#i dunno i guess it's hallmark? or maybe classics?

[soyforramen]

For the Winter Writing Prompts, I'm going to give you two options because I'm just v indecisive: 67 + bughead or 28 + Betty/Jughead/Toni

67. you were supposed to have a beautiful winter wedding but you were ditched during the vows before we got to the alter and my idiot sibling/best friend just cracked a joke about got fed up and decided that now maybe I’d finally tell you how I feel about you and you h e a r d (because I can’t not change some of these, mia culpa)

Bughead  1950’s AU  -

“I can’t marry you.”

Not knowing what to say, Betty sat down hard on the bench behind her.  Kevin knelt in front of her and gathered her hands in his, patient as always.

Somehow, she’d always known that while Kevin loved her, he wasn’t in love with her.  Affectionate though he may be, there was never anything but friendship.  Her friends would gossip about what they’d gotten up to at the drive in, but she’d never gotten any further than holding hands.  

Even after he’d come back from the war, when all of their friends were quickly marrying and having children (not necessarily in that order), the most provocative thing Kevin had ever done was kiss her on the cheek.  He’d made no physical requests of her.  

And she liked him.  Loved him, even.  He was her rock in the storm, someone she could always count on no matter what.  Whatever she wanted to pursue, Kevin was there to encourage and support her.  

But she wasn’t in love with him.  Whatever it was Veronica had that made her so gloriously happy, that thing that made Ethyl so content, Betty had always known she and Kevin would never have that.

A thought hit her, out of the blue.  It was one she’d brushed off as nothing.  After all, men had their own close relationships she could never understand.  Kevin and Fangs had served together in the war and created a bond forged under fire.  It wasn’t hard to believe they’d be accustomed to standing so close.  And Moose had always been there for Kevin in high school, protecting him from the bullies.  It was no wonder that they’d go off on a few hunting trips here and there.

And Kevin and his new coworker, the one he was always talking to on the phone.  Wasn’t it normal for men to go off on weekend fishing trips regularly?

“It’s Anthony, isn’t it?” she asked.

Kevin jerked back from her as if she’d physically hit him, and it stung to think he had so little faith in her.

“Betty, I -‘ She shook her head.  Tears borne of loss, but not grief, gathered at the corners of her eyes.  Neither of them wanted to be married.  But with the pressure her mother had put on them, the comments his father had made, the rumors all around town about them, it was only a matter of time that they succumbed to the same small town life of their parents.

“I just want you to be happy,” she said.  She reached out to cup his cheek, her thumb caressing his skin. “I love you.  We’ll be okay.”

Kevin smiled, tears welling in his eyes.  He turned and kissed the palm of her hand.  

“I’ll take care of everything,” he promised.  He rocked forward to press a kiss to her forehead.  As he stood, Kevin pressed an envelope into her hands.  “Take as long as you need.  All the instructions are in there.”

And with that, he was gone.

Betty opened the envelope to find two plane tickets and an itinerary for their honeymoon.  Her thumb ran across ‘Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Keller.’  The idea of it caught in her throat and she jerked her pre-packed suitcase towards her.  Shoving the envelope inside, she snapped it closed.  As strange as it might be for a woman to travel alone, it would be cathartic, she decided, to get away.  At least until after the New Year.

A roar from the congregation filtered through to her and Betty stood quickly.  No doubt Kevin had made good on his promise and she had only minutes to get away before her mother came barreling in to make a bigger mess of things.  

Picking up her suitcase, Betty slipped down the corridor to the men’s bathroom, the one place her mother would never look for her.  She slipped the lock in place just as the snow outside began to fall.  A prelude to a prosperous and fertile marriage, if the poets were to be believed.   Funny how that turned out.  

With shaking hands, Betty smoothed down the delicate silk lace.  In the mirror, she looked like a picture perfect bride: something borrowed; something blue; something old; something new.  Everything a bridge should have, except a groom.

As she reached for the zipper along her side, Betty couldn’t help but count all the ways they’d fought against this marriage.  Kevin wasn’t making enough as a coroner’s assistant to support a family; Betty didn’t want to be tied to one place when there was an open crime writing position in Seattle.  He didn’t want to settle down so close to his parents; she didn’t want to lose the voice she’d finally started to find.

With a flourish, she tugged the dress over her head.  Bobby pins tugged at the delicate lace, and Betty tugged at them until the lace gave.  With an overwhelming sense of loss and freedom, she threw the dress into a corner, a mess of life she’d never know.

Keeping an eye on the clock, she pulled out a dark blue traveling dress.  Just as she was pulling the last of the bobby pins from her hair, a voice outside gave her pause.

“Jones, if you don’t tell her -“ a woman hissed.

Betty hesitated.  To be found in the men’s bathroom, after Kevin had announced their marriage was off…. Her step light, she checked to make sure the door was locked.

“It’s not a good time, Toni,” Jughead whispered back, his low voice slipping under the door.  “She was just left at the alter.”

Betty stilled.  It stung, oddly enough, to hear Jughead put it that way.  She’d been jilted, in a strange sort of way, and yet she couldn’t help but be morbidly curious about what he thought about that.  Besides Kevin, he was her closest friend.  And in high school they almost …

“It’s never a good time for you,” Toni shot back.  “When you escorted her to prom, you didn’t tell her because Kevin was sick and couldn’t go.  When she saved you from that massive blizzard and you had to share a hotel room, you didn’t want to tarnish her reputation.  Even when you almost died in Midway, you couldn’t muster up the courage.”

Betty held her breath, waiting on his response.  Her whole body was flush with energy, every atom wanting, needing to hear from him.  If it weren’t for Kevin, there were so many times, so many chances…

“Sorry if I’m not the kind to profess my love at the drop of a hat,” Jughead muttered.

The dress almost fell from her fingers.  Knowing that he’d felt the same way in all those quiet, tense moments, that he felt the same spark between them, almost made today worth it.  Quickly, she slipped it on over her head.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Toni snapped.  “At least I make sure the people I love know they’re valued.  You’ve been in love with her since you were six and you are doing this now.”

A sharp rap came from down the hallway, and Betty realized they were in front of the room she’d just vacated.  Betty glanced at the mirror, pausing just a moment to shake her hair out.  Heart in her throat, she slipped her feet into her shoes and thew the door open.  It slammed into the wall, and both Toni and Jughead jumped.

“Betty!”  he said with surprise.  A crimson flush matched the poinsettia corsage he word.  “I, we were just -“ he stammered, trying to find the right word.

Instead of waiting on him as she had for so many years, Betty stepped forward, ready to put today behind her.  

Summoning all her courage, she asked him, “Have you ever been to Maui?”

Prompts from this list.

(28 will be coming hopefully before Monday, because I am excite about it)

[tarnishedhalo]

THE BONETURNER’S TALE

The Meme From The Lost Lagoon || -

The Boneturner's Tale - what’s your muse’s favorite band or singer? He lolls his head onto his shoulders, eyes squeezing shut and lines appearing deep at the corners, a partial smile hidden the way his sister hides hers. They're strange that way, not wanting joy to be seen. Hallmarks of a different time and place where things like that were thieved away by cruel hands. But that kind of thing is far from his mind when he ponders her question and his shoulders give a start when he half-laughs, half-groans. Asking Riley to name a single favourite musician is like asking a mother which of her children is her favourite. Of course she'll have one and reasons behind it, but generally unless she's a real piece of work, she won't dare say it in front of the others. Light glints off the surface of his watch as his hand moves closer to her, fingertips brushing the shoulder of her sleeve. "That's tough. Like. I dunno if I can really answer that. I think I could maybe narrow it down a little if we were to talk genre. Like in Blues? No doubt Robert Johnson who might as well be one of the founding fathers of that style. Classic Rock is a toss up between the Stones and Creedence. I'm not really a pop kind of guy but that Ed Sheeran guy isn't too bad, and even I like Adele....I mean, yeah, no. I guess it all depends on what I'm in the mood for, what I'm asking the music to do for me." He pauses and looks her somewhere along the jawline. "Maybe it's like a drink. Sometimes you want three fingers of 25 MacAllan, neat. Sometimes a modelo negro or an IPA works. Different wines for different reasons. Or how you wanna kiss someone. Hard, fast, rough...or delicate. Sweet. Savouring the time.But I think that all life's best pleasures can be said the same of. How about you? Music...or otherwise?"

[koszmar-zycie]

About the MUN

Tagged by: @magemoraluna and @stonestridernerd Taggging: @lynerea-amberwing @felix-of-the-shadowblade and I dunno who else, I just woke from a nap. XD Just do it! These are always fun.

Name/Nickname: Gregory (Greg) - My old school-friend called me Greg the Impaler because of my love of (historical) Vlad. XD Gender: male Height: 5′11″ Hogwarts House: Slytherin! (in the old, original Pottermore, current Pottermore, and literally everywhere else. lol I’ll gladly take it!) Favorite Animal: Spectacled Flying Fox Fruit Bat and Hourglass Dolphin Hours of Sleep: psh, like 6-8. Ideally 24. Dogs or Cats: Dogs! I like cats, but I’m too allergic. Number of Blankets: A sheet, then a comforter. Dream Trip: Krakow to Paris europe trip. Literally  tied with a Caribbean or Southeast Asian scuba diving trip. I need to see more color in the ocean! Dream Job: Writer. I have one self published book from years ago, but I need to get more out there, and ideally at least one ACTUALLY corporate published. Time: 12:13pm Birthday: May 2 Favorite Bands: Very hard call. I love too much as a long time musician, and listen heavily (arguably primarily) to classical, instrumental, and New Age. Maybe Diane Arkenstone, then? Or Llewellyn? KISS is a classic for me, as is the Fenians. Of course Shakira. Santana! Favorite Solo Artist: Can’t say. lol  Song stuck In My Head: Right now, Aquamarine Bay from Ecco The Dolphin, composed by Tim Follin. Then Aquamarine by Santana (fave). And lastly is Luna’s Future from MLP, because it’s SO cool. Last Movie I Watched: Some Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. Last Show I watched: I guess technically a Yogscast youtube series. (ARK: Survival Evolved). For actual shows, that’s be this weird monster girl anime thing, that I don’t know the name of. I saw episode 1. It’s cute. When did I create my Blog: December 2016 What do I post/Reblog: RP stuff, Warcraft, aesthetics for graveyards, nature, and maybe a couple personal things Last thing I Googled: “What are we if not slaves to this torment” - I wanted to be sure I had the right wording, and used the autofill results. lol Why I chose My URL: It’s just my first WoW character’s name, just with a hyphen. Original intent: RP and related posts! Other Blogs: Just my personal one, which I’m keeping private except a couple folks at the moment. Followers: 53, and mostly spam, as far as I can tell. :( Lucky number: 3 or 7 Favorite Instrument: French Horn or Native American Flute What am I wearing: MMA Elite workout shorts (my lounging shorts), a red/black/blue Punisher shirt, and that’s basically it. lol It’s a lazy day while I get ready for this trip. Nationality: Polish on the dad’s side, and Yaqui native on the mom’s side. Favorite Song: Aquamarine by Santana is top notch. I’ll just stick with that for now, since it’s off the top of my head. But again, too many to really pick. Last Book I Read: One of the many stories in Warcraft: Paragons. For paper and binding, that’d be..... Firewing from the Silverwing series, I think. Rereading because they’re awesome stories, and being at a teenage reading level (roughly, maybe even lower) it’s a quick and fun read for surprisingly deep stories.