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footballfanfictions · 3 years ago

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The thrill of the chase - Chapter Six

Pairings: Mason Mount/OC, Ben Chilwell/OC

Warnings: Grovelling Ben and a very upset Mason.

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Katie

Three more days passed with radio silence from Ben. I stormed into my office on Thursday morning feeling incredibly grumpy and resentful towards everyone else. That was until I opened the door and the smell of fresh flowers hit my nose.

Every available surface apart from a small workspace on the desk was covered in vases filled with white roses, lilies and purple flowers that I didn’t recognise.

As I moved some of the vases to make space to set up my computer and tablet next to my screen I realised that there was someone stood in my doorway.

“Billy! I’ve not seen you for days. How are you?”I asked chirpily, my bad mood already lifting.

“Ye good darl, see you got Chilly’s flowers then?” he stepped closer to one vase and inspected the flowers before saying “I think mine for Bri were better.”

I laughed, shaking my head at him. The start up screen on the computer flashed up and I logged in. Immediately I started to get google alerts and other pop ups for our social media channels and some of the players’ personal accounts.

“You’re going to be busy today. Mason’s mrs has been all over social media going bat shit crazy all evening, accusing him of cheating and allsorts.”

I narrowed my eyes at the screen trying to pick out Mason’s name in the pop ups.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I scrolled through.

Billy was right though, Mason’s social media was flooded with people commenting in the defence of his girlfriend, asking how he could ever dare cheat on her. I clicked through from Mason’s page to hers and listened to the short clip from her tik tok where she explained that Mason’s head wasn’t fully in their relationship and she felt that could only mean one thing, that he was cheating on her. I rolled my eyes but at the same time I didn’t quite know what to think. Was Mason really that type of guy? Footballers have a really shit reputation for cheating because they can basically get any girl that they want but we had that chat the other day when I was upset about Ben and he had told me that he didn’t want to end things with her because he was scared of being alone.

“Do you think he actually did it? I can do a better job of squashing this if he didn’t”

Billy shook his head and straight away said “No way. Ok he’s not really in it anymore but he feels really bad about that because they’ve been together so long and she even went with him when he played for Vitesse.”

“Do you think that you can send him my way when he’s free? I’ll do my best to block the trolls and we’ll deal with the rest when I see him.”

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“I am so sorry for running out on you last weekend.”

Ben had come in from training to spend his lunch break with me and was currently grovelling. I was quite enjoying having his attention again and wasn’t going to let him off the hook for disappearing that easily.

“Can I ask what was so important?”

“It’s going to sound stupid but I went back to Leicester. There was this kid there that I used to give my shirts to every week and he tweeted that it was his birthday and that he never got my shirt from the last game I played so I kind of panicked and drove up there with it.” he said.

He seemed genuine and if true, that was a very nice thing to do for a young fan. I felt the ice wall around my heart melt a little.

“I guess I can forgive you then.” I smiled.

“I hope no one told you to stop seeing me.” he mumbled, his head slightly turned in the direction of the door as if he was checking no one was listening.

I laughed and took a dramatic pause before I responded. “Bri was too loved up with Billy to give any kind of real opinion on the matter and the only other person I spoke to was Mase who told me that I should give you another chance.”

Ben shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of Mason’s name which seemed a little bit weird but then again he probably knew about what was happening in Mason’s relationship right now so dropped whatever he was going to say about it.

“Do you want to go and see a movie later? Mads has been going on and on about one he saw recently. Can’t remember the name of the top of my head but it sounds good.”

“That sounds nice. As long as it’s not a horror film then I’m up for it.” I responded.

Then feeling bad that I had been a bit stand-offish with him, I leant across the desk and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. As I sat back down in my seat he mumbled “tease.”

“Sorry you still don’t get to go back to full benefits that easy Mr Chilwell.” I grinned.

“Ok then gorgeous. Can I pick you up at about 7? I’ll look at the film times and see if we can squeeze dinner in before.” he said, standing from his chair and subtly trying to brush crumbs from his sandwich onto the floor.

“Yeah ok, I’ll be ready by then. I’m hoping that I won’t need to stay late tonight.” I stood from behind the desk to see him out and pecked him again on the lips just outside my office.

“See you later.” he grinned before leaving in the direction of the training pitches.

Just as Ben turned the corner, Mason came towards the door from the opposite direction, his brow furrowed.

“Are you here to see me?” I asked him.

“Of course, you asked for me?”

He sounded very upset so I tried my best not to get snappy at him.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t sure if you had gotten the message that’s all. Come in and I’ll make us a drink.”

His expression softened a little then and he entered the office, heading straight for the more comfortable chairs over the in the corner.

Thinking that it might be more comforting than a coffee, I made him a hot chocolate and finished it off with whipped cream on top. The only thing missing from it was some chocolate sprinkles.

He laughed when I passed him the mug and said “hey where are the smarties or the dolly mixtures?”

“It does seem like it needs something on top of the cream doesn’t it?” I laughed.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes while Mason sipped his drink and tried to calm himself down.

“I’ve seen her video.” I started.

“It’s a load of shit. You know it’s a load of shit right? Do you know what brought her to post that? They have a fucking new song coming out that’s about cheating and revenge and she wanted to use our relationship to promote it so their PR people told her to post a video about suspecting me of cheating to get her social media engagement up!” his voice escalated in volume as he spoke.

“Are you telling me that it was fake?”

He nodded. “Sorry for getting so angry and aggressive about it but how dare she shit on me and my image to further hers?!”

“Fuck, ok. I’m trying to think about how we manage this. If we come out and say that you haven’t done anything then I’m sure she’ll make your life living hell for it. If you were to break up with her over this, she can then make it spiral even more out of control and can use that to almost confirm her story.” I sighed, feeling so frustrated and angry for him.

“I want to break up with her now. I can’t stand the sight of her face. I don’t think I can go home and see her tonight. I don’t know what to do. I know you say she can then make it worse but I don’t know if I care at this point.” he put his head in his hands.

“Speaking to you as a friend, I think you need to do what is best for you and we will deal with the fall out from it together. We put out something this afternoon on your socials that deny her claims and we continue to do that until the story dies.” I said.

He looked over the top of his hands at me and nodded.

“Do you trust me to do this for you?” I asked.

“Of course. I’m grateful for your time. I know this isn’t exactly part of your job.”

“Marina would never forgive me if I let this get out of control and it started to affect your performance of the pitch or brought the image of the club into disrepute.” I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, hoping that he found the little bit of contact reassuring.

He looked at me, the hands that had been covering his face now in his lap and bit his lip. There was a silence between us again, and just as I was about to ask him if he felt any better, he leant in and pressed his lips against mine, his left hand coming up and cupping my cheek.

It took a lot longer for me to react and pull away from him than it should have, and he looked shocked when I did.

“Fuck!” he shouted before scrambling out of his seat and walking quickly to the door, running his hands through his hair. “Fuck!” he shouted again before slamming the door shut behind him.

#ben chilwell #mason mount #football fanfiction #football fanfictions #chelsea fc

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coffeestainsandcashmere · 4 years ago

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Let No Man Steal Your Thyme - Chapter Eight (sfw)

I hope those few of you who follow this blog even remember this story!! It's being posted on here as a WIP, so technically you're all my beta readers :). Sorry it's taking so long to work through, but I'm really busy with other writing work, plus actual work, and some life stuff, but it's not abandoned!

In this chapter, which is a bit of a filler chapter, Hermione gets a pleasant surprise visit at the Kneazel and Quill, and she learns what Draco is doing with himself all day at the Manor, and why he has the hands of a potion master. Meanwhile Draco is quietly freaking out about what Scorpius will think of his kindling relationship with one third of the legendary Golden Trio...

As always, looking forward to hearing your reactions and thoughts!

___

The bell above the door of the Kneazel and Quill jangled, and Hermione looked up to see a very familiar figure wearing practical, Muggle clothes, and a tired but genuine smile.

“Harry!” she shrieked in delight, rising and scuttling around the desk. “When did you get back? I thought you were on assignment in Sweden til —”

He raised his eyebrows. “Wednesday? It’s Wednesday today, Hermione.”

“So it is,” she laughed, and pulled him into a hug. “Cup of tea? You look wiped out.”

“I’m only staying if you’ve got custard creams…”

She snorted. “I must have known I’d need them — I stopped at the Tesco Express on my way in this morning.”

“Maybe Professor Trelawney was wrong about you and ‘the sight’ after all?” Harry grinned and she shook her head, curls bouncing everywhere for want of a hair-tie.

Seated in the cramped back room of her second hand bookshop, Harry looked at her and cocked his head slightly to the side.

“What?” she asked, dunking a biscuit into her tea.

Quietly, Harry said, “There’s something different about you.”

“No there isn’t,” she retorted, scoffing her custard cream down and reaching for another. “I’m the same washed up old hag I’ve always been. Now, tell me about Gothenburg! I’ve wanted to go back ever since we went there for that conference — must be, ooh, what, twelve years ago now? Gods, how time flies.”

“Ok, first of all, you’re nothing like a ‘washed up old hag’, so don’t you dare talk about yourself like that, and secondly, Gothenburg was amazing.”

She smiled, and let him tell her what he could about his assignment.

“Bet Ginny’s glad to have you back,” she said.

Harry’s face shifted into what Hermione called her favourite ‘Harry being soppy for his wife’ expression, and he flushed. “Yeah, probably. Apparently Lily’s been flying around the garden at Grimmauld and it’s giving Ginny kneazles. Lily’s been pretending to be the next seeker for the Harpies or something…” Raking his hand through his messy hair, he sighed. “Who’d have ever thought I’d be sitting in your bookshop, talking about my daughter learning to fly, eh?”

She smiled, but Harry’s expression cracked a little.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Hermione scowled fondly and reached across to take his hand in hers. “Harry… we’ve been over this a thousand times.”

“I know. I just…” he drew in a long inhale and then said, “So are you going to tell me what’s changed in your life since I’ve been away? You’re practically glowing. Did you meet someone?”

Hermione bit her lip and drew back, cheeks heating damnably.

“You did? Who is it? Do I know them?”

“Yes,” she said carefully. “You do. But if I tell you who it is, I need you to…” she puffed out her cheeks and finished off in a rush, “I need you to promise not to freak out first of all, and then promise you won’t tell a soul. Not even Ginny just yet, ok? It’s really important.”

Harry looked wary and worried at that.

Taking one more breath for courage, she said quietly, “It’s Draco Malfoy.”

For a moment, Harry fell utterly still, his green eyes wide and disbelieving. He looked like he was expecting Fred and George to pop out of the bookshelves with party streamers and tell him he’d been pranked, but when he saw her anxious expression, his shoulders dropped a fraction and he whispered, “You’re bloody serious.”

“Yes.”

“How?” he blurted. “I mean… the man’s a hermit by all accounts. How did you even meet him, let alone… you know…” he grimaced and she bit back a snicker. It looked like he’d swallowed a toad whole.

A tiny smile crept onto her lips and she relaxed just a little. “It was back on the first of September,” she said. “I went with Ginny to wave James and Albus off, and —”

“— of course, Scorpius started this year too.”

“Exactly. Draco was there to see him off. Ginny was amazed that he’d left the Manor, but he’s… Gods, Harry, he loves that boy so much.” She paused, recalling Draco's stricken expression as the train had pulled away from the platform, and of his fears about losing Scorpius because of their relationship.

Harry watched her with a quiet intensity for a moment and then asked, “So… Uh… how’d it happen?”

She laughed. “I invited him for a drink at the Leaky, fully expecting him to refuse. I think he surprised himself when he accepted. We had lunch together and honestly…? It was really nice. He’s changed, Harry.”

“I know.”

That surprised her, and she sat up a bit and frowned.

Chuckling softly, Harry ran a hand around the two-day stubble on his jaw. “You remember the attack on the Manor?”

“Little Scorpius yowled in my arms for hours while you questioned his father, Harry. I couldn’t forget that.”

Harry acquiesced with a sideways nod of his head. “Well, he wasn’t the same Malfoy from school in that interview room, Hermione. I don’t know what I was expecting, but when I could get him to focus on something that wasn’t the whereabouts of his son, he was articulate and helpful… Still arrogant and snappy, but…” Harry shook his head. “He’s definitely different.”

Hermione bit her lip to try and stop herself from crying, which failed, and when Harry looked up, his face fell.

“Hermione? What’s wrong?” He set his mug down and rose from his battered old armchair, crossing in two strides to kneel beside hers.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t understand,” she whispered, shaking and overwhelmed.

All the tension left Harry and he hugged her.

It was awkward because of the furniture, but Harry had always given the best hugs no matter the situation. “You deserve to be happy, Hermione. And you’ve always known your mind. If Malfoy can keep up with you, and keep you happy, then…” he shrugged without letting go, “I’ll support you. If he hurts you though, I will use every curse I’ve ever learned as an Auror on him.”

“Thanks, Harry. You promise you won’t tell anyone yet?”

He nodded.

And then someone cleared their throat from the doorway into the main shop, and Hermione jumped. Harry sprang back, hand going instinctively for his wand, but he stopped when he saw who was standing there.

“Theo!” Hermione exclaimed, smearing the last of her tears off her cheeks. “What are you doing here? I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Too busy sobbing onto dear Potter’s shoulder,” he said without barb. “Everything alright?”

She nodded. “Just getting emotional about something as usual. What’s up?”

“Just came to see if you wanted to grab lunch, but I can see that England’s favourite Auror has returned. How was your trip, Potter?”

“Good,” he said, suddenly every bit the awkward boy he’d been at Hogwarts. “I just finished debriefing and thought I’d stop by for a custard cream and a chat with Hermione before I head home. I’m on leave for a week now.”

“Nice,” Theo smiled. “Any plans?”

Harry shrugged. “A few casual rounds of quidditch with Ron and the others,” he said. “Time with Ginny and Lily. Might pop up to Hogsmeade and see if I can visit James and Albus at the weekend.”

Conversation stalled, and Harry rocked back on his heels before putting his mug down and turning to Hermione.

“Look, I’d better get going,” he said. “But… Come over for dinner this week, alright?”

She nodded. “I’d love that. Tomorrow any good?”

“I’ll check with Ginny, but I can’t see why not. I’ll owl you.” He paused and then grinned. “C’mere,” he said, and pulled her into another enormous hug. With a hand briefly on the back of her head, he murmured, “I won’t tell a soul.”

“Thank you,” she said, squeezing him so hard he wheezed.

“See you, Nott,” Harry said with a polite nod as he left.

Once the bell had fallen silent again, Theo turned to her and crossed his arms loosely over his chest. “Everything alright?” he asked again now that they were alone.

“Yeah,” she said and rolled her eyes. “I told him about Draco and bound him to secrecy. I was so relieved when he took it so well that I just burst into tears.”

Theo laughed at that and finally seemed to relax. “I’m honoured to have known before Potter, then,” he said. “And what, pray, are those?” he added when his eyes landed on the custard creams.

“Muggle biscuits,” she said, picking up the plate and holding it out to him. “They’re delicious.”

Theo looked as if she’d offered him a plate of slugs and held up his hand. “Thanks… I’ll, uh, pass.”

“You’re such a snob, Theodore Nott,” she laughed, bustling off to tidy the mugs and plate away. “What did you want, anyway?”

“Lunch,” he said.

“It’s three in the afternoon,” she countered.

“Mmm. I had a deposition that went on forever. I’m starving.”

“Theo, I do actually have a business to run,” she said. “Isn’t today Dan’s day off? Can’t he go instead?”

“He’s already reserved us a table and is probably halfway through his steak and rioja by now,” Theo groused. “I’ll bring you a doggy bag if we have any leftovers,” he added affectionately.

“Thanks?”

Pausing on the threshold to the back room, Theo fixed her with one of his rare, intense and sincere looks. “I’m glad things worked out with you and Draco. Potter was right; you both deserve to be happy.”

She swallowed thickly, feeling tears prickle at her eyes again. “You won’t tell anyone? He wants to tell Scorpius himself. He doesn’t want it coming from someone else first.”

Theo dragged his thumb across his heart in a cross and nodded. “Drinks on Friday? Draco said he might come.”

“I’ll be there anyway,” she promised, and Theo left with a friendly wink that only he could get away with.

She and Draco continued to see each other, mostly using the seclusion of his London apartment, though they did sometimes go back to hers. There they watched the 1946 Great Expectations. To Hermione’s surprise, however, Draco informed her that it wasn’t his first time seeing a muggle film. That, naturally, led down a whole rabbit hole of questions, ending with the discovery that Draco had built Scorpius a warded playroom inside Malfoy Manor that was shielded from the effects of magic and thus allowed Muggle technology to function perfectly.

“But… you need electricity!” she’d blurted.

Laughing and looking far too smug with himself, Draco said, “Indeed.”

“But… wizarding households don’t have electricity!”

“Granger, you’re glorious when you’re baffled. I must make more efforts to confound that brilliant mind of yours more often.”

“Tell me!” she’d shrilled, pinching him in the ribs as they sat on the sofa together with the end credits rolling away in the background. When he’d just sat back with his mouth quirked into an infuriating smirk, she had straddled him and raked her fingers through the slightly shorter hair just above his hears on either side of his head, scrunching the silver-white waves until he’d groaned and bucked upwards slightly into her. “Tell me, Draco Malfoy, or no more kisses.”

“You drive a hard bargain, my beautiful, brilliant witch,” he purred, slightly breathless as she continued to hold him in her grasp, head tilted back a little, throat exposed. His hands landed reverently on her hips and he closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the contact.

Naturally, Hermione kissed him on the lips and he smiled. “Perpetual shock charm,” he said when she drew back. “I made a generator.”

“That’s… That’s so simple it’s genius. But surely you had to look up —?”

“I’m fairly certain I could get a job as a muggle ‘electrician’ now,” he snickered, chasing after more kisses. “But I choose not to.”

“What do you do with yourself all day?” she asked. “Running Malfoy Manor and the estate can’t take up all your time, surely?”

He went a little tense beneath her at that and then chuckled, embarrassed. “I… I’m on the board of a number of charities,” he said, “And I’m currently conducting research into a number areas in the field of Potions. I did a postal course to get my NEWTs in Potions, and shortly after that, attained my masters.”

“Huh,” she said, sitting back a bit. She reached down and brought his hands up in front of her. Pressing a kiss to each of his scar-flecked knuckles, she murmured, “That explains a lot. You’ve got the hands of a potion-master, Draco.”

“Too many spills and accidents,” he snorted. “And not enough dragon hide gloves.”

“What are you researching?”

“A number of projects,” he said evasively.

“Come on,” she laughed, dropping his hands again and beginning to nuzzle at his jawline and neck. He was utterly weak to that, she’d discovered to her absolute delight, and she was not above using it to her advantage. Beneath her, he shivered and went limp, turning his head with a sigh of pleasure as she raked her teeth over his pulse and then kissed him.

“I’m working on… ah… on a recipe that… oh gods, Granger…”

“Go on,” she crooned.

“A recipe to make the wolfsbane potion commercially viable,” he panted.

At that, she did pause, but only for a moment. Next thing Draco knew, Hermione had flung her arms around his neck and was squeezing the life out of him like a boa constrictor.

“Granger?”

She just shook her head, thinking of what Remus Lupin would say if he knew what Draco was working on now on behalf of his kind. “Why?” she eventually croaked without removing her face from the crook of Draco’s neck.

His hands skated gently up and down her back, the heat simmering back down to something calmer; something fond and affectionate. “Because,” he fairly growled, “Fenrir Greyback tormented my mother when he lived with us at the Manor, and I had no idea that werewolves could be functioning members of society with the right help until I met Remus Lupin. It was just another area where if I’d only known more at the time, it would have made so much difference to my perception of things.”

He sighed and kissed the side of her head.

“I can make a difference now. I’ve got a state of the art potions lab in one of the dungeons at the Manor, and Severus left his entire collection of books and notes to me in his will. He must have known I always wanted to be a potions master, even when I didn’t think I’d live beyond the end of that awful year…”

That was probably the longest continuous speech from Draco she’d heard since they’d started seeing each other, and the emotion in his voice, lingering beneath the surface like a hidden current, moved her deeply.

“You’re a wonderful man, Draco,” she whispered as she kissed his temple. “I wish the world could see you for who you are now…”

“You see me,” he said very quietly. “That’s enough.”

___

To be continued! Don’t forget to let me know what you think, and help a relative newbie (at least to contributing anyway) to the fandom out by reblogging!

writing masterlist | Ao3

#hermione x draco #dramione fic #draco malfoy #hermione granger #older dramione #older dramione fic #hermione granger x draco malfoy #let no man steal your thyme

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jellyfishloveletterghosts · 4 years ago

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Lowes Sugar Baby Au

Part 1?/ WIP Wednesday I might do this as a series of shorts like Camboy might not undecided at this point. This is all Lily’s fault for inspiring it over on discord 💜💜

Billy is waiting patiently foot tapping for someone to notice they have a customer and come assist him, Shelby his collie sitting at his side waiting for her own notice, popping up to look over the counter wondering where her biscuit and pets are.

He hit the call button as soon as he got here but he is pretty sure the thing must be broken, as no one has even popped their head out the door from the little back room to check.

“DIBS!” Billy hears someone yell from the back, followed by more shouting as he drums his fingers on the desk doing a mental tally to double check his notes on what he needs.

“You can’t fucking call dibs Harrington you’ve been here two days!” A familiar nasally voice calls, Keith, Billy has dealt with him a few times before, mostly to complain.

“Come on Keith, let me have him, please, I hear he’s hot.” Billy smiles amused and a little curious about who this is all about.

“You can’t go around picking clients with your dick Steve.” Comes a third voice, female and laughing.

“Course I can, plus he’s rich right, I would make an excellent sugar baby, it’s what I was made for, look at this ass.” Harrington says with his own laugh and Billy is intrigued.

“Sit down, no one wants to see that.” Keith shouts Shelby popping her head up and her ears going flat at the sound of something being thrown, Billy just slides a hand through the fur at her neck until she settles some, still propped up on her hind legs but more relaxed.

“We know you’re bi Keith.” Is Harrington’s haughty response giving Billy new unwanted information.

“Just because I’m bi doesn't mean I have an interest in your ass.” Keith says getting an offended gasp in return.

“But it’s so delicious, isn’t it delicious Robin?” Harrington simpers and asks, laugh accompanying the sound of a body hitting the ground. “Ow.”

“Keith is right no one wants to see that.”

“Robin, why are you betraying me so.” Comes the over dramatized response that has Billy snorting. “Hey what’s that light for again?”

“Shit that means someone's at the desk and no one is there.” Billy pulls his face into disinterest.

Shelby drops back down to the floor as Keith shows up in the doors, he never gives her biscuits, she is not his biggest fan.

Billy smirks as he sees the dread slide across Keith’s face when he realizes who he has kept waiting, frowning as Keith abruptly turns on his heel and disappears again.

“You know what Harrington I’m feeling generous today, you want Hargrove you can have him.” Billy hears Keith say, he blinks surprised to find out he is who the fuss has been about.

“Really?” Comes Harrington’s bright voice, clearly full of excitement.

“No Steve, don't fall for it, it’s a trap. Keith isn’t generous, what's the catch.” Comes Robin rightfully suspicious, Billy knows he is difficult.

“No catch” Keith says an obvious lie, before adding “he’s here right now, so go take care of him.”

“Oh shit really, how do I look?”

“The same as you always do get your ass out there.” Keith says groaning and five seconds later Steve is sliding out the door, a bright smile pulling at his pink lips as he sets his eyes on Billy.

Billy is not sure what he was expecting, definitely not someone so pretty “Hi I’m Steve, you’re new account manager, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Billy is definitely thinking about what he overheard as he leans against the counter wide grin pulling at his lips, he might not have come in looking for a sugar baby but he is not opposed to leaving with one.

Part 2

#harringrove #Jellyghostfic #fanfiction #st fic #lowes sb au

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nc7dr3am · 4 years ago

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IF LILY DATED...

HI this is a long post. the idea for this was inspired by my favorite @delicatejisung who also has an nct dream oc that you MUST follow. also i know the edit sucks. also also i write very light nsfw stuff in this. like mentions but no smut cuz i don’t do that. HOWEVER there are no nsfw mentions w jisung. ik teens do whatever and lily is only a year older than him but 1.) i will not do that because he is still a minor and 2.) they just aren’t like that together. they don’t need it

THIS IS ALL HYPOTHETICAL NONE OF IT IS OFFICIALLY CANON. lmk which ones sound cute cuz even tho it’s not gonna happen .. lilno and chenlil might have stolen my heart

mark:

you can bet they’d be so completely in love with each other

very sweet, very romantic

“baby” “babe”

in front of the camera they’re normal, the same amount of affection as usual, oftentimes less

lily, when mark is talking or being unintentionally attractive: *bites bottom lip, looks up a little, seems like she’s trying not to smile*

he does his rap in mfal to her randomly and it’s cringey and funny but he does it to make her smile because he knows it’s her fav title track

when she sings he smiles so wide because in his opinion. there is no sound more beautiful than her voice

they talk to each other so well. like. they can sit for HOURS just talking and it never gets old to them

writes genuine love letters to her but will cringe and hate himself if he gives them to her until she gets teary and smiles

her basically giving him book reports about the books she reads and he literally falls more in love with her when she’s screaming about the novels because she is so PASSIONATE

her falling asleep in the practice rooms or studio late at night because she INSISTS on staying with him

and when he kisses her he likes to tilt her chin up with his hand of holds both sides of her face

hyuck taking credit for the whole relationship

she has a collage of polaroids of them, of him (including some of the ones from qtah) that are separate from her other photos of friends (she has a lot)

mark has a few polaroids of her that he keeps by his bed and he always smiles when he sees them

HE 10000% WRITES SONGS FOR HER AND SHOWS HER BUT HES REALLY NONCHALANT ABOUT IT

she never calls him oppa (even a bit before they start dating tbh)

when she has to do sexy performances or just acts sexy you will 100% find mark at his most awkward

they will have fun doing ANYTHING they’ll be happy through anything if they’re together

they could go through five watermelons in a day

konglish all the time. and getting excited/thinking something is funny and jumping and screaming

“can i have your netflix password, lils?” “mark you’re literally richer than me and still use all of my accounts”

her getting embarrassed by him and giggling

she will continue her campaign to get mark to play spiderman

lazy days making music, him watching her cook, binge watching american reality shows she likes, and literally just days where theyfe in bed and make out and talk and make out

shopping trips all the time

they love to do activities together. like, they’ll go places and try new things

she’s desperate to visit his home and his family

and they have their ideal life planned. like. if they weren’t idols they’d get an apartment together. they wanna have some pets together. they have trips they’d like to go on together

they grew up together, they’ve loved each other for years, they’ve been pillars of support

but as much as they’ve loved each other they grew to be IN love with each other

but teased by every unit especially 127. wbk.

they’re more.. private than the others. they’re alone together a lot and don’t overdo it in front of the others

SLIGHT nsfw below. no smut but. and then some fluff near the end <3

ummm so like. vanilla for the most part even tho lily is a bit more ✨wild✨

oh um. ass grabs. when they’re alone but. constantly

when they get comfy with each other (read: when mark finds confidence and is comfy) he will always have his hands on her ass

even just resting there

mirror selfies with his hand on her ass

if he can’t touch her ass, it’s always a hand on her thigh

very affection when alone together, moderate when they’re with others

he likes to lay on her stomach and she loves when he lays on her shirtless

so many days where they just lay in bed together, tangled in lily’s blankets, music playing in the background, lazy makeout sessions... need i go on? CUTE SHIT

mark isn’t great at expressing his emotions publicly, and they hold so much of their relationship just between them. they both always know how much they love each other

renjun:

so they’re SOFT

song covers together

she tries to learn mandarin but. she ends up getting frustrated that she can’t get it and renjun kisses it better

he tells her the wrong words in mandarin a lot and it has fucked her over a lot, especially in lives

“oppa, how do you say ‘i bought that shirt for renjun?’”

*in mandarin* “i am in love with renjun”

they’d be a bit more obvious about their feelings, a bit more touchy

when they confess, they’re together right away, no questions asked. they literally need each other

sleepovers every night and they’re generally really cozy

lily reading, renjun drawing, a movie playing on her laptop that they aren’t paying too much attention to

renjun has specific articles of clothing he puts aside in his closet because he KNOWS she’s gonna take those specific ones

he is very into giving her flowers and little gifts

shes asked him to give her mf art lessons LMAO

ended with them covering each other in paint and making a MESS

they’re silly together, they’re the couple who knows how to cook but starts playing with the ingredients and makes a mess

they leave sticky notes for each other everywhere

lily jumping into his arms

constant pecks on the lips. the dreamies are sick of it. so sick of it.

deep talks late at night

lily being funny and having a box of his stuff in her room even though they live in the same place

nomin threatening renjun

but then lily fourth wheeling with them all

somehow they become even more of a savage duo

when they make eye contact while performing they’ll make faces at each other

he turns the koala joke into her pet name

so he calls her koala and she calls him a pain in her ass

SOFT KISSES he always cups one side of her face

he braids her hair a lot or does cute little styles

lots of cafe dates

will KILL any of the others if they wake her up when she’s sleeping

the type of romance that’s sappy but also they can most definitely roast each other

she likes to wrestle him LMAOO

the way they’re basically chenji’s babysitters is SO FUNNY it started to happen a lot right after they got together

they want to adopt a puppy and name him moomin

SLIGHT nsfw below. no smut but. and then some fluff near the end <3

okay so it’s kinda.. more hesitant and sometimes she takes the lead more than he does

their make out sessions are more heated but don’t always lead to something

like the way it’s going youd THINK it’d be something, but then they just decide to watch a movie and go to bed

he really likes her neck and collarbones but can’t do much to her neck because yknow they’re idols

there’s almost no insecurity in their relationship

it’s very relaxed and loving, and everyone around them can see and feel the love

jeno:

a bit unexpected

a ✨whirlwind romance✨

lilno? more like lilmino because jaemin is always there

a part of her was genuinely sad that she broke up nomin and everyone looks at her like she’s crazy

torn between her love for him and letting him go if jaemin confessed

they can be a bit more obvious in front of fans than the others, because for some reason there isn’t much suspicion there

in front of czennies he lowkey flexes and picks her up over his shoulder a lot, has his arm around her a lot, and they wink at each other from across the set

he holds her waist a lot, and he’s super protective

but also the !! softness !!

have literally been walked in on several times of them just peppering each other with kisses and laughing and its literally lowkey a movie romance

working out together

practicing dances together

the type of guy to literally ignore everything she’s saying because her beauty distracted him

she hits him on the arm for that

passionate kisses

there have been too many times where the others walk in the kitchen and lily is sitting on the kitchen counter with her arms around jeno’s neck as they’re just making out

they’re the couple that’s yelled at by the dreamies the most because sometimes they need to chill out

LMAO THEYRE LIKE THE HORMONAL HIGH SCHOOL COUPLE

and like they love each other deeply and fully, it’s not high school in that regard

but they giggle too much and are kinda all over each other sometimes

they use pet names just a BIT too much

the older guys are a bit more protective of her with him than they would be with any of her other options

cuz while they’re softies

they escalate their relationship super quick

and it’s RIGHT for them

but the hyungs are protective

jeno surprisingly isn’t that jealous because if he could actually get lily

he knows neither of them are going anywhere

him constantly telling her how beautiful she is

her encouraging him and telling him he’s so talented and more than he thinks he is

when they ride the tandem bikes (i think that’s what they’re called? the bikes with two people?) it’s just jeno pedaling

OH and when they make eye contact during stages it only enhances their stage presence because they both wanna look sexy for their boo

jeno is rooting for lily solo because he knows she deserves it

super sweet and wholesome and they make each other smile so WIDE

she pops his zits for him LMAO

cuddles for DAYS and jeno’s fav thing is when she falls asleep in his arms

touches his muscles all the time

SLIGHT nsfw below. no smut but. and then some fluff near the end <3

they make out so much OMG

a bit wilder than she would be with others

she loves to run her hand down his abs

when she does that or touches his biceps it lowkey turns him on

jeno is a bit more reserved than the others at times, but with lily he feels utterly HIMSELF

he doesn’t feel like the jeno who is just a hot rapper. he feels more than that with her

they bring the light out in each other

hyuck:

another unexpected pair but a lot more expected than jeno/lily would be

they’re both literal sunshine and they would be such a beautiful couple

lily aka the only human alive to fluster hyuck

and even THAT doesn’t happen very often

hyuck’s lap = lily’s seat

SO touchy and affectionate but not in the way lily/jeno would be

it’s like constant hand holding, hugging, sitting on each other, leaning on each other, stars in there mf EYES

while they still tease each other and mess around

i have a very specific image in mind of them waking up together, hyuck leaning over her, the biggest smiles on their faces, and then kissing each other

and lily’s just like “hi” with the cutest smile, and then he says it back with the same smile

it might surprise you but hyuck POSSESSIVE

will gatekeep her and not let anyone hug her

always calls her his girlfriend in front of the members

he stands behind her with an arm around the middle of her torso a lot and she’s just absentmindedly playing with his fingers

only a tiny, lil bit obvious in front of czennies because they’re both so affectionate?? and before they dated lily would call him the love of her life?? and keep her face close to his?? this is NORMAL for them

but one of the biggest clues is hyuck being physically unable to not stare at her lips sometimes

they read each other’s tarot nearly every day HAHAH

very romantic as well

she sings him “you are my sunshine” all the time, just stroking his face and staring at him with all of the love in the world

like i said, they still tease the fuck outta each other and roast each other and are at each other’s throats but then they can flip INSTANTLY

he kisses her knuckles and traces her face

he games and she’s falling asleep on his lap

127 squad doesn’t like when they’re being forward because haechannie is the maknae

she loves life cuz more hyuck = more taeil

he will move mountains to make her laugh or see her smile

he’s begging sm for a sexy dance break with the two of them

she’s obsessed with how gorgeous his skin is

the type of boyfriend that notices the tiny little things

he’ll do things/get things for her just because he thought of her or remembered something she said

SLIGHT nsfw below. no smut but. and then some fluff near the end <3

another one that’s a bit wilder

theyre not shy LMAO

steamy intense makeouts like

how is he so good? lily is very satisfied

overall they’re such a fun beautiful HAPPY couple

theyre both so loving and wonderful and there is not one single doubt in anyone’s mind that they love each other fully

jaemin:

literally impossible in any universe

chenle:

lily and chenle have always been two sides of the same coin and he had been waiting for so long

the SMILES

the most beautiful happy smiles at each other ALWAYS because how did they get so lucky?

they were each other’s first proper kiss (canonically, as well)

it’s perfect because they’re best friends and always have been

nothing much changes except the affection and little things because they’re both still best friends

jisung being on all of their dates

he always buys her expensive shit and she hates it so much

she puts on lipstick JUST to kiss his cheek

jisung has walked in on them vibing, on them making out, and yeah he’s sick of it and so happy he only saw them kissing

always sleeping in the same room (usually at his place 👀) but theyre a huge mess when they sleep at night and someone ends up hitting the other because chenle moves too much for her liking

they’re still competitive and of course they still have their alliance

because dating or not, they would fight to the death on that rooftop

chenle literally will kiss every inch of her face because he likes hearing her giggles and he can’t believe he finally got his lily

CUDDLING ALL THE TIME and they’ve fallen asleep on the couch in the dorms and when they’re sleeping HARD the others like to see how many things they can balance on their heads

he will HYPE HER UP ALWAYS

but then say summ like “her face is weird tho” after and unless they’re in front of fans he ends up kissing her after she hits him

when she has to be sexy on stage, he is HERE FOR IT even if the stage is with another person because!! YES his girlfriend is hot, he’s LUCKY

she loves going to his house!! mostly because his family but also

they get to have privacy and be a couple

they’ll hold hands on camera cuz they don’t give a single fuck

they’re definitely outed and have to go public

which just makes their competitive streak and constant roasts WORSE

she loves the sound of his laugh but will yell at him if it hurts her ears

threatens to get one of his predebut photos tattooed on her

a big part of them loving each other is annoying each other and being soft behind the scenes

always together

SLIGHT nsfw below. no smut but. and then some fluff near the end <3

the more intimate aspects of the relationship were really weird at first

but they’re very compatible so it was just fun to them

he WILL honk her boob. has done it in front of the others by accident and jaemin forbid her to see him for a few days

they kinda taught each other how to kiss way before they dated so it was funny when they did it as a couple

peak friends-to-lovers and even czennies can’t help but love then

jisung:

god their shyness is kinda annoying

really confident in private- they talk a lot, they’re very good at just chilling

but lily has to be the one to hold his hand because he’ll get nervous even when he’s so comfy in the relationship

i mean not that the dreamies have time to be in a relationship, but jisung was so SCARED to kiss her and have his first kiss

she thought it was funny

clumsy duo and they tease tf outta each other for it

chenle always being around

they can’t tell who the members are more protective over in the relationship

hugs!!! she loves to backhug him and he thinks it’s cute cuz she’s so tiny

they watch harry potter too much

she has almost convinced him to ride a rollercoaster but ended up failing

he makes fun of her height a lot and then she’ll trip him or something

he’s kinda protective and gets insecure that he’s younger than her sometimes but she just kisses his cheek and tells him to stop worrying

tbh they’re the most innocent, wholesome couple

they wanna go out on dates and they do but catch another member tagging along to babysit them

she gets wine drunk next to him and he can’t drink so he just has this drunk woman on his hands and doesn’t know what to do but honestly she just wants him to cuddle her to sleep

his voice is her favorite sound and she wants him to sing more

whenever anyone says something weird about jisung they both hold up the handcuffs cuz

they’re super weird they can be so confident and then one of them gets flustered and will be a shy baby

trading lines in concerts

lily making cute faces at him, staring at him blankly, winking at him, acting cute to him in front of fans

they share one braincell together and probably accidentally outed themselves by using pet names and like. holding hands on live

and then the OH SHIT face happens

they’ve given the older members heart attacks because he’ll give her a piggyback ride, they’ll hug really tight, or WORSE... they’ll give each other a lil kiss

they’re more innocent by nature but they love kissing and he loves holding her face because her skin is pretty and soft

he wears her perfume on his wrist so he can smell her and smile

the type of boyfriend who is CLUELESS about girl stuff

he wants her to try a different hair color. like a weird one

she refuses

taeyong actually loves them together so much

them dating and being IN LOVE and jisung still gives her cash for her birthday

the “i love you’s” are so. cute. and full. of. LOVE

she is merciless when theyre playing something against each other. she’ll TRY to get him out

usually lily is clingier but when she’s standing and jisung is sitting with his arms around her waist and his head squished to her side it’s so cute

he gets randomly really clingy at times and won’t let go of her

emotional bub will get teary because he loves her so much

#na jimin #na lily #nct addition #nct dream addition #nct dream oc #nct oc #kpop addition #kpop oc #nct 22nd member #nct dream 8th member

42 notes · View notes

lovelyysiriuss · 4 years ago

Text

weak when ur around

*gif not mine

author’s note: HELLOOOOOOO Tumblr!! it feels so amazing to say that again, I used to write on this account 2 years ago under the username “lovelysiriuss” (basically my user without the extra “y”). but from not continuing with my writing and losing inspiration from it, I deleted my entire account. I had written so many oneshots that received numerous of positive notes along with followers. I was so sad and it’s one of things that I regret most since Tumblr is such a great community, especially for a Harry Potter lover like me. thankfully, I had transferred all those oneshots into a big fat book on wattpad that has over 15k views!!

on that note, I will be continuing to write Harry Potter imagines/oneshots on this new acc of mine. this quarantine had made me realize how much I missed writing, even if it’s fanfiction.

I'm so excited to be posting my first ever oneshot that I had ever written on my previous acc on this new and improved Tumblr account of mine! please, stay tuned for many many more Harry Potter oneshots of all your favorite characters. thank you, I love everyone in this community <3

MASTERLIST | ASKS! REQUESTS! TAGS! | SUBMIT ANYTHING!

PAIRING: Young!Sirius Black x Fem!Reader

PLOT: In which Sirius realizes he feels weak when he's around her, but not knowing what to do about it.

WORD COUNT: 1014

SIDE NOTES: inspired by the song “weak when ur around” by blackbear

NO ONE IN A MILLION YEARS would believe that Sirius Black would go to the library. They would just laugh right at that person's face. Then once they have calmed down they would utter a simple sentence.

The library and Sirius Black, are not a good combination.

That was indeed true. Little did those people know that the only reason Sirius went to Hogwarts' library is to watch a certain girl he's been completely infatuated with for a few weeks, yet he has known her almost half of his school life.

Y/N. God, even her name gave him butterflies. That's basically how whipped the dark-haired fellow is.

He was currently watching her, well, "studying" the way that he puts it, it was fitting though especially since he doesn't actually study for anything; the way she bit her lip when she was concentrated, the way she absentmindedly raises her brow whenever she was thinking, the way she fluttered her thinly mascara-coated lashes so she can stop the sleep from taking over her body. The way how she was not like any other girl Sirius has ever come across.

Sometimes he would see her in the common room, talking to a friend. The way she would attentively listen to what they had to say, the way she would engage in the conversation while sharing her opinions rather than just nod along like most girls that he knew would have the position to do.

He has talked to her before. But when he did have the courage to, his palms became all sweaty, stomach churning, breath staggering.

While he just smiled, licking his lips and biting them, chuckling nervously. Pulling off some sort of facade like he was "okay" when in reality he really did not know what that word even meant.

However she just politely smiled, biting her lip. A habit she had when she was nervous. Perhaps she felt the same?

One day when he just couldn't take it anymore, he decided to let all his feelings out to his best friend, James.

"Prongs, you don't understand. I can't eat, I can't sleep, not without thinking of her!" His voice rising higher and higher with each word. But the question is, how could he not understand? Since he's been in love with Lily for the longest time, this was basically how he was feeling in his state of 'depression' for years.

Sick of hearing Sirius' puppy-love for the girl he could just glance at and have her in his arms; while James has been chasing after the same girl for years and still has yet to get, James decided to pop the question Sirius was thinking about since he first felt this sensation, "Then why don't you tell her you love her!?"

The silence was deafening in the room they were in. After the both of them have recoiled from their previous ruckus, Sirius decided to clear the air.

With vulnerability, Sirius softly shook his head, "I-I can't. She doesn't fall for the bad boys. A-And she's hard to get, I've heard."

James waved his hand, smirking. "Pish posh. You're Sirius Black! You could get a girl just by laying a finger on her and she's already on top of you!"

Realization dawned on Sirius, his mouth gaping open. He is, in fact, Sirius Black, why has one girl taken away his one power? The one thing that he was good at doing? Pun intended.

"Y-You're right! This is why I can count on you Prongs! I love you, man!" He was practically tumbling out of the room mid-sentence. Prongs chuckling as the raven-haired man left their shared room.

Now he was trying to find the girl, who of which calls herself Y/N. When he fled down the stairs that led to the Gryffindor common room, he saw her. Sitting on the couch, books sprawled out on the coffee table in front of her.

Sirius couldn't look back now, growing a pair, he waltzed over to the flawless girl. She saw someone walking towards her from the corner of her eye, looking up she realized it was just Sirius. "H-Hey Sirius?" She greeted, quite questionable since he barely talked to her.

"Hey, um... so what are you doing there?" Nervously running his hands through his jeans, to prevent his hands from sweating. Then sat next to his crush.

The girl was completely confused. "Er-Just studying." She offered him a tight smile. "Okay, cut the crap Sirius, what are you really here for?" The girl voiced her own thoughts.

He tried to laugh it off, giving it away. To which Y/N just looked at him oddly, he finally decided to come clean. "Y/N you don't understand, I'm totally weak when you're around. I get all nervous and fumbly around you, I've never been like this around any girl. To me girls were like socks, they get changed every day and/or week. But you, oh God you...y-you're different than any girl I have ever met..." He put a hand on her cheek, shocking her slightly to which she widened her Y/E/C eyes.

"So will you please, for the love of Godric, go out with me?" He dramatically asked grabbing her hand, without thinking, and pulled it to his chest. She looked into his eyes, he had the most sensitive, loving, look in his stormy gray eyes.

Being a bit daring, she leaned in capturing his lips onto hers. Molding together, fitting perfectly, she couldn't help but melt into him. This was a moment of bliss for the both of them. He was so in love with this girl.

He knew it was cheesy, but he actually felt sparks and fireworks erupt within him.

He was first to break the kiss, taking a long intake of breath the air was offering him. He broke the tension, "Is that a yes?"

The Y/H/C girl looked at him, grinning from ear to ear. "Just shut up and kiss me."

122 notes · View notes

reyesstrand · 4 years ago

Note

not sure if I’m allowed to send another but, what about 85 for tarlos?

sorry for the wait for this, but this idea got in my head and it kind of got out of control — a good ending to this series, i guess!! i hope you enjoy!

prompt taken from this list. also available on ao3!!

Three weeks to the day after the solar flare, Carlos receives a cryptic text from his mom: come for lunch today?

He mulls it over; he loves his mother, and it’s no secret to anybody that knows him that he’s a total mama’s boy, but there’s got to be a reason behind her impromptu meal, and an evil part of his mind tells him it has to be bad news. She doesn’t mention anything about his sisters joining them, and Carlos doesn’t know if that should stress him out more or less. If it’s something bad, he’d assume that he and his sisters would find out at the same time — but that only leaves him more confused.

She’s a strong woman, and is a complete health-nut — ever since his abuela started having mobility issues, his mother’s been a champion for organic eating and natural sleep aids and doing yoga every morning. Carlos can’t put bad news from the doctor completely off the table, but he starts to drift towards the other countless possibilities — and so he can’t say no to her. Even if it’s his only day off that lines up with TK’s schedule, he spares a glance at his softly snoring boyfriend before figuring the man’s close enough with his own father that he’ll have to understand a shift in plans. And so Carlos finds himself more alert than he’d been when he’d rubbed sleep from his eyes and initially checked his phone five minutes ago, thumbs hovering over the screen before he sends her a simple of course, mami, and sets about getting ready for the day after pressing a quick kiss to TK’s hairline.

He’s showered and had his coffee and is trying to quietly get dressed when Carlos hears TK groan and grumble, clearly fighting between catching a little more sleep and getting out of bed. Carlos watches with a small smile as TK slowly sits up when he realizes he’s alone in bed, before their gazes catch, and his heart soars as TK’s eyes visibly light up at seeing him.

“Everything okay?” TK asks, voice still deep and groggy, and Carlos nods as he starts on buttoning up his shirt.

“We might have to change our plans today,” Carlos says apologetically. “I really—fuck, I really wanted to spend he day with you, but my mom wants me to come over and she usually doesn’t spring stuff like that on me unless there’s something wrong, and—”

“Hey,” TK cuts him off, and Carlos raises his brows at him. “It’s okay, seriously. Marjan’s been bugging me to take Buttercup to get some pampering, anyway.”

“You’re the best,” Carlos says, and TK grins at him.

“Damn straight.”

TK tilts his head up, clearly looking for a kiss. Carlos huffs out a laugh and comes in close, so their mouths are nearly touching, before he whispers, “You have no shame, do you.”

“Nope,” TK grins, eyes crinkling in the corners, popping the p before he closes the space between them and gets the kiss he wanted. “I’ll see you later, though?”

His eyes shine with hopefulness, and Carlos nods earnestly. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home.”

There’s another brief kiss, before Carlos sighs as he presses their foreheads together.

“I hate just leaving on you,” Carlos admits, even though the thoughts surrounding what his mom’s intentions are with lunch are swirling around his mind.

“I’ll be fine,” TK says, ducking forward to press another kiss to the corner of Carlos’ mouth. “Say hi to your mom for me.”

It’s only half a joke — TK’s been talking, metaphorically, about meeting Carlos’ family for a week or so. He mentions it whenever Carlos talks about childhood memories or a story from one of his sisters, noting that Carlos has known his dad technically even before he knew TK. But it never evolves from a few jokes, and even though Carlos wants nothing more than to continue to make their relationship solidified through introducing each other properly to the people that mean the most to them, he doesn’t know how to seriously approach that subject.

Instead of trying now, Carlos leaves with a promised, “I’ll see you later,” before he grabs his keys and phone and makes his way out of his home.

The half-hour drive goes by mostly in a blur, because he’s too caught up in what might unfold at the lunch. They usually try to have big family dinners bi-weekly, due to everyone’s work schedules and his sister’s kids’ schedules, but he can’t remember the last time a meal like this was just dropped on him the day-of. He does have the right state of mind to stop and grab his mom a bouquet of lilies, her favourite, before he pulls up to the humble farmhouse he’d lived in his whole childhood.

“Is everything okay?”

The words are out of his mouth within seconds of stepping into the house, half-startling his mother as she pours out two glasses of sweet tea.

“Can’t I ask my favourite son to have lunch with me when I know it’s his day off?”

Carlos flushes a bit, handing the flowers to his mom as she pulls him in for a hug. “I’m your only son.”

“Still my favourite,” she grins, smacking a kiss on his cheek before she gestures toward the back deck. He follows her, taking a deep breath as he goes.

* * *

“I know something is up, baby.”

He'd been expecting something regarding her own well-being or health, or his abuela's, so when the conversation turns to him he's sort of confused. And Carlos has grown up hearing from people that he has his mother’s eyes, and as he looks into them now, he thinks he sees the similarities as she looks at him with a particular warmth laced with concern he’s been accustomed to since he was born.

“You know, I saw an interesting photo of you the other day,” she says it off-handedly, but Carlos still manages to choke on his drink. She doesn’t hesitate, going on to describe the picture he knows intimately because he posted it to his Instagram only forty-eight hours ago: him and TK, smiling as they stand close, too close to just be friendly to any onlooker, taken by Paul in the late hours of the night as they strolled around downtown after their shifts. He hadn’t even considered his family seeing the photo, and he silently rues the day his sisters made their mother various social media accounts so she could keep up with their lives. Her voice turns soft, as she squeezes his arm and asks, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Uh, I have to pee.”

He says it quickly enough that he can run off to inside the house, where the remnants of their lunch sits scattered over the counter. Carlos beelines for the bathroom and leans against the sink as he pulls out his phone.

how do you feel about my mom knowing about you?

seriously.

Carlos sends the messages to TK and taps his phone against the heel of his palm as he waits for a response. He thinks back to his mother’s implications — that she knows about them, is okay with them — and figures that he could always lie. It’ll look suspicious as hell, of course, after he just fucked off like that, but he’s never really brought any boyfriends around before. Mainly because he’s never been in a serious enough relationship to warrant that. But he thinks — he knows that there’s something real between him and TK, and he wouldn’t hate his mom and eventually his sisters knowing about him and meeting him and welcoming him into the fold of their family dynamic. But he needs to make sure this is still something TK’s okay with, that it’s going at his pace.

TK texts him back quickly, like always. i was serious about wanting to meet her someday. maybe even soon. so if you want to talk about me i support you.

you’re sure? Carlos texts back, as he feels his nerves starting to both tamper off and confusingly grow at the same time as he walks toward the backyard again, preparing to let his mother into this part of his life.

100%. tell her only the good things, i wanna impress her, TK replies, along with a string of heart emojis. Carlos huffs a little, quickly typing out, she’ll love you no matter what, before pocketing his phone and sliding back into his seat across from his mother.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, meeting her eyes, and as he opens his mouth to continue, she quickly interjects.

“Don’t lie to me, Carlos,” she warns, though there’s warmth behind her words, a desperate plea to tell him that she wants to be included in this part of his life, no matter how new it might be. "You know you can talk to me."

So Carlos takes another deep breath, not really looking at his mother as he whispers: “I met someone, mami.”

He stares down at the ground; after a few seconds, he shifts his gaze to stare at the blooming gardens that live in clusters around the yard, various vegetables and flowers alike growing with vengeance as the summer welcomes them back into the world. When she makes a noise and he finally meets her gaze again, she’s looking at him with nothing but fondness.

“Oh, baby,” his mom is smiling, now, and she brings his face close to press a kiss to his forehead.

“It’s only been official for a few weeks but, um, I really like him,” Carlos admits, as his mother lovingly squeezes his hand. With a laugh, he adds: “I like him a lot. And I’d love for you to meet him.”

His mother leans forward and curls her arms around him, like she did when he was a kid and he felt too small to conquer the world, and he immediately feels calm wash over him. “I would love to, mijo.”

(Carlos has a flash of a memory, then, coming out when he was fifteen years old and terrified but desperate for his truth to be known. He first told his older sister Camila, and then his mother a couple of days later, and he remembers so vividly how they hugged his then-tiny frame, all knobbly bones and a height he was getting used to, both of them supportive and loving and adamant that nothing would change how much they love him. He towers over both of them now, but he feels protected in his mother’s arms, like he always has).

As they pull out of the hug, his mother elbows him good-naturedly. “Alright, tell me about this boy then.”

His mama’s grinning at him teasingly as she says it, and Carlos sits back and huffs out a laugh of his own, rubbing the back of his neck.

“His name’s TK. He’s a firefighter,” Carlos says, barely holding back a bigger smile when his mother makes an approving face at that tidbit of information. “He’s—he’s funny and beautiful and has the warmest heart.”

“I’m so happy for you,” his mother says, eyes bright with love, as if just listening to him talk about TK has made her realize how truly happy he is. And maybe it's allowed himself to look at inside retrospectively and figure out that yeah, he is happier than he's ever been. “I’m sure I’ll love him. You’ll have to bring him around.”

“I will,” Carlos promises, feeling like he’s floating on air. “Oh, and he’s from New York City.”

He says it pointedly, knowing his mother’s always wanted to travel to the Big Apple.

“Well,” his mother says, “I guess we’ll have to show your city boy how we do family dinners, then.”

She brings him in for another hug as she smiles, before she goes off to refill their glasses. Carlos sits back, considering the idea of TK being a part of his family, for good — and he finds that he wants nothing else in the world.

#tarlos #911 lone star #my fic #one shot collection #robronisendgame

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ineffablegame · 5 years ago

Note

“It’s over. They’re not going to hurt you again.” :3c

I’m sorry this got so long! Also at my Ao3.

Aziraphale is not, as a general rule, overly fond of children.

Oh, they’re wonderful, of course. They’re wonderful as a concept. Aziraphale may not be in Heaven’s best books, so to speak, but he still subscribes to their beliefs regarding children. ‘For the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children,’ ‘you are all children of God,’ ‘the riches inherited by God’s children,’ et cetera. Gabriel may have called Adam Young a brat, but Above is – at least officially – in favor of kids.

Broadly speaking, Aziraphale loves children. He’s an angel, after all. He loves everyone, and that includes children.

Less broadly – in the narrow confines of his beloved bookshop, for example – Aziraphale is happy to keep them at a distance. So, when the Them show up at the front door on a cool, crisp day in late October, the angel is understandably alarmed.

“Hullo,” says Adam Young. He holds the lead for Dog, who stands stock-still beside him, eyes flashing incarnadine. Pepper, Brian, and Wensleydale flank him.

Aziraphale fends off a full-body shudder with every scrap of angelic willpower he can muster. Adam Young may be a normal boy at heart, but the rest of him remains very much the occult equivalent of ten million nuclear warheads. The intensity of his focus is unsettling.

“A-ah,” the angel stammers. “Adam Young. What a pleasant surprise.”

“Is that him?” Pepper demands. She eyes Aziraphale, lip curling. “He doesn’t look like a demon.”

“I never said he was the demon,” Adam replies. “He’s the demon’s friend.”

“Actually, I don’t think demons can have friends,” says Wensleydale. “Because they’re evil.”

“Yeah.” Brian wipes a mud stain – the origin of which is a mystery – on his shirt. His eyes widen and he grins. “Maybe he’s possessed by the demon?”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s quite the case,” Aziraphale fumbles. He does wish the children would quiet down a little. If Crowley hears them speculating about who’s possessing who, he’ll never let Aziraphale hear the end of it. “You’re… looking for Crowley?”

“Uh-huh.” Adam angles his gaze past Aziraphale, into the near-empty bookshop. “He’s here, right? We need to ask him for advice.”

“Whatever could you need—” Aziraphale begins, only to fall silent as a familiar demonic presence crowds his senses. He turns and sees Crowley sauntering toward him.

“Angel, there’re a pair of tourists looking quite keen about the Ian Fleming books,” he says. “I’d get them to clear out if I were you. I keep telling you, move the Bond books to storage. You might think they’re drivel, but they have some serious—”

Crowley looks back toward Aziraphale and catches sight of the Them. He draws up short. “Oh! Uh. Hey, um, kids.”

Pepper looks even less impressed than before. “This is him? Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Adam strolls past Aziraphale into the bookshop with Dog and the Them in tow. Aziraphale watches the procession pass in bewilderment.

Pepper cuts straight to the point. “We need you to teach us how to be devils.”

Crowley darts his eyes from the Them to Aziraphale and back. “Um. What?”

“For Halloween,” Adam clarifies. “We’re going as devils. But we don’t know how to act properly evil, so I thought, why not ask a real-life devil?”

“M’a demon, actually,” Crowley mumbles, apparently immune to the irony of Adam’s statement. He considers the Them, head cocked. Then, much to Aziraphale’s horror, he nods. “Yeah, all right. Why not.”

“Why not?” Aziraphale echoes. “My dear, surely you can’t be—” He freezes when Adam turns and pins him with a speculative look. Mellowing, the angel stammers, “W-well, perhaps if you took your… er, tutelage outside…”

Adam shrugs. “I dunno. I think right here is fine.” He looks around the shop. “Seems to me that you spend a lot of time here. Might help you teach us better in your nat’ral environment, right?”

Aziraphale directs a withering look at Crowley, who averts his gaze. “Uh. I guess.”

“I really think…” Aziraphale trails off; he knows when a battle is lost. He threads his fingers together, knuckles white. “Please be careful of the books. They are quite valuable.”

He spins around and stalks toward the counter, intent on taking his wrath out on the first customer to cross him.

The next hour is an exercise in tolerance. Crowley gets right down to the business of teaching the Them how to be proper demons, his gusto belying the apologetic glances he keeps shooting Aziraphale’s way. From what the angel can gather in his covert eavesdropping, demonic work mostly amounts to being a nuisance.

“Another good—er, bad act of evil is never replacing the loo roll,” Crowley says. “That one’s a sure-fire win. Never fails to drive the humans mad.”

“I do that already,” Brian says proudly. “And I never flush.”

Crowley winces. “Yeah, you’re a proper demon, all right.”

“This is boring,” Pepper says. “Don’t you do real evil stuff? Like, killing people and all that?”

“There’s more to being evil than killing people,” Crowley says with startling patience.

“I don’t see why you want to celebrate Halloween at all,” Aziraphale says, stopping by their gathering with an armful of books – a clever pretext on his part, if he may be so bold. “It’s only a new-fangled American holiday.”

“Actually, you can’t own a holiday,” says Wensleydale. “America doesn't own Halloween. Holidays are for everyone. As long as they’re not religious.”

Aziraphale is sorely tempted to tell the little know-it-all to shove it, but Adam Young’s focus hones in on him with hawkish intensity, so he restrains himself. “Of course,” he says coldly.

Brian plucks a book off the shelf and leafs through the pages. “Is folding the corners demonic? My parents hate it when I do that.”

“Ye—no,” Crowley says, catching Aziraphale’s warning glare. “Nah, s’not really evil. Nope.”

Adam glances between the angel and demon. “Sounds right.”

Pepper looks at the book in Brian’s hand with disdain. “Ugh. Peter Pan is so sexist.”

Aziraphale’s temper slips its bonds. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a children’s book.”

“It is!” Pepper counters. “It’s all boys doing the fun stuff and Wendy has to be like their mum! And Tiger Lily—”

“What about this?” Brian says, clearly still stuck on demonic acts against literature. He jams one finger up his nose and pulls it out, a yellow-green gobbet clinging to the dirty nail. Then, much to Aziraphale’s horror, he smears the bogie on the inside cover of a first-edition Peter Pan.

“Crowley,” Aziraphale chokes. He’s never fainted in his entire existence, but there’s a first time for everything.

Crowley, much to his credit, keeps a flimsy veneer of composure as he swipes the book from Brian’s hands. “Books really aren’t the way to go,” he says. Aziraphale feels the fabric of the universe pop a stitch and re-knit as the bogie dissolves into nothingness. “Not enough people care about them. The effect isn’t widespread.”

“Not enough—” Aziraphale sputters, indignant, only to stop dead when he sees Dog sniffing a shelf with Intent. “Adam, dear boy, if you could please take, ah, Poochie outside, I would appreciate it ever so much…”

Adam considers the former hellhound. “Think I’ll keep him with me, thanks. He’s not used to the big city.”

“There’s a fenced-in yard outside,” Aziraphale says, a trifle desperately. There wasn’t one a moment ago, and miracling around the logistics of Soho was a trial, but the angel is growing more and more desperate. “Surely it needs to relieve itself?”

“Nah,” says Adam. “He’s properly trained. He won’t make a mess.”

In a feat of truly miraculous timing, Dog cocks a leg and wees on the shelf. Aziraphale’s heartbeat slams in his temples. Dumping his books on the nearest open shelf, he hurries over to the little beast, waving his hands at it. “Oh, for pity’s sake!”

“Got it,” Crowley says quickly. He miracles the puddle out of existence with a snap of his fingers. “See? Not a stain, angel.”

“Cor!” Brian is amazed. “Can you show us how to do that?”

“Actually, I don’t think we can,” says Wensleydale. “On account of we’re not real demons.”

“Shoo!” Aziraphale hisses at Dog. “Shoo, you—you little mongrel!”

“Hey,” Adam says, and while his tone is mild, the rumble of irritation that sweeps through the bookshop is not. Aziraphale should heed it, really he should, but he can’t stand idly by while children run riot and infernal dogs eject fluids in his shop. He waves his hands closer at Dog, intent on fending him off. Dog’s lips peel back in a snarl.

Crowley’s voice is strained. “Angel—”

Too late. Aziraphale shrieks as Dog’s teeth sink into his hand, flowering fires of pain. He yanks his hand back and clutches it to his chest. Dog growls, eyes glittering red.

“I’m sorry,” Adam hastens to say. “I didn’t think he’d do that.”

“Actually, Mr. Fell,” says Wensleydale, “it was a defense mechanism. Little dogs like Dog have a high prey drive and you got into his space. Actually, you should have known not to do that, because growling is a warning that…”

“Ugh!” On the other side of the shop, Pepper tosses a book to the floor in disdain. “The Iliad is even worse than Peter Pan! My mum says…”

“Look at this, Mr. Crowley!” Brian calls. “See that book, with the fancy cover? I bet I can hit it from all the way across the room!” He hawks deep in his throat.

Aziraphale has never killed anything before, but, frantic, furious, and helpless, he suddenly sees the appeal of cold-blooded murder. “That’s quite enough of that!”

The Them ignore him, and several things happen in swift succession. Dog squats on the floorboards. Pepper pulls a copy of The Odyssey from the shelf. Wensleydale keeps talking. Brian spits a wad of saliva and phlegm.

The few remaining customers vanish, dispatched outside the shop with no memory of the past few minutes. A blazing white light erupts from Aziraphale and floods the room to press, incandescent, against the dust-coated windows. The dowdy, bookish angel suddenly looms, menacing and full of holy wrath, flaming sword raised to strike. His eyes glow with the searing heat of Heavenly justice. Crowley cowers behind the nearest shelf; Dog cowers behind Adam’s legs; the Them stare, spellbound. Brian’s loogie evaporates with a hiss like grease on hot metal.

“THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH OF THAT,” Aziraphale says. His voice resonates, multiplied and overlayed like a screaming horde of berserkers. “STEP AWAY FROM THE BOOKS, PLEASE.”

The Them obey. They cluster around Adam, eyes wide, mouths ajar.

“NOW.” Aziraphale sweeps the flaming sword toward the door, which obediently flies open. “GET. OUT. OF MY BOOKSHOP.”

The Them look to Adam, who nods. “Yeah. C’mon, I think we learned enough.” He leads them to the open door, ushers them out. He gives the angel and the demon a thoughtful look. “Sorry. I’ll leave you two alone now.”

He leaves. The door snaps shut behind them, locks clanking into place. Aziraphale sags as the holy wrath leaves him, his sword – a mere illusion – melting into the air. He feels ready to burst into tears. Or to smite something. He hasn’t decided which.

“Angel.” Crowley’s voice is gentle, the tone one might use to soothe a wild creature. “They’re gone. It’s over. They’re not going to hurt you again.”

Aziraphale wraps his arms around himself. “Don’t tease.”

“Sorry.” Crowley slinks closer, still wary. “Gosh. I thought your lot were all for suffering the little children.”

Aziraphale sniffles. “Well, my dear, I c-could only suffer so much.”

“Ah, angel. There, there.” Crowley’s tone is sneering, but the concern in his eyes is genuine. “Let me see.”

“Wh-what?”

“Your hand. That little beast got you good, didn’t he?”

“Oh.” Aziraphale holds out his trembling hand. “I-I suppose it did.”

Crowley’s fingers enfold him, delicate but sure. Aziraphale stares at the floorboards as his vision swims and the demon presses gentle touches to the bite marks. “Didn’t break the skin, but might as well…”

Aziraphale swallows thickly. The pain evaporates in prickling warmth. “Thank you.”

“Nnh. No problem.” A beat. “I’m sorry. For letting them stay in the shop.”

“We didn’t have a choice, really,” the angel mutters.

“I don’t know. Adam Young’s not all bad.”

Aziraphale mangles a laugh. “I suppose not. For an Antichrist.”

“Aziraphale…”

“I hate them, Crowley.”

“You’re an angel. You don’t hate anything.”

“But they’re so loud! And messy! And annoying!”

“They’re kids. Trust me, adults are loads worse.”

Aziraphale sighs and wipes his eyes with one hand. Despite having healed the bite, Crowley still holds his other hand, and he is reluctant to take it back. “Oh, I know, dear boy. Please don’t think less of me for it, my nerves are just so…”

“Don’t worry,” Crowley says. “Tell you what. Let’s close up shop and open up that Talisker you’ve got squirreled away, yeah? The eighteen-year one.”

Aziraphale gives him a watery smile. “My dear, that would be wonderful.”

They close the shop. As Aziraphale locks the front door, another miracle sings through the air, a plucked harp string vibrating through reality. He blinks, unlocks the door, and opens it. A new sign has appeared.

‘No dogs allowed.’

The angel closes the door and locks it again. He turns, beaming. Crowley smiles back.

That Halloween, the Them go trick-or-treating as angels.

#flipwizardmcgay #good omens #ineffable husbands #good omens fanfic #word prompt #long post

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whoson1st · 5 years ago

Note

Are you in the official King Falls server at all? Just trying to get an idea of what's going on and who knows what's going on

Hoooooo BOISE.

So, long story short, yes. Yes I’m in the discord, yes I know what’s going on, and it’s all really, really stupid. I think that there were mistakes made on a lot of fronts, but I also think that the end result is, in a lot of ways, a long time coming.

I haven’t been responding to things I’ve seen on social media for the most part, and wasn’t REALLY keen to respond to this, but there’s also a lot of misinformation happening due to hurt feelings. There’s plenty of abridged accounts of what’s going on, and I’m pretty sure you know that. I’m taking this question on good faith that it’s genuinely asking and not setting me up to get torn down but...honestly, either way, I don’t care. I’m not on tumblr much these days anyway so it doesn’t really matter, and internet drama is just….it’s always dumb. But there’s a lot of “evidence” being put forth that is out of context or in bad faith, and the people who are being the loudest are a whole lot of the problem, so I’ll put in my account and opinions.

Anyway, I’m putting everything under a cut because it’s...a lot.

So first off, full disclosure, I used to be a mod on the discord. I left the team at the beginning of the year of my own volition because I’m an adult with a job and a life and things to take care of that aren’t that and needed a break. I’m still friends with all the current mods, and talk to them regularly, as well as being on good terms with the cast and creators. Just in case you’re dead set on hating any of them, you should know that. I try to keep a pretty good perspective, and I’m a little more removed than I was a few months ago, but I won’t say I’m totally free of bias either. If that’s what you’re into, just go ahead and skip this.

This all started with a piece of fan art, which honestly should be a clue as to how petty this all is. The fanart included The Dirt in a BDSM outfit as part of a larger work, and it was posted in the fanart section of the discord. It was bordering on NSFW, and the artist maybe should have asked the mods and/or put it behind a spoiler tag--which is probably as far as the mods would have gone had they been consulted, because it was 1) part of a larger thing and 2) canon compliant (it’s Jacob Williams, what do you want?). Neither of those things happened, people complained, the art was taken down. Then Kyle Brown, one of the writers, retweeted the copy that had been uploaded to twitter on his personal account--his account, not KFAM official--and someone complained that it made them uncomfortable and was not safe for work. Another cast member, Trent Shumway, replied that twitter isn’t a safe for work site, which it’s not. Which then led to both Kyle and Trent being socially crucified for not taking more care in what their followers see on their personal accounts on an open social media platform that is not dedicated to any single person or work.

It was already stupid. Really, really stupid. Especially since this is not a SFW podcast. It never has been. Everyone remember the third episode with Archie’s pomchies? And I know that certain aspects of that make people uncomfortable but if you are choosing to listen to the show regardless of that, it’s on you. An artist isn’t going to repaint something because you’re not a fan of green. And the SFW rule on the server has always been “within the guidelines of the show”.

So then, someone made this post that has since been deleted but I’m including mostly because if other people want to go ahead and pull receipts, I’m also going to.

Before I go ANY further with this, I want to say this: this person has been a problem for a LONG TIME. Months, at least, since before I left the mod team, and is honestly part of the reason being a mod became so difficult for me. They have displayed a pattern of abuse of the mods, the creators, and other members of the community on both twitter and tumblr, and have made people on the discord server uncomfortable enough that they either don’t participate or have left completely. This one person. And they have a bully squad behind them. And it sucks. But in the end, it was always decided that we couldn’t police what people did on their individual accounts or single someone out who hadn’t technically broken guidelines in the server, despite numerous complaints, because the mods and creators want to make everyone feel that they’re included. This decision was made...numerous times. After multiple incidents. For months.

I had my own issues with this decision, but that’s neither here nor there, and doesn’t really matter anymore. Because that post was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Kyle, misunderstanding the term, took it as a threat. Not hard to do, given the already heightened emotions, the tags, and this person’s history. So the person was immediately banned. The fact is, even without misunderstanding, that’s a really shitty post. That’s hating one a writer and a cast member and still wanting to pretend they have nothing to do with the THING THEY CREATE because this person doesn’t like what they said on twitter.

Following that, one of their friends--who had also been a longstanding problem--attempted to start a knockdown dragout in the general chat with one of the mods over this, and was upset when the mod in question first said they’d be happy to talk on DM but not on the server, and then ignored them when they repeatedly tried to carry on the argument.

Then they lit a candle in the channel the banned person had pitched a fit in order to form, as if the person was dead and not just a jerk. And then they made this post:

They also got banned, because OBVIOUSLY. Again, misunderstanding or not, that’s a horrible way to deal with it. You can’t possibly expect to call someone an illiterate fuckwad and still want to be included in spaces they created, much less EXPECT to be.

And then several other people who were attempting the same nonsense publicly. And then invites were taken away when the mods got word that there was a possible plan in the works to spam the server. And there’s a weird campaign to EXPOSE THE CREATORS FOR THE ASSHOLES THEY ARE.

And that’s...about where things are at now. A lot of people are upset and hurt across the board. And it sucks.

Here’s the thing. Mistakes were made. Kyle misunderstood Death of the Author, and has a tendency toward knee-jerk, unedited reactions. The mods should have been more on top of the problem and not let it fester. There were ways that this could have been mitigated and done better. There always are.

But this was always going to happen in some fashion.

Podcasts and podcast communities are not new anymore, folks. But it still seems like people have a hard time grasping their actual level of involvement in the creation because of how active some creators are. You’re free to say whatever you want, but you are not free from consequence. And you’re not exempt from being wrong. This isn’t just a matter of the creators of KFAM--or any work, to be honest--not being able to take criticism, this is a matter of people thinking that their criticism is 100% correct 100% of the time, and the entitled attitude that comes with that. KFAM isn’t perfect, I have my own criticisms of it, because I have criticisms about basically everything under the sun, so it’s not just blind following. But it is trust in the creators and the people around them to find the best way to tell their story, to the see their problems and strive for better. And we’ve literally seen that happen in KFAM, in changes made to Walt, in Emily’s storyline, in Lily’s...everything. In the addition of “guys, gals, and non-binary pals”. They’re trying. They’re not perfect, but they’re not deaf. They’re also not obligated or beholden to everything their audience says regarding their story.

The whole argument that they can’t take criticism is undercut when it’s being made by people who think that everything they say should be taken as gospel, and treat every instance where someone disagrees with them as a personal attack. The scope of hypocrisy here is just...breathtaking.

Also, when not withstanding some nonsense attacks, they’re all genuinely kind and friendly. I already admitted some bias here, but seriously, they go out of their way to check on people and respond to people and lift people up. It’s total horse dookie to act like they don’t care about their fans.

And as for the discord--god, just get a life. The mods there work SO HARD to make everyone feel included, to encourage participation, the create a positive environment for people to talk about the things they love and make friends. They have meetings and spreadsheets and calendars and work together as a team and with Kyle to keep the place working smoothly even though there’s FIVE of them running a HUGE server. The person who was initially banned was forever complaining about the discord and how the mods ran it, even while some suggestions they had were implemented. But that discord has like 1500 people in it, gang, it’s not about what one person wants all the time. And that person has their own server anyway so just go be unhappy there and leave everyone else alone. It’s what you were doing anyway.

TL;DR: There was a lot of manufactured outrage over something incredibly dumb, and some misunderstandings, and resulted in actions that had been looming for a long time and just finally popped off. Kyle and the mods aren’t perfect, but they aren’t the villains. The people who were banned have a history of negativity and bullying that led to the decision to remove them.

If anyone takes anything from this, please let it be that it’s a GODDAMN PODCAST. If it makes you angry, if you don’t like it, go watch a movie. Eat a snack. Knit a sweater. Take a nap. Listen to a new music album. Literally anything. There’s so many things to do in this life that aren’t LOOKING for things to be upset about.

Remember the golden rule, and don’t be a dick.

#kfam #King Falls AM #drama llama #I blocked out names because if you want to know you can find them #but I'm not here to call out names #because I just don't give enough of a fuck about them to deal with them later #and this is all really dumb and overblown #Anonymous

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francoiserenaldt · 4 years ago

Text

the emancipation of dizzy

desirée ashton is tired of being tired and the pills don’t hit like they used to. happy @it-lives-week.

word count: around 3k warnings: some ableist language, cruelty, destructive coping mechanisms, lots of parentheses in here, negative thoughts, references to depression, strong language, there are sweet moments but a lot happens before then

“No.”

The word leaves her in a shout, crippling her as the nicks and scratches that litter her aching body give way to immeasurable pain.

But it’s not the wounds that hurt her most.

“No, no, no, no, no…”

She vaguely hears it behind her as she holds her brother in her arms for the last time.

Or so she thinks.

None of this makes any sense, she thinks.

Nothing she sees is real. None of this is real.

(Not when she puts Devon’s arm around her neck and drags him out of the cave to a stretcher, not when Noah tells them how unbelievably sorry he is for everything, and especially not when his body is found covered in blood 3 hours later.)

That night was a mistake; a terrible, terrible dream. Devon will be in his room when she inevitably has to go wake him up and Andy’s leg is fine and N–

No.

She refuses to think of him.

He fucked off and gave himself to the Power that night, effectively ending his life. She knows she should be thankful; after all, she knows herself enough to know that he wouldn’t stand a chance if he stayed in town after what he’d done. But the thought that he’d never truly get what had been coming to him, the thought that he’d gotten away with it, infuriated her.

Maybe he wouldn’t get what was coming to him, but it’s not too late to get the revenge she’d been itching for.

Jocelyn had been reduced to a sad sack of bones after she lost vision in her right eye and function in both legs and Cody–

There was no need to rehash that; he wouldn’t be a problem.

Unfortunately, Britney is still around; even more so now that Lily gave her another chance. She’s been making her idea of an effort, forcing a Joker-esque smile on her face any time Lily drags her over to the group and gritting out a compliment when she sees Ava’s new piercing or Stacy’s new shoes for the past two weeks.

It’s not enough.

“You know, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you just went back to ignoring or insulting us like you usually do,” Desirée smirks, shutting her locker. “It’s obvious you don’t want to be here.”

And we don’t want you here goes unsaid for Lily’s sake.

“Yeah, Britney,” Stacy chimes in. “Don’t hold back on our accounts.”

“Guys, please,” Lily pleads, glancing between the girls. “Can’t we just be civil for once?”

“Sure, I’ll go first.” Ava huffs, pursing her lips. “When’s the last time you put someone in a garbage bin?”

“I’ve never done that, you–” Britney pauses, taking a breath. “Ava.”

“Oh shit, you’re right. You had Jocelyn and Cody do it for you. How is Jocelyn, by the way?”

“You can’t even be nice for two minutes, can you?” Lily scoffs. “Unbelievable.”

Once Lily stomps out of sight, Britney rolls her eyes and whirls on the remaining girls. “The only reason I’m even letting myself be seen with you losers is for Lily’s sake, alright? So you need to get over whatever little beef you have with me.”

“Little beef?” Desirée spits, glaring venomously. “You’ve tormented Lily, Devon, and Ava for years.”

“And you blackmailed Stacy, which is a felony, by the way,” Ava adds, crossing her arms. “You’re lucky the Green’s haven’t sued your bitch ass.”

“You have no idea how extremely lucky you are that I care about Lily–”

“No, you’re lucky we care about Lily. It’s the only thing that’s keeping you from getting jumped.” Stacy snaps.

“Since you care about her so much, you should probably try showing a little restraint.”

“The fact that I’m not wearing you like a shoe right now is me showing restraint.” Desirée retorts before smiling innocently. “But if you really want me to drop the act, that can be arranged.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.” Desirée quips, crossing her arms. “No, seriously. Leave.”

With yet another eye roll, she finally struts away.

“While I don’t disagree with you—like in any shape or form—saying what you said, you kinda threatened her. In public.”

“Yeah, it would be a really bad look if you hit her, Dizzy.”

“Well, I didn’t, okay?” Desirée snaps, grabbing the last of her things. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

She stomps off without another word, just missing the concerned looks Ava and Stacy send her way as she goes.

“Desirée, wait up!”

Devon jogs up to her. Or tries to, anyway. She never stopped walking.

“Hey, do you mind chilling the fuck out?” Devon admonishes, stepping in front of her. “Lily is really upset.”

“I do, actually.” She sneers. “She’s always around, making these snide fucking remarks, and I wanted her out of my face.”

“And you think being a dick to her is the answer? ‘Cause it’s not.”

“Then what is the answer, Devon? Aren’t you tired of letting yourself get pummeled day in and day out by Britney’s goon squad for all for Lily to go running back to her in the end?” She growls. “Aren’t you tired of being everyone’s little bitch?”

His eyes harden just as hers soften. “Fuck you.”

“I didn’t mean that–”

“Yes, you did. You’re just the only one who’s enough of an asshole to say it to my face.” Devon turns to walk away. “You’re acting just like her, you know.”

“Don’t pull that shit on me, Devon. I’m not doing anything that she doesn’t deserve.”

He bites back a reply before sighing. “Getting revenge isn’t going to make you happy.”

“Our lives are permanently fucked, Devon. Nothing is going to make me happy.” She forces a smile onto her lips. “At least this way I get something out of this nightmare.”

“How long do you think that’s going to last?”

“Until she’s gone.”

Doing away with Britney is the easy part; the bitch is entirely too sloppy with her misdeeds and Stacy knows her pass code like the back of her hand. A mass text from an unknown number full of screenshots does her in and the family moves to the next town over within the month.

(She could always count on Stacy to have her back, especially when it came to Britney.)

Seeing the tears in Lily’s eyes and the disappointment in Lucas and Devon’s faces as Desirée watches Britney walk out of Westchester High for the last time makes it infinitely harder to keep the smirk on her face.

Hard, but not impossible.

(The high inevitably wears off and her friends won’t stop looking at her like she’s some kind of monster, but Britney is gone and that’s all that matters.)

(Until it isn’t.)

Two weeks pass before Lily speaks to her again.

“Do you regret it?” She whispers.

“I regret hurting you,” Desirée whispers back. It’s the closest thing to an apology she can muster.

It’s not enough.

“I wish you were sorry.” Lily loses the whisper then and there, glaring.

“I wish you understood where I was coming from.”

“Why aren’t you sorry?”

“Because I hate her, Lily.” Desirée snaps. She’s had to say this too many times. “And she treats you and Devon like complete and utter shit and I’m tired of you sitting back and letting her do it.”

“So you made her leave.”

“So I made her leave.”

Lily scoffs and turns away.

“I did it for you, Lily,” Desirée whispers. “Everything that I’ve done has been for you.”

“You have no idea how much I want to believe that.”

Devon returns and the conversation is over as quickly as it began.

No.

She feels the word creep up her spine and lodge itself into her throat before she hears it fall into a loop in her head, spiraling quickly out of control.

(She’s lost control again. What a surprise.)

She shakes the empty pill bottle until it flies from her shaking hand to her bed.

Her phone is in her hand within seconds and her fingers fly across the screen. Her vision blurs with unshed frustrated tears but she taps away relentlessly—desperately—until the solution she needs pops up and she can finally stop acting like her life is falling apart.

“Hello?”

Shit.

“Hey,” she replies, trying desperately not to sound like she’s on the verge of tears and failing miserably.

(All she seems to do is fail these days.)

“What happened, Desirée? Are you okay?”

The concern in his voice breaks her resolve and she lets a few tears fall, sniffling.

“Okay. Stupid question.” He shuffles around, then curses. Even in her chaos, she finds it in her to wince. “What can I do to help?”

“I don’t know if you can. Help me. I don’t know why I called you.” She murmurs, running a hand over her face. “I don’t know about much of anything anymore.”

“There has to be something I can do,” Andy mutters quietly, probably to himself. “Hey, what if I stayed on the phone with you? Just until you can sleep.”

The painful—and frankly embarrassing—reminder that it is two in the morning is more than enough to calm her hysterics. “Oh, um…that would be great. And extremely nice of you, which I’m not sure I deserve considering–”

“Nope. None of that.”

“Okay,” she sighs, effectively ridding herself of her wobbly voice. “I gratefully and humbly accept your help, your Majesty.”

His laugh is probably—no, definitely—the best sound in the world and for the half hour it takes for her to find peace, she gets to hear it over and over again. The magic of him dissipates the anxiety that had lodged itself into her chest and for a moment—and not a second longer—she seems to float.

Then she wakes up.

Her phone is dead, naturally, so she goes up to the corner store. Common sense tells her that Devon won’t let her walk to the store without insisting on getting Lucas to drive them.

You know he means well. Why aren’t you letting him help you?

“No.” She smiles at the cashier manning the register. “Thank you, though.”

She learns that faking a smile becomes easy once you spend enough time doing it. Enough time has passed that no one questions it and those who can see through it don’t have the heart to draw attention to you.

The silence is almost peaceful.

You’re not letting him help you because you know you don’t deserve it.

(Until it isn’t.)

Her earlier turbulent and destructive thoughts were good for one thing; they distracted from the whispers and stares that followed her every move. She doesn’t bother listening to what they’re saying at this point—it can’t be anything the mayor or her parents or Cid haven’t told her—but they come from everyone; even the teachers mutter when she lingers too long on a test question or takes a little longer to answer a question.

(“It’s not like her to take so long.”)

The comments should make her angry. They should make her want to cover up her abnormal habits or threaten to have their jobs if they don’t mind their own fucking business.

But there’s nothing. Nothing they say matters. Nothing anyone says or does matters.

She eventually stops speaking to people. Anything urgent will be said to her directly and repeatedly, like a newborn puppy that’s just learning commands.

(“Please call Mom and Dad, Dizzy. They’re worried about you.”)

(“Please talk to me, Rée. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”)

(“Desirée, please pick up the phone.”)

For people who’ve known her all their lives, they’re terrible at taking hints.

Her own brother has given up on getting her to have dinner with him consistently; he just goes to Lucas’s house when he wants company.

Lucas, of all people, has become more approachable than her.

Why would Devon want to spend time with you? Why would anyone after the way you acted?

Her mind—for its many, many faults—is the only thing that hasn’t left her. It buzzes about incessantly, asking questions it has no answers to. This time, she doesn’t wait to answer them.

You told him that he was the world’s punching bag, that he was weak. At least he didn’t turn out anything like you. You have enough weaknesses to fill an encyclopedia.

Devon may be a little bitch, but he’s a little bitch with a boyfriend who hasn’t given up on him. Can you say the same?

No, the voice prattles on gleefully. Of course not. Andy’s already got pain in his legs; he doesn’t need a pain in the ass on top of that.

What’s the point?

Why bother picking up the phone? It’s not like anyone is calling her, or anyone would pick up the phone.

Why bother going downstairs for dinner? She’s just going to be eating it alone.

Why even bother leaving her room? No one wants to see her and, for once in her life, she doesn’t want to be seen.

So she’s content to stay right where she is. She can’t hurt anyone but herself here.

The universe, naturally, has other plans.

One day, Devon throws open her bedroom door. “Get dressed.”

“What the hell are you doing in my room? Get out!”

“Yeah, not happening. If you’re not done in 20 minutes, I’m dragging your ass out of bed myself.”

“As if you could pick me in the first place. Please fuck off.”

“Maybe not by myself. I’m sure Lucas and Dan would be happy to help, though.” He smirks as he turns away. As he goes, he sings, “20 minutes.”

Ughhhhhhh.

In her annoyance, she had failed to realize that all of her friends had been invited to the house.

He said that Lucas and Dan were here earlier, idiot.

“Hey, stranger,” Ava drawled when Desirée appeared at the banister. She was sprawled across a sofa by the coffee table, which she was promptly shoved off of once the words passed her lips.

“Seriously, Ava?” Stacy hisses before turning to face Desirée. “It’s good to see you again.”

It’s at this moment that she realizes that she dropped off the face of the Earth and stopped talking to her friends without an explanation.

You’re actually the worst friend ever. Why do they even bother with you?

“Hey, guys,” she says, looking at everyone. They all seem to be happy—relieved, probably—to see her, but something about the situation feels…off. “What’re you all doing here?”

“I thought we could have a game night,” Devon smiles (carefully? hesitantly?) at her as he gestures to the setup. He’s got just about every board game they’ve ever had on the table, from Candyland to Cards Against Humanity. “It’s been a long time since we’ve all done something together.”

All because you decided to be antisocial and moody.

“Right.” She swallows. “So what’s first?”

The afternoon passes easily. She’s far too wrapped up in the ecstasy of being around her best friends to think about anything other than kicking their asses in board games, let alone–

No. We’re having fun.

At least they were until Lily walked over to her after a particularly successful round of Cards Against Humanity.

(She doesn’t need to ask if they can talk in the kitchen, which just so happens to be tucked away from the living room where everyone sits.)

(Desirée doesn’t need to ask her if they’re speaking again now or if Lily plans on this being the last time they speak.)

Lily taps Desirée on the shoulder and they find the corner of the kitchen furthest from the living room.

“I forgive you,” Lily says once they’re alone.

“I’m not sorry,” Desirée warns. Lily can’t hate her any more than she already does; there’s no use being backward about how she feels.

“I don’t care.” Lily steps forward and before Desirée knows it, they’re hugging. “I’m not losing you over a girl.”

“Wait, wait…you’re not mad anymore?”

“I was being unfair,” Lily says, letting a hand come up to rub her bicep. “On a lot of fronts.”

In the spirit of not ruining her good mood by unpacking her behavior, Desirée opts for humor: “I was being a total bitch myself, so I’ll forgive you. Just this once.”

“Do I get another pass if you get first dibs on the unicorn plushie?”

“Maybe,” she smiles genuinely for once and tugs Lily back into a hug. “Now come back. I missed you.”

“Not as much as I missed you.” Lily replies, hugging her even tighter. “Now let’s go before someone tells Andy that he’s out a girlfriend.”

It’s easy to forget how good of a friend Lily is when she’s not simping over Britney.

Desirée slings an arm around Lily’s shoulders as they leave the kitchen. “You’re ridiculous, Lil.”

Devon raises an eyebrow when they walk back to the group. “Are we all good?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Lily grins.

Yeah, we are good. Until you fuck it up again.

Eventually they leave (everyone leaves) and Devon sits next to her once they finish cleaning up the games.

“This is the first time you’ve come out of your room in–”

“Three weeks, Devon. I know.” She sighs and walks over to the staircase. “I’m going to bed.”

“No, wait,” Devon rushes, grabbing her hand. “Just be still and shut up for a second. I need to say this.”

“Fine.” She walks back over to him, albeit a bit petulantly.

“Remember how I was when Noah,” he pauses carefully and continues when he doesn’t see her flinch, “first came back to school and he said all that stuff about how Jane was gone because I didn’t blow the whistle? And how I completely shut down? You told me that you’d never thought you’d see the day where I’d stop talking to you completely and I couldn’t make sense of it. I guess this is what it must’ve felt like.”

“You’ve been angry, you’ve been really fucking jumpy, and now you’ve completely shut me out for three weeks, Desiree. I haven’t been away from you for that long since, like, the womb. So I guess what I’m saying is,” he pauses again and sighs. “You’ve never given up on me, even when I was being a self-pitying asshole who would have deserved it. So you take all the time you need because I’m never, ever giving up on you.”

“Does this mean that you’re gonna drag me out of bed every day?”

“No, it means that I’m gonna to let you stay in this slump you’re in. That being said, I’m probably going to drag you to the dinner table. Eating alone sucks.”

“Eating alone has been rough,” she agrees.

“So you understand?”

“Yeah…yeah, I understand. I’ll try to be better.”

“That’s all I can ask from you.”

He steps closer and she puts a hand up. “Oh my God, do not hug me, you dork. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. And Devon,” Desiree frowns. “You wouldn’t have deserved to be given up on. No one does.”

He nods once and they head up the stairs together.

She finds herself back in her therapist’s office a month later, fielding the usual questions.

“Have you spent an entire day in your room this week?”

“No. I haven’t been back there in about a month now.”

Okay, it’s really been more like three and a half weeks, but semantics. It’s not like she’s the only one who lies to her therapist.

Dr. Chamberlain smiles gently. “That’s good.”

“It was hard, but I’ve learned not to hate him.” She clears her throat. “Noah, that is.”

“Could you forgive him one day?”

“Every day I look at the people I care about and I see how they’re still affected by the things he’s done. I don’t–” She pauses. “I don’t know if I could ever forgive him.”

“Every step in the right direction is a good step, Desirée.”

It’s far from the first time that her therapist has said those words and she knows it most certainly won’t be the last.

“Desirée?”

“Oh, sorry.” Desirée sits up. “What were you saying?”

“I was saying that it’s been a crazy few months for you, but you’ve come such a long way.”

“What if it’s not enough? I did a lot of things I can’t come back from, Dr.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” Dr. Chamberlain glances at her watch and sighs. “We’re just about out of time.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll see you next week.”

“One more thing, Desirée?”

“Yes?”

“Give your friends more credit.”

Desirée nods as she closes the door.

Her phone rings.

“Desirée, thank God! Can you please tell this man that studying is a portmanteau of “student dying” for a reason?”

“I’m probably the worst person you could’ve called for this.”

Devon groans. “Ugh, I forgot how much of a nerd you were.”

She hears a throat clear itself on the other end.

“Right. Lucas wanted to know if you were down to form a study group for finals. I completely understand if you’d rather swallow nails one by one or whatever weirdly specific torture you’re into–”

“If I say yes, does that mean you’ll stop talking?”

“…for now.”

“Deal. I’ll be there in 20.”

She ends the call and sends him a text.

desirée: you don’t have to tell me that I’m the best, or that you’ll actually buy me food the next time you go out. I just know you’ll do it bc you love me so much.

devon: …i really don’t like you, you know that?

desirée: sure, and I know you’re lying your ass off <3 see you at home.

#ilaweek #mc: desiree ashton #ship: desiree x andy #ship: devon x lucas #if you squint #ilitw #the way this piece beat my ass #please take it away from me #also zorah learn how to write endings challenge #day 1

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xxrainbow-princessxx · 4 years ago

Text

Dearest Sympathies

Lilies are symbolic of the soul of the departed and hope of the renewal process. With the divorce looming and their fight for Camille pushing forward. There will be no turning back

Warnings: Swearing, Premonition of Death, Physical Violence

Chapter List:

Chapter 1: Enough

Chapter 2: Homeward Bound

Chapter 3: Band of Brothers

Tag list: @lorirwritesfanfic @drakewalkerfantasy @lorircreates @desireepow-1986 @liam-rhys @rafasgirl23415 @speedyoperarascalparty @rainbowsinthestorm @kingliam2019 @mom2000aggie @itslaniquelove @texaskitten30 @hopefulmoonobject @kimmiedoo5

Patience was something that Leo became extremely well accustomed to when he had become a parent. He could wait all day for one of his daughters to crack but this seemed a little more fun. Within moments of his speech finishing, his phone vibrated in his blazer pocket, it was Isabella. “How dare you Leo!” she screeched, “I can’t believe you would do that! You told Matéo you’d call a conference tomorrow... not this evening! And why the hell did you future date the paperwork?! This does not need to be dragged out for any longer than is required” Leo lips curled upwards into a mischievous smirk, “Who tipped you off? It was only the main Cordonian news channels there...” Isabella growled, “Why the hell does that matter?! It should have been you telling me anyway!” Leo moved his phone slightly from his ear as Isabella kept screaming and cursing him out. Leo chuckled to himself pissing Isabella off even more, “If it wasn’t for fucking Maxwell calling me, I wouldn’t have known!”

Leo rolled his eyes, “That’s interesting...” he calmly replied, “Very... very interesting...” Isabella raised her brow as she wedged her spoon angrily into a vat of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, “Why is this interesting?! Is our marriage just a game to you?!” Leo leaned against the wall as he carefully studied those around Liam, watching as they fawned over him, “Quite the opposite kitten... I’m surprised he did call considering he said to me earlier today he hasn’t spoken with you since Nico was born...” Tucking her hair behind her ear, Isabella’s tone quickly changed; her pitch went higher as she questioned him, “No, what do you mean?! I spoke with him a few days ago?...” Leo’s heart sank, “Listen to me Kitten... don’t trust anyone right now. This conversation never happened ok? Please promise me that you’ll not repeat this to anyone?” Isabella rolled her eyes angrily, “You are seriously fucking losing it Leo!” before hanging up the phone. “Bella!” Leo angrily barked as he heard the phone beep. “Fuck!”

Rubbing his face with his hand, Leo sighed heavily attracting Liam’s attention, “Brother!” He called towards him, beckoning him forward, “Come... after that conference; you look like you could do with a drink...” As Leo moved forward into the group that included Maxwell, Drake, Olivia and Hana, Liam put his arm around his shoulder affectionately, “An evening of Bourbon, Scotch and Cigars is called for...” Leo raised his brow towards Liam, “Maybe a quieter evening... it’s not every day you get divorced. I don’t feel like much company...” Liam nodded understandingly, “Of course... sorry I...” Leo chuckled, shaking his head, “Brother you don’t need to say sorry, it’s something that happens...” Leo slowly began to smile, “I’ll just need to get a damn good lawyer, Isabella better not steal them like she stole my goddamn accountant!” Liam patted his brother’s back laughing “I’m sure that can be easily arranged...” Later that evening, Leo walked out onto the veranda from the drawing room. Setting his tumbler of bourbon onto the sandstone railing, he reached into his blazer jacket taking out a cigar and his cutter. Nipping the end, he struck his zippo, fanning the flames of the gas at the bottom to toast the foot, turning it a few times before he allowed to cigar to light. With a few gentle puffs, Leo instantly calmed by the elixir of nicotine and alcohol.

“Leo...” Liam spoke quietly as he and Drake entered the Queen Mother’s drawing room towards him on the veranda. “It’s not like you to dwell...” Leo turned and seeing Liam and Drake he smiled, “Contraire dear Brother... I just needed a distraction...” Drake looked at Leo, then to Liam confused, “What?” He exclaimed, “You’re distracting yourself with the same thing we were going to do anyway?” Leo shook his head, “No Drake...” he took a long drag of his cigar,

“I didn’t want Beaumont here...” Drake raised his brow, “But Beaumont said he hadn’t?!” Leo raised his finger towards Drake chuckling, “Young Padawan... listen and learn... I told Matéo the press conference to announce the divorce was tomorrow in order to give Isabella time to plan... Isabella called me moments after I stepped off that podium to tell me that a particular someone in your inner circle...” he pointed towards Liam, “...called to tell her that I announced it this evening... that was Maxwell Beaumont...” Liam’s eyes widened in horror, “No... I...” as Drake quietly smiled to himself, “You sneaky bastard... I knew Beaumont was a fucking snake...” Leo nodded, “He’s been in contact with her for a while... and now with the divorce in play, we can get Maxwell... and once we do... then we should have more answers...” Leo raised his glass to the two men stood in front of him, “eis igían sas...”

Isabella was miserable. Every night she scanned through all the pictures on her phone that she kept; tonight she tried to take her mind off things watching one of her favourite telenovelas, ‘Amor en la vida o la muerte’ eating as much chocolate as she could physically stomach. During the day she could be strong and independent but in the evenings, the gravity of the situation haunted her. As one of the male leads whispered into the damsels ear, “Te amaré por siempre...” Isabella screamed at the television, “Liar!!!” as tears began to tumble down her cheeks. Matéo’s husband Dima upon hearing the scream went in to check on her, “Darling...” he sat in the edge of of the bed, taking her into his embrace as Isabella put her arms around him wailing in tears, “This is all my fault!” the young Queen wailed into his shoulder, “No honey... no...” he brushed her hair with his hand gently, “Come... no man is worth those tears... That beautiful husband of yours will come to his senses eventually...” Isabella raised her head, her dark chocolate brown eyes glistened as she blinked back her tears. Her long dark eyelashes fluttered in hope as she sniffed, “You really think so?” She knew Dima would tell her the truth whether she liked it or not - may that have been her love life or texting her to start doing squats as her ass looked flat as she walked a televised red carpet for a gala dinner. He was brutal but she appreciated the honesty. Dima was the company she needed right now, he was carefree and had no political gain or wealth from the Laurentian Queen’s pain; Dima and his Russian oligarch family has more wealth than the Laurentian and Cordonian kingdoms combined for him to care.

Her brother in law smiled sweetly to her, “You know he adores you, no?... This makes me...” Dima began to sigh, “...I... I shouldn’t...” Isabella leaned forward, tilting her head slightly, “Please... I welcome any counsel right now...” Dima waited for a second, running his tongue across his teeth as he thought, “Bella, something is not right y’know? I spoke with Matéo before his flight. He said things felt a little weird when he met Leo... he was being obstructive for no reason...” Isabella’s brow raised slightly remembering the conversation she had with him today, ‘This conversation never happened...’ and why Maxwell lied to him ran through her head. Nodding, Isabella agreed, “Yeah... it does seem...” she began to trail off as the cogs in her head began to turn, “a little off...” It had dawned on her, there was a lot more at play here than a simple ending of their marriage but why was Leo being so cagey? “How about this...” Dima began to smile as he popped open a bottle of champagne, handing the petite monarch a glass, “After this... we get a yacht like the old days, you know we look fabulous with a tan... and window shop to look at the nice boys...hmm?” Isabella took a sip of her champagne before biting down on her lip giggling, “I’ve never seen you with a real tan before...” Dima pouted his lips jokingly, “You’re lucky you’re gorgeous...” Isabella smiled as she rested her head onto Dima‘s shoulder giggling, “You’re such a dick but I love you and... thank you...”

“So what’s the plan...” Drake wearily rubbed his dark stubble, as he, Liam and Leo sat huddled around an open bottle of whiskey. Liam was deep in thought as Leo interjected, “We need to be careful, we need the element of surprise...” Liam nodded in agreement, “We can’t go looking for Maxwell... we need to get Maxwell to come to us...” Liam’s steel blue eyes darted between Leo and Drake, “We can’t allow ourselves to show complacency right now; Riley and Sienna must not know...” Drake leaned forward, his dark eyes narrowing, “What about Isabella?” Leo ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair, “Isabella and the kids will be ok, her Head of Security will make sure of that, Beaumont’s family - he wouldn’t attempt...” sighing heavily, Leo turned to Liam, “It’s Sienna I’m worried about... She’s always been so outgoing...” Liam lowered his head, his shoulders dropping, “Yeah... she hasn’t been the same... Camille was her world...” Drake patted Liam’s shoulder looking at Leo, “and yours... we’ve gotten so much further in the last few days than in months...” Leo raised his brow as he stared directly at Drake, “Liam, why don’t you and Sienna go to Valtoria for a few days? Drake and I can do the necessaries...” Thinking of the times where Maxwell and Bertrand made out they were on his side, letting Liam and Sienna FaceTime with Camille and then giving updates only rubbed salt in a gaping wound. This was something that Liam couldn’t nor wouldn’t overlook. They’ve messed with his family for the last time. Raising his head angrily, his eyes burned with the deepest hatred that he found in his soul. Teeth clenched, Liam was seething, “No! I will torture him to an inch of his fucking life - and that will be only a scratch on the pain that Sienna and I have endured every second of every day! When I get my hands on Barthemely....” Leo had a mischievous glint in his eye as he menacingly smiled knowing Liam had finally broken. It took a lot for Liam’s kindness to be overshadowed; a lot from him to be driven to despair and as his anger had finally consumed him, Leo nodded, “It’s time to prepare...”

Isabella closed her eyes the next morning, holding her breath as she walked through the parlour. Each step was like a drill going off in her brain. She was so hungover, biting down on her lip trying to distract herself from the flower bouquets that lined the Palace entrance, “What...” she slowly began to turn a shade of green, her brow raising as she questioned Jimena, “What the hell is all of this?!” The Queen’s most trusted friend began to smile, her grin made Isabella slightly uncomfortable as she exclaimed, “Now the world knows about your d-i-v...” Isabella sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes, “Yes... and?” Isabella looked at some of the notes that were attached. “My bed isn’t even cold yet...” she clicked her tongue but her interest was quipped as she noticed a particular bouquet filled with perfect powder white lilies. Lilies were not exactly known to be good omens in Laurentia. They were funeral flowers and never were to be presented otherwise. Her eyes narrowed as she opened the envelope hesitantly, her eyes immediately were drawn to the font, ‘Dearest Sympathies on the death of your husband...’ She dropped the card immediately screaming, “Where did these come from?!” Turning to Jimena, her eyes were wide, like a deer in headlights, the petite brunette was terrified, “Jimena?!” Isabella screeched wanting answers. Jimena shrugged her shoulders, “They were delivered here earlier this morning... what is wrong with you?! You should be flattered you have so many admirers...” Jimena walked over as Isabella stood shaking picking up the card. Her dark eyes rolled to the left towards Isabella as she placed her hand over her mouth, “Oh my goodness...” Isabella shook her head, “Get these out of my home...” Jimena tried to smile, “It could have been a genuine mistake?” The young Monarch’s almond shaped, dark chocolate brown eyes narrowed and with her teeth clenched she barked, “Do I need to repeat myself, burn it all! No! No!” Maybe Leo wasn’t losing it after all.

#the royal romance #king liam #drake walker #prince leo #playchoices #choices stories you play #playchoices fanfic #the royal romance au #playchoices fic #choices

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ravenclawfury · 5 years ago

Text

First spiritual experience with Hades and my best friends thought I was dying

Yes. This happened. Yesterday. And the experience was so deep and real that I wanted to write about it here. Prepare for a longgggggggggg post.

So! Necessary background about me. I live on a mountain. I live on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. It’s a tiny little town in rural Virginia, population about 250. We have one grocery store and three restaurants, the fanciest of which is a Subway. Apparently, the fire department finds it necessary to sometimes to controlled burns in the forests on some of the mountains. I only found this out as I was driving home yesterday and saw the mountains smothered in smoke. It was very alarming to see until I found out what was happening.

I work an hour away from Tiny Rural Town because there’s hardly anywhere to work and I’m sure the pay sucks, so I drive an hour into a larger city to work at a Walmart. Anyway, I had just finished an eight-hour shift and had driven home.

Background on my relationship with Hades-- I have been getting signs from Him all over the place but He hasn’t really reached out to me the way my other deity (Loki) has so I’ve been feeling discouraged and wondering if it’s even Him reaching out, much less if I’m just seeing signs that aren’t there. I’d asked verbally and telepathically if He could appear in meditations and dreams since that has been pretty much the norm for most people I’ve read about (I know that every person’s individual-deity experience is different but I figured “most likely” is the thing to try first) and He hadn’t. I had tried meditating a bunch and I always ended up falling asleep-- although one time I did start to get into it and I had a couple visions of a shelf filled with scrolls and a wooden box with a sticker that said something about green tea. I think that probably had something to do with Him, like I was peeking into His office but he decided then wasn’t a good time.

I’m rambling. I had gotten up that morning and found my paycheck had come in but it was a bit larger than normal, and with my tax return sitting in the bank my account was looking lit. So I decided to attribute it to him (god of wealth and all) I wanted to do something nice and get Hades a proper offering. I picked out a nice bottle of wine (I think it was called Apothic Dark? It was only 10 bucks and it sounded very Him) and some pretty flowers (roses and purple lilies? purple somethings). And then I drove home.

But my best friend wanted to have dinner and offered to pick me up so I didn’t have to drive back into town. I agreed and popped open His wine while I got dressed so it could breathe. I estimated my friend to be about 20 minutes out and it was sunset so I poured a hefty glass of it and took it outside. I looked around for a good spot to sit down and offer the wine and while I was looking I looked up through the trees and saw the fires.

The controlled burn was happening on the mountain across from ours, but until then all I had seen was the smoke. Now that it was dusk, I could see the flames raging across the mountain and I just kind of froze. I stood there for a few minutes in the cold before I sank down to my knees, still watching it. It was a fairly uncomfortable position (I was in a dress that I believe Hades likes) and I heard a voice in my head tell me it was okay to sit down and get comfortable.

Now, I have a godphone and I’m used to Loki regularly chattering away in my head so I knew what this was. I sat down and just watched the fire and I even teared up a little because it was beautiful but sad. I even got sort of a Pompeii vibe because the fire looked like lava flowing down the mountain and that’s just what came to mind. I subconsciously thought a couple times about going to get my phone to get pictures because it was so pretty and every time I felt a nudge to stay put, and then when I asked in my head if I could go get my phone, I got a verbal “No, just stay here in the moment. This is not something to trap in a photograph, just be here.”

Anyway, once I felt like I was ready, I started giving this little sort of speech for the offering, using Hades’ name and asking him to accept it and stuff. It was more a prayer than anything.

Anyway as I was talking I heard this rustling in the woods. It sounded like someone was walking up the mountain onto my property so I froze. It was getting closer but it wasn’t moving all that fast and it would quiet down every so often so I would try to start talking again, but I would get distracted as the leaves rustled. Eventually, I figured out it was a few deer moving up the mountain, picking their way through the forest, so I remained silent.

I listened to the deer and tried to pick out their movements in the darkness and after a while I got a gut feeling it was time to tip over the glass of wine without any further ado, so I did. The whole thing was just very spiritual and it was the first time He had really talked to me so I was very happy.

I went inside and checked my phone (since my friend was on the way) and there were about 6 missed calls from each of my best friends (one of which is my crush) and our group chat was blowing up. Long story short? She saw the controlled burn driving into town and panicked, thinking it was my mountain. My friends thought I was dying while I was giving Hades an offering xD xD xD

Anywho, I’m very very grateful to finally have a little confirmation (after all, I need all the reassurance in the world) and I really appreciate the experience. So, thanks, Hades.

#hades #hades deity #witchcraft #witches #witch #witchblr #wicca #magick #magickal #spiritual #spiritual experience #theoi worship #theoi #hellenic polytheism #hellenistic polytheism

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oneyeartoparty · 4 years ago

Text

Meeting At Long Last - Chapter 2: A New Home

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24753607/chapters/59848063

The forest around her became a blur as she ran. It’s trees and bushes had become lost in the sea of panic that now spread through her with every rapid beat of her heart. As it spread, her haki retreated, and soon it faded altogether, forcing on her to now rely on her most basic senses, but these would be of no help against the more senior members Whitebeard Pirates.

Her best hope was that the crew would decide to focus on the town first. With any luck they would find Mozo, who would distract them long enough for her to get away. No doubt they would look for the person responsible for beating and restraining him, but it would take time for them find her hideaway.

The sea cave she had hidden her ship in was too small for most ships, so there was a chance they wouldn’t search it, assuming they even knew it existed in the first place. Reaching the entrance, she carefully pushed aside the vines that grew across it and slowly placed them back across once she had entered. Keeping the area undisturbed would go a long way to keeping the cave hidden.

The descent to the main cavern was short, and soon the light from the torches she had placed hours ago appeared ahead of her and she knew her ship was near. Escape was tantalizingly close.

These hopes were dashed when she turned the corner and saw the scene before her.

Her ship was split in two. It had been lifted from the water that made up the centre of the cave and dropped unceremoniously on the stone floor. She wondered if it was the drop that had caused the damage or if it had been ripped a part first.

Looking for a source, she quickly found it. Crouching on the stern was the one responsible; Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates.

He didn’t look surprised at her presence. In fact, a sense of calm seemed to surround him, despite the fact he’d obviously expected someone to return to this ship.

“A rabbit mask? I didn’t know there was a carnival nearby. Wish I’d been invited.”

An obvious attempt at irritating me. she thought. Is he trying to gauge my reaction?

“You knew about the cave?” she asked, deciding it was best to ignore his previous comment.

He nodded. “Can’t guard your territory properly if you don’t know its layout.”

“Most pirates don’t keep tabs of every nook and cranny of an island.”

Marco gave her a lazy smirk, clearly amused by her response.

“Why’d you attack our island? Looking to start a fight with us?”

“I came became I heard the distress call. When I arrived, I found a pirate named Mozo the Mad raiding the village.”

“Then where is he?”

“I left him on a hill outside the town. I was taking him here when you guys showed up. I may be reckless sometimes but I’m not stupid enough to hang around when the Whitebeard Pirates come to defend their territory.”

“You’re smarter than most of the idiot crews we deal with if that’s true. But I gotta say its suspicious you just happen to be here.” He said, his gaze sizing her up. Clearly, he was thinking this would end in a fight.

She debates bringing up Ace. He was the second division commander, so Marco undoubtedly knew who he was. Still the question was remained; had Ace mentioned her? And if he had, would Marco believe her? She knew too little about Marco to gauge how he would react if he thought she was lying.

Marco didn’t give her a chance to decide. Two flaming blue and gold wings sprout from his back, their tips curling toward him. His calm demeanour remained, but with an added fierceness.

He is like a snake waiting to strike. All he needs is a reason.

“I don’t think you’re lying, but I’m going to bring you to Pops. He can decide what to do with you and Mozo if we find him.”

“I will come pea-“

She was cut off by an eruption of flame that came between her and Marco. The flames had intensity that made them seem alive, creeping along the cave walls and roof seemingly searching for something to consume. The flames lasted only a few seconds, but this was more than enough time for Ace to jump in front of her, acting as a shield against his fellow commander.

“Marco! What the hell were you going to do to Lily!?”

Lily could only see her brothers back, but she could still see the anger in his features and hear it in his voice. It wasn’t his usual anger. It was the type of anger Ace reserved for this who would dare to harm his family.

“You could’ve hurt my sister, you stupid bird brain!”

A shocked expression took over Marco’s face. “Sister? That’s her?”

So Ace had mentioned her.

“Yeah, the cute rabbit mask is a dead giveaway. I told you guys all about her.”

Marco facepalmed.

“You idiot! You never told us what she looked like! You were too scared we’d flirt with her if any of us met her, so you refused to tell us.”

Ace rubbed the back of his head. It was a habit he had developed as a form of wordless apology for when his hotheadedness got the better of him.

“Sorry Marco, but can you blame me? You know how certain crewmates of ours can be.”

Certain crewmates? I wonder who he is talking about.

“But listen Marco, do you really think the Lily I told you about would be involved? She would never hurt innocents like this.”

Marco held his hands up surrender and Lily noticed a weight seemed to be lifted from him.

He seems pleased this did not end in a fight.

“I believe you Ace, still Pop’s will want to see her and hear what happened. Take her to the ship after you gather her things. I’ll find Mozo.”

Ace nodded, and a satisfied Marco stood. He gave her a friendly smile before taking flight and heading toward the cave’s sea entrance.

With Marco’s departure Ace turned his attention to Lily. He gave her a once over, looking for any sign of injury. Satisfied, his smile grew, the joy of seeing his sister after so long plastered on his face.

“I’m so happy to see you Ace. Thank you for rescuing me.”

“What use would I be as your big brother if I couldn’t keep you safe? My family are my most precious treasures.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Only Ace could say something like that and not realise how meaningful it was.

Unaware of the effect his words had on his sibling, Ace turned, taking in the two halves of what had once been her ship. Taking the opportunity, Lily quickly lifted her mask and wiped away the tears with her gloves.

“Come on, lets gather what we can and head for the ship. We’ll take it to my cabin before we see Pops.”

With that the two began searching through the wreckage.

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Lily was certain that Todd Knock, the Mayor of Bell Town was a strange man. The time she had spent on the Grand Line had made what was once extraordinary, mundane. When every island is unique, what was once strange becomes expected and true strangeness becomes a rarity.

Todd was, she thought, a true specimen of strangeness, though she was uncertain what feature truly made him that way. Was it the rusted colander he wore as a hat that was covered in red and green buttercup mushrooms? Maybe it was the suit and shoes he wore that appeared to be made entirely of a random assortment of feathers? Or perhaps his appearance was all a grand illusion created by the yellow spores being slowly expelled by the mushrooms, and apart from the colander he wasn't that strange at all.

The Whitebeard pirates that surrounded her on the deck of the Moby Dick took no interest in the Mayor’s strange appearance. No doubt this wasn’t their first-time meeting, so to them he was no spectacle at all. Instead their attention was focused on their captain, who was listening intently to the Mayor’s account of events, occasionally taking a swing from a sake bottle easily as tall as her in his right hand.

A few also shot glances her way, and while she had expected hostility, she instead saw curiosity and even smiles for a few. Thatch, commander of the 4th division seems especially pleased by her presence, giving her a small wave when she first boarded. She had returned it with a wave of her own and a small smile that only she knew was there.

“So, she wasn’t involved?” Whitebeard asked, as he swirled the bottle in his hand.

“No sir, if anything we should thank her for her help.”

Making good on his words, the Mayor turned to face her.

“Thank you for your assistance Miss Lily.”

Lily gave a small nod. “Of course, I’m happy you’re all safe.”

Whitebeard took a long swing of sake. Small streams of the liquid flowed out of his mouth and down the side of his face as he drank. Once he finished, he sat the bottle back on his knee.

“Now that matter has been resolved, we need to discuss her ship. Is it truly unfixable?”

Ace who had been standing silently beside her was the one who spoke.

“Yeah, Marco really did a number on it.” Ace turned to her. An amused grin plastered on his face.

“I hope you weren’t too attached to the ship sis. The pineapple head can be as dense as Luffy sometimes.”

“Oi! Don’t go blaming me, I thought she was our enemy.” Marco said in a defensive tone.

Ace chuckled again before addressing his captain.

“We should take her with us Pops, least till we can get her a new ship.”

Whitebeard’s eyes shifted to her. Her mask covered her face, but she could still feel his gaze met her eyes. She would have expected it to be filled with hostility or be at the very least intimidating. After all, he was one of the four Emperors. Yet all she felt was kindness and warmth, and surprisingly, a touch of concern.

“There is a shipwright island a month from here. We will take you there and pay for a ship equal to Mozo’s bounty. Mozo is ours though.”

His tone made it clear this wasn’t up for discussion, at least regarding Mozo. Still, she felt the need to protest travelling with them. Any bounty hunter seen travelling on a pirate ship would have their reputation called into question. Not to mention the possibility of a bounty if she became involved in the wrong incident.

Unsure how to respond, she looked at her brother. He had a wide grin on his face and a look of encouragement in his eyes. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his siblings and them being a part for so long made her realise he was eager to catch up and spend some time together, just as she was.

With an internal sigh and the feeling, she was in for quite the adventure, she spoke.

“Thank you, I gladly accept the offer.”

With the matter settled, Whitebeard turned his attention to his crew.

“Ace show her to a spare cabin. The rest of you make sure the town has enough supplies to rebuild then prepare to set sail.”

With their order given the deck burst to life, becoming something more akin to a busy city street then the deck of a pirate ship. People shifted around each other, all heading to different parts of the vessel. She had only just begun to take in her surrounding when a warm hand gripped hers and she was gently pulled.

Eyes temporarily blinded by the now rising sun, it didn’t take her long to realise that Ace was responsible.

“Come on Lily, I wanna show you around.”

Ace quickly came to a sprint, which Lily matched with ease. It wasn’t the first time one of her brothers had suddenly started dragging her somewhere. It bought a nostalgic feeling to her that made her smile.

‘Ace bring her back here! We haven’t properly introduced ourselves.” A voice shouted from behind. Lily turned to see its source but couldn’t see one amongst the mass of bodies moving to answer their captains order.

“Sorry guys, Pop’s orders!” Ace shouted back, the joy clear in his voice.

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The two stood in front of three evenly spaced out wooden doors. They were identical to the many others they had passed, the only difference being the empty plaques on each that were just below her eye level.

“There’re more empty cabins on the other side of the ship, but I though you would like not having too many people nearby.”

Ace pointed to the middle door. “It’s this one, right?”

“Definitely. I need my space for my woodcarving. It gets weird sometimes.”

Ace arched an eyebrow. “Weird?”

“Have you heard of many woodcarvers who have been known to violently throw their failed creations?”

Ace laughed. “Still hitting people when their sleep like you did with Dadan?”

She smiled “I did hit a Vice Admiral in the eye when I visited grandpa. He just laughed and I almost got chased out of the marine base for it.”

Ace laughed and gave her a light pat on the back. It was a clear sign he was proud of her accomplishment.

“Shame you didn’t get a bounty, then you could’ve joined up with us.”

He looked her in the eyes, a serious expression on his face.

“Do you want to join? I’m sure Pop’s will let you.”

Lily shook her head “No thank you, Ace. I’m happy bounty hunting and piracy was never my dream as much as it was for you three. I’ve always wanted to keep people safe, and bounty hunting is how I can do it.”

“Fair enough. Do you think Luffy will accept when he goes out to sea?”

“Definitely not. Won’t stop you from asking though, will it?”

“Nope!”

As he finished speaking, a sudden realisation hit Ace’s face.

“Crap! We forgot the grab your stuff from my cabin. I’ll go get it. Wait here for me and don’t let Thatch show you around if he shows up, that’s my job!”

Before she could question him about why Thatch would be so eager to give her a tour of the ship, Ace was already running in the direction they’d come from.

Turning her attention back to the door, she clasped the handle and turned it, letting light flood into the room that would be hers for the next month.

The room was, unsurprisingly, sparsely furnished. A double bed was placed against the centre of the back wall, its wooden frame matching the two beside tables that were placed on each of its sides. To her right was a writing desk and chair, a box labelled ‘dozen candles and matches’ sat atop it. Her left had a large mahogany chest with a copper clasp.

Walking inside, she made her way to the desk and opened the box. She was happy to see wax holders were included. Ace was enough of a fire hazard and the last thing she needed was to have to deal with a candle causing a fire too.

Deciding to sort out the lighting situation before nightfall, she grabbed four candles and candle holders from the box. She placed one on each bedside table and two on each side of the desk. Lighting them, she closed the door to test her setup. To Lily’s delight the candles illuminated the room well. The corner with the chest was the most dimly lit, and she debated asking for a wax holder she could mount to the wall.

Four quick knocks on the door drew her from her musing. It wasn’t Ace, he would’ve talked to her through the door rather than knock.

“Lily, are you in this cabin? I brought you some breakfast.” It was a male voice she didn’t recognise, but the tone was a cheery one.

Her stomach rumbled in reply. It had been almost a day since she had eaten anything substantial and she would feel the effects if she didn’t eat soon. Eager for a meal, she walked forward and opened the door.

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homenum-revelio-hq · 5 years ago

Photo

Welcome (again) to the Order of the Phoenix, Kate!

You have been accepted for the role of LILY EVANS! We really loved your interpretation of Lily and her family, specifically the parts including Petunia and how everything is not always what it seems. We also loved how you mentioned her self-righteousness multiple times and how you allowed for a beloved character to have flaws - because everyone does! Looking forward to seeing what you’ll do with her!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Kate

AGE: 25

TIMEZONE: EST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Hopefully I’ve already been able to demonstrate that I’m active most days. During the week, I have so much time to plot & do replies – the weekends are a little more hit or miss, but I can usually pop around once or twice.

ANYTHING ELSE: nope!

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Lily Evans

AGE: 22 in a few days time in game.

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: female, she/her, straight.

BLOOD STATUS: muggleborn

HOUSE ALUMNI: gryffindor

ANY CHANGES: nope, she’s wonderful!

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

lily evans is bold. she’s fearless. she’s sunlight and bonfires and radiance. she’s kindness and compassion and optimism. she’s vivacious and mischievous and quick to laugh. she’s smart, witty, determined. she’s competitive. she’s protective of the people she loves. she’s fierce in the way she loves. she’s crinkled eye smiles and sticking out her tongue when provoked. she’s goofy and an expert at initiating quick dance parties. she’s stubborn and maybe just a little too quick to hold a grudge. she’s sharp with people she dislikes and sometimes her words can bite. she can be maddeningly self-righteous, though she would never think so. she’s excellent at getting others to open up to her and being a consoling ear to them, but it’s more difficult for her to do the same. she builds walls around her heart without knowing it, her deep-seated fear of rejection ruling more of her heart than she may ever know. she finds it impossible to give up on the people she loves. she thinks that there’s always a solution, always a way to fix things. she’s passionate and quick tempered and now what you would consider quiet. she’s full of life, and determined to live her life fully.

or at least, she was. much of our world has been lost to this war, and the lily evans we once knew is just another one of those casualties.

lily had no hope of escaping this war. first of all, she’s a muggleborn, so this war is very much about her. but even if that weren’t the case, or even if she ever thought it was an option to disappear back into the muggle world, her ideals and sense of duty would never allow her to do that. she has a bit of a hero streak in her, and lily can’t sit back and watch as other people are hunted down and hurt, as the world she has embraced as her own is torn apart. lily always knew that she would be a part of this war, but her pride and stubbornness never let her consider that this war might break her.

and yet, it has. in some ways, she’s still lily. she’s still bold and quick to kindness. she’s still moved to compassion for those around her. she’s still determined and protective and fierce and stubborn. she’s still a brilliant witch (though maybe not as good at defensive magic and dueling as her pride would like her to think). but the spark in lily has gone out, the hope that animated her at the beginning of all of this has dried up. she’s lost the softness that once defined her and made her so extraordinary. instead, she’s hardened, and her flaws have become just a little more fatal in her life. the walls have built even higher, and she’s lost her tendency towards openness and trust.

lily’s not so sure anymore that they actually can win this war, but she hasn’t lost her determination to help in whatever way she can. she still sees it as her duty. what lily doesn’t see is that she’s become harder to be around. she’s quicker to push others away, to keep them at arms’ length. this is even more true after the failure that resulted in her taking the life of an innocent woman for what turned out to be a completely fruitless mission. lily isn’t introspective enough anymore to realize this about herself, let alone name it, but she’s suffering from a textbook case of depression. this will be interesting to see play out, because it could have serious consequences in lily’s life and the lives of those around her if it goes untreated.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

patrick and rose evans were a perfectly matched pair. two writers and dreamers, patrick was a professor of classic literature while rose split her time between writing novels and painting masterpieces that were well sought after by a select cohort of people. they always wanted children, but they had no taste for a typical, ordinary suburban life. they wanted to teach their children how to be special, extraordinary, dreamers and artists. it was their greatest delight to have two daughters born in such close age to one another, two brilliant little hearts to mold and cultivate and raise like the garden of rare flowers that sprawled across their Cokeworth backyard.

patrick and rose loved both of their daughters, but raising humans turned out to be a lot different from raising a garden. from the time she was an infant, strange things happened around lily, while petunia remained perfectly ordinary. lily was soft and sweet and full of light, the epitome of what a perfect heroine to one of their stories would be, while petunia had a hardness in her that they didn’t know how to handle. they loved petunia just as much as they loved lily, but she baffled them with her obsession with ordinary and her desire for them to be just like all the other parents. patrick and rose were delighted at the unexplainable things that lily seemed able to do, while petunia responded with a stiff and begrudging fascination.

when it was discovered by the family that the special things lily could do were magic, patrick and rose were ecstatic. of course, they knew that it must be kept a secret, but their daughter was a witch? how unique! how special! what a dream it was! they were too wrapped up in their delight to notice their elder daughter’s resentment and envy, but lily was not so oblivious as her parents, and petunia’s distaste wore on her. lily responded with self-righteousness as a protective mechanism – she wasn’t a freak, she was special, and their parents saw it too.

as lily grew older, she began to realize that her parents’ treatment of her as the favoritism that it was, and her conscience prickled uncomfortably at the knowledge, but she did what she could to push that away. it wasn’t her fault that she was special, and besides, petunia was the one who constantly rejected lily. their parents loved them both – they just made a fuss over lily when she was home because she was away for most of the year. it was petunia’s fault if she couldn’t see that.

when lily was in her seventh year, rose evans’ studio caught on fire with rose still inside. patrick, unable to bear a life without his wife, ran into the burning building, and neither came out. lily was devastated and turned to her sister for comfort, but petunia responded with bitter words and painful rejection. lily tried a few times to reconcile, but each of her attempts yielded a similar result, and eventually lily stopped trying, tucking that pain away in a place so deep that she could pretend it wasn’t there. after leaving hogwarts, lily followed her friends into war. they were the only family she had now.

OCCUPATION:

when lily was in her early years at hogwarts, she considered many different career paths. the fact that she could make a life for herself that was completely surrounded by magic was intoxicating, and her friends teased her for how often she changed dreams about what she might do after hogwarts. but as lily grew older and the war began to creep inside hogwarts, lily’s focus shifted from finding a job she could thrive in to finding a way to make a difference in the war. upon leaving hogwarts, lily chose the order instead of a career. she didn’t quite feel comfortable with letting james support her, though, so she took a potions apprenticeship and began working for an apothecary that allowed her to do mail orders for potions. this allows her to spend most of her time at the mckinnon farm while still finding a way to support herself. lily sees her real purpose to be the task force. she knows exactly what is at stake in this war, and if she can save more lives from being lost, she’s going to do everything she can to accomplish that. some might accuse lily of having skewed priorities, but if the whole point of this war is to save muggles and muggleborns, why shouldn’t they be focusing on helping those that want to escape?

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

lily joined the order because there was no other option. she couldn’t sit back and pretend that this war wasn’t raging – her blood status doesn’t allow her that luxury. she doesn’t see it as this grand adventure in the way that her boys do, and sometimes it frustrates her that they can’t seem to take it more seriously. there’s so much more on the line than some people within the order realize. the longer lily’s spent in the order, the more disenchanted she’s become with some within it. she’s glad for the task force and for the chance to throw herself into that, because as important as fighting is to win this war, if they stoop to the same level as the death eaters in their attempts to fight, then what’s the point? with the way things are going, lily isn’t sure how much of a world there will be left even if they do win this war. lily won’t walk away from the order, because so many people she loves are giving themselves to it and it’s the only way she knows how to make a difference, but she doesn’t view the order with the same rose colored glasses she once did.

SURVIVAL:

Lily relies too heavily on relationships around her for her survival. One of her fatal flaws is that she’s too quick to trust her friends. She is scrappy and resourceful enough that she could figure out a way to survive on her own if the need should arise, but Lily has not yet had to do that. She trusts those around her to protect her, and is maybe a little too laissez faire about her own survival. Lily chooses to live at the McKinnon farm most of the time, and when she’s not there, she’s with the marauders. She knows that they’ll do anything to take care of her and help her survive this, just as she’d do the same for them.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Lily started this war with many good relationships in her life. She has a kindness and intuition about her that makes her an incredible friend, and many people have always been drawn to her because of that. She threw herself into building relationships within the order, seeing these people as her family. But the darker this war has been getting, the more those relationships have been strained. There are so many divisions within the Order, all around the way they should or should not be fighting this war. Lily knows that there are some who view her dedication to the task force as a waste, and she finds herself on the defensive with those people.

Her relationships with the marauders have been slipping, too. Distance has been growing between her and James – he just doesn’t seem to fully understand the stakes in this war, and how could he? He’s a pureblood with enough money that he would never have to work. He doesn’t understand what it is to be in her position – for the target to always be on her back and for her to have to think carefully about what she has to do to provide for herself and survive in this war. things have been tense between them, but after the failed mission, lily found herself turning to james for comfort. he seemed quick to understand the devastation that she felt, and she thinks that maybe there’s hope for mending their fractured relationship. after all, he’s still her james.

lily has also felt more distanced from sirius and peter lately. there’s something constantly on edge about sirius, and lily is concerned, but she has too much else on her plate to have time to babysit him, so she leaves it to james and peter to make sure that sirius doesn’t do anything too terribly reckless. peter has felt more distant, too, though lily wouldn’t say she’s ever been that close to peter in the first place.

remus is lily’s saving grace – he’s always been the one she’s felt the closest to (besides james), and their work together on the task force has only served to bring them closer. she’s doing everything she can to help him keep his status a secret, but she can’t deny that his determination to rock the boat when it comes to the rest of the werewolves worries her. she understands why it matters so much to her, but she’s afraid that others are going to begin to look a little too closely, especially with how sick he’s been. she’ll do anything to protect him and keep his secret exactly that, but she’s not sure she’ll really be able to do that.

as far as lily’s relationships with the rest of the order, she currently feels a little hurt. the people that she thought would understand and stand by her have chosen to punish her for what happened with leina nott, as if lily isn’t punishing herself enough already. she’s angry that she’s been benched, but she’s determined to prove to them that she still has what it takes, and she’s not a liability.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

Note that there are no planned endgame ships set in this roleplay. There are a few characters who are in romantic relationships at the start of the game, but it will be up to players to decide if those relationships can survive the war. This question does not guarantee that any ship will happen, it is merely for fellow players to see where your interest might lie.

obviously I’m ready and excited to explore the lily/james ship because I’m a big jily fan, but I’m not tied into any one thing in particular. this war has changed lily, and that necessarily means that her relationship with james has changed too. the only question is whether their relationship can adapt to survive the changes that have taken place, or whether it will continue to splinter. I’m excited to explore anything that might come up, especially in working with Karli.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

lily would like to think that she doesn’t have any prejudices. she’s a muggleborn, after all, which makes her the one that everyone is prejudiced against. this fact serves to have the opposite affect, however, making lily just a little too self-righteous, especially with those that couldn’t understand what it means to have a constant target purely because of who her parents are.

lily has a hard time being completely open with things she can’t understand. she isn’t prejudiced against the half-breeds, per se, but she does have a lingering suspicion towards them that she can’t shake and that she’d never admit to remus. it’s not that she thinks they’re all monsters or that they’re any less than her. it’s that they’re something she can’t understand, and that makes her uncomfortable enough to avoid them as much as she can instead of actually get to know what exactly it is that makes them different.

lily has more privileges than she realizes – she has a group of people who would willingly die for her and who would do anything to protect her and help her in this war. she takes that for granted, and thinks that she’s just like all these muggleborns who are seeking a way to hide and run, when in reality, she’s much better off than most of them. this has the potential to cause some tension with the very people that lily is so determined to help.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

well I already know that I love this group. it’s one of the highlights of my quarantine time, and logging on every day to read the writing by my fellow members is a delight. as for lily, I’m so excited to explore another facet of this war that only playing mary doesn’t allow me. lily has always been one of my favorite characters, but lily in this verse has the potential to be so different from the typical lily evans that you find in other groups, and I love that. I’m particularly excited to explore the possibility that lily is suffering from depression and what that will look like continuing to be played out.

PLOT DROP IDEAS:

wow, so many thoughts. I’d love to see a plot drop that included the task force being compromised in some way – this is about the only thing holding lily together at this point, and I think her losing it in some way would cause lily to come apart at the seams, which is something I’d love to explore. I’d also love to see petunia as a secondary character – maybe petunia is impacted by this war in some way and it forces the two sisters into a confrontation that could either start to heal the most broken parts of lily or else force them even deeper underground in her heart. I’m sure there are so many more possibilities, but those are the ones right off the top of my head.

ANYTHING ELSE? karli & nicky, y’all are the best and we loooouuuurvvv you!!

#homenumaccepted

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verai-marcel · 5 years ago

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Before This Dance Is Through (RDR2 Fanfic, Chapter 1 of 3, Arthur x Fem!Reader, 18+ ONLY)

Summary: You work at a super cute cat cafe run by your boss, Charles Smith. His friend, Arthur Morgan, is a tattoo artist who works across the street and comes by for coffee before he starts work. You’ve maintained a quiet and gentle persona in the hopes of getting him to fall for you, but one day, he catches you dancing your heart out to some dubstep in the downtown plaza early in the morning before most people are awake. What will you say to him when you see him staring at you, a dumbfounded look on his face?

Author’s Notes: My dear @r0xy-w0lf asked me for a fic about a Reader who can dance, and @myboah had a post asking what if Arthur was a tattoo artist in a modern AU. And SO BLAM, this story exploded from my brain, demanding to be written. And finally, I know practically nothing about street dance, so references might be vague to hide my ignorance. I'm sorry!

Tags: modern AU, tattoo artist Arthur, fluff, romance, smut in Chapter 3, rough sex, probably incorrect dance terminology

AO3 Link is here, darlin’.

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Chapter 1 - Dance Around the Issue

It was a gorgeous summer morning, and you were cleaning tables at the cat cafe that you worked at. A pair of women were sitting in the corner, with one of them lifting her shirt sleeve to show off a tattoo. You noticed that it was an amazing design, a tiger lily that melted into a butterfly.

“That is so beautiful. Did you come up with it?”

“No, I just heard that if you talk to him for a while, he’ll come up with something for you, and it’s always this soul deep, beautiful thing that represents you perfectly.”

“Really? You just… talked?”

“Yeah, he sits you down, gets you some water, and just asks you how your day’s been, how you’re doing, and, I don’t know, I just ended up talking about my hopes and dreams. All the while he’s drawing in some little sketchbook. Twenty minutes later, he shows me this design and asks if it’s good, and I immediately said yes, draw it on me!”

“What, no way. No way anyone is that good.”

“His Instagram account says otherwise.”

You didn’t hear either of them speak for a while as one of them messed with her phone before handing it to the other. Then there were some gasps.

“Holy fuck. Holy FUCK.”

“I know, right? And here’s the kicker: he doesn’t even handle his Instagram account, he says his friend does all that social media stuff for him.”

“Well, whoever it is does a fucking good job at marketing him.”

“Right? Anyway, enough about me. How are you doing?”

The conversation carried on as you moved away from them, taking all the dishes and cups back into the kitchen.

Glancing at Charles, your boss and owner of the cafe, you noticed the smile on his face; it wasn’t a normal smile, more like the smile of someone laughing at an inside joke.

“What's up?” you asked as you walked by.

“I’ll tell you later,” he said.

***

Later that day, you reminded him.

“So what were you going to tell me?”

Charles scrunched his lips together as he tried to remember. “Oh, the two women talking about that tattoo artist? That’s Arthur.”

“Your friend who just joined the studio across the street?”

“Yup. Javier finally convinced him to leave his old studio after putting some hard numbers in front of him. Arthur’s so loyal, it took Javier writing out how much gas and time he was using to commute, and how little he was getting as an apprentice when he could be charging more as a solo artist.”

You had heard bits and pieces about Arthur from Charles and Javier, who was Charles’ business partner for the cafe, and did marketing for him. Javier was a charismatic man, who had actually suggested Charles hire a helper so he could focus on managing the cat lounge part of the cafe, which is why you were brought on board. So in a way, you were grateful to him, as you loved the laid back atmosphere of this job.

And during the slow times, you could play with the cats.

***

You first met Arthur at the crack of dawn on a slow morning.

"Hi, welcome to Crafty Cats!" You greeted the grumpy looking man with one of your gentle smiles; you were naturally quiet and easy-going when in the cafe, and fortunately that matched the general vibe of the lounge. Charles wanted it to be a place where people could relax and maybe consider adopting a cat, which was the other half of the business that he focused on. Your job was to make the cafe a place where people felt welcome, like they were coming back to an old friend.

You observed the man as he walked up to the counter. He was easy on the eyes, but a bit intimidating, a big guy with big arms. His left bicep had a tattoo that went up his arm under the sleeve of his shirt; you couldn't see the rest of it, but it looked like some kind of animal, maybe a deer. His dark blue muscle shirt showed off his body rather magnificently, and his black jeans wrapped his hips lovingly. Good lord, if you didn't have a big man kink, you sure as hell had one now.

"G'mornin'. Is Charles around?"

Oh, his voice was deep, just the way you liked it, with a mix between a Texan and a southern twang to it. You pointed towards the cat lounge. Through the large window in the wall that separated the coffee bar and the cat lounge, you could see Charles in there brushing one of the cats.

"I'll let you in," you said, walking out from around the counter. The man followed silently as you opened the door carefully and went inside. Immediately Natasha, a calico, started hissing at you. You rolled your eyes and ignored her; this was normal.

"Hey, someone's here to see you?" You asked quietly.

Charles looked up and smiled. "Hey Arthur. Have a seat, you can help me brush Natasha."

You winced. She only liked Charles. Whenever anyone else tried to pet her, she'd at best walk away. At worst, she'd hiss and bat at whoever came near.

So you watched in utter disbelief as Arthur held his hand out and she immediately went up to him and nudged his hand, then plopped into his lap and started purring.

"What…"

Charles laughed at your reaction. "Arthur has a way with animals."

Then you heard Arthur croon softly to the cat, and your face heated up; you were suddenly wishing he was saying those things to you in that gravelly voice.

"Good kitty, yer just a little sweetheart, ain'tcha?" he murmured as he took the brush that Charles wordlessly handed him and gently brushed Natasha. She just purred and blinked her eyes slowly.

Charles got up and gestured for you to follow him. "I'll get you a coffee," he said over his shoulder to Arthur as he exited the lounge area with you.

As soon as the door was shut, Charles looked at you knowingly.

"He's single."

"I didn't ask!"

Charles just smirked at you. "I could tell you wanted to know." He poured a cup of black coffee and handed it to you. "Bring this to him, please."

You just shook your head. Your boss, playing matchmaker. Funny guy. But far too observant.

***

It's been a couple months since then. Almost every morning, Arthur comes in for a coffee and plays with the cats, then goes to his studio. Sometimes he stops by after work to just chill with the cats, and Charles lets him. You wondered about the nepotism of it all, since the cat lounge had an admission price, but you didn’t bring it up.

Turns out, you didn’t need to.

On a busy morning, Arthur, who was waiting in line for his coffee because he didn’t want to be that guy, asked you once he reached the counter, “Don’tchu charge people for hangin’ out in there?”

You nodded as you poured his coffee. “Yeah, $12 an hour.”

Arthur’s eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t say anything else as he accepted the coffee from you.

“But Charles said it’s okay for you,” you quickly added. “He said you’re not allowed to have pets at your place.”

“Charles and his big mouth,” he grumbled, but a soft smile played on his lips as he spoke.

You loved his small smiles, his irreverent humor, his grumpy cheer.

He gave you a twenty.

"What's this for?" you asked, blinking stupidly.

"For the time in there," he replied, pointing a thumb at the cat lounge.

"I said-"

"Tell Charles he can shove his charity." And he walked into the cat lounge, sat down, and was immediately surrounded by three cats.

You smiled at the scene; a big man, rough around the edges, speaking gently to some cats.

And then two women sat next to him and started chatting with him.

You bristled, but you couldn't do anything about it. After all, who the hell were you, when you hadn't scrounged up the courage to talk to him beyond the usual small talk?

***

The twilight right before dawn was your favourite time, because no one would be out in the downtown square near the clock tower at this hour. You put your bag down and pulled out your phone and a small Bluetooth speaker. Switching to your dance playlist, a mix of dubstep, hip hop, and house music, you connected your phone to the speaker and hit play.

As the music flowed through you, you let your body take over, pushing your active mind back as you popped and locked with the beat, undulating your body like it was liquid.

This was your secret passion: street dance. You could do it with a group in public, but on your own? You'd rather dance where few people could see, but your studio apartment was cramped, and the park had too many dog walkers, even at this hour. So when you could, you came here, with your little speaker, and danced your heart out. You shook out the stress of the day to day, and let yourself just be in the moment, feel the rhythm of the song, the beat of life as it thrummed through you.

Today, you were dancing out your frustration of being too meek to approach Arthur, too shy to talk more with him. Definitely too scared to ask him out on a date. You couldn't help but be quiet and polite; it was how you were raised. But inside, you were a storm of passion and emotion, always letting out everything in the form of dance. Your dance today was aggressive, fiery, raw.

Years ago, a friend had suggested you get out your stress through physical exercise, and had dragged you to one of his street dance classes. And you had fallen in love with the feeling of letting the music take over. Now you dance any chance you get, if you could get yourself out of bed early enough.

Your playlist ended as the sun lit up the plaza, and you went to grab your speaker when you heard a familiar voice behind you.

"Didn't know you could dance like that," Arthur said as he came up behind you.

You jumped. "How long have you been watching?"

"Oh…" He checked his watch. "Since 'bout half an hour ago."

That was the length of your playlist. He had been watching the whole time?

"Sorry, didn't mean to gawk, I just…" Arthur trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and looking nervously away.

"It's fine," you said quickly to assuage his embarrassment. "I'm dancing in a public square, it's not a big deal."

He nodded his head, opened his mouth, then closed it again.

You waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

"You, uh, you dance good,” he finally said. Immediately sighing, he spoke again. “I mean, it was fun to watch. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

Your face heated up.

Looking at your wide-eyed reaction and realizing what he said and how it sounded, Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, guess I better get goin’.”

Your heart raced as you watched him start to walk to work. It was now or never. You gathered your courage, while the energy of the dance still beat in your blood. “Hey, would you like to get dinner with me tonight?”

He stopped mid-stride. Turning around, the confused look in his eyes made your heart plummet.

“Are… you askin’ me out on a date?” His tone was that of disbelief.

“Um, I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, I just...” You trailed off when you saw the confusion melt away, replaced with a genuine smile.

“I’d love to have dinner with you.” Arthur beamed at you, and it felt like you got a direct hit from the sun.

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Chapter 2 is next.

#rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #arthur morgan #charles smith #arthur x reader #female reader #modern AU #tattoo artist Arthur #nsft #fanfic #writing #tumblr request #biker au

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