#in contrast with big girl lucy

[wenigstenshabeichesversucht]

Girls Castellan might like

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Athena kid!Reader

Summary: After talking to Annabeth, you try to figure out who Luke likes. And what would be the best way to do this other than a list?

Warnings: fluff, english is not my native language

Word Count: 2.6k

First when you had arrived, Camp Half-Blood sounded like a dream. A place where you were finally safe, thanks to Mr. D. the weather was always good and there were many activities. But after some time, doing always the same stuff got boring. Learning ancient Greek, cleaning stables, Pegasus riding, picking strawberries, Sword and archery training, Volleyball, Capture the Flag, swimming in the lake, and campfire singalongs. Every week it was the same. Thanks Aphrodite, you were all hormonal teenagers and at least there was sometimes exciting drama at camp.

Like right now, you were sitting at breakfast, and you couldn't help but notice, that Lucy, Daughter of Aphrodite, was glaring holes in the back of Luke Castellan’s head. Clutching the knife firm that her knuckles were white, she looked as if she was about to jump up and pounce on the Hermes cabin counselor. A big contrast to yesterday, when they couldn't keep their hands off each other around the campfire. So, what happened in the darkness of the night?

"You see it too?”, you asked your half-sister Annabeth curious, who already had assessed the whole situation.

“It’s not surprising, she isn’t his type.”

“Not his type?”, you echoed taken aback.

Before Luke and Lucy were a thing, only for ten days but still a thing, he had something with one of Lucy’s half-sisters. There had been a lot of drama, when Luke had ended things with Stephanie and was seen kissing Lucy three days later. It had been a lot of fun, maybe except for Luke, Stephanie, and Lucy. But back to the actual situation, after this story, everybody, you too, though that Luke’s type were beautiful girls, preferable daughters of Aphrodite. And who could blame him? They were otherworldly pretty.

“He likes feisty girls who are good fighters”, Annabeth told you unaffected while picking at her bacon with her fork.

“How do you know that?”

Annabeth and Luke were close, like siblings. But you couldn’t imagine neither Annabeth nor Luke lying down on one of their beds and talking about girls.

“Because he is so obvious.”

If she said so. You hadn't noticed it yet, but maybe you hadn't looked closely either. You had wanted to spare yourself the pain.

“And who does he like?”, you dared a short look at Luke, who was laughing about something Chris had said. Seeing this, you couldn’t help it, your lips pulled up to a small smile. Next to you Annabeth rolled her eyes. But you only had eyes for the pretty head counselor of cabin 11.

“Won’t tell you”, astonished you teared your eyes of Luke and looked to your little sister. A smug smile was dancing around her mouth. “You always complain that you're bored.  Perhaps finding it out may help you battle your boredom.”

You immediately regretted complaining to her about your boredom at the start of your breakfast. This was now her revenge.

“Can you at least tell me if it’s a girl or a boy.”

“A girl, that's the only tip you get.”

Like every organized person you started your research with a list. Your list with the very fitting title ‘Girls Castellan might like’ included every girl at camp, except the ones who were too young and the girls you knew, were bad at fighting.

Next your research led you in the arena, where Luke was teaching sword fight. Clutching your list, like it was your most prized possession, you searched for a good place to keep an eye on everything. With a little bit of luck, you would be able to watch, how Luke was interacting with some of the girls on your list and could draw further conclusions from this.

You weren’t the only one, who came just to watch the practice. A few seats away sat a few daughters of Aphrodite. And you quickly understood why.

Holding a sword Luke was a force to be reckoned with. His movements were smooth as butter, and you couldn’t help noticing his muscles tensing under his shirt as he performed various exercises. Your gaze unconsciously slipped to his large hands, which were loosely holding the sword. After years of wielding a sword, they must be covered with calluses. How would it feel, if his callused hands would wander over your body, cupping your hips to pull you closer to him?

“What are you scheming?”

An all too familiar voice snapped you out of your daydream. Caught like a deer in headlights you looked up to Luke Castellan, who was standing right in front of you. Just looking at his hands, you could feel a blush slowly creeping up. Damn hormones.

“I’m not scheming”, you protested while stuffing the list hastily in the back pocket of your jeans shorts.

“Sure, that's why you're hiding the note”, amused Luke’s brown eyes sparkled. And what beautiful eyes he had. Stop! You had to concentrate! “Besides kids of Athena don’t just sit around and watch people, you lot are always scheming.”

“If you say so”, trying to seem cool, you shrugged your shoulders. “But that’s not why you came here.”

“Always so wise, fancy a fight?”

„There is no way I will beat you with a sword.”

And why fight if you already knew that you would lose? That wasn’t your style. You and your half-siblings knew better than that.

“What about hand-to-hand combat?”

Now you were talking! In hand-to-hand combat you could stand a chance.

“So desperate to lose, Castellan?”, you teased trying to drive away the nervousness that had settled in your bones. Sometimes you hated the nervousness Luke Castellan made you feel in his present, but looking at him, you knew, that you could never hate him.

“When it comes to you, I’m always desperate”, there was a time, were words like that form Luke’s lips, had made your heart flatter. That was before you realized that he was just a big flirt and wasn’t serious. But now, older, and wiser, you just rolled your eyes, before you motioned for him to follow you down in the arena.

“Flirting will not help you to win.”

Luke just shrugged, “Doesn't hurt trying.”

Yours and Luke’s hand-to-hand combats were famous around the camp. Luke had quick reflexes, was tall and full of muscles, while you were a strategic mastermind, always three steps ahead. And none of you shied away from getting down and dirty. Therefore, it was no surprise, that a ring of onlookers had already formed before one of you could throw the first punch. Besides, you were too focused to really mind it. You had already fought against Luke so often, that it felt more like a rehearsed dance than a fight. Maybe this was your way of dancing. While the Aphrodite girls danced around the bonfire, you danced in an arena to the music of your own heartbeat.

Like always it was Luke who opened the fight. With one large strike he closed the distanced between you and tried to punch you in your face, so your hands would go up, and he could kick you in your belly. Seeing this coming, you caught his hand with yours and while he lifted his leg, your swiped yours under his other one to bring him down. Letting go of his hands, you watched with a smile, how the tumbled down to the floor. But instead of going after him, you gave him the time you stand up. He was stronger than you, so you wanted to avoid wrestling with him on the floor so early at all costs, it would only end badly for you. First, he had to get tired, and none knew better that you how to wear down Luke Castellan.

His next three punches you easily dodged and then you stroke. Letting go of a flurry of blows it was Luke’s turn to block. For a moment you just exchanged blows, neither of you managed to blow the other's cover. But then Luke clipped the side of your face and while hot pain shot through your left cheek, you stumbled back. However, as fast as he punched you, you recovered. Dipping under his outstretched arm, you twisted said arm in a painful angle. You could hear his sharp inhale. And maybe it brought you a little bit of joy. But before you knew what happened, Luke had knelt and thrown you over his shoulder. To everyone's surprise, including yours, you somehow managed to land on your feet. Taking advantage of the chance that his face was still near your knees, you rammed your knee into his nose, drawing first blood. Both of you watched stunned how it dripped down from his chin to the floor, where it mixed with the sand. You had won sooner than any of you thought.

“It was a good fight, sorry about your nose”, you winced, but Luke just waved you off.

“It’s fine.  I would have preferred it if you had won the fight with a tackle, but that's the way it is.”

Before you could respond a pretty girl from cabin 10 rushed to Luke with a handkerchief in her hands, and you were forgotten. Not wanting to watch Luke soaking up her attention, you retreated.

Only when you had left the arena and wanted to reach for your list, you found it missing.  As if struck by lightning, you froze. You were pretty sure, that you didn’t lose the list. If it had fallen out of your pocket, you would have seen it lying on the floor, you were sure of it. That could only mean one thing. Just thinking about it made you wish the ground would open up and swallow you. Hot panic shot up your back and you felt like screaming. Someone had stolen your list, without you even noticing.  There was only one person who got close enough to you to do this and at the same time had the nimble fingers required, Luke Castellan.

At dinner, you were sulking in self-pity while you were trying very hard to look everywhere except at a certain table. Maybe if you would not draw his attention for a week or maybe two, he would forget about the list. Or at least you could pretend that he forgot. The other option was, that you would flee from camp and never look back. Considering the monsters that lurked outside the borders for young demigods, the first was clearly the safer option.

The fear that he would share the list with all the campers, and they would laugh at you, gnawed at you, that you couldn't swallow a bite. Your throat felt like it was tight up, yet it was your hands who were tight up. You couldn’t do anything besides waiting for the storm to blow over, and you hated it.

Your thoughts got interrupted by a paper plane which landed perfectly in front of you. Surprised, your head shot up, and your eyes locked with a pair of dark brown ones. Sending you a wink, Luke dived into conversation with his siblings, and you couldn’t help but groan. His father was the messenger god, if Luke wanted to convey a message, he could do it by paper plane without any problems.

Torn you looked at the paper plane. Did you really want to know what he had to say? What if he just wanted to make fun of you? But if not? With shaking hands, you picked up the paper. Your mum was Athena, goddess of war, you wouldn't hide from Castellan, you would face this fight. Determinedly unfolding the paper, your eyes scanned the list spread out in front of you. You knew this list; you had written this list. Everything was how you had left it, beside one thing. Luke has crossed out the ‘might’ in the title and had replaced it with a ‘doesn't’ in his scraggly handwritten. Now the new title of your list read as ‘Girls Castellan doesn't like ‘.    

A few days passed and you weren’t wiser. There must be a mistake! The list you made included every girl, that could fight and wasn’t a child. If Annabeth wasn't wrong, Luke had to like one of them. And Annabeth was never wrong. Crouching on your bottom lip you looked down on the list in your hands.

You were sitting in the grass near the strawberry fields, the sun was warming your face. When you weren't busy avoiding Luke, you were thinking about the list and its meaning. By changing the title Luke hinted, that he didn’t like any of the girls on the list. You had double and triple checked it, you hadn’t forgotten anyone. But Annabeth couldn’t be wrong, that had never happened before. It was maddening. It was like a riddle you were too dumb to solve, and you hated it. You were a daughter of Athena for god’s sake. Right now, you were possible one of her greatest shames, if she was interested enough in you to know what you were up to.

Before more negative thoughts could fill your mind, a shadow appeared over you. As you looked up, calluses hands stole the list out of your fingers. Groaning you faced none other than Luke Castellan.

“Still trying to find out who I fancy?”, he asked with a shit eating grin, and you couldn’t help but blush. But before you exposed yourself any further, you went into offense. As well known, attack was the best defense.

“You mislead me intentional”, you accused him. “The list includes every girl from camp. If Annabeth not wrong, you must like one of them.”

And you both knew Annabeth was never wrong.

“Actually, you forgot one person on your little list.”

That couldn’t be. You checked the list, more than once. You hadn’t! But it wouldn’t hurt to check the list another time.

“Give me the list”, you demanded, but Luke just hold the list over his head out of your reach. This was how he wanted to play it? Fine by you. Springing to your feet, you reached for the list, but Luke was taller than you. Tiptoeing you unconsciously moved closer to Luke. You first realized how close you were, as he wrapped his arm around your waist. Fighting a blush you hold your breath. You were so close, that Luke could certainly feel your heart almost jumping out of your chest.

“You are missing from the list”, he whispered, and you just could gape. That was too good to be true. That must be a dream.

“Because you can’t fancy me.”

“Why not?”

Truly confused, Luke furrowed his brows. Never had you seen him like this, and slowly you realized that he wasn’t joking. He didn’t want to trick you, and you didn’t know how to feel about it. Had you not wished for this for a long time?

“I’m not pretty like the Aphrodite girls you dated”, you confessed your insecurity. But Luke didn’t want to hear anything about it.

“In my eyes you are. You are tougher, braver, smarter, and far more beautiful. You are perfect. Can I kiss you?”

Lost for words, you could just nod. Carefully taking your face in his hands, he stroked back your hair, before lowering his lips to yours. The kiss was sweet, slow and everything you ever wanted. Sadly, it was over way too fast.

“I’m very glad Annabeth told me to help you with your project, on the day we fought. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stolen your list”, Luke confessed, still caressing your face. Oh, you see what she did there.

“Seems like she did set us up. Should we prank her for this?”

“Did I already tell you, that you are perfect?”            

[slu7formen]

MDNI. luke x drunk!reader

luke decides to take care of you when he notices how drunk you are a party, you didn’t know how much you needed him until he showed you so.

warnings: drunk!reader, protective!luke, lil violence, use of yn, allusion to s3x

reminder: english’s not my first language so I apologize for any spelling mistakes

₊˚⊹♡

The melody from a stolen radio emerged through the humid night air, barely audible over the loud laughter and shouted conversations of the older campers reunited in the woods. The stars offered little illumination, replaced by the flickering glow of a bonfire fueled by firewood. The air was heavy and hot, filled with the scent of chips, spilled beer, and teenage rebellion. This was a rare ocasion for the senior campers, a chance to forget about monstrous threats and drakon training for a night.

Luke nestled in the shadows of a nearby oak tree, holding a way too warm can of beer to drink now, and listened to his friends, trade their usual brand of mischievous gossip. A comfortable camaraderie settled over him, a welcome respite from the weight of responsibility that pressed down on him as a counselor.

"Did you see Lucy practically drooling over Malcolm after Ally dumped him?" Travis snickered, nudging Connor with his elbow.

Connor snorted, barely containing his laughter. "Ouch, sister drama. Ally must be thinking about drowning her in cheap perfume"

Luke chuckled, shaking his head. The Aphrodite cabin drama was always entertaining, even if a little predictable. He glanced around the clearing, his gaze sweeping over the other campers. A group of Ares cabin warriors were engaged in a play-fight, throwing each other to the ground as they groaned and laughed. He spotted Katie Gardner, daughter of Demeter, tending to a small patch of wildflowers. Even at a forbidden party, Katie couldn't resist nurturing something green.

"Hey, Luke" Chris nudged him, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "You gonna tell us your big secret yet? We all know there's something going on between you and yn"

Luke's smile faltered slightly. "There's nothing to tell" he replied noncommittally, taking a swig of his warm beer, the taste bitter in his tongue. “We’re just friends”

"Oh, come on" Connor pressed, a sly smirk spreading across his face. "We see the way you look at her. Like she's the only girl alive."

Luke rolled his eyes, but a blush crept up his neck under the teasing of his friends. Suddenly, a melodic laugh cut through the din, a sound that sent a jolt through him. It was your laugh, bright and carefree, a stark contrast to the usual reserved demeanor you displayed around camp. He followed the sound, his gaze landing on you amidst a group of campers near the edge of the clearing. But it wasn't your presence that triggered a tightening in his chest. It was the hulking figure of Ares cabin resident, Mark, who stood far too close to you, his arm draped around your shoulder as he leaned in to whisper something that caused another burst of laughter from you.

A sting of jealousy pierced Luke´s insides. He knew it was silly. He and you were nothing more than friends. But still, that doesn’t mean he’s gonna like it when he sees you with some other guy. He watched as you swayed slightly, the red plastic cup clutched loosely in your hand a clear indication of your intoxicated state. Your usually sharp eyes held a glazed look, a vulnerability that made his protective instincts flare.

He saw you and Mark detach from the group, heading deeper into the shadowy woods. There was a part of him that urged him to let you be, to let you enjoy your night. But another, more primal part couldn't shake the image of you, intoxicated and unaware, disappearing into the woods with someone like Mark.

Sighing, Luke pushed himself off the tree trunk. “I´ll be back in a minute” he says to his friends, leaving his can on Travis´ hand. He weaved through the tight and large group of campers, his purpose hardening with each step. You stumbled on a protruding root, giggling at your own clumsiness. Mark steadied you, his hand lingering on your waist in a way that made Luke’s right eye twitch.

"Hey, yn" Luke's voice cut through the air, catching your attention. You turned, your face splitting into a wide, drunken smile.

"Luuuke!" you slurred, swaying towards him with open arms, nearly knocking him over with the force of your hug. Ignoring the glare Mark shot his way, Luke enveloped you in a hug, his nose crinkling at the distinct scent of fruit punch and something a little stronger.

"Whoa there" he chuckled as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He could smell the sugary sweetness of your lip gloss. "Easy, tiger."

You giggled, your head lolling against his shoulder. You mumbled something nonsensical, giggling at a private joke only you seemed to understand. Your mascara, usually neatly applied, had smudged slightly at the corners of your eyes. Despite the obvious effects of the alcohol, you were undeniably beautiful, the firelight casting warm shadows on your face. "M'so happpy you´re here! Dance with me!" you yelled as you lift your arms, your voice thick with intoxication. Luke felt a pang of worry. You were far too drunk to be alone in the woods with a boy you barely knew.

"Seems like you've had a few too many tonight, huh?"

"Just having a little fun, Luke" you pouted, the way you said his name sounded funny. "Don't be a all couns-, counselor"

He glanced over your shoulder towards Mark, whose jaw was clenched tight. "Yeah, well, maybe a little too much fun" Luke countered, his voice gaining a hint of firmness, but as softly as possible. "Maybe it's time for you to head back to your cabin, yeah?”

"But Mark was showing me…" you began, but were cut off by Mark's snide voice.

"Mind your own business, Castellan" He growled. Luke narrowed his eyes at the Ares camper, a dangerous glint flickering within them. “This doesn´t concern you”

"She's clearly not in control of herself" Luke retorted, his voice low and cold. "Someone needs to make sure she gets back safely. And it won't be you."

Mark scoffed, a humorless sound. "Says who? Why don't you worry about yourself, Castellan?"

The barb hit a nerve. Luke wasn't drunk, but the implication stung. He wasn't about to get into a debate about his tolerance with this ridiculously big guy.

"Look," Luke said tightly, trying to keep his voice calm, "I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I just—"

"Just what?" Mark interrupted, stepping forward, his chest puffing out in a show of dominance. "Going to swoop in and save the damsel in distress? You think she needs rescuing?"

He shot a pointed look at you, who seemed to be lost in your own world, giggling at some private joke as you covered your mouth. The sight of it only fueled Luke's simmering anger.

"Whether she needs help or not isn't the point" Luke growled, his voice strained. "The point is, she's clearly intoxicated and shouldn't be alone with someone she barely knows."

"Barely knows?" Mark echoed, a sneer twisting his lips. "We were just getting to know each other, weren't we, yn?"

He turned to you, his voice dripping with false sweetness. You blinked at him owlishly, then shrugged, a nonsensical answer escaping your lips.

The sight of it was too much for Luke. His fists clenched at his sides. He knew Mark was deliberately trying to get a rise out of him, but it was working. The implication that his concern was fueled by jealousy rather than genuine care was infuriating.

“Now if you excuse us…” Mark pointed out, pulling you to him by your hip as he tried to walk away with you.

But Luke´s had enough. That was the last straw. In a blur of motion, Luke lashed out. He lunged forward, his fist connecting with Mark's nose with a satisfying crunch. Mark stumbled back, roaring in pain, a hand flying up to his now-bleeding nose.

You, however, seemed oblivious to the sudden violence. You blinked at the scene in confusion, your brow creased in a frown as you looked at Mark. "What the-…" your words slurred, lost in the midst of your intoxication.

But before you could form a complete sentence, a wave of fury washed over you. You turned around, shoving Luke hard in the chest, sending him stumbling back a step. "What the fuck, Luke!" you shrieked, your voice laced with a venom that startled him. "Why do you always have to be all over me!?"

The words hit Luke like a physical blow. He wasn't angry at you, not truly. You were clearly out of it, the world a dizzy sight because of whatever it is that you drank. But the accusation stung. Here he was, trying to protect you from a situation you couldn't navigate in your current state, and you saw it as him controlling you.

"yn," he started again, trying to choose his words carefully. "I just-"

"Just what?" you shot back, your voice thick with slurred defiance. "Just what gives you the right to decide what I do?"

Tears welled up in your eyes, threatening to spill over. Luke's heart ached. You were upset, confused, and vulnerable – a dangerous combination amplified by the alcohol coursing through your veins.

You crossed your arms over your chest as you sniffed, walking past him fast, head down and all pouty. “You ruined everything” you mumbled, more to yourself than directly to him, but he still heard. Luke watched you go, a wave of despair washing over him. He'd messed up.

He glanced back at Mark, who was clutching his nose and glaring at him with a mixture of fury and grudging respect. "Look, man" Luke sighed, the fight momentarily draining out of him. "That was a cheap shot, I´m sorry"

Mark grunted, wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand. "Yeah, well, you got a nice fist, I must say."

There was a hint of grudging respect in his voice, perhaps because he couldn't deny that Luke's concern for you seemed genuine, or because if he recieved another punch, he'd need his nose surgically reattached.

"I wasn´t gonna do much either" he tried to defend himself. “She can´t even walk straight” Mark mumbled, ponting at you, then he turned away and disappeard into the shadows.

Luke glanced back at your retreating figure. He knew he needed to fix things with you, but for now, all he could do was hope you wouldn't hold his overprotective actions against him. He took a deep breath and started following you, determined to apologize and explain his actions once you were sober enough to listen.

Your walk was more of a drunken sashay, hips swaying precariously with each wobbly step. Luke watched you stumble away, a knot of frustration tightening in his gut. He knew you weren't thinking straight, the alcohol muddling your judgment and turning his concern into a controlling act in your eyes.

"yn" he called after you, his voice laced with a pleading he rarely used. "Wait a minute, please."

You ignored him, your focus solely on putting distance between you and Luke. He quickened his pace, catching up beside you.

"Seriously, stop it" Luke's voice was closer now. "You're going to fall on your face if you keep walking like that."

You stopped short, whirling around to face him. “Will you stop following me? This is embarrasing enough, Luke”

"Embarrassing?" Luke echoed, his voice rising in exasperation. "You're practically falling over drunk! You can't just walk around like this."

"I can handle myself" you slurred, puffing out your chest in a show of false bravery. You wobbled slightly, proving his point.

Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Look…" he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just worried about you. You're clearly hammered, and it's not safe for you to be alone."

You scoffed. "Safe? I'm not a little girl, Luke. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, well, right now you can't even take care of your balance!" he retorted, his patience wearing thin. You wobbled again, nearly toppling over before catching yourself on a nearby tree trunk.

"Just stop following me, okay?" you slurred, your voice thick with a pout. "I don't need this from you"

He sighed as your trembling body swayed precariously, threatening to topple over at any moment. Luke knew arguing with you further would be pointless. You were a force of nature in your current state, fueled by both alcohol and indignation. He needed to take a different approach.

With a resigned sigh, he whipped his denim jacket off in one swift motion. Kneeling before you, he draped it around your waist, the familiar scent of him momentarily grounding you. You blinked at him, a flicker of confusion replacing the anger in your eyes.

"What are you—woah!" you yelped before you could finish your question. In a smooth, practiced motion honed from years of wrestling monstrous opponents, Luke scooped you up effortlessly, hoisting you over his broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

A surprised shriek erupted from your lips. The world tilted on its axis as you found yourself dangling upside down. The clearing erupted in laughter. A few of the campers who had been watching the whole scene unfold hooted and hollered, their amusement evident. "Careful with that one, Luke!" one of them called out, a wide grin plastered on his face. "Looks like she bites!"

Luke shot him a withering look, his jaw clenched. "Very funny" he muttered, ignoring the whistles and catcalls from the others. His focus was solely on you, the warmth of your body radiating against his back.

“You better put me down!" you shrieked, kicking your legs in the air in a futile attempt to dislodge yourself.

"Not a chance, Short Stuff" Luke called back.

"But I don't want to go back to my cabin yet! The party's just getting started!" You pounded your fists against his back, a feeble attempt at protest. "Seriously, Luke, put me down! I can walk perfectly fine!"

"Uh-huh, you´re right" he said sarcastically, walking down with your full weight on one shoulder as if you were as light as a feather.

You let out a frustrated groan, burying your face on his back. “This so embarrasing!” you cried. You hated that he was right. You were a mess, and the last thing you needed was to stumble around the woods in this state, potentially attracting unwanted attention.

Despite your annoyance, a strange sense of security settled over you as Luke carried you. The rhythmic thud of his footsteps against the earth and the warmth of his hands radiating against your legs as he held you were oddly comforting.

The walk to your cabin, however, was far from peaceful. You continued to mumble incoherent protests, punctuated by occasional swats at his back and what felt like an eternity of "Put me down!"s. But Luke remained undeterred, his jaw set in a determined line.

Finally, after what felt like an hour —but was probably closer to five minutes—, you reached your cabin. Relief washed over Luke as he gently lowered you onto the porch, careful not to jostle you too much.

You glared at Luke, your arms crossed defiantly across your chest. He couldn’t tell if your eyes were truly filled with anger of constantly trying to focus on his face so your world wouldn’t keep spinning.

"Well, aren't you prince charming himself, Mr. Castellan" you huffed, voice thick with a playful slur. "Kidnapping girls and all"

Luke, however, seemed unfazed. He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down your spine despite yourself. "Just get in, sleepyhead" he countered, his eyes gleaming under the moonlight as he opened the unlocked door to your cabin.

You pouted, a childish expression along with the stomping of your feet on the wooden porch. "I could have walked!" you protested weakly, knowing full well it was a lie.

He ignored your protest, stepping past you and gently maneuvering you towards your bed, placing his hand on your lower back as you walked. The cabin was, as expected, empty. Your half-siblings, ever the social butterflies, were undoubtedly wreaking havoc at the party you were now forbidden to attend.

You felt lonely for a second, but it was quickly overshadowed by the warmth that spread through you as Luke helped you onto the bed. You wanted to be furious with him, to unleash the full force of your drunken anger. But the lingering warmth of his touch on your legs and back, the way he so effortlessly hoisted you like a defiant princess, somehow muddled your outrage. The thought was absurd and yet undeniably attractive.

He knelt down in front of you once you sat at the edge of your bed. You could smell the faint scent of woodsmoke and pine needles clinging to his clothes, a comforting aroma that filled your nosestrils instantly.

With a gentle hand, he reached out your calve and started unlacing your boots, his touch surprisingly tender. You watched him in a daze, your head spinning slightly. The world seemed to tilt on its axis again, everything blurring at the edges except for Luke's face. You watched him in fascination as he repeated the process with your other foot.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over you. You squeezed your eyes shut and groaned, a weak sound that escaped your lips.

Luke, sensing your distress, immediately stopped what he was doing. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern as he placed one hand on your knee.

You opened your eyes, blinking slowly. "Yeah, just a little…" you trailed off, searching for the right word. "Woozy" you finally managed.

Then, he stood up and looked around. His gaze landed on a package of makeup wipes on your bedside table. Without a word, he picked them up and returned to stand in front of you.

"You might want to clean some of this off" he said, holding up a wipe and gesturing to the smudged mascara beneath your eye.

You were speechless. No one had ever offered to do something like this for you before. A warmth bloomed in your chest, chasing away the remnants of your anger.

He held the wipe out to you, but you didn't take it. Instead, you found yourself blurting out; "Can you do it for me?"

He didn't hesitate. He fully unfolded the wipe as he lowered to you just a little to continue the process of taking care of you, his touch tender.

He was wiping the makeup from your face with a meticulousness that surprised you. You sat there, mesmerized, feeling strangely vulnerable under his watchful gaze even though you kept your eyes closed. The alcohol, combined with the unexpected intimacy of the moment, had rendered you uncharacteristically quiet.

"You didn't have to punch him, you know" you mumbled, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

He kept as concentraded in his task as he was before. "Who?" he asked, though you both knew exactly who you were talking about.

"Mark" you clarified.

Luke sighed, going for your other eye. "He was… well, he was clearly taking advantage of your state" he explained patiently.

"How do you know?" you challenged, a sliver of defiance still clinging to your voice.

"Because I know you, yn" he said softly, his gaze locking with yours. "You think I would´ve done what I did if you were sober?"

His words hit you like a wave of realization. Shame washed over you, hot and prickly. You hadn't realized how vulnerable you were, how easily manipulated under the influence of your drink. “There we go” He stopped his movements eyes. “All clean” he announced as he placed the dirty wipes over your bedside table.

"I-, I'm sorry" you mumbled, looking down at your lap, playing with the edges of your miniskirt. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that."

He knelt down again, this time untangling his denim jacket from around your waist. As he spoke, his voice was laced with a quiet understanding. "Listen, I know you might be mad at me for… well, everything. But I wasn't trying to ruin your night. I was just worried about you. You were drunk… you are drunk” he said playfully, reaching out and squeezing your cheek as if you were a little kid. “and that Ares guy –, didn't exactly seem like he wanted to be nice, and I can’t handle that. You can´t go around with people you don´t know, you know better than that" his voice dropped again.

He was right, of course. You were a demigod, trained to be aware of your surroundings and the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Yet, tonight, you'd thrown all caution to the wind, blinded by the effects of vodka and fruit juice and the fleeting attention of a stranger.

A pang of guilt washed over you. You squeezed his hand, a silent apology for your earlier outburst.

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze in return, his lips curving into a small smile. “Besides, we´re friends, right?”

The word felt cold, heavy with unspoken meaning. Friends. You and Luke. The idea was both familiar and exhilarating, a spark igniting somewhere deep within you. You didn´t say anything, but Luke didn´t need you to.

He stood up again and leaned down, surprising you by brushing a light kiss on your forehead. It was a chaste gesture, meant to be comforting, yet it sent a jolt of electricity through you.

"Go get some sleep" he said, his voice a low rumble. "I'll check on you in the morning."

He started to turn away, but before he could take a step, you reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait" you stammered, your cheeks flushing crimson.

Luke turned back, a questioning eyebrow raised. In that moment, the alcohol-fueled bravado that had propelled you through the night seemed to evaporate. You were left with a newfound shyness, a sudden awareness of the intimate atmosphere that had settled between you.

"Can you..." you began, your voice barely above a whisper, "can you stay a little?"

Luke stared at you for a moment, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He didn't answer immediately. He stood there for a long moment, studying your face, his expression unreadable. The silence stretched between you, thick with unspoken emotions.

Emboldened by a newfound courage, you stood up from the bed. You were still a little unsteady on your feet, the remnants of alcohol making your movements slightly wobbly.

Reaching out, you stopped in front of him, his height suddenly a towering presence. You closed the gap between you two in a second. Now you were standing impossibly close, your body brushing against his.

Looking up at him, you were struck by how tall he seemed, how broad his shoulders were. A wave of dizziness washed over you as you registered the clean scent of his cologne, one that you hadn’t noticed before, a scent that suddenly seemed incredibly appealing.

"Luke" you whispered, your voice barely a breath, your eyes tracing the outline of his lips. "When did you get so tall?"

He chuckled softly, a low rumble that sent a delicious shiver down your spine. "Maybe you just haven't noticed before" he replied, his voice a husky murmur.

The playful banter momentarily broke the tension, but the air between you still crackled as heavy as it could. Your gaze drifted back to his lips, now so close you could almost feel the warmth of his breath on your skin.

They were full, inviting, and in a moment of drunken bravery, you found yourself leaning closer, your lips hovering just a breath away from his. "You smell good" you mumbled, your voice slurred but filled with a newfound confidence.

Luke swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. He was dangerously close to you, the heat radiating from your body a tangible thing in the cool cabin air. His muscles tensed, a battle raging within him between concern and a growing desire.

You reached out and toched his thigh, your fingers brushing against the worn fabric of his jean. Slowly, teasingly, you trailed your hand upward, until you reached his belt, hooking one finger to it, and you pulled him even closer to you. The movement was subtle but undeniably provocative, sending a jolt of electricity through Luke's body.

He stood frozen, mesmerized by the sudden boldness you exuded. This wasn't the girl he knew, the playful friend who teased him mercilessly. This was a stranger cloaked in the familiar, and the effect was intoxicating.

His own breath came out in a ragged sigh. Every rational part of him screamed at him to step away, to put some distance between the two of you. You were clearly inebriated, and taking advantage of that wouldn't be right.

But another part of him, a more primal part, yearned to close the gap between you, just a breath away. He had always found you attractive, drawn to your quick wit and fiery spirit. But the line between friendship and something more had always felt too blurry to cross.

Now, with the inhibitions lowered by alcohol, that line seemed to have vanished entirely.

He leaned in closer, the space between your faces shrinking with each passing moment. The scent of your coconut perfume and something uniquely you filled his senses, further muddling his already clouded judgment.

"yn" he began, his voice husky, a warning more for himself than for you.

"Stay" you whispered, your lips still hovering tantalizingly close to his. The raw need in your eyes mirrored the war raging within him. “Stay and make me yours, Luke. Please”

His hand reached up, cupping your jaw as his gaze locked with yours. You tilted your head into his touch, a silent invitation.

"We can't do this, gorgeous” he murmured, his voice a low rumble against your ear. "You're not sober”

"I don't care" you interrupted, your voice thick with a desperation that surprised even you.

Luke felt his resolve crumble. He wanted this, just as much as you did. The idea of kissing you, of finally exploring the feelings that had simmered beneath the surface for so long, of touching you, feeling you, was undeniably tempting.

But a sliver of sanity remained. He knew that taking advantage of you in this state would be a betrayal of your trust, something he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for.

"But I do" he countered, his voice firm yet gentle. "If I'm doing this with you, I want to do it right. When you're sober and can make a real choice. When you can remember"

A wave of disappointment washed over you, but a tiny voice in the back of your head, untouched by the alcohol's haze, whispered its thanks. He was right. This wasn't the way you wanted things to happen.

So you nodded slowly, a small pout forming on your lips.

"Alright" you mumbled, letting go of his belt loop. “Can you still stay a little longer, though?”

A ghost of a smile played on his lips. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss to your cheek, the touch feather-light, sending another wave of warmth through you.

"Go to sleep, trouble" he chuckled, the sound warm and familiar.

You walked back onto the bed, a strange mix of disappointment and relief swirling within you. As you drifted off to sleep, Luke pulled a chair beside the bed and settled down, keeping a silent vigil over you.

You immediately fell asleep, your mind could be running as fast as it could, but your body told another story. He watched you sleep for a moment, then left and went back to the party.

On his way back, he couldn’t help it but smirk to himself, a gushing and warm feeling rushing on his chest as he realized how close he had you. How his feeling were not so oblivious to you, and now that he knew, he wouldn’t have to work so hard to have you, or hide any longer.

[vickyvicarious]

I do genuinely love the descriptions Mina gives of the town, and also the way her writing feels reminiscent of those 'lady journalists' she planned to emulate. Not just stuff like her interviewing the old men she meets about local legends, but also just in the way she describes the area. I like that even when she is being quite descriptive here, with history, people, and landscape included, it still has a different feel to me than Jonathan's writing. Stoker did a great job of giving different writers distinctly different tones. (Today's entry is a fun contrast too between the terse and tense Captain, and Mina freshly arrived on her vacation and writing long descriptions.)

Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the scene of part of "Marmion," where the girl was built up in the wall. It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits; there is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows. Between it and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones. This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over the town, and has a full view of the harbour and all up the bay to where the headland called Kettleness stretches out into the sea. [...] Outside the harbour on this side there rises for about half a mile a great reef, the sharp edge of which runs straight out from behind the south lighthouse. At the end of it is a buoy with a bell, which swings in bad weather, and sends in a mournful sound on the wind. They have a legend here that when a ship is lost bells are heard out at sea.

Mina is sniffing out the local landmarks and stories, of course. And at the time hanging out in graveyards was way more common than it typically is today. But still, it seems pretty clear that she's partial all the spooky stories and is enjoying being in a place with so many of them, haha. It's fun to count up all the moments.

I shall come and sit here very often myself and work.

Also, still making plans! That, and her being conscious of timing (clock striking six and Mina knowing the Westenras will be back by then) are both little character beats which we've already seen in her letters to Lucy.

[dragonfly0808]

How Daphne Haunts the Narrative

I love the concept of a character haunting the narrative. Just… ugh I can’t even explain it.

My favorite examples of this are Sejannus and Lucy Gray in the Hunger Games.

I always found the concept of Daphne to be a very interesting one in the OG, this girl who was a Nymph and an amazing fairy sacrificing it all for her sister and winding up a ghost in a lake.

But I felt like that concept was never used to it’s full potential.

So… I tried to do just that.

In my rewrite, Daphne is almost this larger-than-life entity. She wasn’t just Bloom’s sister. 

She was an amazing fairy in her own right, she was a Nymph and the best Guardian of the Dragon Flame that’d been seen in centuries. On top of all of that, she was a dedicated Princess.

That’s part of what makes her tragic, she was the best, and she was still taken down.

Now, Daphne’s situation isn’t what I would call a proper haunting of the narrative, but she’s definetly very present in the way that, in some way or another, almost everything leads back to her.

Bloom is haunted by the idea of having to live up to Daphne, the more she learns about her sister the more she feels like she won’t be able to do just that. 

Bloom’s haunted by the memory everyone has of her sister, everyone who remembers Daphne has an insane level of respect for her and misses her dearly. That’s something that can intimidate Bloom from time to time and even make her jealous.

Then, there’s the fact that, if Domino hadn’t fallen and Daphne hadn’t been cursed, then Bloom wouldn’t even be a fairy in the first place.

Daphne gave up, not just the Flame but also a big part of her own power in order to keep Bloom safe and give her the power she would need to be the Guardian of the Flame.

Due to this, Bloom is haunted by guilt and resentment. Guilt due to the fact that pretty much everything she has could technically be seen as something that was ‘taken’ from Daphne. There comes the guilt, which then meets… resentment. Guilty resentment towards Daphne for giving her the Flame and being the action that drops the dominoes towards arguably every bad thing in Bloom’s life.

So, Bloom’s view and relationship of/with Daphne, is complicated to say the least.

This is something I love, since it allows for Bloom’s complex feelings to turn into something that I feel a lot of little sisters can relate to, just the confusion of loving and adoring your sister but also feeling jealousy and resentment and just, not being sure whether you should be like them and trying to be your own person when you have the same teachers… I think it’s kinda relatable in a way. If you take away all the magical shenanigans of course.

This is how Daphne haunts Bloom specifically, but this is named after the narrative, so how does Daphne haunt the very narrative of Veiled Wings?

That, is a very interesting question that has a bit of a complicated answer.

There are two ways in which Daphne haunts the narrative.

The first is ala Star Wars; the story ‘rhyming’. I don’t know if you’ve watched this very old interview with George Lucas but he said something along the lines of “the story rhymes”, what this means is that the same beats occur in the story, in opposite or contrasting ways. They ‘rhyme’.

This is what happens with Daphne and Bloom, in a sense, their stories rhyme.

Both grow up a bit lonely, both find their heart and soul in Alfea. Both make life-long friends there. Bloom finds her connections with fellow fairies while Daphne preffered witches and warlocks and Palladins.

They meet Tabitha and Stella, both with similar personalities but opposite powers. Avalon and Timmy, with the same habit of diving head first into research about anything they’re passionate about and being just a little (unapologetically) weird.

Then there’s their romances. Both Daphne and Bloom have tragedies as romances. Daphne and Valtor started off great, it was their ending that was oh so tragic. While, for Bloom and Sky, it’s Valtor that turns them into a tragedy in the middle of their relationship.

Politea and Selina, both dear friends lost to inner darkness.

Bloom’s story parallels a lot of Daphne’s. (Even if a lot of it is stuff that I just made up that hasn’t really been mentioned or explained).

The second way in which Daphne haunts the narrative, is that, like I mentioned before, almost everything leads back to Daphne in some way or another.

A lot of the villains or people we encounter have ties to her or are situations that she began/participated in in some kind of way.

Darkar was created in part due to Daphne. Darkar attacks Daphne, in turn, Valtor curses him and he becomes the red skeleton we know and love. Daphne is his origin story.

Before Bloom fought Icy, Daphne fought Icy’s cousin and her coven, who was the first to awaken the Ancestral Witches spirit. That is one parallel that I really like just, adding to the fight even if neither Icy nor Bloom are fully aware of the history of previous family also fighting.

Teachers we know (Griselda, Tabitha and Avalon most of all though Codatorta and Palladium also fall here) were once friends with Daphne.

Valtor’s entire reason for fighting is avenging and trying to bring back Daphne. And of course, the Ancestral Witches are locked away in time back in Domino as Daphne’s final act as a warrior. 

The end of Daphne’s story sets up the world the Winx start off in.

In a sense, all roads lead back to her.

The narrative can’t escape Daphne’s past actions, her choices, her story rhymes with Bloom’s and a lot of what happens in the story happens due to Daphne’s past and things that she once did.

I always felt like she was never fully utilized in the OG show and I really wanted to have her be a nearly constant presence, I wanted her to be perhaps even more than a ghost.

And thus, the idea of her haunting the narrative and Bloom.

[littlekiara96]

Now that we've got Caesar and Burnice's EPs, I can't help but wonder...

What the hell will Lighter's EP be?

Will it be so over-the-top-too-cool-for-you it will be kitsch, but in an endearing way?

We are talking about this guy, after all...

Oh. What if they made some Rocky reference. What if they showed him fighting in the arena before he gets noticed by Big Daddy, and cue a Godfather reference to boot?

Nah, that would be his Demo video, not his EP...

Unless they do a training montage for his EP. That could be cool.

Or maybe his EP will be extremely chill. As a contrast. Just like Caesar's EP seems to be absolutely nonsensical for her character, but if you think so, it just means that you don't know her all that well. :]c

OH! Would be extra funny if his EP just shows him having a stroll on his bike, with a little loop animation, and it's the equivalent of the "music for study" anime girl but on a motorbike.

... what if it is the "too cool for you" approach, with Lighter doing cool stuff, but there's always something happening on screen that makes it hilarious instead?

WHAT IF- I mean, imagine, let me dream... Wouldn't it be cool, if we got a duel between Billy and Lighter, and at the start, we think it's something serious... with tension and all...

But they're actually just playing ping-pong or something.

Oh! Oh! And then, Caesar and Lucy show up, and it ends up being Caesar and Billy versus Lucy and Lighter!! :D Then Burnice, Piper, Lucy's piggies and Moccus become the audience with some people from Blazewood!! :D

Okay, I'll stop there, this is starting to sound like fanfic prompts.

[introcoryo]

the term ‘peacekeeper’ left a bitter taste in sejanus’s mouth. something in contrast to the gumdrops he used to carry around as fresh meat in the capitol. he recognized the irony of the two words strung together in panem’s climate, and thought it to be completely ridiculous. this isn’t the occupation he wanted to spend his days in district 12 pursuing, but he needed to start somewhere. dreams of becoming a medic bloom inside him, and he is optimistic both he and the blond he followed outside the capitol will live out the rest of their lives in contentment. in doing good. in change.

the cup in sejanus’s hand feels light, and he plays around with it as he watches coriolanus’s expression change from anticipation, to shock, then a third thing he can’t quite place, but can only discern due to the way the shaven blond clenches his jaw, as the covey’s performance commences at the hob.

the audience cannot be contained as lucy gray proceeds to weave through melodies, from rhythm to rhythm, song to song, strumming her guitar and bantering with tipsy inhabitants of the hob, cheering her on and clapping to the beat. he glances at coriolanus from time to time, whose gaze on the songbird never falters, intense and burning, a ghost of a smug smile on his face as if to say, ‘yes, you’re all cheering on my girl’.

there’s a small intermission between the first and second half of the covey’s act, and sejanus finds his feet walking him to get another drink. his tolerance is somewhat average, and he figures he can at least catch up to the rest of the audience in terms of intoxication. a full day of ‘peacekeeping’ awaits him tomorrow, after all, which the brunett is absolutely dreading.

the clear liquor fills his cup, face scrunching at the strong smell wafting from it as he brings his head down to sip from the top before it trickles down to his fingers. sejanus closes his eyes to regain his composure after tasting the liquor. this wasn’t like anything he has had at the capitol. it’s too strong, too raw, and the tiniest swig has gotten his cheeks rosy and his fingertips buzzing.

he turns to walk back to the crates the other peacekeepers have settled on, but crashes into you instead, the liquid in his hand spilling somewhat, and begins to apologize profusely.

“steady there, big boy, i don’t think you should be drinkin’ more”, you giggle, bringing a hand on his shoulder to stabilize him.

“no, i—” sejanus looks up at you, his words caught in his throat as he catches your eyes. once he realizes it’s probably odd to just stare at you silently, he begins to speak again.

“uhm.. this is my second drink.” he smiles shyly, lifting his cup for you to see, as if worried that you’d doubt him.

“doesn’t look like it, but it does look like you’re enjoyin’ the show.” the brunett nods quickly in agreement, feeling himself just wanting you to continue speaking to him. “or at least that’s what it looked like from up on stage.”

sejanus takes a brief pause, this time, examining you, however accurate a tipsy person could. your golden hoop earrings, colorful eye shadow, and finally, the feathers in your hair. he doesn’t miss the way your cheeks glow under the dim lights of the hob too, and he thinks it envelops your face like a halo.

“oh you’re… performing? you’re in the covey?” the plan to go back to his seat disappears from his mind in half a second, deciding that he would much prefer standing here with you and bask in the way your voice sounds.

“awh, didn’t notice me up there? hurts…” you fake a pout, glancing down at your shoes to fight the smile growing on your face as sejanus begins to stutter nervously. “kidding, kidding. yes, darlin’, i am. just needed a drink before the next half. swear, alcohol just makes me play better.” you point at his cup, continuing, “that shit is so strong it’ll make you take back shit you never even stole.”

sejanus lets out a belly laugh, the warmth from his cheeks spreading to his chest, and he doesn’t think he can still blame it on the liquor. the thought that you noticed him in the crowd long enough to remember his face made his nape itch, and he wrestles the urge to scratch it.

“yeah, i just tried it for the first time. curious to see how tonight’ll end after this cup.” he takes another sip, this time bigger than the first, and he can’t place whether it’s because he wants to impress you or wants to get drunk faster, but the way you giggle again at his scrunched up face makes it worth it. he groans at the aftertaste almost comically, looking up at you again, brown irises barely seen from the way his soft smile reaches his eyes.

“i’m sejanus, by the way.”

you bring your hand out for a formal shake, and that too makes him laugh. he repeats your name as soon as you say it, wanting to feel the syllables on his tongue. they’re sweet. your name, like all the members of the covey, contains a specific hue, one which he’s sure he’ll always associate with you after tonight.

the dim lights flash, and he watches you turn around to give maude ivory a thumbs up.

“that’s the cue, pretty boy, gotta head back up now. cheer for me?” your tone is so entrancing, and sejanus finds himself nodding before he can even verbally reply.

“of course. louder than everybody.” with that, you flash him an enthusiastic grin. so pretty, so full of life. he walks back to the crates, now disregarding coriolanus, but understanding why his stare was so fervent on lucy gray. in a room full of people, you’re performing for him.

[allovesthings]

What's your headcanon for Katniss and Peeta's children?

How old was Katniss when give birth to their daughter?

How many years apart between them in age?

Your headcanon for their name?

Who gets the singing and art skill from their parent?

Bonus question : please give recs of your fav everlark post-Mockingjay fanfic.

Thank you :)

@curiousthg

Hi !!

What's your headcanon for Katniss and Peeta's children?

I just kinda love the idea that one of them pursue an artistic career and the other one is a doctor.

Being free to paint or sing or just do art without it being crushed by the necessity of taking responsibility for an entire family like Katniss or sorta instrumentalized like Peeta's paintings as a talent for the Capitol would be a good way to contrast theirs life to what theirs parents lived through.

For the doctor: It's mostly because of that line in Mockingjay when Katniss is talking to Prim and she realize that Prim having the opportunity to train to be a doctor is part what they are fighting for because Prim wouldn't have that opportunity in 12. There is something kinda poetic about theirs children actually getting that that in 12 (I think Katniss might have been pretty reticent at first when they announced they wanted to be a doctor).

I could also see one of them taking over the bakery one day but that's just a me thing, no big reason why).

How old was Katniss when give birth to their daughter?

Well...the epilogue mention 15 years and if they took around a year or two to be in a place where they could be romantic and maybe another year or two before Peeta even mentioned children, I think around 34-35 ?

How many years apart between them in age?

I think the boy is around 1 or 2 in the epilogue (considering he can barely walk, i would say he is 1 and half) and the girl probably elementary school age ? I think they have a five years age gap, probably.

Your headcanon for their name?

I don't know actually, I think they have flower names probably and If Peeta has a naming tradition then maybe one of them is probably named after that. Maybe one of them is actually named Dandelion ? (I mean I don't thing Katniss was a name before Katniss so why not ? ) or Daisy (it's a flower name and I kinda like it).

Who gets the singing and art skill from their parent?

I think both of them can sing actually because it's something they both do with Katniss, I think the girl is a really good baker and the boy draw.

Bonus question : please give recs of your fav everlark post-Mockingjay fanfic.

Let me check my ao3, real quick, they are all Post-Mockingjay but Pre-epilogue:

you believe in my heart by cafeinmama: This is so good ! It's everlark season by season. I love it. It is incomplete

Gravity by VanillaCottonCandy I need to reread it but it's so so good !

Bonus :

The Victors of District Twelve by DustyAttic: This one is a bit canon-divergent because it's abut Lucy Gray coming back after the war to meet the rest of the distric 12 victors but I couldn't not rec it. It's so good.

You and i'll be safe and sound by greensgable: This one is because i want to have my cake and eat it too. It's both canon-divergent with happier endings and noy (Four times things ended a bit happier, and the one time they didn't), it's so sad and and also not.

Thank you for the ask !!!

[runningfrom2am]

what happened to lucy gray baird?

1. well, in her defence, she had considered lucy gray a friend too. it’s just that she loves knowing all the cards and she couldn’t trust anyone except her coryo.

2. lucy gray being afraid of coryo being nearby because the capitol duo are never not around each other and therefore, alongside not having what it takes to take r’s life, shying away from the cabin but r being the actual physical threat to her all along because had it been her who went after lucy gray, she couldn’t have escaped and coryo is long gone at that time.

3. “She tried to kill me, too.” no, i’m pretty sure she is the reason why you’re alive and well right now but whatever it takes to gain trust i guess.

4. i’m so glad that both sejanus and lucy gray acknowledge everything that could’ve been an indicator of how much she was “not like them” after things happen because it creates a contrast with r convincing herself that she is in the right before anything happens.

5. the president and the head gamemaker <333 (i have accepted them as my favourite problematic couple, what about it?)

6. sejanus imagining r and coryo as the presidential couple when they were kids is everything.

7. after seeing her with arachne, persephone, livia, ash and lucy gray; it’s safe to say, even after all, sejanus was never actually on the receiving end of her anger. she did love him enough for him to survive.

8. i love how her emotions went from shock to disgust and then confusion to contentment because how else does a human react to this? the boy who was one of her closest friend, once, the boy whose life she’s saved, standing in front of her only because she has lost the war.

9. her character doesn’t seem to have changed much over the passing time if she refuses even the idea of dying a boring and unimportant death. even in death she has to have the biggest effect on the world as she knows it, whether it be mourning for days or a big celebration.

hiii omg we have so much to discuss here we go :)

1. she considered lucy gray a friend until the moment she realized that lucy gray could be a potential threat to her. she wasn’t a tribute anymore- she was a victor, and now there was no cage separating her from him. not even the “cage” (if we can refer to it that way) of him being a peacekeeper and not being able to be seen with her publicly.

but THEN when they are set to be married a year later, she’s like *sigh* “i wonder if lucy gray would have been my maid of honour. that could have been cute” like it wasn’t HER FAULT THAT LICY GRAY WAS “DEAD”. did she kill her? no, but she did manipulate coryo into doing it and i consider that very much the same thing.

2. the faith she still had in coryo for some reason to be like “oh god, he wouldn’t leave her out here alone. i have to get out of here.” like girl he just tried to kill you OF COURSE HE’S LEAVING HER OUT THERE ALONE. but i think by that point they were both very much equal threats to her- so she was not about to run the risk of either of them seeing her (even if she didn’t know he was gone)

3. yeah like sir-

(to be fair it is an extremely fine line that she walked between “trying to kill him” and “letting him go” considering she got to the point of lifting the weapon at him, so it doesn’t surprise me that within such a short period of time he’s still seeing it the way that he does.) also 100% he needed lucy gray to know she was safe with him and by convincing her that he was in the same boat was the most obvious way.

4. oh absolutely. and i think it’s almost funny how sejanus was best friends with them for so long and then it took one day for him to go from “haha my friends are so crazy. unchecked anger issues- am i right?” to “oh, shit, like they’re violently insane and i should have always known this.” the rose coloured glasses had to come off SO fast.

5. 🫡🫡 (i love them so much)

6. AND HE WOULDDDD 🥺

like no doubt he knew about their feelings for each other well before either of them did. and i know damn well even if most of their classmates didn’t like him he was privy to one or two conversations about them when they weren’t there. like clemmie would TOTALLY corner him and be like “what do you know?” omg especially after livia’s birthday and hold on i’m actually gonna work on a part two rn-

7. he had ALMOST been on the receiving end of her anger. and also, like he says, “i’ve seen her get violent before, but nothing like that” even though she wasn’t violent toward him necessarily, i think it was the things she was saying that really freaked him out. she was angrier than he had ever seen her, and i think it was the calmness and severity of her statement that nothing was going to keep her from the life she wanted that did his opinions in.

8. yes and i know eventually she landed on being happy. bc really, that is what she wanted. “i won’t bury another friend” is HEAVY here, because while she never buried him, after going out of her way to save him from his execution and then letting him go in the HEIGHT of her mental breakdown, she never really knew if he survived. she risked so much for his survival, that i think it would be extremely fulfilling to know that she succeeded despite everything.

9. yesss and really how could she change? any kind of moral compass she had was left in twelve and she was rewarded significantly for what she did literally as soon as they got back. every single one of her problems were instantly solved; she had coryo, her father was out of her life, and she was immediately put on track for her dream career. and like she said, she got everything she ever wanted. even after her “death” it was attention that she craved and therefore she would have it- she doesn’t care if people are celebrating her death. it’s a testament to her success.

[moonstruckdraws]

Luci Interacts Pt 2

technically it's the next day so technically I'm allowed to draw so- yeah I'll stop making excuses, I was so sooo bored

So! This is how Luci interacts with the Mad Dogz (there's a lot of reading, so just a heads up)

Luci: sigh "I hate how much you get me." Raph: "Ha ha! Really? Glad we can relate to each other."

When Luci first saw Raph, she thought he was so badass and be cool and spunky. Needless to say that she was immediately disappointed when she learned that he was a more of a softie, and she kind of dismissed any interactions with him. That is until she goes to their lair for the first time and sees his room and her eyes go to his stuffed toy collection. Raph would ramble on and on about them, and Luci would get invested. Luci doesn't fully understand the appeal, but when he gifts her a plush, she finds it oddly comforting and is always somewhere within her reach when she goes to bed. Their relationship expanded from there with Raph's room becoming another one of her safe spaces. Luci and Raph would relate with each other's anger issues (someone clearly having it much worse) and he would be one of the only people she'd talk about some of her issues with. Raph even shows her methods to deal with her short temper, which doesn't really work but the effort is what counts. Their bond is close but they don't do much aside from these small therapeutic talks in Raph's room. They have small talk, but don't have that much in common.

"I find Raph to be kind, and not in the suspicious way like that Beaver, and compassionate. He's a good friend to have and his fiery spirit to fighting makes him even cooler! I gotta have him teach me some moves. Maybe I can kick that trash eater's *** if I do. Speaking of him, the big guy loses some points for being all buddy buddy with the trash eater. Though knowing him.. it can't be helped so.. I don't hold it against him harshly."

Luci: "We're definitely killing this guy, right?" Donnie: "Oh we are going to ANNIHILATE them, my friend."

Luci is the closets with Donnie! She finds his sarcasm very charming and his sass being on the same level as hers. These two would verbally destroy ANYONE if they stood in the way (they're the mean girls). When they first met, Luci wasn't interested in him at all since he kept to himself. It was only when she meets S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N for the first time that she gets interested in what Donnie actually does. Luci is very interested in Donnie's tech, in contrast to Pico, mainly because of the lights. She also finds the sounds that they make to be quite pleasant. Luci zones out at everything Donnie says until she tells him to shut up; but if it's any kind of math, she's immediately invested and will assist in any equations Donnie is working on for projects. Her working in the junkyard, when it came to repossessing cars, she's actually a bit handy with tools. She's no expert but she can get things running, even if only barely, so she helps with what she can with building Donnie's inventions. Aside from them bonding over tinkering, they also watch tv shows together, mostly sci-fi related or specific dramas. Luci likes how Donnie is also straight forward like Repo and appreciates people like this because their simpler to understand. Adding the fact that Donnie is a terrible liar, she can read his ques even easier because she's still trying to understand them since being mutated. He's also the most helpful to her when overwhelmed from the blaring lights and constant noise of New York.

"Dee is pretty cool, ignoring his terrible music tastes. He's a bit talkative on things I don't understand, but his passion has my respect. His lab is the most interesting thing with all those robo things. I like tinkering with things in there, mainly big shelves he neglects to bolt correctly, so I tighten or loosen them so they're actually stable. Who knew a genius like him could forget the damn basics with simple things. I try to stay away from any of his bigger projects though.. the engines can be very loud.. And I hate to say it, but I understand the trash eater's point with robots. They don't gotta be everywhere doin' everythin' but they are handy. I like assembling them more then the end results and functions of 'em."

Leo: "Okay okay, you're gonna love this next joke" Luci: "Pff- please no more! They're so bad!" Luci: "LEOOOOOO YOU MOTHERF-"

Luci and Leo have a weird dynamic. One moment, they could be chill and cool and the next, Luci will want to rip Leo's head off. Luci likes Leo's sass and sharp wits and actually finds some of his jokes funny, though she doesn't do more than snort at them. Luci instantly liked Leo with his charisma, but finds him to be annoying. For a long time they would only be sassy with one another and their relationship wouldn't grow until Leo catches Luci watching tv, specifically a dramatic romance (for a reason I'll elaborate on another time). Leo would instantly be invested and the two of them would watch romances, dramas, and reality tv shows together. This grows them closer, but Leo's mischievous side screws with Luci a bit. Luci doesn't understand the concept of pranks as a way of messing with someone in a lighthearted way and instead sees it as an insult. Everytime Leo pranks her, she will literally hunt him down and attack him. She forgives him at the end of the day, but her lack of understanding and Leo's inability to not mess with someone, leaves their relationship stuck in this wishy-washy state of being good friends to awkward acquaintances.

"I like Leo, I really do but.. I just don't get 'im sometimes. He's the most fun to hang out with, but then he does things that make me angry and it's supposed to be treated as not a big deal. I've seen his brothers act the same way as I do at his antics, but we always seem distant by the end of it.. it's so confusing, honestly. Why are people so confusing? It makes me wonder why I should have friends at all sometimes. But then again, I know they have my back so.. clearly it's not all confusing, right?"

Mikey: "Hey Luci! How've you been? Still trying to fully tame Mrs. Nubbins and stuff..?" Luci: "Hm? Oh, yeah I guess."

Luci is indifferent towards Mikey. At first, Luci was untrusting towards Mikey as his brightness reminded her of Todd's kindness. She avoided him the most out of all the brothers, and their relationship took the longest to develop. But she'd notice all the drawings on the wall or the fridge and get sucked in by the splashes of colors. She finds out it's Mikey by catching him draw at one point. She'd observe from a distance before it became their little activity for Mikey to draw and Luci to just watch. It was a comfortable silence for them, and Mikey would be cheerful that they'd be growing closer. That is until the "Nothing But Truffle" episode when Mikey ditches Todd for Meat Sweats. Luci is aware that Mikey is a major fan of Meat Sweats and understood his desire to be friends with him; she even understood him leaving Todd to hang out with him. The problem was that, despite not liking Todd, she didn't like Mikey's actions. She didn't understand how he could easily cast away someone he considered a friend for a person they didn't even really know, instead idolized. This kind of broke their relationship as Luci started getting confused again. She wondered if Mikey would do the same thing to her, thinking a bit selfishly but its justified in this case. She gains a bit of sympathy for Pico when she sees his clear distaste towards Mikey's actions. As it stands now, they don't hang out unless someone else is present, and even then Luci won't initiate conversations. Luci is stuck on whether she can trust Mikey and wanting to at the same time. The situation is very confusing to her, so she acts like how she did when they first met, dismissive. (Mikey just cannot win, can he?)

"My thoughts on Mikey..? He's.. he's artistic, very talented in that. He's spunky and bright, I guess. And he's... I don't want to answer this anymore."

[jack-kellys]

i said i'd do this today so here you all go. disclaimer this is not every single question, just the ones i cared about (so the fun ones)

notes from the most recent uk fansie night q&a:

i was not there but i was sent a video lmao

FOR DAVEY: how much free range have you been able to build on with your character?

answer: ryan said they all basically started with a blank canvas, but davey has rly grown since december. specifically davey's gotten “weirder”, and he hopes that “he will get even more strange.”

LONDON CAST RECORDING?

nothing is confirmed but the whole cast really wants one lmao

dance class from ireland came :) asked abt dance tips and industry ins

fav dance moves/moments in the show 

box jump for ross <3

sam demonstrated the leg pats as his fav

matthew loves the role call triangle lmao

michael demonstrated a front kick they do holding a rolled paper

have you ever hit anyone w something thrown into the audience?

archie tells on jack bromage (who isn't there to defend himself) and how he kicked a paper ball into a kid’s FACE LMFAO

jacob called out matthew for his slingshot hits into the audience 

biggest malfunction during a show?

ryan and michael acted out waiting for bronte and a les to enter during WWH reprise’s scene- “and that is what you call a beginning! ………….chill out, man!” “…you got a problem?” HELLO??

box jump update

if you could put your character into another musical what would it be

davey for mean girls 2023

splasher for matilda

OSCAR FOR B+C???

jack for wicked lmao “him and fiyero might fight”

specs as one of the annoying kids in charlie and the chocolate factory 

kath for sylvia!

ritz for young frankenstein (bc putting on the ritz heh)

CRUTCHIE FOR MOULIN ROUGHEJH PLS matthew ily

mush for annie

ike for something rotten

elmer for WSS

al for a rocky musical (fights.)

romeo for grease!! “kinicky vibe”

how do ur jumps get so high

ross: "i’ve been jumping for.. a long time"

what are the hidden personal gems that audience members might miss during the show?

albert pickpockets one of the theatergoers in medda’s theater. holy shit. and sometimes the actor leaves jacob and actual object to steal in his pocket PLSLOKFSF

crutchie sees snyder from his perch by the soundboard and reacts in fear

how long is fight call and do you call every stunt

this is interesting to me so. depends on the day bc of swings so they do the big fight and child actor stunts every day.

EVERYONES FAV GAGA SONG

ryans is bad romance

poker face ross

applause for sam

matthew is not a gaga person oops

“thank you for that question <3”

how do you approach making roles individual?

“determined early that its a diff version of jack and kath” (bronté)

purposefully ignore things that have come before!!!!

bronte and michael talked a LOT abt their jath 

“can only do the best version of your version” <3 (michael)

doing what you think is the right way, “offering your voice into the discussion” of a character’s legacy/existence. MICHAEL ONCE AGAIN FCUVKING GETS IT THIS IS !! WHAT I WAS FUCKING SAYING. fyi. we understand each other

fav character and why!

ryans is kath heheh

ross’s IS FINCH!! he loves damon and thinks he’s made finch special <3

owen (oscar) rly likes racer!

michael rly likes davey, “unsung hero”

sam likes kath <3

bronte likes the brooklyn newsiessssss, especially stray and mentioned the art piece of stray with a stray :) @chimeofthecomet YOURS BRO SHE MENTIONED YOURS !!!

lucy likes specs

matthew thinks pulitzer is cool to find nuance in

kai’s fav is lillie’s spot!

archie thinks finch is best bc he’s mysterious

damn bradley likes finch too! “always trying to come up with a solution” OKAYYYYY GO DAMON!! gets an a+ in characterization

jacob on his pulitzer villain moment stuff again

spencer likes davey’s contrast!! “one of the strongest characters in the group”

fastest quick change you’ve done

the oscar immediately laments his changes lmfaoooo

michael was morgrim??? in lion witch wardrobe??? a wolf??

preshow rituals

RYAN WATCHES STREISANDS IM THE GREATEST STAR LMAOOO??

interesting he was given her as a reference for a fast talking new yorker so heavy city accented davey jacobs truthers rise up we won (its just me) we won! 

the new kids dressing room does the wolf of wall street chest hitting thing lol

michael listens to two diff revolution speeches i think?

bronte’s is seeing ryan :)

THE GIRLSIES PLAY HIDE AND SEEK BACKSTAGE DURING THEIR BREAKS PLS

matthew talks abt what alex hatton used to do, look at a pic of his gf and grandparent pls aw

archie used to jump on a chair at the five before he. hit his head. bro

jacob does a diff riddle for each mic check!!

that’s all the best ones i could catch!!

[jerzwriter]

Teaser Thursday

Hey, y'all - I have been tagged by so many in WIP Wednesdays - and I've been so behind - so thank you to all who sent them to me. I'm a little too late for Wednesday, but here is a Teaser Thursday! This is a sneak peek at my long overdue final chapter of A Different Fate. I'm expecting this to be posted by Saturday. :) Enjoy

A Different Fate: Final Chapter Open Heart | Ethan Ramsey x Kaycee MacClennan (F!MC)

Boston and Philadelphia had their skyscrapers for sure, but none held a candle to those in New York City, and at this moment, Kaycee couldn't have been more grateful for the city she now called home. Sixty-eight floors, she thought, as she took a tentative step into the opulent elevator. Sixty-eight floors stood between her and the lobby, and she prayed they would stop at each one.

She rushed to the back corner, relying on the walls to keep her upright as more passengers piled in. Good. More people, more stops... she needed time. Time to think, to plan, to breathe.... sixty-eight floors should have been enough for her to center, to gain a semblance of composure, but it went by in a flash.

She looked up with horror as the mahogany doors slowly slid apart. Was it possible this was a dream? Her head was spinning, and her mind jumbled; she wasn't prepared, and how was she foolish enough to assume she would be? The other passengers eagerly jumped out. Tourists and locals alike were alive with chatter about their evening plans. A direct contrast to Kaycee, who stood frozen in place. If not for the gruff voice of the elevator operator ushering her back to reality, she may have stood there all night.

“Ma’am, are you getting out?”

She turned to him, then back to the door, strongly considering ordering him to bring her right back upstairs. But something inside her stirred. Tobias was right; she was no longer playing the part of the ingenue, filled with hope, wonder, and naivete that was both her greatest asset and her biggest weakness. No, she was a big girl now, and whatever awaited her on the other side of that door... she could handle it.

“Ma’am," the man repeated. Growing irritation in his voice. "Shall I close the doors?"

“Uhm. No," she said, standing upright and brushing her hands over the front of her gown. "No. I’m getting off here.”

Perma: @alj4890 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @differenttyphoonwerewolf @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @justyourusualash @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lucy-268 @onikalover @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @tveitertotwrites @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations

Open Heart: @alwaysmychoices @coffeeheartaddict2 @peonierose

Ethan Only: @custaroonie @mrs-ramsey @parisa-kh @zealouscanonindeer

Ethan x MC Only: @cariantha @cryomyst @youlookappropriate

[nagirambles]

Rambling about Fairies - Rhodonite Chapter 3 + 4

This spinoff probably has my favourite depiction of Gruvia. 

Juvia’s love for Gray continues to be treated as a ‘running joke’ rather than the core of Juvia’s character. After Gray’s very cute rebuttal, it’s quickly pushed aside in favour of the mission/exposition, because despite her joy at this opportunity, she does understand this job is important. She does go back into a joking mood very often, but when things are serious, she is a very competent wizard that does not cite she is ‘doing this for Gray-sama’ or whatever. 

And they even slip in a moment where she goes deadpan like ‘yeah no, Gajeel is definitely involved,’ because she’s also exasperated by the coincidence. It’s personality. It’s a subtle sprinkle of personality. 

Juvia’s role in this spinoff is mainly to accompany Gray as he does the more investigative and technical talk, but she’s still necessary here because she puts in the important parallel between her and Levy in regards to Gajeel. 

Also, she allows the story to continue feeling light and slightly humourous, not simply because of the ‘we’re on a date’ ‘NO!’ dynamic, but because this also brings back one of Gray’s forgotten personality traits...

I am talking about Gray’s part-time Tsukkomi schtick. 

Along with the advancement of Gruvia, Gray completely forgot that he was the assigned Tsukkomi when Lucy wasn’t around, and this was important because it shows him as the ‘competent and smart’ one of the group without taking away from his fun-loving side. Juvia’s the type to be exasperated in silence, which is a fun contrast to Gray’s explosive exasperation. Once again, it’s personality. it’s a sprinkle of personality between their ‘ship moment’ panels, personality that’s forgotten about in canon. 

Every time a Gruvia moment is on screen in 100yq, Gray is just the Tsundere and Juvia is just the lovestruck Gray fangirl. Whilst when Gray is with Natsu or Lucy, his loving, slightly stern big brother personality actually exists. And when Juvia is with the girls or with Gajeel, she gets up to goofy shenanigans like protecting Levy’s pursuit of love at the start of this spinoff. I miss their personalities! This spinoff literally proves that it doesn’t need to be one or the other, they can coexist!

I like it when Gruvia enriches each other as characters, instead of taking away from each other’s personality like it’s in canon. So this spinoff probably has my favourite depiction of Gruvia of all time.

That’s a bit of high praise, but my standards are just really low since canon is like that.

[biggerbetterbat]

WITH YOU [3] HOPE CALLED GLENN RHEE

Daryl Dixon x OC (Charlie Reed)

Summary: Charlie makes her decision, but to stay alive she has to trust a man that she just met

Warnings: none really? they are killing walkers, but nothing too descriptive

Song: Girl On Fire Alicia Keys

A/N: Hello, hello :) Today I'll be posting two chapters, so the story could move a bit faster and we could move to the actual twd plotline.

DAYLIGHT ON WATTPAD

The hardest part of killing her first thing was that it had the face of a person that it used to be. Because Charlie still remembered how helpful Sam was and how they were going out on the dates. He was always smiling at her or offering her a hand while she was carrying something heavy. His eyes were always so warm and sweet, which was a contrast to the cold and absent ones that she saw as soon as she opened her door. It turned out that he really wanted her - even after he was dead.

Those stupid memories of those people and warm feelings for them were hard.

Killing wasn't hard at all.

Killing was easy.

She knew exactly where she was going because she was walking that way every day. Obviously, she couldn't use an elevator and it wasn't her plan. Charlie knew that near the elevator was a window and right under it was another building, smaller, so she could just jump on its roof and then go to another building and do exactly the same because one of them that was three blocks away had a ladder on its wall. Often when she was waiting for the elevator to come, she would just stand there and imagine that she was running from roof to roof and eventually walking down that wall.

The plan was simple.

Charlie was almost there, she saw the window. She left a trail of killed things - some of them were her neighbors and some of them were just random people, but then on her way appeared a little girl or at least she once was a little girl, her heart broke.

Lucy.

Lucy was her name. She was singing whenever Charlie saw her and often knocking on her doors to ask the most irrational questions.

"I'm sorry." she whispered as she put a knife through her skull.

Her little, lifeless body fell to her feet, and tears formed in the corner of her eyes, but there was no time to cry.

The first real problem was that the window didn't have a knob, so she couldn't open it as she wanted. She had to think quickly because more and more things were just at her heels.

"Think, think, think." she murmured to herself.

She looked around and saw something that she ignored before. In between elevator doors was sprawled one of her neighbors, now trying to reach her, but right next to his wanting hands she saw a big gun.

"Not this time." she said and before she could think twice she stepped on his head, crushing his skull and stepping on a mushy brain.

With her last will, she stopped herself from throwing up and reached for a gun. With one strong hit glass shattered on the floor. She inspected that new friends were coming closer and closer, so one more time she cleaned the frame from the remaining glass, and without a second thought she was in the air, not even looking down.

She would rather die as a bloody mess on some shitty roof rather than be the main course for some sticky faces.

With a breath of relief, she landed on a sheet metal. She took a breath of relief, her hands and legs were shaking as she stood up. It was crazy. But her plan worked and that was probably even more crazy. Her happiness didn't last long, because right behind her she heard metal thudding.

Things had the same idea as her because they were falling from the window like rain. Her heart dropped and she wanted to scream out of frustration.

"You've got to be kidding me."

So without thinking, she started to run and jump from building to building. Honestly, she didn't have time to even think about what she was doing, she just wanted to run as far as possible.

Everything felt so surreal.

How has her life changed so much in just a couple hours? How it was so easy to walk around with a knife and kill those things. Just yesterday she was shitting her pants at just their sound. What happened to her?

Another problem appeared as she came to accomplishing step three of her Master Plan. Actually, she didn't believe that even the first step would work out, so she was really unprepared.

As she looked down she saw so many of them. They were all stretching their arms in her direction- the noise that she created jumping on that steel probably brought them all. She had to walk down because her old friends were just behind her. She sighed and just walked down some steps, so those above her and those below wouldn't catch her.

"What now?" she asked herself, but she didn't have to wait for long.

She looked up after she heard a thud - just like before those ugly faces started falling down and there was not much to scrape from the asphalt. Then she looked down at the uglies below her and almost threw up.

"Dinner's ready." she whispered, sure that sooner or later she would fall and be a snack.

She couldn't just shoot them, because in a minute she would have three times more at least. She was stuck for good.

As Charlie just hung there and almost lost her hope, something loud echoed between the buildings. All the dead turned their heads and slowly started walking in that direction. She slowly lowered down and as quietly as possible she started to run in the opposite direction to the pack.

When she ran around the corner she felt something that felt like the human body. She was ready to stab it with her knife, but before she did the thing that she wanted to stab opened its mouth.

"Hey." a man raised his hands up as if to show her that he was harmless. "Hey. Don't kill me. I don't want to hurt you."

Charlie lowered her gun.

"I have a car just outside of the city." he said and Charlie nodded her head.

And that's how she created step three of her Master Plan. She just had to get to the car and drive as far as she could from the city. She wouldn't kill the man, because of the way he looked at her and tried to calm her down. He was a good man and even just leaving him on the road would be heartless.

"Run." he said and started doing just that.

Just this one word was enough for her and she didn't even blink. The only thing that was in her way was that stupid bag on her shoulder and with the chance that she could be dead soon, she just wanted to leave this damn thing and run faster after the Asian boy.

"It's not far." he said.

At that moment it doesn't matter. Charlie could run through across the country without losing her breath just so those things wouldn't get her. She decided that she was not dying today and she would hold to that. They were running and killing some of them on the way when they were suddenly walking from around the corner. It was all happening so fast and almost as if they were on autopilot.

When she couldn't hear his steps anymore, she stopped and looked behind. He was trapped and Charlie had two options: she could just run as fast as she could or she could go back and help him.

The choice was pretty obvious.

She found something and threw this across the street, so most of them turned from her company and followed the noise. Charlie jogged to the trapped Asian and without thinking she started stabbing things in their heads. Once again she wasn't thinking much, but with shaking hands, she was doing whatever her mind was telling. She gave him her hand, so he could stand on his own feet. 

"Hey you," she called him. "Take it." she gave him one of her knives.

Now he could defend himself and help her. Soon they killed enough of them, so their way was clear, they could just continue their run. But they kept appearing like mushrooms after the rain.

"Duck down!" the man commanded.

She did as she was told and an Asian boy shot about a dozen of things. She opened her eyes wider as she realized that he was a good shot and that he had a gun- and her knives.

"Let's go. There's no time."

She nodded and started running again.

Soon they were out of Atlanta, near the entrance to the highway. That's when she saw a red truck she sped up and passed a still unknown man. Charlie threw her bag on a pack of the car and pointed her gun at the man.

"Drop your gun." she commanded. "Do it now!"

"What the..." he raised his arms. "Seriously? I helped you when you were stuck on that ladder."

Charlie narrowed her eyes.

"You helped me?"

He sighed, but still had his arms up.

"Well duh."

She started to have the sting of remorse. Maybe that man was good and they would stay together, help each other, and just get through all of this.

"I need this car." she said. For the first time in a long time, she heard her own voice, hoarse from not being used in days.

"Me too." he said. "Where do you want to go? Just drop me at my camp and you can take the car. I have supplies for my people, there are children."

She lowered her gun but still held her finger on the trigger.

"You have a camp?"

"Yeah. There are around twelve people? Maybe less, maybe more. I'm not sure." said the Asian boy. "We have food." he gestured towards the car. "It's in the quarry, there's the forest around and a lake nearby. My people are okay, they won't hurt you."

She still looked at him not sure.

"Okay." he sighed. "Where do you want to go? Do you have a plan?"

She didn't.

Her Master Plan ended right here, right now. If she had a car she would probably go to her hometown and check her old house, but why? Until she went out and saw what was really going on the streets, when they weren't locked up, she had hope. Now she was sure that her parents were dead, there was no other option. Maybe her brothers made it and they are out there, but how she could possibly find them?

"Let me help you."

She let go of her gun and rested her back on a car, breathing heavily. Suddenly she felt hot and dizzy from all the running and adrenaline leaving her body. Realization hit her. Closing her eyes was the only way of holding back tears and calming her emotions. But soon enough she started crying, overwhelmed by the emotions.

He walked up to her with arms still up in the air.

"Hey, hey, hey. Shhh." he whispered calmly. "It's okay. We're safe. You're safe." he said. "We made it."

Charlie looked at him and wiped the tears, sniffing her nose. She felt awful that she wanted to hurt this guy, leave him all alone, and after all this he was so good to her, trying to comfort her.

"Can we go?" he asked.

She nodded her head.

Asian boy sighed with relief and also nodded his head. Just at this moment, he was sure they were safe, as his new friend didn't point her gun at him.

Soon they were belting down the highway towards the camp, which was in a direction known just by him. A nice breeze was blowing her hair and the farther from the city the less they could smell rooting corpses. And that was nice. Even though a small stinge of pain went through her heart as she looked in the side-view mirror at Atlanta receding. 

She felt safe and at ease after so long. He was the first person that she could talk to, he was a real person.

"What's your name? he asked finally as he felt safe.

She looked at him with a small smile.

"Charlie Reed.

"Nice to meet you." he smiled. "I'm Glenn Rhee."

"Thank you for helping me back there." she said. "And I'm sorry for pointing a gun at you."

He shook his head.

"No worries." he shrugged. "I would do the same if I were you. No offense taken, we're good. Aren't we?" he looked at her.

She nodded.

"We are."

"I'm just glad that you didn't kill me." he breathed out.

"I'm glad too." she answered."But can I ask you a question?" While he nodded she opened her mouth again."How did you find me?"

"And that's a very good question." he said. "I was on my way back when I saw someone jumping on the roofs. It was crazy."

She smiled even wider now that he started chatting as if they had known each other for the longest time.

"Yeah. It was pretty crazy." she nodded with a smile.

"Your name should be Rambo or something like that."

Charlie laughed out loud at his comment. When the car fell silent, she just looked out of the window and closed her eyes, feeling at peace. Now it had to be just better. Glenn was nice so his friends at the camp should be just the same, right?

While the car stopped she wasn't so sure about it anymore.

She saw men pointing their guns at them and women trying to hide their children in case she and Glenn were some kind of danger. She decided that she would wait for an Asian boy to get out of the car first because the last thing she wanted was to get shot after all she had gone through.

"Hey guys!" Glenn said."It's me."

Kids were looking from behind their mothers curiously and they let them, losing their grip on them. The men relaxed a bit but were still ready to shoot. That wasn't very tempting to get out.

"Please calm down." said Glenn one more time, his arms raised up in a calming way."She's a friend." he said out loud to his people, but then he turned to her and whispered."Charlie come on."

She sighed and got out of the car.

"Don't move!" yelled a man in a cop uniform.

Guns pointed straight at her, so she raised her hands in surrender. Will she become a prisoner now? Was it better than being alone in her apartment?

"Guys come on." Glenn groaned. "She saved my life. She was alone for this whole time."

She just let Glenn do the talking because she really didn't want to die today. Besides they wouldn't believe any word that would come out of mouth.

Next to a cop was a man with dark hair who was slightly overweight and at the right side of the cop were two rednecks. Besides them, there was an old man in a bucket hat standing on top of the RV. They blocked almost the whole view for a camp, but she could see that behind them stood two more men.

"Glenn brought snacks." said one of the rednecks and licked his lips.

She grimaced and took a look at the other one, who was holding a bow. His eyes were stuck on her and never left her body almost as if she was a deer or something. His posture was all tense and he looked like one of those guys that girls are scared to pass on the street. But his eyes were soft and she could say that he was nothing like the man on his left. She could say that the man with a crossbow was as disgusted by the comment as she was. 

"I don't want any troubles." Charlie said louder, looking at all of them."I just want to survive. Just like you."

Her voice broke down as she was saying this because reality just hit her even harder.

"Let go. She's scared." said an old man on top of the RV.

As they were all letting go of their weapons she breathed with relief for the hundredth time this day. As she leaned her hands on the hood of a car, she caught Glenn's eyes and his wide smile.

She let out a small laugh and shook her head. Charlie still had hope and apparently, her hope was called Glenn Rhee.

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[gaygoetia]

Initial thoughts on the Fallout TV show:

- I really enjoyed the show overall. The pacing, story and tone is great and it was so fun seeing all the various background details and references to the games. They really outside themselves with the sets, costumes, props and overall art design. And the music!!! So fun recognising the songs from the games. And the twist was great!

- Lucy is a sweet cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure. I adore her. I also love that she's stuck to her morals even after everything she's been through.

- I really like Cooper (I'm a sucker for an anti-hero) and enjoy the big contrast between his pre-war and current personality. Also I love that he proves that ghouls can be hot.

- I had very mixed feelings about Max at the start of the show but I really like how he's grown and developed thanks to Lucy's influence. I also feel instinctively protective over him cos I just know the fandom is gonna be racist and shitty about him.

- On a related note, the shipping discourse with this show is gonna be a disaster. Can't wait to see takes such as "Cooper/Lucy is problematic because of the 200 year age gap" and "Max doesn't deserve Lucy because he lied to her, instead she should be with Cooper (despite him being a cannibal and serial murderer who literally tortured her and almost killed her multiple times), this makes perfect sense."

- To be clear, I actually like both Lucy/Cooper and Lucy/Max as ships! (though not as much as I like Lucy/Literally Any Woman), they're just prime material for stupid shipping wars and I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

- This show is really good but is in desperate need of more girls and gays (I need Lucy to have female companion/romance options lol) Barb, Moldaver, Steph and Betty were great but they were 1. All kinda-antagonists (who were only ever seen from other character's POV's) 2. Did not interact with each other. The gender imbalance is especially stark when you consider there are almost twice as many men in the main cast list as there are women.

[inkameswetrust]

hi benji! what are two songs that remind you of kames and why? :)

IM ACTUALLY SO GLAD YOU ASKED OMG I LITERALLY HAVE A WHOLE PLAYLIST OF SONGS THAT REMIND ME OF KAMES HEHEHEHEHE

but lemme break it down to probably the two most integral songs that i associate with kames!

the first song is definitely parallel by heffron drive. i feel that's a song that could be sung from either james' or kendall's pov and it holds a lot of sentimental value for me being that it's the name of my first ever kames fanfic! there's a specific line that makes me think about the relationships they've pursued in the big time rush series and how bizarre and nonsensical they've been. it seems their relationships with other girls have caused more harm than good but yk plot armor and poor writing paired them with lucy and jo indefinitely. it's the line "do we light up our hearts just to watch them burn?" that line really speaks to me and makes me think that maybe they're not giving up on these girls because they don't want to come to terms with the fact that their feelings are changing. they don't want to be alone, little did they know the person for them was a lot closer than they thought. i don't think any other characters in the show know each other better or care for each other more than kendall and james, so parallel is easily my #1!

the second song is pink by waterparks. i remember when my friend @powerfule got me to listen to it for the first time and i instantly felt a connection. it was giving a "pining for a comphet guy" kinda scenario cuz from a surface level pov i think anyone would assume james was straight due to how effortlessly he charms the pants off of most girls he meets. kendall would especially believe that his feelings are exclusively one-sided based on the line "it's not fun when i find out you're playing for the other team". this song in particular solidifies (at least in my mind) that james is "one of his favorite few" and as such is looked upon in a certain light. this song is a little more angsty in comparison parallel, but i think that's why i like comparing waterparks songs to the kames dynamic. their relationship is not all sunshine and rainbows. there is a stark contrast between how kendall and james express their love. despite his avoidant attachment style, kendall wears his heart on his sleeve. i'm certain he craves commitment and stability despite being afraid of it. james however goes from one fling to the next and doesn't feel the need to plant any roots. he doesn't need constant reassurance or stability except for when it comes to kendall. his direct wants and desires are usually targeted or communicated to kendall as seen in episodes like big time audition or big time tests.

tysm for asking this btw! i really enjoyed breaking this down and it kinda inspired me to write a blog abt my kames playlist so hopefully that's smth i do in the future :)

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

just realized that since i know basically nothing about the fallout show that i can write down what i think happens before i watch it (since the best part of watching tv is guessing shit and seeing how wrong you are)

so the main character's name is lucy lipkin (little lucy lipkin) and she's a vault dweller raised in a vault whose society hasn't evolved past the 50s (maybe it's an experiment?) and she's gonna get married. the beginning of the first episode is gonna be her getting dressed and talking to a female family member before the wedding (in an isolated room) before she leaves the room and a big panning shot reveals this isn't a pre-war scene but a post-war vault scene! everyone dies somehow (raiders?) and she's the only survivor of her vault. something has happened so that she can never return.

cowboy man (cassidy? i think his name is cassidy) is a pre-war cowboy actor who got done ghoulified and now he's a real life cowboy!!! lucy grew up on his movies and he was her first crush. i have decided this based on rule of funny. he's like peter parker from spiderverse but he puts on a front of being super cool. he's an old grump and lucy is his manic pixie dream girl but he is Refusing The Call on rule of She's So Fucking Annoying.

their adventures are made up of her vault morality contrasting with his wasteland morality as they travel together. at least once they meet a group of cannibals who hide they're cannibals and it's a moment of bonding between them as they collectively Puke Into The Nearest Recepticle. i think lucy's opinion on cassidy shifts from "childhood crush" to "who the hell is this mean cowboy man" to "oh god is this really what he's like" to "oh no this is my new type now help"