#it is a good morning indeed 🥹

[goldenhypen]

GOOD MORNING~~

[winterrrnight]

birthday boy

PAIRING: drew starkey x gn!reader

SUMMARY: you spend a morning with your birthday boy

WARNINGS: fluffy fluff fluff 😁

EDITH SPEAKS: happy birthday to the one and only drew!! can't believe he's 30 years old 🥹 I hope he has such a beautiful day 🫶🏻🫶🏻 hoping for such huge success and happiness in his life <3

please reblog if you liked reading this!! feedback is always appreciated 🌺 please ignore any spelling/grammatical mistakes :)

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As the sunlight shines in through the pale white curtains of your room, you feel Drew shift next to you, his arm looping across your waist and pulling you in closer. His warmth encases you completely as you feel him press butterfly kisses to your shoulder, his hair tickling you on your neck.

You turn around to face him, his arm not letting go of you for even a second. You open your eyes to see Drew's eyes still close, his breathing relaxed, and you feel his finger softly tracing little shapes in your back.

You press a kiss to his forehead, and then one on his nose, and one on his lips.

"Good morning birthday boy," you whisper, gently caressing his cheek with your hand. He leans into your touch, and slightly turns his head to press a kiss to your palm.

"Good morning bub," he mumbles, his voice heavy. You press two kisses to his still closed eyelids, causing him to let out a satisfied sigh at your action. Your fingers wrap up in his soft hair, gently twirling the strands around them as you feel his silky hair brushing on your fingertips.

"Wake up now," you press a kiss on the corner of his lips, and he groans and turns around, lying on his back.

"Not yet," he groans, and you push yourself up to sit in his lap, your legs on either side of his waist as you rest your hands on his chest.

"If you won't wake up, then you won't get the cake I spent all night last night making for you," you pout, leaning towards him as your chin rests on his chest.

He finally opens his eyes, the word 'cake' awakening something in him. You giggle at him, his blue irises gazing at you lazily.

"Now, I can't miss a cake, can I?" He says, his hands resting on your hips as he helps you get off him. You rush to the kitchen and get the cake you made for him, which indeed took you a long time last night. Drew had gone to bed early because he was too tired, and it was the perfect opportunity for you to bake something for him.

You get a candle and place it right in the centre of the cake, lighting it up with your lighter. You slowly take it back to your room, trying to not let any hurried movements cause the fire to blow out.

Drew's sitting in bed with his back resting against the back board, his head leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. Just as he hears you come in, he looks at you with a huge grin as he watches you carefully bring the cake to him, placing it in his lap.

You open the drawer of your bedside table and pull out the card you made for him. He looks at you with utter love shining through his eyes as you hand him his card.

"Happy birthday bubbles," you whisper, as you press a kiss on his lips. "I love you so much,"

Drew opens the card to see your writing scrawled alongside a picture of the two of you. It takes him a second to realise it's a picture from your first date, which was almost four years ago.

'happy birthday drew baby, can't believe you're 30!! I hope we spend so many more years together just like this, waking each other up early in the morning on our birthdays to give our special gifts. I can't express in words how happy you've made me all these years. I love waking up every morning with you by my side, and I love to go to sleep every night with you by my side. I love you so much bubbles, I wish you only the best in your life.'

Drew looks at your handwriting with complete awe, feeling tears starting to brim in his eyes. "Oh baby," he says, almost choking at his own tears as he is quick to embrace you in a hug. You weren't expecting him to start to sob at your card, so you were caught completely off guard just as his arms wrap around your waist, his head resting against your shoulder.

You rub his back, gently scraping your nails against his skin; just the way he likes.

You softly pull his head from your shoulder, holding his face in your hands and wiping off his tears with your thumbs.

"I meant every word," you say, a smile pulling your lips. You press a kiss to his forehead and nudge the cake closer to him.

He closes his eyes for a few seconds, and blows the candle. With the knife he cuts a slice, and you sit right besides him, your head leaning on his shoulder as you gently sing him 'happy birthday'. He pulls the slice out of the cake and moves it closer to you for you to take a bite. You take the slice from his hand, bringing it close to him for him to take a bite too.

"This is so good my love," he says, his voice muffled as he eats another slice. You smile at him and take one slice for yourself too.

Outside at a distance you hear birds chirping melodiously, creating a relaxing aura around you two. Your head is resting on his shoulder and his arm is wrapped around your waist, keeping you close to him. You both sit in silence so close to each other, as you hear the birds outside create serene rhythms for you two.

At this moment, Drew knows this is something he never wants to experience with anyone except you.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊˎ-

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[da-rulah]

It would be lovely to have something soft and sweet with primo 🥹

Hmmm... I had an idea that could work. Soft, sweet, lovely Primo. But first, let me ask you a question....

Have you ever wondered where his love of Botany and Horticulture came from?

This was it. This was the day he finally told himself he was going to do it.

Bishop Primo stood in front of his bathroom mirror, applying his dark circles around his eyes and over his top lip after a freshly clean shave. He stared at himself, his long white hair neatly tied back in low ponytail, taking great care with his appearance today. Not a hair out of place, or a spec of face paint where it shouldn't be.

Nerves welled up in his stomach, the kind of ferocious butterflies you can only get when a sense of impending doom is nearing it's climax. But still, he carried on. It had to be now.

He skipped breakfast that morning, too anxious to stomach anything since his stomach already felt so full... Instead, he made his way straight out to the gardens, to the corner he'd been assigned when he put in the request to join the gardening team three months ago. He made a beeline for the bush in the far corner, finally flowering after months of careful coaxing. He'd poured so much time and effort into this little patch of garden, learning so much about flowers and herbs and whatever else he'd managed to cram into the small space.

Using some of his collected tools, he began to clip the fresh flowers from their bush, gently placing them in a basket one after another. He had to pick them today, if not incredibly soon, before they began to wilt again.

"Good morning, Bishop," a voice behind him sang, frightening him to within an inch of his life. He stood up abruptly, dropping the basket and in turn, the flowers onto the floor with a garbled yelp.

"S-Sorella..." he stuttered, trying to recover from his own embarrassment only to fail miserably. Not that you seemed to mind, stood before him holding back a giggle.

"Sorry, Bishop, I couldn't resist..." you laughed, "you're out here early today. Full day?" you asked with a sympathetic head tilt. Often Primo complained to you about having to spend too much time submerged in clergy matters and not where he had been enjoying himself most, as of late - right here, in the gardens.

"Sí, yes, I uh... Much to do, eh?" he lied. He was out here early to try and avoid people, to gather what he needed before he really was due in his first meetings.

"Tell them they work you too hard," you tutted.

"Shall I tell them you said that, or...?" he smirked, teasing you.

"If you like. Got more influence 'round these parts than you think," you winked, turning to take a quick look at the next lot beside his own that you tended to daily to see what would need doing today. Your lot was much bigger, needing more constant care but since this was your duty anyway, it only made sense. You were due to take over Primo's own little corner too, before you were informed he'd be taking care of it. You'd never put him down as a keen gardener before, but you suppose, his thumbs could indeed be green under those leather gloves of his.

"Noted," he smiled, a silence settling between the two of you as it seemed to do a lot. Never necessarily awkward, but... thoughtful.

You found it difficult to keep eye contact with him in these silences. You'd start to blush, your cheeks heating as your eyes got so lost in his. You'd tell yourself it was impossible not to, that ghostly white of one too stunningly bright to ignore. Your gaze flitted to the ground, where you saw his basket and the surrounding area littered with red roses scattered haphazardly. Then you realised, that was your fault.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry!" You dropped to your knees immediately, picking up the basket and carefully refilling the roses one by one as not to lose any petals. They were much too pretty to ruin...

"Oh, n-no, it's fine, Sorella. My fault entirely," he panicked, dropping to his knees in front of you too to help pick them up, until the basket was refilled.

"There, good as new," you smiled.

"Sí, sí..."

Neither one of you got up, still crouched on the ground and locked back into one of those silences again.

"So uh, who's the lucky lady?" you asked, not sure if you truly wanted to know but looking to just fill that stupid silence.

"Eh?" he asked, panicked and confused.

"The roses... Red ones, too. Why else would you pick red roses?" you awkwardly laughed, pointing at the basket in his hand.

"O-oh, they're um... Just... my colour," he lied. While red was a colour he wore often, that most certainly was not the reason for his scurrying about so early to collect them...

"Ah. Well, they're beautiful. I'm sure they'll brighten whatever room you put them in." Primo simply nodded, standing up and brushing the dirt from his robes. You followed suit, naturally.

"Well, I should, um... Get going."

"Of course, Bishop..." you shook yourself from a train of thought that was becoming dangerous the longer you stayed in his presence surrounded by red roses. "Do you need me to do anything on your lot today? If you're so busy, I mean..."

"Oh, no! Quite alright, Sorella. I have it under control, I believe." You knew he did not. He was still learning, and you could tell from here the soil was particularly dry after a few days of warmer weather. But you didn't say anything; you'd just do what needed to be done once he left, and coach him a little more when he had some free time.

"Well, hopefully I'll see you tomorrow then?" you smiled sweetly, "Have a good day, Bishop."

"Sí, sí... Oh, uh, you too, of course," he stuttered, cursing himself for being a fool. You just smiled wider, his little quirks so endearing to you. He bowed his head, as did you, and began to walk back toward the Abbey, leaving you to your duties.

Working in the summer sun all day can take it's toll - especially when you're daft enough to continue to wear your all black habit. When you rolled into your quarters that evening, you were relieved that the stone of the Abbey walls kept your room relatively cool throughout the day, and there was a shower waiting for you that you desperately needed.

You walked inside, immediately removing your veil and letting yourself collapse into the couch for a few moments of rest after being on your feet all day. You lay your head back on the couch back, staring up at the ceiling and willing yourself to get up for the shower you knew you'd dread to get into, but savour so much once under the cool water.

Eventually, you found the strength, sitting up straight and looking in front of you. It was then you noticed the difference in your little apartment... Your stomach flipped, the heat from outside seemingly emanating only from your cheeks while your heart pounded in your chest.

On your coffee table, right in front of you, was a beautiful black vase, a red ribbon tied in a neat bow around its neck...

Filled with red roses.

[the-writer-arrived]

A Wish Within Reach

Synopsis: his current life is something wriothesley had never imagined he could have. however, there are things he yearns oh-so-dearly to have that are still out of reach... or so he thought.

Character: wriothesley.

Warnings: gn!reader; established relationship; hurt & comfort; spoilers about wrio's past and voicelines; nightmares; imagery of death and blood (not reader's or wrio's).

A/N: i am so in love with this man, his 'more about wriothesley: v' hurt me so much, i wish to give him all the love he deserves. i talked with a friend about how wrio probably 'froze' most of the bad memories and thoughts of his past to not affect him so obviously, that's why he can say such worrying things so nonchalantly :'( please be happy for your birthday, my love 🥹

P.S: also, in a lighter note, please feast your eyes with eriimyon's good morning series, you're welcome.

It's dark, very dark. Wriothesley can barely see what's around him.

Where am I?

The air is completely still, as if everything is holding their breath in waiting. Waiting for something to happen.

For something terrible to happen.

Suddenly, a bright light blinds him, followed by a loud sound of something popping too close to his face.

"Happy birthday ••••••!"

Wriothesley's stomach churns. That was the name he had long abandoned. Those were the voices he hadn't heard in years.

Voices he shouldn't be hearing anymore.

Blinking to adjust to the newly lit room, a kitchen foreign and yet so familiar, he settles his stare at the two people he shouldn't be seeing anymore.

"...Is something wrong ••••••?"

"Are you feeling alright, son?"

Son... I'm nobody's son.

The hand reached out to him is slapped away harshly, causing the woman to gasp in shock.

"••••••! How could you do this to your--!"

"SHUT UP! NOT ANOTHER WORD!!"

His voice booms over theirs, filled with hatred. Strangely, it sounded... different. Younger.

He looks to the side and saw a reflection of himself in a mirror: a boy staring back at him, his chest heaving, eyes blown wide with fear and a bloodied knife on his hand.

His attention snaps back to the scene before him, the cake with candles and birthday decorations are a stark contrast to the two dead bodies on the floor.

It's too much, too real, too vivid.

The smell, the scene, the hatred, the fear.

It's suffocating.

"...io! ...rling ..ak ...up!"

Someone please make it stop!

----------

"Wriothesley!"

Blue eyes shoot open, hand grabbing tightly whatever it was reaching for his face in reflex.

"It's okay, Wrio, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you, you're safe now."

The gentle voice manages to ground him, his eyes meeting your concerned expression. His grip relaxes, bringing your hand to cup his cheek to place a kiss inside your palm, an apology.

"...Sorry, did I wake you up, sweetheart?"

"It's fine, I had to go to the bathroom earlier, so I was already up." You observe the way your lover's chest move up and down quickly and the way the hand cupping yours is slightly clammy. "Bad dream?"

"...Yeah." Wriothesley closes his eyes, allowing a beat of silence to hang in the air, before elaborating. "Sigewinne scolded me for drinking too much tea, saying it wasn't healthy, and declared I should only drink her milkshakes for now on. Terrifying, right?"

That is an obvious lie, he knows. Totally unbefitting of someone in his position as the Duke, who is always five steps ahead of anyone. He knows. And he knows that you know he's lying through his teeth.

"Terrifying indeed..." You pull your hand away from his grasp to gently hold it instead, thumb caressing his knuckles. "But it's okay now, I'm here."

But, with you, he isn't the all knowing Duke of the Fortress of Meropide, Lord Incognito of the murky depths or whatever fancy title people give him. He is Wriothesley, a human like any other, who is plagued by nightmares from time to time. And who is blessed to have such a kind lover by his side, that chooses to play along with his weak excuse instead of pressing for answers.

"Say..." Your tone of voice makes him open his eyes again, curious to know what's on your mind. "I suddenly feel like having a cup of tea right now... Would you like to join me?"

"Drinking tea at..." Wriothesley stops, propping himself up with his elbows to glance at the clock on the bedside table. "2 in the morning doesn't sound very healthy, don't you think? The Head Nurse would surely scold us."

"Then we need to keep this a secret from her." You shrug, your smile bright even in the darkness of the bedroom. "Well?"

He doesn't even need to answer out loud, already getting up from the bed and pulling you along towards the kitchen.

----------

"Sweetheart, do we still have that jam you bought the other day?"

"I guess so. It should be in the fridge."

As your beloved always says, tea is best served with something sweet on the side, even if it's very late at night. Surely Sigewinne won't mind, right? ...Not that she'll find out about it.

Wriothesley opens the fridge, hoping to find that delicious jam imported from Sumeru you got recently, only for his eyes to fall onto a cake.

Happy birthday Wriothesley!

Happy birthday ••••••!

The names begin to mix in his vision as he stares at the writing on the cake, those cursed voices from his nightmare coming back to ring inside his ears.

"Did you find it, love?" You ask while you finish pouring the hot water inside the matching mugs (one of a wolf and the other of a bunny) and letting the teabags to brew for a little bit. "Wrio?"

Hearing no response coming from the man, you turn around to find him just standing in front of the fridge as if hypnotized by something, gripping its handle a bit too tightly.

"...Wrio, are you okay?" You carefully place your hand on his arm and you watch as his unfocused eyes return to normal, blinking a few times before glancing at you. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, sorry, I got distracted by this." He points to something, opening the door more so you can see it, and Wriothesley has to cover his mouth to stop a chuckle at how big your eyes become at the sight of the cake.

"Shit, I forgot to cover it?!" He feels slightly bad watching the way you deflate. "It was supposed to be a surprise for later..."

"Hey, it's okay, I still got surprised. I had completely forgotten today was my birthday."

Listen, he swears he said that hoping it would cheer you up a little, that the surprise you had prepared wasn't ruined like you thought. But, seeing you frown further, now directed at him, he starts to think that wasn't a good idea.

Your lover opens his mouth, ready to apologize again, but you beat him to it.

"Since the cat's out of the bag now, I might as well roll with it..." Your expression changes from upset to determined and Wriothesley always marvels at how you can bounce back into action. "I have a few things I wish to tell you. Will you listen to me, Wrio?"

You could ask for the stars in the sky and he would ask how many of them you would want. Listening to you talk is something he'll gladly do forever, if it's up to him.

He sits on one of the kitchen stools, pulling you to stand between his legs and patiently waits for you to begin, his thumbs rubbing your knuckles and offering you a relaxed smile.

With a deep breath, you squeeze his hands to signal you are ready and start speaking the words coming from the depths of your heart.

"...You always says that the less people see of you, the happier their lives are. While I get where you're coming from, that has never worked for me."

"Ever since we first met, I've had this feeling of wanting to see you again. Again, while I understand the air of intimidation helps with being the warden and all that, you don't match the description of a dangerous man people have when talking about the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide... Especially when I catch your gloves and back filled with Melusine stickers~"

That last part makes Wriothesley huff, which, in turn, makes you laugh.

"The more time I spent with you, the more I got to know about the man behind the title of Duke... The more greedy I'd become. I'd wonder when I would have the next opportunity to visit you, to have tea with you, to watch you fight at the Pankration... Until I started to wish to be by your side as more than a friend."

"And when you started to open up to me, allowing me to treat your wounds, telling me about your worries and even about your past, that wish of mine only grew."

"...I know life has been cruel to you, ever since you were little. You went through things no one, much less a child, should experience..."

You pause, feeling a familiar pressure behind your eyes and a lump in your throat. You take another deep breath, your hands moving to your beloved's cheeks.

"But I want you to know that I am so, so glad you were born into this world. I'm so blessed to be by your side."

Wriothesley's breath hitches, his heart beating a bit too hard for comfort and his hands shake a little. In a way, it's the same reaction he had during his nightmare, but the feeling this time is far, very far from being fear.

It's love.

A love so deep and strong for you it's nearly painful. The kind of pain he wishes to feel for the rest of his life.

"...I want to make my wish now. Can we light up a candle on the cake, sweetheart?"

"...Huh?" You blink once, twice, three times... "You want... to make a wish? Now?!"

"What? You're not going to deny the birthday boy, are you?"

It's your turn to huff now. You could never deny him, not when he always does so much for you.

You place the cake on the table before him and observe with great interest as the flame of the candle lighting Wriothesley's handsome face, eyes closed in concentration before blowing out the small flame. He then opens his eyes to look at you.

"Want to know that I wished for?"

Truth to be told, you do. You'd love to know what could it be that he desires so much that he couldn't wait until later. Despite that, you shake your head.

"No, it's fine. It won't become true if you say it out loud."

By the Seven, you look so adorable, saying that so seriously despite it being just a superstition. He can't help but tease you lovingly.

"But I didn't wish for anything."

Silence. Only you blinking owlishly at your lover.

"Then why did you even want to light a candle for?!"

"Ouch, hey now! You shouldn't hit the birthday boy!" The man has the audacity to laugh, easily holding your fists in place to stop you from hitting him. "I didn't wish for anything, but I wanted to say thanks to someone."

"Thanks? To whom?"

"...To whatever deity that took pity on me and was benevolent enough to grace me with their most perfect angel."

Your cheeks flush in no time, his eyes full of adoration making you feel bashful.

"Oh, stop it. I'm no angel!"

"Hmm, yeah. On second thought, you're right." He grins and pulls you into his embrace. "You're probably a deity then, rather than an angel."

"Wrio!"

"What? Shocked that I've uncovered your secret?" He chuckles at you rolling your eyes, not missing the way you bite your lips to stop a smile.

"Seriously speaking now, I do consider you as someone incredibly special. Thanks to you, I've achieved things I could never have done by myself, like being able to trust other people."

"...Even though the past can't be changed, I can now say I have a happy present. And I dare say that I'll have a happy future as well, with you by my side."

He dries the lone tear that escapes from your pretty eyes, chest bursting with deep love for you and hopes the kisses he places on your lips can convey his true feelings, when any and all words that he knows fail to do it.

----------

His birthday was something Wriothesley had long since stopped caring about.

His previous birthday is related to a time of his life he'd rather leave behind and never look back at It, while his current birthday is the day he was convicted for his crime.

Suffice to say that none of those dates have a positive memory behind them.

Now, however, as the two of you return to bed after having tea, biscuits with jam and many kisses in between, Wriothesley believes this year's November 23rd is the first one he actually wants to celebrate.

To celebrate the first time he actually feels thankful for his birth.

[holdmytesseract]

Drabble request Daryl x fem!reader: i don't want to watch the world end with someone else 🫶🏽 don't know if that's kinda challenging or easy going, I'm excited 🤭

Life and Death

Daryl Dixon x fem!Reader

Warning: the usual Walking Dead stuff? walkers, weapons, fluff

Word Count: drabble

a/n: I can't describe how much I enjoyed writing this. Gods, I missed writing for Daryl. 🥹 Thank you SO much for this, friend! 🧡

You were driving down the muddy forest path on your motorbike; crossbow slung over your back. Being the girlfriend of a certain archer had it's perks. Especially in a apocalypse.

The air smelled fresh and clean. Slightly cold, but not freezing. It had just rained; causing the scent of water and earth to fill your nose. Waterdrops fell from the trees which lined the path; hitting the skin of your face from time to time. Closing your eyes for just a moment, you relished in the scent and feel of the nature around you. It was beautiful. And dangerous. But that was nothing new.

The neigh of horses from some distance, ripped you out of your thoughts. You focused; seeing a carriage quite a few yards ahead. You immediately had a guess who it could be and slowed down, carefully approaching. But you could already tell that it was a friend and not an enemy.

When the carriage stopped and you beside it, you knew you were right.

With a bright smile you got off your motorbike and went to hug your friend. "Hey, Maggie. Long time no see. How are you? And Hershel? And Hilltop?" The brown haired woman wrapped you in her arms tightly. "Way too long, Y/N," she started. You could hear the smile in her voice. "'M good, thanks and so's Hershel. Hilltop as well. How are you?" "Never been better, thank ya."

She stepped back from the embrace with her signature smile. "Already the second archer I met today." Your eyes shone bright. "You saw Daryl?" Maggie nodded. "Indeed. Was off huntin'." "I know, yeah. I wanted to look for him and help. Been busy this morning; training some kids in fighting off walkers, but now I've got time. Do you know where he went?"

"He didn't tell me, but I'd say he went south-east," she answered; pointed into the direction. "Thanks."

You actually wanted to talk longer to your dear friend - bound together by the end of the world, but Jesus's words about a small herd of walkers approaching through Maggie's walkie-talkie unfortunately brought an early end to the reunion. Of course, neither you nor Maggie wanted to end up in a herd of walkers. Small or not.

Therefore, you quickly bid your goodbyes and moved on. Maggie back towards Hilltop and you (hopefully) into Daryl's direction.

Luckily, your boyfriend had taught you well over the years and so you were able to make out his wheel tracks in the muddy earth and could track him down.

You found him near a quite big cliff on the edge of the forest; standing near the edge. His motorcycle was parked a few meters behind him; a handful of dead rabbits and squirrels draped over the saddle. Daryl's crossbow was slung over his shoulders as he was gazing into the far distance; on the valley to his feet.

You had turned off the engine of your motorcycle already a while ago and had been wheeling it instead; unable to drive over the uneven and steep forest ground.

You clapped down the pedestal of your vehicle and parked it beside Daryl's, before you sneaked your way over to Daryl; a mischievous smirk on your lips. Perhaps you could catch him off- "Ya might wanna work on yer sneaking up technique."

You hadn't even made three steps when those words left his lips. Damn it. You pouted and slumped up to stand beside him. "Oh come on, was I this obvious?" The archer looked over to you, a soft smile on his face. "Nah, but I recognised yer steps." You blinked in disbelief. "My steps?" "Yeah. Should know that by now after all those years 'n nights ya creepin' around the places we called home, eh?"

"Well... I suppose you're right." He gave you another soft smile and redirected his gaze.

"What you're looking- Oh my gosh..." Your eyes almost popped out of your head as you followed your boyfriend's gaze. The valley below the hills surrounding it was flooded with walkers. Hundreds. Thousands. Maybe even more.

Your jaw dropped in shock and... You couldn't even describe it. It was a picture of horror in an almost idyllic piece of land. Decay and rotting; flourishing nature and rebirth. Life and death. Light and darkness. Old life and new life. It was the definition of this world and all that happened to it all those years ago in one frame. It was unbelievable and rather difficult to grasp.

"Kinda frightening, right?" Daryl's voice urged to your ears. You swallowed; nodding. "Yeah, but also... I don't know..." You needed a moment to find the right words. "A blessing and a curse. A blessing for the earth. The recovery of nature and all its aspects. A curse for all human beings. Sad to see what became of the people - of the world we used to know." Daryl nodded in agreement. "Couldn't have put it better." He had never been a man of many words, but you could tell that he understood. He felt the same.

Like automatically, you reached for his hand and slipped your fingers through his; needing his comforting touch. Daryl's head shortly turned to look at your now intertwined hands. He squeezed your smaller hand and gently pulled you closer, until your shoulder was brushing his; the both of you still staring down on the horrific scenes below you in silence.

The only reassuring thing about it was the fact that they were very far from the place you called home.

"Daryl?" You spoke up again; voice merely above a whisper. "Yeah?" "I'm happy you're here. With me. In this. I'm grateful I found you. I couldn't imagine this world - neither my life without you. I wouldn't want to watch this world end with somebody that isn't you. Or our friends."

Again, Daryl wasn't a master of words, so instead of answering something, he let go of your hand in order to wrap you up in a tight hug - and you gladly let him.

Nevertheless found four little words their way into your ear. "I love ya, Y/N."

Tags: @suniloli @stitchintimefan @in-this-minute @loz-3 @fictive-sl0th @fuseburner @mandywholock1980 @lou12346789 @mischief-dream @km-ffluv @crimson25 @buttercupcookies-blog @salvinaa @javagirl328 @sweetz1919

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Replies! About Jamil’s roommate, twst boys making each other jealous, Jade feeding Silver funny mushrooms (again) and some other twst stuff.

Anonymous asked:

hi i love ur art sm. i love how often u draw ortho bc some of the twst fandom always leave him out <//3 thank u and have a great day!!

Thank you, Anon!! It means a lot! <3

Ortho really is underappreciated, and I think a lot of people just aren’t sure what to do with him… and some people are genuinely uncomfortable with him lol But he has so much to offer and is so unique and interesting that I can’t really help it. He is a joy to draw, and I am always happy when people like drawings of him.

Have a great day too!

Anonymous asked:

I don't like your latest artwork at all. At all!!! It's smug aura mocks me...

that feeling when you realize you will never have a cozy morning jamil greeting you when you wake up. why even live

(DON'T READ THE REST of this ask if you don't want spoilers for his birthday vignette, I don't even know if what I'm going to say counts as spoilers or if you care about these kind of vignettes)

They briefly introduced Jamil's mob roommate, and of course we don't get to know a lot about him (he's a mob after all), but I thought it was funny that his main contribution to the vignette was sleeping through every noise Jamil makes (like drying his hair or when his alarm clock goes off). I like to think that he is the one mob student who just isn't interested in Jamil in the slightest. It's not that he doesn't think he is pretty, it's just that it does nothing for him. Jamil, you need to treasure him!

Ouch, Anon! But also, fair! There is nothing to like about that latest artwork! If anything, it’s offensive! 😤 (thank you so much <333 and also thank you for this existential dread; why even live indeed…)

I KEEP FORGETTING THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE BOYS HAVE ROOMMATES OMG Jamil and his mob roommie!! 🥹 lol it really would be funny if he was that one (1) Scarabia student who doesn’t have the hots for Jamil. Poor Jamil really needs to have one person around him that doesn’t look at him like a hungry animal. And finding this one guy took so much luck from Jamil that he remained luckless for the rest of his life 😔 rip

But also maybe this guy is just very good at pining quietly…

Anonymous asked:

re: jack x epel, i can see epel hooking up with people (slut smh) and not wanting any strings attached, and although i think jack wouldn’t be into hooking up…sometimes deuce isn’t around when he’s unbearably horny and he does share a class with epel, who’s more than happy to help a hot buff wolf man…and sometimes deuce will hang around ace and it makes jack jealous so he recruits epel to make deuce jealous >:3

the drama!

Oh god, the first years just keep fucking each other to make each other jealous!! 😭 This is why romance is forbidden in this kind of schools, because otherwise this shit happens! (fun fact: I have a little comic about Ace recruiting Epel to make Deuce jealous, but for now it’s only been posted on ko-fi) In all seriousness, these boys really are horny and petty enough for all kinds of drama to happen.

Epel would also probably be very into the fact that he is being this cool and mature… he would expect to be more experienced by Jack but 😔

Anonymous asked:

So which of the twst cast would flirt with someone else to get someone jealous? Also who would do it for funsies, to get back at them as petty revenge or some other petty reason?

APPARENTLY THE ENTIRETY OF THE FIRST YEAR! Shame on them! Shame on these boys! Sebek is the only normal one! 😡

In reality though, I can see Ace doing it; Deuce wouldn’t do it intentionally, he just ends up in these situations that make Ace jealous. Epel would absolutely try to do it though. Ortho might too, actually, but he would just tease a little bit…

Azul would be petty enough to do it but he isn’t super liked by others, so there probably won’t be much flirting happening lol Idia might tease Azul like that though, but it would backfire horribly somehow. I wouldn’t call it “flirting” though because Idia isn’t much of a flirt, but complimenting someone for being good at board-games is enough to get Azul mad.

Jade would do it in a very obvious way, almost too crudely for how sneaky and manipulative he usually is. But that’s absolutely intentional.

Jamil probably would, but not with Kalim – he knows that this kind of thing wouldn’t really work with him, and they don’t have this kind of relationship… pissing Azul off would be funny to him though because his reactions are very obvious.

Vil might do it a little bit; I keep thinking about that one jp RookVil comic about Vil surrounding himself with the Savanaclaw mobs during Beanfest and thinking  “it wouldn’t hurt for you to get jealous every once in a while”. Not something he usually goes for, but if he is feeling a little bit petty (i.e. after the VDC)? Easily.

Rook and Lilia both do it a lot but it’s never their intention to make someone else jealous lol

Malleus would be petty enough to do something like that though. As someone who often feels left out and neglected, he would be overjoyed to see someone getting jealous of him and upset with him flirting with someone else. He made Lilia jealous a couple of times, and it’s always such a big win for him that he can’t stop grinning very smugly…

Anonymous asked:

So apparently there is a mushroom called caterpillar mushroom which works similarly to viagra....

Jade likes mushrooms

Take what you want from this ask..... 😈

Anon, the mushroom itself is both fascinating and disturbing at the same time. Jade would be enamoured by it; both by how difficult it is to grow it and how powerful it is. He absolutely will start growing some. Why do you have caterpillars in your room, Jade? No reason. What is it that grows on their little silly heads? Just a little project…

He will definitely take his time deciding what would be the best use for it, but since he has to check if it works or not anyway, he would need a guinea pig. I guess it means Silver is getting another risotto 🤤

m1lk-n-cook1es asked:

A little prompt I had after reading the  Sleeping Beauty alternate story "Once Upon a Nightmare" that I found on AO3

"Silver fell to a sleeping spell that lasts for nine months. During this time, Lilia nonconed Silver roughly, and Silver ended up pregnant. And after Lilia found out he was pregnant, he began banging Silver in his sleep. One day, during the last day of the spell, Silver woke up in pain (both from contractions and Lilia banging him). Lilia banged Silver as he gave birth to twins. Lilia was disappointed he woke up, but happy that he had kids and planned to play with Silver more"

What a lovely family these two are 🥹

Really makes you think about how fucked up the original fairy tale actually is. It really is the somnophilia story, and Silver is the absolute star of it! Thanks Lilia for being this horrible.

While the topic of pregnancy and giving birth isn’t something that I like, the dark fucked up vibe of this prompt makes it kind of fun…

Anonymous asked:

This but with Lilia: https://youtu.be/AD95PSX7ntE?si=DRQmAWJBuonRvATT

Oh my GOD this is literally Lilia NOOOO

With his silly dance and his historically accurate Exes!

(in all seriousness, I am stunned by the production quality and editing of this video lol very impressive!!)

[sagesolsticewrites]

Love’s Light Wings: Chapter 2 (“The course of true love never did run smooth”)

John Brady x Juliet Thompson (OFC)

Job interviews, wedding planning, and first meetings, oh my! John and Jules navigate his homecoming and start planning for their future while reckoning with the impact the past two years have had. Juliet finally puts a face to a name regarding a certain dear pen pal, along with several other new friends.

Word count: 6.4k

Warnings: description of a panic attack and PTSD symptoms (please let me know if there's anything I missed!)

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.

Hugest of huge shoutouts to @winniemaywebber and @blakelysco-pilot for reading this many many times before I posted it; our girls are finally together! 🥹 I love y’all 💕

Masterlist | Prologue | Chapter 1 

Juliet wakes, as she always does these days, with a smile.

It’s been around two weeks since her Johnny came home— two wonderful weeks since he’d proposed in the back garden— and she’d loved every second. John had been settling back into life at home in sleepy Victor, New York, taking the time to grieve the friends he’d lost overseas and process the passing of his father, happy to have his mother fussing over him while he took a break before resuming the search for a job.

Juliet had indeed asked around as promised and found that Victor High School was in the market for a second music teacher— poor Mr. Brown was getting overwhelmed with the class load and was looking forward to some help. So today, John had an interview with the principal, and Juliet was coming along to introduce him.

Beaming, she rolls out of bed to get ready for the day. Once her face is washed and she’s donned her favorite light green shirtwaist dress, she races to her vanity for her new favorite part of her morning routine: slipping on her engagement ring.

A warm wave of joy rushes through her feeling the subtle weight of it on her finger, the emerald and two tiny diamonds sparkling in the sunlight.

She skips downstairs once she’s deemed herself presentable, greeting her parents with a kiss on the cheek.

“Good morning,” her mother laughs, “you’re certainly in a good mood today.”

“It’s a good day,” Juliet shrugs, trying to downplay her excitement.

“Because you get to see John?” 

“Yes…” she drags out at her mother’s knowing look, unable to hide her smile, “And because of my lunch date with the girls, remember?”

“Oh yes,” her father laughs from his place at the table, “How could we forget?” In a more sincere tone, he continues, “I hope you plan on thanking Olive for all her letters when you meet her.”

“Of course, Daddy,” Juliet replies, “She was such a wonderful friend to have when Johnny was…”

She trails off, then clears her throat, continuing with an unbothered smile. 

“And I can’t wait to meet Val, she sounded like quite the character in Olive's letters.”

“You’ll be home in time for dinner, yes?”

“Yes, mama, I will.”

Breakfast passes quickly with quiet conversation, and promptly at 10 o’clock there’s a knock at the door.

Juliet jumps up from her chair with a squeal, racing to the front door. She pauses, taking a moment to brush any wrinkles from her dress and adjust her favorite brooch before opening the door to a smiling John Brady.

“Hi sweetheart.”

Butterflies flurry to life in her stomach as he leans in to press a chaste kiss to her cheek, mindful of her parents nearby.

“Hi, Johnny,” she smiles, “You look very nice, honey.”

Her boy preens in that shy way he does whenever she compliments him, stepping into the foyer.

“And you look lovely as always, Jules.” He nods to her parents lingering in the hall with a smile, “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson.”

Greetings are exchanged, going over the schedule once more— interview, then John will drop Juliet off at the station so she can take the train into town for her lunch, he’ll be driving into town later to meet up with his fellow members of the 100th and dropping Juliet at home promptly at dinnertime.

Juliet’s parents wish John luck, reminding them to be safe, her mother urging her to say hello to all of the girls for her, and with some difficulty they manage to get out the door and into the car.

“You have your resume?”

John’s lips twitch slightly as he holds back a soft laugh, nodding to the glovebox, “Yes, dear—”

“And your c—”

“— and my cover letter, yes. As well as a few references.” He looks fondly over at his fiancée, “I have done this before, honey.”

“I know,” Juliet flushes a rosy pink, “I know, I just— I want to help in any way I can, Johnny.”

“You are helping, Jules,” he assures her, reaching to clasp her hand in his, thumb stroking gently over the back of it, “You’re introducing me to the new principal, you absolutely didn’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” she insists, “And besides, someone has to come in there and show you off,” she teases sweetly, “Knowing you, you’ll be the humble gentleman you always are and downplay all your experience.”

His lips quirk up into a smile reminiscing on his time as a teacher, which had come to an end when he enlisted after the Pearl Harbor attacks.

“Ah yes, my whole one semester of experience.”

“Hey,” she scolds at his sarcastic tone, “One semester is more than most people wanting this job have.” Her tone softens, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, “You’ve got this, Johnny.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

Upon arriving at the school, Juliet directs him to the principal’s office, occupied by a man who seems to be about the same age as her father. The two exchange a friendly greeting, Juliet turning on her brilliant, most charming smile as she turns to her fianc��, making the brief introductions and subtly slipping in a comment about how John’s “looking forward to being back.”

“Well, I’ll let you two talk,” she smiles demurely, slipping quietly out the door and clicking it closed behind her.

An hour later, a familiar figure stands in the doorway of her classroom where she’d decided to make some progress on her curriculum preparations. Looking up, she can barely hold back a squeal.

“Johnny! How did it go?”

His smile tells her everything she needs to know, even as he says, “I think it went really, really well. Mr. Asher said I should hear from them in a few days with their decision.”

She flings her arms around him, beaming.

“I knew they’d see how amazing you are. We’ll be working together again!”

“Honey, did you hear the part where I have to wait a few days to hear their decision?”

“That’s just a formality, Johnny,” she assures him as they begin the walk back to the car, “If I know Mr. Asher, he wanted to give you the job right away.”

Her fiancée just laughs, pulling her close to press a kiss to her temple as he opens the door for her.

He drops her off at the station with a kiss and a “Say hi to Olive and Val for me— they’ll love you, honey, I promise,” and she passes the time quickly with the paperback tucked into her purse.

At the station, Juliet scans the crowd for her friends— despite her protests, they’d insisted they meet her there and walk to lunch together.

She grins as she spots Jo and Jean standing with two other women, racing towards them.

“Jo! Hi darling!” She says, flinging her arms around her friends, “And Mrs. Croz, looking lovely as always.”

“Thank you, honey,” Jean laughs.

“So good to see you, Jules.” Jo beams, and then her attention turns to the stylish brunette standing beside her, “This is—”

“Val DiRosano,” the woman beams, reaching over for a handshake, which Jules ignores as she goes in for a hug.

“So wonderful to meet you at last, Val.” She says, “I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things from Johnny.”

“I should hope so,” she grins, green eyes sparkling as she gestures towards the woman beside her, “Same here, from both Brady and Olive.”

The sweet brown-haired, hazel-eyed girl gives Juliet a wave.

“Hi, Jules,” she says softly, her accented voice a surprise to Juliet’s ears, “So happy to finally meet you.”

A wave of emotion wells up in Juliet as she recalls the dozens of letters she’d exchanged with the girl before her, pouring out her worries about John, her dreams for when the war was over, essays pages long in which they rambled about Shakespeare, eagerly forming a friendship on countless sheets of paper. She recalled the two letters she’d gotten on that awful October day— one from her friend wishing her the happiest of birthdays, no doubt informed by Johnny, the other in which Olive somberly informed her that her boy had gone down, with a promise— soon fulfilled— that she’d write as soon as she had any more news. This was the girl who had talked her through some of the most horrible months of her life an ocean away, and before she knows it, Juliet is moving to pull Olive into a tight hug, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m so, so happy to meet you,” she murmurs, “Thank you for—” she swallows around the sudden lump in her throat, her voice tight, “for everything.”

Olive’s arms squeeze around her just as fiercely.

“Of course, darling.” She whispers, “I wish I could’ve done more—”

“No,” Juliet insists, “You were a lifeline when I needed one most, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for it.”

With one final squeeze, the girls separate, matching teary smiles on their faces.

“Well,” Juliet giggles, trying to lighten the mood as she brushes her tears away, “I knew you were a Brit, but somehow the accent was still a surprise.”

“It was for me, too,” Val laughs.

“It seems I’m just surprising in general,” Olive smiles, “Now come on, ladies, I’m starving.”

They soon find themselves seated in a booth at a sweet little diner, laughing like they’ve known each other their whole lives.

“No, really! Baseball superstar Val over here decided to take over entertaining Meatball and threw it right into the briefing room!”

“You know I didn’t mean to!” Val laughs, “And besides, Chicky wasn’t too mad at us.”

“Chicky?” Jean’s brow furrows, Jo mirroring her confused expression, and Olive snorts.

“Her little nickname for Colonel Chick Harding.”

“Wha—?”

“Oh please, I know he liked it no matter how many times he complained,” Val laughs, tucking away a stray hair behind her ear.

It’s then that Juliet catches a glimpse of a lovely emerald ring glinting in the light.

“Oh Val!,” she gushes, “That ring is gorgeous.”

“Oh! Thank you,” the girl seems to go soft as she glances down at her left hand, and the girls swoon as she recounts the story of Everett Blakely’s proposal, a wide smile lighting up her dignified face.

“That’s so sweet,” Juliet says, pressing a hand to her heart, and the other girls lean in to examine it as Val holds her hand out proudly.

“Wait, Jules, we haven’t gotten to see yours yet!”

Jo was right, Jules realized, she had phoned her and Jean as soon as she could to gush about John’s proposal, but in the excitement of meeting Olive and Val, actually showing them the ring as she’d promised had slipped her mind.

She politely waits until the girls are done ooohing and aaahing over Val’s exquisite ring to extend her own for inspection.

Olive’s eyes nearly bug out of her head.

“Juliet Thompson, Brady proposed and you didn’t tell me!”

“I’m telling you now!” Juliet laughs, “It was such a surprise… apparently he asked my parents for permission the night he came home,” she says, visibly softening at the memory, “and the next day he was down on one knee in our back garden with his grandmother’s ring.” She locks eyes with Olive, knowing she’ll appreciate this next part as she squeals, “He quoted Tempest.”

Olive lets out an outright gasp, “He did not!”

She nods fervently, beaming, “I would not wish—”

Olive finishes the quote with her, “— any companion in the world but you! Oh, that’s lovely, Jules.”

Val grins as she examines Juliet’s ring, extending her hand next to hers so the two emeralds are sparkling in the light.

“Brady’s got good taste, I see.”

“Looks like your Everett does, too,” Juliet laughs.

“Well of course he does,” Val says with a playful toss of her hair, “He’s with me, isn’t he?”

Jean lets out a happy sigh, her gaze scanning over the girls huddled together in the booth.

“It’s so wonderful that we’re all together now, isn’t it?”

“Almost all of us,” Jules reminds her kindly, “Vika wasn’t able to get away from the hotel— but she promised she’ll be at our next little get-together.”

“Vika?” Olive asks, the unfamiliar name having piqued her interest.

“One of my school friends,” Juliet replies, the glow of happiness surrounding her seeming to intensify, “We drifted apart a bit after graduation, but we’ve since reconnected and it’s been wonderful.”

“She’s been a darling addition to our little group here, you two will absolutely adore her,” Jean assures Olive and Val.

Jo, Jean, and Juliet fill Olive and Val in about their time spent with Vika, as if trying to fill the space where she should be.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Val says, red lips turned up into a sweet smile, “She sounds lovely.”

They talk for hours, though it seems like no time has passed at all when John enters the diner, scanning the room for Juliet, followed by several other men.

“Oh goodness, is it that time already?” Juliet glances at her watch as her fiancé makes his way over to their little booth.

“Hi sweetheart,” John says, bending down to press a chaste kiss to her cheek, then nodding to the rest of the girls, “Ladies. Olive, Val, very good to see you again.”

“Wonderful to see you, Brady.” Val grins. 

“Congratulations, by the way,” Olive says in a mock-offended tone, “I can't believe I had to wait two entire weeks to find out you proposed, Brady.”

The smile on his face stretches into a wide grin, seeing right through the act, “Well, you’re all invited to the wedding, will that be enough to make it up to you?”

“I suppose, “ Olive replies with a smile, her eyes going soft as her gaze drifts to the blue-eyed mustachioed man standing next to Brady, “Hi, honey.”

“Hey, Ollie,” the man replies sweetly, sliding into the booth next to her, then turning back to Brady, gesturing to the little group gathered around, “So, Brady, you gonna introduce us?”

With a good-natured roll of his eyes, John settles next to Juliet in the booth, gesturing between her and the boys.

“Gentlemen, this is my fiancée. Juliet.”

She gives him a tender smile, a swell of warmth rushing through her at her name on his lips alongside fiancée, though she soon remembers her manners and turns her attention back to the men, the names of whom John is currently listing— she had heard lots about them from the girls, but seeing them and putting faces to names was another thing entirely.

Rosie Rosenthal— the man Jo had been worrying over for months since he signed up for a second tour— gives her a kind smile, mustache twitching upwards. Harry Crosby— Jean’s beloved Bing— a softspoken man with kind brown eyes, greets her with a “Pleasure to meet you.” Everett Blakely beams, reaching over to greet her with a firm handshake, hazel eyes sparkling as he tells her how happy he is to finally meet the girl “Brady wouldn’t shut up about”, the comment bringing a blush to her cheeks. James Douglass— the man settled next to Olive, blue eyes bright and happy— perks up at her name.

“So I have you to thank for the Shakespeare lessons!”

“Yes, I’m glad they came in handy,” Juliet laughs, glancing pointedly at Olive. In one of his early letters, Johnny had asked for some of her particular favorite passages to pass on to Dougie in an attempt to help him woo Olive, and she was happy to see that they had helped— especially after she’d heard about the “I hope” incident.

“I mean, I don’t think I was that bad before, but—”

“‘I hope,’ sweetheart.”

“You are never gonna let that go, are you Ollie?”

“Never,” Olive beams, her smile matching the one on Dougie’s face.

The introductions quickly turn into another hour of talking before Juliet realizes how much time has passed. After a series of rushed goodbyes and long hugs, John ushers her into the car to begin the drive back upstate.

“Well? What did you think?”

“Of your friends? Johnny, they’re all wonderful,” Juliet smiles, “I'm so looking forward to getting to know them more. And Olive and Val! I feel like I’ve known them forever.”

She turns smiling to look out the window at the blur of trees passing by, green eyes turned golden in the setting sun.

“Yes, I think we’ll all be very good friends.”

“It was nice of Benny to offer to escort Vika home,” John observes a week later on their way home from their informal engagement party— they had gathered all of their friends at one of their favorite restaurants in the city, with the addition of Benny DeMarco and Juliet’s dear friend Ruthvika Patel— formerly “Ruthie”, now “Vika” thanks to the encouragement of the girls.

“Well of course he did,” Juliet laughs, “He’s absolutely smitten.” She sighs happily, “I knew he’d like her.”

“Really? How could you tell?”

“Are you joking, honey? He could hardly take his eyes off her the whole time,” she reaches over to poke him playfully, “Very similar to a certain someone I met in college.”

“Wha—? Okay, I was not that obvious…” John glances over at her, “Was I?”

“A little bit.”

“Well anyway,” he glosses over this revelation entirely, “I know DeMarco, if he likes her that much he’ll be asking her out in no time.”

“No, I hope he takes his time,” Juliet says, “Vika’s shy, and I don’t think she’s ever been in a relationship before. It’ll be better if they get to know each other as friends first.”

“Well, it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. They seemed to be getting along.”

“We’ll see if there’s any progress next week.”

“Next week?”

“Remember, your golf game with the boys? The girls and I are going shopping for the wedding while you all are out.”

“Shopping? But I thought you already had a dress, honey.”

Juliet shoots him a look.

“I need other things besides a dress, my love.”

“Of course, of course,” John says, holding one hand up in surrender, “I hope you girls have fun.”

“Thank you, honey.” Her tone is sincere as she reaches to intertwine her fingers, the car slowing as they pull up to the Thompson home.

“Hey,” he murmurs, turning to face her, “I love you.”

Her heart goes soft as he leans in to press a tender kiss to her mouth, pulling away just enough to meet her eyes.

“And I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I love you so much,” Juliet says softly, leaning in for another quick kiss, lingering as their eyes meet before she reluctantly slips out of the car, “I’ll see you soon, honey.” 

“Oh!” She calls, pausing as she makes her way up the front walk, “Do you still want help with putting together those lesson plans?”

“I'd love that,” he smiles, “Come over tomorrow? I know my mother would love to see her future daughter-in-law.”

“Yes! I can’t wait to catch up with her,” Juliet replies, lighting up at the prospect of seeing Mrs. Alice Brady.

John shakes his head, “Sometimes I wonder if you’re marrying me just to get to her.”

“Oh no, you caught me,” Juliet laughs, “What can I say, honey? We bonded.”

He chuckles, giving his fiancée a fond smile, “I’m glad you two get along so well. See you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” she confirms, blowing one last kiss his way before making her way inside, John only pulling away once the door is closed behind her.

One week— and one delightful visit to Mrs. Alice Brady— later, she and John are once again driving into the city.

“What are you girls shopping for again?”

“Just some accessories. And Jean said she was looking for a new dress— oh, and Olive wanted to stop by a bookstore at some point if there’s time—”

The corner of his smile twitches, just barely holding back a fond laugh, but all her fiancé says is, “Sounds like you have quite the day planned. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

“Careful what you wish for, sweetheart,” Juliet laughs, “The girls and I will be talking your ear off at dinner.”

“I’ll tell the fellas to be prepared.”

“You girls have fun!”

“We’ll meet you for dinner at 6, alright?”

Juliet, Jo, Jean, Val, and Olive all wave off their respective men— and Vika shyly waves off Benny— with promises that they’d be at the restaurant at the agreed-upon time.

The boys went off to their golf game, and the girls drag Juliet along the bustling New York streets for the most important shopping day of her life.

“Oh Jules, look at that!” Jean gushes from her place beside her friend, pointing to a lace and tulle fascinator displayed in a boutique window.

Giggling, they descend upon the boutique, searching through the merchandise with girlish delight.

“Remind me, what does your dress look like, Jules?” Jo asks, picking through a selection of white gloves.

“Mama’s fixing up her own dress for me,” Juliet says with a wistful sigh, “I’ve always loved it. Ivory satin, gorgeous full skirt, pearls on the bodice…”

“Oh, it sounds lovely,” Val smiles, “Don’t you think, Vika?”

Vika glances up from where she’s fiddling with the lace of a fascinator, looking almost surprised to be included in the conversation even after several months of being embraced as a part of their little group.

“Hm? Oh!” She smiles shyly, “Yes, it sounds beautiful, Jules.”

“Oooh, what about this?” Olive holds up a truly ostentatious floral headdress bursting with tulle, “It’ll go perfectly with your bouquet.”

“I think that might be a bit much for Johnny.” Juliet laughs, glancing to make sure the woman who’d greeted them as they walked in is still busy helping another customer before whispering, “Is that what people wear to weddings in the future?”

“Not quite,” Olive giggles, “But you’re right, let’s find something else.”

“Jules,” Vika calls from a secluded corner of the store, “What about this?”

Juliet and Olive exchange a glance and follow her voice to the rest of the girls examining a selection of hats. Vika is standing next to a sweet ivory pillbox hat, a tulle veil attached at the top beneath a cluster of pearls.

Juliet is speechless.

“Isn’t it perfect?” Vika asks, brown eyes sparkling.

“It is,” Juliet squeals, rushing over to pick it up.

The girls cluster around a nearby mirror as she tries it on, and squeals of “gorgeous!” and “oh, you look beautiful, Jules!” echo out from their little corner of the boutique, tapering off awkwardly at the glares of the other customers.

Juliet laughs as she takes it off, then blanches when she sees the price tag.

“Well… it is gorgeous, but maybe we can find something else.” She says regretfully as she places it back on the display.

“What? No!” Jean frowns, “Honey, you’ve waited so long for this, you deserve it!”

“Jean, you’re sweet, but I just don’t have enough to be spending like that right now,” Juliet explains, “Come on, I’m sure we can find another option.”

Even as she says it and turns away, her eyes drift longingly back to the hat waiting on the shelf, settling there for just a moment before Juliet shakes herself and begins wandering back through the store.

There’s a series of whispers behind her, which Juliet assumes is the girls figuring out which section to peruse next, and the future Mrs. Brady finds herself back in front of the fascinators, trying to muster up the same enthusiasm she had when she first walked in.

“Jules?” Vika’s voice comes from behind her, and she jumps.

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” Her friend says apologetically, “ But, well… I think we’re ready to go if you are.”

Juliet turns, seeing the girls clustered behind Vika with poorly hidden smiles and a small hatbox held in Jean’s arms.

“Oh girls, you didn’t…”

“We all chipped in.” Jo beams.

“You deserve it, chicken,” Olive says, “It’s your wedding.”

A swell of emotion rises in Juliet’s chest, and it’s all she can do to squeak out a soft “I love you girls” before pulling them into a group hug.

“So do the two of you have a plan for after the wedding?” Jo asks as they stroll down to yet another boutique.

“I’m sure they do,” Olive says, eyebrows waggling.

“Oh hush!” Jo scolds with a playful swat to Olive’s arm, “Not like that. Jules, you know what I mean.”

Juliet nods, the blush at Olive’s comment fading in favor of a brilliant smile threatening to overtake her.

“There’s the sweetest little house for sale a few streets away from us,” she gushes, “Johnny’s been saving up, and his mother and my parents have offered to pitch in as well.”

“That’s very kind of them,” Jean says, “I can’t imagine how excited you must be— I remember how much I was looking forward to starting a life with Bing.”

“I am…”

Despite the joy in her voice, Juliet’s smile has dimmed the slightest bit.

 “I am, it’s just…”

The girls pause, identical frowns on their faces as they drift over to an awning over a dark storefront and wait patiently for Juliet to find the words.

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel real?” She finally says, her voice distant and soft, fingers worrying at the ring snug on her finger, “Like… like I’m in this wonderful dream, and at some point I’m going to wake up and he’ll be back in that place, and I’m alone again—”

“Oh, honey.”

Jo and Jean are the first to wrap their arms around her, the ones who know exactly how she feels— even after all the hoping and praying that their boys would come home safe, they knew that once they were home it took time to remember they were home for good now, that they were finally allowed to stop worrying and focus on the future ahead.

The girls said as much as they held their friend, trying to impart as much comfort as they could.

“Oh goodness,” Jules lets out a watery laugh, carefully brushing away the tears threatening to spill over and doing her best not to smudge her makeup, “I’m sorry, girls, this was supposed to be a fun day…”

“No, Jules, you have nothing to apologize for,” Olive assures her, “We’re all adjusting to life now that the war’s over, this is part of it. You and John will work through what you have to and build a beautiful life together, I just know it.”

Juliet shoots a grateful smile at the girls surrounding her, gratitude for the friendships they’d formed in such a dark time warming her to her core.

With one final squeeze, she returns to the subject that had gotten them on this path as they continue onward.

“You all absolutely have to come over once we’re all moved in, I’m dying to play hostess for you girls…”

They arrive at dinner promptly at six, the boys already waiting outside for them.

“Did you boys have a good time?” Juliet asks, already beaming as she brushes a chaste kiss to her fiancé’s lips.

“We did,” he smiles into the kiss, “How was your shopping trip? Can I have a peek?”

He makes a show of trying to peek into the hatbox in Juliet’s hands as she playfully swats him away.

“Absolutely not, John Brady, this is for mine and the girls’ eyes only until the wedding.”

“As you wish,” he says, the teasing sparkle in his eyes visibly softening at the mention of their wedding, “I know you’ll look beautiful no matter what, sweetheart.”

She rewards his tender words with another kiss as girls store their purchases safely in their respective vehicles, and the group heads in for dinner.

As promised, the girls chatter away about their shopping day, the boys doing their best to look interested, and vice versa when the topic turns to the boys’ golf game. The one quieter spot at the table is thanks to Benny and Vika— despite the orchestrations of Val and Jules to have them sit together, the two of them are still too shy to do more than say hello to each other when they’re surrounded by the excited conversation of their friends. 

Jules catches Val hiss something in Italian to Benny, to which he hisses something in return and redirects his attention to Rosie’s story about the fifth hole.

“How are they doing?” John whispers in her ear, his eyes flicking over to their mostly silent friends.

She shakes her head.

“Looks like still nothing yet,” she whispers back, “but Vika made it sound like they had a very nice time on the way back from the engagement dinner… oh I do wish they’d just talk to each other already.”

“Benny’ll come around,” he assures her, the comforting weight of his hand coming to rest on her knee— nothing improper of course, just letting her know he’s there.

Dinner flies by, aided by laughter and easy conversation, and before she knows it, her Johnny’s dropping her off back at home.

“You’re sure I can’t have just one tiny peek?” He whines once more as he shifts the car into park and she retrieves the hatbox from the backseat.

“No, Johnny,” Juliet replies, doing her best to bite back her smile in an attempt to look scolding and failing utterly, “I promise you’ll see it soon.”

“Soon,” he hums, reaching over to give her hand a squeeze and then tugging her in for a tender kiss.

It’s her turn to beam as he pulls away, warmth filling her as she realizes how soon soon really is.

Still, all she says is “I love you, drive safe, give my love to your mother,” before heading inside her childhood home, a piece of her future tucked inside the box in her arms.

It’s a balmy Saturday afternoon when Juliet takes the car to visit the Brady home. Wedding planning on top of both John and her planning for the upcoming school year has meant their time together is painfully limited, no matter how they try to find time to work together, and frankly? Juliet misses him.

So, an impromptu visit it is.

Armed with a tupperware of her mother’s chocolate chip cookies, she strides up the walk and knocks three times on the blue door, beaming as it opens to reveal Mrs. Alice Brady.

But instead of her usual cheerful smile, John’s mother seems more anxious than she’s seen her since John came home, and concern starts to whirl in the pit of Juliet’s stomach.

“Hello, Mrs. Brady, I— oh. Is everything alright?” 

“Hello, sweetheart,” Mrs. Brady puts on a far weaker version of her usual smile, “I’m sorry, John’s… he isn’t doing too well at the moment, honey—”

“What happened?” Juliet interrupts, her mind jumping to the worst possible scenarios.

Mrs. Brady appears torn, her mouth soundlessly opening and closing until she finally speaks again.

“He was helping me organize his father’s study… I— I dropped a book clearing off one of the bookshelves, and—” she takes a breath, forcing herself to continue, “He seems fine physically for the most part, but…” there’s a hint of fear in her eyes as she continues hesitantly, and the pit in Jules’s stomach grows, “he was shaking, he looked terrified, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t get him to recognize me.”

Jules’s hand flies to her mouth, doing her best to comprehend the situation.

“He seemed to be having some kind of attack, but I can’t help but think…” Alice Brady’s eyes meet Juliet’s, almost pleading now, “Maybe seeing you might help?”

”I… are you sure?”

“Absolutely, Juliet.” Mrs. Brady nods, “He may have missed me, but it wasn’t me he was fighting to come home to so he could propose. I have a feeling you’ll be able to help him through this in a way I can’t.”

With one last sad flicker of a smile, John’s mother leads Juliet through the house to the study that used to belong to Mr. Brady.

Her heart drops as she sees John crouched in a defensive position, blue eyes wild and unseeing, his breaths shallow as his eyes dart around the room looking for some unknown threat.

“Johnny,” she breathes, willing her voice not to break as she approaches him slowly. “Sweetheart?”

He stiffens at the sound but still doesn’t seem to recognize her and it’s breaking her heart to see him like this.

“Johnny,” she breathes again, using slow steady movements to crouch in front of him, “It’s me, honey, it’s Juliet. Your Jules.”

Maybe touching him would help—

It decidedly does not, as he flinches away from her, a sharp, gruff “no!” escaping him when she places a hand on his arm as if she’d brandished a gun in front of him.

Okay, different tactic.

“Can you look at me, Johnny?” She tries, pulling back and thinking for a moment before slowly brushing her fingertips to his.

It’s a soft enough touch that it doesn’t startle him, but it still hasn’t pulled him out of… whatever this attack is.

“Please—” she swallows, trying to keep her voice steady as she slowly, inch by inch, threads their fingers together, “Please, Johnny, it’s me, it’s Jules, please look at me—”

He’s still shaking, but his shallow breathing is slowly returning to normal as he blinks, eyes focusing once more on what’s in front of him.

“Johnny?” She says softly, squeezing his hand gently, trying to ground him.

“Jules?” He breathes distractedly, as if labeling the person in front of him rather than speaking to her.

And then the realization hits, and there’s a sharp inhale as he jerks away.

“Oh, God— oh, God, no, you shouldn’t have— when did you—”

“Sweetheart, are you alright?” She asks frantically, trying to get him to meet her eyes.

He’s shaking his head frantically, “What are you doing here, you weren’t supposed to— you can’t see me like this—”

It’s that last part that hits her. That makes her realize this isn’t the first time this has happened.

“This… Johnny, this has happened before?”

“It’s nothing,” he practically spits, refusing to meet her eyes, “just… remembering things from that place, I’m— I’m working on it, I swear.”

That place, she knows, is the stalag. Neither of them have been able to say the word yet, but a trailed off sentence or indeed, that place, shoved in just the right spot and they know what the other means.

“My love,” Juliet says hesitantly, having some idea of what his reaction to this suggestion will be. Still, she persists.

“If you feel like you need to talk about it— I don’t know what happened, but—”

Johnny’s definitely avoiding her eyes now as he says in a low, forceful tone— his voice is distant still, but not as if it’s lost in memory in some far off place, no; this is the detached voice of someone shoving their emotions deep, deep down— “We were stuck there for… for far too long. It wasn’t good. Now I’m home. That’s it.”

Juliet nods, recognizing when to step back even as she murmurs, “I know, sweetheart. But if you ever do want to talk about it… I’m here. I don’t want you to worry about scaring me or anything,” she adds, knowing that that’s at least part of why he avoids this topic with her, “All that matters is that we work through this together. Whenever you’re ready.”

He gives her a wordless nod, and the two of them are left to sit in silence, hands intertwined, until Mrs. Brady comes bustling in with a glass of water.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she breathes a sigh of relief once she sees her son, promptly fussing over him “Are you alright, sweetheart? Here, drink this— let’s get you settled in the chair here—”

John is moved to a soft, squishy dark green armchair nearby, doing his best to calm his mother’s nerves.

“I’m fine, Ma, I promise—”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart, me and my butterfingers did this—”

“Ma, it’s not your fault, really—”

“Mrs. Brady,” Juliet interrupts, gently placing a hand over Mrs. Brady’s nervously fluttering ones, “he’s okay. It’s alright.” 

John's mother lets out a long exhale, taking a moment before giving Juliet’s hands a grateful squeeze. “Yes. Thank you, darling.”

“Always,” Juliet smiles, her demeanor softening as her gaze drifts from Alice to John.

Always. She’s about to start her always with him, and if she’s honest? It’s a little nerve wracking, thinking about that after what just happened. Not in a bad way, of course, just… it’s going to be an adjustment, navigating what her Johnny brought back from the war with him.

He made it back, she reminds herself, that’s all that matters. 

They’ll work through what they have to, like Olive said, and then… she has forever to be with him. Home and safe and together.

“You alright, sweetheart?” John murmurs, brows furrowing at her silence.

She blinks, then gives him a smile that she hopes conveys even an ounce of the love she feels for him right now.

“I’m fine, Johnny,” she assures him, “I just remembered I brought cookies. And you look like you could use one.”

“The chocolate chip ones your mother makes?” John brightens, eyes lighting up like a child in a candy store.

“They’re in the kitchen, I’ll get them,” Mrs. Brady chimes in, leaving them to try to smother their giggles as they catch a mumble of “as if he didn’t eat the last of my snickerdoodles just yesterday, this boy…”

The moment his mother is gone, John wordlessly draws her into his lap, his arms wrapping around her and squeezing ever so slightly

“You sure you’re alright, darling?” Juliet asks, snuggling into him as he pulls her close..

The smile that greets her as she looks up at him isn’t quite the same one that she knew before he was shipped off. It isn’t stretched quite so wide, doesn’t reach his eyes in the same way. 

But she smiles back just the same as he assures her, “I’m perfect, Jules.”

“Now, are you sure you’re alright?”

She takes a moment to consider it and decides that right here, in her fiancé’s arms, mere weeks from marrying him…

“I’m perfect, too, Johnny.”

[timchalamet-devoted]

Hello, hope you are doing well. i love your writings💗

I wanted to suggest an idea for Timothy's newest photos. Reader is just a friend of Timothy, she is cheerful and self-confident, they went out for a walk only together and at the time of the conversation she told him that he is very handsome and starts taking pictures of him, he is embarrassed because he likes her very much. In the end, he looks at the pictures with her and decides to kiss her💗💗

sorry for the mistakes i don't know english well

A/N: Hi, thank you so much for the request!! I'm so glad to know you enjoy writing 🥹 I hope you're doing good too.

I love this idea, and I wanted to take my time, so it turned out well. I hope you enjoy it <3 This is my first request (🥳), so I hope I did alright, and it turned out how you imagined it!

(Timothée's pov)

——————————————————————

Picture Perfect

It was the perfect summer getaway. A chateau in the south of France. A month of exploring, dining, and drinking champange. It was now early morning, and the world was still asleep. Silent. The sun was low on the horizon, the rays painting the sky with pastel pinks and yellows. It was clear, not a cloud in sight. Reminents of the fading stars just barely visible.

It was truly a sight to behold.

It was just us. Just me and her. Me and y/n.

My dearest friend, the one person who I truly felt myself with. How I wish it were something more. At times, I feel as though there may be a spark there; that she may feel it too. I can only hope.

She looked like an angel beside me. Her bright smile stretched across her face, illuminated by the soft rays of sun. She seemed to glow, joy radiating from her. The kind that was infectious, I couldn't help but smile.

I was snapped back to reality when I heard my name. I'd been so engulfed in her beauty that I hadn't noticed her calling put to me. My eyes met hers, kind and loving.

"Isn't this lovely?" She sighed, gazing up at the sky.

"Indeed. We usually have so little time to spend with each other, and I do love being in your company."

She bit her lip as she turned back to me, eyes travelling across my face, then down my body and up again to meet my gaze.

A trace of blush creeped up onto her cheeks.

"You look really handsome," She said, matter-of-factly.

"Let me take a picture!" She exclaimed.

"Ya know, a memory of our wonderful holiday."

Before I had a chance to say anything, she had whipped out her phone and had already started snapping pictures. I smuled awkwardly at the camera:I couldn't help but feel flustered at her compliment. Had she meant it? Or was it just an off-hand comment? How could someone like her think anything of me?

An endless field of lavender lined the pathway, a fragrant aroma surrounding it.

I bent down and plucked a sprig, twirling it in my fingers before taking it between my teeth. She laughed at my actions.

What a marvellous sound.

After she was satisfied, we found a quiet place to rest, settling down on a small bench over looking the lavender fields. We looked over the photographs, one after the next, until we came to the one with the lavender piece. She paused, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as she examined it. But my eyes were on her, admiring her.

This moment here with her, it was so heavenly, I couldn't stop myself. I finally made up my mind.

Slowly, I leaned in, capturing her lips in mine. They were soft, moulding perfectly with mine, as if meant to be. I felt her hand on the side of my face, and a wave of relief washed over me. After a second, I pulled away, eyes searching hers. And all I saw in them was love.

[ceapa-mica]

Marrying Thrawn 💞 - a headcanon

I have returned and hope you enjoy this headcanon. Omg I swear this man has no red flags! 🥹

This is SFW and Reader's gender is not mentioned.

Thank you all for reading!

Taglist: @bingbongooo @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @ele-millennial-weirdo @enaelyork @jesslove23 @thrawnalani @thrawnsboots @twincesskorisoka @unmotivated-exhausted-author @davesrightshoe @shoe-bag @blackddarling

Thrawn proposed to you and you said yes! You're now about to start a new chapter of your life together. It's truly an exciting time for you both.

You search the holonet for the perfect outfit and eventually find the dress/suit of your dreams.

The weeks before your wedding are the busiest you have been in a long time. You work through the final weeks on the job before your contract ends.

That is due to marrying the Grand Admiral - your boss - and it would be a conflict of interest if you continued working under his command. Transferring you to another fleet is out of question since you want to stay with Thrawn.

After work you spend hours organizing your wedding. You and Thrawn agree that you prefer a small private ceremony. Despite that, it's still a lot of work.

You make most decisions together, such as the location of your wedding. You choose a small planet known for its sunny weather and rich history. The building for the ceremony is elegant with a great view of a lush valley.

You ask your longtime friend Karyn Faro to be maid of honor while your fiancé asks Eli Vanto to be his best man. Neither of you have to ask twice, your friends agree to being your witnesses.

While sending invitations to your family you notice Thrawn has that absent-minded look again that he always gets when he's trying to hide sadness behind his stoic facade.

After asking him what's wrong he tells you how unlikely it is that his people would leave the Ascendancy for a wedding.

Your heart aches when he tells you this, and after a long hug and many kisses you can convince him to send invitations anyway. The worst that could happen is that they won’t show up.

Only Thrawn's friend Admiral Ar’alani agrees to attend your wedding. The remaining replies from his family are declines paired with well-wishes. Thrawn has to translate them for you since you only know very few Cheunh words.

In the days before your wedding you move the rest of your belongings from your old quarters to Thrawn’s. Your old quarters are getting assigned to someone else. You officially moved in with him now.

You decide to celebrate your Bachelor parties together, inviting everyone on the Chimera you consider a friend. It turns into a cozy get together in your quarters with music, wine, good food and sabacc. You have a good time and you notice how Thrawn can't keep his eyes off you all evening.

You feel like royalty when you look into the mirror and see yourself in your wedding outfit the next morning. You’re told that you have such a glowing aura of happiness. You are happy indeed, but also quite nervous about taking a big step like this in your life.

The wedding ceremony takes place at noon. You and Thrawn take separate shuttles to meet at the venue. You haven’t seen each other on your wedding day and you wonder if he’s as nervous as you and what he’s wearing.

When you arrive and enter the historic building you see him waiting for you at the end of the aisle. He wears a black suit that fits perfectly and if he’s nervous he knows how to hide it. In fact, his eyes light up when he sees you.

The hall is decorated festively with countless flowers and the sunlight that shines through the windows, just like the presence of your family and friends, gives the ceremony a warm atmosphere.

He takes your hands in his when you speak the vows, you look deep into each other’s eyes and you both just know that you found a missing piece of your hearts in each other. At that moment it feels like it's just the two of you in the room.

When you are declared husband and wife you kiss in front of your loved ones. Since Thrawn is not into pda it’s rare for others to witness his tender side he usually reserves only for you in private.

You are now his, and he is yours.

What follows is a celebration at a small venue with cake, music, and friends and family giving heartfelt speeches that reduce you to tears. Thrawn is glad he can catch up with Ar’alani and you with your family.

You celebrate until late at night, everybody is having a good time. When you say your goodbyes everybody wishes you and Thrawn well.

Your honeymoon will only take one week if nothing important comes up.

You travel on a small private shuttle to your honeymoon destination, totally not making out in the pilot seat the second you make the jump to hyperspace.

You will remember this day for the rest of your life. It's been one of the happiest so far.

Should you choose to change your last name to his, you will be known as (Mrs. Mr. Mx) Mitth from now on.

Before you said yes to his proposal, Thrawn never thought he would get the opportunity to settle down. Tbh it wasn't even a priority to him until you came along. He will make sure to uphold his marriage vows - be loyal to you, to love and honor you, in good and bad times, until death and beyond.

Next will be the honeymoon headcanon which will be spicy af. 🔥 Definitely something I look forward to sharing with y'all! 💙

[mitamicah]

Today is a good good day 😭

This morning I freed my newest tattoo being this little thing inspired by the tarotcard "the lovers" that i got at the tavastia 2 anniversary (bc it gave me big Bojere vibes) .... six hours later Jere has posted "the story" 😱

At the internship today I felt so giddy, dancing a bit while making burritos. I had thought it was because there is now 2 weeks till i will see käärijä again but maybe there was something more in the air 👀

Oh and also a phonecall interupted me listening to Viulunkieli on my way home. It turned out to be the gender clinic finally calling to give me an appointment for pre-top op therapy 😭 the song arriving just after these good news were CCC btw 🤭

So yes (yes), today is indeed a great day 🥹

[pluckysidekick]

It’s Wednesday, my fellow Drewds! Going into the holidays I can’t help thinking about how our favorite Crew are celebrating the holidays. Can’t wait for all of the @secretsleuthexchange fics, gifsets, and fanvids we’re going to get!

In the meantime, I was inspired by a poll from @burningblake about which classic “standard” song best represents Nace (all excellent choices). I wound up making a Season 4 playlist of standards from the Great American Songbook, and a few other classic tracks, that represent their Season 4 journey for me. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, here we go!

I’ll be linking the Spotify tracks, but you should be able to find them all on Apple Music or YouTube. If you want a link to the full playlist, just hit me up here or on Discord.

1. The Nearness of You - This Hoagy Carmichael classic brings to mind Nancy and Ace’s inability to stay apart every time they’re near each other in Episode 401 🥺. I love the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong duet, but I picked Norah Jones’ version from her 2002 debut album because it’s just so perfectly wistful.

2. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby - this so so cool track was written by Louis Jordan, but I first heard it on Tom and Jerry (that’s the fighting cat and mouse cartoon in case you’re too young to remember them). I immediately envision the back and forth argument Nancy and Ace have throughout Episode 402 in the lyrics of this song. Ace just wants to know! I adore Joe Jackson’s version, but I went with Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones from 1956 because it is absolutely perfect.

3. Night and Day - I like to imagine that Nancy and Ace stayed up all night talking at the end of 402. This song perfectly embodies their relationship at this stage 🥹. It was written by Cole Porter for Fred Astaire to sing in the original ‘The Gay Divorce’ Broadway musical (catch the film, a classic Fred and Ginger madcap musical romcom with such amazing dancing🕺🏼). But I had to go with Frank Sinatra from 1957’s ‘A Swingin Affair’ because it’s such a classic swing tune.

4. April in Paris - I’m not crying, you’re crying. Warning, there’s going to be a lot of crying in this playlist. Nancy telling Ace the story of her parents’ honeymoon in Paris in Episode 403, that shy smile when she tells him she always wanted to recreate it with someone, GAH. I had to pick the wonderful Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown on trumpet, simply exquisite. I’m going to have to take a break to sob quietly in the corner. “What have you done to my heart” indeed.

5. Fever - There was only one song, and only one version of this song, that matches the heat Nancy and Ace generated in the infamous Sigil scene. Peggy Lee burned the house down in 1958 with this track. “What a lovely way to burn” - Nancy can relate.

6. So in Love - Another genius Cole Porter song, written originally for Kiss Me Kate, but sung here by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald (my personal hero). I had to pick it for THE KISS. They are just so in love 😭. A beautiful song and a beautiful rendition worthy of Nancy and Ace’s love. The fact that Kiss Me Kate is a musical about bickering exes who eventually find love again makes it even more perfect.

7. Crying - Roy Orbison, 1962. Need I say more? I may never recover from the final scene of 403. This song at least helps a little with the pain by naming it. Roy hits some insane notes in this song—the intensity matches both Nancy and Ace’s misery in that moment.

8. Good Morning, Heartache - More like Good Morning, Sorbet. In Episode 404, Nancy drowns her sorrows in her favorite frozen dessert to deal with the heartache of gaining and losing Ace. And no one does heartache like Billie Holiday, who recorded this song in 1946. Heartache haunts Nancy all throughout S4, and this track represents it perfectly.

9. I had two contenders for the Nace scenes in Episode 405, both from the early 60’s. I Fall to Pieces, released by Patsy Cline and The Jordanaires in 1961, was a country crossover and Patsy’s number one hit—an incredible track that embodies Nancy’s emotions on seeing Ace again. She can’t even look him the eye at the beginning of the episode. Which brings me to my other choice, Walk on By, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, and famously sung by Dionne Warwick in 1964. Nancy puts up a brave front for most of this episode, but inside she wants to break down and cry.

10. Episode 405’s speed dating montage is one of my favorite scenes of Season 4. Again I have two contenders—why should I have to choose? Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s One For My Baby (and One More for the Road), as sung by Ella Fitzgerald (again ‘cause she’s the best), is an ideal soundtrack for Nancy’s increasingly desperate descent as she spends every would-be speed date talking about Ace and THAT KISS. Equally appropriate is Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life—velvet-voiced Johnny Hartman and saxophonist John Coltrane’s 1963 track positively drips with ennui, elegantly over cocktails, of course. If you’ve never heard this one, please give it a listen. There’s even a mention of a week in Paris 🥺.

11. Episode 406, with the infamous Spider Prom, is Ace’s episode IMO—we finally get to see how he’s dealing with the loss of the love of his life and his best friend. He so desperately wants to somehow get back to being friends with Nancy, he resorts to spending countless hours with the help of S4 MVP Nick trying to catch Chunky Velez for her. Can’t We Be Friends? is the perfect song for him in this episode, gorgeously sung by Ella and Louis. That is, until he spies Nancy and Tristan dancing, and realizes what he can never have. Etta James’ blistering track I’d Rather Go Blind captures Ace’s feelings in that moment. He may have been the one to halt their attempts to brake the curse, but he’s hurting just as much as Nancy is.

12. I’ve got two seminal songs to represent Episode 407. When Nancy realizes that Ace let Chunky go, and hears his admission that seeing her with Tristan hurt, it positively screams Cry Me a River. No, not the Justin Timberlake song 😅. This epic torch song was famously sung by Julie London in 1955, and expresses beautifully Nancy’s scorn at Ace’s hypocrisy even as she admits that he broke her heart.

Their fight, and Nancy’s subsequent dashed hopes that Ace would call her bluff and come back, makes me think of Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye. Another Cole Porter masterpiece sung by Ella. What can I say? You can’t top perfection:

Every time we say goodbye, I die a little Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little Why the gods above me, who must be in the know Think so little of me, they allow you to go

I dare you to listen to this track without weeping over the Nace of it all. Enjoy!

Well, Drewds, we’re just past the halfway mark of Season 4 and this post is already a novel, so I’m going to stop here for now. What did you think of my picks? Any you think I missed?

I’ll do a Part 2 as long as I get a few notes on this one 😂 . It will feature more classic songs that represent Nancy and Ace as they head into the back half of the season. I know it’s going to get rough ahead, but I promise the music will be sweet.

Update: Part 2 is here!

[lestappenforever]

oh my god thank you mona for being reasonable and calm about this failed padel date thing! (I always had the impression of you being reasonable and today once again you only proved my assumptions. this is why you're one of my fav lestappen blogs <3)

(also "the joy of lestappen comes in gleefully observing whatever moments we *do* get to see between them and then scurrying away with the new moment clutched in our little creature hands to add to our horde of previous moments" >>> this is such a great description and 100% how I feel too xD)

and mona, I agree with all the points you made, it's completely logical for max's body to just nope out at the morning after such a busy weekend and you are so right, if he really didn't want to come he would just say no earlier.

and I just want to add for the people being worried about max sounding flippant about the whole thing on stream: he probably felt like it's not something he needs to extensively apologize for in public? and yeah it's probably not such a big deal? (and we cannot exclude the possibility that he talked to charles and privately gave him a more heartfelt apology and they laughed about the whole thing together?)

and like it's understandable we were all disappointed the padel date failed and I was disappointed too but it's really not such a big deal? (and very quickly I found it quite funny because I remembered when I first saw that poster one of my thoughts was "8.30am? on sunday? that's so early? why the fuck it's so early?" and yeah indeed why the fuck was it so early lol)

I'm sad to see (but not really surprised) that people jump to the worst conclusions so quickly and interpret everything in the bad faith and come on, y'all really think that their relationship is so frail and weak that one silly little thing can make it crumble? and I'm sad how some people were so quick to assume max would be purposefully so mean to charles? as a fandom we are so full of declarations that max has a big heart and is a good friend and his haters are blinded by their silly rage to not see this. and then a thing like max oversleeping happens and suddenly some lestappen fans are so quick to expect the worst from him? it just makes me sad.

Thank you so much for this lovely ask, anon! It makes me so happy to know that I'm one of your favorite Lestappen blogs, and that you see me as a reasonable person. 🥹❤️

"the joy of lestappen comes in gleefully observing whatever moments we *do* get to see between them and then scurrying away with the new moment clutched in our little creature hands to add to our horde of previous moments" is absolutely an excellent description, and one I too very much relate to.

I'm glad you agree with my points, anon, because I genuinely think this whole thing is very normal and undramatic, and I'm sure most adults can relate to having plans that you're fully intending to follow through on and that you're even excited about, only for the plans to fall through last minute because you simply don't have the energy. Or because you just can't wake up on time because your body and mind needs to rest.

As for Max's flippant reaction when asked about it and admitting he overslept and missed it: I think that is such a Max Verstappen response of him to give because, as you say, I don't think it's something he sees the need to issue an extensive public apology about. His response, to me, was everything I would have expected it to be.

I don't think the failed padel date is a big deal at all, and I definitely don't believe there's any drama behind or to it. In fact, I thought it was hilarious because Charles is never going to let Max live this down. And he's probably going to tease Max about it for years and years to come, claiming he didn't show up because he was scared Charles would beat him again. With the way their friendship seems to have developed over the last few years and especially this season, I see it as far more likely that this whole thing is something they can already laugh about together, and not something that will put a damper on how close they seem to have grown lately.

I think the people who are genuinely worried about this impacting their friendship are the same people who genuinely worry about on-track battles impacting their relationship. Historically, I can definitely see their concern and has this happened in 2019, I absolutely think it would have had quite the negative impact on their relationship. But then again, they likely never would have said yes to attending the same padel tournament in 2019, so there's that. They've both grown up and matured a hell of a lot in the past few years, and they have clearly mended their friendship to the point where they're actually starting to grow closer. I genuninely don't think we have anything to worry about at all, and come next season, I honestly believer we will see a continuation of the kind of friendship and bond they've been displaying in the 2023 season.

And you are absolutely right; there is so much proof of Max actually being the biggest sweetheart and one of the nicest people on the grid, which the narrative I was seeing several places yesterday just doesn't align with at all.

Thank you so much for this ask, anon! I'm so glad you're sharing my views on this. ❤️

[little-svt]

GENDERNEUTRAL | FLUFF

Wc: 604

Taglist: @pastel-princess-please @kiki-woo @fishsquishh

The Perfect Pair

Wonwoo was one of the few people he knew who would still read the paper in the morning. Even if he’d abandoned the paper of it all, he’d don his glasses each breakfast to read the news from his tablet while picking his way through his meal. Today had been an early start, early enough for him to be awake and making breakfast when the Sunday paper finally landed at his door.

On days when both of you had the day off, Wonwoo was never quick to wake you, letting you sleep in as late as you wanted until you’d finally waddle from your room, finding him seated at the table, correctly predicting when you’d wake.

“Good morning.”, he’d smile softly at your sleepy stumbles as you rubbed the sleepy from your eyes.

“I made some breakfast if you wanna eat, baby.”, he gestured with his head toward the plate he’d set out across from him, unfolding his paper and scanning for something interesting as he ate.

Approaching your seat at the table, instead you slid the plate next to his, along with your cup of juice, straw nearby in case you were feeling little. With a questioning glance, he watched your actions, lifting his arm for you when you decided to crawl into his lap and eat your meal from there.

The newspaper wasn’t very interesting to you, it’s boring appearance and many tiny words made your head spin the more you tried to think about it. So you simply didn’t.

“Appa?”, you asked, tilting your head at the section he was fixated on reading, his eyes quickly flitting over the lines, not pausing even when he acknowledged you.

“Yes, baby?”, he spoke nonchalantly, always letting you come to him with patience when you had something to say. Without setting the paper down, with one hand, he popped the straw into your juice when he’d decided you’d need it after all and pulled it closer, urging you to drink from it.

“Why’s it have no color?”, you addressed his poor excuse of a picture book. The weekly comic happening to be in black and white.

“It does.”, he flipped to the front page just long enough to show you that there was indeed color, the title article having a colorful picture to go along with the headline.

“Hmph”, you thought, at last getting to your breakfast that was leaning toward room temperature with the time you’d spent not eating, “Can I color it.”

“No, baby.”, he responded, again just as calm and used to your silly antics, though the corners of his mouth had formed into barely noticeable smile. Occasionally he’d indulge, but he wasn’t afraid to tell you ‘no’. And coincidentally, it was just the sort of structure you needed, the two of you complimenting each other well.

Knowing that Appa’s ‘no’ meant no, you settled into his lap comfortably and finished your meal. When you’d finished, Wonwoo seemed to be insistent on you not staying at the table.

“Go wash your hands, baby. You’re finished eating.”, he suppressed his chuckle, finding it difficult to pry you from him now that you’d tangled your arms around him.

After some complaints, you waddled your way to the bathroom to wash up after breakfast. Once you’d returned, you saw that Wonwoo had retired the paper for his tablet and another cup of coffee. The paper, though he’d previously denied you, laid open on the comic section, your crayons laying on top.

Wordlessly, with a smug little smile, you sat in your seat across from him and both of you together enjoyed the Sunday paper.

🧸Endnote: projecting Shua or Hannie just bc I think it would be cute but realistically this is 100% Wonu. Let’s pretend this shoot isn’t for skincare as well and Wonwoo is just cute 🫶 sorry for being so MIA the last month. 🥹💗 I humbly beg for forgiveness hahahahhhghhh ~ 🐶🐰🍓

🧸Masterlist🧸

[ladysomething]

….some more fake max memoir crumbs? 🥹🤲

wellll twist my arm!! it's so far away from being posted I can give you one more crumb!

ps this was all written wayyyyyyy before the Lewis to Ferrari news, so obviously I haven't changed those details yet.

also CW for homophobic language and slurs.

"Now that you know all of this, I imagine it puts 2028 in a bit more context. 

After how bad our breakup was at the end of the 2027 season, I hadn’t seen Charles for weeks. He moved out of the apartment when I wasn’t even there. I returned home one day, after having been with Daniel in Australia for a week, and all of his things were gone, his key on the kitchen bench. 

On January 14th 2028, Ferrari announced that Charles was leaving them in the morning, and Mercedes announced that Charles had signed with them that afternoon. 

I’d had no idea about either until it was made public. 

Can you imagine? Six months previous, I had a ring. I was going to ask Charles to marry me. 

Now, I didn’t even know that he was finally leaving Ferrari, or that he’d managed to win Lewis’ coveted Mercedes seat. 

Going into the season was a mind fuck like nothing I’d ever experienced before, and that only made my father angrier. 

“See?” he’d say. “I told you that boy would ruin you. You let him fuck you, I bet, submitting to him like a true fag, and he distracted you so badly that you lost. It’s a disgrace, you’re a disgrace.” 

And you know what? I believed him. 

Charles had broken up with me, after all, and I embarrassed myself by getting on my knees and begging him not to leave me. 

Before the first GP of 2028, I remember seeing him in the paddock for the first time since we’d broken up. It made my heart stop, pushed me into a panic attack so bad that I missed FP1. 

I was so ashamed, afterwards. “Dad was right,” I told myself, staring in the mirror and looking at my swollen eyes and red cheeks. “You’re weak. You let Charles make you weak. Being in love is for losers, for people who don’t want to win.” 

I went into FP2, ready to focus on racing, and ended up so angry that I pushed Charles off track hard enough that the shunt totalled his car. 

I got so fucked up that night I was still drunk the next morning. I probably would have taken drugs, too, if I wasn’t so worried about the random drug tests the FIA put us through multiple times a year. 

Charles’ car ended up being so damaged it couldn’t drive in FP3 or qualifying. 

Charles himself got so badly injured he had to sit out the next three races. 

“Good,” I said, when I heard the news. Christian’s mouth dropped open, stunned at my dismissal. “He fucking deserved it.” 

“Jesus, Max. It was fucking practice. You’ll be lucky if the FIA don’t fine and penalise you.” 

I knew they wouldn’t. Or, at least, I knew it wouldn’t be bad enough to ruin my championship hopes. I’d been too smart, had hidden it too well. Even on social media, people were divided, trying to decide whether I was a bad driver, whether it was on purpose, or whether it was just a racing incident. 

I feel sick as I write this. I feel physically ill, remembering how proud I was of myself. 

Too much like my father, indeed."

[holdmytesseract]

Ooooo, for the requests…Jonathan Pine the morning after the wedding being in love with reader, his new spouse, and just being so deeply in love and happy?🥹🥹

Afterglow

Jonathan Pine x fem!Reader

Summary: It's the morning after yours and Jonathan's wedding, and the both of you are bathing in the afterglow - and the deep love you share.

Warnings: fluuuuff! slightly suggestive smut, lovebirds being in love

Word Count: 920

a/n: We're kicking off the requests with this fluff ball! 🥰 I loved writing this and I hope you all enjoy it. Especially you, bestie @smolvenger ! 🧡

P.S. I hope you don't mind that it's a bit short...

Tagging: @lulubelle814 @km-ffluv @eleniblue @muddyorbsblr @loz-3 @vbecker10 @jennyggggrrr @mochie85 @chantsdemarins @peaches1958 @multifandom-worlds @fictive-sl0th @lovingchoices14 @simping-for-marvel @stupidthoughtsinwriting @vanilla-daydreaming @lou12346789 @lady-rose-moon @evelyn-kingsley @the-princess-of-loki @acefeather2002

•☆° Masterlist °☆•

Jonathan blinked his eyes slowly open; oceanic blue eyes meeting the creme coloured ceiling of the small, cosy cottage. A soft, pleasantly warm breeze rustled the white satin curtains of the opened French doors. Goosebumps spread over his naked torso.

Blinking, he tried to adjust to the brightness in the room; caused by the strong rays of the Egyptian sun. Once his brain had woken fully up as well, all the events of the past day and night flooded his mind. The wedding. His wedding. He couldn't help but smile; immediately turning his head to the right. His eyes landed on you.

His wife.

Jonathan smiled even more. It still sounded so unrealistic and yet... He felt for the wedding band on his ring finger on the left hand... It was true.

Unlike Jonathan, you were fast asleep. Eyes closed shut tightly; breathing deep and even. You were laying on your stomach; bare back on full display. Your hands were buried underneath the soft pillow to support your head, while your lower half was covered underneath the thin blanket. It reached the dip of your lower back and therefore only just covered the curve of your bottom; teasing Jonathan.

A few strands of hair had fallen into your face and your cheek was slightly squished by the pillow - and yet you were the most beautiful woman Jonathan had ever laid his eyes upon. The man couldn't help himself but to shamelessly look; keeping his oceanic blues directed on you and just watching you sleep. He'd do that for the rest of his life. That much was certain.

Jonathan didn't know how long he was just admiring your stunning beauty. Seconds, minutes, hours?

At some point, his heart was beating so rapidly against his ribcage; screaming at him to just touch the woman he loved. So, he did.

Slowly inching closer towards your body, he laid on his side and propped his elbow up to support his head. With a sweet smile, Jonathan reached for your face, in order to tuck the loose strands back behind your ear. Then he let his fingertips wander gently over your neck, up to your shoulders and down your entire back; grazing your soft, warm skin slightly.

You stirred a bit, but kept on sleeping, so he repeated the loving movement of his hand. Sometime on the way, the night manager lost his caution, and suddenly he was using his whole palm to caress your skin. Jonathan just couldn't help it. You were like a temple to him. Worthy to be worshipped.

Jonathan's touch caused you to wake up at some point, of course. Stirring awake, you blinked your eyes open - and the first thing you saw was your husband's handsome face. A soft smile was on his lips, as his oceanic blues looked into yours so full of love and adoration. Eyebrows slightly slanting, he inched even closer; hand stilling on your lower back.

"Good morning, beautiful," Jonathan whispered in his rough, but yet gentle morning voice.

His flirtatious words caused your heart to beat immediately faster. You couldn't help but smile as well. "A very good morning, indeed." You whispered back; biting your lip, before you leaned forward to press a soft kiss on his awaiting lips.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked you then; his thumb starting to caress the skin on your lower back. You nodded; still smiling. "Heavenly. And you?" A soft, breathless laugh escaped his lips. "I think I've never slept better." You giggled and placed a hand on the centre of his chest; fingers playing with the fine hair located there.

After a while of pleasant silence, you spoke up again, when you saw the wedding band on your finger twinkling in the morning sun. "Can you believe this? We are married now...." Jonathan shook his head; smiling. "It's surreal. Like a dream." His hand left the place on your back; travelled further up to gently graze your side and ribcage, which cause goosebumps to spread over your skin. "I hope it's a never-ending dream..." You bit your lip once more, then gave Jonathan a push; making him lay on his back. With on hand pressed firmly on his muscular left pec, you hovered over him; mouth only a hairsbreadth away from his. "Baby, I promise you... It is a never-ending dream." You captured his lips with yours then; tangling them up in a sinful kiss.

Jonathan's biceps bulged as he tried to pull you on top of him. Once he was successful, he rested both his hands on your hips to keep you in place. With his lips still sealed in your kiss, he shifted; moved his strong body to pin you on your back, so that he was on top of you know. The sudden movement of Jonathan made you break the kiss and caused a small yelp to escape your mouth. But when your husband was hovering above you now, you could only bite your lip again and smile.

The sun, which shone through the curtains gave his face a soft glow; his short blonde-brown curls almost shining golden. He looked even more handsome now.

You lifted your hand to his face; fingertips softly mapping out his jaw and cheekbones. You could clearly feel the soft stubble on his cheeks and chin; giving you a sizzling sensation.

"I love you, Jonathan."

He smiled. That dazzling smile you fell in love with such a long time ago.

"I love you even more, my darling."

[elitadream]

The collab was a complete success! I really liked the story and how it got developed! And don't get me started about the art, it was just astonishing! Great job to both of you!

I'm imagining that when they woke up the next morning, Mario was in between Peach's arms. Maybe Peach put Mario in a hug while they were both sleeping (I mean, you don't know what you're doing when you're sleeping right?). I know that you guys didn't put something like that in the story, but I personally like to think about it like this!

Great job again!

Oh thank you, that's so kind! 🥹🙏💖 Speaking of development: as a final addition, I will soon be sharing some background on the collab itself and how it was visually constructed. So if you liked the story, stay tuned for my next post! 😁

And don't worry! I remember Drones and I actually did discuss something like that at some point for fun. 😏🤭 Peach huddling even closer to Mario sometime throughout the night would indeed be very likely in this case, and there's also the obvious possibility that Mario would respond in kind in his sleep, wrapping his arms around her in a returned embrace. Like you said, we didn't put any of that in the story (seeing as the moment Mario falls asleep seemed like a good place to end it), but we also joked and talked a bit about what the following morning might have been like for them both. 👀😄 If anything, you guys are certainly free to speculate on that! 😉💞