#leo and eli’s nonsense

[leosxrealm]

OMG EEEEE I'M SO EXCITED FOR IT ALL!!

Anyways...no I know max would be a wonderful wonderful dad and yeah his interactions with P just make me cry cause they are so sweet!!!

ALSO JUST IMAGINE Y/N BEING SICK AND MAX TAKING CARE OF HIM LIKE COME ONNN MAX WOULD BE A MAMA HEN (lmao) HE WOULD ALSO CALL Y/N'S MUM TO GET Y/N'S FAVORITE SOUP RECIPE (and I know he would burn it once 💀)

okay so i imagine that he panics bc he’s never had to take care of anyone (and he never gets sick or rarely ever does) so he’s calling everyone he knows. and when he thinks he knows enough about taking care of a sick person, he tries cooking (accidentally burns stuff once or twice) and that wakes y/n up and he’s like „babe why is that on fire !?” haha that was funny to imagine (he’s actually good at cooking it’s just he panics easily when it comes to y/n)

[ottpopfic]

Waystation: CDS/GF Notes

Ricky doesn't know how to do sentient buildings the Way Station is mine now

Waystation takes two to three Caretakers. Caretakers tend to be siblings or partners of a kind. One takes the ‘heavy lifting’ of the psychic load and thus has trouble leaving the Waystation after it's established. This is the person who gets informed that brick 1439 was chipped in last night's storm and now the chip is on the sidewalk three feet away N by NW. This person now also has a much harder time leaving the Waystation, and being far away or away all for long periods of time can make them very mentally unwell, they are the most psychically connected. This is the person who is also having full two-way conversations with the way station, 

The other caretaker has less of a psychic connection and is able to leave the waystation. This person can get one-word responses and strong feelings

Lit, Leo, and Georgie are all the caretakers after the moms pass. While Lit doesn't have a classic caretaker connection, the Waystation has done this on purpose. Lit’s job as a caretaker is close to a satellite, his job is so he can leave and do things outside of the building as well as not being susceptible to psychic attacks. After Jo and Emmi it likes to keep a third person to make a caretaker triad, but it doesn’t always happen

The caretaker line tends to follow family order, but the family order has so far not followed bloodline but by relation (goes: romantic couple (Jo and Emmi) to adopted kids (Leo, Lit, and Georgie) to god kid and romantic partner (Katie and Lettie) to god kids and a queerplatonic pair (Eli, Callum and his QP)) blood relation plays no part in the familial passage, and the way station prefers adopted families and extended guardians. 

All People can develop a connection to the Waystation but not as intensely. This mostly happens to full-time residents. The connection is light, they can pick up the Waystation feelings. To become a caretaker you must go through this first

It can be possessive, it thinks of who resides there as ‘its’, feels a duty to protect those inside of it. It doesn’t think like a person, it thinks like a building, so the possessive can come out in odd ways 

Really likes kids, especially young kids. Has lots of secret and special rooms and passages that are only accessible if you are a child (often due to size and also like magic)

Has a patch of liminal space where it holds all of the rooms it makes. 

Liminal space

Its liminal space is where it can create rooms, these rooms are all along the big hall that connects to the main entrance. Because these rooms are in a nonsense space their size, location, and physicality are all changeable. The room itself once its made is made, but where it relates in the building can change to the Waystations preference. This means doors can appear from anywhere even if the next room shouldn't fit, and the windows can look out of anywhere though they tend to be stationary when you are inside the room

The ‘pantry’ is part of this liminal space and includes multiple fridges, cold storage, a deep freezer, and lots of space to hold preserves. The Waystation is about 60% self-sufficient when it comes to food

The wall in the Main Room that is opposite the hall/liminal space is where the roof access is generated. The Waystation can not make rooms on that wall, so it is used to hold the building's main enchantments. This includes the stairs to the roof, sound dampening and dust collection for the WorkShop, safety and mist spells for the building as a whole, climate control spells, and exhaust ports for both the kitchen and WorkShop. If something magical needs to be fixed it will be on that wall

The Waystation has control of all parts of itself. This includes lights, cabinets, doors, counters, bricks, etc. It can move and adjust these parts as desired both to communicate and aid the residents and also because it wants to

The Waystation can move objects within itself, but not when someone is looking. This is used to lay out clothes for guests and the like. It will also use this to fuck with people and hide things when it’s mad

The Waystation has an active internal database on anyone and everyone that comes through that it can communicate outwards through a few chalkboards in specific rooms (kitchen and infirmity mainly). This is less about analytics and data collection and more about what each person needs. It prioritizes things like allergies, dietary needs, different powers and how they need to be accommodated, overall accommodations, and familial lines both biological and social. These are not universally accessible and are often only communicated if someone is about to give someone anaphylactic shock 

Other rooms (not bedrooms)

Children's rooms

These are less ‘rooms’ and more of a series of passages and hidey holes throughout the building. Picture the building-wide climbing tunnels and play spaces that are popular in children's museums

Kiln room

A room that houses all of the WorkShops kilns, glory hole (for glass blowing), and forge set up. These are in their own room for safety measures both fire hazards and fumes 

Infirmary 

Medical facilities, four cots total. Also has one large machine that it can change between an MRI, CT scanner, and an X-ray (can't be both at the same time)

Jason’s office

Jason’s workspace for his pope shit, has a little ‘den’ under the filling cabinets and is set up for people who fly

Calypso’s weaving room

Houses her loom and weaving equipment where she works to help make specialty fabrics for demigods that need clothing accommodations (like Leo burning off all his clothes (he was the inspo)) as well as a large closet she maintains the Waystations collection of community clothing 

Laundry

The laundry facility, the Waystation does all of the laundry itself. Laundry is put in laundry shoots in the bathrooms that lead to the washroom, but you have to go get your clean clothes and put them away yourself 

Weight room

Only the weight room in name (though it does have weights) it’s mostly a big workout room. There are weights and machines along two walls, but the rest is a huge mat for combat training plus a whole mirrored wall to help with that. There are hookups on the ceiling for punching bags and the like

Armory

A room full of weapons

Stables

Where they keep the griffins (I reject that they are just in the same room as the kitchen I’m drawing the line they get their own room Jfc) you have to climb a ladder in the main room to get to them

Greenhouse

Needs to be accessed via the roof, tropical weather plants are kept there with a giant mango tree in the middle

Who Lives at the Waystation (as of In Round)

Leo (head caretaker, takes on apprentices, foster dad)

Jason (foster dad, helps run the demigod foster system, popeimus maximus)

Georgina (art historian at Indiana State Museum, secondary caretaker)

Calypso (manages the clothing stock and makes specialty fabrics for demigods and monsters whose powers require it (like Leo needing fireproof clothes))

Deacon (owns a cheese and butcher shop with Stan downtown, married to Mark )

Stan (owns a cheese and butcher shop with Deacon downtown )

Mark (from Ares, works part-time at the butcher shop and helps with the foster care network (he does the driving and delivery for both) married to Deacon)

Lit (high school PE teacher who coaches wrestling, tertiary caretaker)

Sssssarah (monster ambassador, does a lot of work with the griffins)

Cirro (a cloud nymph, a baker and does most of the garden processing. They sell her baked goods at the butcher shop on the weekends)

Katie (training to be a caretaker, takes on apprentices, runs missions for Hades on a case-by-case basis, tends to lead the infirmary as she has the most training)

Lettie (runs the roof garden, diplomat between demigods and dryads (she travels for that), low key also getting groomed to be a caretaker)

Livia (the elephant, she lives mostly at Camp Jupiter but she still has a room at the Waystation and will visit when foster kids are being brought there from New Rome)

Main Room and Valgrace room layout

Jason’s office

“And the Way Station made him a wonderful room. It's not ginormous, but it has a high ceiling and a bookshelf that runs the full length and height of one wall. There's a large arched window overlooking the Pan Am Tower with a wide wooden desk pushed against it, and multiple smaller tables against the other wall for his dioramas and preparations and projects. The back wall by the door has a large papasan couch and bean bags, less for guests and more for Jason to curl up into a little nest when he wants to. It's perfect for his needs, cozy yet airy, with space to both relax and focus.”

The Room With The View

[furymint]

header: 1 / 2

alias/nicknames: eli (me shortform typing lol), ellie (samu), lilac (pseudonym), cadieux (nol. and xan. its great), any array of words starting w c (wyda)

gender: male, he/him

age: 24ish

zodiac: leo, halone

abilities + talents: piano & organ, singing, wound & surgical nurse, magical wards, talking complete philosophical nonsense

alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience

languages: common, ishgardian, ancient ishgardian, glove, fan, shorthand, gay

family: Josseloux Cadieux--adoptive father, Mathieu Cadieux--grandfather, Julia Cadieux--cousin. + others but not of relevance

friends: bells <3. he’s also friends w my other ishgardian npcs, incl ephemie, kayden, and vera. there’s also a gaggle of artist-pacifists he hangs with

sexuality: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

relationship: single / partnered / married / widowed / open relationship / divorced / not ready for dating yet / it’s complicated

libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

build: slender / average / athletic / muscular / curvy / other

hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other: pink

eyes: brown / blue / gray / green / black / other

skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / dark / other: grey

height: 6'5"

scars: none of particular obviousness or relevance, although one of his feet is a bit gnarled after it was shot

dogs or cats || birds or bugs || snakes or spiders || coffee or and tea || ice cream or cake || fruits or vegetables || sandwich or soup || magic or melee || sword shield dagger or bow || summer or winter || spring or autumn || past or future

A few songs that remind you of them:

all this and heaven too - florence + the machine

lungful - douglas dare

i talk to the rain - yuki kajiura

tagged by: @norhimorovine!

[claresedwards]

ooh another storyline i wouldve liked is in s13 forget all the drew clare eli nonsense but instead have drew and eli team up and beat the piss out of leo. like alli is clares best friend and alli is also drews ex so it makes sense that the two of them would work together to take down one common enemy

Maybe season 13 was bad enough

[sencilla-mentelibros]

Cenizas Quedan: a veces la magia deja un rastro oculto a simple vista

Hoy me dio por escribir una breve reseña. A veces leo libros y, a veces me parecen tan interesantes (independientemente de si son de mi gusto o no) que quiero compartir un poco de mi pensar sobre el texto. Siempre me ha sido difícil encontrar un club de lectura o algo similar que me permita conversar sobre los temas abordados, por lo que hoy he decidido empezar a escribir un poco más sobre lo que consumen mis ojos, por lo que consume mi espíritu.

Debo declarar, antes que nada, que soy poca para la literatura salvadoreña. Siempre he leído mucho más sobre otros países, otras culturas, otros temas…, otras cosas que si bien resultan ser universales, no echan raíces en la cultura o historia salvadoreña. Y digo que soy ‘poca para la literatura salvadoreña’ porque, de lo poco que he leído, es poco lo que realmente me ha dejado con ganas de leer más o con un buen sabor de boca, si es que de alimentar el alma hablamos.

Recuerdo haber leído ‘Cuentos de Barro’, ‘El terremoto de San Salvador’, ‘Por los caminos de Chalatenango’ y hasta ahí. Tal vez un par más, pero no lo recuerdo. Lo que sí sé es que hasta el día de hoy solo dos libros me han dejado impresionada por el contenido y el estilo de escritura de los autores. El primero es una recopilación de cuentos de Salarrué que se llama ‘Cuentos de cipotes’ y que compila una serie de cuentos preciosos que yo califico como literary nonsense con un vocabulario salvadoreñísimo y regional que a veces hasta cuesta entender. Me encantó. Fue una joya que encontré en un café cerca de un antiguo empleo que tuve y que algún día tendré en mi colección.

El segundo libro, del cual quiero hablar el día de hoy se llama ‘Cenizas quedan: A veces la magia deja un rastro oculto a simple vista’ de Carlos R. Flores. Es el primer volumen. Este texto me lo encontré en uno de los mercaditos que se celebran en los centros comerciales y, a raíz de querer apoyar el talento salvadoreño, decidí comprarlo. Ese día estaba más inclinada a comprar un libro mudo, donde la narración se da únicamente a través de ilustraciones; sin embargo Eli me aconsejó llevarme ‘Cenizas quedan’.

Acertó.

Antes de comprar un libro, siempre tengo la costumbre de leer al menos la contraportada para saber de qué trata. Esta vez fue diferente. Eli me comentó que el libro retomaba las leyendas salvadoreñas dando vida a un nuevo contexto. Así que como era un libro salvadoreño de ficción que estaba basada en la cultura salvadoreña decidí aceptar la propuesta. A pesar de la mala experiencia que recuerdo tuve con ‘Cuentos de Barro’, me aventuré a leer ficción salvadoreña. Fue una buena decisión a pesar de las discrepancias que se puedan tener con el texto. Así que sin más, les quiero comentar.

El volumen primero de ‘Cenizas quedan’ inicia con la muerte inesperada e inexplicada de Leandro Bazaine que es el Don de la Hacienda La Junta. Sin más, la señora de la casa Elena Cristales viuda de Bazaine y sus mellizos Isabela e Ignacio deben afrontar la pérdida del respetado encargado de la Hacienda quién a su vez ejercía un rol ejemplar como padre de los mellizos. Su muerte es seguida de una serie de eventos desastrosos para la familia y la Hacienda cafetalera allá por 1910. Así, lo que normalmente se esperaría como una historia de luto y superación, rápidamente se convierte en una historia de ficción y suspenso.

Situaciones extrañas empiezan a suceder, aparte de la muerte inexplicable de Leandro, los animales mueren a una vez, los empleados riñen entre sí sin razón aparente, otros empleados se van de la Hacienda (renuncian), los conejitos de Isabela presienten tragedias…, ¡hasta a la mula sana de la carreta le da un ataque epiléptico en medio del camino! La Hacienda empieza a afrontar pérdida de mano de obra y de producto, que de la noche a la mañana aparece podrido. Es una pérdida constante sin razones evidentes.

Ante esto, el texto nos deja una impresión diferente según quién se enfrente a los hechos. Los mellizos son quienes nos enseñan, a través de su inocencia, una trivialización inicial de las leyendas e historias de terror que se cuentan. Comienzan añorando el momento en que Candelaria, su nana, les cuente la historia del ‘Gritón de medianoche’ y poco a poco van interiorizando el mito como una manera para lidiar con el luto y pérdida de su padre, hasta el punto de asumir un rol detectivesco. Asumiendo interés por la muerte de su padre. Mientras que, por otra parte, Candelaria y Elena parecen lidiar con estos sucesos con cierta sorpresa e incertidumbre, sin embargo con resignación y precisión. Como si supieran que existe una lógica detrás de los sucesos ocurridos. Como si supieran lo terminal de la muerte y como si los sucesos, que están más allá de su control, fuesen parte de la cotidianeidad del pueblo y la Hacienda.

Es acá donde las leyendas se fusionan con la realidad en el relato.

Lo espeluznante y terrorífico de las leyendas, del misticismo y de la muerte poco a poco empiezan a afectar a los mellizos, quienes tienen un encuentro sobrenatural con un perro blanco con pezuñas de chivo. El miedo empieza a calar y, paulatinamente, comienzan a entender que su historia no es un cuento de hadas. Los niños pronto se dan cuenta de los irremediable de la muerte y de lo inesperada que pueden ser las vueltas que da la vida. De otro modo, Candelaria y Elena también tienen encuentros con lo sobrenatural, sin embargo ellas continúan sus vidas inmutadas por lo horripilante. Ellas sufren y tienen miedo de cosas más vulgares y mundanas como la venganza, la justicia, la pérdida y el sufrimiento en la etapa de la inocencia (personificada en los mellizos), el qué dirán y la herejía o irrespeto a la religiosidad.

Esta mezcla entre lo real y la ficción, entre los motivos de lxs personajes y las circunstancias suprareales a las que están sometidxs crea una sensación de curiosidad sana, te invita a tratar de entender tanto a la familia Bazaine Cristales como a Candelaria y a Prudencia. Y, la agilidad con la que se narra la historia le da un ritmo que te lleva hasta el final, sin querer dejar el libro a un lado, a pesar de los temas abordados.

La narración, de repente, da un giro inesperado y nos enteramos que la señora de la casa, siempre recatada, siempre preocupada por las apariencias; ha hecho un pacto del cual no puede escapar, con el ‘Caballero de la noche’. Nos damos cuenta, que Candelaria es cómplice de un secreto que es revelado por la lectura de cartas de Prudencia y que hay muerte en el futuro. Sin embargo, el horror y el mito espeluznante seguimos experimentándolo a través de los mellizos. Los otrxs personajes, ya sea porque están acostumbrados al mundillo de las leyendas o porque son adultos con motivos, parecen sobreponerse de fácil manera al mito y lo tratan como algo normal y cotidiano. Es por eso que la realidad y la leyenda se fusionan, porque las y los personajes parecen tener miedo a repercusiones como la venganza, los celos y la muerte a manos de otrxs hombres/mujeres; a pesar de estar rodeados de eventos mágicos. El terror del mito está reservado a la inocencia de los mellizos y algún otro creyente del pueblo o de La Hacienda. Me parece súper interesante que la historia se va desarrollando desde diferentes perspectivas y que el hilo conductor dé para conocer un poco de la profundidad de lxs personajes. Aunque sigue siendo una historia relativamente corta, lxs personajes se desdoblan a pesar de sus misterios.

Los eventos en la historia se desarrollan en un periodo relativamente corto de tiempo y nos damos cuenta que, si las leyendas son ciertas, nada bueno sale de pactos y motivos oscuros. Los mellizos sufren mucho y la Hacienda termina fatídicamente. Carlos R. Flores nos lleva a través de una historia con eventos horribles y despreciables de una manera que permite el desapego y a la vez interés por un buen desenlace de lxs personajes. Gracias a su manera de narrar, las crueldades pueden ser digeridas sin sumirse en la desesperación o desolación; y nos brinda un final de redención y sacrificio por amor. Mixto, pero ahí está.

Otra cosa que me pareció súper interesante y de reflexión es que la historia, es decir, el pasado de los mellizos Bazaine Cristales juega un rol fundamental en su presente. El haber nacido en la familia, en la Hacienda, y las decisiones de sus padres son, en gran parte, el catalizador de lo que les sucede. Creo que esto es un increíble espejo para la población salvadoreña que poco a poco va descubriendo su historia, pero que en gran parte la obvia o la niega y que no termina de entender que es una condición que afecta lo que vivimos hoy en día.

A mí, en lo personal, me es súper difícil hablar de la muerte y de las leyendas, y tengo entendido que gran parte de la literatura salvadoreña aborda precisamente esos temas que yo tanto evado. Sin embargo esta lectura, a pesar de hablar de eso que tanta incertidumbre y dolores de cabeza me provoca, ha logrado entablar una conversación conmigo y me ha hecho reflexionar sobre el mito como manera de afrontar aquello que duele y que resulta inexplicable.

Definitivamente, les recomiendo este libro y buscaré el segundo volumen. Si tienen alguna recomendación, es bienvenida.

Fecha original de publicación: Julio 28, 2021

[andy-loves-corgis]

All of The Lights - Ch 8 (TRR AU)

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Well… It’s Riley and her pain in this one.

Rating: M (I can’t make them not curse I guess…). 

Word count: ~ 6,800 (longest chapter I ever wrote)

Notes: There will be one big note at the end. But just thank you for still being here!

WARNING: Read the Prologue! Every chapter has TWO timelines, Before (about a year before the Prologue) and After (two years after the prologue), if you don’t pay attention to that you might get confused!

Hardest to Love

And what we had is dead inside, yeah You're actin' like it's still alive And you still wanna make it right, yeah I know But I've been the hardest to love

BEFORE

How long had she been taking that shower?

The sound of the water hitting the porcelain tiles could be considered deafening to some, but right now there was so much noise inside Riley's head that the droplets served only as white noise.

Steam was clouding her senses, although not as much as the overwhelming feeling of awareness. She could still feel the heat emanating from his body and the thought itself made her short of breath, could she indulge in the sensation growing at the pit of her stomach?

No!

Riley had only slept for 4 hours straight, then she was brought back to consciousness by her racing heart, her head couldn’t rest for what have happened mere hours ago, and flashes would take her mind. She knew it would be useless to overthink what happened, the simple fact that by reliving the night before she was inundated with nervousness told her enough.

It was like a fire, she knew that, it would only grow if she wanted it to, if she fed it the right thoughts, the right feelings… and right now her heart was enjoying it all too much.

A ragged breath left her throat while she sat on the rim of her tub, massaging the stiffness out of her left foot, pushing it a little too hard, bringing her back to reality, a reality where these feelings were better to remain an illusion.

Ouch

In about an hour she should head with Madeleine to the boutique, where the Fydelia heiress would pick her dress for tonight, it gave her time for a moment of coffee and contemplation in her favorite study room; throwing on some comfortable tracksuit she followed the smell of freshly baked eclairs.

The study on the second floor was one of her favorite places, mainly because no one ever went there, she could sit alone for hours, stretching, reading, eating without someone counting on her calorie intake… Although, it wasn’t empty this time, she wouldn’t be that lucky, she wasn’t a tiny bit lucky.

Drake was there.

Absentmindedly running his fingers on the guitar chords, with an intoxicating melody; using only three chords, his humming melting into the sounds. Riley’s throat suddenly went dry and she didn’t know what to do.

For God’s sake, he’s my best friend.

“Hey!” she smiled passing the couch he was lazily sitting; the music stopped instantly, and she could almost notice a blush on his cheeks, his eyes averting from hers and landing on her plate.

“Oh hey… food!” he reached for one of the éclairs and she pulled the plate close to her chest.

“That’s mine, I can see you already ate yours” she pointed her head at the center table, where two plates laid with only crumbles on top.

He huffed rolling his eyes while Riley sat across from him, making a point of picking a chocolate glazed éclair slowly and shoving in her mouth; when he laughed it hit her again, right at the pit of her stomach, goosebumps erupting from her skin.

The silence turned into awkward at the same time as the air seemed to freeze.

“Should we talk about it?” Riley was glad her voice didn’t waver, though her heart seemed to be beating in her throat.

“About…?” Drake took his eyes from his phone, which kept beeping with new messages, and glanced at her.

“About… about last night.” She put on a strand of hair behind her ear, looking for the right words. It was like she was a snake waiting to shed her skin, because it wasn’t possible the room was that stuffy.

It took a few seconds for Drake to piece it out together, seconds that fueled Riley’s imagination with images of the uncharted territory they were drifting to, would he be embarrassed? Or maybe he was also feeling the anxiety ft. exhilaration of their last encounter and didn’t know what to do about it.

But all he did was chuckle and get back to his phone.

“No, of course not.”

Excuse me?

Her lack of response triggered Drake to look at her again.

“We were both pretty drunk, you had just seen your ex, or whatever, make out with your worst enemy… and frankly, I’m a man and you look like… that.” He waved his hands at her velour-covered self and frilly socks a tad bit of redness on his cheeks. “Not that I would mean any disrespect. You’re my best friend and will always be, we were just regrettably drunk.”

Through all the morning Riley though she would be relieved by any dismissal of what happened from his part, so she wasn’t prepared at all for the feeling of her stomach churning, the idea of stacking other eclairs clearly not appealing as before.

“Oh… great” she managed to say with a fake smile.

“Don’t worry, little one” he winked, and she decided it was her leave.

“I wasn’t” she brushed it off with another smile. “Well, I have to meet Madeleine, make sure that your one suit is prepared.”

Drake just chuckled again, tossing his phone on the table and getting back to the hypnotic melody of his guitar.

“Alright, boss!”

Once out of the study, Riley wanted to throw up, or scream, or kick something. She felt stupid and didn’t even know why, it hurt, and she didn’t know why.

“Where were you?” Madeleine annoyed tone filled the room once Riley stumbled inside her fitting space. “Why are you wearing this monstrosity? Haven’t I told you how tacky is this look? You’re not some Real Housewife.”

“Madeleine, it was a gift, I never wore it in public, besides it’s pretty comfy and it’s Gucci, it’s not like Juicy Couture.”

Riley couldn’t tell who wore the most horrified look, Madeleine or the two seamstresses.

“It makes you look fat anyway. So, this is dress number 1” Madeleine said twirling on a lavender circular skirt gown, she looked so plain in it that for a moment Riley entertained the thought of saying she loved it.

“Didn’t like it” Riley answered feeling her phone vibrating on her front pocket. It was her father; he must have arrived at the palace, since he sent her a picture of her bed with several dress bags upon it.

Riley moved her attention back to Madeleine after her not-so-subtly cleaning her throat.

“Dress number two” it was a long emerald green charmeuse dress with strapless, sweetheart, appliqued bodice… like a prom dress from a teen rom-com.

“I liked the color…” Riley bit her lip, because she knew Madeleine would lash out at her sooner or later.

“What are you wearing tonight?” she asked as the seamstresses brought her dress #3.

“I don’t know, dad just brought a handful of dresses from home…”

“You’re not wearing something old, are you?” Madeleine turned to her.

“Of course not, Maddie!” Riley rolled her eyes. “I know Zuhair and Elie sent some things to Valtoria, the bags from Dona are probably not for tonight tough. Anyway, he brought it all, God knows I need more club dresses.”

“Dona? As in Donatella Versace?” Madeleine’s voice got high pitched. “Why are these people sending you things? You’re not even on the social season. Where did they even find you out?”

Riley was a little taken aback from her friend’s reaction, but judged it was only because she felt nervous for the night.

“Uhh, last year’s Paris Fashion Week…”

“I was there with you!”

“I know Mads, it was at the Versace show, you hate Versace, remember? I met this… girl.” She thought it was safer than saying it was Lady Gaga. “We chatted about the show, she found out I loved Versace and invited me to meet Donatella. Well, turns out it was this small after-party at Dona’s Presidential Suite. They were all there… Zuhair, Elie, Zac… we just smoked and drank some champagne.”

By the shade of red tinting Madeleine chest, she thought it was better to end her story there.

“You love doing that, don’t you?” the contempt in her voice was palpable as the words fell from her pursed lips, the seamstresses were lacing up a plum dress that fitted her perfectly. “You simply cannot be happy when people other than you are being the center of attention, but I won’t bite the bait.”

“Madeleine, you’re the one who aske..”

“You always do this! But now is my time… to lead the ballet, to lead this family by Leo’s side, interviews… tonight is my night. You’ll need more than some designer dress to upstage me.”

The words hit Riley like a whip.

“I’m not engaging in this nonsense, Madeleine, for real, this is your night, so it’s better if I just leave you to prepare yourself for your big moment.” She got up from the armchair she was curled up. “Anyway, this dress looks great.”

Madeleine didn’t even answer Riley, who left without looking back. A migraine starting to spread in her skull, all she wanted was a peaceful minute, maybe just focus on her breathing on her way back to her room would help.

“Dad!”

She found peace on those glinting blue eyes that just her and Alexander York shared; her father smiled through his thick mustache and spread his arms to her, completely embracing her small figure.

“There’s my girl.” the Duke held her tightly close to his chest before erupting in coughs.

“You ok?” Riley quickly stepped back looking as her father eased his breath.

“Sure, kid. Saliva went down the wrong way, just that!” he patted her back moving to sit on the only space on her bed that wasn’t occupied by dress bags, he pushed the dresses back and motioned for her to sit by his side. “How’s everything?”

“It’s fine, I guess. I got to take the boot out yesterday, that was nice.” She smiled at him hiding her turmoil, her now free foot dangling from the side of her bed.

“You know you can always head back to Valtoria if you want to clear your head, right?” he caught her by surprise with his statement. Another fit of coughs taking over him. “Court life has its perks, but it’s also a tad bit overwhelming sometimes.”

“I know, Dad. I was actually thinking about spending some time there, you know. Before… the semester starts…” a knot started to swell in her throat.

“Yes… yes! I keep forgetting about that. I need to put those reminder things on my phone, you can help me with that later” he laughed again “Although, there’s something I need to give you first, the other reason why I came to visit my girl.”

Alexander reached behind him for a deep blue velvet case with a golden phoenix crest at the center, it meant that whatever was inside was taken right from the vault of Valtorian jewels back home.

“Mimi left if to you” he said patting the box, Riley’s hands reached instantly to the golden bracelet Drake gave her, her eyes would still get moist thinking about her grandmother. “She wanted to give it to you on your Name Day, but I thought that it could outshine any other gifts you got. So, I thought that today would be perfect for it.”

Riley practically braced herself once her father started opening the case, but out of all her grandmother’s jewels, she could never imagine what was inside; the first thing she noticed was the glint on the center diamond, a dark shade of pink. Her mind took her to several years back, when she was just a child watching Mimi getting ready for her 40th Jubilee as ruler of Valtoria, the same case was open on her bed; Riley was obsessed by that tiara.

Back in the 80’s her family was one of the firsts to invest in an Australian diamond mine, now the largest supplier of naturally colored diamonds in the world, including the rare pink diamonds, which were Riley’s favorite. The tiara featured countless of them disposed on the V-shaped motifs, that looked more like hearts to Riley, she called the tiara the Ace of Hearts, and the name ended up sticking out.

Blinking again in her room at the palace, the 4-carat pink diamond stared at her surrounded by gold and platinum and its brothers and sisters of clearer shades.

“You’re giving it to me?” her voice was strangled.

“No, your grandmother gave it to you, she knew how you loved it. You’re a girl of age now, part of Cordonian society, it was about time you have your own tiara.” Alexander moved to kiss her forehead. “I can’t wait to see you wearing it.”

All she could do was nod, somehow her head was trapped on countless nights playing with that tiara, reciting the types of diamonds in it so Mimi would be proud of her, waiting for the day where she could go to all those balls as a grown woman in beautiful dresses, with her own tiara.

She was startled by Manolo arriving on her suite with his crew to do her makeup and hair.

“Oh, for all sacred apples! Is that the Ace of Hearts?” he exclaimed looking at Riley’s hands.

“Yes, my father just gave it to me.” Riley smiled, nostalgia taking over her.

“You’re going to look beautiful, what are you going to wear?” Riley looked back at her bed, settling the tiara back on the cushioned inside of the case, moving to open the bags.

Zuhair Murad sent a silver off-shoulder dress, that just wouldn’t go with the tiara, the three bags from Versace weren’t fit for the occasion, there were two Elie Saab bags and Riley started to pray.

The first was a black jewel-neck satin dress, with hand-painted flowers on the bottom of the skirt, it looked beautiful, but looked so modern compared to the classic tiara; crossing her fingers, she opened the last bag, it was breathtaking; a deep square-neck in dusty pink organza, embroidered from bodice to the bottom of the skirt in rhinestones.

“Yes! This one!” Manolo said clapping his hands enthusiastically.

After a couple of hours indulging Manolo on the light gossip she could afford to tell, Riley saw her dolled up version staring back to herself.

“You look amazing!” Manolo held her shoulders behind her, the rhinestones on the organza glinting under the lights of her room, although nothing could outshine the pink diamonds on her head. Somehow, her reflection looked like a glitter-coated version of herself. “Now, hurry up, your prince is waiting for you.” And winked at her.

Throwing kisses in the air at her, Manolo left her room, were she chose some nude flats to go with the dress, it wasn’t time to test her recently healed ankle. As Riley made her way to the ballroom, she thought about what Manolo had said, her heart almost beating out of her chest as she spotted the figure leaning carelessly on the statue of Maximus V.

The blazer of his gray suit was open, a lock of dark brown hair was falling lazily on his eyes, going back to place as he turned his head up to look at her. Riley felt she was going to faint, was that some joke? Something he couldn’t tell her in the morning?

“Wow” she could notice his mouth moving. “You are… wow, is that Mimi’s crown?”

“It’s a tiara, Drake. We’re not allowed to wear crowns” she laughed delighted.

“Geez you definitely gave ‘you should see me in a crown’ another meaning” Savannah appeared in a beautiful silver dress; Riley bet she had sewn herself.

“Not a crown!” Riley laughed again, but then stopped, as Drake offered his arm to his sister.

“Good evening M’Lady” the voice behind her interrupted them. “Has anyone said how breathtaking you look tonight?”

Liam spun her to face him, his blue eyes the most kind she had seen in weeks, her head was fogged, looking behind her, she saw Drake and Savannah reaching the side door, not looking back.

“Would you give me the honor to accompany you in this ball?” Liam took her hands and she looked down, realizing she hadn’t said a word to him.

“Of course, it would be my pleasure” she forced her cheeks up as he guided her to the main door.

What did she expect? It was crystal clear that whatever had happened the day before meant nothing to Drake, so why did she believe for a second in her own delusion? That’s what this was, a utopia.

“Prince Liam Rhys and Lady Riley York of Valtoria” it was announced as they made their way to the ballroom, as the court went down in whispers, about her outfit choice, her relationship with Liam, her grandmother’s tiara…

“Oh my God, this is the Ace of Hearts, isn’t it?” Kiara approached her with Penelope.

“Yes, my father just gave it to me!” Riley politely smiled at them.

“The luckiest girl!” Madeleine joined them, although she caught a twitch on her left eye when her eyes met the tiara.

“All the luck tonight goes to you, Maddie.”

“It’s not ‘luck’, it’s fate” Madeleine pretended to smile humbly.

I need a drink

Riley chuckled adorably and excused herself.

“Where are you going?” she was surprised by Liam.

“I was going to grab a drink”

“You don’t need to go to the bar, I already brought you what you’re going to drink.” He smiled at her, offering a glass of apple cider, her least favorite drink. “Come here, I want to introduce you to our Chinese Commissary, Chaoxiang Lee, his brother is married to a Cordonian noble.”

“Ahh, here comes your beautiful woman!” Chaoxiang exclaimed, there were so many things wrong with just that sentence that she had a big gulp of her cider to help her smile back at him.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Lee.”

“Oh, you remind me of my niece, she’s exceedingly polite just like all of you court women. We are lucky to have you keep us on our toes!” he sipped his champagne laughing with Liam. “I’ve heard a rumor you’re going to some American college…?

Riley opened her mouth to answer, but Liam was faster.

“It’s just a rumor, she’s not going.” His smile almost deceived her.

“Ahh, good choice young Prince, you can just leave these damsels alone in a place like America.”

She knew better than to disagree with Liam in front of people during court functions, so she just nodded, feeling the pain on her ankle intensify.

“Well, I have promised a drink to Duke Godfrey, I better hurry, it was lovely to meet you” Chaoxiang excused himself.

Riley waited until Mr. Lee was far to turn to Liam.

“What the hell was that, Liam?” she said between her teeth.

“Not now, doll” he pulled her to him a bit abruptly. “People are looking”

“Okay, I’m going outside for a smoke break, then” she gave him a jeering smiled and marched outside.

It took less than five seconds for him to follow her.

“I think you’re right, we need to talk.” Liam’s voice was nowhere near the contained tone he used minutes before. “I’m done with my feelings for you being met with contempt, it’s about time I finally let myself be heard in this relationship, Riley.”

“What are you talking about?” Riley was perplexed.

“You know how difficult it is to love you? I’ve offered you nothing more that my love, my heart, to you, for four years I’ve been trying and trying, and you answer me with applying for a college in the U.S. behind my back?”

“It wasn’t behind your back; I’ve always talked about that” Riley lit a cigarette only to see his eyes go dark.

“It’s time for me to clear out my opinions too” he inhaled deeply. “You need to stop fantasizing about a reality that doesn’t belong to you. New York is a make-believe story in your head, your reality is here. This is real. You need to stop being immature and selfish and start looking around to the people that you’re hurting. Because after everything you’ve made me go through, I still want you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the choosing ceremony will begin, I need to meet my brother.”

“Liam…”

“I’ll see you later.”

Riley watched him leaving, then turned her back to the entrance, facing the garden below; she was shaking from head to toe, biting her lips with such force that she thought it would break skin.

Through her foggy eyes she noticed a strange movement in the gardens, she could identify Leo, but not the girl with him, she wasn’t dressed for the ball certainly, wearing jeans and a jacket; she seemed to shudder, even though the weather wasn’t that cold, Leo was stroking her cheeks lovingly; she finally notice the girl was crying.

She wasn’t naïve not to know what was happening even before they kissed, Riley felt strangely drawn to the girl, her tears flowing with such… freedom, her feelings free for only her and Leo to see, but nevertheless, free. They were gone when Riley remembered to blink, the orange bottle open in her hands, the sound of trumpets calling her back to the reality.

Back in the ballroom, everyone was expectant for the announcement, but Riley kept her eyes trained on Leo, he had always been worse than Liam at keeping a façade, he looked like a man ready to face his fate… if his fate was guillotine.

“I, Leonard Rhys, future King of Cordonia, come today to tell the news to all my court that I found my bride during this social season” to some his voice would sound nervous, as a man about to propose, but Riley knew better. “As for the woman who… stole my heart and will fiercely lead Cordonia with me, I present you… Countess Madeleine Arden, from Fydelia”

The crowd erupted in applause and shouting, but Riley felt dizzy, she should have eaten something before all that cider, it was a blur of Leo giving her the ancestral ring of the Rhys House; she remembered being pulled into a hug with Penelope and Kiara; she tried to escape as soon as the waltz for the engaged couple started.

“Riley… I mean, Lady Riley, are you ok?” Riley turned to see a Walker, but not the one she wanted to see. “There are still a couple of hours for this to end.”

“Yes, Savannah. I’m good” she put on her smile, ready to lie. “My ankle is killing me, and I think it’s better if I just lie down a little.”

“Oh, ok! I hope you’re better soon.” She waved at Riley going back to where Maxwell and Bertrand Beaumont were talking.

Breathing was only possible when Riley reached the corridor to her room, but she felt she was being closely followed.

“Riley” it was almost physically painful to hear Liam’s voice.

“I’m just tired, Liam.” She held her tongue, her hand on the doorknob.

“I know you’re not happy.” He said in an empty voice, and for a flick of a second that sentence filled her with a last gleam of hope, that he would understand her, that he would see her. “But you will learn how to be.”

It was as if her forces were drained from her body, she nodded at his words and he kissed her forehead; inside her room it wasn’t less suffocating, she pulled the tiara from her head, the pins plucking several hair strands from her scalps, even this pain was numbed by his words.

This is real.

Completely naked in front of the mirror, she traced her fingertips on the marks the embroidered bodice of the dress left on her skin.

Immature and selfish.

Her reflection mocked her, it could go and live the life on the other side of it as she was forced to stay there, forever. She didn’t revel on the feeling of her flannel pants on her legs, or the coarse material of the carpets on her bare feet, a sleepwalker wide awake.

The final destiny was the same place she began her morning, the cozy study was now dark, if not only by the fireplace; she sat in front of it as she watched it burn, the white envelope with the printed purple letters; the letterhead saying We are delighted to inform…

You’ll learn how to be happy.

AFTER

“I can’t wear that!” Hana seemed mortified as Maxwell held the mini skirt before her.

“You gotta show those legs” Max huffed and tossed the skirt on the bed, landing beside Riley.

It was a sunny day on the capital, although the air was chilly outside, Riley could smell the flowers from the nearby garden from her open window; Maxwell fussed on her closet some more, muttering some things.

“Here, try this dress!” he offered Hana a Dolce & Gabbana black corset dress and her eyes grew wide. “Shush! You can only complain when you try it!”

After a few minutes Hana emerged in the dress, she looked gorgeous, but her awkwardness was almost palpable.

“Why should I wear this?” her voice was low.

“This will channel a woman who isn’t afraid of her desires, a femme fatale, a Big Bad Bitch.” Maxwell answered with a flourish.

Riley burst out laughing.

“Should I be flattered you’re looking for that in my closet?” she asked still chuckling as Max made his way to her mini fridge and grabbing some tonic, as he pulled a flask from his pocket and three cups. “Max, it’s 4pm!”

“It’s 8pm somewhere! Besides, Hana here, needs some liquid courage.” He pushed a cup on Hana’s hand who also started laughing.

“Is it crazy that I’m doing it?”

“You mean going on a blind date with a girl that you met on the internet? That’s basically every parent’s nightmare!” Riley took a sip from her gin. “I’m kidding, Han. If you feel it’s right, just go for it, life’s too short…”

Riley got up and marched to her closet she knew the perfect dress for Hana, a ruffled lily-print bardot dress, also D&G.

“Oh my god! This is gorgeous!” Hana exclaimed feeling the fabric. “What about you two, plans for tonight?”

“Well, I actually have to go back to Ramsford to take care of some business for Bertrand” Max answered sipping his gin.

“The Turkish guy didn’t call you back?” Riley turned to him.

“In fact, I ghosted him”

“Max, you were never the same after the Mystery Woman.” Hana sighed going back inside the closet to try on the dress.

“Mystery Woman?” Riley asked puzzled and the younger Beaumont groaned uncomfortably.

“He had this affair with an older woman around the time of Liam’s Social Season” Hana shouted from the closet.

“How old?”

“47” Max practically coughed the number.

“That’s not all, she was married.” Hana said opening the door

She looked stunning.

“Well, that’s what I call coming out of the closet in style!” Maxwell whistled and Riley tossed one of her pillows on him.

“I guess that’s settled, thank you, R!” Hana hugged her and she reveled on the feeling.

A beep on Maxwell’s phone startled them, but it wasn’t until his brows joined at the center of his forehead that Riley started to feel uneasiness.

“I think you should see this.” He said with a pitied look directed to her.

He offered her his phone where a number of articles were pinned under his alerts on her name.

‘It was for the best’ Prince Liam on his former girlfriend Riley York

Riley stared quizzically at Maxwell who kept the downcast look.

“Keep reading.”

There was a bunch of things on how he fell in love with Madeleine, his social season, and then what she wanted to see.

Interviewer: So, I know I shouldn’t dwell on the love life of our future ruler, but you had an on-and-off-again relationship with an infamous figure of the court, Lady Riley York, we know she got into some trouble a couple of years ago, was it when things broke-off for good?

Prince Liam: Well we’re not here to talk about my past, especially about a person who’s very dear to me. What Riley and I had is in the past, she’s a wonderful person, we just happened to follow different paths. It was for the best.

“It was actually really sweet of him to say that” Hana muttered.

“Yeah, he could have said I was a lying bitch who was in a relationship with his best friend behind his back!” Riley tried to mock the situation but grimaced at the end.

“You know he’s still crazy about you, right?” Maxwell asked with another pitiful look.

“I really don’t know how to feel about that.” Riley sighed and got out of bed. “Come on, you have your stuff to do, I’m also visiting some old friend.”

“Are you sure? I can cancel…” Hana started but Riley cut her out.

“You’re going, Han. God knows my live needs newer gossip.” She rolled her eyes and pushed them out of her door.

Phew!

Riley marched to her bathroom for a long hot bath. This interview was something her therapist would love to hear about, it has been over a year of her trying to explain her relationships to Dr Strausser.

“How do you feel about him, Riley?”

As if she could answer this question, any feeling she had for either Liam or Drake was buried inside a box on the depths of herself, and she made a point of locking it and throwing the key away. Probably her cowardice towards getting in touch with those feelings were the main reason she had stopped seeing her therapist for weeks now.

When the water ran cold, she decided to stay true to her word and see an old friend, she should make peace with her past, right?

The Wood Wheel looked exactly like she remembered, even the sounds her boots made on the floor; she took it all in, waves and waves of feelings crashing over her: the smell of the crispy bittersweet bacon, chatter and chuckles, dim lights on the booths at the back, perfect for the couples. It felt like her grandmother’s lake house where she would go when she was little, welcoming and distant once her grandmother wasn’t there anymore.

She walked near the bar, scanning the polaroids on the Hall of Fame, there she was, full smile holding two empty shot cups, a gauze covering one of her hands; the first time she had ever entered there.

“Well, it’s been some time” the grave voice of Al took her by surprise, she smiled genuinely. “Are you looking for someone?”

“No” she wouldn’t mention Drake, not in a million years. “I just missed this place.”

“The usual?” he brought up the bottle of Maraschino and she shook her head laughing.

“Give me your best house red”

He filled a glass as she sat on one of the stools, she just enjoyed the final verses of a Torn cover, a blonde girl thanking as the sparse audience applauded.

“So, where have you been?” Al asked, washing some glasses.

“Don’t you follow the news?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t believe the news.”

She took another sip from her wine.

“You shouldn’t!”

“So, where were you…?”

“Oh, I was at this luxurious resort… it also happened to be a rehab facility” she laughed, and he followed her.

“I’m glad you’re back. Have you talked to…?”

“Yeah, everything’s good!” she cut him, forcing on a smile; offering her glass for a refill. “Do you mind if I take this outside for a smoke?”

He shrugged and gestured her to go for it.

The clicking of her heels on the floor followed her; it was easier to breath outside, the chilly air smelled like freshly mowed grass, she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and leaned on the wood wall behind her. After a few minutes of silence, someone else came through the back door.

“Hey, do you have a lighter?” it was the blonde girl who was singing, Riley smiled and held her lighter to her; watching her medium effortlessly messy bob swirls on the wind. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, nice jacket!” Riley pointed out to her red denim jacket.

“Oh thanks, loved your boots! You look familiar…” the girl squinted. “But I don’t know many rich girls who enjoy cheap wines.”

“What makes you think I’m rich?”

“You’re wearing $1,000 boots.” The blonde shot a brow up.

Riley laughed.

“I’m Riley.”

“I’m Cassidy… I saw you on TV, but you look less…” Cassidy started.

“Suicidal?” Riley asked point blank as a joke but watched as Cassidy was taken aback. “I’m sorry, that was a joke… that’s why I don’t have many friends.”

“I was about to say ‘prissy’” Cassidy laughed took a long drag of her cigarette.

“No, I’m cool… Just used to hang out with the wrong people.” Riley shrugged. “So, you play here?”

“Yeah, sometimes alone, sometimes with my boyfriend. In fact, that bastard is late to pick me up.” Cassidy smiled. “You should come next week when he’s with me! You’ve seen the crowd here, bring some friends…Oh, there he is!”

A pickup truck parked on the darkened corner ahead of them.

“Really, promise you’ll come, you seem nice and your friends must tip well” Cassidy laughed. “You can even meet some commoner to dance with.”

Riley laughed again, throwing her cigarette but on the ashtray.

“I’ll give you my noble word.”

“Next Saturday, 8pm.” Cassidy waved and moved to the truck as Riley moved to the door.

When she turned to answer one last time her whole body froze.

Because her eyes adjusted to the poorly lit back and she recognized the truck, although, even if she hadn’t, Cassidy turned on the interior lights and she could see Drakes face as clear as day, getting closer and closer to the friendly blonde.

She gave her back to them as quick as possible, getting back inside with short breaths coming out of her mouth; Riley moved back to her seat out of pure instincts, her head foggy, almost numb.

“On second thought, I’ll accept the Maraschino.”

Al gave her a knowing look.

The car ride back home was silent, her driver certainly could read the room and as if knowing she wasn’t to be bothered, just put on her favorite playlist, Post Malone’s voice soothing her nerves.

I had a thousand bad times, so what’s another time to me?

“Thanks, Hans!” she muttered getting out of the car.

Sleep was a thought too far from her head, therefore, she let her feet guide her anywhere they saw fit; on a reflex she ended up on a study she hadn’t entered in ages. She roamed the room, sitting on the windowsill, her favorite spot there; even though she didn’t want to think about what happened the scene kept playing again and again in her head until not-so-hushed voices outside the study caught her attention.

“You were supposed to say that you were always in love with me, that your relationship with Riley was a way to get closer to me!” Madeleine seemed enraged.

“For four years, Madeleine? While you got engaged to my brother?” Liam tried to keep it low.

“Press is having a field day because you couldn’t do us all a favor and forget your freaking crush on that bitch.”

“This conversation is over, Madeleine.” Liam seemed closer to the door, and Riley pulled her legs to her chest

“No, it isn’t.”

Clicking heels echoed on the corridors getting far from her, she thanked God… a little too early, as Liam made his way inside, not noticing her in the first moment, loosening his tie and going straight to the shelves stashing the liquor.

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Lady Riley.” His voice startled her.

“Actually, I was here first.” Riley watched as he took a sip from his vodka and moved towards her. “Madeleine seemed pretty upset. Although, I’m surprised you said what you said.”

“Well… I’ve rehearsed enough times to say things like that” Liam said taking another sip from his glass, “It’s for the best, it’s over now… It wasn’t anyone’s fault it just didn’t work out… She was a good girl, just wasn’t the one… We just grew apart. I couldn’t say you wrecked me, could I?

He moved closer to her, sharing the moonlight bathing her sitting on the windowsill; she felt embarrassed. His hand moved to her cheek and the coldness from his fingers startled her.

“I won’t drag your name through the mud. We both know I could” His gentle hand now gripped her chin as his breath was felt on her lips, she gulped under his touch pulling her face from his grip. “… maybe I should.”

“It’s getting late.” She muttered and got up as way to excuse herself.

Liam smiled sadly, touching her elbow as she passed by him.

“Drake left you” his words slapped her. “I’m the one who has been here, waiting for you. I’ll always be.”

She gulped again.

“Good night, Liam.”

Riley practically ran to her room, locking her door behind her as to keep her demons away. She concentrated on her breathing until the knot on her chest diminished, her hands were still trembling when she opened her first drawer, picking a pajama. Her fingers danced at the bottom of the drawer pulling it up, it opened as a lid. The inside was untouched, like a time capsule sending her to two years prior.

 There laid her grandmother’s tiara, the Ace of Hearts; a burnt piece of paper with an almost unrecognizable NYU logo; and the item that instantly caught her attention: a white iPhone 4, the secret phone she used to talk to Drake back when her mother confiscated her phone.

She roamed through the drawer finding a charging cable, she sat on the bed forgetting about her pajamas, waiting for it to turn on. It felt so small on her hands, so many feelings encased on that tiny piece of metal.

There were four voice messages, all of them from that fateful day; the notifications burning bright on her eyes, she knew she shouldn’t do that, not with everything that happened.

She pressed the icon to listen.

You’ve reached Drake Walker’s girlfriend. If you’re Drake, leave a message (laughing)

.

There was a loud gasp, as if someone just broke out crying and hang up.

You’ve reached Drake Walker’s girlfriend. If you’re Drake, leave a message (laughing)

.

I guess I just wanted to hear your voice.

She promised not to do this, bottled it up, but effortlessly a tear rolled from her eye. His voice was so broken, he was so broken.

You’ve reached Drake Walker’s girlfriend. If you’re Drake, leave a message (laughing)

.

I know I shouldn’t do this, but I can’t stop thinking if I had arrived five minutes later, I would never forgive myself. If I hadn’t come… God, I can’t… I can’t lose you.

The tear turned into a sob; she gritted her teeth to stop it, but it started reverberating through her whole body.

You’ve reached Drake Walker’s girlfriend. If you’re Drake, leave a message (laughing)

.

They let me see you… I… I can’t think about what you did… I’ve tried to ask Bertrand to bring that stupid stuffed dinosaur you kept in your car, but he said your car isn’t in the parking lot… why am I blabbering? I just… I lov… (cut)

Her head hit the pillow, eyes close shut.

What had she done to her life?

_____________________________________________________________

Riley(Before) Dress

The Ace of Hearts 

Notes: Well, we did it! Thanks to the few of you there are still here I came back from this long hiatus. Life got another level of hard this year, so many things happened on the past 12 months, more responsibilities at work, planning my wedding, then… [insert Cardi B shouting Corona Virus], I was working for 12h a day at home in order to keep my job and everything I’ve worked so hard to build.

But I also gave up other things that gave me joy, like writing this fic. This chapter was incredibly hard to write, though I’ve never felt so accomplished. You don’t know how full my heart is right now, thank you again! I love you <3

Tagging the amazing: @saivilo; @kimmiedoo5; @pug-bitch; @bee1arw; @laurmillen; @axwalker​; @world-of-dreams-and-muse​; @rtinaz​; @iplaydrake​; @notoriouscs​; @mind-reader1​; @annekebbphotography​; @walkerismychoice​;  @tmarie82​​​; @blackwidow2721​​​; @thequeenchoices​​​; @missameliep​​​; @jovialyouthmusic​​​; @perksof-everything​​​; @choicesmacmakes​​​; @carabeth @drakenazario​​​; @drakesensworld​​​; @moneyfordiamonds​​​; @ao719​​​; @lynne1993​​​; @ilovedrakewalker23​​​; @msjpuddleduck​​​; @drakewalkerisreal​​​; @violinist3121; @wannabemc2​​​; @gibbles82​​​; @furiousherringoperatortoad​​​; @jens-diamondchoices​​​; @rainbowsinthestorm​​​; @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​​; @emceesynonymroll​​; @addictedtodrakefanfic​​; @texaskitten30​​​; @dcbbw​​; @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​​; @mom2000aggie​; 

[autoapocrypha]

My biggest fandom at the moment is the First Law series which I already did this with, so here it is for my embarrassing gacha trash fandom, Identity V

the first character i ever fell in love with:

Andrew. I saw him in the character roster and went “oh, a delicate sad boy, i guess i have to play this now.” He’s still my survivor main :)

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

I still love Michiko as a character, but I haven’t played her since I got Violetta.

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Andrew/Helena, I realized that Helena is not old enough to drink and I have no idea how old Andrew might be, so that has the potential to be Bad. 8′| Putting that one in the shelf until I know how big the age gap is.

my ultimate favorite character™:

I think Andrew and Violetta are tied. Both have interesting backstories and personalities and some good skins. (Violetta needs more tho)

prettiest character:

Michiko in her Blood Fan skin... 🌸🥀

my most hated character:

I don’t really hate any of them, but Jack go away please

my OTP:

hmmmmm, I’m not super invested in any ships but I like Wujiu/Bi’an, Mary/Violetta, Luchino/Antonio (...and Andrew/Michiko which i think i invented because i’m an idiot)

my NOTP:

Jack/anyone ever

favorite episode:

saddest death:

favorite season:

least favorite season:

skipping the above because they’re not really applicable

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

I don’t hate him at all, but Aesop leaves me pretty cold. I’m just kind of indifferent to him.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Edgar, love that snotty little goblin but good golly goddamn do I hate playing against him

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

Helenaaaaa QwQ She just wanted to go to college and here she is stuck in this nonsense.

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

Eli/Hastur 🐙

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

I dunno I feel this way about a lot of IdV ships, I guess I’ll give special mention to Leo/Bane and Joseph/Burke because they’re sort of rarepairs

[chicagocityofclans]

Raja Lankala → Priyanka Chopra → Hyena

→ Basic Information 

Age: 73

Gender: Female 

Sexuality: Straight 

Born or Made: Made

Birthday: July 22nd

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Religion: Hindu

→ Her Personality

(one to two paragraphs)

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: Fire Captain - Fire Training Instructor

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Gin and Vacation

Two Dislikes: The smell of lemons and Clutter

Two Fears: Childbirth and Prion Disease

Two Hobbies: Boxing and Shopping

Three Positive Traits: Independent, Vivacious, Logical 

Three Negative Traits: Arrogant, No-nonsense, Inflexible

→ Her Connections

Parent Names:

Sunita Lankala (Mother): Raja’s mother had a lot of expectations for her daughter. Raja’s stubbornness and independence meant that she’d never meet them. Raja last talked to her mother in 1972, when she left for Chicago.

Rohan Lankala (Father): Raja got along best with Rohan. He respected who she was as a person, and did not try to force her into a box. Yet he eventually expected her to settle down. She hasn’t spoken to Rohan since 1972, when she left for Chicago. 

Sibling Names:

Varsha Lankala (Sister): Varsha was 10 years younger than Raja. She had to take care of her frequently while her parents worked. She’s not sure where she is or what she’s doing, and doesn’t particularly want to see her sister in her 60s.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Kylo ‘Nada’ Rajui (Fiancee): Nada and Raja started off slowly. Dancing around one another and flirting for nearly a decade. Raja had moved to the city to find something different and she expected that to mean different people, lovers, and experiences. But Kylo seemed to fit everything she wanted. He was clever, reliable, funny and gorgeous. 

Platonic Connections:

Benjamin ‘Ben’ Nile (Good Friend): Raja is Ben's captain and good friend. Just like Nada and Russel, Raja had a hand in his upbringing. Ben once told her one drunken night that he wishes that Venus had handed him over to Nada and Raja instead of keeping him herself. Raja didn’t know how to reply and hasn’t brought it up. Raja has extended herself to him since Venus death but is unsure how to proceed with helping him cope with the death of an unwanted mother figure. 

Luke Bowick (Packmate/Coworker): Raja is unsure about Luke feeling when it comes to her. He has shown her nothing but respect but that maybe just because of her food and her relationship with Ben.

Juliette Willott (Best Friend): Juliette is Raja’s best friend. Together they are able to talk about or do anything and have a good time. She and Nada have even babysat for the couple. However, Raja has been pushing Juliette to tell Eli the truth. She understands where the fear is coming from, especially with how he was in the first pregnancy, but he has seemed to have grown and may even be interested in the change. 

Gretchen Sims (Packmate/Coworker): Raja and Gretchen have known each other for many years and often see one another. Especially since Nada has taken over for Venus; their home has become pack central. Gretchen and Russel have been over nearly 24/7 trying to devise the best plan for what to do next. She believes that Gretchen would be a good leader and just needs a push in the right direction. 

Silas Moebius (Friendly): Being that Silas is often at Nada and her house, they are on friendly terms with one another. Raja had met him during a few investigations, and he was initially surprised to find out she and Nada were engaged. 

Russel Jordan (Packmate/Friend): Russel vied for her attention in that first decade almost as much as Nada did. It was never as strong of an emotional connection with Russel, which is one of many reasons she picked Nada. They did invite him frequently into their bed when their relationship was open, and all had a good time. Since their engagement they’ve closed their bed and have just been good friends. Russel has been over almost constantly since Venus died, trying to plan and strategize with Gretchen and Nada. 

Hostile Connections:

Dot Evers (Scares): Raja understands past trauma, but Chris’s secretary is petrified of her and Nada. It’s a little offensive; they don’t eat children. And no one in Chicago would. 

Pets:

None

→ History (paragraph(s) on background) → The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Priyanka Chopra (Raja Lankala) [1][2][3] 

[limamuckraker]

rank the couples

OH GOD, AS IF THE COUPLES DON’T CHANGE EVERY WEEK! DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE OFFICIAL/UNOFFICIAL NONSENSE. OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD HERE’S WHAT I KNOW :

1. @eli-stjames & @vicpuckerman 

i must say lima’s couples are typically fleeting, but these two reconnecting after a brutal break up is particularly juciy! what isn’t there to love about this sapphic dream team spawned from both quinn fabray and rachel berry? they have just enough drama from the past to keep them interesting, but not too much so we arent rooting for them! double points go for diversity

2. @lemonsterling & @tj-beiste

despite many valiant efforts at the muckraker to break couples up, this cliched high school duo has captured our hearts! not to mention thus far they’ve seemed to been chugging steadily down a rocky road. which personally, makes the betting of when they’ll break up all the more fun!

3. @winniclove & @graysonlopezpierce 

one would think winnie-love karofsky would have a better taste in men than dropout grayson lopez-pierce, but apparently not! while confusing, grayson has an underdog quality within this relationship that our cold shriveled hearts can’t help but root for.

4. @softlcvers & @kylerxlynn 

another diversity points couple! though they may not be official, we have a hunch they will be. also being gay prom dates is is undoubtedly interesting. they seem to be sweet, but there isn’t much to report yet!

5. @ivystjamess & @leo-mccarthy 

while they’re cute, i can’t be the only one who’s thinking that they don’t really make any sense. right? i mean, opposites attract, but how opposite can you get before things get messy. hopefully their inevitable implosion proves to be entertaining! 

6. @patienceish & @mason-lynn

so these two are FINALLY together. shame that it took a baby to do it. now that they’re pretty much set to play holly and hank homemaker, the pair are significantly less interesting. best wishes to the soon to be parents. we here at muckraker certainly hope that the world doesn’t kill their youthful optimism about the future any time soon!

x JBI JR.

[marcusssanderson]

100 Friendship Quotes Celebrating Your Best Friends

Looking for inspirational friendship quotes that honor and celebrate your best friends?

After searching the web here are some of our favorite quotes about friendship and best friends!

What is it to be a true friend? Why are we drawn to certain people and not others?

Specifically, what is the difference between the people who will be our friends for life, and those who will pass through our lives for a reason or a season? Hopefully, these quotes about friendship can give you some inspiration about the people you surround yourself with and why.

Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and warm friendship quotes, friendship sayings, and friendship proverbs, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Friendship quotes about distance, life and time

1.) “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” — C.S. Lewis

2.) “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

3.) “There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” – Jim Henson

4.) “One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention.” – Clifton Fadiman

5.) “Friendship is delicate as a glass, once broken it can be fixed but there will always be cracks.” — Waqar Ahmed

6.) “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” – Donald Miller

7.) “A good word is an easy obligation; but not to speak ill requires only our silence; which costs us nothing.” — John Tillotson

8.) “Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm & constant.”’ – Socrates

9.) “Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.” – Washington Irving

10.) “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud. I am arrived at last in the presence of a man so real and equal, that I may drop even those undermost garments of dissimulation, courtesy, and second thought, which men never put off, and may deal with him with the simplicity and wholeness with which one chemical atom meets another.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Best Friend quotes about life

11.) “No friendship is an accident.” ―O. Henry, Heart of the West

12.) “Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant.” ― Socrates

13.) “A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.” – Leo Buscaglia

14.) “Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don’t over-analyze your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness. “ – Leo Buscaglia

15.) “Only a true friend would be that truly honest.” — Shrek

16.) “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – Anais Nin

17.) “A good friend can tell you what the matter with you is in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling.” – Arthur Brisbane

18.) “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” — Audrey Hepburn

19.) “True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.” – David Tyson

20.) “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” – Abraham Lincoln

Friendship quotes about distance

21.) “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” — Helen Keller

22.) “True friends are like diamonds — bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.” ― Nicole Richie

23.) “Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” – Thomas J. Watson

24.) “Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and to have her nonsense respected.” – Charles Lamb

25.) “A friend to all is a friend to none.” ― Aristotle

26.) “If you make friends with yourself you will never be alone.”

– Maxwell Maltz

27.) “Do not keep on with a mockery of friendship after the substance is gone — but part, while you can part friends. Bury the carcass of friendship: it is not worth embalming.”

– William Hazlitt

28.) “One’s friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human.”

– George Santayana

29.) “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

– C.S. Lewis

Best Friendship quotes about change

30.) “The tender friendships one gives up, on parting, leave their bite on the heart, but also a curious feeling of a treasure somewhere buried.”

– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

31.) “Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.”

―Elie Wiesel

32.) “Some people go to priests. Others to poetry. I to my friends.”

—Virginia Woolfe

33.) “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

— Dale Carnegie

34.) “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

– Marcel Proust

35.) “When a woman becomes her own best friend, life is easier.”

—Diane von Furstenburg

36.) “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.”

– Bernard Meltzer

37.) “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

— Oprah Winfrey

38.) “Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.”

– Ally Condie

39.) “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”

– Ernest Hemingway

Friendship quotes about love

40.) “Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.”

– William James

41.) “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”

―Muhammad Ali

42.) “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12.”

—Stand by Me

43.) “A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.”

– Unknown

44.) “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

– Zig Ziglar

45.) “Ooh you’re the best friend that I ever had

I’ve been with you such a long time

You’re my sunshine and I want you to know

That my feelings are true

I really love you

Oh you’re my best friend”

—Queen

46.) “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.”

— Henry David Thoreau

47.) “There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found

While journeying east and west –

The only folks we really wound

Are those we love the best.

We flatter those we scarcely know,

We please the fleeting guest,

And deal full many a thoughtless blow

To those who love us best.”

– Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Friendship quotes about time

48.) “If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”

– Winnie the Pooh

49.) “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”

– Winnie the Pooh

50.) “It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.”

– Epicurus

51.) “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”

―William Shakespeare

52.) “True friendship is never serene.”

—Marquise de Sevigne

53.) “How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a bread? Depends how thin you cut it. How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ’em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ’em.”

– Shel Silverstein

54.) “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

55.) “There’s not a word yet, for old friends who’ve just met.”

―Jim Henson, “I’m goingto Go Back There Someday”

56.) “Many a person has held close, throughout their entire lives, two friends that always remained strange to one another, because one of them attracted by virtue of similarity, the other by difference.”

– Emil Ludwig

57.) “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”

– Elisabeth Foley

Best Friend quotes on learning and love

58.) “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”

– Muhammad Ali

59.) “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”

– Walter Winchell

60.) “Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings.”

— Miles Franklin

61.) “Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends.”

—It’s a Wonderful Life

62.) “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

—The Beatles

63.) “Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.”

– Oscar Wilde

64.) “You can always tell a real friend: when you’ve made a fool of yourself he doesn’t feel you’ve done a permanent job.”

– Laurence J. Peter

65.) “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

—Oprah Winfrey

66.) “People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.”

— Joseph F. Newton Men

67.) “Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.”

— Anthony Robbins

Insprirational Friendship quotes about love

68.) “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”

– Friedrich Nietzsche

69.) “You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing.”

—E.B. White Charlotte’s Web

70.) “There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.”

– Diana Cortes

71.) “Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success.”

―Oscar Wilde

72.) “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself — and especially to feel, or not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at any moment is fine with them. That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is.”

―Jim Morrison

73.) “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”

– Confucius

74.) “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”

– Mark Twain

75.) “There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends.”

―Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

76.) “Friendship is like a glass ornament, once it is broken it can rarely be put back together exactly the same way.”

– Charles Kingsley

77.) “Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success.”

– Oscar Wilde

78.) “A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.”

– Arnold H. Glasgow

79.) “A friend who understands your tears is much more valuable than a lot of friends who only know your smile.”

—Anonymous

Friendship quotes about change

80.) “Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.”

– Gloria Naylor

81.) “There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”

―Linda Grayson

82.) “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

—Buddha

83.) “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.”

– Arnold H. Glasgow

84.) “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you.”

– William Arthur Ward

85.) “Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.”

―Aristotle

86.) “A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.”

– Donna Roberts

87.) “Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.”

– Ed Cunningham

88.) “The real test of friendship is can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?”

– Eugene Kennedy

Friendship quotes about love

89.) “We’ll be friend ’til we’re old and senile. … Then we’ll be new friends!”

—Anonymous

90.) “It is the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.”

– Marlene Dietrich

91.) “Don’t walk behind me; I

[leosxrealm]

https://www.tumblr.com/leosxrealm/741543010041495552/ngl-its-so-difficult-to-write-max-yns?source=share

Just read this and I feel you on some level, like I'm trying to figure out a fic (between y/n and daniel riccardo) and the age stuff is literally killing me like how do I make this si it doesn't seem weird! 😭

i’m literally crying over it 😭😭😭 (i’m actually not just let me be dramatic)

i wanted to make it a childhood friends to lovers story so i could give their relationship a background, a history yk😭

and ik 3 year age gap ain’t a lot but it changes when both have different maturity levels

tell me more about the fic idea tho 👀

[leosxrealm]

I agree with you, like if y/n is there max would let him handle it but if y/n is not there we getting 'DU DU DU TU MAX VERSTAPPEN' max verstappen (in my mind this max verstappen is like in it to win it kind idk 😭)

no bc max theme is literally perfect!! yk he’s locked in now. i feel like max is a soft dom (?) in a relationship (not talking sexually) but yk he takes care of his bf, doesn’t let him do anything, guides him everywhere when they’re outside (hold hands, hands on each others waist and all that stuff) usually the one to initiate anything. i’m so shit at explaining ohmygod

his duality really needs to be studied bc how can this man go from a ruthless champion on the track to an absolute sweetheart loll

[leosxrealm]

No because just hearing Max go 'you are doing great sweetie' would be the end of me 😭

I can also imagine (if ever yn acts in a movie/tv show) max would go to the premiere with yn just be like 'yeah that's my boyfriend people' and have his arm around yn's waist through the night (maybe a little jealous moment sprinkled in there)

The idea is just basically yn is a singer and driver, and he transfers from Ferrari to red bull in the new season and just how things progress from there (it has angst though so far its be quite fluffy I would say 👀)

max is such a gen-z millennial yk?? also i know for a fact that his ig account would become a y/n fan page 🫶🏻🫶🏻

over protective max who wouldn’t hesitate to punch a bitch if they ever say shit about his boyfriend ( king behavior)

are you writing it ?? are you writing it ?? are you writing it ?? are you writing it ?? that’s such a cool idea tho😧 and you would have so much freedom to bend the story however you like.

if you’re writing it, please tag me in it (i beg)

[leosxrealm]

MAX WOULD JUST OMG AS A FOODIE I LOVE THIS 😭😭

ALSO MAX GOING TO Y/N'S FASHION SHOWS AND JUST LIKE OMG!! 😭

(also I might have made a smau fic 🙈)

max “the most supportive bf ever “ verstappen. ik max would bring out that phone when he sees his boyfriend on the runway (like moms do lmaoo) imagine seeing the video later and it has max's voice like you're doing great sweetie lmfaoo

(share the idea bestie don't be shy🙈🙈)

[leosxrealm]

no i completely agree max would be a good cook but i can just imagine y/n walking in with a blanket wrapped around him only to be like "max whats on fire??!" while max is fussing about why y/n is out of bed "oh that's-THAT'S THE FUCKING SOUP"

omgg imagine maxs love language is cooking anddd when he get over whelmed he cooks a lot (stress-cook??) and y/n’s the biggest foodie ever (chill guyz he has high metabolism) and it’s a literal match made in heaven. imagine max bringing y/n home cooked meals to his photo shoots (when he has time and not away racing) ahhh so cute!!

[leosxrealm]

GREAT MINDS DO INDEED THINK ALIKE

I can just imagine-OMFG I JUST GOT THE BEST IDEA OUT THERE AND I'M JUMPING OFF THE BRIDGE (Jk) BUT IMAGINE if and when max and y/n do have kids max being so fucking scared like I don't even-but just I can imagine y/n comforting max like "you know how I know that you'll be a great father, is cause you realize what your dad did was not okay nothing about it was. It would've scared me if you hadn't realized that" just AAAAAAA

okay okay- hoping no one else who’s following the wish you were series finds this buttttt (spoiler alert) this is an actual part in the series loll. (kind of) like it’s altered a bit here and there (i haven’t actually written it but it’s in my mind yk??) and i don’t wanna spoil it too much but there’s gonna be an angsty scene involving kids as well :)

back on topic- max would actually be such a great dad!! have you seen him with P 😭🫶🏻🫶🏻 my heart fucking melts every time. max would never say shit to his kids bc he himself knows how much it hurts to hear that <3