#it must be that i knew about her music before reading the book maybe

[classypauli]

Hi, could you write some fluff with Jenna and male reader? I love how you write

Kisses & Lattes

jenna ortega x male!reader

an: Hey! Thank you for request, I hope you´ll have fun reading it. For those who are uncomfortable feel free to imagine the gender you would like! I was just using it bc of the request. Thanks again! Take care!!

Sorry for mistakes!

Everything started with a coffee. Ever since you were a kid you were mesmerized by hot drinks like tea and chocolate or matchas but the one that mostly caught your attention was a coffee.

It was quite a paradox since you didn´t find your way to it when you were young. You could always smell it from your parent's breath or every morning when you woke up.

Your parents owned a coffee shop and sometimes you helped them clean or prepare. Maybe that´s how you started this way.

As you grew older and started spending more time in the shop, with a good book to read your hand also found a cup of dark beans with boiled water. That was your must-to-do in a day. Just sit on a cozy sofa in a corner with a book in one hand and coffee in the other.

That´s how you met your now long-term girlfriend. Jenna was a regular customer in your shop. It happened a lot of times you made her a latte or cappuccino even though she mostly came because of a hot tea.

In a country like Ireland where townsfolks often wore jumpers and hoodies, this type of drink was made for it.

„What´s on your mind?“

You were cut off by a gentle voice beside you as you stared out the big window. It was the week before Christmas and the weather outside started getting harder. When you walked outside you could feel the cold air hitting your nostrils and if you weren´t wearing a beanie you could be sure your ears wouldn´t like that.

It just started to snow when you were doing your last preparations for tomorrow's big day. You were finally opening your coffee shop after the long reconstruction. Your parents gave the shop to you despite your declines.

„Nothin´.“ You smiled down at her as you felt her hand reaching to yours squeezing it in her own.

Jenna knew you were getting worried. You were afraid nobody would show up. Yes, the weather

wasn´t helping but would the storm be the reason for it?

You were standing beside each other just looking as the snow started to get dense and the

Snowflakes are much bigger than before.  

„Come, I´ll make you something.“ You pulled her gently into you as you made your way to the

Coffee machine. Her big brown eyes were scanning your every move. How you melted the coffee and got it into the machine. You poured milk into a small teapot and slowly started to froth the milk. You grabbed the cup with the coffee and started pouring the milk into it.

Jenna enjoyed this. You were so calm doing it. Your arms were slowly but confidently circling the cup making some imagine in a coffee.

You stopped and grabbed the cup slowly giving in to Jenna. There was a big heart in it. She was amazed every time she saw it. Your drawing in coffee was perfect, sometimes you drew a swan, and through Halloween, you drew a pumpkin but what Jenna loved the most was the heart.

She gently grabbed the warm cup from your hands and slowly brought it under her nose to smell it. Slowly taking a sip while looking up at you as you smiled.

That´s how you spend the rest of the evening. The only light was the small lights by the bar and outside of the shop. Just enjoying each other's health as you cuddled up in one of your big sofas with a blanket around your legs and sweaters, thinking about what will tomorrow's day bring.

-

You sighed as your nerves were getting higher with each passing minute. Your coffee shop was already opened an hour but nobody showed. Not like you were getting high expectations but you were still a bit disappointed.

The room was decorated with Christmas ornaments. The soft music could be heard from the speakers around creating a cozy feeling. You could smell the hot cocoa and fresh spine.

Jenna was sitting by one of the small tables in your hoodie that was too big for her. Sometimes she would shoot you a look but each time her heart swelled at the sight of you.

She knew you were just being strong not showing how much you care about it but deep down she knew how much it affected you. The weather didn´t stop all night making it almost impossible to walk outside nor drive.

Jenna let out a sigh and stood up from the chair. „Y/N.“ She called after you looking at your back.

„Hm.“ You let out but didn´t turn around. You were focused on cutting something behind the bar.

„Y/N.“ She whispered as she came closer to you hugging you from behind with both of her arms around your torso.

„What´s wrong Jen.“ You turned around and looked down at her big eyes. The freckles were more visible as her cheeks and nose were a bit red from the cold. You swore this was your biggest weakness.

„Are you angry?“ she asked with her small voice searching for an answer in your eyes.

Her question shocked you as you blinked twice like you were trying to understand her question. „What? No, Jen. Why would I?“ you quickly pulled your arms around her.

„You were trying so hard these past months and when it´s finally here...“

You gently brushed the hair that was on her forehead, brushing it back behind her ear. „I´m not angry nor disappointed. I completely understand why it turned out like this.“ You said as you were looking into her eyes to make her sure. „It has to be like this I guess.“

Jenna leaned into your chest to hear your heartbeat with a sense of anticipation.

A couple of hours after, you and Jenna decided to close the coffee shop and get home. You didn´t want to do it but deep down you knew you wouldn´t have a customer today. You promised to make her dinner after spending so much time here. As you were getting your jacket you could hear bells by the door.

„Ow, man! This weather.“

You quickly turned around with wide eyes not believing what you saw.

„Finally! The road was awful!“

„I know right? We barely left the house and almost immediately got stuck!“

There were your friends with a wide smile across their faces. „Y/N!“ They went to you to hug you. „We´re so glad to finally see you! And look at this!“ one of your friends spun around with arms wide open. „It´s so beautiful in here!“

„W-What are you doing here?“

They laughed at your shocked face. „Look at him! He can´t believe we are here!“

„Well we heard that today is a day with a big D so we couldn´t let that slide.“

The realization hit you like a train and you spun around to look behind you. There was standing  Jenna with her small frame trying to hide her smile.

Slowly more people came, your friends, Jenna´s friends, and your parents. Everyone was talking to each other around the room you could only hear happiness. Your hands were full of work but it made you happy. You were feeling complete doing what you enjoy for the people you love.

„It was you. You called them.“ You whispered in Jenna´s ear as you hugged her from behind. She was sitting on your knees as you were sitting down on a sofa.

She turned to her side raising her eyebrows and looking around. „I don´t know what you are talking about.“

You squeezed her tighter in your arms as she let out a laugh. You kissed the side of her head as you leaned on her shoulder. The both of you were sitting there looking at your family feeling warm in your heart as you watched them talking and laughing loudly, enjoying the night.

[magics-neptunes-things]

Secret Love II

So, here we are with the second part! I don't really where I'm going with it right now to be honest, so I'm just gonna I’ll just let my imagination run wild.

Thanks for your reviews, don't hesitate leave me some, it always makes me very happy to know what you think of my writings :)

Enjoy!

P.S Part one is HERE

____________________________________________________________

A few hours after leaving your hotel room, you return there hoping to be as discreet as you were before. On tiptoe, you reach your bed and slip under the covers, your mind always with Alexia. She also went to her room, you both agreed that it was important to enjoy the last hours of sleep before dawn. While you are looking for sleep, you don't realize that Ona’s breathing is no longer as deep as when you left, indicating that she is awake.

"... going to be late!"

Ona’s voice comes to you like through a fog and you need a few blinks of eyes to finally fix your gaze on her face.

"Breakfast is in seven minutes, you know how is Vilda with late people"

Oh man. You jump of your bed, frantically searching for your clothes by making more mess than anything else. You sprint in the bathroom to wash your face and comb your hair in a messy bun, trying to get the sleep of your face.

"Ona go, don't be let yourself" you say to your roomate.

"You sure?" she asked, popping her head by the door.

"Yeah"

"Ok. Your shirt is upside down."

You swear before you put it right, jump in your sneakers and go out slamming the door of the room. Obviously the elevator doors close a few meters from you, so you decide to take the stairs. It’s a miracle you’re on time and you're not even the last one.

You spot Alexia, sitting next to Jenni and Irene, with the same fresh, rested look as if she had slept 12 hours straight. This woman, you thought, before serving you a breakfast tray and looking for a free place.

************************

"Y/N what's that?"

You turn around but Aitana had time to have a close look to the hickey Alexia made two days ago. Her loud question made everyone turn around, even if you all were supposed to be focused on your strength exercises.

"What are you talking about?" you ask, your mind racing while looking for a good excuse.

"You got a bruise on your neck"

At this point those who were furthest away turned their attention to their exercises, but you feel that the look of several of your teammates burning your back. You crossed Alexia's eyes for a second and open the mouth to talk, but another voice answers before you.

"It must have been when you fell while getting ready, the morning you were late. I thought she was gonna break her neck."

The second sentence is more for Aitana than for you, but she seems to accept this answer with even a small laugh before grabbing his dumbbell again. It's Ona's look that you cross this time and since you don’t know what to tell her, you’re starting to do your exercises again.

************************

"So, you and Alexia uh?"

You were back in your room, reading a book while listening some music. It was free time but it was so cold outside that you didn't want to go out for now. Ona had said nothing until now, even during the meal time when you found yourself sitting in front of her. Even if you knew the subject was coming at some point, you appreciate the fact that she chooses to be sure she isn’t being heard by anyone to bring the subject.

"Well... Maybe"

You can't fight back the smile on your face and your vague answer seems to be enough for your roommate.

"Who knows?" she asked.

"No one, apart from Alexia’s mother."

"Even Jenni?"

You bite your lip and shakes your head. You know Alexia want to talk about it with Jenni, she's her bestfriend after all. But you had a rule and she just get with it.

"We got together six months after I arrived in Barcelona, I had a hard time understanding what was happening the first time she tried to flirt with me."

You smile in spite of yourself, the flirting was not necessarily the strong of Alexia but you always found it touching.

"And then we broke up when we lost against Wolfsburg, she thought our relationship was what kept her from focusing on the game and the win."

You swallow with difficulty, these memories being particularly dark for both of you. But now that you’ve started talking about your story, you can’t stop. Especially since the Catalan seems to be an excellent listener.

"After that we lost the final... It was awful. I spent every second trying not to look at her, not to show anything to anyone. No one knew and they thought I was disappointed that we lost the final when I was in reality heartbroken."

Lost in your thoughts, your gaze on your hands, you notice only when you feel her presence that Ona left her bed to sit next to you. She places her hand on your arm and you look up at her smiling, which must probably seem strange to her given with what you're saying after.

"Weeks and months passed and we found ourselves training for the Euro. And you certainly don’t need me to remind you what happened with her ACL."

Ona’s grimace speaking of herself, you continue, leaning against the wall behind you.

"I wrote her several times to tell her that I was thinking about her, but she didn't answer. I didn't expect her though, I knew that she had cut contact with almost everyone. But when we were eliminated and I returned to Barcelona, I found her one time on my doormat. She was... I never saw her like that Ona. She was destroyed."

The memory of this moment gives you shivers and you shake yourself mentally to return to the present.

"I let her in and she talked about her insecurities. She told me she was supposed to be in rehab in 15 minutes, but she didn’t want to go. She felt that it was useless and that she would never play again. So I threatened to call her mother and took her there. That’s when we started seeing each other again and got back together soon after."

There was a small silence, during which Ona seemed to digest the information you had just given her. With frowns, she looks at you thoughtfully when answering.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was this deep. And I’m sorry you both had to go through this without being able to tell anyone."

"It's in the past now. I can't talk for her but she makes me really happy. You really saved us this morning, but please keep it to yourself for now"

"I will"

She smiles and you kiss her cheek before she gets up to go to the bathroom. Thinking it's better to inform Alexia, you take your phone.

You - Can you talk?

Mi Reina ♥ - Yes, what's up?

You - Ona knows about us, I kind of just told her everything.

Mi Reina ♥ - Well she kind of cover you up this morning so it was obvious Guapa

You - Sorry if my girlfriend can't keep her lips to herself :)

Mi Reina ♥ - Touché.

Mi Reina ♥ - Can I talk to Jenni about us, since Ona knows?

You - If you want to, it's ok for me.

The next day, it didn’t take you long to realize that Alexia had spoken to Jenni. You have surprised the gaze of the striker several times, examining you with a thoughtfulness look. Every time you catch her looking at you, you were foolishly blushing and it was only when Alexia slapped her head that she stopped looking at you.

************************

Time pass and here you are, at the final of the World Cup. The more you advanced in the tournament, the harder it was to manage time for you and Alexia. But you had a few moments, thanks to Jenni and Ona who covered you a few times. You didn’t escape Jenni’s threatening conversation, based on "Hurt my best friend and you won’t see the light of the day again" but other than that she seems to have given you her blessing.

You were in the locker room once again, but this time it was the Final. You were playing against England, your last game of the tournament. You're not really listening what Vilda is saying, focused on your boots. You start the match, next to Alexia, Ona, Jenni and your others teammates. You’re stressed, you can’t wait for the game to start now.

You haven't forget the promise Alexia made this night in your hotel, but you haven't bring to topic again. Even if it doesn't happend, you couldn't be more happy.

What it seems an eternity later, you were on the fields and the referee was blowing in her whistle. You made it, you were World Champions. Tears of joy and relief invaded your eyes and you find yourself caught in a collective embrace, without really knowing who is tight against you. Cries of joy, tears and the cheering of the crowd around you seem to come from far away.

When you are able to stand up, you find yourself facing Ona who also huggs you before mumbling "I have to find Lucy". Of course she have to, not matter what is her relationship with her, they are really close.

You search for a particular person too, your eyes scanning around for pink hair. When you spot Alexia, she's on the ground and Jenni is helping her to stand up.

A bit like in a dream, you start running towards her before throwing yourself in her arms. The mix of emotion makes you feel like you’re floating when you wrap your legs around her waist and she hugs you back.

"We did it" you say, while she keeps you in her arms.

"Yes we did" she answers, with the most beautiful smile in her face.

If you weren't already madly in love with her, you'll probably fall again right now.

"So… What now?" you asked soflty after some seconds of silence you passed admiring her.

"I'm going to kiss you."

And she did, barely letting you the time to understand what she said. Keeping you in her arms, she approaches her face to yours and places her lips on yours, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Of course you hear exclamations of surprise around you, but you can’t focus on anything other than Alexia. She ends up putting you down, letting go your lips for a few seconds to catch her breath. You then kiss her a few seconds later, drawing her as close as possible.

You may have won the World Cup, but ultimately your greatest victory is her.

[taesanluv3r]

lost in love songs.

han taesan x reader

a short, three part, friends to lovers story.

ੈ✩‧₊ hidden love unfolds when taesan's ipod nano accidentally ends up in the hands of his best-friend, yn. a certain playlist catches her eyes, revealing the true feelings kept within the depths of the boy's heart.

part one: for, yn.

shy introvert! taesan, loud extrovert! reader. some cuss words, myung jaehyun as reader's older brother, yang jungwon as class president! lowercase intended, excuse any spelling mistakes / grammatical errors! enjoy <3

wc: 2,044

masterlist 𖦹 part two 𖦹 part three

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖

"myung yn, han taesan. you guys are up for classroom duty today! don't forget to return the brooms to the closet when you're done, the keys go in mr. bang's office!"

yang jungwon, their class president, spoke from his seat at the very front of the class. his body turned towards the pair of best-friends who sat beside each other at the back corner of the room. "yup, got it" myung yn replies, shooting the dimple adorned boy two thumbs up and a sweet smile. jungwon tilts his head in the direction of the guy beside her, causing the girl to turn over to her left, eyes being met by han taesan. he seemed to be daydreaming, his nose pointed upwards as he stared at whatever was outside the window, his hearing blocked by the wired earphones that stuck into his ears. sighing, yn grabs at one side of the listening device, pulling him immediately out of his trance. "huh? did you say something?" taesan's voice is quiet as usual, his eyes widening slightly as he spoke. his friend chuckles, "we're on classroom duty today" she says, fidgeting with the silver heart-shaped charm on her bracelet. "maybe you should listen when class prezzy speaks" yn's statement makes him roll his eyes, "but that's what i have you for!" he shoots her an awkward smile, his teeth showing and his nose scrunched. "so what? i'm your only friend, and your messenger now?" her words sting a little, a glare taking over his previously smiley complexion.

the girl giggles as the bell rings, playfully pushing his shoulders as she gets up from her seat. "upwards, your majesty!" yn announces all too loudly in some sort of a terrible british accent, the shy introverted boy's face showing her a panicked expression as all eyes went onto them. she doesn't stop though, chest puffing out as she takes a deep breath, "we've got but the best of duties to fulfill! you must now-" her voice comes to a halt when he abruptly gets up, slapping his large hand over her mouth to shut her up before he got any more embarrassed than he already was. getting lightheaded, the girl taps at his arm, breathing heavily when she was released. "that was like…attempted murder…" she speaks between breaths, eyes growing big like her friend had just turned into some psycho killer. taesan just rolls his eyes, "maybe you should use your inside voice next time then" and he walks past her, heading to the closet at the very end of the classroom.

the pair of polar opposite friends begin their cleaning duties. i say polar opposites because that's exactly what they were. han taesan was only the biggest introvert in the world! that, and his rather cold demeanor meant that half the people that knew him were either intimidated or just flat out terrified of him. everyone except her, of course. myung yn, she might as well wear a massive E for extrovert on her head. yn was a star student, someone people were attracted to and wanted to be friends with. however, despite her sweet attitude and smile, the girl was rather picky about her acquaintances. so how did the han boy, who only wore long coats and ripped jeans when he wasn't wearing uniform, who prefers to read books over movies, who only listened to the curated playlists of music he pirated onto his dad's old ipod nano from 2005- that, and of course his own songs that he wrote in his free time- the guy who could barely keep up conversation with anyone without some help. how could he become friends with the myung girl? who wears short skirts even during the winter, enjoyed petting animals, watched home alone when it wasn't even close to christmas, the girl who's a hopeless romantic, always running her friend's ear off about that new rom-com she watched or her endless fantasies of her own longing for romance. how were these two antipodes, these two contradictory figures, how did they manage to be the best of friends?

well…to be honest with you, neither of them knew either. all they know is that one day, long ago in middle school, when the boy was too shy to make friends and had no one to talk to, some sort of an angel decided to sit him right beside the overly friendly girl. the one girl- no, scratch that- the one person, who willingly spoke to him when no one else would. and they've been inseparable since then. and despite their many differences, the pair got along just fine. if not, perfect.

"ugh…why do people still stick gum under their desks like this? the trash can is literally right there…" yn groaned, suddenly thankful for the blue rubber gloves she had put on when they started cleaning just ten minutes ago. her eyes wandered upwards and over to the boy when she hears no answer, another sigh escaping her lips when she sees him completely lost in his head once again, those same wired earphones from before plugged into the silver ipod that sat on the table beside where he was sweeping the floor. "earth to taesan?" he's shaken out of his thoughts when the girl appears right in front of him. "huh?" he asks, that phrase coming out of his mouth much too often for her liking. "were you talking to me?" she rolls her eyes, as if it were obvious. "what are you even listening to that's got you all distracted like this?" she wonders, a curious arm reaching out to grab onto the tiny music device. however, before she could even process the white buttons, the ipod was stolen away from her by its now flustered owner. yn cocks an eyebrow up, shooting him a perplexed look. "it…it's nothing! just a new song i've been working on…it's not done yet, i haven't finished it" the boy stutters, he rarely stutters around her, it was so unlike him to be hiding something from her- especially one of his songs that he was always so proud of. "weirdo" she mutters before going back to picking off gum from under her classmates' desks, not catching the way the boy stared at her for a minute, somewhat of a relieved sigh leaving his lips as he did so.

sooner or later, the pair had finished their duties, stuffing the cleaning supplies back in their classroom's closet before leaving and locking the door behind them. on their way out of their school, which had fallen silent apart from the basketball team who had stayed back to practice down in the sports centre, they stopped by the teachers' office to hook the classroom key back onto it's designated spot on the wall. they were on their way home now, or at least, on the way to her home. he always walked with her. even if his house was a whole other thirty minutes away from her neighbourhood in the opposite direction, he insisted on accompanying her every single day.

yn exhales as they walked down the side-walk path towards her complex, a cool breath escaping her lips and the girl starts to regret the fact that she had forgotten her school blazer when she was running late this morning. taesan notices, walking on the side of the street towards the road, shielding her from the cars speeding past them. "cold?" he asks, looking down at her slightly smaller figure. the girl shakes her head, "no" but her voice comes out shaky. the boy laughs out loud, beginning to remove his own school blazer from off of his shoulders. "you're a terrible liar" he says, tossing the article of clothing atop her head, blocking away her sight for just a moment before she grabbed a hold of it. "hold this" she demands, lazily passing him her light-pink backpack before throwing his blazer over her own shoulders, the oversized fit of it making him chuckle lightly. the pair of friends shared mindless conversation as they resumed their journey home, the harsh winds blowing against their hair causing them to squint slightly as they walked. alas, they make it to the front of her gated neighbourhood. the boy smiled softly as she waved him off, disappearing into the distance. taesan crosses the street carefully, turning around before making his long journey back to his own place.

"i'm home!" yn announces, closing the door behind her and tossing her shoes onto the rack to her right. "did your boyfriend walk you home again?" the teasing voice of her brother emerges from up the stairs. the girl rolls her eyes, "mom! jaehyun is bothering me again" she pouts, to which he just scoffs, "that's not a no~" she slaps him on the arm, "mom!!" and then her frown turns into a menacing smirk. "jae, stop bothering your sister!" their mother's voice is stern, echoing from over in the kitchen. "snitch" jaehyun says, pushing his little sister's head lightly as he followed her up the stairs and into her room.

"who's blazer is that? i thought you forgot yours at home this morning? i would know cause i had to do your laundry today" he sneered, slumping himself onto the girl's bed. "oh shit, it's taesan's. he let me wear it on the way home, i completely forgot" yn cussed, slapping her palm against her head as she did so, beginning to take her friend's jacket off. she sighed, "i'll give it back to him tomorrow" jaehyun furrows his eyebrows, "tomorrows a weekend, you're not going to school…unless you have other plans with him...like a date~" her brother shoots her a suggestive grin, his face disappearing when the blazer in her hand is launched at him. "ow!" he yells, rubbing his forehead with a frown. "oh, don't be dramatic. it's a piece of cloth, it's not supposed to hurt" yn scoffs, walking into her closet to change into something more comfortable. "no, something hard in there hit me" the boy says, "what is it?" she asked, entering her bedroom again. "i don't know…" jae mumbles, shuffling slightly as he stuck a hand through the jacket in search of the mystery object.

"aha!" he exclaims, pulling out the infamous silver music player she had seen far too many times already. "an ipod nano? who the fuck uses an ipod these days? can't he listen to music on his phone like a normal person?" his sister glares, moving closer hit him upside his head. "leave him alone, and leave his ipod alone too! he prefers the sound of that thing, plus all his original songs are in there to save space…stop snooping around, he doesn't like that" jaehyun shrugs, seemingly ignoring his sister's words as he pushed the on button, watching as the tiny screen turned white. "anyways, he's probably panicking right now. i should text him and tell him his ipod is safe with me and-" she was cut off by her brother's voice, "yeah, you might want to take a look at this before you do that" she looked at him half-confused and half-pissed off that he had looked through her friend's belongings when she specifically said not to.

"what am i looking at? and i told you not to snoop around!" she exclaimed, a frustrated groan threatening to escape her mouth. "yn, shut up for once and just look at this!" the urgency in his voice fuels the curiosity she had in her heart, giving in as she sat down beside him on her bed. "what…" she trails off, eyes widening as she pulls the small gadget out of her sibling's hand.

"you sure you guys aren't a thing? cause..."

there on the screen, a little folder hidden under all his other ones. and in it, two songs, two original songs: 'about a girl' and 'can't help falling in love' yn snickers a little at the obvious inspiration from his favourite artists nirvana and elvis, her mind picturing a puzzled taesan who couldn't come up with his own song names. however the girl is still lost, and it's the title of the playlist that confuses her. the playlist addressed to her. two simple words in bold letters that said,

'for, yn'

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖

eee!!! the first part of this short, three part series TT hope u guys enjoyed it 🤭 any guesses for what's going to happen next?? reblogs n feedback highly appreciated!! send me an ask, let's talk abt this 💭😽 excited for u guys to read the next part, featuring song lyrics i wrote myself!! love, kona.

[swiftholic-13]

The Season's Scandal Chapter 3

pairing → Eloise Bridgerton x Female Reader

summary → Eloise and Y/N are participating in scandalous activities at another ball

warnings → none

words → 1.2k

masterpost chapter 2 chapter 4

The next ball was rather uninteresting. I spent the first hour searching for Eloise without any luck, mostly due to the reason that my brother pushed me on various suitors and I nicely tried to decline all of them. The Earl asked me to dance but luckily Victor came to safe me and danced with me instead. He told me about Lady Cowper and her daughter, who she is trying to force on him. We laughed and for once it seemed like my brother was satisfied with me, even if that was only the case for a short time. After our dance I was eager to find Eloise but my search seemed to be hopeless. On my way through the crowd my brother interrupted me “Why are you not on the dancefloor?” “Because I just danced with Lord Abery” “Maybe you should also consider other options” I rolled my eyes at his comment and tried to calm my temper “Maybe I do not wish to be on the dancefloor, brother” Before he could say another word I turned away from him and went into the opposite direction, bumping into somebody “I am so sorry” I looked up and realized who I just bumped into “Viscountess Bridgerton” my eyes widened in shock and I bowed my head. “Do not apolize, all is well” She smiled and caught the eyes of my angry brother standing behind me. “You must be Lady Y/N Y/L/N, Eloise told me about you” It flattered me that her whole family already knew about me. She took my arm and guided me away from my brother. In a quieter manner she whispered to me “Are you alright? He seems to not grant you any space” “I am now thanks to you Viscountess” “Please we do not need the formalities” I smiled, the entire Bridgerton family seemed like great company. Eloise was truly lucky to have such a supportive and great family, something I could only dream of having. “I am looking for Eloise, is she not here tonight?” “She is here actually, but I have not seen her in some time” “It seems that searching her at every ball is my favorite activity” she chuckled “Well good luck finding her” We said our goodbyes and I disappeared through the crowd into a hallway.

The string quartet faded away slowly the farer I got from the ballroom. The voices faded away and there I spotted her. Curled up on a bench, hidden away from the crowd and all the noise. She was focused on the book in her hands. I smiled to myself. I could not help falling in love with her even more. “Eloise” I said, trying to get her attention. She flinched and looked up at me. Her posture relaxed as soon as she realized it was me. “Y/N I did not see you” “How could you” I said smiling while sitting down next to her. She closed the book and put it aside. “What were you reading?” “Actually I have no idea, some book that I found, It is about ecology or something” I laughed along with her. I loved her laugh and seeing her happy was worth being at this dreadful ball and constantly having to escape my brother. We returned to a rather uncomfortable silence. She was looking down at the floor and fiddling with her fingers. “What is wrong Dearest?” I was still concerned, especially since it felt like she wasn´t telling me the whole truth earlier. She smiled and shacked her head “Do not concern yourself with me, I assure you I am fine” I leaned closer to her “I do not believe you”. I could hear the music fading away more, indicating a new tune starting soon. I stood up and straightened my dress. “You know why I hate these balls so much?” “Because of all the suitors?” She asked why still not looking up at me and keeping her eyes glued to the floor. “Because I am unable to dance with the one person I truly wish to” I stated as I held my hand out for her to take. She looked up at me surprised and her eyes locked with mine. “May I have this dance Miss Bridgerton?” Without breaking our eye contact she placed her hand in mine and allowed me to lead her into the middle of the hallway. As the next quartet started playing we started moving slowly and I placed my hands on her waist. I was mesmerized by her and the way we moved together. I felt her gloved hands resting on my shoulders and I was scared she would hear my heart pounding. We did not break eye contact and the intensity of it made me shiver. I did not care about anything else and the world around us ceased to exist. Our movements felt natural and intimate. My hands gently tightened their hold on her waist to pull her closer. Eloise eyes wandered from my eyes to my lips and back, her face only inches apart. As the music slowly ended I released my hands from her waist but did not dare to break eye contact. “Thank you for this dance” I whispered, barely audible. We were still looking deeply into each other’s eyes and I wished for nothing more than to lean forward and kiss her. “Perhaps one day, we shall find the courage to dance together in front of everyone on the dancefloor” She whispered back and a smile crept on my face “I hope so my dear”.

————————

I did not kiss her that night as much as I wish I had. It was too early, If she’s not feeling the same I am risking a scandal and nobody would forgive me for that. My brother was angry enough with me already. On the way back home in our carriage he started to shout at me for disappearing from the ball again. I tried to ignore him as much as possible. But back at our house I could not keep my temper any longer. “I am a Duke, do you understand in which position I am” He said while following me inside. I did not look at him and pulled my gloves off my hands “I surely do, but that does not give you the right to tell me what to do” I started walking up the stairs and towards my bedchambers but he stopped me in my tracks “I do have every right to tell you what to do, I am your brother” I took a deep breath in and tried to relax myself, screaming at him would not make matters any better “You used to be nice to me and not force me on strange callers, who want me for one thing only” I stated. “We all have to play our part” He simply replied to me, now standing much closer. His eyes were full of anger, but I also spotted a hint of sadness as he tried to appear superior. Something changed in our relationship the day our father died and he became the Duke. It was certainly not the loss of our father, since he never truly loved us, but now he seemed to struggle a lot more. “Does your ‘part’ grant you true happiness?” He simply looked away from me, trying to escape my gaze “That is not the question” “Simply because you cannot live the life you dream of does not give you the right to dictate mine” I said and finally took my leave. This time he did not try to stop me.

This time a bit shorter but I still hope you enjoyed it. Also the dance scene was wayyy better in my head I swear. Also I am not a very experienced writer, especially in this genre, but I am trying my best. plus I am not very good with the Bridgerton language I am so sorry hahaha.

[1-800-local-slut]

rio getting to know shy reader but realizing she far from that now that’s she’s getting comfortable with him.

-🪡

He's Right

I hope you like this! I made it hella suggestive at the end. Please let me know what you think! I just started this show Rio is literally my baby daddy but I'm only like four episodes in so I'm if it's too out of character.

Likes and reblogs are very appreciated!

Pairing: Rio (good girls) x shy! black! reader

Warnings: cheating, mentions of traumatic past, cursing, suggestiveness at the end, reader has a boyfriend

I need him in a way that isn't natural, I need him in my draws NOW.

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"Can I help you with anything sir?" Rio glanced up, his sharp eyes leaving the book he was examining.  The Lord of the Flies or some shit. He was sure he read it in school. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the woman standing before him. His eyes flicked to her neckline, seeing the star shaped necklace around her chest. That right there was perfect, telling him everything he needed to know about her relation to his target.

The woman was the younger sister of King Jericho. Otherwise known as some lame ass pimp who made the mistake of stealing from Rio. And no one steals from him and gets aways with it.

He still remembers how he was sitting with Marcus in a McDonald's drive through. Marcus was eating chicken nuggets, getting barbecue sauce and shit all over his mouth. Rio was telling him to take it easy, then he heard chiming. His phone rang, and Mick told him that their man went ghost. And when they couldn't find him, that meant they couldn't find Rio's money. And THAT was a problem.

So to make a long story short, Rio had to go the long way and go to his family. Mom sent him and Mick packing, dads dead. Only person left was his sister. And that led him to the gorgeous brown skinned woman before him.

"Of course you can, mama. I need help, I'm looking for King." His eyes scanned over her entire body, looking for something, anything, that could get him some help. Her brown eyes, and long eyelashes blinked at him but they didn't show fear or recognition. Instead she stared patiently waiting for him to continue. Nothing, time to try something else.

"Is that a series? Or an author? Do you know the genre?" Trying her best to do her job, he watched her reach into her side for her walkie talkie. So she didn't know about the King part, time to check if she knew about Jericho.

"Nah, it's none of that. I'm looking for Jericho." And there it was. The second the words left his voice in his usual charming manner her eyes filled with panic. Goosebumps appeared on her brown skin and one of her hands flew to her hair. He noticed for the first time that it must be a wig, black hair was in waves down her body and parted down her middle. For some reason her shiny hair was oddly enticing to him. Her teeth sunk into her plump, glossy lips and Rio's eyes flickered over them.

"Like...from the Bible?" Her soft voice was like music to his ears. If only that sentence wasn’t so stupid.

"...The Bible." He repeated while narrowing his eyes. Either he was being played for stupid,which was not a smart thing to do or she was stupid. He wanted to believe the woman he just found attractive even for a moment wasn’t an idiot. 

“Nah girl. I think you know what I’m talking about.” Placing the book that was still in his hands on the table behind him. Her chest was heaving quickly and she was clearly beginning to panic. Rio moved his eyes up to Mick, who was looking at a cookbook with Snoop Dogg on the cover. With a wave of his two fingers, Mick began to intercept her escape.

“I don't, I'm sorry. I don’t think I can help you, maybe you should check somewhere else.” Slowly turning on her heels, she walked head first into Mick. His solid chest stopped her, and nudged her glasses further up on her face. Stepping back she softly groaned and readjusted her lenses.

“Now, this looks like an interesting book. Can you tell me what it’s about?” Rio asked, sitting down and Mick led her to put her plump behind, that Rio noticed when he saw her through the shop's window. She nervously took a seat. While clenching and unclenching her hands on her skirt, Rio watched her with observant eyes. With a glance, he motioned to the book attempting to get her to tell him the truth. With a shaky breath one of her manicured hands reached for the book.

“It’s Lord of the Flies. It revolves around this group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and try to govern themselves. Things go bad really really fast.” Her brown eyes met him once more and he smirked. In response, she looked down at the table and snuck two looks at him.

“Oh nice nice, it got a nice ending n shit?” With a swift nod, he hummed. He kept his eyes trained on the golden star dangling from her chest, probably bought with Rio’s money.

“Alright, here’s the deal. Your brother’s a bitch. He stole from me and ran out, and I need to find him. And I need you to tell me where he is.” She swallowed thickly. 

“And who exactly would you be?” 

“My name ain’t important moma. Just know, I know you. I know your mom, I know your auntie and your grandma, I know your boyfriend too. You mom is vicious, she sent my ass packing and told me to try you next.” Her eyes got wider and wider with each sentence. He’d probably be shocked too if his own mom sold him out. Her brother had always been trouble for her. At least that’s what he gathered. She’s had to get him out of trouble more than once. Mostly out of trouble with men, going on dates and what not for his sake. No way they weren’t talking any more. 

“Look, I don’t know anything about my brother. I haven’t talked to him in like 3 years! I can’t help you. Whatever debt he’s got with you, I can’t settle it.” With a scoff and a sigh, Rio rolled his eyes lightly. Her eyes went wide at his laughter, her finger digging into her nails. She was afraid of him. He didn’t like that, but that brother of hers seems  to have gotten her involved with a lot over the past few years.

“Relax, ma I ain’t gonna hurt you. I just need you to tell me where he is.” Her head shook quickly, her hair flying around wildly. She was still denying contact.

“That’s a nice necklace. You enjoying 21?” Her face went stiff. Her mouth opened slightly to respond, her glossy lips parting. Then they shut quickly as he saw tears well up in her eyes. He was right. The necklace was sent to her apartment by her brother exactly one week ago for her 21st birthday.

“I can’t help you. I don’t know where he is, this didn’t have a return address. It came in an Amazon bag! I mean, if I could I’d help you but I can’t do anything for you gentlemen.” She was trembling in her seat, and two tears escaped her eyes. But if she could receive something from him, she could learn exactly where he was. And given he had no leads, he had to settle for asking her to find out for him. 

She was crying like he had threatened her, and he partially imagined what type of people she had been around to warrant a reaction like this.

“Look ma, I just need you to stop crying. Can you do that?” He asked and she nodded, wiping tears from her face.

“I can’t just let you go though. Your brother sent you something and I need you to find out where he sent it from. That’s it. Tell you what, put this book on hold for me. Imma be back tomorrow, with enough to pay for it. Nothing’s gonna happen to you, I just need you to learn this for me.” He slid out of his seat, leaving the trembling woman there and she placed her face in her palms in dismay.

______________________________________________________________

“Shit! What the fuck Rio?! You just break into my fucking house, you couldn't give me a phone call?” Growled the woman in a  slightly drunken anger. She turned on the lights next to the door and kicked off her heeled shoes. His eyes looked up and down her curved figure and she glared at him. Rio let out a laugh and his head lolled back on his shoulders. He was sitting on the back of her couch, petting her black cat who purred gently. Rio already found out that her cat adored anyone who fed her. 

“Well yeah baby. We still haven’t found your punk ass brother.”  Her eyes rolled hard into her head, and she threw her purse down and came around to the couch. Plopping down on her couch, Rio looked over at her soft skin covered by her golden dress.

It had been about two months. Two months since Rio went into the bookstore she worked at. Two months after the third day he entered the shop and she informed him that she found him. Then when he got there and found Jericho skipped out once again. And from there, something about her kept Rio coming back to bother the shy woman. Except she wasn't what he thought at first.

The woman slouched on the couch right next to him was vulgar, loud and proud, abrasive and more. She cursed at him, cursed out the TV, cursed out her mother and grandmother and boyfriend. She cursed out Rio. She was perfect for him. She was nice to him, despite their off putting first meeting. She put him in his place when she felt he needed it. She wasn’t afraid to tell him to shut his goofy ass up in her exact words. But still, sometimes he’d look at her and she looked just about ready to fold for him. And Rio liked that shit.

Now in a golden mini dress that she wore, with body glitter all over her breast was enticing Rio. She smelt like a mix of vanilla and a bar. In truth, if she could find her brother for him he didn’t care anymore. He could find him on his own with the clues they found at his last known location. In fact, soon enough they’d get their final location. He just liked bothering her. And it wasn’t like she was even bothering to look for him anymore. Last he asked she told him to suck her dick, she wouldn’t be searching for shit. 

“What’s wrong baby, you have a shitty night?” He asked, taking one of his large hands and cupping her face. He noticed her thighs pressed together with intense pressure. A smirk came across his face, and ran a thumb over her stained lips. She leaned into his touch and he waited for his answer.

“My boyfriends being a cunt again.” She sighed and her cat jumped into her lap, patting his paws on her soft thighs. Rio wanted to do that too, boyfriend be damned.

“Oh yeah?” He asked his hand itching down to her neck and his pinky scraping over the chain of that star necklace. That same necklace that pushed them to meet. Her eyes stayed glued to his, as she glanced up at him with wide eyes.

“He’s going on about not trusting my friendship with you. Then he told me to get the fuck on, since I didnt want to dance at the club. He was like ‘oh you rather dance with that other nigga?’ and I was like  ‘he’s not a fucking pussy, he could probably dance better than you’ so he told me to fuck off and I left him and told him not to come home tonight. You’re the other nigga in question. The niggas trippin, he keep bitching about it. He says he knows you wanna fuck me. He’s being a bitch, it’s making me want to cheat on him.” Suddenly he smirked at her. She raised an eyebrow, still feeling the heat of his hand on her throat and rubbing her thighs together.

“And what if I told you he was right?” His hand was now lightly around her throat, and he brushed pieces of her curly afro out of her face with his free hand. Slowly she began to process his words. Then a wicked smile crossed her face and she licked her lips.

“You should do something about that then.” Her voice now low and seductive, as he saw sparks of mischief in her eyes. He leaned in and pressed his lips against her soft ones. They pulled away for a moment and he lightly squeezed her throat harder. Licking his lips, he tasted the liquor and her strawberry lipgloss.

“I’m about to show you what else I’m better than his ass at.”

[glowinggator]

Could I please request some romantic childhood friends to young adult lovers headcannons with Rocky, Freckle, and Ivy? I feel like this trope would suit these three very well, especially for our favorite chaotic musician.

Absolutely my love! This was an absolute blast to write -- I forgot how much I loved this trio! Below the cut! <3

Roark “Rocky” Rickaby

Rocky’s world has been on the verge of collapse for… well, almost as long as he can remember really. And you know what they say — at the end of everything, hold onto anything. Your presence in his life has been, arguably, the number one thing keeping him afloat in the dark waves that have been rolling through his life since death struck his home.

But even before that, you were like his other half — a partner in crime, if you will! Anyone looking in would see the two of you as part of some sort of circus act, with how easily you meshed together.

You were practically attached at the hip — hardly ever found without the other, the two of you did just about everything together.

Playing pranks on the neighbors before running down the street, hand in hand.

Dancing between each other, tails interlocking and then fanning back out to the side, you possessed a shared grace that only came with the deepest of friendships.

Finishing each others’ sentences, no matter how complex, with hardly even a glance toward the other, things just came naturally. His mother always said the two of you would get married someday, with how easily things seem to come to the two of you — he agreed, but on the condition that he’d get to play all the music. You agreed too, so long as you got to sing.

Of course, things changed when the Red Death came.

Just as you shared all things, you shared his grief, too. He still remembers how you ran after his train heading off towards St. Louis, trying to commit his face to memory. He kept every letter you sent, and waited dutifully by the door every Christmas morning for you to keep your own promise to visit.

(You always kept your promises. Always. He supposes your own parents must have seen how close the two of you were, knew it would have killed you to keep you away.)

But most of all, he remembers how magical it was to sweep you back into his arms, when you joined him on the run at the age of 16.

He’s not sure when things changed — he doesn’t think they ever really did, actually. There’s always been a deep love between you — you just didn’t have the words to describe it, yet. And so when your lips met under the starry sky one night on a warm Summer night, for the first time since childhood, neither of you pulled away. No stammering words, or flustered shakes. It was just as things were always meant to be.

Calvin “Freckle” Allen McMurray

Calvin was never the most social kid. Talking to people can be intimidating, and really, he does better when he can think out some responses first… which doesn’t really happen, in a conversation. And so, he’s always been pretty happy to just stay inside and read. Maybe meander out to the field to watch a game or two in peace.

But you? You’re an exception.

Nina praises God every day that you’re in his life. She’s always been so worried for the boy, concerned that he’s not getting enough sunshine. The last thing she wants is for her son to become a shut-in, and with how shy he is, she thought it was an impossibility. But you, shining you, seem to have brightened up his life a bit.

He still remembers the day that you moved into the neighborhood, how insistent your parents were on having the two of you meet. He stood behind his mother’s leg, peering out anxiously. You weren’t much better off in that department, clearly nervous. But once the two of you were shoved together? Things just… flowed. And sure, it took little Calvin a minute to open up, but once he did? He’d wait by the door every day for you to come over, legs swinging over the side of the chair with a new book clutched to his chest.

You’re a perfect duo together — you two love spending time inside together, but you always manage to drag him out for a little adventure on the streets at some point during the day.

And well, you can’t help but coax him into a bit of secret mischief every now and again. He says he’s a good kid who never breaks the rules, and he’ll say it until his very last breath… but the giddy laugh he gives out says otherwise, even if he does clamp his hands over his mouth right after.

You became a bit of a bodyguard for Freckle once Rocky moved in with them — you still participated in the group shenanigans of course, but it was nice to have someone to run to when he couldn’t run away from one of Rocky’s new experiments.

He still remembers how you begged his mom to take the three of you to the amusement park up the road for his 12th birthday, how you saved every penny you got from your chores to pay for it all. How you managed to get her to agree he still has no idea, but its one of his favorite memories. Rocky had to be carried home, crashed out from the sugar high, but Freckle? He was still teeming with adrenaline. You made sure to drag him to the brand-new Ferris Wheel, knowing his secret penchant for thrills, and once he got up to the very top, he never wanted to come down. Not just because of the adrenaline rush that comes with seeing the whole world at once for the first time, but because of how close the two of you were.

He hadn’t felt shy around you in years, but for some reason, your body heat seeping into him made his breath catch in his throat and his face hot. And it was addicting.

From then on, he was just the slightest bit different around you. Not in a bad way, mind you — but still, noticeable. He perks up a bit more when you speak, jumps a bit more when you reach out to him, leans into your touch when you connect.

He vehemently denies any feelings when Nina starts prodding him about it, of course.

His confession is more accidental than anything else.

He’s had plenty of admirers in highschool, all of whom have tried to confess their adoration in different ways. But by far the most popular was through letter. Flustered faces and twitching ears as they hand over pink envelopes, only to be left unopened in his bedside drawer.

You had asked once, kicked back on his bed as he put away yet another perfumed letter, why he never responded to any of them. They’re pretty, they’re nice… so why not give it a shot?

He didn’t know how to explain that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to date, it’s that he didn’t want to date them.

And slowly, all the pieces in your shared mind clicked together. And when you interlocked your hands — an action you had done a million times before — it felt… different. Things had always felt natural, but this time, it felt right.

You don’t know who leaned in first — as with all things in your lives, it was probably yet another shared action. What you do know is that you had many, many years to make up for.

Ivy Pepper

Ivy has never quite meshed with her peers — she gets along with them great, but they’ve never been exactly what she’s looking for. Too prim, too proper, too afraid of getting mussed up. She wants adventure! She wants fun!

And you? You’re fun.

As she got older and older, her parents just seemed to have less and less time for her. And yes, it kind of crushed her. But you’re her home away from home — her best friend in the world, the person who is there for her when noone else is. Her dad hardly knows a thing about her, but nowadays it seems like you know everything there is to know about her.

When she was little she’d wait by the door for your parents to bring you by, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet. But once you got older? She’d be running off in the early hours of the morning to your meeting spot out on the corner… or scaling your house to shimmy through your bedroom window. There was never any need, of course — she just liked the rush that came with doing something she technically shouldn’t. And she really liked the stifled giggles that would fall from your lips when you gripped her hands to pull her through the opening.

You’re a couple of sweet little con artists, taking the phrase “partners in crime” to new heights. Ivy, the doll-faced sweetheart, and you, the instigator. You make a great team together, but honestly, it’s more about the fun than it is the nickles and dimes you earn.

Whenever her favorite songs come on the record player, you always have your hand extended to her before she even has to ask.

Ivy has had plenty of boyfriends in the past, but none of them have ever felt like the romance books that she reads in her spare time. The closest she’s ever felt to that is… with you.

She remembers one night, when she shimmied through your window for the millionth time, just laying on your bed together. Giggling with each other on the duvet, shushing one another in hushed whispers, and illuminated only by candlelight. The light glimmered, highlighting your features, and she was struck with the urge to reach out, to touch, to hold and be held, and God, she just never wanted the night to end. She knew then that this was what all the books had been writing about, this exact feeling. And as your giggles died down, she couldn’t help but reach out to you, touching fingertips. Contact, in the name of “comparing hand sizes,” unity upheld in the candlelight.

After that night, things are a bit different. She’s flirted with so many people before, but you? You’re… different. She’s just as bold, mind you, but her smile when you fluster or respond back is more giddy than you’ve ever seen her before.

She plays coy, but you’re practically her other half — you know all of her tricks.

So when she leans into your space one night, hands placed just shy of your crossed legs, asking to kiss you, just to know what it’s like? You know exactly what she’s getting at — know that this is so much more than just an experiment between friends.

And when your lips meet, you wonder why you ever labored through the song and dance before, when you could have had this the whole time.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a labor day long weekend

11pm, sunday, september 1, 2024

couldn't remember if i've done 'in lieu of a long weekend' before, so i specified. raise your hand if you're spending the day off doing more work than ever, because you're a grad student and/or poor planner!

reading

francis spufford's cahokia jazz (2024) absolutely entranced me this week. i couldn't put it down, stayed up all night (literally) to get through the big confrontation and then stayed up to make sure i knew how things shook out afterwards. i have found two book reviews which seem to agree that there's a lot to 'work through' here, pull-quote below, but this was not my experience-- i was thoroughly hooked by the (to me) subtle and eloquent clues about how this timeline was different from our own, and fascinated by the city politics, religion, infrastructure-- if anything, the focus on public transit struck me more than the exposition! shoutout to the streetcars!--but most importantly, maybe, spufford knew how to write his protagonist's relationship to music, and incorporate joe's jazz into his pov in a beautiful way, a real way. i'm fucking mourning the what-could-have-been of cahokia, of indigenous america, of. god. that vision of a different form of modernity-- not less complicated, not less industrialized, with all its own moral ambiguities and darkness...but nevertheless a living society.

from the new york times' review, ivy pochoda:

Reader, let me ask you a question. How much work are you willing to do to dive into a new novel? Do you want to step into a speculative world frustratingly close to our own? Do you want to spend time in an imaginary city constructed with the world-building minutiae of a high fantasy novel? Do you want to engage with new forms of government and religious sects? Are you cool if there’s foreign language peppered throughout? How about the Klan? A Red scare? A nascent F.B.I.? A love story? Do you also want jazz? And do you want all of this to be part of a detective novel?

fucking of course YES I DO.

also finished just today, the personal librarian (2021) by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray, narrated by Robin Miles. i had known there was a belle da costa greene award offered by the maa for medievalists of color, but it took me until reading this novel to actually learn anything about belle herself, and i am thrilled it exists. i'm so, so glad she existed. figuring out how to work her into my medieval book syllabus as we speak. a very different book than the one above, though they both must have taken a huge amount of research and informed imagination and inference-- belle destroyed her correspondence, apart from her business letters apparently-- but the academic in me was hoping there would be. two or three more skosh more precision and detail in the discussion of manuscript / incunabula research. there was a lot of 'the beauty of art' and 'the value of the written word' but it felt a little cursory. still, i know i'm an outlier. the discussions of her relationships to her parents, her identity, her passing, were all executed with so much care.

watching

the build up of intensity / count-down to the opening of the restaurant in the bear s2 was getting to me in the count down to the new semester, so i turned to something a little different. what if this is the year i actually get into psych. so far, signs point to this being a good decision. just finished the spelling bee episode (s1e02 i think? i didn't realize that the pilot was two parts, i thought those were two separate eps but whatever) and it was absurd, but. i'm just so glad to be watching tv made in an era where...you have to watch the screen to get everything that's happening! and there are contrived/ridiculous premises in the same episode as some layers are built up in the main characters' relationships and actual, like, continuity! it's a serial detective show that is at bottom incredibly silly but i'm here to over think and get invested in it. love to see dulé hill in a lead role. what the hell was i doing in 2006, when not watching this.

listening

i'm exploring a bit lately, new music, new (to me) artists-- I think i'm enjoying pop girlies at the moment, song of the summer etc., and charlie xcx's brat and caroline polachek have both been on my repeat list, but i don't have a ton to report yet. honestly this week it's been a lot of listening to the podcast a more civilized age: a star wars podcast (thanks @knifepadme for the rec!!) break down over andor. it is so incredibly cute to hear how excited they get over the first three episodes, and continue to get over the whole first arc. TELEVISION! it makes me feel like i'm rewatching the show with friends, their insights and the parallels and interpretations they keep pulling out are enriching it a lot, but also their star wars nerdery is picking up on things i wouldn't have thought to get excited about, and predictions that never occurred to me, and it's. delightful.

playing

finished chants of sennaar! total play time was about 20 hours, and that's with getting all the glyphs and all but two of the accomplishments (a little sore about that since I'm pretty sure i was in proximity for at least one of them that ended up not counting, but, whatever). i did consult a guide for the final series of puzzles, not the last language but the stuff that came after, i guess because i wanted to be completionist about it--but there were also some obstacles that weren't logic or anything, but more about learning the game's patterns (the first thing i looked up was staring right in front of me, i just wasn't paying attention to the right shit). there was a moment when the genre of the game shifted, i think i've mentioned before maybe, and it happens again towards the end-- but this time it didn't hit in quite the same way? perhaps because it wasn't as big a shock. more of a 'oh well, i guess this might as well be happening' reaction. i'd done a few of the puzzles out of order, i think, earlier than they'd anticipated / as i was progressing up the tower rather than all at the end, except for one at the very bottom that i had to go back and find (thank you to the people online who write guides and do playthroughs).

i really loved the visuals and design of this game-- the colors, the angles, the wild perspectives in some of the scenes. i liked that, once i'd gotten the hang of something, i could typically repeat that manner of thinking and succeed the next time as well-- a game about learning. learning to learn!

making

sewed part of one of the new patches onto the jacket. just barely worked out a stitch i could handle, only to have my housemate lend me a little rubber finger...thingy, and make everything so much easier. why did i decide to sew through denim and multiple layers of stitching? because i don't trust the iron-able backing, and also love to make life harder for myself i guess.

working on

it's been syllabus lockdown hours over here, and considering that the first class is thursday, it will continue to be until the absolute last fucking minute. i want too much and also shy away from making literally any decision. you'd think that this level of avoidance might make it easier to productively procrastinate by working on other things, but that's a funny joke.

[x0x0josephinex0x0]

The Hope in the Fault Lines, Part 2

I was expecting this part to take much longer to write.............but here it is!! part 2 of 5 in the series. Go read Part 1 if you haven't already!! Warnings: implied sexual behavior, sick child, one scene takes place in a hospital, implied PTSD (it's never said but she has it), death of sibling, this part is a bit of a rooooooooooough time but bear with me Word count: 5.6 k for part 2

par t 1 | part 3 | part 4

Before

You bit your lip as you looked at Jeri in the mirror. “You look beautiful,” you had told her, your voice hesitant.

“You sound so convincing,” she said sarcastically, adjusting her veil and smoothing her hands over the sleek bodice of her minimalist-chic wedding dress. “What’s your deal?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” you had asked her. “Get married? I mean, that means you’re stuck with him.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Not everyone is a workaholic and commitmentphobe,” she reminded you. “I’m in love with Jisung, sweetheart. We’ve been together for two years.”

“Is that long enough?” you had wondered out loud. “I mean, what if there’s something bad you don’t know about him? What if he committed a crime or something?”

Jeri gave you her best “you’re being ridiculous” look. “You remember who we’re talking about, right?” she asked you. “Jisung gets stressed out if he accidentally forgets to signal when he changes lanes. There’s no way he could commit a whole crime.”

You had to admit that was fair. She took your hands in hers. “I know what this is really about,” she said. “And I’m not making the mistake that mom made. I know what I’m doing.”

You had smiled at the confidence in her tone. In that moment, she seemed so mature and self-assured that you forgot she was your younger sister. Somewhere in this beautiful house, you knew Jisung was coming apart at the seams, and the thought of how the man must be panicking over every single detail of the day while your sister waited calmly to walk down the aisle was suddenly very funny to you. Downstairs, the music started, and you squeezed Jeri’s hands before tucking one of them into the crook of your elbow. 

“Ready?” you asked, feeling a whirlwind of emotions -- pride, worry, joy -- but giving your sister a smile.

“Ready,” she confirmed, and together you had headed down the stairs, where everyone in the wide chapel room had stood and turned their heads to gaze open-mouthed as you, Jeri’s only sibling, walked her down the aisle.

***

“Thanks for texting,” you say as you arrive home and Mingyu hands Sara into your outstretched arms. “The updates are really great. And thanks for grabbing the books! I’ll read to her tonight.”

The first two weeks of Mingyu’s employment have seen a drastic improvement in your mental state. For one thing, Mingyu keeps the house clean, so there isn’t the added weight of messiness and clutter. For another, you are able to work without the mental load of being away from Sara because you receive regular updates throughout the day. And finally, though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit, Mingyu is just a soothing presence. You only see him for a few minutes before work and after work every day, but it’s always so easy and pleasant to talk to him that you genuinely look forward to it. 

Your weekend time with Sara seems to be improving, too -- perhaps she can sense you’re breathing easier, which makes her less fussy, or maybe she’s just gotten used to you. Either way, she’s becoming more like she was before the accident, which does your heart a lot of good. And you love holding her, talking to her, and hearing her little babbles and shrieks. Obviously the circumstances of your parenthood are shit, but the actual parenthood part is turning out to be better than you thought.

“Just a heads-up -- I think she might be a little under the weather. She’s been fussy and low-energy today.” Mingyu looks between you and Sara, a little worry tinging his voice.

You look down at Sara’s flushed pink cheeks in worry. “Oh no,” you say. “Um, thanks for letting me know.”

“I got baby cough medicine,” he tells you. “So if she does come down with something, it’s in the cupboard where you keep your vitamins.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” you breathe. “Thank you.” You stroke Sara’s head, which she’s buried in the crook of your neck in exhaustion. “Don’t wanna say bye to Mingyu?” you ask her softly.

He brushes a broad hand over her black curls. “Bye, Sara. See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” you say suddenly. “I have to leave Thursday night for a short day trip for the magazine. It’s nothing major -- I’m only staying overnight because the city is a couple hours away and I don’t love driving at night. Would you be alright staying with her?”

He nods. “As long as you’re paying me, I’ll be here,” he jokes.

“You’re a star,” you say, and he chuckles. “I’ll pay you time and a half for overnight stuff.”

“Thanks,” he says. “I’ll let you get her to bed, then.”

He gives you a smile that would make anyone weak in the knees, and you can’t help but smile back as he leaves. Turning your attention to Sara, you inspect her face. “Hmm,” you say, your brow creasing in worry at her dull eyes and ruddy cheeks. She does look ill, and this thought seems to hover uncomfortably in the back of your mind as you sit her in the bathtub. She fusses and cries during her bath, which is uncommon -- she loves splashing around, and usually bathtime is full of giggles and smiles. You bite the inside of your cheek and wash her off, toweling her dry a bit more thoroughly than usual to make sure she doesn’t go to bed with any part of her still wet.

You bring her to bed with you instead of putting her in her crib. You used to do this because you were so exhausted during nighttime feedings, and falling asleep in the rocking chair meant an aching neck in the morning. You still remember how terrified you were that you would roll over Sara and suffocate her. But gradually you learned that you woke with any small noise of Sara’s, and your fear had subsided. Now, she slept in your bedroom more nights than she slept in her crib -- and tonight, it felt extra necessary to keep a close eye on her.

Sure enough, around four in the morning you wake to sniffles punctuated by soft coughs. Sleepily, you lift Sara into your arms. She nuzzles into you, and you relax a bit -- clearly she is well enough to at least be aware of you. Allowing yourself to doze off, you wake up just before 5:30 and decide to actually get ready before Mingyu arrived.

You lay Sara back on the bed with a small kiss on her cheek, noting that it isn’t much warmer than it usually is (which means no fever), and take an open-door, open-curtain shower -- one where you could still see Sara’s little figure swaddled in the bed. You don’t get your hair wet, and you curl it once you get out. Finally, you actually put on makeup for the first time since your sister died. 

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you realize that you barely recognize this creature staring back at you. Her hollow cheeks and dark under-eyes have been concealed by an artful hand, but the colors in her gaze betray her. Perhaps it was just because you knew everything you’d gone through, but it is obvious to you that the eyes tell all -- the crushing nothingness of grief, the bitter rage, the dimness of despair. You remind yourself to avoid looking at the mirror too closely from now on.

Sara is still fast asleep when you finish around 6:45. You decide it’s best if she stays asleep for the sake of her health, so you carefully move her to her crib just as Mingyu’s knock sounds at the door. You tip-toe down the stairs to get it. “Hi,” you whisper to him as you open the door.

He seems taken aback for a moment, but recovers quickly. “Hey,” he says at a normal volume as he strides over the threshold and removes his shoes. “You look really nice, boss.”

“Oh!” you say, still whispering, remembering the makeup and the woman you couldn’t say was you in the mirror. “Um, thanks. Uh, Sara’s still asleep.”

He nods, looking a bit sheepish at how loud he’d been, and that little pinch of worry reappeared between his eyebrows. “Did she sleep okay?” he whispers back.

“She slept through the night, actually,” you tell him. “I’m thinking we should just let her sleep as long as she wants -- her body needs rest.”

Mingyu nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. How did you sleep?” he asks you, eyeing you carefully.

“Not too bad,” you say, feeling a little anxious under the weight of his gaze. “I woke up a little earlier than normal, but I got enough.” You give him a small smile. “How did you sleep, now that we’re at it?”

He grins. “I slept great. Thanks for asking.”

“Good to hear,” you say. 

You just stand there in the kitchen, smiling awkwardly at each other, before Mingyu says, “so...have you eaten yet?”

“Oh! Um, no,” you say, wondering why you’re always surprised whenever he chooses to speak to you even though you’re literally the only one in the room.

“Let me make you something,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of time until you need to leave, and I’ve never seen you eat breakfast.”

“I’m surprised you noticed that,” you say quietly. 

He winks at you. “I notice everything,” he says. “So, do you like eggs?”

He goes to the fridge and starts removing things. “Yes, I do,” you say, sincerely hoping he was just teasing and he doesn’t notice how you’re blushing. 

You only realize you’re staring him down when he looks at you with one eyebrow raised. “You in there?”

“Oh,” you say, yet again. You’re flustered today -- for some reason, it feels like your thoughts are taking a longer time than is average to come out of your mouth in any way that makes sense. You fixate on his broad hands chopping some garlic, and suddenly you’re speaking. “Yeah, sorry. It’s just...it’s a little stupid, but Jeri -- my sister, you know -- she was the one who always made me breakfast when we lived together in college. Even...even years later, she’d still text me occasionally to make sure I’d eaten.”

Where had that come from? Sure, it was all true -- the hard lump in your throat that made it difficult to say was evidence of that -- but why had you suddenly confessed such a thing to your nanny? You sigh. “Sorry, I don’t -- don’t really know why I just...told you that. Out of nowhere.” You look down at your hands, embarrassed.

He nods slowly, and his smile is tinged with sadness. “It’s okay,” he tells you. “I don’t mind.” He begins cracking eggs into the pan, stirring them with a pair of chopsticks to scramble them up. “What was your sister like?”

You raise your eyebrows at him. “What?” he says. “I’m curious. You don’t have to tell me, but I do genuinely want to know.”

Your mouth twists into a half-smile. “Well, she and I were like two sides of the same coin,” you say, going to sit at the island in the middle of the wide kitchen so he can hear you over the sizzling vegetables and eggs in the pan. “Inseparable since childhood, you know. She’s two years younger than I am, but it always felt like we were twins, somehow. She was...” 

You trail off, thinking. Mingyu is glancing between you and the eggs on the stove, but you can tell he’s listening. Maybe it’s the quiet of the morning, and maybe it’s just him, but the dam breaks, and words spill out. “She was just as stubborn as me, but she didn’t have the ambition I have, or maybe the better word is ‘hubris’. I wanted to build something that would outlast me, but she just wanted to live somewhere quiet with her husband and a houseful of kids. But neither of us ever...ever tried to talk each other out of what we wanted. We both knew, I guess. She knew I couldn’t stand being mediocre, and I knew she hated the spotlight. And God, I loved that about her. She never resented me for my success or my money, because there was no competition.”

Mingyu takes the eggs off the stove and plates them in one smooth move, setting them in front of you as you finish speaking. He smiles at you as he hands you a fork. “She sounds great,” he says. 

“She is,” you say. “Was,” you correct. Your eyes suddenly burn, and to distract yourself, you pick up a glob of eggs with the fork and blow on it, eating it. Your eyes go wide. “These are good!” you exclaim.

Mingyu gives a sarcastic little bow. “Thanks,” he says. He’s interrupted by a cry from the baby monitor -- Sara seems to have woken up.

You move to stand up to grab her, but Mingyu stops you. “You eat,” he instructs. “I’ll go get her.”

You watch him go up the stairs with the trace of a smile as you continue eating the eggs. He comes downstairs with Sara a few minutes later, and her little head is resting against his big shoulder. He’s bouncing her gently, and you are struck for a moment at how tiny she looks in his thick arms.

In minutes you’ve finished your eggs, knowing you don’t have long until you need to leave. But you do wash your plate and the pan that Mingyu used to make the eggs, despite his protests. “I may not have given the impression that I know how to do the dishes the first few weeks you worked here, but I promise I do,” you tease. 

He shakes his head, amused. “I know you do, you just don’t seem like someone who should wash dishes.”

“Why?” you ask indignantly.

He shrugs. “Kind of like how a queen shouldn’t make her own bed in the morning. You’ve got me for that.”

You actually laugh at that. “Are you calling me a queen?”

He nods his head emphatically. “Of course you are,” he says with a grin. 

Your smile is big enough that it’s hurting your face. “Well, thank you,” you say. “But you’re not my maid. In fact,” you continue, and grab your now-clean fork, “I think you deserve a promotion.”

In a dramatic march, you make your way over to Mingyu, who watches you with amused eyes as you stop in front of him, reaching up to tap both his shoulders with the fork before tapping the crown of his head. “You’ve been knighted,” you say seriously. And he giggles at you -- a surprisingly high, breathy sound that instantly fills you with warmth.

“I’m gonna ask all my friends to call me Sir Mingyu,” he tells you. 

Solemnly, you nod. “I’m glad to know this went straight to your head.”

He laughs again, and you start to walk away. “Well, Princess Sara and Sir Mingyu, have a lovely day. The queen needs to go to work.”

He’s still grinning at your antics by the time you make it out the door.

On the drive to work, you catch yourself smiling to yourself. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been silly like that -- it had probably been since college, and even then that side of you didn’t come out often. You had grown up far too fast, a necessity in a household like you grew up in, and the only person who really could bring it out of you had been Jeri, whom you had been that way for to try to save her from growing up too fast, too.

When Mingyu had entered your house today, he’d been your employee, but when you’d left the house, you felt that you had kind of become friends. The thought, as odd as it was, was also comforting. Because raising a child with a nanny felt clinical and business-y of you, but raising a kid with a friend was probably the closest this could get to how it should be. You make a mental note to make a raise schedule for Mingyu so that he never ever ever leaves your employment.

***

Before

You look between Jisung and Jeri with a raised eyebrow. Letting out a puff of air, you lean forward. “The things I have seen today,” you say while pinching the bridge of your nose, “are things I never thought I’d see when I asked you to house-sit for me. And things I’m expecting and hoping to never see again. Are we clear?”

Jisung’s face is bright red, and Jeri looks traumatized. They both nod.

“Although I am pretty impressed at your creativity,” you continue, feeling the need to lighten the mood in the room. “The kitchen island, Jisung? I mean, that was acrobatic of you both.”

The two of them look at each other and burst into giggles. “Okay, we’re sorry,” Jeri says, her face just as red as Jisung’s, but she can finally look you in the eye. “But can you blame us? I mean, we’re newlyweds.”

“Newlyweds who got carried away,” you agree. “Jisung, it’s okay. I’m not going to commit any murders today. You can look at me.”

“I am so embarrassed,” your sister’s husband groans. “It was my fault, I just --”

Jeri cuts in. “No, it was me, I just --”

You roll your eyes. “I really don’t care who started it. I just care that every single inch of this kitchen is sprayed with medical-grade chemicals and that you promise to never ever ever let me catch you like that again. Especially in my own house.”

“Deal,” says Jeri. Her eyes are twinkling with humor, and you have to concentrate to keep yourself from grinning at her. Because she knows what you’re about to say as Jisung hurries out of the room for the bleach.

“Damn, girl. Good for you.”

***

“Boss?” Cory’s voice sounds as though it’s coming to you from down a long hallway, and you snap back to earth with a little shake of your head.

“Sorry, Cory,” you say, shifting in your seat and reaching for your glass of water. “What were you saying?”

Cory picks at the potatoes on his plate and looks around the fancy restaurant at anything but you before fixing you with a blue-eyed gaze that is surprisingly intense. “I figured this would be the best time to confess.”

What? You’re sure you misheard him. “Confess?” you repeat.

“Yeah,” he says, and in spite of himself, he’s grinning. “Listen, we’ve worked together for seven years. We met freshman year of college, and you really believed in me more than anyone ever has in my life. I -- I’ve kept this in for a long time, actually. Years.”

“Are you telling me you have feelings for me?” you ask him bluntly.

“Well, yeah,” he says, and he blushes. “Are you telling me you had no idea?”

“I seriously didn’t,” you say, your head spinning. You take a deep breath and pray you’ll find the right words. “Listen...I appreciate you so much, Cory. I couldn’t ask for a better editor, and you’re absolutely right -- I have so much faith in you and your skills. This business, my business, wouldn’t be anywhere without you.”

He gives you a sad half-smile. “But?” he says.

“But,” you say, nodding. “But my sister just died, like, three and a half months ago. And I’m still trying to figure out what my life looks like from here. A lot is changing for me...and even if it weren’t, I still don’t think I’d be sure how I felt about being in a relationship with anyone.”

Cory seems to chew on these words as you speak. “Well, I can’t say that comes as a surprise to me,” he says after awhile. “But it was getting to be too much for me to hold in.”

“I understand,” you say, avoiding his gaze.

“Listen,” he says, and he reaches across the table to put a hand over yours. “I want you to take your time and think about it. Think about me, in that way. Figure out if it makes sense in your head like it makes sense in mine. I won’t give up on you, so take your time.”

“Okay,” you say. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” he says -- but you aren’t apologizing for anything you said. You’re apologizing for the way you want to run out of the restaurant, far away from the yearning look in his eyes.

***

Before

“But what if --”

“Save it,” Jeri says, brushing mascara over your eyelashes. 

“Seriously though. What if I --”

“You’re not going to mess it up,” she tells you. She closes the tube of mascara and then pulls the graduation cap from your bag. “Just do the speech like you practiced. You ran it through with me like a thousand times.” She pins the cap on in record speed.

“But what if I do mess it up?” you finally say.

She puts both her hands on your shoulders and gives you a look that shuts you up right away. “If there’s one thing I know about my sister, it’s that she is always prepared.”

You swallow hard at this. “Oh, God,” you breathe. “I’m not sure...”

“Why are you so nervous? You were fine yesterday,” she asks you.

“Because what if it all fails? Not just the speech,” you clarify at her quizzical glance. “All my plans, the magazine, the business...what if it all just fails?”

She gives you a gentle look. “Then we’ll start over. We always do.”

This is what gives you the strength to walk onto that stage: the knowledge that even if the worst possible thing happens, you and Jeri will always have each other.

***

There is, in your opinion, nothing worse than being exhausted and anxious. It creates the perfect storm: desperately wanting to close your eyes and escape the thoughts swirling around in your brain, but also being entirely unable to relax, which is the state you find yourself in after the dinner with Cory. So you toss and turn in your hotel room, a three hour drive from home, and wonder how Sara is doing.  

Your last text from Mingyu had come in at around 7pm, and he was putting her to bed then. According to his updates, her cough had gotten worse. Cory’s confession truly couldn’t have come at a worse time, when you were already so preoccupied with Sara’s health. At 10:57pm you check your phone one final time before your exhaustion beats back your anxiety with a stick and you reluctantly sink into uneasy dreams.

It seems like minutes of sleep before you wake to your phone ringing. Your eyes fly open, but you suddenly realize your arms and legs aren’t working as you try to reach for it. Your breath speeds up, but you can’t open your mouth to scream. And spiders seem to be crawling out of the shadows on the walls.

Finally you can twitch your fingers, then move your arms, then sit up and grab your phone. Still shaking, still hyperventilating, still sick with worry, you check the caller ID and your stomach drops -- it’s Mingyu. 

You quickly answer. “Hi,” you say breathlessly.

His voice is slightly muffled. “I’m taking Sara to the hospital,” he says, his tone urgent. “I don’t think she’s breathing very well.”

The air has left your lungs. You hear yourself answer him -- something about thanking him and you’ll see them soon -- and then you drop the phone. For a split second you’re frozen in panic. Then, you leap into action. You grab your keys from the nightstand, leaving everything behind but your phone and its charger, and race down the hallway to the elevator in your pajamas.

What follows is the most tense three hour drive of your life, riddled with flashbacks to phone calls from police officers on the highway. “You’re sister’s been involved in an accident,” you hear over and over in your head. “Come to the hospital.” You’re gripping the wheel so tightly that your knuckles ache, and you alternate between struggling to breathe and silently weeping. There are whole minutes, maybe more, from the drive that you don’t remember. You don’t know if you’re speeding. You don’t know what time it is. The only thing you can think is Please God, don’t let another member of my family die in that goddamn hospital. 

You had hoped you’d never have to walk into this lobby again -- never have to smell the chemicals or see the doctors or talk to the front desk people and tell them who you’re there for. You never wanted to be in this same elevator, going up to this same floor, possibly to the same hallway you’d visited nearly four months earlier. And yet, here you are. It’s like your brain can’t believe it -- nothing feels real. If things got any weirder, you’d be tempted to reach your hand out to the nearest wall, half-expecting it to dissolve into smoke in your hands. 

You round a corner, arriving in another one of those identical hallways, your heart in your throat, and you see him. Mingyu is standing about halfway down the hallway, talking to a doctor, his shoulders set in anxious tension, and before you can stop yourself you’re calling for him. You don’t even register his shocked expression as he turns to see you, and you don’t even realize that you’re running to him before he opens his arms to you and your collide with him.

He wraps you up tight in his grasp. “Hey,” he grunts in your ear, probably from the speed at which your body crashed into his, but his voice is calm. “She’s okay, they’ve got her on an oxygen machine. They’re giving her great care. She’s gonna be fine.”

The doctor clears her throat. “Who is this, Mingyu?” she asks. 

Mingyu doesn’t let go. “She’s the child’s legal guardian,” he explains over your head. 

The doctor makes an understanding noise. “I’ll let you have a minute,” she says.

Mingyu turns his attention back to you. “Breathe for me,” he says. “Big deep breaths.”

You try to obey, and the only thing you can think about is how shaky the breath sounds as it enters your lungs. “Can I see her?” you say, and your voice comes out in a raspy whisper.

“Yeah,” he says. “She’s just in here.”

He ushers you into the hospital room, where Sara lies in a little crib, her nose hooked up to a cannula pumping oxygen into her lungs. You approach her sleeping form, only vaguely aware of Mingyu’s arm across your shoulders, and bend down to brush a trembling hand over her forehead.

“She’s really going to be fine,” Mingyu murmurs to you. You look up at him, and for some reason, the way he is looking at you is what tips you over the edge. The emotions spill over, and you find yourself burying your face in his chest as you sob.

He doesn’t say anything. He just wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer into him and letting you cry. You don’t even have it in you to be ashamed of how desperately you’re clinging to him, fingers bunching into the fabric at the back of his shirt, crying the first tears you’ve shed in front of another person besides Sara since the funeral. His grip on you tightens the harder you sob, and you dazedly consider the idea that Mingyu might be trying to squeeze the sadness out of you. It’s an oddly comforting thought, and soon enough you’ve released all your emotions, the evidence of them two unflattering tearstains on Mingyu’s tee.

You take a calming breath in, pulling back to look at his face. His eyes are red, and his face is set in stony lines. It is then that you realize he’s not okay. 

Several pieces of the puzzle that is the man in front of you seem to collide together in your brain at once: the way he talks about kids and the ease with which he interacts with Sara; the way the doctor seemed to know him on a first name basis; the way he’d held you almost as though he was also trying to hold himself together too. Mingyu is familiar with this particular part of this particular hospital. Mingyu has had personal experience with sick kids.

But you don’t say anything about it yet -- you know it would be too much to ask him to explain what is most probably a complicated and painful history. So you just give him a watery smile and say, “thank you for being here. And for taking such good care of her.” You pause and draw in a hitching breath before adding, “Sir Mingyu.”

He gives the tiniest smile. “I’m glad I was able to get her here in time to get her help.”

“Well, you’ve got a job until Sara moves out,” you promise him.

The smile gets bigger. “That’s a long time,” he says in a falsely skeptical tone. “You sure you won’t get sick of me?”

You roll your eyes. “Oh yeah, I forgot that you’re incredibly unpleasant to be around,” you say scathingly. “But seriously. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to take care of Sara. You need a raise or something.”

He shakes his head. “Just pay Chan a finder’s fee instead,” he jokes. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

“He probably would. And I probably owe him one,” you say, wiping the sticky tear residue from your eyes.

To your surprise, you once again find yourself wrapped up in a tight squeeze from Mingyu. “Thank you for getting here so fast,” he says quietly.

“Of course,” you say. You hesitate before winding your arms around him and squeezing him back -- perhaps hearing the unspoken truth that Mingyu needed you there as much as you needed him.

***

Before

“I’m never going hiking again,” Jeri complains, and Jisung laughs.

“You’re going to see the view, and you’re going to change your mind,” he predicts. 

You grin at their banter -- this is only the second time Jeri has invited her new boyfriend along on one of the hikes, but you can tell he really likes her. And according to that last comment, he also knows her pretty well.

Cory is nearly sprinting up the trail ahead of you. “Come on, guys!” he calls. “We’re almost there.”

You’re feeling a little irritated with him because he tried to guide you in the complete wrong direction, but you try to keep that off your face as you trudge up the mountain. Sure enough, around two more bends is the summit. You are looking into a deep valley with a crystalline lake at the bottom, and the sight pricks your eyes with emotion. You refuse to cry in front of Cory, though, so you instead turn your attention to Jisung and Jeri, the former of whom is carrying your sister the remaining fifteen feet to the summit.

But when your sister sees the valley and the lake, she hops off her boyfriend’s back and scurries nearly to the edge. You have to grab the back of her backpack to stop her from overextending herself and hurtling over the edge of the cliff. “Easy there,” you say to her, but she’s not listening, her eyes shining with the sight. 

“Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?” Jeri asks. 

You look back at Jisung, and you can see it in his eyes -- he’s absolutely whipped for her. You’re almost surprised that he doesn’t kiss her in front of all of you. Exasperatedly, you chuckle, thinking privately that you should probably start adding to Jeri’s wedding fund. 

You stay up there for almost an hour before disaster strikes, but surprisingly, it’s you who twists an ankle tripping over some rocks. You wince as the group is making its painfully slow way down the mountain, your ankle throbbing with every step. “I need a breather,” you tell them. “Go on without me.”

But as Jisung and Cory start to move away, Jeri plants herself beside you. “Go on without you?” she repeats. “But we’ll be so entirely lost without you. Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you.”

***

The hospital keeps Sara in for one more night before she’s improved enough to be off the breathing machine. You can’t help but tear up as they place her into your arms, and she reaches up to your face to pat your chin clumsily. “Hey, baby girl,” you coo. “You did so good.”

Alone, you soak in the feeling of her comforting weight on your chest for a few more minutes before gently laying her in her carrier. She fusses a little, and you speak in soothing tones: “Shhh, it’s okay, my love. We’re going home. You won’t have to be in there for too long.”

And then finally, finally, finally, you get home. Walking in the front door with Sara to the empty house feels both soothing and incomplete, and you realize as you hoist her carrier to her bedroom so you can sit in her rocking chair that your mind is on that tall, dark-haired man who laughs at your ridiculousness and held you when you fell to pieces. You had bullied Mingyu into going home to rest, knowing that if he had stayed with you like he planned, he’d be in caretaker mode. You don’t regret your choice to send him home, but you also realize that you feel that he should be here, with the both of you. The fact that he isn’t leaves a small empty space in your heart.

Still, it’s heaven enough to hold Sara and rock her and clean her stuffy nose off every few minutes. Settling back into the chair and letting Sara’s weight onto your chest, you think that there’s almost nothing that could make this moment more perfect. 

And then, you cough.

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #19:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[…]

Old sport! Ah! I have such a story to tell you!

You must remember that Thalia is a DJ, right? Which is so cool! …Even if I don’t often visit clubs personally.

Well, we were hanging out again recently and she tells me she managed to book a gig as a supporting act!

I was so, so excited. I told her I was going to buy flowers, toss them on the stage as she gives her final bow, cheer the loudest, and be the biggest supporter in that crowd.

But when she told me when it was…Oh, old sport, I felt so bad when I had to tell her I was busy.

I apologised over and over. I reassured her over and over, that I will still be that biggest supporter… I’ll just have to give her the flowers after the show…

Being Thalia, she laughs and tells me not to stress so hard. Which, as she should know by now, is something I have no idea how to do.

I told her she was right. Because there would always be a next show, and maybe someday, even her headliner. It was only until I said that when she told me off…

[…]

When the day of the show came, I made sure to wish Thalia the best of luck when I could, before I set off on my own plans that day… To a concert!

This band that I have been obsessed with from day one, the first ever time they played at this carnival. Since that day, they have grown to be so much popular, so, of course, it gets harder day by day to talk to them.

Let me tell you, old sport, I would just talk their ears off… about how much their music has inspired me, how much it just lifts me up every time I listen to it. Never mind whenever the opportunity to hear them live strikes, I swear, I could ascend to heaven every time.

I’m lucky to get a good spot in the crowd, second or third row, though I remember when it used to be so easy to get barrier… I start to wonder if they ever remembered my face.

The lines dimmed and everyone starts screaming. It’s funny, old sport, how people scream at any small movements at concerts, knowing full well the main act doesn’t come on for another hour.

I’ve always enjoyed the openers for this band, as they choose artists they really enjoy personally, and they have an undoubtedly good taste in music.

Which is why I shouldn’t have been surprised when I saw a very familiar pink head of hair enter the stage…

I scream Thalia’s name in amongst the varied cheers from the crowd, and she looks up right at me. Her face reads of total confusion, as well as mine, yet we were equally as overjoyed as one another.

[…]

After Thalia’s set, I get a message from her. A rare occasion, as we both agree against trusting these forms of communication, since the City monitors it 24/7.

She tells me to meet her at the bar. Despite my good space in the crowd, I decided to head back to talk to her. Really, old sport, I wanted to tell her how good her set was. She really knew how to hype up a crowd.

Instead of talking, however, Thalia nods her head towards a door. Before I get to say anything, she’s already walked through.

As we walk down this hallway, I am asking Thalia so many questions.

‘How did you do this?’ and, ‘You know this is my favourite band, right?’ and, ‘How!?’

Yet, Thalia just stayed silent. The whole time we’re walking, I’m asking and asking, and only do I stop in my tracks when we make our way to the door at the end of the hallway.

The door lies halfway open, and within seconds, I saw them all.

The band I have adored for years, all sitting right in front of me. Even the drummer, my favourite in the group, was laying on the couch with his boyfriend; who himself is an infamous professional rugby player.

Thalia introduces me, but I have no clue what to say. I had so many questions, so many thoughts. Yet, all of them at once leave my head in that very moment.

As I muster up the courage, I eventually got to talk to them. Questions came back to me, and these were truly lovely people; who did recognise me!

I thanked Thalia for hours and hours after the gig. And yes, she did get her flowers.

[…]

If only I could find the right people to meet you again, February. I’d queue for hours to see you again. Wait at the stage door even just to see you in passing, to get a glimpse of you again…

Yet, I also have so many questions for you too, February. But when will we ever have the time to talk? I’m running out of time, even now…

♪ There’s nothing left for us anymore Why aren’t you listening? Why aren’t you listening to me? There’s nothing left. ♪

NOTE: as inspired by the week #4 prompts of february friday events as organised by @februaryfridayevents! this week's themes were minor characters / rarepairs / crossovers! so i decided to feature a certain band in this excerpt.... wonder who...!

thank you for joining and supporting the blog throughout the february friday festivities! and thank you to @februaryfridayevents for hosting! as always, i will be back again next week <3

[improvised-finish]

FFXIV Write 2024 - Prompt #22 - Free Day

Content Warnings: None

Spoiler Warnings: Mentions of the first hub city for Endwalker, no story events since this is an AU

Summary: In another life, two young foreign exchange students to Sharlayan meet and become fast friends on their first day of school. This is my Studium AU, where Lehon'a (rather than be the Warrior of Light) gets to venture off to the Studium to study Music & Cultures at the same time as G'raha Tia and Y'shtola. The three of them become friends and research partners, and perhaps more in the future! It's very loose, very tropey, and I don't have all the details ironed out, but I thought it would be fun to make a start at it! It's based on this GPose set from a while back.

Check it out below or on Ao3:

“Are you a new student as well?”

Lehon'a looked up from the book she'd been lazily attempting to read, an introductory tome on music theory. She'd seen it on the syllabus for a course in musicology that began later that day and figured she’d be better getting a head start, given her struggles with reading dense texts. Greeting her vision was a young Miqo'te boy with scarlet hair and mismatched eyes. 

“Yeah, pretty much. Just got off the boat a few days ago.” She hastily dog-eared the page she'd left off on and snapped the book shut, eagerly taking the first excuse to have a break. “How about yourself? Don't know I've seen you around.”

“Same story, just about. I've only just begun my studies at the Studium this year, after coming from–” The stranger cut himself off, as if remembering that something was supposed to be a secret. “From abroad.” 

Lehon'a sensed the hesitation and chose not to pry, despite her curiosity. She picked up her small pile of books off the bench and stood up, nearly matching the stranger in height. “My name's Lehon'a, by the way. Lehon'a Nhavareh.” As happened to many people who were familiar with Miqo'te tradition, she saw a bit of puzzlement in his face for just a moment as he tried to figure out what, if anything, that name might imply. Whatever conclusions he came to were left in the dust when he realized that he’d been standing in silence instead of reciprocating the introduction. 

“A pleasure to meet you, Lehon'a. G'raha Tia, at your service.” He bowed briefly as he spoke, and Lehon'a couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The formality was a bit dorky, but she also found it surprisingly charming.

“Well, G'raha Tia, it's been lovely, but I should be going to my next class so I'm not late.”

“Which course is that? I've got a history course of my own that I must attend shortly.”

Lehon'a fished the small notecard she'd prepared with her schedule on it out of her robes and squinted at the tiny print. “Looks like I've got history too, what are the odds?” She put the card back in her pocket. “Care to share the walk over?”

“I had just the same thought! I'd be happy to.”

They started off towards the Studium, an awkward silence lingering for a moment. Lehon'a decided to be the one to break it this time. 

“So what kind of study brought you all the way to Sharlayan?”

“History, as it happens. Mostly to do with the lost Allagan Empire that was in power during the Third Astral Era, many, many years ago. They had technology that's like nothing even close to what anyone has been able to recreate, and–” He stopped himself before launching into an extensive recounting of what he knew of Allagan history. “My apologies, I should leave the history lectures to the professionals.”

“Maybe when we have a bit more time, then,” Lehon'a countered, trying to show her interest more tangibly. “History has always fascinated me, though it's not what I'm here to study primarily.”

“And what might that be?”

“Music, and by extension, the traditions it gives rise to all over the world!” she replied, excitement tangible in her voice.

“I can see why history might still be of interest; it can certainly play a role in those types of cultural studies.”

“Mhm.” She nodded. “Playing music is something I've had a penchant for since I was small, but as I got older I grew more and more interested in documenting the traditions of my tribe. And then that got me thinking about what it might be like in other tribes, and everyone finally got tired enough of me asking a million questions that they collected enough gil to send me to school!” She let out a laugh. 

“What kind of music do you play? You'll have to show me sometime.” G'raha was trying to keep his enthusiasm contained, but it was plain to see that he seemed genuinely excited at the prospect.

“I'm a percussion player, mostly, so I doubt it would be terribly interesting to listen to by itself. Though I suppose if you knew anyone else who played an instrument, we might be able to have a little jam session of sorts.”

“I can't say I know anyone off hand, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open.”

Lehon'a tapped him on the shoulder in a moment of realization. “I almost forgot to mention; another fun side effect of playing drums most of my life is that I tend to “play” whatever surface happens to be nearby when my mind wanders, so if it ever bothers you, don't be shy about telling me.”

It was his turn to laugh a little. “I'll be sure to make you aware.”

They'd reached the door to the lecture hall, which G'raha dutifully opened for her, bowing again as he did so.

Lehon'a laughed again, with him and not at him. “You don't have to bow, G'raha. I'm just a student, same as you, not royalty or anything like that.”

He wrung his hands like a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar. “Oh, uh… right.”

She noticed that it seemed to take the wind out of his sails a little. “I won't tell you to stop if it's what you want to do, that is. I just meant you shouldn't feel like you have to, on my account.”

He nodded and then followed her into the classroom, pointing out a couple of seats in the middle of the hall as a silent suggestion.

She gestured for him to lead on, and she followed right behind him to their seats, scanning the rest of the room as she did. Not much stuck out on a first pass, save for one thing: what looked like a case for an instrument of some sort. It was leaned up against one of the tables, next to where another Miqo'te with short white hair was sitting. Lehon'a made a mental note to try and catch them after the lecture to ask about it, and then sat down in the empty seat next to G'raha. 

She'd hardly had the time to get out a writing implement and a journal to take notes in before the professor had begun talking, getting the attention of the students. 

Lehon'a was a long way from the only people she'd ever known, but something about G'raha made her feel more at ease. Only the first day of class and I've already made a friend. Seems like a pretty good start to me. 

She began diligently copying the professor's words onto the page in front of her, and looked over to see G'raha doing the same, with a bit of added gusto that meant he'd already filled up a full page before Lehon'a had managed half of one. Maybe we can share notes too, she thought as she smiled to herself.

[loxlei]

Pills

⚠️TW: Mentions of depression and suicide attempt!!!!!!!!!!!!

⚠️ YOU ARE IMPORTANT SEEK HELP IF YOU NEED

⚠️ REMEMBER THIS IS JUST A FANMADE STORY

On a Friday evening, Pansy hosted a celebration in the Slytherin common room. All this week she has been sending out invitations. As the holidays drew near, you began to worry about returning home and felt quite overwhelmed by the amount of schoolwork and upcoming OWLs. Pansy and the other Slytherin boys were all busy and kept saying things like, "Can we talk later?" when you tried to talk to them and this is not the ideal moment y/n. You would always pretend to be happy and say that everything was OK and that you understood, but you could feel yourself eroding inside.

You made the decision to attempt to finish your essay for potions class before the party got underway. As your nervousness increased, the words started to run together. You threw down your book and ran to the bathroom to splash some water on your face. As you exit your room and enter the common room where Pansy was getting ready for the party, you uttered the word "Pansy" with apprehension "I am a little busy y/n can I come find you after the party starts?" she inquires. Naturally, you don't want to bother anyone, so you simulate a smile and nod. As guests begin to arrive for the party, the common room gets packed and the music and alcohol flow accordingly. As you observe everyone chatting and having fun, you start to wonder what it would be like to not constantly feel as though you are drowning. You notice that the Slytherin boys have also returned, and you see Pansy giggling with her classmates.

As you get up from where you are sitting and sprint back upstairs to the bathroom to splash more cold water on your face, you can feel the anxiety rising again in your chest. You stumble over some pills while reaching for a towel on the shelf. "Oh Merlin," you murmur as you pick them up to put them back, but you hesitate. You stop and think about it while you hold the pills in your hand. You hear the music and noise from the conversation downstairs as you sit down on the bathroom floor. How you would give anything for a few minutes away from your own thoughts. You unscrew the pill caps and transfer the contents into your palm.

As Pansy approaches the Slytherin boys, she searches the area for you and asks, "Have you guys seen y/n? I assured her that I would see her once the party got underway. She must be here somewhere because she wouldn't miss this. states Mattheo. "Yes, she ought to be nearby," says Draco. "maybe check her room?" Theo remarks. Before Pansy could find you, you came down the stairs with an unsteady body. Mattheo asked you curiously, "Have you been drinking?" You shake your head "No, Matt, I took a whole bunch of pills." "Pills?" Mattheo asks concerned. The entire group turned to face you. "What kind of pills y/n?" Draco questions. "Oh you know," you say, exhaling, "pills," as you finish. "Y/n" Draco yells, starting to get worried as they all get to their feet. "What do we do?" Asks Pansy as she starts to panic. 

"We need to take her to the medical wing now!" states Theo. Your steps falter and Theo catches you. Despite the complete darkness, their conversation could still be heard; the way it echoed gave the impression that they were in a vacant room even if you knew they weren't. "Enough enough, just give her to me, I'll carry her," Mattheo remarks, sounding as though they were all talking over each other. With you in his arms, Mattheweo bolts from the common area, your friends trailing closely behind. Mattheo whispers to you, not sure if you can hear him, "Come on, stay with me, y/n". Matthew whispers to you, "Please come back to me. Come back to us."

(Part 2? Not sure this will get any reads or not but I would love some ideas of what you want to happen to y/n in part 2!)

[gellertalbus]

Hi! What’s your take on Gellert childhood and Durmstrang years?

❗ long post warning ❗

very VERY interesting question, thank you anon! Trying to guess Gellert's childhood is one of my fav hobbies. Let's get on with it!

Family: my headcanon is that he comes from a rich austrian pureblood family. Like his father probably worked for the austrian/german ministry or had a (boring) high position due to his family name. From his mother side, someone must've been a Seer in the past leading that part of the family to be slightly hung up on Divination while his father was more skeptical about it. They lived in Vienna but also had an old half-abandoned castle among the Alps, the future Nurmengard. Gellert absolutely loved to go there. He was an only child. Also my headcanon is that he played the violin. I read a lot of fics where Gellert plays some music instrument and it's mostly the piano, but i think the violin suits him more. I myself am a fan of violin music and the wide range of its sounds (gentle, enigmatic, elegant, epic, rough, romantic, sensual, tragic) is like Gellert's personality put into music. Also, Jamie playing the violin? That is a sight to behold!!

Looks: he has his mother's blonde curls and cherubic aura (she is a Bagshot from her mother's side, hence she's Bathilda's niece) while his chiseled features and overall facial structure come from his father.

Childhood: i imagine he was a very energic and impulsive kid, always moving, always doing something, learning, exploring, daring, spending a LOT of time on books but also outside. He often disobeyed his parents using his precocious powers whenever he wanted and not really caring about the consequences. This unsettled Herr and Frau Grindelwald, like i'm not saying they were scared of their son, but they knew Gellert was different, that he could do things other kids his age couldn't, that he was a prodigy (i just KNOW baby gellert was capable of intentional wandless magic and no one can change my mind). He received a strict education as it usually was in the 19th century, learned different languages such as english, french and russian and could dance a damn fine waltz.

The Sight: he had his first vision when he was about six/seven. They were just brief glimpses like flashes that left him very confused and shaken up. As the visions came more frequently and more unsettling he began to kinda isolate himself, being more silent and less lively. Like if you think about it, having the Sight is a very awful business, i'm not trying to justify his future actions whatsoever, just saying that waking up every day knowing that all kinds of horror and destruction might happen in the future SUCKS and that surely took a toll on his soul and personality.

Durmstrang: this is rather obvious but he was top of the class in pretty much everything, like from a certain point professors didn't know what else to teach him so he just sat at the end of the class bored as fuck. Students either feared him due to his Sight and the common knowledge he delved in Dark Magic more than the usual durmstrang policy allowed or they idolised him because of his charisma and idealism. He had friends but I'm not sure if he ever considered them as such, more like "people i happen to spend the time with". Some of them might've ended up as pawns in his grand scheme of things. Like this is one of the many factors that drew him to Albus. Being both brilliant, outstanding and always way ahead of the people around them, they surely must have felt constantly out of place, isolated, alone.

Possible trauma: Mads actually hinted at the possibility he went through some traumatic experience involving his family and the muggles hence his hate for them and i quite agree with him. Maybe his mother was killed? Both his parents? Again, give us some crumbs...

He saw Albus in his visions: this is a common headcanon and i couldn't not mention it. I think that yes he saw Albus in his visions way before he went to Godric's Hollow but did not necessarily act on it. Like he just kept Seeing him and felt a powerful connection to those blue eyes framed by gorgeous auburn hair ❤

Also, and i think we can all agree on this, Gellert is definitely a cat person right?

Thanks for your question, anon, and apologies for the rant! 🖤

[tarisilmarwen]

Ahsoka "Fallen Jedi" Liveblog

Let's go let's go let's go let's go let's goooooooooooooo!

Oh I'm so excited for this I already know there are Developments.

Hype hype hype hype.

Oh we're starting off with complete silence are we? Okay.

Sabine trying to raise Hera. :(

Ahhhh yes it's the "Ahsoka and Sabine butting heads about saving Ezra versus stopping Thrawn" convo Sabezra fandom predicted.

"Can I count on you?" Low blow Ahsoka, recalling Ezra's own words.

"I know how much Ezra means to you." *falls into this line, dies*

Oh don't let Huyang get shot, come on now, you already had him get blasted once.

Buncha trailer shots in this episode I'm guessing.

"Stay together. You always did better that way, in my opinion." Ha ha ha this would be a sweet line if we had ever actually SEEN Ahsoka and Sabine working together. *grumbles*

Hera going off by herself to go help Sabine and Ahsoka lolol. That little face she makes when she says, "Watch me."

Baby Jacen is still super precious.

The GHOOOOOOOOOOSSST!

This sequence would have been the perfect spot to drop Zeb in, you know. Just saying.

Go girls go, go, go, you need to get on that ship before it leaves!

And it's my favorite new villain couple.

If Shin could have a bit more personality she'd be more interesting but "feral" is wearing thin.

OH AND NOW WE HAVE A TICKING CLOCK DEVICE.

There were people complaining that this moment where Ahsoka wipes Marrok was lifted from "Twin Suns" but in context... no it's just Dave's usual thing for cool samurai finishers.

Oh wow Shin looks extremely unnerved at Marrok dissipating into green Nightsister mist.

Did... Morgan take all the guards and droids with her? Just leaving Baylan there by himself to handle Ahsoka huh? What a bitch.

"One must destroy in order to create." Nooooooooo they really don't Baylan, that's grade A horseshit.

And stinks of Empire and Sith apologism.

The map is gorgeous. Wish they'd turn the saturation and contrast up just a smidge more so the colors could POP.

Oh this music cue is great!

YES! LET BAYLAN CUT LOOSE. Man is a beast.

Ahsoka's trying to disengage long enough to get the map. :((((

Ha ha, nice. Mandalorian trick.

Ooooof the map burned Ahsoka's hand?

Ahsoka where's your shoto blade?

Right, like Sabine's dinky little blaster is gonna do anything to that map, sure Ahsoka. You just burned your hand on how super overheated it was and all it was doing was generating hyperspace coordinates for a cross-galactic jump, you think a shot from a small firearm is gonna pierce it?

Oooooh that angle-back closed-eye look from Baylan... he's telepathically reading her like a book isn't he?

"Your family died on Mandalore because your Master didn't trust you." WELL I'M JUST GOING TO PATENTLY IGNORE THAT BECAUSE NO FILONI, YOU CANNOT JUST DROP THAT IN LIKE THAT.

Getting real tired of character motivations being reveals and not outright stated from the start.

ALSO WHAT EVEN THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT???!???

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY NICE TO ACTUALLY SEE, OR YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT BEFORE THIS MOMENT.

Anyway as I said, excising this bit entirely from my personal canon, Clan Wren is fine, they're just in hiding like all the other Mandalorian clans.

"And I... to serve a greater good." Ohhhhhhhhhhh I see what you did there, nice paralleling Baylan to Thrawn.

SABINE CHOOSES EZRA.

(I mean I knew it was coming because I was spoiled but still.)

Sabine, Sabine, my poor heartbroken babygirl, this is such a human choice, it's not the choice a Jedi should make but then Sabine isn't a Jedi, I maintain that this is all still playacting and cope that Ahsoka is indulging.

Sabine is falling into the classic Attachment trap but also there are no good choices here. She could try to destroy the map, but I seriously don't think it would work, and then Baylan would just kill her and take the map back anyway.

Maybe she could run but with their ship damaged she wouldn't make it far, she'd have to hide in the woods and avoid Shin and Baylan and whoever else she's stranded and fight them all off by herself for who knows how long until maybe Hera gets there. And she has no way of knowing if Hera's coming.

Oh ouch, I thought Sabine was having a "What have I done?" reaction to handing Baylan the map, but no, Shin is just choking her.

HERA MADE IT.

See it takes Baylan deliberate sustained direct contact with his lightsaber blade to destroy the map, no way was Sabine's blaster gonna do shit to it.

SABINE DID NOTHING WRONG, I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL.

Again, guys, this would have been the perfect sequence to have Zeb in.

Uhhhhhhhhh I would move away from the ring if I were y'all.

HO JEEZ.

OH BOY.

WELP.

Chopper sounds really unnerved.

THE WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS. THE STAR VOID.

Unless it's a weird-ass Force vision lol. Which is still possible.

Yeeeeeeeah I'm going with Force vision, Anakin should be blue and glowing, shouldn't he? Unless things work differently in here.

The Imperial March is not reassuring.

Okay well... that was a thing.

I'm starting to wish Deborah Chow had been showrunner for this, Filoni is doing... okay-ish (not really) but I really think this story needs and deserves a director willing to go all-in on the emotional resonance and beats of the story.

Which isn't to say the Kenobi show didn't have its problems (ho ho boy could I list the nitpicks and writing issues I had with it) but Ahsoka isn't quite reaching the highs it needs. Everything is way more subdued that I think it should be. I don't know how much of this is the writing, how much is the short mini-series format, how much is the cinematography or the directing.

THAT BEING SAID I AM HERE FOR SABINE MISSING EZRA SO MUCH SHE SACRIFICES HERSELF AND THE MAP FOR THE CHANCE TO FIND HIM.

See everything about her motivations makes so more sense if she's in love with him, sorry Filoni, the ship is still sailing.

Baylan got a bit more characterization here and got marginally more interesting, while Shin just... continues to be wet paper. RIP Marrok we hardly knew ye. Hope they explain the green mist shit soon.

Natasha's shoulders must be sore from carrying this show lol. Someone please let Sabine hug Ezra, she will feel so much better.

[spellmage]

wip wednesday

hiiii i've been writing again yay. i don't know if i'm ever going to make this into a full thing so it's just going to live here for now. a bit of early backstory for modern au maidris yay :)

BIG content warnings for maternal death, description of a car crash, car crash death, a child being injured in said car crash, and emotional child abuse. so you know. cheery things.

He had been killing for so long now that he hardly knew when it had started. 

The first might have been his mother. He might have bled her of everything she had as he came, presumably screaming, into the world. The people who raised him never mentioned her or his birth father, like talking about them made them real, and they were to be kept as speculative as possible. 

She wasn’t a whisper, something he could listen in on, ear pressed against the door to his father’s study, nor even a secret he might have overheard as he pretended to sleep. She was a ghost. One that he had never seen, never heard, but logically knew had once existed. 

The lack of a paper trail when he broke into his father’s desk at nine years old was all the proof he needed. He decided then that he must have killed her, that his parents’ silence was their way of protecting him from the truth. They might have thought it a kindness, though kindness did not come naturally to either of them. 

A month later, he killed them too. 

The police had ruled it an accident, and a steady stream of therapists and child psychologists had done their best to lie and tell him that it wasn’t his fault. He was nine. He was a child. And children don’t crash cars unless they are behind the wheel, he was told again and again.

There were other excuses, too many to count on his stubby child’s fingers. The rain had made the road slippery. The other car had run a red light. His father’s hands hadn’t been on the wheel. It was the fault of every variable but himself, and Maidris could not accept that, because he knew that he had done it.

He remembered his father’s eyes, stone-blue and razor-sharp, as he spun back, the flash of the palm that did not hit him, his barking voice like thunder joining with the rain beating against the windows.

“Quiet,” he’d said, the two syllables melding into one with the quickness of it. “Your mother is trying to–”

He hadn’t gotten the last word out. He was on the road before his tongue could even try. 

“Read,” he had meant to say, his wife having been sat in the passenger seat struggling over a book that he had guessed at the time that one of her PAs had found for her. 

Neither of them had liked reading, but Maidris knew that she had done it on purpose. It was a long drive and he was not allowed to read, had not been allowed since one of the maids had found him picking the lock in his father’s desk. They’d shut him in his room for a day and then, when he thought he’d gotten off easily, they had him remove each book, one-by-one, until his shelves were as bare as he had felt.

So there his mother had taunted him, skipping paragraphs and pages like one would skip the channels on a tv, tutting and groaning and wagging her hand toward her husband as they talked about anything, everything, and nothing.

He had screamed and screamed and screamed in the back of that car, music blaring from the surround-sound, his father’s thumb tip-tapping against the steering wheel, his mother sighing over a difficult passage, which was seemingly every passage in the damn thing. He just wanted out, he wanted a book to read and a sound that didn’t hurt him. 

And then he wasn’t screaming anymore, because it hurt too much to do anything but lie there as his bones bled out of him. 

For a long time after that, he imagined that he had wished death upon them, that he had called out unknowingly, a prayer etched into the fraying skin of his hoarse throat, for something to take them away. He had already killed one parent, maybe two if he counted the disappearance of his birth father, why not another pair?

He didn’t kill again until he was twenty-four.

[dianaisnice]

Demonic betrayal (Yandere Demon X Reader)

I was comfortably in bed reading an exciting book. The peace was however destroyed by my twenty-two-year-old sister, Georgie, who flung the door open with full force. I flinched in shock and gave my little sister an angry look. "Can't you knock?" I hissed at her, annoyed. I had been busy all day and I wanted to have a little time for myself before I went to bed. But of course my sister had to burst into my room at that very moment.

She pulled her head in a little bitt to the side so that her black hair covered her face. "I'm sorry. Next time I'll knock. Can you come with me to Adrian's grave tomorrow? I'd like to bring him new flowers," she told me the reason why she had invaded my privacy without permission. Adrian was her boyfriend, who had died in a car accident a few months ago. They were together for over five years and by chance I heard that Adrian wanted to propose to my sister at a romantic dinner, which unfortunately was no longer possible. If it had happened, they would have my blessing.

"Of course I'll go with you. What time did you have in mind?" I asked her. I needed to know what time Georgie was going to the grave. I'm currently looking for work because I quit my previous job. Before that I lived a two-hour drive from here, in my birthplace and hometown. I didn't really want to leave there, I had a great job and a big apartment there. I was also in a relationship before Adrian's death, but I ended it because I didn't want to be in a long-distance relationship. At first it was hard for me to accept the breakup, but the pain subsided over time. There were times when my ex's number appeared on my display. I didn't have the heart to delete his number or even block him.

"Tomorrow after breakfast would be good," she said quietly. She threw her tousled hair over her shoulders and looked at me sadly. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy. Her nose was red from sniffling and crying. She must have been crying all day again while I was busy writing applications after applications. When I realized this, I immediately felt guilty because I hadn't heard anything of it, but had preferred to put earplugs in my ears and listen to music at the loudest volume. I was overcome with shame. As an older sister, I had failed completely.

"For me, that's fine. Afterwards we have to go shopping. The fridge needs to be filled again," I told her my thoughts. I couldn't bear to look at her for long, so I looked away and played with my blanket instead. "Yeah, OK, I wish you a good night," she said quietly and left my room without waiting for a reply. "I wish you a good night too," I murmured in the same tone as my sister. In truth, I knew that my sister would be awake all night again. She doesn't cry as much as she did at the beginning, but the tears still come in many situations. Some things remind her of Adrian. Sometimes she wants to be comforted at night and sometimes she locks her door at night. On the nights when she couldn't sleep and her door was open, I lay down next to her in silence and let her cry on my shoulder.

Sighing, I put my book on my bedside table, turned off the reading lamp and lay down. With my face to the open door, I racked my brains about how I could help my sister better. To be honest, I was starting to run out of ideas. I was considering whether I should seek professional help. Lena can't drown in her grief forever.

Even if it sounds cruel, life goes on without Aiden. And who knows, maybe she'll fall in love with another lovely man. With these thoughts I fall asleep.

The next morning I woke up without a problem. I sat up straight and looked around my room. The noise didn't come from my room. Grumbling, I threw the blanket aside and got up from the bed, slightly sluggish. I padded to it on bare feet and tore the window wide open. Fresh air immediately flowed in on the early summer day and a bird chirped happily on a branch in front of me. The bird looked me in the eye for a short time and then flew away. Smiling, I watched the bird fly away into the next tree. A cold gust of wind hit my face. Autumn replaced summer a few weeks ago. When I looked up at the sky, I saw dark clouds gathering. It looked like rain. Maybe it will storm.

I quickly went back to my bed and made it neat before grabbing some fresh clothes and disappearing into the bathroom one door away. First I did my morning business before I got into the shower and let the warm water flow over me. It felt so good to shower early in the morning. You feel more awake and fresh afterwards. I shaved straight away in the shower because I didn't feel like to it yasterday. I didn't like the fact that my hair grew back so quickly. And unfortunately I was unlucky that the hairs were dark. Because of this I had to reach for the razor several times a week.

I put on my underwear immediately after drying my body. Then I put on my dark brown turtleneck sweater, black socks and dark blue jeans. After getting dressed, I grabbed my toothbrush and reached for the toothpaste. I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth. The sight in the mirror shocked me a little. I had slight dark circles under my eyes and I looked a little pale. Not surprising when I'm busy looking for a job and when I'm looking after Georgie. Then I blow-dried my (H/C) hair and brushed it through thoroughly before tying my hair back. Then I applied mascara to my eyelashes.

The first thing I did in my room was to close the window. I took out my jewelry box from the drawer of my nightstand. I put my gold earrings in my earlobe and put my gold watch on my right wrist. I got both of these a week before Adrian died.

In the kitchen I met Georgie, who was holding her cup of coffee in her hands and staring absently into space. "Morning," I greeted her as soon as I set foot in the kitchen. "Morning," I heard Georgie mumble. I went straight to the pot of freshly brewed coffee. I took a cup from the cupboard above and poured myself a half-full cup. The smell of fresh coffee immediately filled my nose. Sighing, I put my cup next to Georgie's and sat down next to her. I took a sip of the hot drink and at the same time looked over at Georgie out of the corner of my eye. "Would you like some scrambled eggs? I'll make some right away," I told her. I took another sip before leaving it on the table and getting up from the chair and walking to the fridge. When I looked in the fridge, I grimaced at random. It looked pretty empty. We really need to fill the fridge today.

"Yes, of course. I want to leave as soon as possible,” Georgie said, speaking a little louder. I knew then that she was feeling a little better than last night. I slept so soundly today that I didn’t notice anything going on around me. I didn’t know whether Georgie had cried last night or hadn’t slept a wink. I bit my lip.

After I took out the eggs, butter and the pan, I turned on the stove and put the pan on. While I had to wait for the stove to heat up, I sat down next to Georgie again and pushed my cup towards me. "Did you sleep better today?" I asked her when she made no attempt to talk to me, so instead I picked up the lead and started a conversation. Georgie drew indistinct patterns on the surface of the table with her index finger. Before I got up again, I took another sip of my coffee and walked over to the stove. With the wooden spoon in my hand, I started cooking, humming.

My sister still hadn't answered me, so I turned my head in her direction and started speaking: "The neighbor told me yesterday that a new shop opened near the cemetery a few days ago. Apparently the shop owner is a witch. The neighbor is pretty sure she worships the devil because she had a petagram tattooed on her neck. She was supposed to have babbled something about how they brought her cat back to the living from the afterlife…” I laughed at the thought that there was supposedly a dead cat running around the area and causing trouble. I can't imagine the animal being anything other than a zombie. The scratching on the table stopped for a moment before Georgie continued.

"As if there's some kind of magic here," I grumbled and scooped the contents of the pan onto two plates. I sat down next to my sister and started eating. My coffee had gone cold by now, but I still didn't want to throw it away. It would just be a waste not to drink it. Besides, I really need it to wake up properly. "Thank you," Georgie said quietly, poking at the eggs with her fork. I watched her silently as she ate, taking bites. Under my stern gaze, she had no choice but to stuff the food into her mouth and choke it down. I'm definitely not going to let her leave the apartment without eating.

"You can't know that for sure. I do think there are some things we can't explain," my sister replied, taking another bite of her meal. A satisfied smile graced my lips with every success my sister said one more word. "Last night, the news said that a very large wolf was spotted in the woods in the neighboring village and that scratch marks and torn, bloody clothing belonging to a missing woman were found," she added after a short break from eating. I looked at her questioningly at the news. "What does it have to do with magic?" I asked her. I pushed my empty plate and cup away from me and looked patiently at my sister with curious eyes to see what answer she had. I had no idea what she was trying to tell me with her statement. "Besides, I think it was a wolf, but a bear. Wolves don't get that big and they certainly don't attack people," I told her my concerns about all of this.

I stood up and collected our dishes and put them in the sink. After visiting the cemetery, I'll wash them and put them away. "It certainly wasn't a bear, because they haven't been seen in this region for many years. I think it was more likely that it was a werewolf. You know, like the wolves from Twilight," I heard my sister say behind me. I almost cut myself with a knife when she said it. When my surprise had passed, I tilted my head back and laughed. "You don't believe that yourself. You don't know how ridiculous that sounds," I snorted and held my stomach, laughing. I started to hurt from laughing so much.

"You can laugh at me. But you'll see that I'm right," she replied immediately and disappeared into her room. "We'll meet in the hallway in half an hour," I called after her before I heard her door slam. I looked in her direction for a short while and left the kitchen to return to my own room. There I dug my handbag out of my closet and hung it over the bedpost so that I could pack a few things more easily. In any case, I put my wallet in my pocket. A tissue and a small umbrella are a must. Chewing gum for in between, hand cream and of course my keys. My cell phone goes in my jacket pocket. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. Satisfied with how I looked, I nodded at my reflection and was about to turn my back to the mirror. But I stopped abruptly because I saw a figure scurry past behind me. No idea what it could be. I was hoping it was just my imagination.

I turned around very slowly. I was afraid of what might await me. With every heartbeat my heart pounded against my chest. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the shadow disappear into my wardrobe. With small steps and on silent soles I crept towards my wardrobe. I kept an eye on it the whole time, in case the figure changed its mind and attacked me suddenly. It took a lot of effort to put one foot after the other. My legs felt like lead. I stopped right in front of it and put my shaking hand on the knob. I didn't open it. My eyes wandered restlessly back and forth. From one moment to the next the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My instinct told me to leave the wardrobe alone and get out of there. In horror films, following your curiosity never ends well. Most of the time you were killed by the monster behind the door.

I took deep breaths through my nose before gathering my courage and opening the door with a swing. I kept my eyes closed the whole time because I didn't want to look my murderer in the eye, no matter who it was. My last thoughts should only be about my loved ones. And I'm afraid of dying.

When the door was open, I waited outside for a few minutes. My eyes were shut so tightly that they hurt. The silence in the room was oppressive. Never in my life has time seemed so long.

For a long time nothing happened and no unusual noises came from the closet, so I hesitantly opened my eyes. First I peeked through my eyelashes and opened my eyes as soon as I couldn't see any sign of a person, animal or anything else. Phew. I didn't even notice that I had held my breath out of tension. Now I bravely pushed the clothes that were hanging up apart with both hands. Half to the left and half to the right.

My eyes wandered restlessly back and forth. I took a close look at the corners and the darkest parts of the closet. "Thank God I only imagined it," I murmured and closed the closet, shaking my head. I left my hand on the handle and stared at it, lost in thought. Absolutely nothing was going through my head.

"(V/N), are you coming? I'm ready to go," my sister called up to me. I wasn't prepared for that, because I flinched and my heart jolted. Startled, I put a hand on my chest and sighed. Because of the tension from earlier, I wasn't paying full attention. "Yes, I'll be right there," I replied in the same tone. I quickly rushed to my bag and swung it over my shoulder. When I got to the door, I turned to the closet. Satisfied that there was nothing unusual there, I grumbled and smiled and closed the door behind me. She had thrown a thin coat over herself. It was buttoned from top to bottom. She didn't wear a hat, but instead wore pink earmuffs. The corners of my mouth twitched at the sight of her. Georgie had usually worn black or dark clothes since Adrian's. So I was very surprised to see her in something colorful. At least a step in the right direction. An improvement.

The door was wide open behind her and a cold wind had crept into our house. It was spreading throughout the entire hallway. "So little patience, sis?" I giggled to myself and followed my sister outside. The incident from before was as good as forgotten. I locked the door after we left. Although the neighborhood was considered safe, we still didn't want to invite thieves into our house. In the cold, the windows weren't open during the day, but we opened them now and again to air the house.

Outside we were greeted by a strong gust of wind. The cold practically slapped you in the face. The cemetery was not far from the house, so we set off on foot. On the way there, Georgie will buy a bouquet of flowers for her deceased friend. "I want to visit Adrian's grave as soon as possible. It's been a long time since the last time," she told me, explaining the reason for her impatience. I glanced at her sideways because what she told me didn't make sense. She had only been at the grave yesterday. No more than twelve hours had passed. I won't say a word about her statement. I had no intention of hurting my younger sister's feelings. The difficult times were far from over.

"Don't forget that we still have to go shopping after the visit. Our fridge is pretty empty and could use some refilling," I told Georgie. "I was thinking of making chicken soup tonight," I continued as we turned the next corner into the shopping street. There were all kinds of shops on the street. From grocery stores to electronics stores. Our first stop was the flower shop next to the jeweler, which had only recently opened.

Georgie pulled her coat tighter around herself and put her shaking hands in her coat pocket. I don't know if it was because of the cold or because of something else. She doesn't deserve to suffer like that. I would have loved to take away her pain, but unfortunately I couldn't. "For me. I just want to buy the flowers and go visit Adrian's grave. I don't want to do anything else right now," she said coldly. Hurt by the cold shoulder she had just shown me, I winced. Sometimes her feelings change from one moment to the next.

"Of course we'll go to the flower shop first and then straight to Adrian's grave," I tried to calm her down with my words. To reinforce my words, I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

The people around us took no notice of us, but went about their daily lives. Since the fall break had just started, there were a lot of people out and about. Tomorrow is Halloween, so some children and young people are dressed up and causing mischief at the market. Every now and then you could see masks of monsters or murderers from well-known films like Scream or Friday 13th. I actually didn't like horror films, but my ex-boyfriend at the time insisted that I watch some with him. In my opinion, the worst films were those with demons. There are no worse creatures than these. If I ever meet one, I'll run for my legs and disappear immediately.

As soon as we left the market behind us, the way to the flower shop was not far. We still had a good hundred meters to go. A cold wind blew in our faces. I immediately got goosebumps and lifted up the collar of my coat to save myself at least a little protection from the bitter cold. I think it's about time to get the winter coat out of the attic and exchange it for the coat.

The vibration of my phone in my pocket made me jump because it happened out of nowhere. I was firmly convinced that I had switched it to silent last night because I kept getting texts from my ex. Sighing, I fished the phone out of my pocket and swiped the screen with slightly stiff fingers. I wanted to know who the person was and what they had written to me. Rolling my eyes, I realized that it was none other than my ex-boyfriend. Ever since I left him, he had been trying to contact me nonstop. Before I left him and moved in with my sister, I had a great time with him. I was happy in the relationship.

Please come back (Y/N). I miss you so much.

The message he wrote me gave me a little pang of pain. I don't like to admit it, but I miss him too. After the hospital where my sister ended up after the shock of Adrian's death called me, I told my ex. I told him that I wanted to move closer to her. Not alone, but with him by my side... But he refused and said that his life is here and not a three-hour drive from here. Shortly afterwards, I gave him an ultimatum. It was either me or his work. You can see how he had made his decision. That same evening, I packed my things and, streaming with tears, got into my car and set off to see my sister. On the way to her, I kept stopping and crying my eyes out in silence in the car.

It took me a while to answer because my heart told me that I should call him right now and apologize for forcing an important decision on him. But another part of me didn't owe me anything and didn't want to know anything about him. My head tells me every time I think about him that he deserves it because he left me alone with my problem.

I'm not coming back. My life is here now.

At the exact moment I pressed send, my sister stopped immediately. Surprised, I looked up from my screen and looked around. We had reached our destination. Without waiting for me, my sister entered the shop and waited for me with the door open. "Are you coming, (Y/N)? We don't have long before it starts to rain," she pointed out the lousy, disgusting weather. What I would give for a warm summer day.

"I'm coming," I replied grumbling and put my phone away with a sigh. One last time, I allowed my thoughts and shared memories of my ex to wander through my head before I locked it in the furthest corner of my being. Today, I wanted to concentrate exclusively on my grieving sister.

I looked around the shop curiously. Lots of flowers and plants were either in pots or vases. Beautiful arrangements were either hanging on the walls or lying on the tables. My sister, however, went straight to the bouquets and stood with her index finger on her chin. Her eyes wandered deliberately from one bouquet to the next. She skipped the bouquets of roses. At least her eyes didn't stay on them for long like they did with the others. Since I had nothing to do with flowers, I ran over to the garden decorations and looked at them instead. Stone statues of Buddha, angels made of marble, pots made of brass and many other objects made of all kinds of materials and shapes. I was amazed at what this shop had to offer. From the outside, the shop didn't look that big. Don't let appearances fool you.

Not far from here, there was a large vase of sunflowers in a corner. For some reason, it started to wobble dangerously, for no reason at all. So much so that water was spilling over the edge and a small puddle was forming on the floor around the vase. I looked around the compartment in fear, but there was no one else to be seen. Large plants and decorations obscured my view of my sister or the salesperson. I couldn't see anything other than myself and my sister when I entered. It was probably because it was quite early.

For the second time that day, I stood there frozen in fear. My legs wouldn't move from the spot despite my instinct to flee. It wasn't just because the vase was moving as if by magic, but because a black shadow had formed behind the vase and glowing red eyes were staring at me from there. At least I imagined they were eyes.

"(Y/N), I'm done. Let's go," I heard my sister say not far from me. When she didn't get a response from me, she had to look for me in the maze of plants and garden decorations because I could hear her footsteps behind me. I, on the other hand, didn't take a single step. I was shaking like a leaf and my skin was as dry as the Sahara dust. Even though I couldn't see myself at the moment, I'm sure I'm as white as a ghost. "(Y/N)?" Georgie's voice could be heard behind me. She then put her hand on my shoulder, which she shook vigorously when she once again got no answer from me. Her face moved into my field of vision and covered the vase, which had stopped shaking since Georgie appeared, but the strange figure was still visible. "What's wrong?" she wanted to know.

Before she got an answer from me, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't want her to see the panic in my eyes and I didn't want to worry her. I was glad that Georgie's face was in front of me. The proximity of my sister and the sight of her calmed me down immensely. After a while I realized that I still owed her an answer. When the strength returned to my body, I raised my arm and pointed with my index finger behind Georgie's shoulder. "There was something behind the vase over there," was my only answer to the question she asked. Georgie could certainly read the shock on her face. Normally not many things can throw me off track or even scare me. But since this morning, I have been startled again and again by something. From the cupboard to the wobbling vase with the shadow behind it. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the last time.

Georgie followed my outstretched arm, which pointed in the direction of the vase. In order to follow my index finger, she had to turn around first, which she did immediately. With the bouquet full of irises and daisies in her arms, she turned around and looked carefully at the vase. She even took a few steps towards it and to the side. This meant that I could also see the vase.

"There's nothing to see," she said after a while of silence. Surprised and confused by her statement, I was able to move my limbs again. Before I knew it, I was standing next to my younger sister and also looking at the vase. I wanted to reassure myself that the black shadow with the red eyes was no longer there. Blinking, I realized that Georgie was right. In fact, there was no longer any sign of the figure. Should I be relieved or should I fear that I had just imagined the whole thing? "How can that be? Have I gone mad?" I murmured quietly and shook my head violently. I turned my back to the vase. I was so embarrassed to have been afraid of my imagination. "Let’s go“ I added sheepishly. Annoyed at my own stupidity, I bit my lower lip and scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"Oky," Georgie dragged out the word unnecessarily. She pressed the bouquet of flowers close to her chest and marched towards the exit. I followed her outside in silence. The clouds above us have thickened. I could see the threatening black clouds on the horizon. It won't be long before it starts to storm and pours down like buckets. I estimate that the clouds will be above us within an hour.

"We have to hurry," I advised her and picked up the pace. My sister matched my quick steps. Before we reach the cemetery, we have to leave two blocks behind us. "What perfect weather for a cemetery visit," was my comment. As we walked, I looked around the area, because we fell silent on the way. I quickly realized that Georgie needs peace and quiet. I don't want to disturb her thoughts. And especially not when her emotions are going crazy. One moment she was in a good mood and the next she was sad, or angry. I was never angry with her for that. Everyone processed the grief differently.

Before I knew it, we had reached our destination. There were only a few parking spaces in front of the cemetery, some of which were already occupied. As I entered the cemetery, the iron gate squeaked unpleasantly in my ears.

An elderly couple was just getting out of a car. The woman had a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her right hand. In the other she held a walking stick. Her husband gently grabbed her forearm and helped her walk. Her steps were small and she walked very slowly. Despite everything, she did not want to hand the bouquet over to her husband for a single moment. The woman and the man strolled past us and nodded gratefully at us because we were patiently standing at the iron gate and holding it open for them. We returned the gesture just as politely.

Georgie sighed with relief when she finally arrived at her friend's grave. In the vase by the grave was already a bouquet of blue flowers whose name I didn't know. The heads of the flowers were already hanging down and they looked a bit dry. As my sister said this morning, she was there a few days ago. In her case, it was usually exactly two days ago.

While she was exchanging the bouquets, I watched her silently. Tears kept flowing down her cheeks, which were red from the cold. Silent. Not a sound came from her lips. I didn't say a word either, because I didn't know what to say. There was nothing I could say to her. Healing would only come in years. "(Y/N)", I heard Georgie whisper my name after a few minutes. She was kneeling in front of the grave and wiping the engraving on the gravestone. "Yes?" I replied curiously. I wiped a tangled strand of hair behind my ear. "Have you ever wondered if it is possible to revive a loved one?" she asked unexpectedly. I raised my eyebrows. "I have never asked myself that question. But I am sure that it is not scientifically possible," I answered her question honestly. How did she come up with that question?

My sister's shoulders sank in disappointment at my answer. Her hair was ruffled by a sudden gust of wind. My hair was no better. "Maybe you are right," she said, still with her back to me. Maybe? Should I worry about her? I decided not to.

I looked around the cemetery because I couldn't find anything better to do. My sister was busy picking up the fallen leaves from the trees on the grave and throwing them into a pile next to the grave.

Not far from here I spotted a woman dressed in black who was also looking over at us curiously. Our eyes met. She came over to me as if I had invited her with my eyes. I quickly lowered my gaze and shifted from one foot to the other. I hoped fervently that she wasn't coming over to us, but was walking past us or even going in a different direction. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed because I heard footsteps coming towards us above the leaves. I was just about to tell my sister about the woman's appearance.

The footsteps made my sister prick up her ears. The footsteps above the leaves were hard to miss. My sister stood upright again and turned towards the spring. A short time later, I leaned over Georgie's ear and whispered in her ear: "Do you know why she's coming in our direction?" She shrugged both shoulders without question. It seemed strange to me that someone was coming straight towards us. Nevertheless, I hope that she walks past us or even goes in a different direction. Unfortunately, we were not lucky in that regard, because she stopped in front of us with a smile and a wave.

"Good morning, Georgie. I see you're back today. It's nice that you're still visiting your love despite his death. You can practically feel how much you still love him," she started talking. She hadn't even looked at me for a second. I was ignored coldly. As if I were air. Annoyed, I gritted my teeth and stuffed my hands into my jacket pocket. It's not that I have anything against her. But you can at least say hello to me. Out of politeness, at least. The stranger took another step towards Georgie and put a hand on her shoulder and leaned towards her ear like I had before and whispered, not exactly quietly: "I urgently need to talk to you. You know with the -" Before she could continue, she stopped my sister by quickly putting a hand on her arm and looking at her intently. Even a blind person could understand the hint.

For me that was the cue to leave the two of them alone. "I'll leave you alone for a little while so you can talk," I said, my voice getting quieter and quieter. I turned my back on the two women and put a few meters between us. Since I didn't know where to go, I randomly walked to various gravestones and looked at the inscriptions, information, and photos if there were any. This cemetery wasn't as big as the one in our hometown, but there was still something eerie about it. It was in the middle of a forest, so the sun couldn't shine properly on some of the gravestones. And every now and then I saw overgrown gravestones that were a few years old and no longer cared for. The cemetery must look creepy in the dark. No amount of horses could get me here at night.

I had left a few meters behind me and was so busy reading the dedications of family and friends on the gravestones that I didn't notice. I hadn't noticed that I was wandering deeper and deeper into the forest cemetery, so that when I looked around I couldn't see a soul. I was alone with the dead. On top of that, it was getting dark. Not because it was late, but because dark clouds were increasingly blocking out the sun.

A cold, strong wind was blowing through the trees and making the branches sway dangerously. Crows had gathered on some branches and were staring at me with their black, button eyes. I shivered because their gazes seemed to pierce me. They watched my every step very closely as soon as I set off on the way back. No matter how fast my feet carried me, I always heard the birds' wings beating and felt their piercing gazes on my back. I didn't feel comfortable. For this reason, I picked up the pace. "Stupid creatures," I muttered and made my way to the gravel path, which I found after a while despite the overcast sun. Apparently I underestimated the birds' ability to hear because they all suddenly flew towards me, screeching. They pecked at me with their beaks and you shouldn't ignore their wing beats either. I had to endure both at my own risk.

Screaming and waving my arms, I tried to get rid of the annoying animals. Their claws grabbed at my hair and clothes. Luckily, thanks to the cold autumn day, I was wearing thick clothing. Otherwise I would have been overlooked by the bloody scratch. "Leave me alone!" I screamed and tried to run away from the birds. There were at least twenty crows that hooked on me and followed me like a shadow.

I couldn't get rid of them quickly, so I tried running in zigzags. When that didn't work right away, I ran as fast as I could and barged into a monumental tomb in the shape of a building, which to my surprise was wide open. I pushed the heavy doors shut as quickly as I could. Now it was dark except for a small window. I fished my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight app. Even inside the stone buildings, I could hear the crows screeching outside. I'm one hundred percent sure that I'm going to be stuck here for a while. Hopefully it won't be long, because I don't want to keep Georgie waiting for long... although I just remembered that I can call her. So I unlocked my phone and dialed my sister's number, but it didn't work because I had no signal in here. "Damn," I cursed quietly and ran my hand through my hair in annoyance. I kicked a pillar that stood in the middle of the building.

"You don't have to get angry right away," I heard a male voice saying not far from me. The shock of my life spread through me. My heart stopped for a moment and I flinched so violently that my cell phone fell to the floor with the display and made an unpleasant noise. It sounded as if the screen had shattered. Unfortunately for me, the flashlight also stopped working, so I was now stuck here with a strange man. On top of that, I didn't know why anyone was in here.

My mood sank to rock bottom when my cell phone broke. I just rolled my eyes at the man's statement. "I'm sorry I'm not in a good mood. Today is not my day," I snapped at the stranger. I don't care what he thinks of me. I'll never see him again anyway. So why should I care about the man's opinion?

I couldn't tell what the man looked like, because I didn't have much light except for my pocket lamp. Very little light came in through the window. The sun wasn't much help today, because I could hear the first rain of the day pattering against the window pane.

"The day isn't over yet. You should never count your chickens before they're done. A lot can still happen," he replied. He apparently had a lighter or matches with him, because he used them to light some candles that were scattered around. Still, it was strange that all the candles lit up at the same time. Thanks to the light, I could finally see the man. Unfortunately, I couldn't see much except his face. But one thing was certain. He was very good-looking with his black hair hidden under a hood. He was wearing a hoodie, also black. I assumed he had brown eyes, although they seemed to glow red in the light. He probably has brown eyes in normal light.

"That's true. I just hope my streak of bad luck is over soon," my voice had become calmer now. There was something lulling about his voice. You immediately feel calmer and somehow it draws you in. "The crows seem to have something against me because they just stormed at me," I explained the reason for my appearance. I slid to the floor with my back against the wall. Even through my coat I could feel the cold of the stone beneath me. I picked up my broken cell phone from the floor and looked over at the man. "What's your excuse?" I asked him. Even though I didn't like admitting it, I wanted to hear his reason. Maybe one of his relatives is buried here and he wanted to visit the grave and enjoy the peace in here until I showed up and disturbed his solitude. My body was turned towards him. I definitely didn't want to sit with my back to a strange man. He could attack me out of nowhere and I wouldn't be able to be there. There was nothing inside here that I could defend myself with. The only option would be the door to the tomb.

The man was already sitting on the ground when I appeared. He had pulled one leg up to his chest and was leaning his elbow on his knee and was looking at me intensely. My body shuddered. I put it down to the cold and the creepy atmosphere in here. "I wanted to meet a certain person here," he revealed without hesitation. The expression on his face looked as if he wanted to explain something to me that I couldn't interpret. With a smile, he flashed his white teeth. His canines were slightly longer and tapered. That was nothing unusual. I once heard that it can often be seen in people.

I looked at him in disbelief and twisted my face slightly at the thought of what he could do with this girl. Not a very nice thought. "Not a particularly nice place to have a date," I replied tonelessly. I slid away from him as far as I could until I hit the stone wall. Now cold air was creeping out from every direction imaginable. The stones also emitted cold. Ever since I arrived here, goosebumps had stuck to my body, as if my body wanted to warn me of an impending danger that I did not understand. "She doesn't want to meet you here?" I teased him. I gave him the same smile as he had before, only my teeth were not as sharp as his.

From outside I heard the birds stop, because hundreds of wing beats could not be ignored even here. They left with a croak. Hopefully Georgie will find me again quickly or at least get help to look for me. Should I dare to take a look outside? I slowly got up from the ground and put my hands in my jacket pocket to check if my phone was still there. Unfortunately, I had left my bag at Georgie's grave. I took out my phone and wanted to light up the screen by touching it with my finger, but it didn't work. Then I remembered that I had dropped the phone earlier. "Could I borrow your phone for a minute? My screen is broken and I want to call my sister," I asked him for help. I know it wasn't my place to ask him for a favor, since I wasn't exactly nice to him earlier.

"I don't have one with me. How about I shove my tongue down your throat instead?" he purred as he stood up and took a step toward me. His eyes seemed to glow in the candlelight and his sharp teeth flashed briefly. Suddenly the aura around him changed. It went dark. All the candles flickered in unison with my racing heart.

I grimaced, disgusted by his words. "Are you crazy or what? I've only known you for a few minutes and you're asking me to make out with you?" I snapped at him. I clenched my hands into fists. If he tries to attack me, I'm ready to defend myself. Not a moment later, I jumped to the door. At that moment, I didn't care if thousands of crows were waiting for me. I just wanted to get away from the weirdo. I closed my hand around the door handle and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. So I tried to push against it with all my strength. Unfortunately, it didn't work either. "Damn it! Why won't you open the damn door?" I cursed loudly. Behind me I heard the boy, whose name I still didn't know, approaching. With every step he took, my heart rate increased. Behind my ears I heard the rushing of my blood. "(Y/N), why do you want to leave me when I can finally hold you in my arms?" he whispered. I could hear that he was smiling from his tone.

"Stay away from me!" I growled at him, angry and afraid at the same time. I didn't dare look over my shoulder in his direction. But I could still feel his gaze on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. In panic, I shook the door handle. "Help! Is nobody there?! I need help!" I screamed in panic.

"I don't have one with me. How about I shove my tongue down your throat instead?" he purred as he stood up and took a step towards me. His eyes seemed to glow in the candlelight and his sharp teeth flashed briefly. Suddenly the aura around him changed. It went dark. All the candles flickered in unison with my racing heart.

The madman came to stand behind me so that I could feel his breath on my neck. A shiver came over me. Now tears came into my eyes and I had to bite my lower lip so that I didn't start crying. I knew that it wouldn't get me very far.

An animalistic growl sounded behind me. It didn't sound like that of a human, but more like that of a wild animal. An animal that stalks its prey and wants to tear it down with a loud growl. "Nobody. Absolutely nobody will take you away from me," he hissed against my neck. At his proximity, I flinched and squeezed my eyelids as tightly as I could. My lower lip trembled dangerously. Please, God. Please. Let the door open. I don't want to end up dead in the cemetery. Not like that.

As if the almighty Lord had heard my prayer, the gate was opened. Not by me or the madman, but from outside. Relief washed over me as soon as I looked into my sister's surprised face. "What are you doing in there?" she asked me with wide eyes. Her hair looked disheveled and she was breathing heavily, as if she had been looking for me for hours. Over her shoulder I could see that the sun was just about to set. Without my phone I completely lost track of time. "Crows followed me here for some unknown reason and then there's this crazy guy in there," I explained to her briefly.

Before my sister could follow me in here, I put a hand on her chest and pushed her back a little roughly. Away from the building. Just away. Preferably very, very far away from here. "Don't go in there, Georgie. Otherwise you'll end up like me and be trapped in there for a while. And there's a madman there" I began to describe the events of the last few hours. I rolled my eyes at the thought of the madman. Why was I wasting a second tot hink about him?

A short time after my explanation, she looked over my shoulder into the building. She raised her eyebrows and let her eyes wander around the room. Not long after, skepticism crept into her eyes. "Did you get enough oxygen in there? There's no one in there," she said, pointing with her index finger. In disbelief, I jerked my head back to see if she had been mistaken. Like my sister before, I looked around searching for the stranger. A shiver ran through me when I realized that he had actually disappeared. Goosebumps covered my whole body as all the candles were blown out at the same time. Hopefully from the draft that came through the door. "Georgie, I swear there really was someone in there with me! He was crazy!" I swore that I had told her the truth. I wasn't imagining it! Or was I?

I didn't want to stay here a minute longer, so I grabbed my sister by the hand and pulled her with me. "Let's get out of here. I don't want to stay any longer," I told her how I felt. To be honest, I didn't really know which direction we had to go, which is why I stopped after a hundred meters and asked my sister for directions. Of course she wanted to know why I didn't take out my phone and open Google Maps. I explained and showed her that my phone was broken. After my explanation, she took over and led us out of the cemetery.

On the way back to the exit of the cemetery, I felt eyes on us the whole time. But every time I looked around, there was no one to be seen. It was getting dark and most of the visitors had already visited their loved ones who had passed away.

As soon as we left the cemetery behind us, I stretched myself up with a smile. "We've finally left hell behind us," I sighed contentedly. I straightened my clothes and ran my hand through my hair. I wanted to have at least a little control over it. "(Y/N), I don't want to go shopping. Can we please go home quickly? I have to do something urgently," Georgie asked me as a favor. I nodded in agreement. Because of my experience today, I really didn't have the nerve to spend the last few hours of the evening shopping. And I couldn't say no to my little sister. "Then we'll just go shopping first thing tomorrow morning. Let's see what we still have. Then we'll have scrambled eggs tonight," I decided on our dinner tonight.

It took us about half an hour to get home. Each of us disappeared into our own room. I got clean clothes from the closet and disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower. I did just that. As soon as I dried myself off and combed my hair, I put on sweatpants and a t-shirt. Back in my room, I opened my window to let in some fresh air. Outside, the sun had already set and a strong wind was blowing through the trees. Because of thick clouds, no stars could be seen and the moon was also not visible. Now I was sure that it was going to rain today.

I went down to the kitchen and found my Georgie at the table. She had a steaming cup in front of her and another one was in front of it. I sat down on the chair opposite her and leaned against the back of the chair. I wanted to rest for a moment before I started cooking. "I made you some tea. Drink it while it's still warm," my sister said. I smiled gratefully at my little sister. "Thank you," I thanked her as I closed my hands around the cup. I enjoyed the pleasant warmth that emanated from the tea.

"What did the woman want from you earlier?" I wanted to know what my sister had to discuss with the woman at the cemetery. I can't really imagine that it was anything important. I looked outside. On the way home, I kept asking myself this question. I couldn't get it out of my head.

My sister bit her lower lip and looked anywhere but not in my direction. "She did me a favor," she replied briefly. Skeptical about her statement, I raised an eyebrow. Should I believe her or not? Normally I could always believe my sister. She has never lied to me. Well, until now anyway. I don't know whether I should probe her brief answer or not. After a while I decided against it, but a thousand other questions were on my lips. Instead of filling her stomach with questions, I took a big sip of my tea. For some reason, my sister was watching me very closely.

"You know, (Y/N). I will do ANYTHING to get Adrian back. No matter what or who I have to sacrifice for it," my sister continued. When she said what she had said just now, she looked me in the eyes. Her gaze was so determined and serious that I shuddered. I couldn't hold my sister's intense gaze for long, so I preferred to look into my cup while I drank the rest in one go. Luckily, the tea was no longer hot, but lukewarm, so I didn't burn my tongue. I hadn't noticed it before, but the tea tasted different than usual. It had a bitter aftertaste.

A flash of lightning lit up the kitchen for a few seconds, followed by a loud clap of thunder. "Georgie, I know how much you miss Adrian, but you can't bring him back from the dead," I replied, yawning. From one moment to the next, I was overcome by tiredness. My head grew heavier by the second and I let go of the cup in my hand. The sound of the crockery breaking sounded dull in my ears. But I could hear my little sister's voice very clearly: "I will bring Adrian back. Even if I have to sacrifice you for it, dear sister." Then everything went black behind my eyelids.

A vague murmuring brought me out of my unconsciousness. I opened my eyes with a groan because I could feel severe pain behind my eyes. I wanted to grab my pounding head, but I couldn't because something was stopping me. Still sluggish from the dreamless sleep, I looked to see what was preventing my arms from moving. To my horror, I realized that my arms and legs were tied up. I was confused as to when this could have happened. The last thing I remembered was drinking the tea my sister had made... Even if I have to sacrifice you for it, dear sister. Oh no! No, no, no! Please let it be my imagination!

I ignored my pain and tugged at my bonds instead. Little by little, my eyes got used to the darkness that reigned in the room. I don't even know where exactly I am. It could be anywhere else. I let my eyes wander, looking for my sister. I immediately spotted her in a circle of candles around her. I felt fear, terror, and horror at that moment. She was sitting in the middle of a pentagram. Flickering hearts were placed on each point of the star. Next to my sister I saw a body lying in a sheet covered with a sheet. From there I could see a badly decaying hand. When I made this discovery I noticed the stench. Why did my sister have a corpse with her?

"Georgie?" I croaked. I coughed because my throat was dry. My sister's murmuring stopped at my voice. She turned her head in my direction and looked at me with a very big smile. Goosebumps spread across my arms as I saw a shadow next to my sister. At first it was misshapen, but the more seconds passed, the more it took shape. First the legs and lower body were formed, and then the arms. Then came the upper body, which certainly belonged to a man with broad shoulders. Then the creature got a head. Horns sat on the shadow creature's head. The worst part was not watching it turn into a human-like being, but rather that it had red, sparkling eyes that looked at me with a devilish grin. Even in the darkness you could see the sharp teeth. To make matters worse, it was slowly coming towards me. Whimpering, I tugged at my bonds and rocked the chair back and forth, causing it to tip over on its side.

At that moment, I thought my heart would burst out of my chest in fear as soon as I saw the creature's feet standing in front of me. Inside, I was dying of fear and I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut. But fear paralyzed me.

Tears ran from my eyes and dripped to the floor. Sobbing, I had to watch as my sister fell back into her summoning. Pale skin grabbed the back of my chair and lifted it upright again. "Where are you going in such a hurry, love?" a voice trilled cheerfully in my ear. For some reason, it sounded familiar. As if I had heard it just a short time ago. After a few seconds of thinking, I realized. It was the stranger in the cemetery. I looked up at him with wide eyes. There were indeed horns on his head. His eyes not only looked red, they were red.

Courage rose in me. "I'm not your love! And who the hell, or rather what the hell are you?" I snapped at him. I finally wanted to know who or what I was dealing with. He stroked my cheeks with the back of his hand. The icy touch made me jerk my head to the side. I definitely didn't want to be touched by him!

"Don't be so shy, (Y/N). You'll learn to accept my touches soon enough,"

he whispered and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Then he continued speaking: "To satisfy your curiosity, I'll answer a few questions for you. Not without a price, of course." He laughed darkly at the last sentence. Since I didn't know how to react, I looked in my sister's direction. My gaze was filled with pleas for help, which my sister ignored.

I was roughly grabbed by the chin and turned towards him. While he spoke, he held my chin firmly in his grip. "I am known by the name Amon. But you, my dearest bride, may call me husband," he purred, his eyes greedily fixed on my mouth. He also had to run his thumb over my lower lip. "W-what? I'm not married to you! When did that happen?" I screamed in his face. I tried to bite him, but of course luck was not on my side. "Oh, of course we are, LOVE. From the moment you rescued me from my prison in the mirror a few months ago," he began to explain. To my annoyance, he had to emphasize the word 'love' letter by letter.

When he mentioned it, I had to dig deep into my memory to come to a conclusion. I sat there for at least half a second until it suddenly dawned on me. Before Adrian's accident, I found a covered mirror in the attic. At the time, I went upstairs because I heard strange noises and assumed it was vermin. And since it was moving behind the covered mirror, I thought the vermin had hidden behind it. But as soon as I uncovered the mirror behind it, I couldn't see anything behind it and went back downstairs. A few days later, Adrian had his fatal accident.

I gasped in disbelief as one thing dawned on me. "A-Are you responsible for Adrian's accident?" I stuttered. Shocked, I put my hand over my mouth. I hadn't even noticed that my hands and legs had been freed from the restraints. "You don't need an answer from me for that, do you?" he whispered in my ear. "Why do you think I caused the accident? Of course, only so that your sister would have a reason to lure you here. I wanted you here and not to see you in the arms of the worthless person you call your friend. Every night I put ideas for an incantation into your sister's ear. Like every incantation, a wish has to make a sacrifice. The sacrifice of your dear sister, my love, was you," he continued, whispering in my ear.

I pushed him away with all my strength and staggered over to my sister. The anesthetic made me quite unsteady on my feet. Sobbing, I fell to my knees in front of my sister. I tried to ignore the corpse as best I could. The stench made it difficult.

The ritual or summoning could not be stopped despite my presence. With shaking hands, I took my sister's face in my hands. It hurt me deeply that my only sister had betrayed me to a demon. She put her boyfriend before her own blood relative, her sister. "Did you hear what the demon said? He caused Adrian's accident. Let's get out of here while we still can," I tried to persuade her.

Before I could realize it, I was thrown to the ground. For a moment I saw Georgie's raised hands. My own sister pulled me away from her. As if I were a pesky insect that had to be gotten rid of.

Shocked by her rejection, I saw her face twisted with anger. She pointed her finger at me. "No. You are to blame for his death. Only you! If only you hadn't freed him, Adrian would still be alive," she screamed at me. The desperation and sadness in her voice was unmistakable. At the end she sobbed and hid her tearful face behind her hands. Tears ran silently down my cheeks. Betrayal. Betrayal, betrayal. "I want him back," she sobbed uncontrollably. So much sadness and anger were packed into her crying fit. I just realized something. My sister lost herself after Adrian's death. She cried much more about the loss of her friend than about the betrayal of me.

"You did too," Amon interrupted our conversation. He had placed his cold hands on my shoulders. I didn't dare make a wrong move. I was too afraid of the consequences. As we know, demons are not known for their empathy and understanding.

We both looked at him for different reasons. I out of fear and Georgie out of hope.

At his cue, Adrian's body rose. It could only be him. The paint fell off of him. Inwardly, I was already preparing myself for the terrible sight of his decomposing corpse. Surely he could be compared to a zombie. So it wasn't like that. He looked exactly the same as he did in the last hours before his fatal car accident. As if nothing had ever happened.

Very slowly he turned his head towards us. His eyes were still slightly sad. "G-Georgie?" he cracked. His voice was rough. Without thinking too much, my sister threw herself around his neck. "I missed you so much," I heard my sister whisper very quietly.

The pressure on my shoulders grew stronger. He started to pull me away from the two of them. "Now that you've got your wish, I'll get my part of the deal. My bride," I heard Amon speak behind me.

"Since I've answered three of your questions, let's start our wedding night right away. And in hell the nights are very, very long," he purred in a lust-soaked voice. One of his cold hands wandered from my ankles up my legs, so that he came dangerously close to my intimate area.

I tried with all my might to free myself by throwing my upper body forward, but to no avail. "Please Georgie. Please don't do this to me. Not to your own sister!” I sobbed and tried to cling to every object that came my way.

My sister took her face away from Adrian and watched as Amon pulled me behind him into the darkest corner. “I'll keep my part of the deal. You can have her,” she stated coldly. I've never seen her so emotionless before. “She's yours,” was the last thing I heard from her.

[dotster001]

Hi grats on 1k!!!<3 id like to participate in the event too if you don’t mind i choose twisted wonderland

My OG: Riddle has always been the favorite child lol i first learned of what twisted wonderland was through my first matchup result here on tumblr before i knew what twisted wonderland was. The headcanon was so cute and i fell in love with him and his design when i started researching and it led me to falling in love with the game itself too. Obviously I chose his hand first when the game finally came to global and he was on my first home-screen and is still there to this day although there have been times i considered switching with malleus or azul i couldn’t bring myself too lol. He reminds me of a little red angry cat who just needs love 🥺.

About me: huh what do i say lol. well I’m a cis female, pronouns she/her, my mbti is infj, my enneagram type is 2w1, my zodiac is a Capricorn, im african American 5’2 with black wavy/curly hair blackish brown eyes chubby cheeks and hour glass figure.

I would describe me as kind smart funny motherly responsible empathetic anxious emotional moody perfectionist helpful people pleaser caring compassionate nerdy curious protective polite respectful indecisive fearful nervous introvert shy awkward and clumsy. My weaknesses would be low self esteem and lack of confidence.

I like animals books reading writing fantasy magic sci fi anime cartoons music video games friends alone time learning personality quizzes sweets bread and helping people.

I dislike spiders loud sounds people who harm others people i care about not caring for themselves people who don’t consider others not being listened to weird holes and patterns math and tests.

Random facts about me would be that i pace a lot i talk to myself i sing when im alone and im a picky eater i have a pet cat and two sisters.

What kind of tale do i want: i dont know get creative i suppose maybe something fluffy and romantic i dont mind a little angst tho if you want as long as there is a happy ending. Just go nuts and surprise me if you can.

Thank you

(Hi I hope you like this! I was inspired by the fact that you got a match up before even knowing the game 😂 the story practically wrote itself.)

A Tale Where Riddle is Set up on a Blind Date, and it works out Better than Expected

"Trust me, Riddle, she's lit! You're gonna love her!"

"Sure Cater, but I don't have time for your nonsense."

Three weeks now. Three weeks of Cater trying to set him up on a blind date with some girl. He tried to be polite. But Cater wasn't taking the hint. And now Riddle was pretty sure he was about to lose it.

"Look, one date with her. One date and I promise, you'll be head over heels for her!"

Riddle was about to snap, when Trey heaved a heavy sigh. 

"Look, Riddle, you know normally I would never enable Cater. But in this case, I think he's right. I think you will genuinely enjoy a date with this girl."

If Trey was saying it, then there must be some truth to the matter.

"Okay, then you tell me, Trey. Who is she?"

Trey winced, "I can't say, you just have to trust me."

"Why can't you say?" Riddle asked with a pout.

"Because blind dates are more fun!"

"Because she didn't even agree until yesterday."

Two very different answers overlapped. Riddle folded his arms across his chest and frowned.

"Riddle, just trust me. If it goes badly you can collar  Cater forever, and I won't say a word," Trey said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Cater cried, but Riddle was slowly nodding in agreement.

"Alright then. You said you got her to agree. When is this date?" 

Cater winced, and muttered below his breath, "Tonight."

"Tonight!" Riddle shouted. "What if I had said no? How am I supposed to be ready in such a short time?"

"It's okay! I have an outfit picked out for you that I've been waiting to have you try!" Cater said, pushing Riddle in the direction of his room.

Needless to say, Riddle was less than excited to try out the new outfit.

                                            ….

Riddle was dressed casually for the first time in his entire life. Black jeans,  white Tshirt, red unbuttoned flannel on top of the Tshirt. He had to admit, it was comfortable, but he still felt a little out of place…

He'd been informed that his date would know what he was wearing, and would have a red rose in her hair. So he waited patiently at his table, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Riddle?" 

The rose in your hair was lovely. You looked good in red. 

Those were his first two thoughts before he realized you were his blind date.

"Prefect? You're…."

"Yeah," you laughed, "I guess so."

You took a seat across from him, and Riddle took a sip of water to hopefully hide his flushed cheeks.

"Can I tell you the truth?" You said sheepishly. "I only agreed to this because Cater accidentally hinted that the blind date was you."

Riddle's face went even redder and he tried to sputter out a good response, but it came out as….

"Beautiful! So pretty!"

You furrowed your brow. "I mean, yeah, you do look pretty in the casual clothes I guess."

"Sevens," he muttered, taking another sip of water and trying not to choke. "You look beautiful."

You stared for a moment. Then you giggled. "Heh, thanks."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and Riddle decided that if you were honest, he should be too.

"I kept turning Cater down because I didn't think he'd be setting me up with you."

The back of your neck prickled and your gaze dropped to the floor.

"We seem to be in agreement then."

"Yes," he took your hand, and softly rubbed his thumb along your knuckles. 

He grinned maliciously. 

" Even if we weren't, rule 137 states that if you get set up on a blind date with the queen, you are required to date until the next blind date occurs."

"You made that up!"

"I would never!" He pressed a hand to his chest in mock indignation. "I take my position very seriously."

"Well, rule 76 in my rulebook says that if the queen makes up a rule,  then she has to date me until I say otherwise."

You loved his genuine smiles. So when his face radiated like the sun, your heart skipped a beat.

"I guess we're stuck together."

"I guess so."

"Well, I'll make the most of it then," he confidently kissed the back of your hand, like a prince greeting his princess.

                                   ….

From the back of the restaurant Cater looks on in mild disappointment.

"I guess they don't need us to serenade them then."

Trey set the microphone down with a relieved laugh.

"Told you so."