#let me marry ann instead

[cute-sucker]

now you knew that rafe was trouble, that wasn't the issue.

 yet you liked the way he always seemed to know what you wanted. the bag you had been looking at for ages? yours. the cute puppy you always had wanted? yours. did you want that small top in every colour of the shade of pink? yours. 

you liked the way he treated you. as if you were his little bunny, and you acted the part, coming to his office for his lunch, his heavy hand on your mini-skirt, and his hot breath fanning over your shoulder. you would beam at him, and he would smile smugly at you. people would sometimes look over to see you, a cute girl in his domineering stance.  

this was the dream life. he got what he wanted, a nice life with a nice girl. you were wife material, no you were dream girl material. you didn't care that he was a bit mean, or that he would get in your face sometimes. no, he was your dream man. 

after all, everything that he did was for you. the last time you had gotten in trouble with him, which ended up in a scuffle at a bar when a guy looked at you for too long. rafe hadn't asked you to change your outfits - some guys would have, after all, you were wearing a skimpy dress that bunched up at your thighs, and boosted your chest - no, rafe had simply told him to fuck off and to get some manners.

then he had told you to go to the car so he would deal with it. he had come back with blood splattered on his white shirt and a bruised hand. you had felt so bad for him, slowly reaching to hold his hand. sometimes he would brush you off at times like this, but instead, he let out a harsh breath, and let you hold his hand. 

when the two of you reached your house, he had parked the truck to a stop, his steely blue eyes searching yours. his hands cupped your chin, and you felt your heart skip a beat, as you desperately gazed into his eyes "y'know 'm doing this for you? being proactive. being your man. it's what you deserve," 

that had scared you, but you willed yourself to be stronger and nodded eagerly. it was what you deserved. 

as a kook, a trust fund baby, you knew you were going to get handed off to some man, some ravenous man that would take your body as your worth. when your father had told you that rafe cameron was going to be that fine man- you had cried for weeks on end before your blind date. 

your friends had told you he was a hottie, sure but one with a cruel facade. he blew past girls like a chain-smoker would to a pack of cigs. he had that frat boy feeling, and he was older. not too old, but enough for you to feel like a kid compared him. and now here the two of you were, tethering on the line of being engaged and you were scared? sometimes you would stand by the edge of the country club's pool to watch him laugh and scour the area for girls. you would always hide before his eyes reached yours.

but now you couldn't reject him. 

so, you forgot about that time. blocked it out. instead, you decided to throw a party with your girls, stems of cherries in your mouth, and a sweet facade laid out for you. your girls were linda and marry anne. you were the hostess, handing out the drinks, and trying to make sure everyone was happy.

finally, when things calmed down, you found yourself lying by the pool while mary anne recounted her story with the pool boy. the sun felt nice on your skin, as you felt yourself relax. 

marry anne giggled, nails sparking in the light, her bikini top itty bitty as she shimmered closer, "i don't know what to think of him. he's so innocent. nothing like the men we have to cater to. i liked it." then she blushed, "what! stop, don't give me that look."  

linda bit the straw of her drink, and shook her head, "you know what, i don't think the men are a drag, i mean c'mon you know she," linda murmured out dainty finger point at you, "she's had her fair share of men. and now rafe! how nice," she swooned fixing her blond curls.  

it was here that the two of them traded a look. a look that was unwelcome.  

you felt your eyebrows furrow, as you wiggled out of your position, and gave both of them a confused look, "what about him?" 

suddenly things went dead silent, as linda let out a sharp giggle, almost uncomfortable. you felt the hairs on your arm stick up, "guys! what about him?" now you were demanding, as marry anne gave you a pointed look, as linda continued to shake out her hair. 

"okay. well i think he's kinda of a dick? like remember that shit he pulled on in new years?"

you shook your head, sighing, "i thought you guys got over that." 

"he got mad at you trying to kiss a guy for new years! he was practically having sex with that disgusting girl down by the bay." linda blurted out, eyes bugging out of her head. you found your arms wrapped around your waist, feeling defensive. 

"well, i was kinda promised to him? y'know. i shouldn't have tried to kiss that anyway," you murmured out softly. at this linda let out a laugh, to which marry anne silenced her. 

"listen honey, i think you should be careful. promised or not. you have freedoms, and rights as a girl," marry anne continued, with a raised eyebrow, "and me for one- i would not be able to handle a man like that-oh-"

a hand snaked behind ur shoulder, and you turned around to face the person a beam on your face. "hey!" you giggled out before realising rafe was there. he was wearing that white shirt that made you go crazy for him, and while you wondered why he was there; he had a strange look on his face.

"mary anne, linda, nice to see ya guys. taking care of my girl? i bet you are." rafe muttered, turning back to look at you. you were practically ready to jump into his arms, a clear pout on your face. it was almost as if he knew that you needed him. 

you sighed, and leaned into him, before whispering something into his ear. "don't wanna be here anymore." 

at this, you saw rafe's eyes flash with anger, before grinning that snarky smile you knew so well. all of a sudden you were straddled on his lap, like a little girl as you played with his rings. he was inspecting lina and mary anne with a look of predators. "so, what are you guys talking about?" 

linda quickly blurted out, "nothing! nothing at all. y'know what, i think anne and i should go. gotta an appointment at 5." mary anne looked close to rolling her eyes, but nodded before getting into more discussion. their smiles looked fake, as they gave you a quick wave, and ran as quick as their heels could take them.

you found yourself lying in rafe's lap, completely tired. he was brushing out the baby hairs out of your face, before softly dropping a kiss on your forehead. you exhaled, wiggling closer to him. he was never like this. so full of love to share. 

"gonna make you mine, all right?" he whispered in your ear, before nipping at your jaw, "gonna give you my kids, a house full of them, and some better friends, bun. you're the sweetest." 

and just like that any thought of leaving him was gone. 

[chunniwritesalot]

mrs. alonso - fa14 smau - part 4a

was it really a family vacation without a bit of drama? (part 1 of this)

part 1 - part 3 - part 3 - part 4a HELLOOOO- read these CHARACTER PAGES (coming soon!) for more information on the new character's introduced! yes bro uppercase because i have to go get into uni mode - HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to @eywas-heir because she is actually the brains behind this entire operation and i love her very very much <3

Ilian Alonso

Francesca Alonso

cw: cursing (maybe i forget), fernando being a FREAK on main, sprinkle of angst

wc: a lot

fernando and y/n have been married for 18 years now, but their love has been the same since they met 26 years ago.

information: spanish speaking! reader, fem! reader, you have 2 daughters- one is 18 and one is 5. you and claire ann stroll are best friends! this is really just how i see old people using social medias 😭

fran or francesca is your OLDER daughter and rubi is your YOUNGER daughter and ilian or ili is your NIECE (same age as fran) ALSOOOO if it says 'ina' instead of 'ili or ilian' please let me know- ina and ili are the same people but we changed the name half way through :)!

-start-

“MAMA!!” Francesca called out, “ILI AND I ARE GOING!”

“AH ¡Espérame! (Wait for me!)” Y/n rushed down the stairs of the AirBnB. She frowned at the two girls while putting in her earrings. “You were going to leave with me? I gave birth to you!”

Fran raised an eyebrow and shared a sideways glance with Ilian. “You didn’t give birth to Ili..” She pointed out, motioning to her best friend and cousin. Y/n rolled her eyes and scoffed,

“I might as well have! She’s my daughter as well!” Y/n walked over to Ili, her arms outstretched to hug the younger. Ilian wrapped her arms around Mrs. Alonso almost immediately, relishing in the warm embrace.

“Ay whatever…” Fran mumbled as she slipped on her flip flops. She eyed the two, still hugging each other and scoffed, “Are we done? The UV is 8 and I want to tan!”

Ilian pulled away from Mama Alonso, also slipping her flipflops on. “Fran… you are tan..” She said, furrowing her eyebrows. Y/n shrugged at her daughter’s actions and called out to Rubi. The 5 year old waddled downstairs, holding a bucket and spade and wearing her mother’s sunglasses.

“Ah wow Rubi, luciendo muy elegante (Ah wow Rubi, looking very elegant)" Y/n grinned, crouching down to her daughter’s height. Rubi giggled, throwing herself onto her mother, who scooped her up immediately.

“Okay! Are we ready now?” Ili clapped, holding the door open. The girls cheered and made their way to the beach, where everyone else was.

AT THE BEACH

“Oscar you’re looking.. burnt..” Lando giggled, slapping the Aussie’s red back. Oscar jumped, turning around to face the Brit.

“Ow! Fuck off mate” Oscar hissed, reaching his hand around to rub the spot where Lando slapped him. Logan looked up from the sandcastle that Rubi and him were making to laugh at his best friend,

“Language, Oscar. There’s a five year old!” He reminded his friend. Oscar’s eyes widened and looked down at Rubi, who was looking back at him with a mischievous grin.

“Fuck!” She repeated, clapping her hands together. Logan, Lando, and Oscar all gasped and started to educate Rubi about how that was a bad word.

Near the bar, Max and Y/n were in a very intense conversation about the school system.

“It’s getting very hard for me to teach Rubi…” Y/n sighed, rubbing her temples, “The material is very advanced nowadays.”

Max nodded in sympathy, shaking his head in disappointment as he agreed with her. He took a sip of his nonalcoholic drink and huffed, “I totally agree, Mrs. Alonso! It’s getting way too hard, no wonder students are saying they’re too stressed.”

As the two concerned parents spoke, Fernando and Lewis set up their towels right next to each other, smiling at one another as they both laid down and sighed in content.

“Ayyy this is just what I needed” Nando said as he shut his eyes to bask in the sun. Lewis nodded, doing the same as Aston Martin driver.

—

franalo14 has posted…

liked by y/nalonso, lilialo13, fernandoalo_official, landonorris, logansargeant, olliebearman, and 30,678 others

franalo14 mama mia! 🇬🇷🧿☀️

tagged: @/ilialo13, @/y/nalonso, @/fernandoalo_official, @/lewishamilton, @/oscarpiastri, @/logansargeant, @/maxverstappen1, @/lilynziemer, @/kellypiquet, @/landonorris, @/carmenmundnt, @/george_russell, @/lance_stroll, @/claireannstroll, @/chloestroll

y/nalonso L.O.L!😹😹Beat me to posting the pics📸…speaking of which…🤕🤕please help me…😩😩😩🥹🥹🥹🥹

franalo14 what the hell mama

ilialo13 i look so good here

ilialo13 not ollie bearman in the likes, whats going on?

user1 ILIAN JUST LIKE US FRRR

user2 im new to f1, who is ilian?

user3 ilian or ili is an f2 driver for hitech- she is cousins with the alonso's (i think shes on mrs. alonso's side) so she's often with them. she isn't that present on social media and all her accounts are controlled by her PR team, but her @/ilialo13 account is her private and personal account :) her main account is @/ilian_alonso user2 thank you!

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—

“George please put on a shirt” Fran gagged at the Mercedes driver who was in the kitchen. Georgie grinned, turning to Fran with a devious look.

“I didnt pack any!” He chimed, taking a bite of his sandwich. Ilian walked into the kitchen at the same time, raising an eyebrow at the exchange. She slumped into the island chair, pulling out her phone and frowning.

“George” Ili sighed, looking at the man, “How long am I going to have to wait.”

George frowned, “Wait for what, Ils?”

“For a seat, it’s just…” Ilian sighed, turning off her phone. “I don’t think anyone… believes in me or anything”

Fran’s eyebrows furrowed and she glanced at her cousin, “Why would you say that? We all believe in you.”

Ili shook her head, “It’s just… so exhausting- I see all these rookies getting seats as soon as they join F2 or even F3 and I’ve been there for almost 3 seasons!”

“Been in what for 3 seasons?” Y/n asked as she walked into the kitchen, she glanced at George’s shirtless figure and frowned but ignored it. She stood next to Ilian, rubbing the younger girls back soothingly. “What are we talking about?”

“Nothing.” Ili said quickly, “A show.” She added so it wasn’t suspicious.

Fran raised an eyebrow, sharing a sideways glance with George but didn’t say anything. She knew how protective her mother could get, and Ilian probably didn’t want to sit through a 30 minute lecture about how amazing she was.

“Oh..kay” Y/n shrugged, turning to the fridge and opening it, sorting through the food. She looked back at George and frowned again, “Please put on a shirt, dear.”

George’s mouth opened in shock before sulking out of the kitchen, grumbling on how no one enjoyed his shirtless figure.

—

y/nalonso has posted

liked by olliebearman, ilialo13, ilian_alonso, franalo14, fernandoalo_official, logansargeant, lance_stroll, and 815,979 others

y/nalonso 🇬🇷Pics! País hermoso, siempre volvería...

(translation: Greece photos! Beautiful country, would go there always...)

ilialo13 wahh... tía, ¿por qué publicaste fotos tan feas de mí? 😭😭 (translation: wow.. tia, why would you post these photos of me?)

franalo14 AY no tienes derecho a hablar, mira las innumerables violaciones que he sufrido 😨😨 (translation: you have no room to speak, look at the photos she posted of ME) y/nalonso ¿Qué? ¡Ustedes dos se ven tan bien! (translation: What?! you two looks amazing!)

landonorris 10/10 would go on vacation with the alonso's again

user1 wait im so lost why is the entire grid on vacation with the alonso's... y/nalonso Family Vacation🤪😜👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 user2 THE EMOJIS ARE ACTUALLY TAKING ME OUT

alex_albon can't believe i missed this... 😔

lilymhi Hello...? you were with me.. franalo14 BROOO alexander if you dont treat your girl right I WILL 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 alex_albon @/franalo14 please get checked into a psych ward! you crazy bitch! lilymhi don't talk to my girlfriend like that @/alex_albon... you don't want my smoke user3 NOT ALEX CATCHING STRAYSSS HELPPPP y/nalonso Be nice, please....thank you😘...Lily please come next time, if Alex is bothering you I will talk to him🤬😡...contact my number🤪

fernandoalo_official Next time lets vacation alone...😏😘😳

y/nalonso 😲😏🥵 user4 what is this freakshow... franalo14 haha ending my life!! ilialo13 WHAT THE FUCK.

lewishamilton Breathtaking place! Thanks for the invite 😉

fernandoalo_official Lewis, let's go back- just you and me😏🥵 lewishamilton What are you entailing mate... user5 fernando 🚫 freaknando ✅

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-end of part 4 a-

stay tuned for part b of this! i decided to split it up :) another huge thanks to @eywas-heir

[m-jelly]

Hey! So once I requested a Levi x reader who is alergic to dust and stuff. I was wondering if you could do another one like that but instead one of the cadets didn't clean and because Levi was tired he didn't notice. But the reader is normally in the room or area and ended up passing out while working In the area. Like how would that go down. Thank you in advance. I hope your doing good, make sure you take care of yourself, eat and drink water. Also make sure to treat yourself some days and take breaks!

"How could you let this happen?" Levi's tone was sharp and frustrated. "I've told you all time and time again that you need to be on top of the cleaning here." The tapping of his boots echoed as he paced back and forth in front of the medical room. "Treat cleaning like you are taking out Titans. If you're slacking in your action someone could get hurt."

"Sorry, Captain." The cadet hung their head in shame. "I let you down."

"You did, you really did." He released a sigh and tried to control his anger. "Are you aware of what allergies are?"

They nodded. "Y-Yes, my friend can't have nuts."

"You manage to protect them, correct?"

"Y-Yes."

He needed to let out some range, so he slammed the side of his fist against the wall. "So why not this?"

"I-I."

He growled a moment before relaxing his body. "Go do your job, now."

They saluted him. "Y-yes c-captain!"

As the scout ran off with sweat pouring off them due to panic, Levi watched them very closely because he needed to let his rage wash off him before he saw you. He grunted a moment as his thoughts and heart calmed a moment.

It all had been a blur for him what'd happened. He wanted to see you and spend some time with you, you were his girlfriend and a wonderful member of staff for the team. Your role was to do admin and unfortunately, you had a bad reaction to dust, your body would just clamp up and you'd struggle to breathe a lot and your nose would block.

Usually, the cleaning was done often, but it seemed like one cadet had been slacking and the dust had piled up for weeks. Levi made his way to visit you and saw you in the office checking out files and having a bit of a coughing fit. He hurried to your aid and knew what to do to help you, but he had been a bit too late.

When you collapsed in his arms he thought his world had ended, thankfully you were breathing. He hurried you to Hange to help him keep you well and now you were recovering in a medical room. Levi once had thought there was little value to his life, but you had changed everything for him. He wanted to live so he could marry and grow old with you.

As soon he took in a deep breath he slipped into your room to see you sleeping soundly. He took a seat next to you and began playing with your hair. A lump formed in his throat as he held back the urge to cry. Compelled by his feelings, he leaned over and kissed your cheek.

A sweet little hum came from you. You opened your eyes and gazed at your teary-eyed boyfriend. "Levi?" You winced as you croaked a little. "Sorry, the coughing messed with my voice."

He caressed your cheek. "Don't ever be sorry, okay? None of this is your fault. You can't help it when you have a reaction. That room should have been cleaned and it wasn't."

"I hope you weren't too nasty to the cadet."

He lowered his head. "I said I was disappointed in them. I didn't shout too much."

You cupped the side of his face. "Good boy."

He smiled sweetly at you, his smiles were only for you. He nuzzled your hand a bit before kissing it. "I love you."

"I love you too. Come here and give me a kiss."

He leaned down and kissed you. "I guess I'll have to look after you for a while."

You hummed a laugh. "Yeah. It'll be lovely."

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a

@youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn

@bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @levistealeaf @pelicanpizza

@notgoodforlife @demonic-bird @searriously

[leclerc-s]

suffering since forever

series masterlist

natalia ruiz praying for all of you because at least i like my third wheel

arthur leclerc that's because joris has been stuck with you two since before you were couple

fernando alonso you can say it, since before they were sleeping together.

carlos sainz it's not like joris has a choice.

lewis hamilton and the rest of you do?

max jones-verstappen we don't. we do it subconsciously.

daphne jones-ricciardo like that makes it any better max.

rhys jones i bet it hurt when jorris got that wag of the year trophy and you didn't.

natalia ruiz who let the child speak?

isabella perez she says that because she's hurt.

natalia ruiz i'm not hurt by the 12 year old.

rhys jones I'M 15!!

lance stroll yet you act like you're 12

rhys jones i know your ass isn't talking esteban ocon anyone ever tell you that you're scary? rhys jones never to my face.

zoya torres joris doesn't deserve this heat. let's talk about freya's 3rd wheeling habit.

freya vettel shut your trap torres.

alex albon days like this make me glad that george and carmen love to go on double dates so we don't get stuck with any of you.

george russell and that's because i don't want to get stuck with them.

dulce perez fuck you guys we're delights.

pato o'ward i can't believe i ever thought you people were cool.

daniel jones-ricciardo WE'RE COOL!!

pato o'ward the only cool thing about you is your wife.

penelope trevino REAL!!

gael perez i think pato almost shit his pants when he learned daphne was in this group chat.

pato o'ward IT'S DAPHNE FUCKING JONES, WEY! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT FREAK OUT?

daniel jones-ricciardo *jones-ricciardo!!

pato o'ward i couldn't care less bitchiardo! i will forever pray for your downfall so i can marry your wife instead.

isabella perez he's so real for that. HURRY UP RICCIARDO THE REST OF US ARE WAITING!!

daniel jones-ricciardo if i ever die let if be known that one of you bitches was behind my death.

daphne jones-ricciardo you people are unbelievable.

natalia ruiz i'll be first in line. i've been waiting for his downfall for the longest time.

daniel jones-ricciardo

this is all your fault.

whatever it is you think i did i swear it was arthur.

charles what did you do?

nothing! what’s wrong amour?

i have a baby screaming for 'unca jo' bring him back now.

ma cherie, i wish i could but i have a race.

okay? send joris and you stay in china.

we only need unca jo, notre petite étoile doesn't need her papa. (our little star)

i know that was a joke but it still hurt. don't tell me that!

you still have a few years left until she's a teenager.

ne pouvons-nous pas avoir cette conversation? je ne suis pas prêt pour ça (can we not have this conversation? i'm not ready for that)

seriously charles ask joris to call me, even zoya's music isn't helping.

i'll tell him to call. just come to china.

i will hop on the first flight to china, do not joke about that.

max said he's sending the jet to pick you up.

god bless sophie for her son.

not jos?

never that man.

natalia_ruiz posted new stories

unseen photo of baby jewel and her 'unca jo' 📸 - zoya because my fiancé and daughter have been stolen by his best friend. and another unseen photo but this time it's pre-baby jewel, joris has been a third wheel since day 1!

taglist: @burningcupcakefire @arkhammaid @applopie @sunflower-golden-vol6 @lorarri @bb-swift @thewannabewriter @mypage-myfandoms @stopeatread @hobiismyhopeu @lilsiz @alessioayla @niniluvsainz @au-ghosttype @six-call @justtprachisblog @nichmeddar @landonorizzz @unluckyyoshi @cool-ultra-nerd @kami10471633 @1nt3rnetgf @fernandoswarcrimes @arieltwvdtohamflash @brekkers-whore @natcha888 @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @georgeparisole @dan3avocado @nikfigueiredo @namgification @jensonsonlybutton @weekendlusting @trouble-sistar @lesliiieeeee @leclercsluv @33-81 @theseus-jpg @sarah-thatstings-ann @minmira95 @casperlikej @formulaonebuff @hopenshaw @ijustgomessitupx @hwalllllllelujah @doodlehunz @prongsvault

¡leclerc-s speaks! this one is a more wholesome one but it's still got it's sense of humor. can you tell i'm still watching greys?

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[takenbypeter]

Hello, if it's alright, may I ask for an Eddie Brock/Venom x Reader platonic fic where during the events of Venom 1, after Eddie and Anne split up and moved into their separate apartments, Eddie receives a visit from his younger niece, who is 15 years old and tracked him down, after being kicked out of her house in hopes she live with him and not the streets. Eddie does not have the heart to refuse her, so she lets her stay, but at least she’s helping with the bills! They become close over the months, especially after Eddie acquires Venom, and Venom subsequently develops a soft spot for her.

Life’s Curveballs

Eddie Brock x niece!reader

Words: 1204

Author’s note: this took me like years to write, sorry about that. The truth is I started writing it then just got bored with my own writing, but today I finally sat down and wrote this. I know It’s been a while but I hope whoever requested this enjoys. Also this is the first like platonic, relative fic I’ve written and honestly it was super hard to do.

After that day—the day that messed up his career and his love life, Eddie Brock didn’t know what to expect from life anymore.

But as it continued, he actually believed that one day, maybe his life could go back to being normal. Him and Ane would get back together, they’d get married, he’d get a new big time job, that’s the surprise he was hoping life would throw at him one day but instead life decided to throw something else at him.

You.

He had been out one morning and when he returned he found you sitting on the floor of his apartment door.

You were sitting there, your back against his door with your eyes closed and your head leaning to one side. Eddie was not in the mood for this. Honestly he thought you were just some kid with problems, which in a sense was true.

The fact that you were some kid didn’t stop him from tapping your leg with his shoe, “okay come on, move it somewhere else, let’s go.”

In a moment of confusion you jumped waking up at the unfamiliar place, after taking a second to look around you glanced up finally coming eye to eye with the man who peered down at you.

Giving him a sleepy smile you said, “hi, uncle Eddie.”

That is what started it all.

After that greeting Eddie let you in all while questioning; why? How? What you were doing at his place? To which you gladly answered, “kicked out. Tracked you down and got on the bus. Looking for a place to crash.”

“No, absolutely not, you cannot stay here,” he denied, reaching for his phone. Even just the idea of you was stressing him out, he had enough on his plate already, looking for a new job, while trying to numb out his own pain.

“Please! I can’t go back there, plus I’ll pay!” You pull out a ziplock bag filled with some cash and coins, Eddie stared at the bag then back at you, “how do you even have money?” You open your mouth to answer him but he cuts you off, “you know I don’t even want to know. I’m calling your dad.”

You let out a sigh as you heard the phone dial. While the dial tone continued he shot you two glances before moving further away.

Finally, click.

“Hey, what’s going on? Why was your kid just waiting at my front door?”

You turned your head towards the conversation hearing some mumbling on the other end.

“Are you crazy? You’re her dad!” He paused before continuing in an angry whisper, “no, I can’t take care of a kid, I can barely take care of myself.” Another pause. “I don’t care! You can’t just kick her out, you gotta come here right now and get your kid…no…no, don’t hang up!”

You watched as his hand dropped along with his head, “and he hung up.”

With a few grunts and punches against the air, he let out a single defeated breath before turning back towards you.

“Looks like you’ll be staying here for a little bit.” And at that news you flashed him your pearly whites before flopping yourself onto the couch.

Eddie always expected himself to be married first before he got a kid, but it’s funny how unexpected life always seemed to be for him.

After days passed Eddie was beginning to get used to your presence around the place. Sure it wasn’t ideal for him but he felt good knowing you were here rather than being dumped out on the streets.

It was strange though, each morning when he left you’d be there and you were also still there when he returned. He couldn’t help but wonder, do you go to school? Do you have friends? What do you do during the day? But he brushed off his wonders, letting you do what you do.

The week progressed and just when he was beginning to get used to things again, of course his life had to flip upside down, as he now had a new problem at hand.

A freakish alien goo thing.

Honestly the whole thing freaked him out as it would just about anyone.

When he returned home that night that the slime attached itself to him, you were planted in the living room ready to greet him when he came in, but before you could he brushed you off, throwing up in the nearest bucket.

He had sweats and he was clearly irritated. You didn't know what was wrong, he was fine that morning. And no he just looked frankly gross. Instead of wanting your help though, Eddie just shooed you away as he headed to his bedroom slamming the door behind him.

It wasn’t until the next day that you had learned about Venom.

Honestly you didn’t believe it at first. The whole thing seemed ridiculous. Actually it sounded like something he’d make up to scare you off. It wasn’t until you saw the black Symbiote that you believed what was actually happening.

Although initially believing Venom would ruin his life, once again Eddie was proven wrong as he came to an understanding with the creature and it also seemed like you did too.

As time passed you and Venom grew strangely close. You even taught Venom how to cook breakfast, (after a mishap had occurred).

“You know how to make eggs?” Eddie asked as you taught the Symbiote. “Of course I’m fifteen, not five.”

After that Venom came to you whenever he wanted to learn a new recipe, usually it was some sort of recipe involving chocolate.

It was funny though because a lot of the times it seemed like you and Venom had more in common than Eddie and Venom did.

You quickly grew to appreciate Venom’s company especially since you didn’t really have anyone to talk to on this side of town. And it seemed like Venom was really taking a liking to you too.

“Ross is the worst,” you said at the tv with Venom positioned beside you then Eddie. “Yeah, boooo,” Venom said, throwing a pillow at the tv earning a, hey, from Eddie.

“I can’t understand how Ross could do that to Rachel,” Venom said, watching as Rachel left Ross’s apartment.

“No one understands it, because it’s just that messed up of a thing to do,” you say to the Symbiote.

“After this is done, I’m going to bed,” chimes Eddie, tired from the day.

“What? No, we gotta see what happens.”

“Yeah Eddie, we gotta see what happens,” Venom says, his deep voice sounding pretty funny repeating your words.

Eddie just sucked in a breath and breathed out, (something he’s been doing a lot lately). He was just a tiny annoyed that he practically had two kids to look after now.

“Just one more,” he agreed, earning a yay from the both of you.

Although Eddie’s life had ups and downs, (and sideways), Eddie was happy to say he was getting used to his life again. He was just hoping he was done with curve balls being thrown his way, but he’ll just have to wait and see what else life throws his way.

[calliesmemes]

PERIOD DRAMA QUOTES

ASSORTED ASKBOX PROMPTS featuring the dialogue of films and literature in the PERIOD DRAMA genre, including the works of Jane Austen, Little Women (2019), The Great (2020), Anne With An E (2017), Enola Holmes, and more!

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed

SPECIFY muse for multimuses.

❛ A young woman should be free to follow her heart. ❜

❛ Either we escape tonight or we say goodbye forever. ❜

❛ Your life is still in danger. ❜

❛ You bewitched me from the very first moment we met. ❜

❛ I too have known heartache and betrayal. ❜

❛ My dear girl, don’t you know that I’m in love with you? ❜

❛ You don’t know what it is to be without power. ❜

❛ Actually, for once, I think that there is some small value in what you say. ❜

❛ If I changed at all, it was because of you. ❜

❛ Sometimes, I think you couldn’t possibly be real. ❜

❛ I just can’t live without you. ❜

❛ Just because my dreams are different than yours does not mean that they’re unimportant. ❜

❛ I cannot stop thinking of you. ❜

❛ I am yours; I have always been yours. ❜

❛ A man with charm is an entertaining thing. ❜

❛ It’s alright to have anger, but you can’t let that be the ruling factor over your life. ❜

❛ You deserve everything your heart desires. ❜

❛ Night and day, I dream of you. ❜

❛ Dancing is a trust; it is a union. ❜

❛ Did you admire me for my impertinence? ❜

❛ It is you I cannot sacrifice. ❜

❛ I love crying over a good book, don’t you? ❜

❛ I love you. Most ardently. ❜

❛ There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. ❜

❛ When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I don’t have an excellent library. ❜

❛ Caring deeply will always be the right thing. ❜

❛ I don’t need friends. I have my own company. ❜

❛ Evil to some is always good to others. ❜

❛ Have a little compassion on my nerves! You tear them to pieces! ❜

❛ No man on earth cares for me. ❜

❛ I forgive what you have done to me. ❜

❛ I do not find it easy to talk to people I don’t know. ❜

❛ Men of sense do not want silly wives. ❜

❛ I have crossed oceans of time to find you. ❜

❛ How I love being a woman. ❜

❛ You are a wish come true I never knew I was making. ❜

❛ Sometimes, you just have to let people love you. ❜

❛ If you want to be heard, you have to make some noise. ❜

❛ I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all that a woman is meant for. ❜

❛ You’re being emotional. It’s understandable, but unnecessary. ❜

❛ I want things to go back to the way they used to be! ❜

❛ Wait, they didn’t teach you that in finishing school? ❜

❛ Whatever society may claim, they can’t control you. ❜

❛ You’re not rid of me yet. ❜

❛ You have no interest in changing a world that suits you so well. ❜

❛ I’ve always known that I would marry you. Why should I feel ashamed of that? ❜

❛ I don’t want to leave you. ❜

❛ No one should be alone all the time. ❜

❛ Marriage is both a joy and a place where you will be dealt unbearable griefs. ❜

❛ I can’t risk losing anyone else I love. ❜

❛ You don’t believe in me. I’ve spent my whole life trying to get you to … and you just don’t! ❜

❛ You are a befuddling, strange creature. Everything you are saying is ridiculous. ❜

❛ Have you been hiding from me? ❜

❛ If anything were to happen to you, I would never be able to live with myself. ❜

❛ It’s pretty obvious now that for us to stay sane, we have to stay together. ❜

❛ The world is hard on ambitious girls. ❜

❛ Do you truly have feelings for me? ❜

❛ I don’t think there’s any place for me in this world. ❜

❛ How do I look? Do I look alright? ❜

❛ I want a home. And a family. ❜

❛ An I talking too much? People are always telling me that I do, and it seems to cause no end of aggravation. ❜

❛ Oh, isn’t it a beautiful morning? ❜

❛ It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were made the order of they day. ❜

❛ You don’t annoy me; you make me nervous. ❜

❛ You are an unexpectedly dark character. ❜

❛ I have been unpardonably vain and insufferably arrogant. ❜

❛ You have to watch your tongue. ❜

❛ I’m so sorry; I don’t understand what you are saying. ❜

❛ I don’t understand why you’re being so kind to me. ❜

❛ Don’t be defeatist, dear. It’s very middle class. ❜

❛ What is a weekend? ❜

❛ We should see more of each other. ❜

❛ I look like a prized calf trussed up for auction. ❜

❛ Your reputation precedes you. ❜

❛ Ever since I was a child, I felt like greatness was in store for me. ❜

❛ You don’t look as though you’re struggling. You look … radiant. ❜

❛ I will love you until time has lost all meaning. ❜

❛ There are many versions of you, and you know that I’m the only one who sees them all. ❜

❛ You aim to rile me. I like it. ❜

❛ Will you join me for dinner? ❜

[sissylittlefeather]

Your Love's Been a Long Time Coming: Chapter 7

A/N: I told you I'd be rolling the rest of these out pretty quickly. Please don't give up on these two...

Need to catch up? Masterlist here.

Warnings: a head injury, lots of angst

Word count: ~1.7k

Reminder: this is FICTION. Please do not come at me if your favorite people don't act the way you think they would/should or if events are a little altered. It's called fanFICTION for a reason. Thanks 😬

Vivian is gone. He proposes to Priscilla in December of 1966.

******

In the early spring of 1967, Elvis and Priscilla go shopping together in California. Elvis knows their wedding is coming and he tries hard not to think about the fact that he does not want to get married. Instead, he tries to focus on Priscilla. He does love her. Maybe this won't be as bad as he's afraid it might be.

And then they hit a stoplight next to a billboard. Elvis's mouth drops open. Priscilla groans.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Elvis is in awe. It's Vivian. She's in a cigarette ad on the billboard, right there. It's been so long since he's seen her that there's a sharp pain in his heart. He remembers how they ended and is overwhelmed with regret. Why didn't he chase after her?

"The light is green." That's why. He looks over at Priscilla in the passenger seat and steps on the gas, letting Viv fade away behind them.

"I wonder how she's doing. I guess she's doing pretty well if she's on a billboard."

"Elvis..."

"I should call her."

"No, you really shouldn't." He can feel Priscilla bristling at the thought of him reconnecting with Viv.

"I just want to congratulate her on her modeling success, Cil."

"I'm sure. No. I'm not letting you turn her into your new Ann Margaret."

"She was around long before Ann." He says it under his breath, but she hears him and sighs deeply.

"You're not helping your case."

"Priscilla, if I want to call her, I will." She purses her lips and looks out the window. He looks through the windshield determined. She's not his wife yet. And even if she was, he's a man and he'll decide who he wants in his life and when.

Priscilla doesn't say another word about it when they get back to the house in Bel Air. In fact, she doesn't say anything to him at all. They get in bed in silence and he lays there wide awake, his thoughts racing, but mostly focused on one thing: Viv. It's been years since he's seen her, and he's definitely thought about her from time to time, but he has no idea where she is or what she's up to. She could be married for all he knows. That thought makes his stomach turn. He tries to think back to the billboard and whether she was wearing a ring. But they probably would've made her take it off anyway. Was there a subtle tan line?

He's overthinking this and he knows it. He needs something to take his mind off of Vivian and what happened the last time they were together. More flashes have come back to him since the event, holding her foot in his hand and kissing her ankle, her running her fingers through his hair, the way she tasted, and all it does is make him miss her more. He decides to go to the bathroom and try to read or watch TV. But as he slides out of bed and makes his way into the tiled sanctuary, he catches the cord to the television and everything goes black.

******

When he comes to, his head is pounding and throbbing and there's a lump the size of a golf ball on his head.

"Fuck! Goddamnit!" He writhes on the floor in pain, yelling cuss words. Next thing he knows, Priscilla is in the doorway.

"Elvis! What happened?!"

"I fucking fell! I think I really hurt myself. Goddamnit. It hurts." Priscilla runs to call the doctor and the rest of the important people in Elvis's life. As he lays on the bathroom floor in pain, he sees things that frighten him, but the most noticeable is his mother. He must be dying. That's all there is to it. And if this is the end, there's only one person he wants. "Vivian!"

Priscilla comes back into the bathroom where he lays on the floor.

"Did you call for me?"

"No. Where is Vivian?" She swallows hard and looks down at him on the floor.

"She's not here Elvis. I'm here."

"No. Get her. Please. Now."

"Elvis, I-" Just then the doctor arrives, closely followed by other members of the Memphis mafia. They get him back into his bed, but he doesn't lay still. He rolls around in pain, clutching different parts of his body. The doctor diagnoses him with a concussion and he's advised to stay in bed for a few days. The guys file in to see him and make sure he's okay. Priscilla sits next to the bed silently.

"Is there anything you need? Anything we can get you?" Sonny asks sincerely. Elvis grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him close. He whispers in his ear.

"Get Vivian. Please. I need her." Sonny nods, understanding his assignment.

"You got it, boss."

The Colonel arrives and surveys the damage. He pulls Priscilla aside.

"How is he, really?"

"He's in a lot of pain. He keeps asking for that girl, Vivian." The Colonel looks into her face seriously. He shakes his head.

"It is imperative that he doesn't see her. He needs to know that he has you. Your marriage is scheduled for less than two months from today. It would destroy his image to bring her back into the picture. Can you handle this?" Priscilla gives him a determined look.

"I can."

******

When Sonny calls her, Vivian is too in shock to respond immediately.

"He what?!"

"He fell and hit his head. It's not good, Vivian. And he's asking for you."

"For me?!"

"Yes. You have to come."

"Come pick me up." She gives him her address and waits nervously. It doesn't matter how long they've been apart. If he calls for her, she comes running. That'll never change.

She rides with Sonny to the Bel Air house, the whole time preparing herself for what might happen when she arrives. What she never expects, though is to be absconded by Priscilla the second she walks through the door.

"Hey, Priscilla. I heard he was asking for me?"

"I'm not sure who told you that, but it's not true. The only person he's asked for is me." Viv's eyes narrow. She doesn't trust Priscilla as far as she can throw her.

"Sonny said-" She's cut off by Priscilla grabbing her hands in her lap.

"He's my fiancé."

"I know that, but he's also my friend."

"Vivian. He's going to be my husband soon. You confuse him and you know it. Why would he call for you? I'm asking you to leave now. Please. For me." Vivian looks at her in shock.

"You're not going to let me see him, are you?"

"It's for his own good, Viv." She stands up and turns back to Priscilla.

"My name is Vivian. He's the only one who calls me Viv." She looks around uncertainly. "You know, you and I were friends once. Will you at least tell him I was here?"

"Of course. Now, will you please go?" Vivian nods slowly, walking to the front door. Why would Sonny say he had asked for her if he hadn't? But maybe Priscilla was right. He didn't need her confusing him.

Still, she makes it outside before she completely falls apart. When she does, she's surprised to find strong, warm arms around her. She looks up into his face.

"Sonny?"

"I've got you, honey." She lets her legs go out from under her as Sonny lifts her into his arms. He carries her to his car and places her gently in the passenger seat. She lets him drive her back to her apartment and carry her up the stairs.

He stays with her for the next two days, providing the comfort she so desperately needs.

Something blooms inside her for Sonny as she finally resigns herself to the fact that Elvis will be married soon and there's nothing she can do about it.

Does she fall in love with Sonny? She doesn't not love him. So when he proposes three years later, she decides she loves him enough. Why would she say no? Elvis is happily married with a child and she's almost 30. What does she have to lose?

******

When Elvis comes out of his post-concussion haze a few weeks later, he turns to Priscilla and asks one last time.

"Vivian?"

"She didn't come. She seems to be happy with Sonny."

"Sonny?!" His heart breaks one last time. This is what she was doing when he needed her most? He doesn't need her anymore.

He marries Priscilla in May of '67 and Lisa Marie is born in '68. He does the Singer Special and things finally start to look up for him. His career is reignited and he's happy-ish with Priscilla.

But in 1971, when Sonny comes to him and asks him to be his best man as he marries Vivian, Elvis spends more time than he should shooting guns in the shed. Thankfully, no one bothers him or they'd see the tears of rage and envy and something else he doesn't want to think about as they slide down his face.

Their conversation is over before it even started. And after this they'll never talk again.

******

Until Chapter 8

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @tacozebra051 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @louisejoy86 @rjmartin11 @from-memphis-with-love @deltafalax @jhoneybees @everythingelvispresley @returntopresley @atleastpleasetelephone @cinnamoroll-things @burnthheparaphilia

[30somethingautisticteacher]

Fuck it Friday

I'm fairly new to fic writing so nobody tagged me but I'm doing it anyway! 🙂

***

For Buck, there wasn't one specific moment where he knew that he wanted to marry Tommy. To him, their whole relationship had been a series of important moments that left Buck more hopeful every day. From the moment Tommy kissed him, his whole world was altered. Tommy Kinard walked into Evan Buckley's life, and everything changed.

It only took eight weeks for Buck to realize that he was in love with Tommy. But he had felt it even earlier. He remembered vividly how his heart raced and desire coursed through him when Tommy walked through those hospital doors in his soot-covered turnout gear, smelling of smoke, and apologizing profusely for not being there sooner. In that heated moment, any lingering hesitation Buck felt about being attracted to men melted away. Tommy really was a beast and Buck felt a deep yearning to hold onto him tightly and never let go.

The next time Buck allowed himself to hope for a forever with Tommy was on a typical, unremarkable day. Buck had spent the night at Buck's, not for the first time but it still felt new and exciting. Buck and Tommy were snuggling in bed, Buck wondering if it were somehow possible to meld their two bodies together. They were interrupted, however, by the distinctive buzzing of Buck's phone. "It's Maddie. I have to answer," Buck said apologetically. "Of course, Evan, talk to your sister," Tommy replied with a smile. God, he is so amazing, Buck thought, not for the first time.

"Hey Mads," Buck answered. "Oh thank God you picked up! I have an emergency!" Buck's heart skipped a beat.

"Chim took an extra shift, and my shift starts in an hour. The Lees were supposed to watch Jee, but Anne's sister is in the hospital, so they can't anymore. I know you're off and probably enjoying time with your hot pilot boyfriend, but can you please, please watch Jee for me?" Maddie said in one breath.

"Well Mads, first of all, you're a first responder. You should know better than to use 'emergency' so casually!" Evan scolded. "And secondly, of course I'll watch Jee. I've missed her lately. I'd love some Uncle Buck time!"

"You're an absolute lifesaver! Are you sure Tommy won't mind?" Maddie asked.

Buck hesitated for a split second. "No, I'm sure he'll be fine with it, and I really want them to get to know each other."

"I'll drop Jee off in twenty minutes. You are seriously the best little brother," Maddie said before hanging up.

Tommy seemed enthusiastic about Jee coming over, but Buck knew him well enough to sense the underlying nervousness and reservation he was clearly feeling. Buck understood that Tommy hadn't been around kids much. He had recently revealed that he was the youngest of three, with his brother and sister being 12 and 14 years older than him, respectively. Tommy called himself an "oops baby" and alluded to that being part of the reason his childhood was so difficult. His parents had wanted to retire and travel the world but instead felt saddled with a child whom they viewed as nothing but a burden.

However, despite Tommy's lack of experience with kids, he was a natural. Jee warmed up to him immediately, despite having only met him briefly before. Buck grinned as he watched his boyfriend having a tea party with his niece, before allowing her to paint his nails a shocking pink. When Maddie arrived a few hours later, Jee couldn't stop talking about "Uncle Tommy" and asking when she could have her next playdate with him and Uncle Buck. Buck beamed with pride and happiness, scarcely able to contain his overwhelming joy.

Buck knew tonight was the night to have the crucial conversation with Tommy. "Hey Tom?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"What's up?" Tommy replied.

"Seeing you with Jee today was pretty eye-opening, and I just have to know." Buck swallowed. "Do you want kids someday?"

Tommy smiled at him. "Evan, if you'd asked me that a year ago, I probably would have said no." Evan raised his eyebrows. "But that was before I met an amazing partner who was born to be a dad." Tommy gently took Buck's hand. "With you, sweetheart, yes, I definitely want to have kids."

Buck's face lit up with a beaming smile, his eyes shining. "Really? You mean that?"

"I've never been more sure of anything," Tommy said, pulling Buck into an embrace. "You and me, Evan Buckley, we're going to make an incredible family."

Buck lay in bed that night, his mind drifting to thoughts of the future with Tommy. He had always known he wanted kids, but with previous partners, it had seemed like an impossible dream. Now, visions of bake sales and little league games danced in his head. He pictured birthday parties and backyard barbecues with the 118 family. Swim lessons, dance recitals, all the milestones played out in his imagination.

"The Kinard family," he whispered to himself with a smile, tightening his embrace around Tommy's sleeping form. The name felt right, like the final puzzle piece clicking into place.

In that moment, Buck's heart overflowed with a sense of contentment and eager anticipation for the life they would build together. With Tommy by his side, that future vision of love, laughter, and little ones no longer seemed like a distant dream. He pressed a tender kiss to Tommy's forehead, whispering, "I can't wait."

[isagrimorie]

Part 1

Part 2 of my concept writing (first draft) for April Ludgate/Jen Barkley AU:

Andy wouldn’t sign the divorce papers.

April wasn’t surprised. It took Andy a long time before he got over Ann. He was stubborn, persistent, and loyal. All the qualities April loved about Andy but also…

It’s been three months and April felt like she was living her life stuck in neutral. She can’t go forward and she can’t go back.

On the other hand, her professional life was zooming fast and unlike her time working with Leslie, she wasn’t just getting dragged along by a hurricane. April was the hurricane and it felt great.

For the first time she understood why Leslie was always moving like a shark.

She loved working in the Foundation and helping people and then very quickly moving them away from her.

“Congresswoman Hollis wants us to work with her consultant for her next campaign,” Laura told her.

“Okay,” April said encouraging her with widening eyes to go on.

“Do you want to take point on that?”

April shrugged, “I don’t have a lot right now.”

“Great!” And then Laura moved on and April stopped caring since the next event had nothing to do with her.

The rest of the time April thought could’ve been an email. Fortunately, the meeting ended, April wanted to grab something to eat.

“April!”

Her heart leaped at seeing Andy. Even when he looked miserable, he looked handsome. But also he shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here. Literally, he decided to move back to Pawnee.

“I love you, April.” He declared it loudly.

April pulled Andy into a less crowded area of the lobby. “What are you doing here?”

He approached her, desperate. “I get it, you don’t want kids, we don’t need to have kids!”

It was such an obvious lie that April looked at him, even as he said it, he looked pained. He can’t even sell the lie. “You don’t mean that. You love kids.”

“Maybe that’s just now–” His face crumpled, lost and confused. Just like a kid himself.

Something snapped in April. “No! My mind is never gonna change! I don’t want to have kids! But you do! You love kids, you’d be a great dad. But that’s not gonna be with me. So, I’m letting you go. Find someone who can give you what you want because that’s not me.”

“April, I–”

April stepped aside. She couldn’t look at Andy. His beautiful puppy dog face. “If we stay married, you’d end up hating me. So, let me do this for you. Let me go.”

Before he could say anything, April ran. Straight into a random elevator. Andy was about to enter when someone stepped in front. “Sorry, ace, take the next one.” And the elevator door closed.

April blinked. The elevator wasn’t full. It was only her and… Jen Barkley?

“That was really awkward,” Jen said not even looking nor sounding repentant for eavesdropping.

Her emotions were on a rollercoaster and April couldn’t find the words to say anything so she only stared at Jen Barkley.

“Whoof. Bad break-ups, huh? I usually go for a quick French exit myself,” Jen said, pushing the number 12 button decisively.

“It’s a divorce.” April said, numb but also needing to correct. Break-up sounds so mundane, so ordinary to the immense heartbreak she’s feeling right now.

Jen made a noise and said, “Yikes. Divorces are tough. It’s why I never married, I get to do what I want to do.”

“Can you hit the 14th floor?” April said instead.

Jen looked at her, April shifted, she didn’t like the considering expression on her face. Hit the number 14 button.

“You did the right thing, better to cut the cord now than later. From what I heard you both wanted different things,” she said in a no nonsense voice and a kinder tone than April was used to. “Kids would just complicate things. Me? I don’t like kids. Never wanted them. And my life is awesome.”

“Were you eavesdropping on us?” April demanded because there was a reason why she pulled Andy into a more secluded part of the lobby.

Jen shrugged, unbothered, and unrepentant. “I was there first, chugging my third espresso of the day. I was bored and you guys were so loud. Doesn’t make what I say less true.”

“Yeah?” They barely knew each other and April doubted if Jen even remembered her from April’s time working with her and Ben for Murray’s congressional campaign. April didn't know how much she missed plain spoken, brass tact honesty until this moment. April should visit Ron.

“Trust me on this, I’m never wrong!” And as if she timed it, the elevator pined and the doors slid open. “Kids are overrated.“

And then walked out.

April felt like she just was hit by a hurricane. This was the first time, since Donna where someone seemed happy about not having kids.

TBC

[symphonic-scream]

I have an au concept but no idea where to take it after. Like, an idea and a starting plot, but no idea for how it would resolve

It's got a bit of angst, some moderate body horror, and of course, themes of self discovery and queerness in there cause it's me

The idea? The thieves have all been part of a program where they've been in a facility and taking part in tests for years since they all showed potential, in the Persona way

They could leave for four days a month with permission, and had their own rooms they decorated, and were taken care of by Wakaba and Sojiro, with Tae Takemi on the med team

The program was about studying how having control of their persona affected them compared to those without the potential, and if there were ways to use that knowledge to impact society positively. The government promised each child in the program that once it was done, they'd be supported for life. School? Free. Expenses covered, for sacrificing their youth. Their parents or guardians also got a little bonus

Some had been there for years. Akira has been 2, Goro arrived at 4, Futaba 3, and Makoto 7. The last ones to join were Kasumi and Sumire at 11, and Haru, 13. They all get close over the years, and their rooms are covered in photos and stuff from their little excursions to malls or museums when allowed

The experiments were rarely painful. Mostly brain scans and other weird psience stuff. Then, they got word they were finally wrapping up with their group. Two others had ended recently, and them, Facility 5, were finally getting their final round of tests before being let free

Now, the range from 19 to 16. They're all so excited to be able to leave. Their lives are waiting for them, their families, their futures

So if course shit hits the fan. Someone messed with the tests, and a huge accident occurred. Instead of allowing them to see into the shadow world beyond, the two worlds were crushed together in the lab, for an hour. The lab techs' own shadows raged forth, some dying. Sojiro and Wakaba struggled to shut the power off, all the while the group of teens, well

Their bodies are forcefully fused with their personas. Changed, in painful ways. One of them didn't make it, and one of them, due to the violent nature of the second persona that had lurked behind his main one, lost control and wrecked part of the facility

The government decided to evacuate everyone besides the subjects, and sealed the facility for good. Sojiro, a weak Wakaba, and Tae fight them on it, and are trying now to get back in

They werent told the gov poured some kind of gas in there before sealing the place. So, the remaining subjects all wake up, forever changed, without a memory in their heads

So, that leads us to the main plot I have. They all explore the abandoned facility, gradually piecing together what happened, uncovering who sabotaged everything, and finding out who they all used to be. Remembering through photos, and slowly, as the effects of the gas leave them, memories resurfacing, and regaining themselves

They'd all have the golden shadow eyes. They have their persona's abilities, and some physical changes to resemble their persona

The one that died in the accident was Kasumi, and Goro lost control. He's not with them when they all wake up in their old living area.

That's all the ideas I have?? Like, of course I have mini blurbs for this bit, and some stuff like Makoto and Haru were lined up to move away together and get married. Akira and Goro were going to go to uni together, share an apartment. Ann was going to live with Shiho. Ryuji was excited to take his ma on a vacation, and Yusuke was going to travel for art inspiration

But, no idea where the plot would go after they start figuring out what happened and who sabotaged everything. Idk. Anyone interested in this??

[alicentsgf]

Let's talk in depth about book Alicent. because even though i read the book 3 years ago I didn't engage online about it until the show's release and um. wow. some people have a very different interpretation of her to me. and also... some of those interpretations show a fundamental misunderstanding of the text, a tendency toward indulging the misogyny present in Fire and Blood, or both.

People are saying the writers changed Alicent's story to 'make her a victim'... they didn't. It was always possible to read the book and perceive that she was in many ways a victim. Honestly the biggest thing they changed was her age, probably to assist the interpretation they'd chosen, but the larger elements all stay the same; in both versions she's worked in service of the crown since she was young (as a type of companion either to Jaehaerys or Rhaenyra) and she and Rhaenyra initially have a good relationship (according to one source in F&B - this supposedly changes when Aegon was born and not named heir). So making it Rhaenyra we see her close with just makes the emotional tethers that might have been there anyway more visible. After all, Rhaenyra Does spare Alicent's life in F&B, and whilst she says it's for Viserys sake, Alicent at that point had been at the very least complicit in the deaths of most of Rhaenyra's children. Rhaenyra having such a strong former bond with Alicent is going to give this event in the show a lot more weight. It's not hard to see why they made this change, because it adds to the existing tragedy of the story.

The fact is everything we see of Alicent in F&B is up for debate to some extent. Like, for example, did she seduce Viserys? of course certain sources tell us yes, but Fire and Blood is brimming with asoiaf-typical misogyny; it all reminds me somewhat of the story of Anne Boleyn, her story molded into something unrecognisable by history in order to make her the instigator. In truth, we have no way of knowing if Alicent wanted Viserys or not, but we do know she probably didn't have to seduce him. She was widely regarded as being the most beautiful woman - it wouldn't have taken a lot for Viserys to notice her. People, characters and readers alike, assume that because she wasn't the best political match he must have been persuaded, but Viserys was a selfish man, (that is indisputable, we see it in many of his provable actions), so it fits with his character to choose a slightly unsuitable wife on the basis of his own lust. The age gap in the show only serves to demonstrate visually the power imbalance that was at least somewhat present in the book anyway. And yes, this like most things in the book is up for interpretation, but I will say this: I seriously do not respect people calling her 'evil'.

The text never presents Alicent as evil. Even in the worst of her actions she is never legitimately shown to revel in the pain and suffering of others. At most you could argue she was ambitious, but I don't even believe that on the basis of one specific thing: it was her, not Otto, who asked Viserys to betroth Aegon to Rhaenyra. This was not a crazy suggestion in the book, as it was presented in the show; they were only a decade apart, and it was the Valyrian custom that the eldest son would marry his eldest sister, as Aegon the conqueror married Visenya. Alicent wanted this without stipulating the expectation that Aegon would rule instead of Rhaenyra. Viserys reportedly dismissed Alicent on the basis of believing she only wanted Aegon a step closer to the throne, and it can be read that way, but personally I don't think so. I think she was exhausting options to try to protect him after she realised Viserys was never going to name him heir.

Ultimately, Alicent would have been stupid to ignore that her children's lives were at stake. Especially in Fire and Blood where she was much less familiar with Rhaenyra. Nothing in Rhaenyra's actions suggested she wouldn't be capable. She reportedly had no affection for her brothers where she was kid enough to Helaena, suggesting she already saw them as threats. She had demonstrated herself willing to accept physical harm to them in favour of her own sons. She was later thought to be at least complicit in the death of her husband Laenor, who had by all accounts been a good, kind husband to her… and then she married Daemon. Even before this he had been an obvious threat to Alicent's children; a violent man who'd always lusted after power, with a known hatred for Hightowers and who'd never been kind to his nephews by Alicent. Even if Alicent didn't believe Rhaenyra capable of murdering her sons, she would have been stupid not to believe Daemon able.

The truth is even in the book this crisis was set in motion by Viserys. Once he'd refused to marry Aegon to Rhaenyra the bomb was built and ticking away, it was only a matter of time. Even if Rhaenyra's heirs had been indisputably trueborn, Aegon and his brothers and any descendants they had would have been symbols for those who wanted to oppose the Crown to rally behind as soon as Rhaenyra or Jacaerys disappointed them, no matter if Alicent's sons had personally bent the knee. The situation only became more dire when it was clear that Rhaenyra's heir was not trueborn.

Fire and Blood isn't even really quiet about Rhaenyra's first three sons being bastards. To me it read like Rhaenys' Baratheon blood allowed those who wanted to believe otherwise to delude themselves, as Viserys does in both versions. After all, in the book Laenor being gay is an open secret. But the thing is… it doesn't even really matter if they were or not. With so many people believing they were bastards, they were pretty much as good as. Eventually, and most definitely after Rhaenyra's death, there would have been some form of conflict. Because if Jace, an assumed bastard, ascended the throne it would throw into question the claims of almost every lord in Westeros, many of whom would have older bastard brothers. and if a bastard who didn't even look targaryen could sit the highest seat in the realm over a trueborn silver-haired son of a king like Aegon, what's to stop the bastard brothers of any lord from laying claim to their seat? Aegon would have become a rallying point for that dispute whether he liked it or not, and Jace would have been forced to dispose of him if he wanted to maintain power.

In light of this, it's really no wonder Alicent repeatedly voices her animosity over Rhaenyra's sons questionable births. It's very telling that in F&B every cruel comment she reportedly makes about or to Rhaenyra references it. and I say "reportedly" because one of the worst of her quotes, her saying 'mayhaps the whore will die in childbirth' about Rhaenyra, people quote as fact… if you do this I will laugh in your face and ask if you read the book. because Alicent did not say that. or rather, if she did, Fire and Blood would not be able to tell us either way because the quote is attributed to her by Mushroom, one of Rhaenyra's supporters who (apart from being a famed liar) was with Rhaenyra on Dragonstone at the time.

The other two quotes used to argue her supposed evilness are from slightly less questionable sources, and honestly, yeah, it does seem likely to me Alicent implied to Rhaenyra her bastard sons' blood was worth less than that of her own trueborn sons'… but at that point, with the horror she'd experienced on account of Viserys upholding Rhaenyra and her sons' questionable claims, her reacting in this way is perhaps cruel and prejudiced, but not evil. And almost justifiably cruel in my opinon; for all she knows the woman she's talking to directly ordered for her six-year-old grandson to be brutally murdered in front of her, her daughter, and her other grandchildren, directly leading to her daughter's madness and later suicide. Was she going to be respectful? Is it fair to expect that from her? This focus on the term 'bastard blood' overshadows the rest of the quote: “Bastard blood shed at war. My son’s sons were innocent boys, cruelly murdered. How many more must die to slake your thirst for vengeance?” Why is Alicent being a bit of a bitch treated as a worse sin than Rhaenyra ordering the brutal murder of a toddler, or at the very least excusing it.

The last quote mentioned to back up claims of alicent's 'evilness' is her telling her granddaughter Jaehaera she should slit the throat of her husband Aegon III in his sleep. By this point it seemed to me Alicent was no doubt consumed by bitterness and would have attacked Aegon herself given the chance, but even without condoning her words or actions we can see how she became like that; all of Alicent's sons are dead and she wants all of Rhaenyra's gone too. Wasn't it "an eye for an eye, a son for a son"? - Rhaenyra's side set the precedent - the idea that it is justifiable to take one innocent life in exchange for another, no matter if its the life of a child who just happens to have been born on the other side of a war.

Alicent by the end of her life had certainly been driven to cruelty in her grief, twisted into something ugly by the world and locked away to rot.

And yet her final words weren't steeped in bitterness or violence. When the fever sets in she accepts death, even welcomes it. She speaks of seeing her children again, and King Jaehaerys. So doesn't that say she was never driven by hatred at all? That there was never any kind of innate evil nature? At least that's my interpretation. This is the same girl who spent her youth reading to a dying king for no clear reward, and felt such affection for him that she mentioned him at the end of her own life, perhaps pining for the time before her marriage. (No doubt in the show she will mention Rhaenyra instead). This is the woman whose daughter and grandchildren visited her with such reliable frequency her grandson's killers knew to wait in her rooms for them.

So what was so evil about her? That she quite understandably saw Rhaenyra and her sons as a threat, and preemptively acted to protect her own? As much as people like to project ideologies onto these characters, neither Alicent nor Rhaenyra's motivations were ideological, that much as clear.

I may have many reservations about House of the Dragon's execution of it, but the decision to present Alicent as a victim of the world she inhabits was not only the right choice, but also kind of the only choice. HotD is presented as objective truth, where F&B is a collection of biased accounts dripping in the misogyny of the men relating them, and so HotD had to be a critique of its own source material. I admit to having my own bias, and my analysis is at least slightly skewed in Alicent's favour because I'm responding to the most negative interpretations of her. And they are all just interpretations. But in my opinion, those adapting the text looked at Alicent and asked "what if this woman is misunderstood?", "what if this woman had no real choice?", "what if the men of this world just chose to ignore her complexity, because she was a woman?" and those were absoutely the questions to ask.

[rae-and-mezo]

Life After Hogwarts: Ominis Gaunt

Summary: Headcanons for Yours and Ominis's life after Hogwarts!

Warnings:

A/N: I AM DOWN BAD FOR HIM MAN! I am thinking about making this a series with other characters. Let me know who you would like to see next!

First of all, I feel like you guys have been together since the end of seventh year ish? You really fell for each other the summer after sixth year when you both spent it with Sebastian and Anne. Either at your place or Feldcroft.

And he knew you were the one for him.

He flat out asks you one day in seventh year if you would ever like to be married (way in the future though,) and respects your answer either way. Of course, he would love to be called your husband, but he doesn't need a ring to know you love him.

He gets his training to become a ministry worker, taking up a desk job in magical Law Enforcement. It pays fairly well actually, and he enjoys it even if it comes with more paperwork than his liking.

Whatever your job is, he very much is supportive. He dislikes the traveling part if you chose a job that requires it and worries himself sick if you chose something like an Auror or Cursebreaker. But he would never hold you back from what you would like to do.

It doesn't take him long at all to break off from his family after graduation.

All it took was one meeting where he grudgingly took you to meet his parents for dinner.

It doesn't matter if your blood status or views, chances are his family will hate you. And if that's the case, it's the driving factor between Ominis and the rest of the Gaunts. After all, he will stand by you to the very end.

He actually asks you about marriage again, just to see if you are sure about your answer.

If it's no, that's okay! Just expect him to ask again a few years down the road.

If it's a yes, he plans his proposal right away! The man is Ecstatic to marry you.

He is a romantic soul, sure, but he isn't one for giant acts of love. So it's a quiet, sweet proposal in the back garden of your families home. After all, he asked your father for permission only moments before.

It's the same thing with the wedding actually. You both wear wedding attire, but not overly expensive or extravagant clothes. After all, he just broke off from his family and is trying to get his feet underneath him. The wedding is in Feldcroft, and Anne is one of his groomsmen. Sebastian is his Man of Honor of course, and he only invites his cousins that is more like family than his own parents. You only invite your closest family as well.

Instead of a honeymoon, you guys work on a run down cottage not too far from Hogwarts. This also counts for if you aren't married.

If you aren't married, he doesn't care for social rules. He doesn't mind the judgement from living with you out of wedlock! Not at all.

Sebastian is over at your cottage like all the time. He never overstays his welcome, but he might as well live there!

Ominis has always had such a cold and uninviting home, so he tries his best to make your house inviting! He does a good job too. Guests love visiting you two.

Now, you would think I would dive into the children part of this story. Not now.

No, instead, Ominis wants to experience things he never has before. He asks you to take him to muggle pubs, muggle concerts, etc. Even if he can't see, he adores experiencing a world so different from his own. Anything you wanna do, he does as well.

The two of you take a trip to Australia. With how much he loves magical creatures, he wants to see some muggle animals as well. And he thinks Australian accents are funny.

He wants a cat SO BADLY. Of course he would never ask if you don't like cats or are allergic. But if not? Oh boy, you're in for it.

That cat would be his best friend. You are not getting cuddles if the cat is there first, and he talks to it like it's a child.

Honestly the cat prefers you but loves the two of you so much!!

It's basically your first kid.

A circus comes to the small town closest to your cottage and you guys go see it just because you can. Why not? Ominis likes peanuts and finds the music and cheering amusing. Also enjoys a play by play by you!

There was a vendor selling exotic pets...and well one of them was a snake.

Normally Ominis wouldn't bat an eye but the snake started begging him for help because the vendor was abusing his animals.

How are you supposed to say no when your partner is almost in tears over a little snake?

So yeah, you get a new pet.

NOW I TALK ABOUT THE CHILDREN PART OF THIS STORY

I feel like Ominis is indifferent.

He really likes kids actually and would like to have some of his own. But it's not a deep desire. The two of you had talked about it before moving in together and so he already knows your preference.

If you wouldn't like to have children, he is A-OK with that! Just...don't let him turn into a crazy cat man. Because he will. He just can't say no to their fluffy little faces.

If you would like children, he is so happy! Of course, he would love you either way, but he just cannot wait to be a father once he gets the idea in his head.

Though, because of his genes, I am not sure he would want biological children. After all, he isn't proud of being a Slytherin descendant or the fact that his parents were cousins.

If you would like biological children, he could make an exception after some convincing.

If not, he is so excited to adopt! I feel like he would rather adopt an older kid rather than a baby but you know. Your opinion weighs heavily on his too.

Either way, he cries when he finds out you're expecting/adoption went through.

That night he cries himself to sleep on your shoulder and wakes up still crying and smiling so hard it hurts.

He lowkey wants to shove it in his parents' face that he's going to be a father with the most amazing person he has ever met and they won't get to witness any of it!

Of course he apparates to Sebastian's and cries again, to him, for what feels like hours.

He breaks once he meets his child. You've never seen him cry hard before, only silent tears and little sobs. But he's crying like a baby because he just is so happy and can't believe he is at this point with somebody he loves.

If you don't want children, he asks if you can raise Nifflers in the back garden, or maybe get a Unicorn? He would build the stable with Sebastians help. Boy loves his animals SO MUCH

Mornings with him where he makes breakfast and you set the table, both of you listening to his favorite record on the Gramaphone.

Ominis can be rather playful, so expect him to tickly your hips while passing through, or to jump out and scare you when you least expect it.

And after YEARS of living in the same house, he smacks his head on the doorframe of your kitchen. Because, like, he's tall and the cottage is not.

Yes, the bed is perfectly comfortable, but like naps on the floor or in the garden hit different.

You start a little flower garden in the back yard, and he really loves to sit in it. The smells are just so nice! But he would rather gouge out his eyes than ruin your garden so he never stays out there for long. No matter how many times you tell him he won't step on anything.

[m-jelly]

DIY Daddy

Levi x fem!reader

Modern AU, Dad Levi, fluff, romance, girl dad, DIY job, married, pregnant reader, small town life.

Levi and you run a DIY company where you clean, repair, decorate and move things for people. Levi and you take your little three-year-old daughter Lilly to a job because she wants to help the two of you out instead of going to grandma's.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird @searriously

You walked over to Lilly and cleaned her face after she finished eating. "Those pancakes okay?"

Lilly grinned. "Yummy mummy! Thank you."

You kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."

Levi chuckled when Lilly reached over and held his hand stopping him from turning the page of the plans for the current home he was working on. "What's up, Lilly bug?"

She bounced in her seat. "Daddy, may I have a hug?"

He picked her up and out of her seat then sat her on his lap. "Of course." He hugged her tightly. "You can get all the cuddles you want."

She looked over at you. "Mummy?"

You hummed as you sipped your tea. "Yes, little Lilly love?"

She sucked on her bottom lip a little. "May I help today?"

You looked over at her. "You want to come with Daddy and me today?"

"Yes please!"

You gazed at your husband. "Up to you honey, what's on the job list?"

Levi looked at his wide-eyed daughter and smiled. "Well, I do need our super duper painter today and an assistant."

Lilly gasped. "I can help!"

Levi laughed. "Well then, I think we can take you with us."

You tapped away on your phone. "I have texted Kuchel to let her know."

"Thanks, bunny."

You smirked at the pet name. "You're welcome." You winked at him and then gazed at your daughter. "Do you want Daddy to help you change?"

Lilly nodded. "Please!"

Levi stood up and carried his daughter to her room. "Let's go!" He popped her on her little feet as she giggled. "What would you like to wear today?"

"Same as Mummy!"

He smiled and grabbed a shirt with bunnies on and some dungarees. "Your Mummy will wear something like this. She always wears dungarees." He picked a pair of socks for her. "Here you go, little Lilly bug. I'll do your hair after."

She huffed as she pulled on her shirt, but then struggled with the dungarees. "Daddy, help."

He knelt in front of her and did the clips. "There you go. You even have a pocket at the front for snacks or a little cuddly toy. Mummy puts snacks in hers. What do you want in yours?"

She hummed in thought. "Bunny!"

He grabbed her little bunny and put it in the front pocket. "There, you can work together." He combed her hair and tied it up on top of her head making him chuckle, it looked like a pineapple top. "Perfect. Lastly is socks, do you need help?"

She sat on the floor and wiggled her little feet. "Please."

He slipped on her pretty socks and smiled. "All sorted, the little beans are safe."

She clapped her little hands. "Beans!"

The two of them hurried over to you as you waited by the front door. You all wore your work shoes and climbed into Levi's vintage pickup truck. All three of you sang along to songs playing on the radio causing a lot of laughter and smiles.

Once you'd arrived, Levi spoke to the shop owner to let them know that Lilly was with him and if it was okay. After getting a very happy and excited yes, the two of you introduced Lilly to the shop owner. The owner told Lilly what she wanted done to her shop and asked if Lilly could do it all.

Lilly gasped. "I can do it!"

The lady giggled. "Wonderful, thank you so much. I will happily pay you in ice cream or cookies."

Lilly grinned. "Thank you!"

You watched Levi and Lilly run inside the building. "Thank you so much. She was so excited about helping today."

The owner watched fondly as Lilly carried in small tools for Levi as Levi carried in a large number of things. "It makes it more meaningful knowing a whole family made my dream shop a reality. I can't wait to come back later and see it. You Ackerman's are so talented and incredible. This town is lucky to have you."

You welled up and hugged her. "Thank you."

As soon as you went inside you were overwhelmed with how cute Levi and your daughter were. The radio was on and the two of them were dancing and singing together as he started setting up the room for painting. Lilly was holding onto the tap as Levi was putting everything in place.

You had to take things easy because you'd recently found out you were pregnant. Levi and Lilly wanted you to relax more, so you were going to do as they said. You opened paint cans, poured paint into the right trays, and set up the tools.

Lilly walked over to the paint and picked up a roller. "May I?"

You smiled at her. "Ask Daddy."

"Daddy?"

Levi picked up Lilly making her squeal with laughter. "Let's do this!" He smiled when you held up the paint tray. "Thank you, Bunny. Now Lilly, roll the roller in the paint."

She kicked her little legs as she did. "Got it!"

He carried her to the wall. "Now roll up and down on the wall."

She squealed in delight. "I'm painting!"

Levi kissed her puffy cheek. "You are. You're a natural."

"Like Mummy?"

"Yes, like Mummy."

Lilly moved the roller up and down. "I did it!"

Levi moved her over to you. "Again, little Lilly pad."

You hummed a laugh as the two worked together to paint the wall. After some time, Levi had to put Lilly down because he needed to be careful and he has to speed up. While he was working, you were getting Lilly to help you put together some furniture. You would tell her what to hand you and she would give it to you.

When a few hours passed, Lilly stopped working and whined. You smiled at her. "What's going on little one?"

She rubbed her eyes and hiccuped a little. "Tired." She crawled over to you and flopped on your lap. "Mummyyy."

You wrapped your arms around her and held her. "I got you. I think it's time for a break."

Levi had made massive progress, so a rest was okay to have. He walked over and lay on the floor next to you. "Let's rest together."

You lay back with Lilly and cuddled up to Levi. "Naptime."

Levi watched Lilly and saw she fell asleep quickly. "Cute."

You played with her hair. "She's had a busy day."

"She has." He looked deep into your eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, a bit tired as well."

He leaned over and kissed you. "Rest as much as you need to, okay?"

You hummed. "I will. How are you feeling?"

"You know me, my bunny, I feel great because I have you and Lilly with me." He reached over and held your hand. "And our little cute bun growing."

You giggled. "You're right."

He moved your hand to his lips and showered it with kisses. "I love you."

"Love you always."

[raindrop-on-a-spiderweb]

Is there a time in which you plan to share the plot/ending of stories that have been shelved, like Wayfaring Daughter? I finished my second reread of the chapters published and I am soooo interested to know what happens next and what is the endgame for those well-developed characters!!!

Or is that something you want to keep close to you? I imagine long, multi-chapter original stories are so difficult to finish, it is insane you already have one completely finished and one nearly done! Props to you!!

Keep up the great work!!! 💗

Answering these both at once if that's ok!!

I've come to a sad conclusion that Wayfaring Daughter will never be completed. It's a hard pill to swallow, but I bit off more than I could chew with this story. The world circumstances at the time in which I was working on it intimidated me, and I made the worst decision an author could do--I let fear and self-doubt creep in, and inspiration get away from me. So I'll tell you what I had planned for Wayfaring Daughter.

Here is what I had planned:

Rosannah gets pregnant while in the attic and is forcefully married to Robert, while Jeremiah still prowls around. Leland threatens them into a threesome because he knows that Rosannah is still wanted by the FBI.

Meanwhile, it also turns out that it wasn't Robert who was fucking his mom Perdita. It was her brother Harland. Rosannah had the two rooms in the back wing switched. The argument that led to Josiah's death was that Robert was Harland's son, and not Josiah's, as he had the recessive pale hair of the Beauforts instead of Leland, who was a brunette and Josiah's legitimate son–and that's why Josiah hung himself in the coat rack room.

This was revealed to Robert and Rosannah during a scene with ranting, dementia-riddled Ezra in his bed, who had walked in on his brother and sister fucking each other.

Knowing that if Leland–the only legitimate son–would inherit Bethlehem Hall that it would fall into ruin, Rosannah smothered Ezra, as Robert was unable to do it. Connected to that, it was also gradually revealed that as a child, Rosannah had purposefully slit the threads that sewed the rattlesnakes' mouths shut so they couldn't bite during church services. Resulting in that the next time her Pentecostal father had a snake-wielding service, the snake got its mouth loose and bit him fatally. 

Rosannah finds a diary in a nook, about a house slave girl named Philomena, who was the unwilling paramour of her half-brother Clement. She is the many-greats grandmother of Noah Broughton, who had inherited all the land in Savannah from the Beauforts and is why Letitia had hated the Broughtons so much. Clement had gotten Philomena pregnant, who hated Clement and was sickened by his abuse because she regarded him as a brother.

Philomena fell in love with a field slave called John, who is the many-greats grandfather of Arletha. This was the crux of Noah and Arletha's love, the descendants of two star-crossed lovers who could never be together.

This ties into the basement plot. Uriah was a serial killer and rapist of the slave women of Bethlehem Hall, as well as Maudelynn at a party when she was a young girl, as she had retreated into PTSD when she was asked about him. As the Union forces approached Bethlehem Hall, the fathers and brothers of the women who'd been murdered and raped by Uriah rose up, stormed Bethlehem Hall, caught him in the wine cellar and burned him alive. That's where the dark scorch mark comes from, and the spirit in the basement is him, trapped there forever. While the slaves are freed, Philomena is already pregnant and doesn't dare approach John, feeling unworthy of him as she is already pregnant. They part without ever seeing each other again. This is where it was implied that the Broughtons got their fortune, from Clement willing his land to Philomena and her son.

Liza Ann, Linney Belle's mother, arrives at Bethlehem Hall to take her daughter back at one point. While Rosannah liked her and she was completely apologetic and looking forward to connecting with her daughter, Rosannah was wary and angry that she would dare take Linney Belle away from her, and got Robert and Leland to strangle her to death and bury her in a grave out in the Bethlehem Hall lands.

When Linney woke up the next morning and asked what happened to Liza Ann, Rosannah tells her that her mother abandoned her again, and hugs her.

While investigating Liza Ann's death, Jeremiah finally makes his way back to Bethlehem Hall and confronts Rosannah, Leland and Robert.

From there, there were a lot of endings that I had in mind.

1. Rosannah was executed by hanging, but her spirit still haunts Bethlehem Hall. Linney Belle, an impoverished old woman, gave tours of her dilapidated old home Bethlehem Hall, and after one of the tour groups left, she walked into an empty room and saw Rosannah in her familiar dress turning to meet her, and she died on the floor.

2. Rosannah holds the men at gunpoint, kills Jeremiah, and restrains her husband Robert and Leland with rope. She flees into the night, but even after Linney's entire worldview of her is shattered, she still runs after her, begging to come along with her. Rosannah kisses her and says when she is old enough, they will be reunited. On Linney's 18th birthday, she receives a postcard of an American state and a PO Box. She travels there, and the PO box contains another postcard of another state. On and on it goes until Linney crosses the border to Mexico, riding donkeys across the Darien Gap, traveling hundreds of miles until the final postcard is simply an address. She walks into the Colombian forest until she comes across a gate, and a pale-haired little girl (Robert and Rosannah's daughter) greets her and tells her she knows who she is. Linney follows her up the winding road to a house, and in the distance she sees a figure with curly black hair, and Linney lets go of her suitcase to burst on the ground to scatter clothes all over, and she runs.

3.  The 3rd ending is the worst one. The same series of events happen with Rosannah killing Jeremiah and running from Bethlehem Hall, but this time she accepts Linney coming along with her. They leap on a train going out west, then it segues into a flashback of how Rosannah's first baby died. It's from the point of view of Jack Semple, and he spies through a sliver of door Rosannah pushing her daughter under the water and drowning her with a blank look in her eyes.

After the funeral of their baby, they trudge back to their shack, and Jack hesitantly asks if she really did it. Rosannah seems inhuman in that moment, and tells him he saw nothing and was imagining things.

And then he went to the liquor cabinet and swigged from a bottle of whiskey to forget his memory, although he had never done so before. Implying that he had started drinking because of Rosannah's manipulation and to forget what he had seen, and that what we've seen from Rosannah's point of view had been totally false, and that perhaps she had been the real villain the whole time--manipulative enough to get Leland and Robert to kill Liza Ann, manipulative enough to kill her father, and brutal enough to kill her husband.

Then the scene cuts to Rosannah and Linney on the train, Rosannah pregnant and Linney resting her head against her belly as Rosannah caresses Linney's hair.

The last scene is Rosannah, not pregnant and no longer with Linney, coming across a rural Mexican village. She smiles, says she's from out of town, and asks if she can take a teaching job. After all, she loves children.

[jeanvanjer]

Hi, I hope you don't mind the question, but do you have a list of (historical) romance novels you recommend somewhere? I'm pretty new to the genre and would like some recs to start off with.

Thank you!

Of course I dont mind! I dont have a list here (but if you check the book recs tag or reading romance im sure youd find books ive read or books friends have recommeded) so I'll just post a few here.

Fair warning! I am horrible of keeping track of the books I've read so my recs will be a just a bunch of random books I like. @mermaidsirennikita and @triviareads are far more organized in their book recs than I am so you can always check their pages.

Please let me know if you'd like specific tropes!! Or more importantly if you have any TWs!

The Chief (the entire Highland Guard series actually) by Monica McCarthy. Tor MacLeod is a highland laird very much focused on helping Robert the Bruce with his secret plan to free Scotland from English Rule but his sudden marriage to sweet Tina is distracting him. They're forced to marry after she's found in his bed (her dad blackmailed her into getting herself ruined instead of her sister). The entire series is honestly a banger. It marries actual history with romance in a very clever way. The Chief is 1 of 12 so you have a lot of different tropes and stories to choose from if this one isnt for you!

Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven - A TRULY WONDERFUL book with great disability rep. Harry (Harriet) is probably the biggest STEM heroine Ive read in HR (I know you love those based on your writing) and is on the spectrum. On paper Thomas is a rake that cannot fathom committing to only one woman but he needs to marry for money fast and she just wants to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. They enter a marriage of convenience and this book is just plain lovely. The very few books that have made me cry. Its emotional and the relationship that builds between these two is just🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽

The Winter King and The Sea King by CL Wilson. CL Wilson is an amazing writing imo. I haven't read romantasy since high school and these books were the first ive read and enjoyed after such a long time. The first book is a marriage of convenience/ forced marriage situation. Her brother killed his brother and fiance?? I dont remember the specifics. But he wants a bride as payment and Thasin (our herione) father is an ass and decided TW there is dubcon. The first sex scene is the wedding night and there are aphrodiacs involved. Second one Dilys is a merman. Thats always fun. Super feminist too. Dont remember the exact details but did have a great time reading this one too.

The Duke Gets Even by Johanna Shupe. Shupe is a great writer and from the very few books I've read of her, The Duke Gets Even is probably my favorite.

Anything by Lorraine Heath but the most recent book I remember reading is The Duchess Hunt where the hero appoints his secretary (who secretly loves him) to find his a wife. Preferably one who is as organized, wonderful, and knows him as much as she does LOL. Lorraine one of the best writers in the genre and they always hit emotionally. You won’t go wrong with anything by her.

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas. An all time favorite book of mine. Think Persuasion but with a revenge plot. Aline drives McKenna away when they were younger to save him and he comes back a rich ass bitch ready for revenge. The chemistry between Aline and McKenna is insane. One of the few times I truly believed the “soulmates” thing. These two are definitely soulmates. And there’s a wonderful secondary romance as well.

What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long. An Age Gap romance where Alexander plans to seduce Genevieve as revenge against her brother (who slept with his mistress) but she susses him out quickly from there they become sort of friends? he helps her win over her crush, he tells her she has stars in her hair, and along the way they fall in love. Alex is one of my all time favorite heroes.

Lord Of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. As much as I love the hero of this book, Dan I recommend this book a lot solely for the heroine. Jessica Trent has my heart. She is that bitch.

Heartless Duke by Scarlett Scott. An intense romance between Leo, an agent for England and Bridgit, a fenian rebel. Lots of angst and sexual tension. So good.

Lost in Your Arms and That Scandalous Evening by Christina Dodd. These books were one of the first books I read when I started my own reading journey so these hold a special place in my heart. LIYA is about Enid who’s living her life as a widowed caretaker but then someone comes to tell her husband is alive and on the brink of death so she’s forced to nurse him back to health. The love confession that happens is honestly one of my favorite confessions of all time. TSE is about Jane who is back from self imposed exile after a scandal that ruined her ten years back. Ransom, the cause of her scandal and her last crush, suspects of being a spy and tries to stop her. With his heart (and dick).

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Sense and Sensibility (2024, Hallmark) a review

I had expectations for this movie. They were not surpassed. It didn't perform below them either.

Spoilers under the cut.

So, this is a short movie (1.24hr long) a tv movie, a hallmark movie. You must keep that in mind as a frame of reference for what I'm about to say. You cannot really compare this with theatrical movies on equal footing.

Where to start. Costumes and sets. It is Bridgerton's world and we live in it. Everything is VERY colorful and shiny and not very real looking; that was to be expected. I think that sort of semi-fantasy aspect didn't hurt at all, and it was consistent. If you are not going to stick to the time period, at least go ham and show me something really interesting. I'm looking at you, Netflix Persuasion. There are some dresses that are pretty, and some others that... aren't. Considering that apparently the costume designer had to make something like 60 pieces in a month, it's kind of impressive that it came out as it did.

One funny bit, though, in this respect, is that they complain about how small the cottage is like some actual estate houses aren't the same size IRL XD Allenham we only get to see from afar, and it is rather disappointing.

Music: nothing to write home about, to be expected. Yes, we got one of those Vitamin String Quartet modern-song-played-by-strings. IDK. They were a bit dorky in their heyday, I don't know why they are so sought after in these pieces lately. I digress.

The acting. Deborah Ayorinde was a really good Elinor. She definitely deserved better writing and direction. The rest of the cast was good enough; I feel some roles really benefited from their characters being a bit hammy already in the source material (Lucy, Mrs Jennings, Anne, Fanny, Robert), others were really struggling because of being given very poor dialogue (Mrs Dashwood), and others were just... not good (Willoughby and Brandon, sadly). Edward was... a very special case. I can only describe it as the actor having two expressions: one, an attempt at reaching Hugh Grant's adorkableness AND Dan Stevens' ease at the same time, and two [SCREAMING INTERNALLY], but I guess those two were indeed enough to make it work just fine!

Which leads me to the writing. We all knew this adaptation was going to live or die in the writing, and most likely die.

The thing is that most of it is written around repeating 95' and 08's greatest hits, while attempting to compress the narrative into an hour and a half. And that goes as well as you can expect it to. Some scenes are painfully rushed -Brandon's backstory was extremely awkward to get through- some things are over before you have any time to assess their real weight -Marianne's illness, and many others end up being... incongruous.

Let me stop a little on those. The movie keeps Margaret, and gives her the whole play acting as a pirate with Edward from 95', but then removes the only real plot relevant thing she does in the book. So why keep the character at all? (Willoughby asks for Marianne's handkerchief in exchange for Queen Maab, instead of cutting a lock of her hair).

Because 2008 makes Brandon suspicious of Willoughby from the get go, this one makes it so that they know each other and implies that Brandon knows dirt on Willoughby, but then plays the rest of the story straight, which makes it... pretty inconsistent.

Speaking of Brandon, we have reached adaptation #5 that cuts out the fact that he tried to elope with Eliza sr. This time the backstory is that his father promised to let him marry Eliza if he proved himself as a soldier, but when he came back, he found his father has kicked her out of the house. Yeah, that was utter nonsense.

The adaptation makes a clumsy attempt at including the dinner at Mrs Ferrars... but Brandon isn't there to see Marianne defend Elinor.

We needed to have a "Brandon rescues Marianne in the rain" scene, but in this case, she's not faint or anything, he just grabs her because she's sad XD

And the list goes on and on and on. It was to be expected that the shadow of both 95 and 08 would be large over this one, but it truly is to the point that the references and contrivances are almost constant. Which is a pity because I think most of the original choices were interesting.

For example, Marianne twists her ankle running after Margaret, to try and stop her from asking something embarrassing, which is a good choice in terms of showing that Marianne is passionate, but she has more sense than Margaret.

On his deathbed, Mr Dashwood makes Elinor promise that she will take care of her mom and sisters and keep the family together. That added pressure on Elinor works really well in the context of the adaptation, and ads a new layer of interest.

John Dashwood is written mostly as a hapless but not malicious idiot. This is similar to what From Prada to Nada did (though there it made more sense because of the father having two families simultaneously), but I'm not sure where was that going. They did cut the Palmers, so I suppose the choice was so that they could go to Norland instead on their way to Barton (it is never established that Norland is so far away as it is in the book, so I guess one could give it a pass), but in that case, I feel the most cost effective shortcut is... have them go to Barton? Because we do get to see Barton (Marianne goes alone with Brandon to see it close to the end, and they get engaged before Edward returns, don't think much about it, manners and such are... for this movie... loose guidelines. But it isn't super offensive most of the time).

Anne Steele is decent fun as she's supposed to be, but Lucy really suffers the flattening. The mastermind has been flanderized into just a mean girl, and that's a pity.

Oh, Edward is sassy at times! And the sassy jokes land! I have to say it is not my preferred way of doing the character, but he does show some sass at the end of the novel, so, you know, I'll allow it I suppose XD

Edward's return and proposal started pretty good, but it overstayed its welcome. I cannot emphasize enough that, when writing this kind of proposal, you must avoid the word love if you can, and if you must use it, use it once, and with great reluctance.

The movie chooses to dedicate quite a time to the reveal of Edward and Lucy's relationship, and it's honestly... decent? For a scene made out of whole cloth it stands on its own feet reasonably well. But there's no Fanny freakout. This is probably the most shocking plot twist in the adaptation. This very on-the-nose Hallmark adaptation decided to cut the Fanny freakout of all things. Impressive restraint.

One thing, however, that was sadly cut out was Elinor and Marianne's conversation about Willoughby at Barton. It is instead replaced by an unsubtle comparison between Willoughby and Edward, and an exchange between Brandon and Marianne. It is one of the several points where the storytelling relies on previous knowledge of the work.

These are my main, disordered thoughts. I leave you with this choice from the ending, that I cannot form a thought about:

At Elinor and Edward's wedding, on the first pew are in attendance, from center to side: Mrs Dashwood, Margaret, Marianne, colonel Brandon... and Eliza Williams with her baby in her arms.

As a summary, I'd say Elinor and Edward's story was good enough, the relationship between the sisters was sweet, there were some odd choices, some interesting choices, and overall the writing was severely downgraded by attempting so much to stick to the choices of previous famous adaptations.