to her I realised that there is a missing persons report attached to it. Elaine went missing in February of this year.”

“Ha, noted,” Dave replied with a laugh. “Not much of a coffee guy myself, but I’ll keep that in mind.” The caffeine gave him headaches as often as not these days, heavy pounding ones not worth the kickstart to the morning he promised. Besides, sleep was the one thing in his life he had complete control of. He slid the little pieces onto Winston’s desk. “Yeah, you;d know better’n me.” When Dane said they’d found something, he perked right up, clasping his hand behind his back and leaning over the phone. “Shit. That aint good. This here uh beach I found this all on, it had a couple broken signs, saying it wasn’t all that safe to stay there too long. Wonder if maybe all this has somethin’ to do with that.”

Winston was not convinced that there was such a thing as someone who wasn’t a coffee guy. They themselves lived off of the stuff. Sometimes to an unhealthy level. However, that was hardly important compared to the other problem at hand. Dave seemed concerned by the news, however it was nothing compared to the concern that Winston themselves felt at the fact that they had been found in an area with broken signs warning about a hazard. “Okay, that sounds like bad news,” Winston wondered whether this was a coincidence. Maybe Elaine had simply wandered onto the beach and something terrible had happened. They were almost praying that this wasn’t supernaturally related. “I’ve got a map of White Crest’s coastline, can you show me where on the map this area is?” Winston pulled up the map on an iPad and handed Dave a stylus, “You can just draw onto the screen, if you use your fingers to like drag the map to where you want, then you can you know … draw with the pen thing.” Why would they call it a pen thing? “Anyway, if there were signs here we should definitely get someone to check it out properly.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Dave agreed, sitting in the seat opposite Winston’s desk. He’d expected them to pick up a physical map, but instead he was handed an iPad and a stylus. Hell, Dave had only made the switch to a touchscreen phone three years ago, and was constantly typing the wrong buttons, clicking on things that he oughtn’t and getting lost through ads that looked like links on the website and dragged him some place else. The moment he took the iPad, he accidentally clicked the homescreen button. “Uh,” he said, gesturing for Winston to refind all of it. Once they had, Dave was more cautious, poking the screen in short bursts until he got to the area south of Vicker’s, using the pen, he cautiously drew a bubble around the beach in question.

“Awesome,” Winston dropped slowly into the seat next to Dave’s, watching them carefully pick up the iPad. There were some set backs but that was to be expected and Winston had seen much worse. Some of the older members of staff in the station didn’t know the difference between a fax machine and a printer, many of them were convinced that faxes were the optimum method of transferring information too. “Don’t worry, happens to the best of us.” Winston watched Dave mark out the area before taking several screenshots and sending them off to the relevant people within the station. “Some officers are going to meet us down there, but you’ve actually … you know been out to this beach and gotten there relatively unscatched, do you think you could show us the areas you found everything and we can set up some method of monitoring it so we can work out why this is happening…?”

“Hmmm,” Was all Dave had to say to that. He was happy just fine with his laptop from 2010 and a phone with a case thick enough it could be mistaken for a brick. This was not his expertise. At Dane’s suggestion, he nodded, although he had a bad feeling about it right deep in his gut. “Ain’t too hard to get to, it just seems dangerous to stay on.” With plenty of signs of danger on all ends. It wasn’t even one of the beaches with the more dangerous waves nor riptides. “Anyhow, I’m here to help, however that might be. Just letting you know I’m new to town. Don’t know much of anything about the beaches yet.”

“Well, welcome to White Crest, I’m sorry that this was one of your first experiences of the town, it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.” Winston being one of the key culprits for that particular crime. “If you’re free now we might as well go check it out now, officer Redwood has volunteered to drive us down to the beach,” which was good because Winston didn’t think that they should be having anyone in their terrible piece of shit car within any sort of work capacity, “so if you’re happy to join us then we can get going straight away. Hopefully this won’t take too much of your time.”

“Sure am,” Dave replied, dropping his hands to his thighs and pushing against his knees to stand up again. “No time like the present.” Not long after, there was officer Redwood, whose hand Dave shook too, and they were lead to the car. Dave gave directions to the beach, and they were soon on their way. As Officer Redwood pulled up, Dave scanned the waters. Shrinking tides, and with the sunny sky, the water wasn’t that violent either. In all things, it seemed a perfect beach day, but the beach was near empty of people. Everyone either avoided it or somethin’ worse was causing the gap. “See here. Sign’s barely even legible, completely rotted through.” He pointed it out, nudging it with his boot

The sea wind swept through Winston’s hair and slowly dried out their lips. Winston squinted into the sun through their glasses and couldn’t help but wish that they had brought their sunglasses with them. Looking down at what was a truly rotten sign, Winston couldn’t help but wonder what was up with this place. “That’s really weird,” Winston crouched down and pulled the remains of a large red sign that had once given a warning of some kind from the wet sand. “Did you see other signs like this … ?” Winston had to admit that it was weird to them, they weren’t sure what it was, but there was something off about this that didn’t quite add up, Winston took a step towards the beach.

“Yeah, one down on the south end. Doesn’t seem to matter that you can’t seem them though, for a sand beach it sure is empty,” Dave said, looking out along the beach. He’d been wrong. There was one man, lying on a striped blue beach towel, flicking on his phone. David frowned, looking around the rest of the beach. Instinctively, he raised his hand in front of Winston, because while he knew he’d walked it fine, people didn’t avoid such a pretty place for nothing. “Careful now. Sure those signs are there for a reason.”

Spotting the man lying on the beach towel Winston was about to say something to them and was making their way over when Dave’s hand rose in front of them. “Broken signs and an empty beach,” Winston wasn’t sure whether or not this was really true, but they were almost certain that there was something going on here that was supernatural, it didn’t make sense for this to be something … mundane, and yet there was definitely something weird going on here, “that doesn’t seem weird at all.” Swallowing, Winston looked at the man on the beach, was he beginning to sink a little or were they seeing things? “Is he getting lower…?”

“I don’t have the faintest-” Dave turned back to the beach with a frown. Winston was right, the man was sinking, slowly at first. He didn’t seem to realise, but as Dave began to move, the man began to yell. Dave dropped his things and sprinted across the beach. Ignoring the police altogether, he grabbed the man’s arm, and tried to yank him back out. He came far too easily, so much so that Dave fell back from how hard he yanked. Only, the only thing he’d rescued was an arm dripping blood. “What the fuck.” He began to dig through the sand where the man had been, frantically throwing sand behind him as he dug his hands deeper and deeper, but as most when he reached the water logged sand, it smelled like iron, but he couldn’t quite see how blood soaked and red it truly was.

What happened next would’ve been perfectly placed within a horror movie, Winston saw the man sinking, they tried to move with Dave as he went to help the sunbather but they weren’t nearly as quick or spry as their older companion. Darting after Dave, Winston was gasping for breath and had half a mind to reach for their inhaler and then they saw the hand that was in Dave’s possession. “Okay, fuck, off the sand now.” Winston wasn’t giving an option here, they could look for the man all that they wanted but from the arm that had been left behind and the red splodge of blood soaking into the water and dirt around them, Winston doubted there was anything left to look for. “I think he’s gone Dave,” they swallowed as the Officers that they had come here with looked at one another as if they should be doing something but weren’t sure what, “we need to get back to the station and cordon this place off but first we need to get out of the sand.”

After a long pause, Dave nodded, pressing his bloodied hands against his knees to push himself standing upright. He was breathing heavily, his lungs protesting the exertion. “Think you’re right, Dane. Alright, let’s go.” Pressing a hand to his side, he followed them off the sands, still holding the arm in his hand, it dripping blood onto the sand as they returned back to the embankment. “Don’t understand a thing. I walked that beach for hours last week. Ain’t seen nothing like this.”

Pursing their lips at the scene that they had just witnessed, Winston couldn’t help but worry about all of the people who could’ve been hurt like this. They weren’t sure what they had just seen. Honestly, it didn't really make any sense to them. They had seen things that could do this, but they were always physical things. Not entire pieces of land. Apparently previous signs hadn’t been successful but they had to do something. “I don’t get it either, but I’m going to look into it, I don’t think it was entirely natural and whatever it is that can do something like that is beyond me.” Winston paused for a second longer and frowned. What was different about Dave if he had been able to comb the beach without getting harmed. “We’re missing something and as soon as we find out what we can actually do something about it.”

#wickedswriting #para #p: dave #chatzy para #chatzy #tech-tonic shift

10 notes · View notes

jarienn972 · 5 years ago

Text

A Simple Spell - Chapter Nine

A Captain Swan Supernatural Summer Tale

It is still technically Monday here as I’m finally finished editing the latest chapter for my @cssns story. I'm going to preface this chapter with a couple of warnings though. First, this chapter ran really long. Like over 5K words long (sorry). There's a lot of action that takes place in a short span of time so rather than make it too choppy, I just allowed the sections to flow. Second is a trigger warning for a mildly violent scene that closes the chapter. It's not graphic but if it isn't your thing, the events will be explained in the next chapter.

I also want to thank @lassluna for all of her beta assistance in keeping me on track and to @cocohook38 for her amazing artwork!

So, now we're going to pick up right where we left off: Emma has just gotten an earful about her family history from Mr. Gold and took possession of the items her mother sold to the shady pawnbroker years earlier. She's anxious to see what's there, hoping she'll discover what drove her mother away.

Read from the beginning on Tumblr: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight AO3 FF.net

Her first cup of Granny's super-strength blend coffee was nearly drained before Emma remembered the primary reason she'd come here - food. An angry growl from her gut served as a staunch reminder so she immediately flagged Ruby over to the corner booth in the rear of the diner and ordered a plate of scrambled eggs and wheat toast with butter. Ruby delivered the order to the kitchen and returned to warm up Emma's coffee while she waited for her breakfast to be prepared. The bubbly waitress tried to make a little bit of small talk, but it was obvious that her deputy friend was quite distracted.

Emma had wasted little time perusing her mother's long-hidden belongings. The moment she'd slid into the isolated booth, she had set the two unexamined books to the side, deciding to delve into the mysterious cardboard box first. She anxiously peeled away the layers of clear packaging tape, wishing she'd brought a pocket knife with her because the butter knife on the table wasn't particularly helpful. Once the tape was finally off, she unfolded the flaps, eager to discover what lay within.

Leaning over the box to get a better view of the contents, she could now see that they were mostly unsurprising. There was a porcelain figurine that didn't appear particularly valuable, two large crystals that appeared to be either quartz or amethyst (if she had to guess) and some jewelry. She'd not gotten very far in her study of crystals and the role they played in witchcraft but she knew they'd likely been highly prized at one time due to their quality.

She lifted both crystals from the box, realizing that they accounted for most of the box's weight and that they were mesmerizingly beautiful. The faceted sides were sharp and the clarity was nearly flawless. She doubted Gold had given her mother anything near their value but now they were hers and Emma intended to treasure them and their power.

For now though, she placed them atop the books so she could examine the various pieces of jewelry which consisted of a beaded bracelet, two rings and a cameo pendant with a gold chain. She picked up the two rings first seeing that one was a very heavy gold man's ring topped with a large, bezel-set garnet and the second was a squared off silver ring with inlaid onyx. She couldn't begin to speculate on the stories behind the two rings or how they'd ended up in this box, but there was no doubt that they were expensive.

Dropping the rings back inside the cardboard box, she brought out the bracelet and pendant next. The bracelet was strung with alternating round onyx and gold tone beads and was held together with a golden clasp. It was pretty, but Emma didn't sense that it was anything special. She last turned her attention to the pendant which featured a cameo carved from mother of pearl that still possessed some of its original luster even after all of these years. As she held it in her hand, she found that there was a seam running all around the oval pendant, discovering that it was a locket.

Her thumbnail found the tiny latch on the right hand side and as she flicked it, a tiny gasp escaped from her mouth when the halves fell open. One side of the locket housed a miniature photograph of their family - a photo that had probably been taken not long after Emma's birth as she was just a tiny infant cradled in her mother's arms. A tear started to well in her eye as she stared at the images of her father's smiling face and the goofy grin on the young, tow-headed David. Unless they'd been faking it well, this was a picture-perfect image of a happy family.

So what had gone wrong?

Remembering that she was in public, Emma placed all of the items back inside the box and closed up the flaps before she became an emotional mess. She took a moment to glance over the books before her food arrived, finding that one was a history of witchcraft in New England - probably a good read for later but nothing that was drawing that personal attachment like the objects in the box had. The second one was far more interesting though - leather-bound and sealed with a clasp that was locked. Was this a journal or diary of some kind?

Temptation loomed to open the leather-bound volume right away, but Emma wisely decided against it just as Ruby plopped a plate in front of her. "Breakfast is served," the giddy waitress announced with a gesture towards the diner's entrance, "but isn't that your friend over there?"

Emma glanced up from her stash of goodies that were spread all over the table, feeling her cheeks flushing as she noticed the man about to enter the restaurant. "Oh, yeah, it is," she responded as she hurriedly stacked the box and books to make more room on the table top. "I was hoping he'd join me for breakfast after we ran into each other outside Gold's shop."

"Well then, I'll bring another mug and a full pot of coffee for the two of you," Ruby offered with a sly wink. "I'm sure the two of you would like a bit of privacy…"

"It's just breakfast, Rubes," Emma reminded her friend, shaking her head as Walsh stepped through the doorway. He craned his neck, scanning the room to see where Emma was seated as she waved to him and shooed Ruby back to the kitchen.

"I'm glad you were able to make it," Emma greeted him as he sat down on the padded vinyl bench opposite her. "Were you able to find out any new information about your shipment?"

"Not much yet. I have to go back in about an hour, after Mr. Gold reaches out to some of his connections. Things are looking promising though."

"But that means you'll be leaving town soon," she commented with a frown furrowing her lips.

"Not for a few days yet," he insisted, "and even then, I have no need to hurry back to Boston. My client will be out of town all next week…"

"Well, then - that helps…," she smiled, ready to say something else just as Ruby materialized at their booth to drop off a stoneware mug and a stainless steel coffee pot.

"What can I get for you, hon?" Ruby asked Walsh to interrupt Emma's train of thought.

"I'm honestly not all that hungry. How about just some toast this morning?" he replied.

"No problem. White, wheat or rye?" the waitress asked for clarification, noticing that Emma was glaring at her to hurry up.

"I'll take rye, please - with lots of butter."

"You got it. 'Back in a jif…," Ruby said with a huge smile. Emma shoved a corner of her toast into her mouth as Ruby sauntered away since it was easier (and far less painful) than biting her tongue. Maybe having Walsh meet her here for breakfast wasn't the best idea after all.

"Ugh, I completely forgot what I was going to say before she came over to take your order," Emma sighed.

"It's alright. I'm sure it will come back to you before we're done with breakfast."

"I guess… It will probably depend on how many more interruptions we get." Emma gave a sideways glance in the general direction of her waitress friend. "Ruby can be a little overwhelming at times. She thinks she's the town's unofficial matchmaker."

"Is she?" Walsh chuckled. "Is that what she thinks we are? A match?"

"Probably… We used to be, right? Is that what we're supposed to be?"

"I suppose it's a possibility…," he replied, pausing before adding "if that's something you want? Is that something you want?"

"I'm honestly not sure what I want, Walsh…," she began, her voice trailing off as she felt her cell phone vibrating from inside her jacket pocket. "Hang on a second… Let me see who this is…" Withdrawing her phone, she was somewhat surprised to see Graham's name emblazoned across the screen. "Graham? Wonder what he's calling me for? He knows it's my day off…" She chose to ignore the call and let it ring into her voicemail but mere seconds later, the display lit up once again with another call from her fellow deputy. "I'm so sorry… If he's being this persistent, it must be important. I've got to take this…"

"It's fine, Emma. I understand. Duty calls."

"I'll be right back," she promised, sliding across the vinyl seat as she answered the call. "Graham? What's up? You know I'm off today…," she said in greeting while ducking into the hallway leading to the restrooms for a little bit of privacy.

"I'm sorry, Em. I know it's your day off and that you're nursing a hangover but there's a guy here at the station who's looking for you and insists on talking only to you."

"Really? Who is it?"

"He said his name is William Smee, but that's all he'll tell me. He's really agitated and wants to speak to you."

"Mr. Smee?" What could he want with her? "I wonder what's going on… I'm just over at Granny's. I'll be over in a few minutes."

"You actually know this guy?" Graham asked incredulously.

"He's one of the crew members from the ship I was sent to the other day to investigate that drunk and disorderly…" Graham didn't need to know more at this moment.

"Oh, okay then. He's really worked up but I'll try to keep him calm, if I can." Emma disconnected the call before she heard all of Graham's statement, walking briskly back to the table to gather her belongings. "Walsh - I am so sorry. There's something going on over at the station and Graham needs my help. I'm gonna owe you a rain check."

"What's going on? Nothing serious, I hope…"

"I don't really know but I'll call you later when it's all sorted out." She picked up the stacked books and cardboard box as she fished a few dollar bills out of her jeans pocket. "This should cover breakfast, not that I got to eat most of it…" She took one last gulp of coffee and retrieved her remaining slice of toast. At least it was portable.

"Okay, call me when you're free," he instructed. "We need to address the direction our conversation was headed…"

"That we do. I don't know how long this will take though so good luck with Gold. Hope he gets you some answers."

"I know he will," Walsh assured her as she scurried towards the door, adding a comment to himself once she was out of earshot. "He knows what's good for business…"

**********

Emma was still chewing the last bit of her toast when she arrived at the Sheriff's station, wishing that she would have had Ruby put the rest of her coffee in a to go cup as she swallowed the dry bread. Oh, well, she thought as she pushed open the door to find the Jolly Roger's first mate pacing in front of Graham's desk while ringing his knit cap between his hands.

"Deputy Swan!" Smee's face lit up as he saw her step through the doorway. "I wasn't sure where I could turn and then I thought of you…"

"What's going on, Mr. Smee?" she asked as she allowed the door to swing closed behind her while she approached the anxious sailor.

"It's the Captain, Ma'am… He's gone missing…"

"Missing?" Emma was honestly stunned by his announcement. "Are you sure? Maybe he just went off to explore the town or something?"

"No, no… He's definitely missing. I heard him return last night, a few hours after he'd left saying he was going to meet you, but he didn't join the crew this morning to oversee the AM duties like he normally does. Cap'n's an early riser, Ma'am. He's always there to oversee the crew, so I went to check his quarters to see if he was feeling unwell, but he wasn't there. His bunk hadn't even been slept in and as I returned topside, I also found his cell phone lying on the deck not far from the hatch. Cap'n wouldn't have just left without it…"

"You saw this missing Captain last night?" Graham asked her in hopes of clarifying both the timeline and the potential nature of the relationship. Meeting someone late at night hinted that there was certainly more to this than a casual acquaintance from the earlier investigation. "Wait - is that who you got drunk with last night?"

"Yes, I was with Captain Jones last night," she stated, glaring at Graham and letting him know with her icy stare that she didn't like what he was implying. "We took a walk down to the park after I had an argument with Regina, had a couple of drinks and then he walked me back here before returning to his ship."

"Okay then… So Mr. Smee, you're certain that your Captain did return to the ship last night?" Graham continued his line of questioning, unfazed by Emma's ire. He didn't really care if his queries made his co-worker squirm a bit. If there really was a missing person here in Storybrooke, their job was to gather enough information to find that person.

"Oh, yes," Smee replied. "He returned sometime after midnight. I heard the clunking of his boots on the deck. After years of serving together on a small ship, you learn to recognize certain sounds…"

"You know the sound of every crew member's boots?" Graham asked the first mate curiously.

"Well, no, not everyone, but the Cap'n has a very particular gait. And his boots have a metal tap on the toe that he tends to drag sometimes…"

"Alright then, I suppose we can establish that Captain Jones returned to the ship, but you didn't hear him leave? Did you hear anyone else up on deck?"

"No, Sir. Not either. I only heard the Captain. I just assumed that he went down the hatch to his quarters and went to sleep, at least until I found his bunk empty this morning."

"So, if no one else was up on that deck and no one saw or heard Jones leave the ship, where the hell did he go?" Emma wondered. "Something isn't adding up…"

"I agree," Graham added. "Mr. Smee, aside from the incident earlier this week caused by your fellow sailor, did anyone on the ship, and specifically, your Captain, have any run-ins with anyone here in town?"

"No one that I know of," Smee responded. "We've only been in this port a few days so I can't imagine that the Cap'n would have run afoul of anyone in that short time."

"Well, thankfully, Storybrooke has a magical advantage so there may be a way for us to locate him quickly," Emma told him as she placed her armload of her mother's things onto her desk to free up her hands. She fished her cell phone from her pocket as she asked Smee an additional question. "Mr. Smee, do you think you could get us a personal item belonging to Captain Jones so that we could try a locator spell?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. What do you need?" Smee asked.

"A piece of clothing or maybe an object that he touches regularly," she suggested.

"I can think of a few things. I'll go see if I can find them."

"Graham, do you think you could give Mr. Smee a ride down to the harbor?" she queried. "We can get this done a lot faster…"

"And why can't you?" Graham countered.

"Because I need to make arrangements to get everything started so we can attempt this spell… Unless you'd like to call Regina Mills on a Saturday morning?" Emma replied, offering her phone to the other deputy.

"Come right this way, Mr. Smee," Graham stated, grabbing his keys from the desktop as he leapt to his feet.

**********

Emma couldn't be certain if Regina was pandering to her after last night's debacle or if she was agreeing to help out of genuine concern. Either way, the mayor instructed Emma to meet her at the vault in half an hour with an item belonging to Captain Jones so they could attempt a locator spell. Emma thanked her and placed a quick call to Graham before heading to Storybrooke cemetery, requesting that Graham bring whatever Mr. Smee found to the graveyard.

Her interrupted breakfast was forgotten as she dashed out of the station's rear door, taking the shortcut through the alley to get to the cemetery which was three blocks away. Graham was already awaiting her in the parking area, casually leaning against the front fender of the Sheriff cruiser. He was clutching a leather pouch that she speculated contained the object Smee collected but Emma could tell from his body language that he wasn't particularly comfortable with this rendezvous location. Graveyards clearly weren't his thing.

With no time for Graham's hang-ups, she retrieved the pouch from him, barely acknowledging his grumblings that he was calling David. She dashed across the cemetery grounds to the mausoleum and then descended the narrow staircase into the vault below. She had expected to find only Regina awaiting her so she was somewhat surprised to see Zelena's face when she rounded the corner at the bottom of the steps. The redheaded Mills sister was stirring something Emma couldn't make out on the prep table but Emma had to venture further into the vault to locate Regina. The younger sister was in the main chamber, drawing two intersecting, double-ended arrows over the inlaid pentacle on the marble floor using an aerosol can of bright white spray chalk. The arrows were clearly intended to be directional but Emma saw nothing else to indicate how they would help locate Killian.

"Emma, do you have something that belongs to the missing man?" Zelena asked, turning away from her concoction. We have everything else just about ready."

"Yeah, right here," Emma replied, raising the leather pouch.

"Great. Let's see what we have to work with…," Zelena wondered as Emma dug into the bag and retrieved two vastly different items - Killian's prosthetic hand and a four-inch diameter nautical compass with a shiny brass casing.

"Is that a hand?" Regina scowled, her nose crinkling in disgust.

"A prosthetic one," Emma explained, rolling her eyes at Regina's disrespectful reaction. "It belongs to Captain Jones. He's an amputee. There's also a compass here."

"We'll try the compass," Regina stated, extending her right palm so that Emma could pass the object to her. "It's less creepy."

"Says the woman who keeps a stash of magical books and potions in a vault beneath her dead parents' tomb…," Emma said snidely but Regina ignored her remark. The mayor carried the compass to the center of the intersecting arrows and placed it directly at their confluence.

"Let's see if this will work…," Regina began, her wand appearing in her grasp as she flicked her wrist. She hovered the tip of her wand above the compass as she recited the spell from memory. "Spirits awaken and endow, bring alive this object now. Guide us where these arrows crossed. Help us find the one who's lost." Regina tapped the surface of the compass twice with the wand and then took a few steps backward as she waited for the magic to begin.

"Did it work?" Emma asked Zelena in a whisper, but the redhead simply lifted her index finger to her lips and shushed the deputy. Emma wasn't about to be hushed though and continued with another question. "How long does it typically take for something to happen - or to not happen?" Since she'd began studying magic, she'd gotten used to the fact that reactions weren't always instant, but she'd thought that a locator spell would give them a speedier response. Right now, it didn't appear that anything was happening - at least not until the compass began to spin wildly atop the chalk markings. "Oh…"

"Everyone, stay back," Regina warned. "There's no telling where it will go."

The compass continued to spin in the center of the crossed arrows for a few more seconds before skittering across the marble, coming to rest near one of the pentacle points. Doubting that she was going to find Killian next to a huge pentacle, Emma was still skeptical about what information this display was providing them.

"You're going to have to help me out here," Emma began, pointing to the compass on the floor. "What is this supposed to be telling us?"

"The center of the crossed arrows represents this location, our starting point. Like the arrows on that compass, these indicate cardinal directions - north, south, east and west. The missing person can be found where that plot indicates," Regina stated.

"All I see is the point of a pentacle on a marble floor," Emma stated the obvious. "What does it correspond to?"

"I can help with that," Zelena spoke up. "Here, let me show you." Zelena brandished her own wand and with a wave. "Appereat tabula!" With a swish of her wand, a huge, transparent map of Storybrooke was emblazoned across the chamber floor and as Regina had stated, the cemetery lined up perfectly with the crossed arrows on the floor. Seeing the map presented an entirely new set of challenges though as the location indicated by the spot Killian's compass had stopped was part of Storybrooke town limits that Emma wasn't at all familiar with.

"That's where he is?" Emma asked, trying to find any clues on the map. "That's quite a ways from Main Street. What's out there?"

"Mostly just dense forest," Regina replied. "There aren't many people who live out that way, but if I remember correctly, one of Robin's poker buddies has a cabin out in the woods not far from there. Maybe he could give us some more insight into who or what might be out there in those woods?"

"Seems like it would be a good place to hide someone you don't want found," Emma commented. "I need to get out there and start searching…"

"By yourself?" Regina scoffed. "Even using magic to help guide you, you're still going to need a search party and a couple of good tracker dogs. The spell might have narrowed down the search area, but that's still more than a square mile…"

"Then we need to get started… We don't know where exactly he is or what condition he might be in… We don't even know if he's alive…" Emma's anxious ramblings began to raise Regina's curiosity. Why was it that this was seeming less and less like just any missing person case?

"The spell wouldn't have given us a location if he were dead or if he were outside of Storybrooke's borders," Regina assured her as she was getting an indication that Captain Jones meant more to Emma than she was letting on. "You do seem awfully worried about this visiting captain…"

"I'm not allowed to be concerned about a missing person?" Emma countered defensively.

"Not like this. This isn't just any missing person. What's your connection to this guy?" Regina demanded.

"I like him, okay?" Emma snapped back. "We've gone out a couple of times and he's a really nice guy who doesn't deserve whatever might be happening to him!"

"Then let's do this right," Regina stated. "We'll find him. Right now, let me go upstairs and call Robin and in the meantime, I suggest you call David so that he can start pulling a team together."

"Fine," Emma grumbled, feeling even more frustrated than before. "I just wish these locator spells would be a little more specific, like maybe give us some GPS coordinates or something? You'd think magic could be a little more in sync with modern technology…"

"Magic can help with a lot of things, but it isn't science," Regina reminded her student. "And while it may have a few drawbacks, I'm certainly not ready to give it up. Are you?"

"I know it isn't scientific and no, I have no plans to stop studying magic, but it just seems to me that if you can cast a spell to find true love, or to locate a missing person, things should be a lot more specific…," Emma lamented, her choice of words perking Zelena's ear.

"I don't know about using magic to find love," Zelena commented. "Despite years of practicing, I don't know that I'd trust it. We were brought up being told that magic has a price so I've always shied away from using it for anything that personal."

"I had a conversation with Mr. Gold earlier today and he told me the same thing," Emma told her. "He gave me the story of the town's history - and the price our great-grandparents paid for this town to have magic."

"I was wondering how much you knew about Storybrooke's sordid past…," Regina spoke up. "So, you know about the warlock and his challenges?"

"Yes," Emma replied, "and I know that my mother was the warlock's last opponent. Mr. Gold said something about her being tricked into making a choice, but either he didn't know or he just didn't elaborate on what that choice was."

"From the stories I remember my mother telling us, her sister, your mother, had to choose the man she loved. She had two men in her life at the time - your father and another guy who'd swept her off her feet. She had to choose between them and I guess she picked wrong because the warlock stole her powers," Zelena explained, but her tale wasn't sitting easy on Emma's stomach. The deputy fell silent as all of the implications swirled through her overloaded brain. "Emma, are you alright? You look as though you're going to be ill…"

"Maybe…," Emma squeaked out in a barely audible whisper. "Did my mother cast a spell to help her find her true love?" The question was really rhetorical. She already knew the answer in her heart and as the pieces fell into place, she realized the increased importance of locating Killian Jones.

"Honestly, I don't really remember," Zelena replied, "but it wouldn't surprise me based on what my mother told us. Why do you want to know?"

Emma dodged Zelena follow-up question for a moment as she had more of her own that kept rolling off of her tongue. "What was the real reason my mother left Storybrooke? I know it wasn't just because she lost her powers, so what was it?"

"Our mother said it was because of you," Regina stated very matter-of-factly, the accusation sounding harsher than she intended as she watched the color drain from Emma's face. "I didn't mean it like that…"

Emma had already made the connection in her mind, she had just needed one of her cousins to confirm it. "Because I had magic…" She was suddenly nauseous at the realization and her own actions were already haunting her. "She left because she didn't want me to be the warlock's next victim, but I think it may already be too late…"

**********

During his misspent youth, Killian Jones had languished in many a dark prison cell, but none as abysmal as this solitary hell hole was feeling. Despite his own dire circumstances, he feared more for Emma. Had the person who had abducted him and tossed him into this solitary pit also taken her? If so, where was she being held? Was she in another lonely cell like this one or perhaps somewhere even worse?

His surest way of tracking time had been the growth of his own facial hair. His stubble hadn't yet filled in to a beard so he could estimate that his imprisonment hadn't been more than a day. His stomach protested with hunger and his throat was parched from thirst but that gave him enough information to be able to theorize that he'd been here between twelve and twenty-four hours, not that he could be entirely certain.

He had chosen to alternate sitting and standing, pacing about the tiny chamber in the darkness to keep his muscles from weakening should there be some opportunity for escape. He didn't want to sleep yet, but boredom was tiring him physically and mentally. What did his captor intend to do with him? Hell, he didn't even know who his captor was. Who had he offended?

Killian had just stood back up, pressing his back into the wall to straighten his spine when an eerie sensation descended upon him. The atmosphere in the room changed as he discovered that the breath he was hearing wasn't his own.

He wasn't alone in the room any longer, yet he'd heard no one enter.

"Who's there?" Killian demanded.

"I wondered how long it would take you to realize you weren't alone," a voice chuckled. "Very astute, Captain."

"What the bloody hell is this? Who are you?"

"I just had to change up the game a bit," the voice deepened to a sinister hiss. "Emma was getting too close to choosing you and I just can't let that happen…"

"What do you mean choosing me? What did you do to Emma?" Killian wanted to temper his anxiety but he was allowing fear to get the best of him.

"She's fine. She's a tad confused as to where you've gone, but she's unharmed."

"And she had better stay that way!" The threat was probably empty, but Killian couldn't stop the excited utterance

"As if you're in a position to argue," the voice reminded him. "But anyway, I assure you, I have no intention to hurt her. All I want are her powers and you were getting in my way."

"So that's why you abducted me?"

"It seemed to be a logical choice at the time, but a friend of mine provided me with a much more effective option…"

Killian didn't like the sound of any of this. "More effective option for what?"

"You know, this hook of yours is an interesting implement," the voice taunted, ignoring Killian's query. "You use it as a substitute for a missing limb and yet it's as sharp as any weapon I've handled…"

He didn't sense the figure drawing closer to him, yet Killian could feel the pressure of the cold, sharp steel against the tender skin at his throat, grazing just enough to draw a faint trickle of blood. Bloody hell - what sort of game was this? He wasn't going to get an actual answer to that unspoken question but the intent was made clear with a searing pain that suddenly radiated from his left shoulder. His hand instinctively went to the site of the wound, desperate to remove whatever was impaling his flesh and feeling the familiar shape of his own hook.

He fought to keep his eyes open. He'd been stabbed before and didn't believe he was bleeding that profusely. Unless his attacker had struck an artery, which would likely be bleeding far worse, he shouldn't be this lightheaded. He shouldn't be losing consciousness yet his knees buckled beneath his weight and he slid back to the floor.

"Have a nice slumber, Captain," was the last thing Killian remembered hearing as he collapsed and succumbed to blackness.

#cssns #captain swan supernatural summer #cs ff #cs au ff #witch emma #a simple spell #that definitely isn't so simple anymore #like mother like daughter

34 notes · View notes

arecomicsevengood · 5 years ago

Text

Quarantine Movies, Part 3

OLD BOYFRIENDS (1979) dir. Joan Tewkesbury

Not often I watch a movie and feel like “What the fuck is happening?” but I did with this one, written by Paul Schrader and directed by the screenwriter of Nashville. Talia Shire stars as a woman getting back in touch with her old boyfriends. She’s… recovering from a nervous breakdown? Sort of out for revenge? One ex hooks up with her again, and then, once abandoned, hires a private detective to track her down. A little boring at first, and then becomes baffling for most of its middle. John Belushi’s in it, playing a kind of pathetic schlub that feels convincingly like “the real Belushi” to me in the sense of me finding it uncomfortable to watch. I think maybe the film can be understood as a take on feminine psychosis in contrast to the masculine psychosis found in Schrader’s Taxi Driver screenplay. The psychosis here being this lack of self-knowledge that leads to manipulating people ostensibly towards the end of finding love.

KLUTE (1971) dir. Alan Pakula

Feel like I got the impression this movie was a joke from somewhere? Some Murphy Brown reference or something, playing to consensus of losers. (Edit: The joke’s in Wet Hot American Summer, but doesn’t really contain a value judgment about the movie.) It’s not great by any means but it’s not particularly tawdry given the subject matter. It is confusing that the movie is mostly about Jane Fonda’s call girl character, but the movie is named after Donald Sutherland’s character, who’s a detective. Maybe the joke was always just that people thought Jane Fonda played Klute. Movie digs into the sex worker’s psychology in a way that feels contemporary, except contemporary discourse doesn’t really allow for psychological insight, in favor of empty gestures towards representation. Sutherland’s out to solve a mystery, Fonda falls in love with him: I really did think this was smart in depicting a relationship where person was uncomfortable with the act of falling in love as running counter to their techniques of emotional distancing, except, I guess, for the fact that this is depicted in scenes of Fonda talking to her therapist that spell out what’s happening rather than depict this in a more organic way. But that it feels sort of shoehorned in is cool because the movie then largely has this mystery narrative it’s about. It is a little dull and could stand to be shorter, though the musical score does some nice grooves with dissonant elements on top, vaguely Morricone-style, though of course he’s got a deep body of work.

EYES OF LAURA MARS (1978) dir. Irvin Kershner

Criterion’s description of this chracterizes it as an “American giallo,” which seems about right. About a woman (Faye Dunaway) who takes violent/erotic photographs (shot by Helmut Newton) that coexist in both advertising and art gallery contexts. She starts having psychic visions of murder, the police are investigating her because some murders seem modeled after her photos, although that is not the case with any of the murders she has visions of, which then start to involve people she knows. So, like a giallo, there’s a lot happening, an interest in lurid style, and a disinterest in internal consistency as things ratchet up, and the twist ending (that the cop she started dating has multiple personality disorder) falls within that pattern as well. Not as good as the best Italian giallo, (which would I guess be Argento’s TENEBRE) or for that matter, the slasher movie HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, which is an American movie insane enough to exist in the same conversation.

THE GETAWAY (1972) dir. Sam Peckinpah

Steve McQueen gets out of prison and is immediately set up by the prison official, who his girlfriend (Ali MacGraw) slept with, to rob a bank. He gets double-crossed, and then goes on the lam with his girlfriend. While in the past I sometimes feel like I am listing the names of the actors as endorsements, I’m not really doing this with the cast of this movie or Old Boyfriends. Good action sequences and suspenseful moments. Feel like the iconic images in this are McQueen with a shotgun, blowing up cop cars. Peckinpah directs from a Walter Hill screenplay adapting a Jim Thompson novel. This predates Walter Hill directing movies for himself, but it’s interesting how much more flash there is to the action here than there is in The Driver, you can sort of detect certain elements as being Hill’s interest (like the suspense of being pursued) and other stuff being Peckinpah, like the baroque explosions of violence. I like all of it.

KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE (2016) dir. Robert Greene

This isn’t very good. One half adaptation of the Christine Chubbuck story with a documentary about Kate Lyn Sheil. Sheil’s good in other things, this feels like a failed experiment. Weirdly this came out at pretty much exactly the same time as a movie about Chubbuck starring Rebecca Hall? The Rebecca Hall movie’s pretty great, and is an interesting performance, I would be interested in watching a conversation between the two actresses.

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (1998) dir. Martin Scorses

A rewatch. Nicolas Cage plays an ambulance driver, Scorsese directs from a Paul Schrader screenplay. I like Nicolas Cage a lot, I like the cinematography in this one. I knew I would enjoy this, didn’t remember John Goodman being in it, Mary Beth Hurt is really good in it, mentioned her being good in Light Sleeper too, didn’t realize she’s Paul Schrader’s wife. Insanely hectic energy, shot through with hallucinatory holy light. Patricia Arquette is probably the weakest link in the cast, though it is her different energy that enables her to seem like a potentially redemptive figure for Nicolas Cage.

RAGING BULL (1980) dir. Martin Scorsese

This one’s a classic, but I didn’t like it the first time I saw it, over fifteen years ago, I think on account of being hungry at the time. Still, probably not my favorite Scorsese. The dialogue is interesting, due to De Niro’s character having a high level of aggression and paranoia, where pretty much everything that gets said to him he responds “Why do you say that?” which lends short scenes this circular quality. This reveals his character, in an efficient way, even though it makes the scenes feel insane and somewhat circular.

HOPSCOTCH (1980) dir. Ronald Neame

I liked this one a lot when I saw it years ago, didn’t really know the director’s pedigree came from doing Alec Guiness comedies. I don’t normally rewatch movie but my memories of this were very pleasant in a way suggesting it would be comforting. Walter Matthau plays a spy who is retiring but who gets everyone mad at him, which makes this kind of Prisoner-adjacent. He runs around, being the smartest guy in the room, having fun at being able to outsmart intelligent agencies. All of the globe-trotting of a James Bond kind of thing, but with none of the bloodshed. No one dies in this, uptight people just get mad at Walter Matthau being cool.

NIGHTFALL (1956) dir. Jacques Tourneur

Tourneur directed the original Cat People, which I love, and Out Of The Past, a classic noir I was not fond of when I saw it in college. This one’s good too, adapting a David Goodis novel. I know Goodis from a piece in Jesse Pearson’s magazine Apology, that makes the case he’s the best writer of crime fiction, on a sentence level. The dialogue’s good in this, but there’s also a cool structure: Following different characters, with it being fairly unclear what their relationship is to one another for a while, some flashbacks reveal things. The characters in this are pretty likable, Anne Bancroft is the female lead and the romance is believable. She plays a model, it’sf ascinating to watch movies made by a studio and realize they have the same woman designing gowns for all of them. Like they have the glamour provided in-house because it’s recognized that’s part of what people go to the movies for, but the the films don’t become ads for the designer or anything, like the way Jean Paul Gaultier’s designs function in The Fifth Element or something. Theme song is sung by Al Hibbler, who cut a LP with Roland Kirk.

5 AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955) dir. Phil Karlson

Criterion Channel has a collection of noir films Columbia put out, this is one of them, with a pretty good-sounding premise: Kim Novak is a part of a group of college friends that set out to rob a casino, but one of the group’s PTSD sabotages it. It ends up not really working as a heist film, for a number of reasons, one is that the “perfect crime” they engineer is not that intricate, the other, more important element is the characters are unbearably smug in a way that makes them really hard to deal with. Novak’s good in it, but no one else is: While the men are supposed to be funny, but aren’t, Novak sort of just has to be beautiful. She sings songs in this, and maybe there’s a voice double, but it seems she has a good singing voice. You can probably skip this one.

THE BIG HEAT (1953) dir. Fritz Lang

Not as masterful as the films Lang made in Germany, but still really good. A cop investigating a murder quickly gathers that a conspiracy is afoot, people make mysterious phone calls immediately after he interviews them, he gets his life destroyed, but keeps going. Gloria Grahame (who’s also in Nicholas Ray’s amazing In A Lonely Place) is great as a gangster’s party-girl-who-loves-money girlfriend who has her beauty and then her life taken away from her. There is an element of feeling like you’re seeing cliches be run through their paces, but I don’t mind, given the pacing. It’s mean enough you don’t know how dark it’s going to get. Jocelyn Brando, Marlon’s sister who also appears in Nightfall, gets a nice role in this.

MURDER BY CONTRACT (1958) dir. Irving Lerner

Oh, this one rules! Although I knew none of the people involved in it, everybody’s great. It feels slow as you watch it, it’s deliberately paced and seems to appreciate every scene on its own terms as a point of interest, rather than rushing through a plot. The score seems like it’s very close to just one instrumental piece, being used over and over again. About a dude, (who’s also in Kubrick’s The Killing, it turns out) becoming a professional hitman, and then flying out to California for a bigger job, where he has two people minding him. The hitman’s psychosis is not over the top, he just seems very self-contained, in a way that gets a lot of (almost) comedic mileage out of his interaction with other people

INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION (1958) dir. Marel Zeman

This movie looks REAL weird and I have no idea how they got the effect? The degree of artificiality is highly distracting, in a way I don’t have a problem with in Guy Maddin or whoever. The whole thing sort of looks like the portraits of people that run in The Wall Street Journal? There are lines on EVERYTHING, like the sets are being made in this patterned way to replace color values. Everything looks artificial, but also collaged together. “Freely adapted” from Jules Verne, this involves boats, explosions, heists, etc. but all done in this sort of deep-focus theatrical staging that seems to combine animation and live action but in a way I can’t work out but also isn’t enveloping or convincing.

MAY FOOLS (1980) dir. Louis Malle.

I like a lot of Louis Malle, this seems vaguely like a deep cut, as I believe it’s unavailable on DVD. It takes place in France during the May ’68 protests, but is about a family getting together for a funeral/reading of a will. It’s suffused with weird free-flowing sexual energy, like everyone’s down to commit incest? Sort of in the name of revolution, but understandable as a movie in terms of being very french, and maybe something of a light comedy. (While Murmur Of The Heart also has incest in it, and is not a comedy, it’s very French.) People flirt with each other a lot, this is a pleasant watch if you are under quarantine and are fantasizing about casual sex or the overthrowing of the political class.

MON ONCLE D’AMERIQUE (1980) dir. Alain Resnais

This, too, is very French. The spine of the movie is Henri Laborit lecturing, lending the film an essayistic aspect, illustrated with footage of lab rats, but also footage of people wearing mouse heads and human clothes, the best parts. The guy’s theories seem agreeable to me but I don’t know what other people think about them. They’re illustrated by the fictional life stories of three characters, whose lives intersect eventually in their adulthood, though the film starts with them as children. Resnais is interesting, I’ve seen very few of his films but they’re all radically unique, though united by this intellectual edge.

FUGITIVE KIND (1960) dir. Sidney Lumet

Lumet also had a long and varied career, but I essentially view him as a highly-skilled journeyman, I guess due to snobbish bias gleaned from secondhand takes. I’ll watch pretty much any of his movies though, and so I watched this Tennessee Williams adaptation. Not sure I’d seen Marlon Brando in anything before, though I thought it was funny to say I possessed “the raw sexuality of a young Marlon Brando” in college. This whole movie is about how hot Brando is, and how all women want to fuck him and how all the men resent him. You would think the heterosexual male default would be to not notice how hot a dude is, but Brando is both physically ripped but with a feminine face that makes me “get it.” There’s a poetry to his sensitivity, but also an element of threat to how basically everyone who gets along with him is at odds with the racist, patriarchal, and parochial attitudes of the small towns he travels through.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974) dir. Sidney Lumer

This is an Agatha Christie adaptation, where Hercule Poirot is played by Albert Finney, amongst a large cast of huge stars who are both hamming it up and not really doing anything. After watching two movies with Natasha Richardson, was nice to see her mom Vanessa Redgrave in something, though it’s a small part. The ending, where the detective works out that everyone schemed to commit the murder together and then decides that he will let them all get away with it, is fun, though by and large the “comedy” here feels a bit dated. This kinda feels like something that you would’ve seen already after having caught bits and pieces of it on basic cable growing up.

2 notes · View notes

innerpostmentality · 5 years ago

Text

Timing Is Everything

Inspired by Choices: The Royal Heir Book 1 chapter 10 – The Bachelor Party All rights to Choices characters go to Pixelberry. I appreciate their work and their inspiration. This features: Liam, Drake, Maxwell, Bertrand, and Bastien Word Count: 7300+ a smidge. It’s long. I apologize but I hope you enjoy. Rating: Let’s call it M. It’s a bachelor party…. So if you aren’t M then please put it on your reading list for when you are a little older. This is an AU where Stephanie (MC) chose Drake instead of Liam. Liam met Hyclea (OC) and they are currently engaged. Liam is not naming Drake and Stephanie’s child his heir. Savannah and Bertrand are about to get married. Authors note: I’m a native Texan and while we are noted for our great out doors and the mosquitos might eat you and the raccoons might steal your picnic the odds of running into a bear are significantly less than running into a bobcat or coyote. Tagging: @bbrandy2002 @tornbetween2loves @custaroonie @ao719 @texaskitten30 @sawyer0akleyscowboyhat @furiousherringoperatortoad @kennaxval @kingliam2019 @stopforamoment @hopefulmoonobject @gardeningourmet @darley1101 @drakewalkerwhipped @bobasheebaby @cora-nova @indiacater @emceesynonymroll Maxwell was so excited about Bertrand’s bachelor party camping trip that he planned with Drake and Liam’s help he was practically bouncing. They had let him handle the evening camp activities and he had been nervously awaiting the arrival of the boxes of goodies he ordered after weeks of intensive research about bachelor parties. Since Drake and Liam had decided that the bachelor party was going to be a camping extravaganza in Texas he knew that it wasn’t going to be possible to have a girl jump out of a giant cake. And Savannah wouldn’t like that anyway. Drake had the early part. Liam the afternoon and lunch. And he had the evening and drinking and games. He wasn’t really sure how much champagne he needed to order. At Beaumont Bashes as much bubbly wound up spilled to various attempts at opening bottles with medieval weaponry as wound up in glasses so he finally asked Drake if he thought twenty four bottles would be enough? Drake lifted a brow trying to figure out if Maxwell was serious before he smirked. “I guess that depends on how big the pool is?” Maxwell’s eyes got big, “Pool?” “Twenty four bottles for four of us? You can’t possibly think we could drink that much so I was guessing we were going to be bathing in it? Which is a novel idea. Or you could give Bertrand eighteen bottles as a gift to enjoy with Savannah later I suppose.” Drake smiled thoughtfully as he contemplated the fun he might have with Stephanie and three cases of champagne. “I think you may be on to something, Max. Take six with us and save the rest for a present for them.”

He considered Drake’s advice but when he was packing he decided to take two cases since there were only six bottles in each case. Always better to have enough and his research had shown that one of the primary activities of a bachelor party was drinking, not just drinking but drinking excessively. The other primary activity of bachelor parties, the sexy naughty part was tougher to figure out. Out in the woods in a foreign country, house guests of your brother’s fiancées family that lived waaay out in the country you couldn’t get strippers, there wouldn’t even be a television to show bawdy films on. And then he found it, the Cock-a-Deux a penis casting kit! Everything you need to turn your willy into a gift that will wow your partner! They had kits that let you make sculptures, candles, vibrators, chocolate, night lights, dildos, intimate gifts that would be fun. It was perfect! He ordered kits to make candles. Then he thought they might like vibrators since you might not want to see a candle shaped like you burn away; and the ladies might like a vibrator better. Then he decided that chocolates might be even better. Then he thought you might need a test kit that was just plain. So he modified his order again. Then he got nervous worrying about it not arriving in time. Then yesterday when he was getting really worried Scary Aunt, Leona had brought him the package from Intimate Ideas. Maxwell grinned as he packed his sixteen Cock-a-Deux kits in his oversized duffel bag and set it on top of the ice chest where he had put the champagne before climbing into bed.

Pounding on his door woke him up and he squinted blearily at his phone, 5:30am. “Up and at em, Maxwell! We’ve got horses to saddle and the fish won’t wait.” Drake called from his door. Then the door was opened and a cowboy hat was sailed like a Frisbee to land on his bed. Drake woke Bertrand next and walked in as Bertrand spluttered to lay a pair of jeans and a denim shirt on the foot of his bed before setting a nice Stetson on top. “We’re going camping and Liam and I thought you could use some appropriate attire. Get dressed. Liam is making us coffee downstairs.” ------------------

Liam smiled and handed him a cup of coffee when Drake came into the kitchen chuckling. “How’d it go?” Drake saluted him with the coffee cup. “They were pre-verbal though Bertrand did make some noises of outrage as I barged in his room to deliver his outfit. I told him you were making us coffee.” Bastien walked in and gave Liam a short bow, “Your Majesty, the tents and equipment are loaded in the SUV. As soon as we have everyone’s packs the security team will take everything to the camp site and set it up for you.” “Would you like some coffee, Bastien? I really appreciate you taking care of this. I know it’s a bit unorthodox.” Liam sipped his coffee and smiled at the head of his guard. “Thank you Sir, your offer is kind but I am fully caffeinated at this time.” Bastien smiled. Liam shook his head chuckling. “Someday Bastien you are going to have to try my coffee. And that day you will be sad for all the years you have turned me down.” Bastien bowed, “It is a certainty, Sir.” There was a loud ‘thump’ bang, ….. ‘thump’ bang,… ‘thump’ bang, “Woah” ‘Thump’ bang, ‘Thump’ bang, “WoaH, WOAH, WOAH!” clatter, Boom. “Oh dear…” from out in the hall. “Maxwell Percival Beaumont! What have you done?!” Bertrand’s bellow echoed down the stairs. “Don’t Look Bertrand! You’ll spoil the surprise!” Liam and Drake looked at one another and burst into laughter even as Bastien dashed out into the hall. At the foot of the stairs Maxwell was sprawled over a large overturned ice chest. A dozen bottles of chilled champagne and ice were strewn across the entry; and a duffle bag large enough to carry a body in lay in the midst of the mess. “Lord Beaumont are you uninjured?” Bastien asked with immediate concern. “Oh, Yes. Just, could you keep my brother from coming down here while I clean this up, Please?” Maxwell looked at Bastien with his big blue eyes pleading. Bastien lifted a brow at the young man but went up the stairs to speak with Bertrand who was in the midst of getting dressed and had only opened the door to chastise Maxwell for the disturbance while he finished dressing. “All is well, Your Grace. I assure you there was more cacophony than calamity. And your brother seems unfazed by his sleigh ride down the staircase.” Bertrand nodded and closed the door. Bastien spoke in his ear piece, “Geno could you please come in and assist Lord Beaumont with reassembling his parcels for the camp. We’ve had a bit of a mishap.” A moment later the young guard came in and helped Maxwell clean up the ice and get all the champagne loaded back in the ice chest then they took the chest and the duffel out to the security SUV’s.

Maxwell joined Liam, Drake and Bertrand in the kitchen a few minutes later. He stopped short as he took in his brother dressed in jeans and denim. “Wow, Bertrand! Country stylin’. Savannah is going to love it.” He pulled out his phone and started snapping pictures of the three of them. “Do you think she will like this, truly?” Bertrand looked at himself a bit uncertainly. Drake slapped him on the back. “Welcome to the family. Denim is like Walker family colors. You look good, Bertrand.” “These jeans are somewhat tight are they not?” Bertrand was frowning slightly as he lifted one leg then the other. Maxwell laughed. “Savannah will love that too.” Liam and Drake nodded their agreement. Bastien came in the kitchen and bowed to Liam. “Sir the SUV’s have departed. The horses are ready and Dimitri and I will be accompanying you on horseback.” “Very good, Bastien.” Liam smiled at him then grinned, “Bastien might I impose on you to take a photo of the four of us before we embark? If you could send it to Maxwell I believe he’s making a memory book of this adventure.” Bastien gave a small smile then pulled out his phone as the four men arranged themselves holding their coffee cups up in a toast for the picture. The ride out to the campsite was beautiful and brisk in the cool morning air. The horses were prancy enjoying the coolness of the morning and inclined to a fast pace with the slightest encouragement. So it was only around 7:30 when they got to their campsite. A nice wooded area with massive pecan trees all around a bend in the San Saba river. Their tents were already set up and their gear stowed inside when they arrived. Drake ducked in his and came out a minute later with fishing gear and a tackle box. Bertrand’s eyes got wide as he looked at Drake. “Surely you jest?” Drake laughed. “You know better, Bertrand.” A breeze blew across the river and there were several ‘thunks’ as ripe pecans fell from the trees. “Oh, and you might want to keep your hats on. It’s pecan season. They’re tasty but hard on the head when they are falling. At least we won’t go hungry even if we don’t catch any fish.” Liam brought out some folding chairs and a cooler. “I have it on good authority that traditionally one drinks beer when fishing in these waters.” He popped the cooler open and handed each of them bottles of icy Shiner Bock beer. Bertrand sipped it and made a face. “This is rather harsh at breakfast your Majesty.” Drake lifted his bottle and clinked it all around. “To good beer, good friends, and good fishing! Bertrand, it gets better the more you drink. And I’m certain there is a monster large mouth bass with your name on it just waiting for you to toss a lure in.” The next several minutes were occupied with Drake getting everyone’s fishing gear set up and instructing Bertrand and Maxwell on how to work the lures. He was about to sit down when suddenly Bertrand hollered, “Oh… Oh… I seem… Oh my.” The ragged whirr of the break on the reel sang as the fish ran for freedom. “Reel him in, Bertrand!” Drake yelled. Bertrand started cranking the handle on the reel the pole bending and swaying as he fought with the fish. “You shall not prevail, scaly denizen of the deep!” “Drake! Drake! I think I have one!” Maxwell yelled as his reel sang with the line peeling from it. He pulled back but the line kept going out. “Reel Maxwell. Use the reel.” Drake grabbed the dip net and headed for the bank where Bertrand was managing to pull the tiring fish into the shallows. “It’s a nice one Bertrand. I told you there was a fish waiting for you.” He skillfully scooped the dip net under the fish and hoisted it out of the water. Drake slipped the hook out of the bass’s mouth and held it up for Bertrand to see. “I’m guessing this one is over 4 pounds. Nice work Bertrand!” Bertrand had a huge smile. “Ha! That shall teach you to test the metal of a Beaumont!” Maxwell was struggling with his as the tip of the pole zig zagged wildly and the reel began to whine again. “Keep the tension, Maxwell. Think of it like a dance. You’re leading but you have to keep the tension.” Drake slipped Bertrand’s bass on a stringer and secured it to the root of a big cypress tree that grew right at the water’s edge its roots extending down into the river. Just then he heard Liam’s reel start singing. The King had been fishing with Drake before and so was grinning and handling the fish with expertise. An hour later everyone but Drake had caught multiple fish. Drake had been kept busy scooping up their catches and freeing the ones that were deemed too small to keep. And they had caught enough fish not only to feed the four of them but also to send some back to the house for the ladies to enjoy. Bertrand and Maxwell had become new fishing enthusiasts and grilled Drake as they made their way back to camp with the gear about where they could acquire such gear and if he would show them where they could fish when they got back home. Liam grinned as they got back to camp and saw the large box he had requested be brought sitting next to his tent. Drake passed another round of beers out to all of them then went to take the fish for the house to Bastien. When he returned with a giant picnic basket Liam was explaining the box. “I thought in light of this auspicious occasion that I would arrange for us to hold the time honored Cordonian tradition of an Apple Shoot. Our good hosts have packed us a luncheon of fried chicken, potato salad and pecan pie?” He looked to Drake for confirmation. Drake nodded as he spread a checkered table cloth on the folding table that had been set up in the middle of the camp and started pulling containers out of the giant picnic basket. “After lunch I thought we might allow for an hour of practice if you wish and then the event.” Liam pulled one of the folding chairs up to the table and grinned at the repast that Drake was unloading. When they were all gathered around the table Liam stood and raised his beer. “I think a toast is in order. To friends and the lovely ladies who have provided us with this wonderful feast!” They all clinked their bottles together with a “Se haray mas!” It took a bit of persuasion to get Bertrand to accept that using one’s fingers to eat fried chicken at a picnic was completely acceptable. But when Liam grabbed a drumstick with his hand after sampling the potato salad with his fork Bertrand followed his king’s example. Maxwell declared that Pecan pie was the ultimate delicious dessert of America and proceeded to eat four pieces. The subsequent food coma lasted for about half an hour while they sat around chatting about the morning with the occasional pecan falling and tatting around them.

Liam stood and went over to open the large box. “I had several weapons that have traditionally been used for the Apple Shoot sent so you might have your choice Bertrand. They’ve been modified for safety.” Bertrand went over and looked in the box finally selecting what looked to be an ornate dueling pistol. For the next hour he practiced shooting with it. Then Liam asked him formally if he was ready for the test. Bertrand bowed to his king and told him it was his honor to accept the challenge. “Gentlemen, my Lords as you know becoming a Knight’s-Marksman and honorary defender of the realm is one of the high honors reserved for the Crown to offer. It is an opportunity offered only to those who the Crown acknowledges as faithful friends of Cordonia. It is my pleasure to offer the opportunity to his grace Duke Ramsford, Bertrand Beaumont. Who shall sponsor with faith in his true aim?” Drake and Maxwell both stepped forward and looked at each other. “I will. I know you can do this Bertrand.” Maxwell grinned at his brother. “I will. Please don’t shoot me, Bertrand. Getting shot once was enough.” Drake looked at Liam and grinned. Liam nodded at them. “Very good. Please take your positions twenty paces from us Lord Beaumont, Duke Valtoria.” The men counted off the paces then stood together and faced Bertrand and Liam. “Are you ready?” Liam looked at Bertrand who looked for a long moment at his brother and Drake then looked up mentally visualizing what was about to happen. Finally Bertrand nodded. “I am, Your Majesty.” Liam tossed the Cordonian Ruby Apple in a high arc toward and above Maxwell and Drake’s heads. Bertrand braced the pistol on his forearm sighting in on the arc of the apple and fired. The plastic ball cut a perfect hole through the center of the apple! Maxwell and Drake whooped and ran to pat Bertrand on the back congratulating him. Liam grinned, “Well done! Well done!” Bertrand had a huge grin and kept repeating, “I did it! I did it!” Then Liam went back over to the box and retrieved a beautifully engraved wooden box. Inside was a circular gold pin depicting an apple pierced by an arrow engraved around the edge with ‘Knight’s Marksman of Cordonia’ He presented it to Bertrand. “Look at the back Bertrand. It’s engraved with the date and your name. Congratulations Bertrand!” Liam hugged him kissing him on each cheek. Bertrand’s eyes were bright with emotion as he looked at his king. “It’s engraved? But how?” Liam smiled patting his back. “Because you are Bertrand Beaumont. There was never any doubt in my mind that you would succeed.” Liam grinned, “I think this calls for a drink. I heard some rumor that someone brought enough champagne for a swimming pool?” Maxwell was already running for his tent and the ice chest full of champagne. He brought the chest out and proudly presented a frosty bottle to Liam. “As requested!” His eyes got big. “Oh no! I forgot glasses!” Drake chuckled, “Well we’ll have to suffer with the plastic cups in the picnic basket then.” Liam deftly uncorked the champagne managing not to lose half the bottle in a geyser while Drake got the plastic cups from the picnic basket. They were all smiling as Liam toasted to Bertrand the newest Knight’s Marksman of Cordonia.

As soon as the bottle was empty Drake stood and stretched. “Okay gents it’s time for you to gather up some firewood for the evening while I clean the fish and do the prep work for dinner.”

Bertrand lifted a brow and sputtered at Drake ordering them around. Liam chuckled shaking his head and putting a hand on Bertrand’s shoulder. “Bertrand, you are in Drake’s domain now. And you would do well to accommodate him in this. Unless you want to learn to gut fish? Trust him, Bertrand, we’re in good hands.”

Drake headed to his tent to get his ice chest and cooking gear. But called over his shoulder before ducking in the tent, “If you see a brush pile you need to poke it with a stick first; if you gentlemen hear something that sounds like a baby rattle in a bush you step back slowly the way you came. Do NOT investigate. We have venomous snakes here. One of the most common ones is a rattlesnake. You do not want to meet one.”

Bertrand and Liam and Maxwell all exchanged looks as Drake disappeared into his tent.

“Perhaps we should wait for you to finish your preparations and you can join us gathering wood?” Bertrand called to Drake.

Drake came out of his tent with his rolling ice chest. “If you wish.” Drake grinned, “You know it’s a really nice day. How long has it been since you went swimming in a river?”

Liam got a big grin but resisted telling Drake the last time was with Stephanie and thought that he really needed to take Hyclea to Forgotten Falls sometime soon.

Maxwell giggled and Bertrand glared at him. “We Beaumonts do NOT swim in public.”

“Well I guess it’s a good thing that we aren’t in public then.” Drake drawled. “This is all part of Walker Ranch, Bertrand. Private property and our own little piece of the San Saba river just for our use. But first let’s get some wood and get the fire started so it can make us some nice coals to cook on.”

An hour later Drake was satisfied with the fire and they all headed back to the river. It was short work if somewhat messy for Drake cleaning the fish and icing them down. He grinned at the others who were sitting in their folding chairs sipping beers and enjoying just watching the river and talking about the morning. He stood from rinsing his hands and started unbuttoning his shirt. “You know we have a saying here….” He shrugged out of his shirt dropping it in his chair then whipped off his t-shirt and started pulling off his boots. “Actually, we have several sayings but two come to mind.”

Liam grinned and started taking off his boots. “Bertrand you probably should take off your boots.” He advised.

Bertrand just blinked uncomprehendingly as Drake continued to strip. “Beg pardon?”

Drake grinned. “Help your brother with his boots Maxwell.”

Maxwell didn’t look too sure for a moment but then got a huge grin. “Of course!” He got up and went over and started pulling on Bertrand’s boots ignoring Bertrand’s look of shock.

Drake pulled his belt and dropped his jeans and boxers laying them over his shirts on his chair then taking a swig of the beer and setting his hat on top of his pile of clothes.

Liam had unbuttoned his shirt and was grinning like a naughty eight year old. “Bertrand, come to think of it you might want to take off your clothes. You too Maxwell.”

“I… Your Majesty?... I” Bertrand sputtered wide eyed.

Maxwell got Bertrand’s second boot off then sat down and started pulling off his own boots. “We’re going skinny dipping!!!! Yes!!”

“And Maxwell,” Drake’s tone was deadly, “If you take any pictures I will drown you and feed your body to the catfish. Do you understand me?”

Maxwell nodded then answered Drake. “Understood. I’m leaving my phone in my pants.” Then he grinned and shimmied out of his clothes.

“I’m not sure this is appropriate.” Bertrand muttered even as he was unbuttoning his shirt.

Maxwell was dancing and singing “We’re going skinny dipping, skinny dipping, skinny dipping.”

Drake went to his pile of clothes and found his phone to put on some music before he ran and jumped in the river. The cool water was an exhilarating shock and he surfaced a moment later with a whoop and laughing swiping the water out of his face. “Oh yeah… that saying… Last one in is a rotten egg!”

Liam dashed and jumped in moments before Maxwell jumped grabbing his knees to cannonball for maximum splash. As soon as Maxwell popped up Drake and Liam splashed him laughing.

“Bertrand you best come save your brother.” Liam called out to him before sending another scoop of water toward Maxwell.

Bertrand set his hat on the neat pile of clothes on his chair before wading into the river and joining the water fight.

For the next hour they played and joked and laughed as though twenty years had been shed from them with their clothes. The river carried them downstream a bit and rather than streak through the woods to get back to their clothes they swam to the shallows and waded back upstream.

As they got dressed Bertrand cleared his throat. He blushed as he addressed them. “I, I just want to thank you all. This has been quite wonderful. It means a lot to me, to us really. I know Savannah was quite thrilled that so many have come.”

Drake patted Bertrand on the back. “I know we have had differences in the past, Bertrand. But you put the light in my sister’s eyes and I know you love her. I’m happy to call you brother.”

He rubbed the back of his neck then grinned. “The fire should be ready, and I’m starving!”

They made their way back to camp where Drake dug the potatoes he had wrapped in foil earlier and buried in the fire out before he set a grill over the coals and cooked the fish he had prepared earlier.

Liam set the table up again and Maxwell brought out more champagne.

All of them moaned with ecstasy at the first bite of the delicious fish.

“Drake, this is the best fish I’ve ever tasted!” Bertrand exclaimed even as he took another bite.

“To our chef of the evening! Drake! You have out done yourself my friend!” Liam lifted his plastic cup of champagne and they all clacked their cups together and drank.

Drake blushed, “Well it helps that we were all pretty hungry. But I want to toast Bertrand, My Brother, My Friend, And the man that caught this delicious fish!”

“To skinny dipping!” Maxwell gushed enthusiastically.

The others all looked at Maxwell a moment then burst into laughter and toasted with him.

“It was quite liberating actually.” Bertrand grinned and drank.

“Hey, Maxwell what have you got planned for our after-dinner entertainment? I saw that huge duffel bag this morning.” Drake was taking a bite of a buttery baked potato.

“Well it was quite a challenge to find something we could do out here. But I finally found the perfect thing!” Maxwell took another bite of the fish and poured more champagne into everyone’s cups.

“And what is that?” Liam inquired.

“Cock a Deux kits.”

Drake choked barely turning his head in time to avoid spraying the champagne he’d just sipped on Bertrand.

Liam looked alarmed, “Drake are you okay?” Drake waved, eyes watering.

Bertrand looked at Maxwell, “Pray tell what is this Cock a deux kits?”

Maxwell looked a little uncertain, a bit worried about Drake and not quite as sure how perfect this idea was now. “Well bachelor parties are supposed to have lots of alcohol and sexy entertainment. So the champagne was easy. I know you love Champagne, Bertrand. But sexy entertainment out in the woods.. Well that was hard. But Cock a deux kits are these kits you can make molds of your penis…”

Liam snorted his drink and started coughing.

Bertrand grew about three inches taller in his chair, “No. Absolutely not.”

“It’s the perfect intimate gift for the one you love, Bertrand. And you can make vibrators, or chocolate, or candles and I thought at first candles, but burning one of those might be, I don’t know weird… I know Savannah would love it.”

Drake was laughing so hard he was snorting and slapping his knee. “Maxwell…. how, how many did you get? That duffel bag was huge.”

Maxwell mumbled so low no one could make out what he said.

“Drake, I think you knew what this was. How have I not heard that story?” Liam chucked as he recovered enough to inquire.

Drake grinned and shook his head. “Frat hazing. We had to make casts then make a candle and take it in. They lit the candle and then you had to go on a treasure hunt and find a hidden object before your candle burned down.”

“Dare I ask?” Liam lifted a brow.

“I’m certain you will.” Drake laughed. “Nope.” He snorted. “It’s… harder than you might think.” And then they all were laughing.

“Hey… I was trying to do it without help. It’s definitely a two person job.”

“There is NO Possible scenario!” Bertrand protested.

“No… “ Drake was laughing so hard he was having a hard time catching his breath. “Not like that. I mean timing…. And slipping yourself into cold alginate isn’t the most conducive to staying in great mold making form so to speak.” Drake was still chuckling as he picked up his cup and refilled everyone’s. “To Cock-a-Deux” He crowed and tapped his cup to the others.

“We gotta do this.”

Liam laughed and hid his smirk in his cup as he drank. Thinking it was going to take a LOT more champagne to get Bertrand to participate in this escapade.

Maxwell was slightly stunned that Drake was supporting him. But he went to his tent and got the duffel bag and brought it back out to the table.

“You know what we really need if we want to get good molds? Good Lord alive, how many of these did you get Maxwell?” Drake looked at the size of the duffel bag that Maxwell had sat on the table. Drake opened it up and burst out laughing again. “Oh my… “ He started pulling them out. “We have candle kits, and vibrator kits, and chocolate kits, and this one looks like it just makes a neon colored body safe silicon dildo…. “ He doubled over laughing. “Sixteen cock kits….”

Maxwell blushed. “I thought we might need to practice or something. And I read online that if you were too big you might have a hard time…” Drake shrieked with laughter. “Well it said that you have to be careful not to touch the bottom or the sides or it won’t work properly. And they recommended extra alginate and large plastic water bottles rather than the kit tube.”

“Did… did they recommend… cock rings or Viagra? Cause I promise that’s the only way you get a good mold.” Drake was holding his ribs struggling to get control.

“They did. So I got some of those, cock rings that is. Leather ones with a snap so you can get them off. There were some really bad pictures of men stuck in metal ones.” Maxwell shuddered.

“I have some Viagra” Bertrand mumbled.

“You do?” Maxwell, Drake, and Liam all turned to him at the same time.

“Well yes. I, mean I don’t need it. It was like, like insurance. I could not bear the thought of disappointing Savannah on our wedding night or honeymoon...” He shrugged. “If you prefer the blue pill I can certainly spare three. As I said it was merely insurance not something I require. And I have far more than I would use I’m certain. I will not be engaging in this activity.”

“Are you sure?” Drake raised his brow. “I am certain Savannah would cherish such a personal, unique gift from you Bertrand. I know Stephanie will love it. Hell, I may make her a full set!”

Bertrand looked torn. “Truly? You think Savannah would, would appreciate such a thing?”

“I’m certain she would love it.” Drake somehow managed to keep a straight face.

Liam refilled the champagne cups. “I must admit to the clever novelty of the idea Maxwell. I am not quite certain when the time may be right for me to bestow such a thing on my intended. But as intimate gifts go it does seem more entertaining than a bejeweled toenail clipping.” He was chuckling as he finished his dinner.

“So since you researched it Maxwell how are we going to go about this?” Drake was looking over the various kits and the extras.

“Well we need to heat some water. Then we have to decide if the tube that the kit comes in is going to work or if you’ll need to use one of the large water bottles. The warmer it is the faster the alginate will set. But obviously it can’t be too warm. And if it’s too cold well we might not be able to, um, make a good impression. But that’s where the cock rings can help or I guess we could try the Viagra. I thought the person who is going to make the mold can go in their tent and tell us when to start making the alginate and then we can pass them the alginate when it’s ready.” Maxwell shrugged.

Drake put a pot of water on the fire. “Maxwell you may have been right about how much champagne we may need.” He chuckled.

Bertrand was frowning. “Are you actually going to do this?” He looked around at the other men with a raised brow.

Liam laughed and filled Bertrand’s cup up again. “I honestly don’t see any harm in it Bertrand. It’s not as though we are doing something risky or sharing some intimacy with a stranger. It says here this dildo kit can be modified into a night light. It rather amuses me to think of bedecking the thing with flowers and having it set on the night stand as a night light.”

“It amuses me to think of Maxwell using his to open champagne bottles at a future Beaumont Bash.” Drake chuckled.

“I’m more concerned about Bartie using it as a sword to play pirate with the nanny.” Bertrand mumbled but finished his drink.

After a few more rounds of drinks all of the men were agreed they would do it. Maxwell was going to go first. He said he would need the larger water bottle and the extra alginate. He went into his tent with one of the leather snap on cock rings and a few minutes later they heard the strains of an Argentine Tango coming from his tent.

Drake put another pot of water on the fire and mixed hot water into the cold until Maxwell said he was ready. Then he mixed the warm water into the alginate as quickly as he could and poured the warm gloop into the cut off water bottle and handed it to Maxwell.

A moment later… “Um… I may need some help. Maybe a chair?”

The other men all looked at one another. Finally Drake chuckled and grabbed one of the chairs. “I’m coming in Maxwell.”

Drake’s eyes got big as he entered the tent. Obviously Maxwell was a ‘grower’ not a ‘shower’ and he was very large and bound with the leather strap his tip nearly at his navel.

“Could you maybe hold the container while I bend over and hold myself down? I can’t manage myself and it and if I tilt it, it’ll spill. This is harder than I thought it would be.”

Drake took the bottle with the alginate and held it in the seat of the chair. Maxwell leaned over the arms of the chair holding himself down and pushing his erection into the tepid solidifying alginate.

“Good job Maxwell! Now you just need to think sexy thoughts for the next five minutes or so. And don’t move.”

Maxwell shut his eyes and Drake struggled not to giggle as he held the container steady.

It was actually about three or four minutes later when Maxwell opened his eyes. “Do you think it's hard enough yet?”

“Maxwell you are literally balls deep in it, I would think you have a better idea than I do.”

“Well maybe try to squeeze the bottle some and see if it squeezes?”

Drake squeezed the bottle but it felt firm. “It seems firm. You want to pull out and see?”

Maxwell carefully withdrew himself and grinned. “It worked!!”

“Yay. Now please put yourself away. And just to be clear. You get to do the holding honors for Bertrand. I suspect he wouldn’t accept anyone else. So what are you going to make with this?”

Maxwell considered carefully for a few minutes. “I think I’ll make a dildo. Then if I want to make other things I can use that to make other casts.”

Drake grinned. “That’s brilliant, Maxwell. And yours came out much better than mine did years ago. It really does take a team to do this well.”

They joined the others as soon as Maxwell was dressed and shared the thought that they should all make the silicone dildos and then they could use those in the future if they wished to make other things. The problem they ran into was that they had to use two of the dildo kits to get enough silicone to fill Maxwell’s cast.

Liam said he would use one of the vibrator kits and he thought that could also be used to cast other molds if needed.

Things went pretty well. Liam held for Drake. Drake held for Liam. They got good casts and by the time they were done Bertrand had enough to drink he was willing to make a token of his love for his love.

Though he rejected the idea of needing a holder until he spilled the first bottle of alginate. Then he agreed to allow Maxwell to hold the second container for him. But even with the cock ring after all the alcohol he wasn’t quite up to where he needed to be. So he took a Viagra and they waited until he practically sang “Oh yes! We are most ready now!”

Maxwell went in with the third bottle of alginate and Bertrand sank himself proudly and deeply into it. Ten minutes later they weren’t coming out. Drake and Liam looked at each other and then at the tent. A couple of minutes later they heard Maxwell speaking quietly.

“Bertrand you need to pull out now.”

“This seems to be stuck.” Bertrand had the ‘we are not amused’ tone in his voice.

“Well, maybe unsnap the cock ring?”

“Ouch! My hair! Ouch! We are just going to have to wait a bit longer.”

Ten minutes passed with increased grumbling from Bertrand.

“Bertrand it would probably help if you take that cock ring off. Just unsnap it.” Drake called out to him.

“This infernal substance has solidified around my short hairs.”

“Maxwell, can you come here a moment?” Liam called to Maxwell.

Maxwell came out looking worried. “He really is stuck. It’s all glued in his hair I didn’t even think about it before it was too late.”

Drake looked at Liam, “Do you still use a straight razor?”

Liam laughed. “Yes. But I’ve also had about a bottle and a half of champagne. Do you really want me to geld your brother in law before his wedding?”

Drake frowned. Then grinned. “I know who else shaves with a straight razor… And hasn’t been drinking. Oh he’s gonna love this.” Drake stood up and headed down the trail calling for Bastien.

A few minutes later Drake proudly came back with the senior guard. “I told him he was our only hope. The future of the Duke of Ramsford depends on him.”

Liam looked up and nodded. “You didn’t tell him what happened?” Liam smiled sweetly and offered Bastien a drink.

“We’ve been drinking.”

Bastien lifted a brow. “Indeed. How may I assist you Sir?”

Liam pointed at the tent.

Maxwell’s most calming voice carried to the guard. “Drake went to get assistance”

“I don’t need assistance.”

“Then pull out.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Then you need assistance at this point Bertrand.”

Bastien lifted a brow at his King and Drake, “What sort of assistance does Duke Ramsford require may I ask.”

“He needs a shave. In very close, delicate quarters. With a straight razor.” Liam chuckled. “I’ve been drinking. So we thought it best you assist since you have skill.”

There was a very slight lift of his brow as he bowed to his king. “Do you have a shaving kit?”

Liam got up, slightly unsteady and giggled a bit. “I always forget how champagne hits you when you stand.” He went to his tent and came back a minute later with his shaving kit.

Bastien took it from him and went to the tent where the voices of Maxwell and Bertrand were emanating. He entered and stopped at the vision of Bertrand Beaumont naked from the waist down bent over a bottle filled to the brim with a pale green alginate his genitals submerged in the substance.

“Your Grace, I have been asked to assist you.”

“Lord Beaumont perhaps you could get your brother something strong to drink. And perhaps a first aid kit?”

“First aid kit?” Bertrand queried in alarm.

“Yes your Grace. I believe some anesthetic cream may ease your discomfort. I am going to shave your hairs that are accessible. And we will put some numbing cream on as much area as we can and then remove this.”

Maxwell returned with Drake’s hip flask and the first aid kit and Bastien looked through it until he found a small tube of anesthetic/antiseptic cream. He told Bertrand to drink some of the whiskey and then lie back and think of pleasant things while he and Maxwell took care of him. He had Maxwell hold the flashlight and the container Bertrand was stuck in. And carefully examined what he was dealing with.

“How long has he been in that cock ring?”

“Thirty minutes maybe?”

“We need to get that off him now.”

“It has snaps. It just needs to be pulled and it’ll pop off.” Maxwell told Bastien.

“It hurts to pull it. It pulls my hair.”

“Your Grace, I need you to relax please.”

Bastien carefully felt around the base of the strap until he located the snap.

“That pains me!”

“Yes. I know. My apologies.” Bastien held one end to steady it and jerked the snap open.

“OUCH!! Damnit man I’m going to need those.” Bertrand howled.

“Indeed your Grace. I believe you which is why we had to get that off you.” Bastien was actually very gentle as he smoothed the anesthetic cream on as much of Bertrand as was accessible.

Bertrand sighed, “You have cold hands.”

“My apologies your Grace. Do you feel any relief from your erection?”

Bertrand blushed. “Not yet.”

“Maxwell can you get me some ice please?” Bastien took the container from Maxwell.

“Bertrand I’m going to put some ice on you. It should numb you a bit. Then I’m going to very carefully shave you as much as possible. And then we are going to take this mold off you. Hopefully. Do you understand me?”

Bertrand nodded. “Please, please promise me you will not speak of this.”

Bastien nodded. “On my honor, your Grace. We will never speak of this again.”

“Thank you. You are a good man Bastien.”

Maxwell returned with a tee shirt filled with chipped ice from the cooler and a bottle of water.

Bastien had him hold the container and carefully tucked the ice and the tee shirt around the base of Bertrand’s cock while Bertrand made a strangled moaning protest. “That’s soooo cold!!”

A few minute later Bastien took the ice away and pulled out the razor. Bertrand’s eyes got wide.

“Is this completely necessary?”

“Well you have quite a bit of hair stuck in this and we need to get you out of there. I do believe that shaving as much as we can will be much less painful, your Grace.”

Bertrand nodded and lay back. “I can’t look.”

Ever so carefully Bastien shaved as much of the hair as he could. “Now hold very still. On three we are going to remove this.

One,” He nodded to Maxwell and Maxwell pulled the mold up and off his brother.

Bertrand sat up yelling, “You said Three! That was NOT Three Maxwell!!”

“Indeed your Grace,” Bastien smiled as he stood up. “It wasn’t three. But you know timing is everything. And you are free. I believe you have a rather impressive mold. And the Ramsford equipment seems to be intact.”

Bertrand looked a bit startled then smiled. “Well done. And many thanks Bastien. Would you like some champagne? I think we still have some. Maxwell, get Bastien a bottle of champagne would you?”

Maxwell grinned. “Of course. And Bastien we have extra mold kits if you like I’ll give you one….”

#trh #trh drake #trh liam #drake #liam #trr bastien #trh bertrand #choices #fanfic #choices fanfiction #bertrands bachelor party

13 notes · View notes

unexpectedreylo · 5 years ago

Text

The Straight Dope On Galaxy’s Edge

I went to Disneyland Aug. 7-10 for my birthday because where else would I rather be than in the GFFA?

It’s amazing! It’s like a Ralph McQuarrie painting come to life. Even though it is “set” during the ST, it tries to have a little bit of something for every Star Wars fan. And maybe even for your friends and family who aren’t into it as much as you are.

Don’t believe the hype that it’s not doing well. Disneyland has had annual passholder blackout dates to keep attendance below crazy levels and while overall attendance is down 3% (probably due to fears of massive crowds as well as higher ticket prices), I can safely tell you that there was a great deal of interest in Galaxy’s Edge by attendees. On Thursday and Saturday, everyone made a beeline for it just as the park opened in the morning. I was doing the Griswold family dash to Wally World myself, power walking the best my middle aged/out-of-shape self could as kids and teenagers went past me. Requiring reservations for Oga’s Cantina and Savi’s Workshop (where you build the lightsabers) prevented hellacious hours-long lines for those attractions. Smuggler’s Run has had waits as long as three hours over the course of the summer. It reached its 1 millionth rider in mid-July. On Thursday, the longest I wait I saw was 80 or 90 minutes and that was on a weekday blackout date. The section of the park was busy both Thursday and Saturday mornings. For what it’s worth, it seemed like half the people at Disneyland overall had some kind of Star Wars t-shirt on. It was like a Celebration with rides.

Attendance isn’t the only metric. What really matters is whether people are spending money there and I can vouch that people were buying. The lightsabers are $200 a pop alone. There were merchandise I wanted to get but weren’t available, such as the japor snippet necklace and the Rey vest (sizes XS-L were sold out). White kyber crystals are still sold out. I saw signs everywhere limiting certain items to one per person. People were packing the cantina and all of them got drinks. Ronto’s Roasters did pretty steady business.

Just bear in mind that parks play the long game and it probably serves Disney’s long term interests to allow paying attendees and not just local APs the chance to experience Galaxy’s Edge. Hell crowds would just make people angry they spent all of that money and couldn’t see or do a thing.

Now, here’s where I’m going to dish some advice to those of you who are planning to go either to the one in Anaheim or at WDW. The WDW version is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so some of this won’t apply to the Mouse House East but I think a lot of it will.

Tip #1--Your best bet is on a weekday, first thing in the morning as the park opens. If it’s an AP blackout date, that’s even better. Remember, Disney is like con...you don’t come to sleep.

Tip #2--Stay at a Disney hotel to take advantage of Magic Hour. I know, I know, they’re $$$ while there are many cheaper alternatives but if you really want to beat the crowds this is the way to do it. Galaxy’s Edge will not be accessible during Magic Hour (at DL it’s just Fantasyland that’s open) but you can start lining up at the ropes in front of Frontierland and Adventureland. While GE at DL has three entrances, they will send you the looong way through New Orleans Square and Critter Country when the park fully opens. If you’re at WDW, stay at the Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, or Pop Century resorts...they’re the ones closest to Hollywood Studios though you’ll still have to take the Disney bus to get there. (The Swan and the Dolphin are on Disney property but are NOT Disney resort hotels, so no Magic Hour.)

Another perk to staying at a Disney hotel now is that as part of our travel package we all got free exclusive Galaxy’s Edge lanyards with a pin!

Tip #3--Ladies...I think with the exception of the First Order boutique and the cosplay items, I liked the a lot of t-shirts and stuff for kids more than the ones for adults! So if you are on the small side, you might be able to fit in the bigger kids’ wear. For instance I got a great Black Spire hoodie for $40 at Jewels of Bith...the adult hoodie was like 20 bucks more. My mom liked it so much she got one for herself and my niece. Note: the merch you buy inside GE don’t say “Galaxy’s Edge” or have Star Wars logos. If you want those, you’ll have to buy them in the regular Disney stores.

Tip #4--Oga’s Cantina. Reservations are required so as soon as you plan your trip, go on the DL/WDW app and reserve right away. I think now you can reserve up to 60 days in advance...if not, definitely 14 days in advance. You are NOT guaranteed a seat. You are given an area to hang out in (at the bar, at a table, or at a booth) and you are to remain there. You can’t run and grab a booth for instance if a party leaves. Your limit is 45 minutes and two drinks. I will say though that service is fast (I guess most drinks are pre-mixed) and in our case, we didn’t even need to stay the entire 45 minutes. I got the Cliff Dweller (I don’t drink) while my brother got whatever they call the beer and my dad got the teal-colored “white” wine. My older niece got the blue milk with the Bantha cookie. She gave rave reviews for both. The younger niece got the stuff that came from the creature tank. It sounds gross but she liked it. There are no restrooms inside the cantina btw.

Tip #5--Savi’s Workshop. Again, reservations are required and they should be made as soon as possible. The lightsabers are $199 and you pay when you check in. The day I went they were running behind, so while my reservation was at 3:00, I didn’t actually get in the building until like 3:30. The process takes about 20 minutes. You are ushered into a shop and there’s a whole narrative and everything. The “gatherers” have harvested scrap metal and kyber crystals and crafted lightsaber parts. Based on the “theme” you selected at check in (stuff like “power and control” or “peace and justice”) you are given trays with parts to choose from and a crystal (blue, green, purple, or red). Your guides are in character and sometimes it’s all earnest af, but then again so are the movies. I found it surprisingly easy to put these together. The “gatherers” put the blade in for you then you step forward, turn on the switch, and yay, you got a new lightsaber! You get to wave them in the air and stuff. On the way out you are given a free sheath bag to put it in. If you don’t want to lug your new lightsaber on a plane or have to check it in, you can have it shipped home for $17 at the First Order boutique (though I don’t know if other stores will do it for you too).

Tip #6--Smugglers’ Run. The best time to go on the ride, since to date there are no fastpasses, is right when the park opens. Thursday morning at 8:10 a.m. had the shortest wait, 15 minutes but I pretty much walked right onto the ride. The next best option is going single rider, which is what my brother and I did the second time we went on it. It was about half the regular wait time. Have your camera ready to get that chess table photo op because you will get called right away for your “boarding group” (assigned with a color). Two pilot, two shoot, two “engineer.” The light up buttons make it easy to figure out what you have to do but accuracy is tough. I piloted the first time, shot the second time. The good news is I did not crash either time. Which is miraculous.

Tip #7--Other food and drink. Unfortunately I didn’t get the opportunity to eat at Docking Bay 7 or Ronto Rosters. I’m told the breakfast wrap at Ronto Roasters is phenomenal. Don’t expect typical Disney fare in Galaxy’s Edge; the closest it comes is the Star Wars popcorn. No galactic churros or Mickey ice cream pops here. In fact an in-character cast member and Chewbacca were really curious about our churros when we went into Galaxy’s Edge on Saturday. My younger niece even tried to give Chewie a piece to try, LOL. What you can get is blue milk and green milk. We got one of each on Thursday to try. Both were better than the notoriously sweet butterbeers at Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Tasty and refreshing on a hot day. But I kinda think we all leaned more toward the blue milk. In fact the nieces insisted on another round of blue milk when we returned on Saturday. You can get the Aurebesh label soda and water at a variety of stands and at Docking Bay 7. (Maybe Ronto Roasters too.) They’re pricey but everything at Disney is 30-50% more expensive than they would be anywhere else. And the Aurebesh bottles make for low cost souvenirs.

Tip #8--Characters. Chewbacca and FO stormtroopers were around quite a bit. I saw Vi Moradi twice and Kylo a couple of times (Chewie and Kylo get treated like rock stars), but I totally missed Rey. My parents saw her though. Characters here do NOT sign autographs, something my nieces found out the hard way when they tried to get them from stormtroopers. LOL.

Tip #8--Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. This is where you buy your holocrons and loose kyber crystals (only with purchase of a holocron). They were still out of white crystals so I bought a red one. When you put a red crystal in your Jedi holocron, Yoda warns you about the dark side. Bonus: the kyber crystals you buy here can be put in your lightsaber from Savi’s Workshop. So if you buy both a holocron and a lightsaber, make sure you get a different color crystal for each so you can switch them around! Here you’ll find a lot of Jedi cosplay, Leia cosplay, and the headdress Padme used in AOTC as part of her peasant disguise, among other goodies. The stained glass portraits of Leia and Queen Amidala were stunning but they were kinda big and 95 bucks apiece. They had a set of ceramic busts of everyone’s favorite mother-daughter duo for $55 but I didn’t feel like lugging those around at the time. For older Star Wars fans, this is probably going to be your favorite store.

Tip #9--Other merchandise/shopping. The First Order boutique is located right next to Kylo’s parked shuttle and across from the “milk” stand. The Resistance has two carts at the entrance in front of the (unopened) Rise of the Resistance ride. I kinda like that the underground Resistance is on the “outskirts” of the outpost while the conquering FO is right there in the center of town. Makes sense for the narrative. Savi’s and the store where you can build a droid (no reservation necessary...this was a hit with kids) are next to each other. Everything else is in the marketplace in a series of smallish stalls. Keep an eye out because nobody has signs. (Note: layout might be slightly different at WDW.)

Tip #10--Wear a hat and sunscreen. The marketplace is the only area in GE with shade. The rest of it is out in the sun, so be prepared because in CA it’s easy to get a sunburn and in FL, it’s easier still. Bring a rain poncho if you’re at WDW because of those hit and run thunderstorms.

Tip #11-- You don’t have to be a passive tourist. Some cast members get into it more than others but you’ll get more out of Galaxy’s Edge if you play along. As Star Wars fans, you’ll get the lingo (for instance they do call kids “younglings” and talk about money as credits) so that’s no problem. When you’re inside of Galaxy’s Edge you can go on the DL/WDW app and activate your “datapad” and scan stuff at various locations. My brother did this with his phone while we were poking around and you can earn rankings and stuff within the different factions.

Overall I think what Galaxy’s Edge is now is just the beginning. Rise of the Resistance opens this winter at both parks and from what I’ve heard, more attractions and shows are in the works. Personally, I’d love a hair braiding station where you can get your hair done like Leia or Rey or Battle of Geonosis Padme since that’s probably her easiest style! I want a Reylo night time show! But it’s absolutely worth visiting as it is. You can easily spend half the day or longer there, depending on how much you want to do. Few Star Wars or Disney experiences will ever top entering Galaxy’s Edge, huffing and puffing from having to go up and down hills, hearing the music over the loudspeakers and the cast members and various characters coming out to wave hello to everyone. Even the stormtroopers. I felt like I’d just finished the Batuu 5K! And then seeing everyone gawk at the Millennium Falcon in front of Smuggler’s Run.

#galaxy's edge #star wars #disney #reylo #geekylife #geek travel

2 notes · View notes

thewayshefeels1 · 6 years ago

Text

A letter I never sent

I hate you because I feel ripped, stripped, and defective. You discarded me and threw me away. I remember the last time we spoke, do you? You never stick to your word so I don’t know why I believed you’d keep your promise. They mean shit to you but everything that ever came out of your mouth, I took seriously. I guess at least one of us did. You said you’d keep in touch; you would check in. You deleted your Instagram, or just blocked me. When I saw, it made me sad. It’s probably for the best, so I can’t stalk you. It forces me to “move on” or whatever. You said you’d call… why haven’t you? I worry about you, but I bet you couldn’t give two shits about what I’m doing right now. I’m sure you have a new girl. I wonder what she looks like? What’s her name, how you met? Do you tell her about me? Your “crazy” ex? You’re not the type to stay single for long, even though you said the opposite when I met you, but that was just another lie. Figures. It sucks because I doubt you give a damn about my existence. I hoped I’d be over you by now, but we know how that goes. I want to see and talk to you so bad, but I wonder what you’d do or say. I feel like I’m in rehab, detoxing from a drug, you. It’s painful, slow and torturous. I never want to get into another relationship again. I just broke up with my last boyfriend…. mostly because it was unfair to him, as I was thinking of you the entire time. Breaking up with him was a piece of cake compared to you and even after our break up, I’m still more upset about you. It’s weird honestly… the thought of never seeing you again. I know it’s for the best but when I imagine never hearing your voice or touching you again… let’s just say I can’t. To accept it would destroy me. I’m always [secretly] hoping I run into you. I know you don’t miss me but I miss you so much. If you were dead I would slit my throat just to be with you again if that’s what it took. I make myself sick when I see how obsessed I am. You’re not a good person. You made me feel so small and your words are ingrained on my soul forever. I can’t forget them or what you did to me. You said you would call…

I have no clue if you will receive this and if I decide to give this to you, it will turn into a long ass letter that will force me to contemplate my poor choices. A year ago today we had our picnic in the park. I remember standing at the top of some cliff with your arms around me. There was a gentle breeze and we took photos that I looked pretty good in. I remember playing you songs that reminded me of you and feeling my heart unravel since they could speak to you in ways I couldn’t. My grandma gave you sauce and I recall you admitting you don't like sauce so it was funny watching you eat it. I can’t remember shit yet everything I experienced with you is unforgettable. It fucks me up since a huge part of me wants to erase the memories because they sting whenever they flash by. I was telling my friend the other day that being with you was like being in one of those romantic comedies. I used to eat those up in high school, like all girls. We all wish for that "notebook" sort of love. We all know it's made up; nor realistic to expect that "meant to be" crap. But I had moments with you, where I felt that fantasy unfold. So why am I writing this you may ask? I'm not trying to nestle my way back into your life. The wisest part of me hopes your eyes never read these words. A week ago, I had a huge moment of weakness and went to your house. I know that sounds stalkerish, but screw it, I'm laying it all on the line. Yes, I drove by your house. I thought I was going to throw up and felt physically sick. I was in your "neck of the woods" and can't deny the idea has never crossed my mind. However, I've been strong and resisted those times. I couldn't this time for some reason. I was feeling somewhat petty and lonely for reasons I shall not get into. It was late and I know I don't have any business bothering you, but I really wanted to see you. Truthfully, I always want to see you. I figured I'd risk the chance of rejection and before you know it, I was outside your house. It was surreal; I had to take five minutes [at least] to recuperate. While debating my life decisions, your mom opened the door. I took a deep breath and went in. We talked for hours. She said I just missed you. Part of me thought “damn it” and the other “thank god”. It's been almost a year since I've seen you yet I felt right at home. When I hugged your mom and sister I never wanted to let go. Your mom explained all that's happened in the past few months and I didn't want to show it bothered me. I told my friend I won't let anything happen to you and nobody can hurt you. I said I'd kill anyone who tries to harm you and they'd have to go through me first. He asked why I care so much and I don't know, I don't want to care. It sucks when all you want to do is move on. I'm sorry for what you've been through. I mean it when I say I pray for you all the time. I wish nothing but what’s best for you. You may think that's full of shit, or I'm just trying to sound all "goody goody" but if that was the case, why would I be going through all this trouble? Unless I was some sort of manipulative psycho (you may say that's debatable) but I swear I'm not. Maybe a bit out my mind but not psychotic. Life has taught me a lot of things, and this last year has been one hell of a ride. Sometimes I wish we never met, that is very harsh but true. Please hear me out. Half of the time I believe you were the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If this is hard to hear (or read rather) please know this is unbelievably painful to write. Losing you was the most painful loss in my life. Losing my father was tough. But it was like ripping off a Band-Aid. I miss my dad all the time. I'm not saying it was easy, no way. He was the first male love of my life. But he was sick my whole life. Part of me feels like I never really knew him-the true him. It's complicated. My dad was the only man I truly know loved me, the real me. (Again don't get pissed) His death was expected. You never really know how to lose a person. You can plan for it all you want, but you're never truly prepared. My dad is gone and I accept that. He is my guardian, my guide, I see him in every kind person I meet, in every nice encounter I have and whenever I feel love. He protects me and has saved me many times. I know we'll meet again. But you on the other hand. I wasn't ready when you came into my life. Our relationship was turbulent. Losing you was EXCRUCIATING. It still is. I haven't accepted it. When my therapist says that I'll never see you again, I can't face it. I'm in . You're still alive. Which is great, but nothing is worse than grieving the loss of someone who is still living. You're left wondering, hoping. Every time I'd get a call after the last time we talked, i'd wish it'd be you. Every time I'd walk by your friend’s house up the block and I'd see a silver car, I'd wish it'd be you. I'd always hoped I'd run into you. I'd always be disappointed because I'd worry I'd never see you again and this is something I couldn't come to terms with. Is it really over? No it just can't be I'd tell myself. Knowing you're out there, and not knowing at the same time what you're doing kills me. But I told myself “you have to be strong. You have to practice what you preach”. 10:15PM I've come to the conclusion this will take forever and a day to write. It may never end! There will be no conclusion, no ending. It will just go on forever and be a never ending love note to you so that way I have an excuse to not give it & stop myself. Our paths cannot cross. CAN NOT. Do you know why? I cannot survive round 2. I would not make it out alive. I would never be able to live through losing you again. It was the worst, absolute worst, most heartbreaking thing that has happened to me. That night, the last night in the Friendly’s parking lot, when you drove away, you drove away with a piece of me I will never get back. I wanted so badly to scream to not drive away, to drive after you. Between that moment and now, a part of me remains hollow. It sucks because only you have it, the chunk of my heart or whatever fills the gap. Only you can appease this ache, but only you can cause it too. I don't mean to put all the blame on you. I'm not making you responsible for all my suffering. I chose to stay; condoned behavior and enabled. Although I don’t believe in that meant to be crap, I do believe our paths crossed for a reason. I did not by any means choose to fall for you. When I fell, I fell hard, face first. Face planted. with say in the matter. It scared me to death. Not half to death, to death. Yet meeting you was what I expect moving to a new city is like, refreshing, exciting, thrilling, and although you're anxious/nervous, you hope it'll work out. You act like you know what you are doing. There's mysterious and curiosity, a sense of beauty… I'm getting ahead of myself here, I'm pretty sure I've told you all this. I hope the thoughts crossed your mind even once as to what's been going on in my life the last 4 seasons. If not no big deal I'll fill you in anyway. Only reason I say I hope is because I'll feel 5% less pathetic if you've thought of me once or twice within the last 11 months. As you may remember in August I was hospitalized. On the 19th after work one day I'm not sure what set me off. I know I was feeling depressed about our breakup but also my TMS treatments weren't working and so I overdosed. My mom found me unconscious in my bed the next morning. Apparently she called my aunt and when I was unresponsive they brought me to the ER. I was in Brookhaven for two weeks. 12:15PM Time’s going by and it’s nice because I’m feeling less of an urge to contact you. It’s freeing because now that I’m thinking about it… I’m thinking of you a lot less lately. Lately meaning these last couple of days. Is that a slap in the face? We all want to be adored, admired, to be the center of somebody’s life right? Well sorry if that hits a sore spot but I think it’s because I’ve been distracted the last week. I’ve been working out a lot more than usual, probably to the point of obsession. It’s not healthy but I love working out because I get to take my mind off things, off life for a while. Even for an hour is so…relieving? I’ve been listening to your friends song “illusion” quite a heck of a lot on Spotify. I first heard it on Facebook. I’ve listened so much I’ve gotten quite bored with it, although I still listen a lot. It’s very good. I added it to my favorites and memorized the words. Not because he’s your friend, frankly I could care less, but because it’s beautiful. The song reminds me of you a lot actually.I'm walking past your friend’s house now ...what’s his name, Nick? I always have this false hope for your car. Every time I pray your Kia will be outside but never is. Even though it's been plenty of times... I've never stopped looking, hoping for you. And every time I’m right at that corner I see the dealership and just stare like some nut job. Whenever I take a walk and pass by franklin Avenue. Do you know what or where that is? Of course not. You don't but that was one of the last places I ever saw you. The first time we broke up was on that street, on New Year’s/Eve we went there and I sucked you off plenty of times there too. Ring a bell? So much time passed between us but all it takes is one second to take me back... to the first second and third time when I kissed you, it still sends shivers down my spine. I never knew that one night in July would be the last time I'd see you. I knew it had to be. But part of me hoped it wouldn’t. Like an itch I've been desperately reaching for, dying to scratch. So why did u do it? Or better yet why didn't you? Why didn't u fight for me? U say u did but frankly that's bullshit. We fought but mostly for ourselves. I fought for peace of mind and you fought for power. Almost a year and u never came back for me. And I hate u for it. You did the right thing by obeying my/my mom’s wishes but I hate myself mostly, for waiting. It must be good to know that I'm still holding on. Holding on to letting go. All these months, days, seasons have gone by and I've never stopped holding out for you. Every time my phone would ring and I wouldn't recognize the number I'd pray to god it was you. Deep down I knew it wasn’t so I wouldn't get my hopes up. Last time we talked you said you'd call in a month or so. You never did. It KILLED me. I thought u moved on. So I tried to as well. But I never quit wondering why? Did you not care? Because not for one minute did I ever quit loving you. Do you recall one of the first things you said to me in December over the phone? We didn’t speak for 4 months and do you remember what you said? “It’s my birthday in 2 days” I wondered why the hell did I call? Probably because my inhibitions were low and I was tipsy but that’s beside the point. It gave me the perfect excuse to call; so I could blame it on the alcohol. My heart sank because I already knew first of all, I hadn’t forgotten your birthday. How naïve can you be? I asked myself. When we got off the phone I was proud of my decision to not be with you. But then the ache came back, weeks, months later. Did I miss you? Or did your absence give me enough time away just to miss your ghost? To create this image of someone in my head who I always hoped you’d be? I always asked that question-did I love you? Or did I love who I thought you could be? Because frankly, the man in front of me was disappointing. Saying he missed my sex when I missed everything – holding hands, your presence, looking at you from the passenger seat, you being a pain in the ass but MY pain in the ass, rolling my eyes at you, your weird voices and dumb things you would do to try & get me to laugh and sometimes I’d fake laugh but at the end of the day, I never met anyone like you. I would've stuck around you know. I would've stayed through it all and I wish I could be there for you now. Hugging you tight to help you get through this, so that you're not alone. I wanted to be your partner in crime. I wanted it to be us. When I think about you, so many times I'll just close my eyes. My heart will hurt & I'll feel this longing that I can't help but wonder if you feel me too? Could you ever possibly be thinking of me the same time I'm thinking about you? Does that one moment bring us back together again? I always thought what I'd do if I ever saw you again, what I'd say, how I'd feel and react. I can't imagine it. I've played so many scenarios over in my head but I don't think I can do it. I think I'd pass out and I've never fainted before. Yesterday my therapist told me I’d probably shit myself & to not risk it [ha-ha]. I was listening to a podcast which said if a person from your past isn't in your life anymore then they don't exist in your present reality. That made me sad and reject the idea. After I was released from the hospital I was put into an adult partial hospitalization program at Mather in the fall. I changed my number and I was determined to move on with my life. This letter may never make its way to you and that's the only reason I'm saying this, is about to get real. Think of it as the story of our relationship and my life up to this point. During our relationship I became very ill, mentally and physically. Prior to our relationship I already had emotional issues but I developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder that led me to have night terrors, a cataplectic attack (a form of cataplexy which I thought was a seizure) in my sleep, insomnia, memory and chronic gastrointestinal issues. During my stay in this intensive outpatient program my psychiatrist wanted to put me on high blood pressure medication used for war veterans because of my PTSD. I feel bad telling u this, like it should be some secret, but do u know how miserable the last year has been? I was on so much medication my grandma looked like an Olympic athlete. Once u told me I stress you out so u started smoking cigarettes again. I doubt u even recall this, so go ahead and deny it. But why would I make that up. Why would I make ANY of this up? This is taking me days, weeks to write and u may never even get it? And if u did nobody will see it besides u so who am I trying to fool. You'd tell me I stressed u out a lot. Do you remember half the shit u said to me? I doubt it. But I do. Maybe u didn't mean it when u said nobody will ever love me like you or any other guy besides u would treat me like shit; but the last day I saw you made me so glad it would be the last. Why? You may ask. Because of something you may consider silly or miniscule, but me my friend, for me it was the cherry on top of the big delicious sundae called our relationship. Do you remember asking for a goodbye kiss? It was only a simple sweet kiss goodbye after all? No big deal, I owed it to you anyways you said. But actually I owe you nothing. I still owe you nothing. And my lips belong to me which are on my body which belongs to who you may be wondering? TO ME. So when I told you no, I don’t think it quite registered. You never took that word lightly. Did it bruise your ego? Or did you just assume that since you were my boyfriend you automatically gained this right? Over me, my decisions, my body? For a good 10 minutes or so you convinced me as to why I had to kiss you and sure enough, I gave you what you wanted like I always did, eventually. But I asked you why you’d even want a kiss if it wasn’t freely given and that’s when I knew this was it. Really, I knew before that. It broke my heart when it finally hit me that no matter what, you weren’t going to be it. Do you know how much that sucked? I wanted nothing more for a happy ever after, but it dawned on me that no matter what I did, how hard I tried, nothing I could say would save us, we weren’t going to end up together. It was heartbreaking. You can’t force life into something that must die. Then I started to lose myself. I consider myself to be a kind, loving person and maybe at this point you disagree. But I had this light before we started dating. But by the end of our relationship though, that light was gone. I turned cold, towards you, towards everyone but most importantly, towards myself. I tried to be nice I really did. But the last month or so I couldn’t pretend. When I saw myself disregarding your feelings, treating you how you treated me (more or less) I knew there was a big issue. Despite all the worlds thrown at me, I’ve rarely used my circumstances as an excuse to treat people like shit. In this moment are you thinking “what did I even do? Why are you making me out to be a monster? I wasn’t so bad, it was you!” Good question. And if I think you’re such a dick, then why do I even bother? Even BETTER question, glad you asked!Thing is, I don't think you're the scum of the earth. I see the good in you. I recognize your shortcomings. We all have flaws. Due to our past/present circumstances, we can spread light or stay in darkness. I'm writing you because I believe in you. Is that reassuring or does that just piss you off? When I first met you, you sparked a fire deep within me; you made me see the positive. You made me laugh, you made me cry (tears of joy) I had faith in my dreams; I wanted to be the best I could be. Isn't that the point of it all? Of a relationship? To encourage each other, inspire & motivate each to do more, be more? Aspire to learn and reach for the stars? To accept each other where u are now but strive for better because you know there's endless potential; there's no limit to what u can do... that's what I hoped for my life. But after a while, I just felt bad. In general & about myself. All I wanted was please you. My whole world, my whole life revolved around you. It's not supposed to be like that. I felt alone, isolated. I was being accused of shit I didn't deserve; I felt I had to hide things for no reason. Ultimately, I was afraid of you. Did you get off on intimidating me? I thought I was going insane. Part of me figured if I could grant your every wish, then things would get better. But after that didn't work, I switched gears. If I could solve all YOUR problems then our problems would be solved. I concentrated my time and energy on your garbage so I didn't have to take out my own trash. For a while maybe things would be calm. But half the time I didn't know who you were. Were you this sweet, fun loving, charismatic guy, or this jealous, possessive manipulator who acted more like a dictator than a partner? Only bringing on the charm when you wanted demands obeyed. Need an example? Once I got home from my eating disorder program & was feeling really sick. It was when my stomach problems began and you wanted to see me. I was scared of telling you I couldn't hang because I was nauseous but didn't want to be reprimanded. But in group we were learning how to assert ourselves and I figured part of dating is being honest... well did I have to deal with the consequences. You complained about how I don't care or else I'd make time to see you and if I liked you as much as you liked me...yada yada. I would probably understand if you couldn't chill. You'd put words in my mouth constantly. I'd be blamed and guilted for almost everything, let's be real. It was too much. Call me a shitty girlfriend if you want but I tried. Just don't say one thing then do another. It's not right. It wasn't until I was single for a while that I learned being called a "fucker, bitch, dick" by your significant other ISN'T okay. I have the right for space; I have the right to disagree. Relationships are 50:50. I know you know that, you've probably been in more than me but ours was the only one that really mattered (to me) If you want something to work you have to work with the person. Not say "if you loved me you would..." or do something hurtful then say "just kidding" cause if that was the case then our whole relationship was a joke to you. But it wasn't to me. When you love someone you love them despite the fact they're not pleasing u Day in day out. I want love the way I love my cat. It's unconditional. Hear me out...he doesn't necessarily know I love him. He may or may not love me but I DON'T CARE. I love him regardless. He does nothing for me. I tell him I love him and does he say it back? No. He doesn't have to. I say because I mean it, no expectations. You can do something just because you want to, without asking anything in return. It's called selflessness. That's how I wanted our love to be. That's how I tried to love you. I felt your love at times, but mostly in times of tragedy. When I'd feel I was about to lose you & you were about to lose me. Is that what it's going to take for us to not be at war with each other? Someone shouldn't have to slip out of your hands for you to hold tight to them. I needed you to listen to me when I talked to you. Not sit there and not speak but actually hear me. I wanted to know you. Understand YOU from your toes to the top of your head. All of you. But it was destroying me. Did you not see it? Could you not tell or did you just not care? If you can honestly say you didn't notice I was NOT fine then I will take it all back. But how could you say when I needed to be hospitalized in March "how are you doing this to me?" I was on my deathbed and all you could think was about you. You said this in tropical smoothie so don't say I'm full of it. It's not all on you though trust me. I played a big part. I hardly ever put my foot down. I did to the best of my ability. But I lost my voice when I was with you. I felt so unworthy, so lucky to have you that whatever scraps you threw my way I'd gobble up. I'd rather have the worst parts of you than nothing at all. Even if it broke me. I should've set more boundaries; I shouldn't have been such a martyr. I thought if I pleased you, if I sacrificed myself enough then maybe you'd eventually see for once and for all that I gave a fuck. But is that really love? No. That's unhealthy, toxic codependency. Me trying to get you to fill a void inside because I felt so low about myself. That's daddy issues I need to fix. And I am working on my problems. I go to therapy, constantly looking at the skeletons in my closet because I don't want it to be like that anymore. You inflicted pain on me and I thought I deserved it. Masochism is not sexy. I know better now. I'm not perfect by any means. I never will be-none of us are. But I'd like to think I'm not a doormat. I like myself a lot better when I'm honest. Other people seem to like it too. It's more attractive to be transparent anyway. I have needs, wants and desires and if you can't meet them then I'll do it myself. I know what I will and won't stand for. As the saying goes "if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything". I take responsibility for not standing up for myself, for smiling when I felt like screaming. After all, how were you supposed to know I was unhappy if I was acting happy all along (to an extent)After I saw youSo I wrote this whole thing before today. It’s ironic how life works. I was just taking a walk & decided to go a different route. I was listening to this song thinking OF YOU and I see a silver KIA. My heart drops. I hold my breath because it looks like it was in the driveway of this kid I went to school with or your friend. Then I got closer and saw the infamous HAY and was like holy fuck what do I do holy mother of god just keep walking. I turned the corner stammering and tripped on the sidewalk, smooth. I was talking to myself like some maniac and didn’t know what to do. Do I turn around? Do I call someone? Scream? Stop walking and sit on the side of the road. But you came back. You came back for me. Yes that boosted my ego a bit knowing you cared. Don’t think I didn’t see that hand over the face side look you gave. Seeing you was probably similar to when people first see a meteor shower, or a shooting star for the first time… WOAH. But I did better than I thought?! I expected vomiting some defecating and possible hospitalization from a severe panic attack. All within a span of 24 hours I’ve – gotten rejected, got told by my therapist she’d no longer be taking me as a client, possibly fired, gotten a Brazilian wax, got a huge tube stuck up my vagina and chunks of my cervix removed, and now saw you. What a day. There was so much I wanted to say. I don’t know why I invited you inside, I have to pretend I’m over it right? We’re supposed to act all tough and like we’re cool kids who have no feelings. Well sorry, that’s not me. I don’t fit the bill because I can’t put on a mask and just act like nothing ever happened. When I hear his name I think hell, heaven, and everything in between. So I will start to wrap this up the best way that I can [to be honest it’ll still probably be another 3 pages but I want to get this letter to you so I’m trying to hustle] I wish loving you could just be an afterthought. We’ll never be able to turn back time, as much as I want to, as much as I wish I could. But thank god for that though right?! Life sucks and is wild sometimes, maybe a lot of the time. But the people you meet, places you go and the lessons you learn along the way, are invaluable. I did end things with you partly because my mom and largely due to my psychiatric condition. But a big piece of it was because I never felt like I was enough for you. The best parts of me kept falling short, and I couldn’t trust you. I had so much disgust towards myself, towards you, and I felt nothing but contempt coming from your side at times. I sobbed much more than I rejoiced and after a while it got tiring. No matter how badly I wanted to pull you back, rewind wasn’t an option. It wasn’t meant to be. I abandoned who I truly was. You burned holes in me that no man could fill; thank god you did though, because I needed to know how to make myself whole. Today I told you I had a boyfriend. He wasn’t a bad guy. He was just immature but he tried. I broke up with him because he was more a filler. When I was with him I’d be wishing I was with you. It’s not that I didn’t like him, it’s just I knew I’d never want to be anybody’s rebound and he deserved someone who would love HIM. We remain civil and are still friendly. He was somewhat sadistic and had a bad temper. He got pretty hostile and aggressive at times with some jealousy issues. I wouldn’t deal with that so I knew it wasn’t a good fit. Not once during our relationship did I ever stop thinking of you and it drove me mad. You’re very rare. I wish you knew how I see you. I wish I could look at the world through your eyes. I want you to know that you are never alone. That sounds so corny but I promise if you’re ever thinking of me, I’m most likely thinking of you. Not wishing death upon you or whatever. Mainly, I’m saying this to you because I want you to know who I really am. My heart has been empty the last year so I’ve learned how to fill it myself. I want you to know that you can be happy again. I take comfort in writing, dancing, coloring, reading, drawing, yoga, photography. Despite all the world throws at us, it’ll be ok. That’s what I know. It’s not OK & then it is again. Not one of us is to blame. I’ve picked up my phone a million times and tried to dial your number. It has been so long. It’s never easy but it does get easier. The first few months I felt like I was going to die. I wanted to. I told my friends I couldn’t live without you, I don’t want TO. You asked me if I still think about you and the answers obvious. Don’t get a big head now. Sometimes all we have left are memories. Sometimes all were left with is a mess. But it’s up to us to clean up that mess and start again. All we can do is try right? I’m sorry that I tried to change you. We can make the world a better place. All we have to do is start with a single change but the only person we can change is ourselves. We can’t change for anyone; we have to want to change for our own good, our own reasons. You asked if I wanted to talk to you again and of course I do. Like that song by lady gaga “you could give me a million reasons to walk away but all I need is a single one to stay”. I think that’s the words at least I don’t know I don’t listen to the radio. But I can’t watch it end the same. For so long I couldn’t listen to my favorite music, the songs hurt too much because they reminded me of you! It took forever to move on from what went wrong and how we got to where we were. I’m finally at a point in my life where I just let it be. I’ve cried hundreds of tears over you. I got so sick of it. It sounds so cliché. Not cute. I figured eventually I’d have no tears left to cry. Isn’t that what they say? Yes and no. We’re probably better off without each other. I don’t know why everyone hates being single? I mean, I love it. It’s a great time to be selfish and get to know yourself. All I can say is, if you are going to be with somebody, know what you have when you have it. I hope I do. We take people and life for granted too much. You felt so much like a curse, but you too were a blessing. You made me feel this magic I didn’t know was possible. But I can’t forget nights at 3am talking to myself, debating on staying or leaving. You taught me what bravery truly is and to that I say thank you. I know why we had to say goodbye but it doesn’t mean I don’t miss you. I don’t know if I ever will stop missing you. The thing about relationships is it forces you to put your heart on the line. To be courageous since people can wake up one day and change their mind. You’re going to get heartbroken in love. It’s part of life. It can feel like the worst part, like a punishment. But it’s really the best. When you feel sorrow over a lost love, you know you loved deeply. And what’s a greater gift than that? We talk down to people we love too easily because we know they love us, we know they’ll take it. That doesn’t make it alright. It can turn into verbal/mental abuse and abuse is the opposite of love. Abuse isn’t just physical. Physical abuse is often the least painful part. Words are like daggers that leave an imprint on your soul. Playing mind games, becoming tyrannical and robbing our loved ones of emotional nurturing is far worse in my opinion. I’ll end with this – I pray you love without pride ever getting in the way. It’s something I’m working on. Seeing you today threw me for a loop [is that the saying?] No matter where this leads, or where life takes us, when you love, love deeply and fully. I believe I gave you the best of me, the most I could. I’d like to think everybody’s doing the best they can with what they have. I know you have a lot of stored up resentment inside you; a lot of anger. Forgiveness isn’t something you do for someone else; it’s a way of releasing yourself from the prison you create yourself when you harbor rage. It’s a gift you give to the world so that you’re free to love again. Or else you’ll just take it out on those who love you, consciously or unconsciously. This I know to be true. You my friend, are my weakness. You create this chaos in my world I wouldn’t want anywhere else. Leaving you was the hardest decision of my life. You changed me, for better and for worse but mostly for the better. I hope you find what you want someday. Life leads us down roads we don’t know why we’re heading towards, but I believe one day we’ll see why. You are unforgettable. Loving you was a pattern of self-discovery because I always end up learning something new about myself. Pain, suffering, hurt, it’s all part of the human experience. You’re an experience I’ll never forget. It’s all too beautiful to forget, after all

Love, Lauren

#trauma #traumatic #traumatized #narcissisticabuse #domesticviolence #abuse #emotionalabuse #letter #loveletter #loveletters #heartbreak #heartbroken #heartbreaking #heartbreaker #journal #journalentry

26 notes · View notes