#i'm fine about it she was extremely loved and had 'been gone' for a long time coming if that makes sense

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

thoughts on the wicked movie?

oh I am preparing for that like one would prepare for a battle lmfao. wicked has never been my favorite show, but it is extremely good, and I honestly don't know how this movie is gonna go 😭

I'm mixed on the cast- ariana is super talented, but 1) she's worryingly unhealthy and It Shows in the trailers, and 2) quite frankly I still think the role should have gone to dove cameron. cynthia's out of this world but 1) she's a bit old for the role, which is fine, but a lot of times I find adults playing teens and twenty somethings very...unbearable (sorry kimberly akimbo 😔) so I worry it could turn into a green evan hansen movie moment and 2) honestly she really did annoy me with that meltdown over the fan edited poster lmfao like I still love her but it's hard not to cringe now lol. jonathan bailey has a beautiful voice and will kill it! ethan slater I think will actually have a little breakout moment and the public opinion on him will sway. I don't mind bowen yang but I also don't understand why he's there. goldblum, yeoh, and dinklage can do no wrong. idk anything about the girl playing nessa but honestly nessa sucks so I don't mind going in blind on her lol.

I think it's dumb as hell that it's being split into two movies- I know that's the general opinion of everyone, but it still needs to be said. the only good songs in act 2 are 'as long as you're mine' and 'for good'. there's not enough to entice people who aren't already diehard fans to come back for more- and like, the first rule of adaptation is to assume the audience isn't familiar with the source material. so I PROPOSE. that the best way to drum up excitement for part 2. is making glinda and elphaba's feelings for each other explicit instead of subtext. I think jon m. chu WOULD do it, but I don't know if the studio and producers would allow it. we shall See. but that's my big prediction for the movie.

I'm also mixed on jon m chu directing because like. listen I love that he did in the heights and had like a huge delayed theater kid awakening moment I really do love that for him. and in the heights WAS a great movie- but a lot of the changes that were made really bugged me lmao. not all of them, but a lot of them. and obviously, since he's dragging it into two movies, changes will be made. theoretically they could just add a bunch of stuff from the book, but like, if they make cuts from the already solid stage story to add in completely new characters and plotlines (like they did for in the heights) I just! don't know that I'll like that sorry

plus the fact alone that they've been trying to make this movie for 20 years like. it has a HUGE shadow to outshine and I Hope it'll pull it off but I don't know that I'm confident it will?

all that being said I WILL be seated in a theater recliner seat wearing pink and green and drinking a cocktail. this is like the superbowl okay.

[howlsnteeth]

how is your puppy? any good news?

hi! sorry i haven't posted publicly about it much, i have bad anxiety about "not posting if it's not art/people don't like that/will dislike you" etc, but! very good news. he did have surgery and a tiny metal plate fixed in, and has been recovering really well! he's pretty much back to 100% now in energy, and has a final xray in a couple of weeks! the cost was fucking insane so my family has started pet insurance for him lmao

world's bravest little man!! it was his front left leg which is still mostly shaved in this pic

[afro-hispwriter]

Interview Shenanigans(TGC)

Tom Glynn-Carney x actress!reader

Request

Warnings- not edited, brief titty grabbing

wc-1.2k

-

Staff members were running around making sure lighting, sound, and cameras were ready. The interviewer was standing off to the side, waiting for their queue. 

Your makeup artist did some more touch ups and the show's publicist gave another talk. 

“You’re so far.” Tom put his hand under your chair and dragged it so your chairs touched. The sudden movement made you grab his shoulder so you didn’t fall. 

“Do you not get enough of me at home?” You whisper.

“I never can.” He flashed you a smile and squeezed your knee. You scrunched your nose at him and kissed his cheek. 

It was so hard for you two to keep your relationship away from the public. Especially since Tom is extremely touchy.

“Everyone take their places.” The producer calls out and everyone takes their seats. The interviewer walked into the small space and shook you and Tom's hand. The producer then started counting down from five. 

“Alright guys, we're going to jump right into it. I know you have had a long day so I have some fun questions and some would you rather.” 

“I'm excited.”

“Fun.”

“You guys have been working together for a couple years now. What's the best thing about each other?” They ask and you and Tom look at each other.

“Ooo that's such a sweet question.” You smile brightly and look at Tom. “Why don’t you go first?” You look at him with squinted eyes and he gives you the same look.

“Fine. I think the best thing about Y/n is how kind she is, she is very resilient and always tries to see the bright side of things and she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” 

“Awww.” You cooed and smiled. “You’re so sweet.” 

“And she is a good cook.” You doubled over slightly and laughed. 

“I know you love it.” You leaned back against your chair and Tom looked at you lovingly and you sighed. 

“Tom, he um.” You start and pause to think.

“Oh whatever should you say since there is so much to choose from.” He says over exaggerating his words making you laugh.

“Tom, he makes sure that I am seen and even if he has nothing to say he still listens, always. I believe we all need someone like that and I am glad I found him.” You grab Tom's knee and squeeze it. 

“Do you fancy me or something?” He says jokingly, making you laugh again and so does the interviewer. 

“He’s just such a good guy and I hope this isn’t the last time we share a screen together.” Tom nodded and lifted his fist up and you gave him a fist bump. 

“That is so sweet, I can feel your chemistry right now.” It was very cheesy for them to say but it made Tom's cheeks burn red and your face warmed. “Now to some would you rather questions. Would you rather go get a pint with Daemon, Joffrey, or Aemond?” 

“Aemond.” You immediately say and Tom’s head immediately shoots to you. 

“Why?” You smirk at him.

“You know why.” He playfully rolled his eyes and leaned back. 

“I would go with Joffrey.” Your eyes widened in shock. 

“And you questioned mine!?” 

“W-Why?” The interviewer asks and Tom goes to answer but stops making you laugh.

“You don’t have to say anything.” You whisper to him

“Well with Joffrey people would leave the pub and it would be quiet.”

“Yeah but I think with Joffery, three pints in and it can get a bit.” The interviewer grimaced. 

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be near him.” You leaned slightly into Tom. 

“I reckon I can take him though.” Tom says.

“Tom vs Joffrey?” 

“Yeah I’ll just choke him out.” Tom makes the choking motion with his arm and then he dropped them. 

“I'd pay to see that.” You say and Tom laughs and his arm makes its way around your chair. 

“Who would you rather have as your Ride or Die? Jon Snow, Khalessi, or Daemon.”

“Khalessi.” You say immediately again. “Everyone is gone when she is an option.” 

“Your obsession with her is concerning.”

“You can’t blame me.” 

“She is very loyal so I understand.” The interviewer says.

“Im sorry whats a ride or die?” Tom asks, looking between you and the interviewer. 

“It's like me and you.” You say and he still looked at you in confusion. “Like I will do anything for you and you’ll do anything for me no matter what.” You grabbed his knee and you nodded. 

“What were the options?” Tom chuckles.

“Jon Snow, Khalessi, or Daemon.” 

“Oh probably Khalessi then, you know she’s got all the dragons.” 

“Ugh you are so predictable.” You rolled your eyes and he shrugged. 

“I love whatever you love.” He poked your side and made you twist. 

“You’re so cheesy.” You rolled your eyes playfully and looked back at the interviewer.

“Would you rather rule the seven kingdoms of Westeros or be a minister of magic in the wizarding world?”

“Oooo.” Tom lets out.

“Minister of Magic.” You say and Tom nods.

“Likewise.”

“I feel like I would have a higher chance of surviving if I was in that universe.” You say and Toms fingers dipped into the material of your open backed outfit. 

“Well it's still not an easy gig is it?”

“But compared to westeros…” 

“True. There are still a lot of eyes on you.” Then Tom says the stupidest thing. “Wingardium Tapioca or whatever it is.” Your jaw slacked in shock and then your face palmed. Tom looked embarrassed and slapped his legs and started laughing loudly. 

“Oh my gosh Tom.” He grabbed his cup of water and took a sip. 

“I'm going to go cry in the shower after this.”

“Next time we hang out we’re watching all the Harry Potter movies because that was really bad. It's Wingardium Leviosa.” 

“Nerd.” Tom says under his breath in a teasing manner and you squint your eyes.

“Watch yourself sir.” You bumped him with your arm.

“Yes ma’am.” 

“Unfortunately that's all the time we have left.” You and Tom groaned but you secretly knew you were happy it was over. You both held your hand out to the interviewer and Tom's assistant came up.

“The car is outside to take you back to the hotel.” You thanked them and Tom held his hand out for you to grab. Your fingers entwined together and you swung them back and forth to the car. 

-

The hotel room was a welcome sight. Tom threw his hat on the floor and kicked his shoes off. 

“They’ll come by and get these clothes tomorrow most likely.” You say taking off your bottoms, leaving you in your underwear and top. That came off too and so did your bra. Tom stole a look and he smirked and let you put a shirt on. You flopped down on the bed and settled under the covers. Tom was down to his boxers and he settled in behind you. 

“I love you.” He says and kisses the back of your ear and wraps an arm around your waist.

“I love you too.” You twist your head back and pucker your lips. Tom’s lips met yours and he squeezed you. His hand dipped under the shirt and his gingers instantly grabbed a breast and he squeezed. The noise you made was a mix of shock and a moan.

“Tom!” You pinched his arm and he drew his hand back and pouted. “Perv.”

“You love it.” He gave your cheek a big wet kiss, making you grimace and wipe it off.

“Order us some food.”

‘Hmph’

-

Comments, reblogs, and likes are greatly appreciated!

[barcaatthemoon]

if you love me || jenni hermoso x reader ||

jenni breaks up with you after the coming back from the olympics.

it had taken you a long time, but you had finally found someone who made you happy. on the outside, you were sure that your relationship with jenni looked a bit unconventional. weeks after you had gone of your first date, jenni transferred to mexico. the two of you had mutually agreed to keep things going, and when your contract ended, you joined your girlfriend in north america.

you couldn't get a spot on jenni's team or even in the league, but you were happy to be playing in california. the distance was a lot less, and there was more time to spend together overall. jenni often found herself staying over for weeks at a time, and vice versa. things were going great between the two of you, so well that you knew jenni was the woman you wanted to marry.

jenni had gotten called back to spain for the olympics, but you had never really been a national team prospect, so you stayed put. as much as you wanted to spend time with her in paris, you had been forced to stay put with other duties for your club team. jenni understood, and kept you updated every moment that she could. even talking to you whenever there was seemingly nothing going on at all just to check in.

"hola baby," you greeted jenni. the miniscule break in your schedule had prompted a quick trip to mexico. you had been afraid that you wouldn't be able to see jenni on her return from paris, but you had caught what you believed to be an extremely lucky break.

"hey," jenni mumbled. you pressed a kiss against her cheek as you took a couple of her bags from her. you didn't think too much about it as jenni just sort of flopped back against the couch. when you came back from the bedroom, jenni was still just sitting on the couch staring off into space.

"i missed you," you said as you tried to cuddle up next to her. jenni didn't jolt away from you, but she might as well have. every one of jenni's movements were sluggish and reluctant as she scooted away from you. "jenni, what's wrong?"

"did you get a ticket to go back to california? i don't think it's a good idea that you stay here with me. we need to take some time apart, maybe start seeing other people," jenni said. her voice was even, betrayed only by the tears streaming down her face. if it wasn't for that, you would have thought she didn't care. instead, that little detail pushed you to try and fight for the relationship.

"jenni, you don't mean this. if you want a bit of time to yourself, that's fine, but think about this. if i leave for real, i'm not coming back," you told her. jenni squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands. "think about this."

"i have, and it's the only way that things will be okay."

…

the months following the olympics were a whirlwind for you. after you finished out your first season in california, you found yourself being traded to washington. it was nice to be back with jona, who welcomed you with open arms along with your new teammates. to top that off, you received your very first call up to the spanish national team.

you were excited about your first camp call up, even if you were nervous about seeing jenni. somehow, you managed to completely avoid her. it took a lot to manage on social media, but you did it. that was why seeing her again fucked with you as badly as it did.

"you've been weird." for a moment, you thought alexia was talking to you in the gym. the two of you had always been friendly with each other, but you weren't particularly close. she had seen you as one of the babies of the barcelona team and was overly critical of your relationship with jenni. although, you weren't ever completely certain of what problem in particular she had with your relationship.

"maybe you're just not used to being around me anymore," jenni teased. you felt almost sick to your stomach hearing that flirting tone directed at someone else.

"jenni, be serious. are you and (y/n) still okay?" alexia asked. you could practically feel the wind behind you with how quickly jenni turned towards alexia. "what?"

"do you seriously think that after all that pushing from you and irene that (y/n) and i are okay? there's nothing to be okay anymore because i listened to the two of you and let her find someone else. i was only ever going to hold her back from her true potential right?" there was something in jenni's voice that instinctively made you turn around.

your heart broke when you saw the way that jenni was looking at alexia. neither one of them noticed you standing there in front of them, definitely within earshot. alexia looked like she had realized her mistake in butting in on jenni's relationship with you. alexia and irene were the two people jenni trusted and respected most on the team. it made sense that her breaking up with you after the olympics was something that had been put in her head.

"you did what?" you couldn't help yourself. you had never even thought of raising your voice like that at your captain before, but an ungodly amount of rage seemed to overtake your rational senses.

"that wasn't what we meant," alexia said. you had never heard her voice sound so small before. she knew that she had fucked up monumentally as she looked between the two of you. "i'm sorry, i really am. jenni, i don't know what to say."

"you've really said enough. (y/n), can i please have a word with you in private?" jenni asked. she wasn't even really finished with her question before you were pulling her off into a separate room. there were so many things that you wanted to do and couldn't decide on, but lucky for you, jenni knew what she wanted.

she had always known what she wanted. jenni was the one you looked to for guidance, and maybe that had sparked some issues with the older girls on the team, but you trusted jenni. the older woman had never purposefully led you astray. she needed you in a lot of the same ways that you needed her, even if she hadn't clued anyone in on that.

"i'm so sorry," jenni apologized as she pulled you into her arms. you could feel the tears soaking your shirt as she buried her face into your shoulder. "i didn't want to make you leave, but i thought you'd be better off. you came all the way to america to me, and i didn't want to know what you'd do if i retired. they were kind of right, you're at the beginning of your career and i'm nearing the end."

"but it's not over yet, and just because you retire and find something else to fill your time doesn't mean that i'll end my career early. you never would have let that happen, nevermind ask me to do that. i knew what i was getting into with you jenni, at least i thought i did before…"

"i'm such a fucking idiot," jenni mumbled. you pushed her away a bit, but kept her close enough to hold onto. "will you forgive me? you don't have to take me back right now or ever, but please, give me another chance."

"when this is all over, stay with me in dc for a bit. we can see how if feels and figure it out from there," you told her. jenni nodded, muttering her gratitude as she kissed all over your face repeatedly.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Shot Through The Heart III

Alexia Putellas x Archer!Reader

Summary: You're pregnant

"Don't."

Alexia backed away quickly, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"I was just-"

"No."

"Amor-"

"No, Alexia. I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

You got to your feet and stretched, ignoring the way that Alexia hovered uncertainly as you balanced the laundry basket on your hip on your way up the stairs.

"I can carry it." She trailed you everywhere you went. "You shouldn't be carrying such heavy things. The babies-"

"The babies will be fine and, unless you're going through twenty kits daily, this basket barely weighs anything."

Your pregnancy hadn't come as a surprise. You and Alexia had been trying for a while before it worked. It had been decided that you would carry, your sport was a lot less physically taxing than Alexia's. It was all going smoothly until you had gone to a scan one day to find out that you weren't having one baby girl like you thought.

You were having two.

Alexia, of course, had taken mother henning to the extreme when she had found out, hovering incessantly and staying with you as long as possible before heading to practice.

That hovering nature had extended to every aspect of your life the moment that you started showing.

She trailed you up the stairs, opening the wardrobe doors for you when you started to fold the clothes.

"Alexia," You said in warning when she started dividing everything up.

"Amor," She said back," I'm just helping."

You swatted at her with a t-shirt. "You're being a nuisance and you're hovering. Again. Cut it out."

"I'm not hovering!" She insisted, still very clearly hovering.

"You are." You rolled your eyes, bending down to grab the socks that had fallen on the floor.

"I'm not!"

"Alexia," You said, putting the last of the laundry away," You are most certainly hovering." You turned to face her. "I'm fine. The girls are fine. Everything's fine."

She sighed, holding her breath in for a few seconds before releasing. "Okay. I'm sorry, amor. I just want to make sure all three of you are safe."

You press a kiss onto her cheek. "I know. If it didn't annoy me so much, I'd say it's cute how protective you are over us."

Alexia took a step forward and placed her hand daringly on your bump. "I just want you to be careful."

You rolled your eyes fondly. "What do you think I do all day while you're at work? I sit on the sofa all day and type on my laptop. You're lucky I love you or I wouldn't have taken a break from training so early."

Your bow was resting comfortably in the corner of the living room, just collecting dust after you put it aside as soon as you started to show.

You'd probably have gone on for a bit longer with your bow but it made Alexia antsy so you stopped and just continued with your interviews and writing so she would stop breaking out in hives every time you left her to go train.

Alexia spent most of her time with you on a good day but now that you were making a family together, she was adamant about staying with you until she absolutely has to. She stayed in bed for as long as possible in the morning and she didn't hang behind at training to speak with her teammates.

If the team wanted to go out together, she either bowed out or changed the get-together to your shared house so she could hold your hand and rest her head on your shoulder.

"Names?" You asked one evening as you rested on the sofa with Alexia massaging your swollen feet.

"Whatever you want," She replied," I don't mind."

"You must have some opinion, Ale," You said," Don't tell me you have no ideas."

"You're carrying them," Alexia said," You have all the power here, amor. I'm just happy that I'm the one you chose to take along for this ride."

"You're so sappy," You said with a fond eye roll," You have no opinions? What about middle names?"

Alexia's face got a little red and she couldn't meet your eyes for a moment. "I'd like for one to be Elisabet, after Mama."

"Good idea," You said," And for the other one?"

"I was thinking either Alba or María but I don't know if I want either of them to get a bigger head than they already have."

"I think if Alba's head gets any bigger then it might roll off her neck," You joked and finally got a little smile out of your wife.

"What about you?" She asked," You asked about names. You must have some in mind."

You stared at the picture of your most recent ultrasound, tracing over each of your babies.

"Baby A could be Elena," You said," Baby B...Maybe Maya."

"I like them," Alexia replied," Elena and Maya Putellas-l/n."

"Maya Elisabet," You smiled," And Elena...Well, you'll just have to decide which one you'd prefer to inflate the ego of."

"Elena María but Alba can be godmother."

Maya and Elena came into the world two days after an El Clásico win for Barcelona. Two little crying babies that fit easily in your arms rounded out a perfect week for you and Alexia.

"Perfect girls," Alexia said as she admired them before looking over at you in pure contentment," My three perfect girls."

[snakeredbirdbatkatana]

Clone baby AU TimKonBartCassie

Part 1

"Don't be mad."

Tim is more than aware he might not be the most sane, he also is more than aware that sometimes he does things that can be considered rage inducing or morally wrong but he can't say he regrets his choices.

Especially when she's seven pounds four ounces and just holding her makes him ready to burn the whole word down.

A perfect blend of him, Kon, Bart, and Cassie which oddly enough was extremely difficult to do since as it turns out genetic sequencing which is already absurdly complicated gets even worse when you add two more people.

She's perfect.

It was a spur of the moment decision a nightmare that drove him right back into the center of his grief.

He was staring at his previous cloning calculations and for a moment he was so incrediblely selfish.

He wanted a piece of his friends proof in a way of how deeply devoted he is to them. Something that no matter what couldn't be taken from him, something he could love unconditionally.

In a darker part of his mind he admits that the baby, his child who is incredible could have been just his and Kon's a half kryptonian but in his experience that is still too mortal.

But combined with a speedster and demigod he might have just made an unbeatable weapon. Not that his little girl will ever be that, he won't allow it.

"Tim is that a baby?" Kon gasps.

He only had held her for five minutes the greatest thing in the word had only been alive for ten minutes before he raced to titans tower holding his precious cargo.

All of them, the other parents? His friends sitting peacefully watching some program completely unaware of what's he's done. Not that it stayed that way for long.

"Is that Luci?" Bart asks.

All of them turn even Tim completely shocked his entire explanation that he had been planning for the last few hours gone with one sentence.

"Bart do you know this random baby? Also Luci what kind of name is that? Tim why do you have a baby?Cassie demands trying to sound stern but everyone can tell is beyond confused.

Bart who had gotten up walks not an once of speed the calmest any of them have ever seen, over to him a soft smile directed at apperently Luci although Tim agrees wth Cassie it's a weird name and not what he was planning.

"Our son, and Luci is a nickname, and if I'm right Tim just spent the last twenty four-ish hours creating him."

Before he can comprehend half of what Bart just said. Luci?

Is being cradled head perfectly surported by the speedster along with soft cooing from said speedster looking so natural as if fatherhood was created just for him.

Finally he finds his voice.

"Daughter, but Bart is right she's ours."

A giggle interrupts the cooing before a smirk paints Bart's face.

"No it's definitely son but it will be a good few years before he's able to voice that specific issue, not that it's much of an issue with all the money your daddy has isn't that right little lightening?"

And once again Bart is back to being absurdly attractive holding their child that Tim is getting a feeling he had prior knowledge of. Who also is trans? Maybe? which is completely fine of course but back to the whole Bart clearly knows something.

"Imp, ok I get the whole Rob made a baby with our DNA thing. No offense but I'm not exactly surprised Sunshine, your crazy we love that about you, but Bart why are you talking like you already know them."

Kon asks sounding very tired which Tim is a little offended by, he's not crazy.

Also how dare he be so accepting of Tim's cloned child as if this is Tuesday and Tim does this everyday he definitely does not, he's not Batman well ok maybe a little bit like him but still.

Wow Tim is way to sleep deprived if this is his inner monologue right now.

"Because I do. Lilith right? That's the name you had in mind apperently he doesn't actually mind you going with that for now since in his own words it inspires his much scarier name. God I love that kid."

Tim blanks.

He swallows throat suddenly really dry.

"Bart did you go to the future?"

He is trying to process but is now very scared is a time line fractured? Could his child not exist, and nevermind the whole Bart apperently already has insider info on the child his child that Tim just made ten fucking minutes ago.

"Oh no nothing like that."

He laughes out as if Bart hasn't been sitting on life changing information for who knows how long. Which is also extremely hypocritical of him considering secret child and timeline shenanigans that he was just panicking over.

"Our wonderful, gremlin, of a child ran into me actually some evil rouge with Time Travel powers which was a whole thing."

He pauses clearly rejoicing in some memory of their child that again Tim you know his mother wasn't privy to. Even though Tim is a man which would make him Dad but he created the baby so he should have been the first to have fond memories.

"I went to interrupt said fight not knowing and your child, yah Robie he was hundred percent your child, threw a DNA test in my face told me to get out of his way and absolutely demolished the dude before who I believe and I am just speculating here, was your brother's kid grabbed the dude and threw him into some weird portal before vanishing."

Tim is gonna lose his fucking mind his baby who he just created.

Grows up to be a superhero which alright not surprising, but also apperently one of his siblings has a child also not surprising. But they apperently travel through time together and cause chaos how fucking lovely he is starting to feel really guilty about everything with Bruce.

Oh my god he has to tell Bruce. But first.

"Which sibling?"

He doesn't actually know what's he's hoping for maybe Dick's kid yah, a sunshine child, chaotic but nice yah that sounds like a good influence. On once again his twenty minute old son? Daughter something? Whatever baby.

"Well based on the guns, and arrows that were floating around. You also can't forget the helmet I would say that was Arsenal and Red Hood's very own precious bundle but Luci wouldn't give me a straight answer but what would you expect when we raised him."

Tim's tired very tired he doesn't even stop himself from face planting onto the floor. Everything will make more sense after a nap a very long nap.

Oh my god Jason procreated is his last thought before he falls into a nightmare filled sleep.

[w2soneshots]

Confess -W2S

words: 1.1k+

warnings: angst, alcohol consumption, hospital, injury, car accident, worrying.

summary: when you fall in love with your best friend you struggle to keep your feelings at bay then Harry gets into an accident and it changes everything.

notes: hello my loves! Here is the request🫶🏼. This is like nothing I’ve ever written before so I hope you enjoy🤭💓

Tonight I'm going to a club with the boys and the side girls for a night out. It was Freya's last minute idea since we haven't been with each other as a group in so long. I was slightly nervous since I knew Harry was going to be there. I've had a crush on him since last year. There wasn't a specific moment that I realised but when I found myself constantly thinking about him and his big blue eyes I knew there was a problem.

I tried to convince myself that I didn't like him but eventually I accepted that I had a crush on one of my best friends. We've grown apart the past year due to me not wanting to be within two feet of him, worried that I'll do something I'll regret.

I invited Faith round to my apartment for pre drinks. Once she arrived I poured us both a drink and turned the music on. She helped me figure out what I was going to wear then after a few finishing touches we left. When we arrived outside of the club I took a deep breath. "You alright?" Faith asked with furrowed brows. "Mhm." I hummed then hopped out of the uber.

Thankfully Harry hadn't arrived yet so I got myself a drink. When I made my way back to the table I noticed that in the five minutes I'd been gone Harry and Freezy had arrived. It felt so weird to be nervous around him, we've been friends for so long and I've always felt so... safe when I'm with him. "Hey! y/n, how've you been?" Freezy asked. I smiled politely. "Great thanks." I sat down next to Talia.

After almost an hour of avoiding Harry I left to use the toilet. "Wait!" I turned around swiftly, just as I was about to open the bathroom door. Harry stood before me. I started to panic. I've never felt so strange in my life. Why do I feel like I'm going to explode. "I just- are you ok?" He asked. I looked to the floor. "I'm fine." I replied, swiftly pushing myself into the bathroom.

I took a deep breath once the door closed. "What the fuck is wrong with me?! I need fresh air." I thought. I made my way outside after freshening up and I let the cool air wash over my body. "I can't continue like this. I need to talk to Harry." I told myself. But first I need to get a little more drunk. When I returned to the table Talia began asking me where I'd been. I told her I wasn't feeling great so went to get some fresh air. She didn't look like she fully believed me but she let it go.

Later in the night once I was extremely drunk I decided it was time to talk to Harry. I took a deep breath then walked over to the bar where he stood next to Ethan. I tapped him gently on the shoulder. "Can I talk to you?" I asked him softly. He nodded quickly. I led him outside. "Ok so-" my words slowly cut out as he stepped towards me, so close I could smell the mixture of cologne and alcohol lingering on his body. "Can I kiss you y/n?" He asked. My breath hitched. I leaned closer. "Yes. Please." I whispered. Slowly his lips touched mine and everything finally felt complete.

After that night I didn't hear a word from him. I was upset but assumed that he didn't remember since we were so drunk or that he thought it was a mistake. But I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. It was sweet but desperate. Slow yet fast. Soft yet rough. I tried desperately to forget and move on but I just couldn't.

Almost two weeks after that night I was headed to my car after a long day at work when I got a call from Freezy. "Hello?" I answered, confused. "y/n, hi. Um- Harry's in the hospital." He told me quickly. My eyes widened. "I- what- Is he ok?!" I frantically ran towards my car. "He's ok but he's asking for you." "Me?" I stopped as I opened the car door. "Yes. Are you on your way?" He asked. "Mhm. I'll be there in ten."

When I arrived outside of the hospital I quickly parked then practically jumped out of the car. I made my way towards the reception desk and gave Harry's name. The woman nodded politely then showed me to his room. "Just in there." She said sweetly. I smiled lightly. "Thank you." She walked away and I stared nervously at the closed door. I took a long, deep breath. "He's fine. Everything's fine." I attempted to silently reassure myself. Before I could contemplate any more I pushed the door open.

Harry sat on a hospital bed with a few machines hooked up to him and a large bruise on his forehead. My mouth dropped open. "Oh my fucking god! I thought Cal said you were fine!" I rushed towards him. "I am." He reassured quietly. "You're clearly not! What the fuck happened?" "I- I was hit by a car." He looked into my eyes. A look of complete shock graced my features. "Hit by a car?!" "Uh, yeah. It was only a bump but I fell and knocked my head on the pavement. I think I passed out, it's all kind of a blur." My eyes fluttered closed. "Why am I here Harry?" I asked, eyes still shut.

It was silent for a second before he finally spoke. "Because I- I realised that if I had been really hurt today I would've regretted not telling you that... that I- I love you y/n." My eyes shot open. "You what?" My voice came out much quieter than I expected. "I love you. I've loved you for years. And I haven't stopped thinking about you since that kiss." "You remember?" "How could I not?" He pushed himself from the hospital bed. "Why- why didn't you say anything? No call, no text, nothing." I stepped back. "Because I thought you didn't remember." He replied.

I sighed, looking down at my feet. "I love you too." I whispered, barely believing that I was saying those words out loud. A tear slipped down my cheek. I wasn't sure if it was because I was nervous, stressed or happy but I didn't have time to think before I felt two strong arms wrap around my figure. I burst into floods of tears as I clung onto him. "I was so worried." I squeaked out. "I'm sorry." He whispered. I pulled away slowly with a sniffle. "I'm glad you're okay." "Me too because if I wasn't I wouldn't be able to do this." He placed his hand on the top of my back as our lips connected for the second (but definitely not last) time.

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: Reason with the Mad Mage & Diplomacy with Elves

Note: everything from here on is retroactive/reread, because I stayed up until about 6am on Wednesday night reading until the end because that was the only way to ensure that the characters would be okay.

.

Hey look, now our protagonists are the food, instead of running around holding cooking implements! I'm sure that's fine!! (Look at that lion's eyes!!!)

.

I really like how...everyone? In the pasty gets at least 1 fight where they're totally on their own, for whatever reason: Laios with the living armor and again now with all the dragons, Chilchuck with the mimic, Izutsumi with the succubi, Marcille with the rabbits... I note that the reasons for it are escalating:

Laios fought the armor-captain alone as a strategic choice, while the rest of the party distracted the rest of the armor in the other room

Chilchuck fought the mimic alone because the rest of the party was asleep down the hall

Izutsumi fought the succubi alone because the rest of the party was already down, though not yet dead

Marcille fought the rabbits alone because most of the party was dead and Izutsumi had fled

Laios fights the dragons AND the Mad Mage directing them alone because the entire rest of the party is dead

Solid writing, that. And Senshi...has a monster that is His To Fight, that is where we got some special Senshi character exploration, but the whole point of it was that Senshi, who had been alone for so long, now had people reaching out to hold him, and to make food for him.

.

I just like when they say things outright. "Meals are an act of optimism." "Only the dead don't eat." Fuck yeah!

.

EYES EYES EYES EYES EYES. Thinking a lot here about that post about how Thistle is a great example of an antagonist who is really truly too far gone to "talk it out" with. His intentions ARE good, and Laios sees that so Laios tries... and Thistle is also trying, it's just...the demon has been playing on him for too long with too much skill.

.

He's so! Earnest! And young! It's implied that he dies in the end, and I do think that's a narratively solid and restful ending for him, but man I want this kid to live and maybe covertly tag along with Mithrun on exploring the risen kingdom and defending it from random monsters, and re-learning how to have healthy desires. I think it'd be good for both of them, and also, potentially very funny.

.

me, 2 posts ago:

me, now: Ah, yes, that makes sense... Not our heroes but Someone sure is.

.

Fucking love multiple consecutive dungeon lords going, "my last wish is to fuck that guy up."

.

They're just...happy...

.

Love love love Chilchuck taking charge when Laios isn't there, especially in the context of "imminent tense 'diplomatic' meeting." He formed a union! He's good at this shit, and he'd be even better at it if he didn't have the handicap of being disrespected as a halffoot, and it's wonderful to see him with a team that has learned to respect him beyond that prejudice!

Also, Senshi's tiny eye wrinkle of determination <3

.

Never mind my previous comment. Chilchuck is never allowed to do diplomatic relations with the elves ever again.

.

Kabru, internally: oh my god we're all going to die

.

I'm just noting Ms. fresh-faced aristocratic scion and the handful of extremely competent, notch-eared criminals she's in charge of... The structure of this lead group of Canaries is very interesting, because Mithtrun is nominally in charge, and he genuinely does command in combat and other matters focused on immediate dungeon lord-hunting. But he's ONLY focussed on that, so Pattindol is clearly accustomed to taking the lead in situations with more social nuance... And the criminal members make decisions on their own such as to take advantage of Mithrun's typical disappearance to go snoop around this house... But they are accustomed, and I'm sure required, to have permission/orders from a guard to use their black magic specialties, see: the enchantment of Laios, Chilchuck & Senshi here, or in their opening mushroom fight when everyone was shouting out how they could kill the mega-mushroom.

...I'm gonna pay attention to how Pattindol and Flamela [I hope I'm getting these names right] interact later. The Canaries are such an interesting paramilitary unit.

.

This is just a screencap of Kabru's life for the rest of his life. Good luck, Mr. Future Royal Advisor!

.

Every good adventure story, and arguably every good story, period, reaches a point where to explain it makes you sound COMPLETELY insane - sometimes even with the context of the rest of the story up to that point. This...is very much that point.

I love that point so much.

.

It's unreasonably stressful that Kabru's hands are obviously magically, invisibly handcuffed this entire scene. It's a metaphor for how he's handcuffed by the general threat the Canaries represent, of course, making him unable to warn Laios of the dangers of both the Canaries and of the demon. Being able to weird a sword would do nothing to help if it's going well or if it all goes wrong. But it's still stressful! And Laios doesn't know about the dangers just like he doesn't put together that Kabru is invisibly handcuffed!

.

God I love Marcille. And her problem-solving methods.

.

FINALLY, SOME GOOD FUCKING SILENT COMMUNICATION.

.

So! A court magician's daughter clearly outranks an aristocratic scion sent into the Canaries to prove her family's loyalty to the crown. That makes sense.

Unfortunately, Mithrun's single brain cell, while focussed entirely on destroying the demon, is still capable of Insight checks, and the criminals are basically unfazed by the court hierarchy games that Marchille is trying to play.

.

Why does EVERY elf assume that Marcille's great wish would be to be a full elf! I want to drop Elrond on these people and watch him verbally eviscerate them.

Joke's on you, motherfucker! Her greatest wish would (she thinks) serve all people, and has secondary effects that she could still enjoy!

Marcille: [hears Izutsumi lurking, ready to kick Mithrun in the face]

Marcille: Alright, time to tell a bishie to step the fuck off.

[foryoufics]

Authors Note: There isn't much plot to this, I'm reading a classic book that I am loving and I can't talk about it with anyone so I thought of a cute little one shot idea. Hope you all enjoy :)

Word Count: 1975(?)

Warnings: maybe a little cursing here and there, neeeerrrrdddds~, reading, mention of previous divorce, extremely healthy happy relationship dynamics, teasing both innocently and the dirty kind (not smut, I apologize), innuendo, not proofread!

Summary: You and your best friend decide to tease Jungkook one day as he comes home and he has a trick up his sleeve for you that surprises you both; it's a good thing she can read a room and the little one was out camping with his uncles

Characters: "wife!" Long term established gf & fiance!, mentions of Jungkook's and best friend OC's son!, best friend + Jk's ex! Oc

“Have you ever looked back on everything….I mean all that has happened to us and I don't know…..wonder or possibly wish how things could have gone…differently?” You ask your best friend as you lay your feet in her lap. You two had been sitting on the couch and talking for you had no clue how long now. Twenty minutes could be an hour with you two since she had come back into your life; after all, it had only been about a year since her unforseen return into your life after having no idea if she still wandered the earth or not for over twenty years. You had known each other your entire lives, yet somehow, having been estranged for so long, were still practically strangers now. 

You had met Shyann as a young child, both of you being the same age of about four, she was your neighbor for a few years. You never lost the memories of your sleepovers, the palettes made with blankets on the floor, you had a everlasting memory of the two of you lying on them while someone took a photo and you both smiled for the camera, probably one of your mother's seeing as her stepdad was between you in the photo, the photo you lost long ago yet still held the mental image of. You had a blurred memory, not quite as visible and vivid, of the day that Shyann had said a bad word and her mother blamed you, was about to punish you for it until your aunt stepped in; the two of you weren't allowed to see that, your aunt was sure of that. After that, there were no memories shared with the two of you, seeing as you were apart for all those years. Now, here you sat, co-parenting your stepson, whom you love as none other than your own, and you sometimes do the same with him; there are similar photos of him and Jungkook, and him with you and Shyann just behind you on a table that you glance at for a moment as you ask her this question. 

Her eyes follow the path of yours, “Hey bitch, it's our night~,” she whines and gives a little giggle. You smile, “Shut up, I miss him…I can't help it,” you admit pouting. “Girl, it is your first night away from him, I get it, but he's with the guys camping he's fine. I'm sure he's having a good time. Besides, he's my kid, now, back to the question, before I answer, I want to start with a followup question. Are you and Gguk alright?” She asks, leaning forward to grab her drink from the coffee table. 

“Yes, everything with Gguk and I are wonderful, dare I say perfect,” you giggle. “Okay, okay, you don't have to rub it in,” she smiles with a half smirk, you both knew she was happy to hear that. She loves you and Jungkook, even after everything. “Alright, which part specifically?” She asks

“I mean…..all of it I guess, how we lost touch back then, I mean I'm sure you forgot all about my existence but I never forgot you and I never thought I'd see you again, I definitely was not expecting what happened last year-” 

“You mean finding out your boyfriend was married with a pending divorce and a child arriving soon, you had no idea of any of it, him coming clean and telling you everything, you meeting the wife and seeing that it was your best childhood friend, that the three of us came to an agreement and forgave each other and it is working so well?” She recounts as she places a kiss to the back of your hand that she had taken into her own, “that now it was a very unique and loving little family?” 

You smile and chuckle a little, “well yes, all of that…but…..you know, word had gotten back to me years ago that you had di--”

“I know, but I didn't….and as twisted as it all happened, I don't know it seems kinda romantic….don't you think?” 

“Well, yeah, obviously, but would you have done anything differently?” 

She thinks for a moment, or two, or three, “no….I don't think so….what happened to us is so rare” 

“Yeah…me either…..how were you able to forgive me?” 

“We were getting divorced and you didn't know,” she shrugs

“I'm glad the divorce went over easily, I'm glad to have you, I'm glad we have Munchkin, and that the three of us still love each other…..I just can't believe I ever forgave him,” you admit laughing, but you all knew that, you always had a hard time with forgiveness. In this situation though, you couldn't think of any other option, not only did you understand Jungkook and were able to empathize with him but it was like a fairytale that it happened to be Shyann and their little boy had you wrapped around his finger the moment he entered the world and wrapped his fist around yours for the first time; besides, like she said, given the circumstances, Jungkook wasn't cheating on her and he was trying to be honest with you both, he had just realized that his feelings were with you. 

“What time is he supposed to be home?” She breaks your train of thought, “I don't know, he wasn't sure” 

“You're sure everything is good with you two?” 

“I'm positive. He's so sweet and loving and he's so full of surprises, he really can do anything he tries and he's actually quite romantic” 

“Are we thinking about the same man?” 

“The very same,” you chuckle 

“Surprising how? I mean romantically?” 

“Well he, when he wants to, actually can plan really sweet little trips and things like that” 

“Well yeah, I knew that,” she rolls her eyes, she did

The door clicked and you both look towards it as the man in question walks in. 

“Hi ladies,” he smiles and flashes his pearly whites at you both as he takes off his watch and the contents of his pockets, the pockets of his unnecessarily tight jeans that you were both admiring.

“Hi Kook,” you reply in unison and giggle, clinking your glasses as he's removing his rings into the bowl on the little table by the door.

“What are you laughing at?” He asks smiling, still with his eyes on the bowl, as he reaches into his back pocket to remove the wallet and has to shake to wriggle it out 

“Pants too tight?” You ask smirking 

“Yeah,” he laughs, tossing the wallet in the bowl, followed by his phone which he sat next to the bowl 

“Careful, you'll make your lips bleed,” Shyann smirks at you and laughs 

“What?” You and Jungkook retort simultaneously with big innocent doe eyes 

“You two, I swear,” she laughs, “How was work?” She asks him and he finally looks up as he walks towards you both 

“It was good but first things first, where the fuck is my son?” 

“Chill, he's out on his first camping trip with Jimin and Yoongi for his birthday” 

Jungkook nods and accepts that answer, “you girls hungry? I'm starving,” he asks, walking over to the fridge, “I know you're both looking at my ass, want any other meat? Wait-that came out wrong-” 

“I know what you meant,” she laughs, “does the offer still stand for her?”

“Always,” he laughs as he grabs everything he needs and you watch him start cooking, with a little wink at you 

“So, Y/N here was just telling me how cute and romantic you can be?” 

“Was she? Nah~, she's just being nice,” he grinned down at the veggies on the cutting board 

“No you really are~,” you insist, “remember a few weeks ago you planned the little surprise trip and took me to Disneyland because you knew I always wanted to go?” You get up and go over to hug his back from behind 

“I remember that one!!” She proclaims and smiles at you, as much as you loved her and this arrangement worked unbelievably well, sometimes you still feel as though she came out on top. She actually got to call Jungkook her husband, you were still waiting, and as much as you tried to convince yourself of the contrary deep down you knew your Munchkin was hers. 

“She was also saying how you're so good at everything, there has to be something you can't do though it's just no one has been able to find it” 

“Oh yeah, bet,” he chuckles, “they don't call me golden boy for nothing” 

You smile up towards the back of his head at the confidence and rejoin her

“Y'know Gguk, she's right honey, there has to be something,” you join her on teasing him 

“Alright, let's test the theory right now” 

“Hmmm, you can't catch this cork and cut those veggies at the same time,” Shyann proposed as she tossed the cork from her white wine bottle at his head, which he caught with one hand without looking up and proceeded chopping

“What the fuck?” She pouts 

“Uhmm, my turn,” you glance around the room as you think, “you can't……you can't” 

“T-Today junior,” he laughs 

“Fuck you,” you laugh

“Is that an official offer?” He smirks, “what's the challenge Princess?” 

“I'm thinking, I'm thinking~~,” it must have taken a while because they waited patiently 

“Got anything?” She finally grows impatient 

“No….,” you pout 

“You can't make her squirt” 

“You're so childish,” he gives her a semi-annoyed look then looks at you, then back to the dinner. 

Her eyes followed suit in looking at you, “well-no,” her face becomes deadpan in disbelief, “I could nev-,” she starts, seeing your blush say it all 

“Don't even need my dick,” he smirks and winks at her, you couldn't help the tiny bit of pride, even at something so trivial, it was something you had that apparently she hadn't 

“Your turn, you still haven't given him anything,” she grumbles 

“Uhm…..he can't…..oh! Clean the toilet” 

“I can clean the toilet, I just don't like to and you said we had a deal, I do the dishes and drains,x he half glares and points at you, “don't test me, I'll tease you back” 

“He can't read, I still think he needs to be tested, there's no way he's sat down and read a actual book” 

He shoots her a playful glare, gently places the knife down while he didn't need to watch what was cooking for a moment and slowly walks in and over to you, keeping eye contact and rolling his sleeves up 

“I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you-especially when you are near me, as now,” he was in front of you now, leaned over with his hands on your knees, still keeping that unwavering eye contact, “it is as inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame. And if that boisterous channel, and two hundred miles or so of land come broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapped; and then I've a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly. As for you-you'd forget me” 

You were awestruck to say the least and speechless, “that's Jane Eyre, chapter 23…,” you mumble, your mind feeling like mush as you're lost in his alluring eyes, sensual yet at the same time soft and as pure as puppy dog eyes, damn those eyes 

“EWWW GET A ROOM YOU TWO ARE NASTY, FUCKING NERDS!!” She retreats from the couch to the kitchen when you mindlessly and playfully push her face 

“Don't mind if I do,” he smirks and lifts you up, “we will try to be quiet” 

“Please do, so the dinner? Hey guys!! Guys! The dinn-oh no, no, I'll cook, don't worry about it” 

[sarahreesbrennan]

sorry if you have already answered this, but are we getting any queer rep in Long Live Evil? 💕 i am super excited to see what you've cooked up for us either way!

I came back after I'd gone off on one, seeing the post had struck a chord and being thankful but fearful of my inbox. Let me say with delighted surprise that all the asks are very kind.

Thank you for this one, sweet anon. I am so excited and so nervous about my best beloved, Long Live Evil, and about coming back with a new book of my own after so long, when I believed for a long time it was hopeless.

I'm really grateful to find readers waiting for me. But I know readers are naturally more invested in characters they know: I extremely appreciate you taking an interest in the future.

So, short answer: YEAH you are!

Long answer: Long Live Evil wouldn't exist without its queer narratives.

C.S. Pacat and I were talking in our virtual Brookline Booksmith event recently about our favourite Disney villains. C.S. Pacat picked Maleficent, a fine choice. I picked Snow White's Evil Queen. We agreed we loved most of them.

Here's the relevant excerpt I was quoting in my last post from Carmen Maria Machado's In The Dream House, saying 'I think a lot about queer villains, the problem and pleasure and audacity of them.' Well... me too.

I think many of us have experienced feeling made wrong in some way - for not wanting what society said we should or being what we were expected to be - and that one step along that journey of discovery is going 'Okay, if it's wicked, I'll just BE wicked.' And that's part of why those characters appeal - because they seem free, and free of pain.

But modern storytelling isn't confined to coding, and audiences can now feel free to expect, not the certainty, but the possibility characters who aren't introduced as such still might actually turn out to be LGBT+. The essays I've read about Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Sherlock, Ted Lasso, Fox 9-1-1... I think the latest argued Jaime Lannister was bisexual. (Pretty persuasive.)

I remember reading the Raven Cycle going 'oh? OH.' I remember being at a writing retreat in 2013 and running through the halls screaming about Nico diAngelo. Ten years later we got a Nico diAngelo book co-written by Rick Riordan and the amazing Mark Oshiro. I watched Red, White and Royal Blue with a friend and she said 'honestly I hope the guys get together, but...' and I (having read the book) silenced myself with a herculean effort and watched her hopes come true. I didn't know about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and almost dropped the book in a swimming pool. But I've also read and watched many things thinking, just maybe... oh, no. Still that hope existing is meaningful, the thought that if the story had gone differently, if this revelation had happened, if this realisation had happened, if, if, if...

Long Live Evil is a story about the story going differently and asking yourself questions about your own nature, and the escape to fiction of those who really need escape. The book is based on that 'if,' and the 'if' itself is joyous, and brings me back to the idea of gleefully transgressing the narrative that much villain love is based on.

It's also an ensemble story with a rogue's gallery of characters and multiple PoVs. (I was much inspired by the Six of Crows ensemble.) So it isn't about any one character's romance, and by the book's nature there exist many possibilities. A critique partner read and said 'I didn't know you were going THERE' and I responded 'Should I?'

I've never been one to confirm where stories are going, and I won't do so now. I'm not talking about any one character or telling you a direction.

I'm just saying yes to rep. It's baked in.

[starguardianniom]

Stupid headcanons for Billy Kid from Zenless Zone Zero

I just thought the stupidest headcanons for Billy Kid and I'm gonna make it everyone else's problem, here goes:

Billy is immune to acid, in a mission he once got send in a huge vat of acid and then walked out of it completely fine, just without his clothes (they melted) and The Girls (he lost his grips on them when flying so they didn't take the acid bath with him). Hell, Billy is so immune that the acid actually cleaned him up and made him shine as if he had been polished, Nicole, Anby and Nekomata were half sobbing half laughing at the whole thing because they were so relieved that he was ok but also the stress of thinking him gone and then seeing he's fine and in better shape than before made them stress laughing, and also because Anby actually had made a joke about how if Billy would be thrown in acid he would actually get out of it in better shape and polished like a mirror like that one robot from one of her movies, only for her to regret it when she saw him go in the acid, and then being beyond shocked when Billy just came out looking exactly like she and her movie predicted. Billy was mostly mad that his clothes melted, do you know much he loved that jacket? But to Billy acid is like hot water to him, it will just make all his gear and system runs more smoothly because it will melt all the impurities away from his body, so he'll really end up cleaned like never before, oh and his hair also is completely fine too, yeah.

This goes hand in hand with headcanon number 1, if Billy can survive acid, he cannot stand the cold, and will actually frost all over if it's too cold, so he always wear several layers during winter, otherwise he literally won't be able to move, and it also freeze his system so he will be extremely slow to react and answer, Nicole and Anby learned it the hard way on their first winter with him, he was shocked too, though given he's always been living in the Outer Ring before where the whole palce is a desert all year long he quickly adapted, so he has several warm blankets and an heat fan. Also not recommended to try to lick him like kids try to lick something frozen, your tongue will get stuck on him to his utter embarassment, Anby learned it the hard way too.

Billy doesn't charge like other stuff do, when he goes to sleep, he actually stays offline for 8 hours straight afterwhat in sleep mode, so it's literally impossible to wake him up before he finished his 8 hour sleep, his system is locked that way, he's never been able to change it and the Cunning Hares have just accepted that if they get ambushed during the night they will have to defend Billy until morning. The girls tried everything to wake him up, not unlike the Sons of Calydon before, but yeah Billy can't be woken up before his 8 hours are over, so that's really annoying but after that he can toughen up the longest days without problem, and only needs sleep for his 8 hours. Sleep mode is his biggest weakness alongside the cold.

Billy doesn't hide his past because he's actually ashamed of it but because he's so infamous that if words got around about who he truly was he would be arrested immediatly the moment he's recognized by the police, so he doesn't want the Cunning Hares to go down with him so he keeps quiet and never talks about his true identity. He does remember his days in the Outer Ring fondly but also chose to leave it behind and adapt to a new environment purely for the challenge and because he got one good excuse in his old boss no longer being around, so he decided it was his time to try something new. Unlike Lycaon he hasn't changed at all deep down, he just hides it more, but he's just as ruthless as he was back in the day, it just so happens that he just prefers to follows the orders of whoever he lets be in charge of him and Nicole just happens to have more morals than his old boss, otherwise the Cunning Hares would be very infamous very fast with him doing anything in extreme ways to send the message, as he was fond of doing in the Outer Ring, which led to his infamy in the first place. This is the only reason why the siblings aren't in prison right now, otherwise Billy would have sold them out to the Police in the Prologue right there and then. To him it's pretty clear that Nicole is the "nice one" of the Cunning Hares but she is so cunning that he respects her for it and follows her around just because she impressed him that much with it. And given her morals are higher than his are, he doesn't tell her what he did because he's pretty sure she would fire him on the spot if she did (she wouldn't but he won't risk it) and he doesn't tell Anby because he knows that she'll eventually tell Nicole anyway given how she can never shut up about spoilers.

Billy is Quigyi's prototype older brother. He was made first because his creator wanted robot soldiers to fight wars so they could spare more human lives on their sides, and made Quigyi after using Billy's blueprints but made her more human looking to make her a spy, while Billy stayed more android looking as to be easier to identify on the battlefield. Billy and Quigyi pratically won the war by themselves, the former by being unstoppable on the battlefield and ending the army pretty much by himself and the latter by dismantling the other country's government and killing all the ones calling the shots. They were then hailed as war heroes and treated like royalty, until some accident happened that caused most people of their country to be wiped out, but because of their android nature they survived and later got separated because they wanted to do different things, on top of also having to lead different lives, since Billy couldn't integrate himself completely to society because he wasn't too human looking and also fighting was literally in his program so he couldn't stay away from any fighting for long less he goes insane while Quigyi could because she looked like one more and was build more for socialities more than fighting.

Billy's clothes are a nightmare to clean because his body gets dirty a lot with the oil he use and his body just making stains sometimes so his bill to the cleaner is always higher than Nicole's. He eventually just decided to buy several times the same clothes in the end and just changes them when they are too dirty or too much in tatters for him to continue wearing.

Billy is the best liar of the Cunning Hares, if he doesn't want to tell a secret, you'll never find out. This is the one thing Nicole trust him more than Anby for.

Billy can't swim, so if he gets stuck underwater, he won't drown, but he'll also be stuck at the bottom so he can just walk back until he gets out or jump out.

Billy acts childish because his true personality would scare the Cunning Hares, so he keeps his true nature a secret and just play pretend, but he actually ends up liking to play pretend, and if he acts scared sometimes, in reality he is listing everyone's position and scans around to check for any surprise, but sometimes he will just try to act like he got jumped on to check if the rest of the Cunning Hares are battle ready and sharp. See if they keep their wits. He's always doing little things like that to be sure that the Cunning Hares are ready for everything, he secretly trains them but they are too used to his antics to actually notice that he's putting on a show and actually is much more aware than they think.

Billy has a crush on Monica because he actually used to date her before she was a movie star, she was actually someone of the Sons of Calydon before she left and became a movie star and they dated briefly before that, so he really likes to watch her in her job and has bought everything that has her face on it and he is still so very proud of her. He let her go because she wanted to have a new life, he didn't want to leave his old boss behind, and when his old boss bit the dust, that's when he decided to go to New Eridu to try and seek her out, and when he learned that she was famous and stuff, he just decided to let her live her life in peace but also decided to keep supporting by being a fan, not knowing that Monica would take him back anytime the moment she knew he was in New Eridu.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

when I took a month off work I was lowkey worried I'd come back and find everyone had been fine without me and I wasn't needed at all (because being terrible at every previous job I've had did some ✨damage✨ to my self confidence)

but that is not what happened

I have never encountered someone so fucking happy to see me as my boss' wife was on my first day back, her face lit up like it was christmas, she was practically jumping for joy because now that I'm back she doesn't have to do the ops team's fucking timesheets anymore

I have been told by one of the ops guys that my leave of absence had caused a genuine rift in the boss' marriage because his wife hated doing my job so much they were actively fighting about it

to be clear, his wife is lovely, she doesn't usually throw a shit fit about just anything, it was just that my job is just so fucking annoying that she hated every second of it, and that was the most validating shit I have ever experienced in my LIFE

and the reason she was pissed off at my boss/her husband about it is because he's too soft on his crew and doesn't make them all report their hours for the week

which, as you can imagine, makes building their timesheets extremely fucking difficult

it basically turns the whole process into a puzzle that I have to solve using roughly three different sources of information, one of which is the boss himself who isn't always easy to get ahold of when he's on a site

this puzzle is made even more difficult by the fact that a glitch in our form system keeps messing up the dates on the timecards, so I have to cross reference the time cards from the two (2) ops team members, who actually DO fill out their forms, with the roster, but my boss often changes the roster at the last minute without telling me or noting it down, so then I have to cross reference with the reports they have to submit for certain ongoing jobs because they'll have correct dates and also a list of who was present (if they were doing one off smalltime jobs that week I'll have no physical records and will rely entirely on the boss' memory to confirm dates and staff numbers, unless I can get ahold of one of the ops team members themselves and there's only one who will reliably communicate with me but only when he's not currently on a site)

I tried to explain this process to boss' wife before I left and, looking horrified, she asked me 'is there no way to streamline this?' I replied 'this is streamlined'

as far as I'm aware, as long as I've worked there, there has only been a handful of times people were paid incorrectly, and it was because I was not given correct information by the boss, in the time I was gone, his wife told me that she had incorrectly logged several pays because of this broken ass system

so, as you could imagine, my ego is through the fucking roof right now, I am GOOD at this bullshit job, I took an impossible system and made it work, I am playing on hard mode and killing it, in a field I had zero experience in before taking this job other than a natural inclination for organising and scheduling

and to be clear, I love this job, the boss is too soft on his staff but he's a good guy, he makes us all feel valued and appreciated, he paid me above my award rate, he's absurdly accommodating, and I have an insane amount of freedom to do what I want with company files

I may be working with a bullshit system but I can take naps in the office whenever I want and tell my boss off when he's being too soft (one time his wife literally started clapping when I told him off for sending clients their reports before they'd paid for them) and I get to control when I work, and whether I work from home or the office (which is GREAT when my back flares up)

I might not get many hours (only 16 hours per week) because the company is so small and I run out of things to do because I've streamlined everything (boss literally called me TOO EFFICIENT), but he'll give me those 16 even if I spend half of it playing solitaire and watching youtube

so just, yeah, it feels so good to be confident in my work, to feel valued and appreciated and like I'm actually successful at something after being handed dud jobs for years that I wasn't cut out for, and now knowing that what I'm doing is actually genuinely hard but I've been doing it anyway without fail, makes me feel good!

so tldr; taking a month off work taught me I have phenomenal job security because if my boss ever fires me his wife might actually fucking kill him

[daidonzo]

Doctor, thanks for seeing me today

"She hit her head."

You looked at Usagi, wondering what the best way to kill her would be. Maybe strangling her? No, no way. She was way too strong for that. Drowning her or asphyxiating her with a pillow while she slept were also out of the question. Maybe you could throw her down some stairs or something. If you were at her back and gave her a little push…

"I did not." You pronounced each word clearly, as if they were a sentence on their own, shooting daggers at her.

You had gone bouldering with your friend. She had been asking for a while and you had finally agreed, although you were nowhere near as physically active as she was and were a little bit scared of heights. Not too much, just like any other sane person would be. And boy, were some of those walls high.

She had taught you the basics before getting started.

"It's basically a game of balance, technique, strength and brain."

"I have maybe like one and a half of those things." You had said, not very convinced.

It had actually been quite fun. The place you had visited had the circuits' difficulty organized by colors: white, yellow, orange, red and black, white being the easiest and black being the hardest. You had manage to do all the white ones, and Usagi was nearly beaming with pride.

You had got a little bit too confident, adrenaline pumping through your veins.

"Now I'm going for a red one!"

"I think… Maybe you should just take it slow, progressively. Let's go with yellow?"

But once you set your mind set on something, you always found a way to achieve it.

So you walked towards the artificial rock walls where those were, with your extremely uncomfortable climbing shoes and hands full of chalk to get a better grip on the fake rocks.

Usagi had given up.

"Well, at least there are safety mats…" And shrugged. She knew you too well by now.

You kind of wish she had kept insisting, because while you managed to get pretty far on the red circuit, you also lost balance at some point in time and hit your head against one of the fake rocks. And then you fell. Pathetic. Utterly awful.

It didn't hurt that much, but Usagi still insisted on taking you to the hospital.

"Slow down, cowboy. This is not my first rodeo. You know how clumsy I am, I fall all the time!"

But just like it happened with you, there was nobody stopping her when it came to worrying for her friends. And you loved her for that.

What you didn't love her for was for telling your long-haired, blonde, extremely-handsome doctor every detail about your ridiculous fall.

"She did hit her head. And then she fell. She also scratched her hands, trying to grip at anything while she was falling, but she couldn't do it so…"

"No. That didn't happen like that. I decided to let myself fall because…"

The doctor's brown eyes moved from Usagi to you and from you to Usagi. Was there… A hint of entertainment in his face? Was he actually enjoying this?

"If you don't tell me what happens, I cannot do a proper examination." He finally said, his intense gaze focusing on you.

You looked at his identification badge, squinting your eyes to read what it said.

"You see, Dr. Chishiya…" You started, curving your lips upwards, into the most charming and seductive smile you could manage. "Nothing happened. I'm fine."

He kept looking at you, without changing his expression. He was kind of intimidating.

"Whatever, I hit my head." You finally agreed, rolling your eyes. Usagi laughed, but covered her mouth with her hand, and had the decency to mask it as a cough, at least.

"Could you wait outside?" Chishiya said to your friend, who nodded and left the room.

He started his examination. He checked your vision, your hearing, asked you simple questions, and touched your head to see how it felt. You felt shivers down your spine when his skin came in contact with yours, but didn't say anything.

He was just a doctor, doing his job. There was nothing strange about this. However, you couldn't help but imagine that his fingers lingered for a moment longer on your skin because he liked you, that maybe he was not required to touch you but he also felt the connection, the attraction…

Of course, that was not the case. But there was nothing wrong with creating fake scenarios in your head, as long as you were realistic about it. One had to be.

"You are alright." He determined after the examination, sitting behind his desk. "The spot where you hit yourself is inflamed. It shouldn't hurt more than it does already, but you can take ibuprofen if it does."

"Thanks, doc."

"If there is nothing else…"

But there was something else. You didn't want to just leave. You wanted to get to know him. Maybe get his number? Was it ethical to ask for a doctor's number?

No, really, was it? Maybe since he was not your doctor, but someone who simply had to work today in emergency care…

Your brain was spiraling, fast and furious, trying to find a way.

"What if I hit my head again?" You asked, trying to gain some time.

He lifted his eyes from the piece of paper he was writing something on, perplexed. "Is that something that happens often?"

"More often than you think. It's quite big so I guess it has its own gravitational field and you know, objects get attracted to it."

You didn't have a particularly big head. You used to, back when you were a kid, but your body had grown as well and now everything was more or less balanced.

You still made jokes about it, from time to time.

He looked as if he didn't know how to react.

"Well, then…"

"Do I just come back and ask for Dr. Chishiya?"

"No."

Damn, that was fast. He could have pretended at least to think about it for a few seconds.

"I'm actually still a student."

"Ah."

"Specializing in pediatric cardiac surgery."

"None of those words have anything to do with me, I get it."

One of the corners of his mouth lifted up. Well, at least he found you funny.

"And it wouldn't be very moral."

"What do you mean? Repeating an appointment with the same doctor is not moral?"

"I meant I was waiting until after your visit was over to ask you if you wanted to get coffee. And it would not be appropriate for me to do so if you were my patient."

You blinked, unsure of what you were hearing.

He wanted to ask you for coffee?

"Ah… Okay, sure. Are you…"

"I'm free in half an hour."

"Okay, yeah. I'll… Be by the entrance?"

"See you then."

Was he serious?

You left his office, still not believing what just happened. Usagi was waiting for you by the door.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'm having coffee with him in thirty minutes."

"You are what!?"

You lifted your shoulders, your mind devoid of thought. "I don't know…"

Usagi let out a bubbly laugh, feeling all the excitement you should have been experiencing.

She agreed to wait with you by the entrance.

Arisu, her boyfriend, would come pick her up in thirty minutes and you could leave with them if it all turned out to be a cruel joke the handsome doctor Chishiya was playing on you.

It wasn't, because exactly twenty-eight minutes later you heard his voice coming from behind.

"Are you ready to go?"

[unabashednightmarepizza]

Hiii could you make a dating Talbott Winger headcannons I love him so much and I really think he’d be like the I hate everyone but you trope

A/N: I'm sorry that it took such a long time for me to write but I was battling with stress and life lately, and now that I'm fine, I started to have so many ideas but I need to finish request and write the chapters that had been waiting for ages in my documents lol.

And thank you everyone, who waited patiently!

P.S: I don't remember whne this ask was sent so I'm gonna put this on my "Summer Celebration" post!

Requests are OPEN!

𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡 𝑊𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑠...

We all know Talbott is a silent boy, he prefers to stay away from trouble unlike a certain person that has his interest, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have an adventurous side of him.

Yet, I still believe that he likes to have some kind of... control? When doing something? Like, yeah, he takes risks.

Just not extreme risks

Or, if you were to introduce him to some muggle vehicles, I think he would love to ride a bike with you and watch as your laugh would be carried to hus ears as the sight of you all happy and glowing would consume him.

Yeah, our boi definetly has a way with words.

Except the point that he made you swear to never talk about the first time he tried it as you showed how to bike, and he fell hard while being busy admiring you in return.

You, of course, accepted it with a giggle but not without crossing your finger because Bill demanded he had to know everything about your date.

He also swoons whenever you beat someone's ass in dueling. There were many times you rocked people's shits, especially Merula's since she always demanded one only to loose, to the point that no one actually stood a chance against you and refused to train.

Proud boyfriend Talbott and proud mama Bill moment 🥺😭

Like really, there isn't something you would do/make that he wouldn't be proud of and supportive

Crochet? Amazing, could you make a hat or a swan plushie? Draw? Excellent! Maybe you could teach me a few things, dove? You want to deceive the first years by playing an innocent game? Well, it's not like him... But he would be down with it anyways, especially after the ultimate "puppy eyes" weapon.

For some reasons, I see his whole vibe with you as Harry Style's "Golden" song 😭😭🥰🥰

It's literally the song that phrases your relationship!

"I know you were way too bright for me/ I'm hopeless, broken, so you wait for me in the sky..."

" Don't wanna let you know I don't wanna be alone/ But I can feel it take a hold, I can feel it take a hold..."

"I can feel you take control, I can feel you take control/ Of who I am, and all I've ever known lovin' you's the antidote..."

Since he didn't have his parents from a young age, and that they were killed right in front of him, Talbott had difficulties with associating himself with people around him.

That doesn't mean he hated them, or didn't want to talk. He did, he really did... He just didn't know how, and was scared that they would be gone too.

Especially early in your "friendship" that he often denied, but secretly liked the taste of the word on his tongue, he pushed and pushed people away, especially you... until only he was left.

But hey, it was a good thing that you were a persistent little shit because not only you were able to befriend him and show the true colors of life, show him that many people cared about him, you also took his heart and soul for yourself... like, for good.

Yeah, Talbott is definetly one of those rare guys who would stay loyal to his partner until the day he died and then even more.

If there was one thing you never expected from him by how he seemed so reserved, it was the fact that he was clingy when alone. Like, eagle boy would do anything to cuddle, hold hands with you, kiss and hug and do anything you ask for.

His hand holding is much more frequent than other forms of PDA. Talbott isn't very keen on them, since he hates attention, but hand holding under the table disecretly happens a lot.

He sits with you during breakfast and dinner, evennif you were in a different house, and your friends tease you for it affectionately.

He especially hold your hand thightly when he feels overwhelmed, or sad because of remembering his mother... to feel grounded, because he often feels like he lives in auto mode where he doesn't actually know what he is doing and doesn't have control.

That's when you step in.

When that happens, and Talbott usually tries to make it all go away through drowning himself in his studies, you would often look for him in thr library. But since he didn't want you to disturb your own peace just to find him, and he also didn't want to be found in a fragile state, he would go for less predictable areas.

He knew it saddened you whenever he refused to talk about his problems, he was aware and it broke his heart too... But he was scared.

You were the best thing that happened to him, even when he thought and still thinks he wasn't worth being loved, even when he thought he wouldn't find any ounce of happiness... Because why would he? He didn't have anyone left from his family at such a young age, his other relatives didn't care much and he was bad at socialising.

He fought and fought, but for what?

But then you came, stubbornly wanting to be his friend... Alongside the huge friend group you brought, and now he had a lot to loose but also a lot he gained.

He didn't understand why someone like you, the hero of Hogwarts, would find anything in him to activelly seek out to be friends with him...

But whatever it was, he was glad. Glad for your stubborn heart, glad because thanks to you, he found a new family.

You healed his aching heart with your sweet smiles, reassuring words and selflessness. Slowly but surely, you settled deep in his heart and after time, he realized he loved you... Immensely.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment obviously, but maybe... he always loved you, while watching from afar... While you won Quidditch, solved the mysteries about the Vaults, saved the school one many times... Or how you achieved more than average witch in your age, or how you risked your whole school life just to help him find the necklace of his mother.

Perhaps he realized right then and there that yes, he was in love with you and yes, he was already too deep to get out of that hole that was love.

And he didn't want to, for he was used to darkness when you came with the light of your eyes and heart, and saved him.

He could never be that boy he once was, and he didn't want to. Because now, he had you and a future to hold on to.

You both were the ones who confessed first, under the night sky as you both blushed at the cliche sight but you were content, happy to call this amazing, kind, thoughful and strong boy your lover.

Like I said before, there are a lot of things he wants to do with you: Travel together, have late night dinner dates, go to a beach, have a little cabin at the outskirts of Scotland...

But above all... There is one thing he wants to do with you the most one thing that often has him blushing and unable to sleep.

Grow old with you.

NOW TO THE FUN PART, ENOUGH DEPRESSING

Whenever you try to find him, out of class and studying sessions you both have, he is in the Owlery and all the owl LOVES him! Like really, whenever you two hang out in the school grounds, a flock of them comes and finds him and perches on both of your shoulders happily while picking on your hairs or hiding behind them in a way of playing with you.

He loves jewelries, mostly necklaces and bracelets, so whenever you buy something for yourself, he demands one too.

And he also loves matching with you too, so any necklaces, he's matching with you. It's one of the subtle ways of telling everyone that you/he was taken.

All the teachers and your friends knew you two would be end game, from how in love you both seemed and how Talbott started to smile genuinely after such a long time.

But what sealed it for you both was when he asked you to come to the Owlery, that he had an important thing to say and hive to you.

Imagine your surprise when he looked at you so softly and offered the necklace that had his mother's swan feather, accompanied with the pendants of his initials.

"This necklace used to be the sign of all the things I lost, a reminder of death... But I know my mum would have wanted you to have it, the girl who means so much to me, who I imagine my life to be spent with... I want this to be the sign of our love and my loyalty to you, for you to carry on your neck and hopefully never take it out... If you will have it and me..."

Like I said, he is a one-woman kind of boy and when you start a relationship and things started to get serious and deep, Talbott wouldn't shy away from hinting at marriage and a life together.

Because if this didn't show you the depth of his love, I don't know what would.

Another cute gesture he does with you, especially in like 6th or 7th year, is to wrap his arms around you from behind and put his chin on top of your head after laying a tender kiss there. ( why do boys get so much taller in like a few months when I'm stuck at the same height for the rest of my life 😭)

You two often visit and stay until late in the Owlery. That place had become some kind of a safe space for you both, where you can be with each other in silent, read books or simply feed the owls happily.

OMG HIS FAVOURITE WAY OF SPENDING TIME WITH YOU IS READING ❤️😍

You liked reading books by yourself, but when your boyfriend had a raspy voice and was food at imitations of the characters, you didn't have to do anything except laying back on his chest as you buried yourself in his smell as he read to you, thightenung his hold on your frame.

But just as you loved being read to, he actually likes it as well. He is just bad at showing and telling that. But whenever you see him looking at a book, then at you with a pout, you know what he wants.

And who were you to deny him of that when he looked so cute?

Madam Pince, even though she resented you for pranking her and was close to banning you from the library, was now looking at you and your boyfriend softly because one, you finally weren't there to break the rules but rather trully reading and two, you also helped her clean the library with Talbott too.

But none of you needed to know.

Now that I mentioned her, all the teachers have had bets about your love life. Like when one of you will confess, when you will have a kiss, when you will have a date etc.

And quite creepily, Minerva and Flitwick almost all the time knows when and where and wins quite a few galleons.

Snape couldn't care less, because he hated your guts... Or mayyybee he was slightly interested since you gifted him a cake and offered good mornings every day even though he would snap and he started to not hate you but just dislike.

Sprout was just happy to see her two favourite students together, alongside with Minerva, and offered her blessing with an enchanted flower that would never wilt.

But Dumbledore? Oh, he always knew from the start and didn't bother with such childish act... but he had bets going on with others in the ministry soo~ (Don't get me wrong, I still hate him.)

You know when Hermione said that girls could get in boys' dormitory but they couldn't enter girls'?

Yeah, there were many times you did that, at the beginning for cuddles... And later in your last year, for different things *wink wink*

Ehem, another act he loves doing are ( and I need to say, if a man did that to me, I would simply melt) taking your hand in his and putting it on his chest, where his heart is and kissing your forehead and lingering his lips there for a few seconds more.

Just imagine the feels and how hard your heart would beat I-

FLOWERS! YOU BOTH GIVE EACH OTHER FLOWERS ALL THE TIME!

You giving him flowers actually has a funny story because you thought he wouldn't like them, especially early in your relationship

But you couldn't help but think that daisies would look good on his dark, long hair

So you hastily went to Hogsmeade, came back in a hurry and sent a letter to him through your owl to meet you in the Owlery

It was definetly worth seeing the dark red tint on his skin when tou explained why you wanted to give him them

"I wanted to show you that I care and love you a lot, and flowers are a great way to show it, especially since I enchanted them!.. And by your reaction, I'll do that more in the future!"

And yes, you did so... Even after being married for such a long time, eventually having kid/s and in your 60-70

And he never stopped blushing and returning the gesture just as sweetly, always adding a little blessing and thanks to Merlin for bringing you into his life

This headcanons are already taking so long so I'll stop here before it gets out of control lol

And I'll go and continue crying at the corner because I don't have a Talbott in my life 🥺

[infinitegalahad]

AMERICAN PROMETHEUS AND HIS ATHENA - CHAPTER 5

Pairing: J. Robert Oppenheimer x Female Identifying! Reader Summary: You and Robert, of course, were a couple. A serious one at that; no more games, judgment, hiding, and dancing around the idea. But it came with its many hardships. Word Count: 6.0k Warnings: LOTS. Please read. Infidelity, messy relationships, minor blood loss, loss of child, cursing, and minor sexism (not from Oppie). Please read and heed with caution. Notes: THAT HAT. OMG. MY HUSBAND IS LOOKING SO FINE THERE. oops sorry for being horny on the writing account, next topic! folks, buckle up, this is a lot! not only is the longest chapter, but its got a lottttt of drama happening. we're talking infidelity, marriage proposals, trinity, kitty being a bad bitch, edward teller in sunscreen, my drunk writing, groves being an ass hole and most importantly; TWO sex scenes. apparently, y'all loved my smut, and i appreciate your compliments! there's one more scene to come *insert winky face* mwahahha. i also know i said this is ten chapters, but this story is nearing it's ending, so there's one more real chapter. I'm going to try concluding the story within the week. I've been packing for school and I've got a long drive on Thursday. I'm done with most of my packing, so I will try to release the final chapter tomorrow. the epilogue will be much shorter. this has been one hecka of a ride, and the next chapter will most likely be a lot of drama. once again, your support has been amazing, thank you all for everything! <3 Taglist: @forgottenpeakywriter @queenshelbyy @chloriine36 @kodzuvk Taglist | Masterlist

It was five in the morning, and yet it didn’t feel close to it. The sky was pitch black with not a star to be soon. The only light of the source came from the dim light bulbs and the headlights of the cars that surrounded you. You lay on your stomach beneath an uncomfortable mat with your hand edging the corners of the binoculars you held, the other hand reaching for the pain of sunglasses to block the light that would hopefully come from the test bomb. 

Two years. Two years of potential hard work gone to nothing.

Awaiting the announcement of the detention, you laid and, in an attempt to hide your anxiety, thought about how the hell you ended up in the middle of New Mexico, working on some secret project for the government, and what it took to get you to be a small part in the Manhattan Project. 

You and Robert, of course, were a couple. A serious one at that; no more games, judgment, hiding, and dancing around the idea. But it came with its many hardships. 

The first straw was Kitty. 

She was much older, and from what you heard, extremely intimidating. While you respected and honored her, you also wanted to avoid her, as you felt that she did not like you at all. Robert had told her he was in a relationship with a “young” woman, emphasizing “young”, and Kitty read him the riot act. Robert thought she was overreacting, but you sympathized and understood. All you wanted was to be respectful, and honestly, avoid her at all costs. 

But of course, that didn’t happen. After one of your Friday sessions, which ended in Robert and you making love, you slept at this house and stayed until Sunday most times. You even had your own toothbrush and brush, using the feminine bathing products and flowery perfumes that Robert had gifted you. Hatomi had noticed and always said you smelled good. She had been having a possible affair with your French Literature teacher, but that was a story for another time. 

That one morning, you woke up with Robert’s arm on your waist, and a child staring directly at you. You identified him as Peter, as he was the spitting image of Robert, minus the parts that very much looked like Kitty. Blinking rapidly, you thought it was some bad dream, but the broken truck and bright, sad blue stare made you realize that Kitty was here with her and Robert’s children. 

You and Kitty didn’t take long to meet, with her being dressed and you being butt naked. 

Both of you had to smack Robert awake, who was appalled at the situation. There stood his children in front of a girl who was closer in age to them than their father and a very pissed-off mother. Naturally, this needed a very long conversation. 

Kitty glared at you while sitting on the couch with Robert’s shirt on. She, like Robert, smoked a cigarette; her cold eyes burning into your skin. Robert reached over to grab your hand, which you slapped away. 

“So you’re his student?”

You gulped and looked down, nodding. 

“And you’re getting your bachelor’s degree in what? The arts?”

“Maybe a Bachelor’s in both the arts and science, ma’am.”

She blows a puff of smoke into your face, making it feel very directed. As she gets up to get a drink, she eyes you and turns to Robert. 

“At least she’s smart.” 

As much as you really want to leave, Robert insists you stay too well, impress Kitty, and show her you can cook, provide, and care for him. It infuriates you, and as much as you look at the door, you force yourself to stay. You don’t have any clothes there, so you’re forced to wear Robert’s white oxford shorts and bottom lingerie shorts while working around Kitty. She blatantly asked if you had anything besides Robert’s clothes to wear, and you said no. She sighed. 

As Robert plays with his children, Kitty and you decide to make dinner, together. She wants to make Robert’s favorite, which you know by heart; chicken, boiled potatoes, and peas. You tell her, at least advise her, that Robert now likes his potatoes mashed and his chicken with pomegranate seeds on it. Kitty holds a large knife, and you swear that she looks like she wants to stab you with it. 

“Where do you get them from?” She coldly asks as she pours milk into the bowl to stir the potatoes. 

You look up from sauteeing the chicken with garlic and respond, “Get?”

“The Pomegranate.”

“Oh, his garden,” Your face begins to grow red, “He didn’t know he had pomegranate’s in his garden–”

“Until you told him,” Kitty interrupts. 

She stops cutting, and you stop mixing the chicken. There’s a shared silence between the two of you; filled with thousands of questions. 

You scratch behind your ear and sigh, gathering yourself before you respond. 

“Yes. He likes them a lot. I noticed Toni likes them, too. However, I shouldn’t–”

“You care.”

‘What?”

“You care about him a lot. I can see that,” Kitty goes on about. Once she’s done mixing the potatoes, she goes to the sink to clean the mixer. You can swear you hear sniffle. 

“There’s no other reason why you would be using him, y/n. I can’t think of one because there’s none. You’re troubled, yet good. You may be young and naive, but you care about Robert. You take care of him, and I, well–”

Kitty can’t finish her sentence. She drops the mixer and tries to hide her contained sobs and hunching over the sink, but you notice. You walk over to try and comfort her, but Robert’s not far. His voice echoes along with the laughter of two children. Hearing this, Kitty pulls herself together and sniffles. She walks past you with red eyes. You want to ask, but you don’t.

You learn, through numerous sources, that Kitty did not hate you, nor was jealous. She, according to one person, adored you. You found that hard to believe, but every time you sent the children gifts,s he made sure to write you an apology note. 

However, while you made room for Kitty, you utterly refused to make room for Jean Tatlock. 

At that point in your relationship, you and Robert had been going on relatively strong. He’s your boyfriend, and your Friday meetings had extended to more weekly meetings, so with stays at his house. Some people know you are an item; some are disgusted, and some are happy. None of this bothers you and Robert as you continue to be a happy couple; until it’s not happy. 

First, it’s the regrets. After each time you’d fuck, Robert would go on about how horrible of a man he is and how he can’t keep doing this. You do some further digging, and with some integration, learn that he’s not teaching next year. He’s off to some “secret location,” and within the mixture of his regret of “poisoning you”, he recommends that you two should simply stop and just leave each other. 

Of course, this breaks your heart. Hatomi, and your other friends, are horribly worried about. Your lab partner in your chemistry class, George, can see that your eyes are red and asks if you are okay. You respond that you are, having a feeling that something else is going on with Robert. 

At your next Friday meeting, you arrive early, but you don’t water the flowers, and you know why you don’t want to ever water them again. Robert comes to the door, ten minutes late, and when he opens it, you can see his collar is flipped up and his hair is a mess. As he takes a breath, you push past him and run up the stairs. You already see the pair of kitten heels by the door, and as Robert pleads for you to wait, you don’t. Once you turn the all too familiar corner to his bedroom, you hear a soft curse. It’s a woman’s voice.

Turning into his bedroom further proves your worst nightmare; another woman. Let alone, your own fucking psychiatrist; Jean Tatlock.

In your sessions with Jean, she’s been breaking more code of conduct, talking about the new man she's seeing, saying she’s having “one heck of an affair”. Based on her descriptions of him, from the lineage and nicknames, you put the pieces together, and all of them lead back to her and Robert. 

“Y/n,” Jean calmly pleads. She covers herself with a blanket as she gets out of bed, “Stop. Wait. We want to talk-”

The words “we” make your eyes swell with tears. Spinning on your heel, you beeline towards the stairs, but bump into the person you least want to see; Robert. He puts his hands on his arms, but you violently shrug and push his chest away. 

“Get away from me–” You hiss. As you back up, you sense Jean behind you and scream the same thing at her, “--Back, both of you. 

“Y/n,” Robert gently calls your voice, holding out his hands, “I’ve been meaning to tell you-”

“Tell me fucking what?” You bark at him. You point your finger back to Jean, “Robert, honestly, out of all people, my fucking psychologist? The one who describes my medications? The person I tell everything too besides you? The one I saw today just two hours ago for my weekly session?”

Jean is sobbing behind you. You like her, but yet, don’t feel bad. She’s much older than you; she should know better. 

“I had no idea–”

You scoff and let out a fake laugh, “Idea? Sure,” You look back at Jean, whose mascara is running down her face, “Don’t cry; you knew. You’re smarter than you look, you knew. You know my background, and you would go out of your way to do this? And now? We all fucking know. Robert, now we all know you were cheating on your little pure virgin girlfriend with her fucking psychologists, whom I considered to be one of my friends.” Looking at Jean, you say that last sentence, ensuring she understands you are no longer her client, let alone her friend. 

Walking down the stairs, Robert grabs your arm and forces you to stop walking. You refuse to look back, but you can hear his breathing, which makes you scrunch your firsts. 

“Y/n, I understand your anger. This is far beyond wrong. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. I think it’s best that you take the time to finish your education and, if I recommend, mingle with others your age,” Robert explains with a condescending tone, which makes your blood boil.

“I can no longer carry the guilt on my shoulders. I used you for too long, and now it’s catching up with me. I’m sorry to do this to you, y/n, but I-”

You violently throw your arm back, shaking Robert’s hold on you. Through Robert’s breathing and Jean’s sobs, you storm down the stairs. Your face feels hot, and so does your body, but you ignore it as you stumble out of the house. Ignoring the calls of your name from Robert and Jean, you run out of Robert’s house and down the hill. Once you are away, you finally let go and let the hot tears run down your cheeks. Finally, the devastation and pain hit you like a bullet. When you’re not around any trace of Robert or Berkeley or any of it, you let out a screaming sob of frustration, anger, and sadness. 

It takes you a short while to recover. 

You no longer like to associate Robert with his name. Once again, he’s reduced to Dr.Oppenheimer; your terrifying physics professor with endless icy eyes and a tendency to smoke, not the man who took your virginity and showered you with expensive gifts that you refused to throw out. The relationship between you two has been severed and erased with your function serving as professor and student. Your meetings stop, at the end of the Semester, Robert gives you an A with an E for exceptional effort. Your parents receive your report card, and out of all your grades, are most fond of your Physics report. Dr.Oppenheimer writes that you are an active participant whom he had the pleasure of working with personally in the term. As they read out his comment, your memory flashes back to it all; the dinners, the music, the fire, the terms of endearment, and the whole lot of it. 

Your mother, through a puff of smoke, remarks that he seems like an amazing man. Forcing a smile, you agree. 

Once you return after the Holiday break, nothing much has changed in Berkeley. You’re still alone yet doing well academically, Hatomi’s on the verge of ruining a marriage, and you and Robert have not spoken, according to your calendar, in over two months. 

And then you meet George. 

George is your lab partner in Physics. You have known him since your orientation at Berkeley, from the forced events to the lackluster parties. He’s always had an interest in you, and has made it clear from day one; from wanting to be your lab partner to even asking Hatomi if you preferred chocolates over flowers. When you two would sit down together, he would always initiate small talk and ask how your day is going. You’d respond and spark up small conversations about your lives. 

Into the first week of December, George asked after class if you wanted to go see Citizen Kane with him. He bought two tickets, and offered to buy you anything you wanted, but understood if you were busy since in his words, you seemed even busy on Friday afternoons. 

You knew Robert was watching. You quickly glanced up and saw him at his desk, smoking as he pretended to observe tests when really, he was observing the interaction between the two of you. 

“I’m actually no longer busy at all on Fridays,” You loudly say as you want the words to echo and burn into Robert, “And yes, I’d love to go to the movies with you.”

“I’ll pick you up at Stern?”

“I’ll be waiting.” 

George arrived an hour before and took you out for an early dinner. You knew that he loved to read like you, but you also learned he was fluent in three languages and was overall extremely educated. He made sure to ask what you enjoyed, telling you to talk about your favorite books, movies, or anything that you loved. You had told him to read the first few chapters of Citizen Kane to familiarize yourself with the movie. George went red and said he had done the same, offering that if they enjoyed the movie, they could see together and talk about the plot. 

The movie was good, and in addition to the soda and popcorn he bought you, he also took you back to his dorm and fucked you like there was no tomorrow. As he humped into you, you clawed at his back and looked up at the cycling. Everytime you close your eyes, you see and think of Robert. You forced George to look at you throughout the sec and kissed him patiently to void all thought of Robert. 

There was no doubt that Robert was bothered by you and George’s interactions. You made it not so obvious that you were George’s girlfriend, while George did; from the hushed whispers and small touches he’d give you in class. While George would be doing such small things, Robert would be intensely staring from a distance with straghinted fingers and furrowed eyebrows. At one point, he changed lab partners in an attempt to keep you and George apart. You still worked together on every single lab, and to Robert’s dismay, aced every single one. 

In the beginning, you remember Robert leaving flowers in your cubby during Labs since you’d always arrive about ten minutes early. He’d tuck them into the pocket of your lab jacket. Without fail, and everytime, you threw each flower out. Eventually all together, you stopped showing up on time and made sure to show with George. 

Robert soon began to disappear from your thoughts and life. For the remainder of the year, you only spoke to him in class and nowhere else with cold, curt interactions. George had replaced Robert in all, shape, way, and form. It was strange to go with George since he was your age, and not in your former case, your thirty five year old Physics professor who cheated on you with your friend and phys-

But that was all in the past. 

Two years had gone by. Robert was the thought of the past now and you kept yourself busy between obtaining a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Literature and Physics, all while maintaining a very serious relationship with George. You spent most summers with him on Nantucket sailing or collecting seashells. Sometimes, you’d think about the “what ifs'' of Robert taking you to New Mexico on a horseback adventure. That had once been a reality, but now would forever remain a fantasy. George reminded you that yes, there were good men in the world. You both had your many issues and ups and downs, but both of you agreed that infidelity was never on your list. 

Eventually, each cycle completes itself for everything. During the fall of your Junior year at Berkeley, George proposes to you on a weekend trip up to Napa. He’s smiling the whole way through, and says he doesn’t want to wait any longer and heads straight to the courthouse to wed. 

You want to say yes, you really do, but you can’t. No matter how many times you say you love him, you know that you love him as a confidant, but not a lover. 

Rejecting his proposal, that ends every tie with George. Things are sour for a week, but Hatomi helps moderate a conversation between you two. George sobs, which in return, makes you cry. You apologize to him, and tell him he deserves better; telling him that if he sees a pretty girl, he should take her to the movies and buy her what she wants. George smiles and thanks you for loving him, hugging you, and wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavors. He writes you a letter, but you refuse to open it and leave inside of your copy of Citizen Kane, shoving it into your bookcase for it to gather dust. 

 After you and George are finished, there’s no time to grieve as you were being dragged into another situation. What seems like any other ordinary walk to your metaphysics class results with you alone in an office space with an intimidating general. He did not introduce himself, but you gathered his name as Major Groves. He held a thick file on you, questioning your life and digging into every little detail. He pressured you on your two brothers and roommates, who happened to be associated with the Communist party, asking if you had any association. You held your hands up and was nothing but honest; saying that while Hatomi still went to your meetings, your brothers had stopped talking about the idea once both of them married and had their own families. 

Still, Groves persisted and became aggressive, accusing that your friends and you were some type of danger to democracy. Communism isn't your thing ever, but you had respected it. Many people you surround yourself with were either former communist or still into it, not that it bothers you. You thought of Robert; whom never associated, but you knew he gave money. 

Which was strange. With your thought of Robert, you heard a silent shut. Groves sighed and you looked, and to your horror and saving grace, it was Robert. 

“Thank god you’re here,” Groves let out a huff as he leaned against the desk. 

“Major Groves,” Robert nodded his head as he took off his porkpie hat. He stood away from you, but beside your chair, “Is there any issue with Miss Y/n?”

Groves, still looking gruff, pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Well yes, and no. You see, I find it alarming that she has both family and friends in association with the Communist party. I also understand her, uhm,” Groves hesitated to say it out loud, “Former relations, according to you. It raises suspicious since well, she is both in association with a communist, many of whom who are female in which he know where that ends, and slept wi-”

You were about to walk out, not wanting to be dragged into whatever mess this way, but Robert’s calm voice echoed and immediately shut up Groves. 

“General, on the defense of Miss Y/n, I can assure that her ideologies and gender are mennail to the subject of the meetings. As for our past relations, there are of the past. I ask that you not criticize or grill her without my presence,” Robert’s voice commanded. He looked at you and back at Groves, clearing his throat. 

Your heart skipped a beat as you shifted in your head, clasping your hands together. Robert looked at you, and you returned his gaze, quietly thanking him. 

Once Robert entered, Groves' interrogation stopped and he got what he pulled out of class. In his words, something “big” and “important” was occurring in an undisclosed location in New Mexico. You pieced together that a weapon of destruction was being built, since Groves brought up in your profile that your skills in Physics primarily resize in the nuclear and quantum mechanics, as described by the physics course taken at your time in Berkeley. You had even taken time out of your academic schedule and did research as a job with some of your professors. All of your Physics teachers concluded that you were extremely qualified and knowledgeable in Physics, and in one of them, being Robert.

Robert had gone on about your time in his class, saying that you were one of his brightest students, whom he had given recommendation should be part of said project. He said he was willing to talk with Berkeley to configure a way for you to leave and graduate on time to come and work on his location. Major Groves said with Robert’s recommendation, he would be pleased to approve your security clearance. Groevs also mentioned that he would give you time to figure out things with you, and also implying, Robert. 

Groves had excused himself, leaving you and Robert alone. It had been two years since you two had been alone together, let alone really conversed. You still sit at the desk and look down, not wanting to look at Robert now, admiring your manicured nails in hopes that you wouldn’t chew off the nail polish. 

“Thank you, by the way,” You muttered, “You didn’t have to.”

Some things never change, and you look up to see Robert, elearning against the desk as he looks at you, smoking out of a pipe. 

“But I did. Not that I ever minded doing so.” 

The tension never left, and both of you know it. Bouncing your leg, you lean forward and gather the courage to look at Robert. 

“Why? Am I allowed to know why the hell I’m being dragged into this?” 

“Y/n, you know I can’t say why. I can say that it is important, as you would say, in the grand scheme of the universe,” Robert explained, “We are small pieces, and this project is a much larger force. A force that can end all wars.”

Confusion still infects you. Some of this makes sense, while other parts do not. You think hard back to the past and Robert’s say on the war and weapons, trying to gather your thoughts on the situation Robert has dragged you into. 

“The Germans are out of the war, that’s all I can truly think of,” You mentioned. Once we see Robert lean, your body compels you to lean forward as well, “Is this weapon of mass discussion?” 

Robert looked uncomfortable by that saying. He shifts uncomfortably and stands from his desk, slowly making his way over to you. You want to protest and tell him to not, but you gravitate towards his presence. His hair is a little more gray, and he is still cold, but as handsome as ever. 

“Call it what you want, but possibly. It’s a weapon to end all wars, ideally, the conflict in the Pacific,” Robert alluded to. You forgot how close he came to his desk. He puts his hands on the edge of the desk and you lean back, looking down. Your cheeks when red, reminding you of your younger days with Robert. Robert’s fingers anxiously curl over the wooden desk top as you let out a soft sigh, containing a noise you did not want to be heard by anyone else. 

“There’s something else,” You blurted, “You want me for something else.”

It’s radio silent for a second. Robert’s fingers shift, and you heavily sigh. 

“Robert–”

“I want you for your intelligence,” Robert says as a confession. His hands spread against the desk. As much as you try to control yourself, you can’t. Your hands uncurl from your grasp and cover his, grasping them. 

“I also wanted you.” 

With that, Robert asked to kiss you, and you didn’t even say yes as you jumped from your chair and crashed your lips into his. Nearly falling back, he grabbed you and dragged you to the ground, refusing to let go of your body and lips. It’s desperate and messy, evident that the two of you missed each other's presence. Robert asks to remove your clothes, and you let him do so. Once removing your panties and stockings, he sticks his hard dick into you and fucks you like there is no tomorrow. He covers your mouth as you cry tears of happiness and sadness, sobbing his name. Once he finishes inside of you, you hug him and sob your eyes out. Roberts holds you and says he won’t let go. 

Both of you know you have a lot of shit to work through. He had Jean and you had George. Robert knows he’s fucked up, but he still loves you,a nd as much as you don’t want to admit it, you love him as much as he loves you. The whole reason you turned down George was because you still loved Robert. It wasn’t easy for you to forget , and with Robert, he clearly didn’t. 

He promised to fix things if you came to Los Alamos with him.

And you did. 

You managed to graduate from Berkeley a year early. Groves said that he would write to your family that you were involved in a top secret Government project, promising that he would try to cover your back as much as possible. Once you were out of this project your family would question you, but it wasn’t important. After all, Robert was right; you were small things in the grand scheme of it all. 

Los Alamos is hot, cold, and isolating. You are severely depressed, but you are able to manage that with your work and Robert. The work on the bomb is no easy task; it’s full of pressure, arguments, and disagreements. You feel intimidated, surrounded by much older men, whom you feel have more power than you do, despite knowing that you are just as capable as they are. With this stress, Robert is your reliever. Every night, the two of you switch, finding a way to comfort one another in these depressing times. 

 Now, you live full time with Robert. Nothing is perfect, but the two of you talk and make things work in the best way possible. 

You tell him about George and how you turned down his proposal. Robert coldly laughs, saying that you deserved a good man, and that you should have accepted. You said you couldn't because you loved him,a dn as much as Robert thinks you are lying, he loves the honesty that comes from you. It proves to him that when he fucked you, that you were always going to be his. He tells you that he’s cut things off with Jean, promising on his knees that he won’t ever respond to her calls ever again. You force him to promise you or else you’ll leave him. Robert looks like he’s going to sob when you said that, and he repeatedly insists that he will never do such a thing to you ever again. 

You snap back to reality when they make an announcement that they will test the bomb in three minutes. The men around you anxiously chatter as they prepare for an explosion. You put on your sunglasses and look around you. You catch Edward Teller, basking in his sun chair with a face smothered in sunscreen and sunglasses. He looks down at you, and you look away into the dark night, anticipating the explosion. Your heart skips a beat, and to pass the time, you sink back into your racing thoughts. 

In Between this drama, time passes in Los Alamos. Between the bomb being congested and your relationship with Robert being rebuilt, you fall sick. You’re nauseous, vomiting in the morning and sometimes the day, your period stops, constipation, backaches, you feel like you’re dying. You’re able to hide this from everyone but Robert, who assumes what he thinks it is. One trip to the infirmary confirms that you’re two months pregnant, bordering three. 

Initially, you're shocked, but thinking back to the classroom, it all makes sense. 

You’re ecstatic, despite being extremely sick. You take time off from your job, and Robert makes sure to tell everyone that you have come down. I'll have a bug and will return within a couple of months. The only people who know about the pregnancy are you, Robert, and the doctor. Robert makes sure to keep the mater private. 

Like you, Robert is thrilled at the concept of you having a child. You’re rather young and nervous, but Robert promises to take care of you and your child. No longer can you do things on your own without Robert swooping in; whether that be cooking, cleaning, or even reaching for medicine. 

The two of you lay in bed with your feet entangled. Robert caresses your stomach as he has done before, softly going over the small bump forming in your stomach. 

“I thought I had been putting on weight,” You bluntly admitted, rolling your shoulders back. 

“And even if you were, I would love you the same as I loved you before,” Robert plants a kiss into your hair, gently patting your stomach, “You look as beautiful as ever, love. Even with our child, you’re still so tiny. You’re just as I remembered you-”, His hands grab yours as he interlocks your digits, “-in that classroom at Berkeley. You shook your leg and your skirt rode up. As you bit your lip, I looked, and I fell. I feel hard, y/n. I love you.” 

You smile to yourself and close your eyes, squeezing his hand. 

“I love you too, Robert.”

“59 seconds until the drop!” A voice booms over the loudspeaker. Anxiety, nerves, and excitement fills the crowd of Sciences, including yourself. You put a hand on your stomach, feeling the flatness. Sometimes, you can still feel that bump. It’s been a long time, but she’s still there, haunting you. 

You lose the baby at seven months, and remember there being so much blood and tears. Every night after losing the child, you cried yourself to sleep and apologized to Robert. Robert held you and comforted you at that time. He kissed you and held you close, saying that all was well as long as you were him.

You violently sobbed, thinking back to your days of reading Greek myths  at his rental house on Shasta. Just as Hades had given Persephone the seeds for her to say, Robert had impregnated to you and brought you to his desert exile. And like Persephone, you stayed. 

Just as tears were beginning to form in your eyes, a light dried the tears right out of your eyes. 

At 5:29:45 AM local time, the stillness was shattered by an imperceptible click, triggering the activation sequence of the Trinity bomb.

A brilliant, searing light erupted on the horizon with a radiance unparalleled by any natural phenomenon. The desert floor was instantaneously transformed into a blinding white sea of light, casting stark shadows of the nearby objects. The intensity of the light seemed to defy the boundaries of the human eye, as if a new sun had temporarily usurped the heavens.

A seething ball of fire engulfed the desert in those milliseconds, swelling with ferocious energy. A towering column of smoke and dust spiraled upward, its outline illuminated by the incandescent glow. The ball of fire and the mushroom-shaped cloud of debris swelled and merged into a surreal symphony of colors – brilliant whites, fiery oranges, and deep reds – like a celestial painter's brush strokes across the sky.

Trinity’s detonation unleashed a symphony of destruction that resonated not just across the desert but through history itself. The ground quaked with a seismic force, as though the Earth itself trembled at the unimaginable power harnessed by humanity's newfound knowledge. A resounding shockwave rippled through the air, shattering windows miles away and rattling the bones of those who stood witness.

The sound that followed was a peculiar and haunting one – a low, rumbling roar that bore no resemblance to the traditional thunder or even the roar of an aircraft engine. It was as if the very air had been torn apart and reconstituted into a sound that could only be described as the collective gasp of nature itself, a primordial cry at witnessing its own mastery being tested and defied.

The visual and auditory onslaught seemed to defy the boundaries of perception, leaving spectators both in awe and in terror. The Trinity test had successfully harnessed the fundamental forces of the universe and turned them into a weapon of unimaginable devastation. In the wake of that blinding light and resounding sound, a sense of profound unease settled upon those who bore witness – an understanding that the world had irrevocably changed, and humanity had ventured into a new and uncertain frontier, where the implications of our newfound power were as profound as they were perilous.

The cheers are loud and violent. People are thrilled that those two years of hard work have paid off. They're dancing, drinking, celebrating, and you feel happy, even partaking in such matters. 

When the bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, the celebrations truly ensue. The excitement from the test early explodes with raw joy. Everyone knows that the ear is coming to an end as they drink, sing, dance, cheer, and cry. Emotions flood as people celebrate, and you partake in them for a while. As you do, you look for Robert but he’s nowhere to be found. You search within the crowd but you can't identify his pork pie hat or pipe. 

Fleeing from the celebrations, you flee to Roberts office. His secretary isn’t there, so you make this way to your office. You find him standing by the window, simply looking at the crowd. As they move, he stands perfectly still. His hat is thrown on the ground and his pipe is thrown on his desk. 

“Robert?” You sing-song his name, quietly walking over, “Oppie?” 

There’s no response. He’s not acting happy, nor does he look at it. He looks devastated. 

His eyes are watery, and you can immediately feel the guilt on his shoulders. 

There’s no need for words as you walk over and crash into Robert. His arms wrap around you and with that, he quietly cries into your shoulder, sinking with you into the carpeted ground. 

[crownedinmarigolds]

This isnt apart of the game,(which is so fun and im loving learning about ppls vamps) but im feeling bold and not socially afraid- what IS/Was the deal with noa and her brother? What are her thoughts/feelings after all this time?

Ohhh thank you for being interested! I'm sorry if this comes out super rambling and incoherent! I guess it'd just be best to tell their story! It's really not as black and white as it appears, and feelings are extremely nuanced and messy when it comes to family and abuse. It seems easy as an outsider looking it to make commentary and theorize about what you would've done, but you just never know!

Joaquin Hidalgo is the eldest son to Vincento Hidalgo-Giovanni and his wife Ingrid Giovanni. The Hidalgo bloodline had only been a part of the Giovanni clan for a few generations, and young Vincento was a necromancer prodigy who married a main clan daughter who would bear his children and continue the family line. They were blessed with three sons - Joaquin, Eduardo, Ferdinand - and a little daughter, Noa. By all means they were very normal for a incredibly rich family with dealings in the local cartels of Mexico and the secret vampire clans that trace back to Italy. The parents seemed to get along, the children were growing up fine and developing their own ways and personalities. Joaquin certainly felt pressured as the eldest, but it was still "normal."

One evening the family was going out in a chauffeured vehicle, probably to dinner or maybe even a movie, when they were suddenly gunned down by unknown assailants. Joaquin at the time was thirteen and tackled little Noa, freshly seven, to the car floor where they dodged the hail, but the rest of the family were not so lucky. Mother and their other two brothers were killed instantly, while their father had seconds after to try and say something but ultimately couldn't, and the fresh orphans watched him die beside the rest of their already gone family. Joaquin promised Noa next to their bodies that he would never let her be hurt like this, and she believed him, and they vowed to be together for eternity. Not long thankfully after they were pulled from the car by people who called themselves their "family," where they were taken home and a bunch of strangers busied themselves with getting funerals set up and other various grown up things. A few days later, their father comes walking through the front door. Paler, walking with a cane from his injuries, strangely colder in personality, but THERE. Joaquin immediately felt like something was wrong, but Noa interpreted this as a miracle.

Over the years, Father ruled the house as a father would, but he ran it a bit crueler, a bit more seriously. Joaquin, having been old enough to really get that things were off, bit back and fought, and was often put back in his place through physical violence. Noa watched him go through this and learned to keep quiet if she wanted to not be struck. When she got old enough, Father finally revealed the vampiric nature of their bloodline to the both of them. Noa was then ghouled as soon as she could, her body still young, practically stunting her - but it gave her access to incredible magics. Joaquin was ghouled and practically made a mad dog bully for the human side of the clan, which pissed him off further. There was a weird mixture of feelings between the two of them - the jealousy of seeing his baby sister succeed where he always failed, the relief the pressure wasn't on him to be a necromancer, the fury of seeing her adoration and love of family being used to manipulate her. He loved Noa, she loved him, and things grew more and more confusing. He was allowed to go out but nothing satisfied him, especially when he took more and more vitae. She was locked inside the house for her protection, and also to study. In our personal headcanon (though this may be canon for Gio Ghouls??) the vitae makes one fiercely loyal to the Giovanni, and it twists one up to chase after family. Things did get a little "far" between them during this time, but they never fully culminated anything. Things got worse for Joaquin when a Tremere ghoul contact joined his little posse - Nythanel Loken - who became his sister's best friend and biggest advocate. Everything was coming up Noa and it bothered him, and there was a million confusing reasons why.

He finally decided to put his foot down when she revealed that Father told her that she would be Embraced. She was so excited, and then he was told straight from Father later he was going to be shipped off to Italy to both learn things and marry into a bloodline to essentially be a baby pumping factory until he was found worthy of an Embrace or died. No Noa, no real future other than providing some genetics. He knew through his contacts where to find the Sabbat, and he led them right to the family compound to rid the world of one more vampiric smear. However the Sabbat being the Sabbat went harder than he wanted - capturing him and killing and enslaving the spirits of many who were there and not giving him his sister. He had no idea where she was, but she wasn't with him. Eventually he escaped their clutches and ran to America, completely alone. He then dedicated his existence to becoming a hunter, using his knowledge during his time as a ghoul against vampiric scum and even other supernaturals. He met his buddy Ray who joined him for a few good years of hunting, and then it all came crashing down when he found Nyth and Noa again in Reno Nevada in 1993. It's been over a decade since he knew of Noa's whereabouts, and now he was so close. Years and years of weird feelings were crashing back, because it was all real again. He was past forty now, getting desperate to cling to something beyond hate again.

Eventually - Ray was killed by Joaquin for nearly killing Noa, and they were finally together for good this time. No Ray, seemingly no Nyth, and the family out of their hair. He clumsily culminated their long awaited reunion in a motel they ran off to hide in while she still mourned, Nyth's body close by, Ray's left behind, and poor Julian the ghoul in the next room over. Noa afterwards insisted she make a plan with the family to get Nyth back to her, which pissed Joaquin off but he was in love and back with her again so what could he do.

She told him they could be together for good when he was Embraced by her or someone within the family, but he staunchly refused to be turned. He never wants the vitae again, he never wants to become a supernatural creature. He wants to be with her for Eternity, but he cannot become an immortal. This is the defining moment that leads to his demise at her hands. As she worked with the Family and eventually the Setites to bring Nyth back to full health, Joaquin grew more and more irritating and controlling. He hated her deeper descent into Necromancy and dealing with two-faced Kindred, he hated her pulling away from him when they were finally together. She was clearly furious with him, and it felt like it was falling apart.

One night she was sweet to him again, saying that it was all almost over. Nythanel's notes and her own studies mixing with Setite sorcery were going to bring her friend back. They just needed a body to house Nyth. Joaquin killed Julian the ghoul for Noa, and together they prepared the ritual to "resurrect" Nythanel. Joaquin also had the gut feeling this night wouldn't just end in Julian's death, but his own. Noa approached the ritual room dressed in something clingy, and when Nyth and Julian's body was prepped, she explained the rest of the ritual required more blood, more life. They were together for the last time, Noa drinking the vitae direct him him, and in his own terrible way he was happy. She was happy. He was finally satisfying to her. Joaquin died happy.

OKAY SO. It just feels so rambly! Feel free to ask for more specifics I TRIED to do bare minimum but uh….

Noa after this time loves Joaquin, and she still can't let him go even now in modern nights. She knows his spirit is out there, and he will make his way back to her somehow.

It's just very confusing because yes, he took advantage of her and abused her, but she loved him so much. They in a way were all the other had, they just coped very differently… ahhh. Sorry. I don't know if I'm really relaying everything properly! Thank you for asking!!!