#luc can your dad fight.....

[goldwingangell]

oh my god this songggg

[fieldsofwriting]

With Hayden having Henrietta and Juniper having Dozy, what do you think is every love interest's ideal pet? I feel like a good amount of them would wind up being cat people to be honest lol

You are very right, I think everyone would be very ride or die with thier pets tbh. Like there is friendly debates at the Tavern over who is the best. They'd have a best in show every year. Head cannons below the cut!

Balor:

This man is a Cat lover through and through. There is no convincing me otherwise.

I could see him having the sweetest little black cat- ya know to add to they mystery vibees.

He would love to have the cat run around with him, and when he's out and about I can see it curling up around his shoulders.

THIS MAN SPOILS HIS BABY.

So much, this cat wants for absolutely nothing.

If he gets it after his D&D sessions- it have a silly name like Snickelfritz. For the vibes.

Reina:

She strikes me as a dog girlie honestly.

I think she'd like using her dog as an excuse to get out of the kitchen every now and again and just go on walks with them.

I think she'd have a chocolate lab- yes because of the name but I also can't see her having a little dog.

She would spoil the shit out of the dog too- this dog gets so many homemade treats.

Not to mention Hemlock would feed him table scraps. And Luc would love to take them out too for bug adventures.

I could also see her being the kinda dog owner to give them cute little bandana's and everything to wear.

They'd also probably have a food name tbh.

Celine:

I think she could go either way. I can definitely see her having both cats and dogs growing up.

But once she's moved out? I think she's got a bunny.

She'd LOVE taking them out to her garden and letting them roam.

She'd also love being able to give the bunny farm fresh foods!

I mean look at her and tell me that she doesn't look like she'd hold a bunny in her arms and walk around town.

She'd make it a little flower crown and everything too.

She'd get Ryis to help her make the best most lavish bunny cage there is too.

I think she'd give the bunny a cute name like Petal.

March:

Okay- hear me out. As a kid? I think he had a bearded dragon. He would have thought they were SO COOL. Alright?

But now, as like an adult? I think he wouldn't hate any animal. Mans a big softy under that hard exterior.

I think though- he'd prefer Dogs over cats.

MOSTLY because the dog would remind him of Olric

Also you've seen those arms. I think be a crime to not get him a dog so you can throw a stick to them.

He'd pretend not to care at all about the dog- but then he'd fight so hard to make it have a cool name. (He'd probably try for Copper.)

You know those dads that are like "Don't bring home any damn animals!" And then bonds with the said animal. That's him.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed!! Let me know if you want me to do some of the other characters too!! And thank you for your request! :3 Requests are open!!

[redfluffz]

You know I'm sick and tired of people thinking Alastor could WIN against Lucifer in a fair fight. I mean come on! You've got a MORTAL sinner against the most powerful being in Hell! What are chances?

Like even if Lucifer is #depressed duck dad, I don't think he'd let people walk all over him like a doormat. Man survived millenia in Hell of all places! He'd have to have dealt with such situations quite a lot, Alastor is most definitely not special in that regard. But that's just my opinion...

Well I guess it depends on which kind of fight you consider.

Yeah we all know for sure that Luc has absolutely no problem to erase Al out of existence and I also belive that Al knows that.

That's why he pulled the im-charlies-dad-now-card, beause a fight on a social level is the only possibility for him to fight Luc. And you know ... the mind is a very powerful friend. It can outsmart the strongest muscle, when you get what I mean.

So let's hope that the deal between Al and Charlie and Luc depression don't cause a catastrophy...

But like you said. That's just my opinion. 😄

And thanks for sharing your thoughts! ✨️

[theroyalthrones]

Behind the Scenes | Various Locations | Rosiers, Toulon, Orillia

beginning | previous | next

script below↓↓

The leaves are falling as Francesca walks. The air is crisp in a way that Francesca had never been used to. Having grown up in the more so humid and warm weather of Castellon. Her little sister is chirping at her on the phone. She will miss these times, Just as she misses the times before the present.

Leandra] Yeah, and my friend’s having a birthday party this weekend. I wanted to go but I don’t no if Papa will let me.

F] chuckles Don’t worry Lea, I’lll convince him.

L] I don’t think you can, he’s already asleep. He’s been sleepy a lot!

F] I’ve got my ways…

As she walks, she can feel people staring at her. They are afar, but they are whispering. As she walks up toward the steps of the building, someone bumps into her. Her things clatter to the ground, but the assailant does not help her pick things up.

Person] watch were you’re going, you gold digging leech.

She feels her cheeks burning, but does nothing instead of walking forward toward her counselors office.

C] Ms. Ortega, there really isn’t anything to complain about. You are on track with a high gpa, and a possibility of early graduation if you keep up the good work.

F]Thank you mr.-

C] but your grades currently… I notice a slip since the semester began.

C] Whoever you might be associating yourself with, might not be in your best interests academically. People like you need to work harder. If things keep going in this direction, Post Graduate options might dwindle.

F] Y-Yes I understand.

C] I hope you do.

The sky is dark, it’s been raining all evening. Lucian and Francesca have been sitting in the library, studying for exams. it’s Finals week, of their sophomore year in school. They’re sectioned off a corner of the busy library. They’ve been there since the morning, and the cluttered desk makes that evident.

Francesca phone rings, it echos in the quiet space. She picks it up and whispers.

F] Lea, I can’t-

L] crying Cesca, it’s dad.

She barely registers the words, she’s up before she can even think. Lucian looks up at her puzzled. She’s hyperventilating, she’s crying.

L] Francesca, what?-

F] My dad- cries harder I-

L] Can you walk?

He carts her over to the door.

L] you need to be there.

F] mmhmm she barely makes out

he cups her face in his hand. he forces her to look at him, to focus on what he’s going to say.

L] Listen, Everything’s going to be ok- you’ll be ok. I’m going to make sure of that, ok Francesca?

F]cries harder

They are now at the airport. They rush in to the check-in area. Things are chaotic in the airport like they always are. Lucian pulls her hand, and spins her around to face him.

14-16

L] Are you sure I can’t come?

F] Yes, Stay. It’s finals, you must take them.

L] But yours-

F] I’ll figure it out, Luc.

L]… I love you, Cesca.

They kiss, and he watches her go. It’s 2093, and little does he know that this will be the last time he sees her in person since that fateful day in the news room, 6 years from then (2099).

Weeks pass as she is in Castellon.

She waits for hours in hospitals that feel like asylums. She is anxious always, she feels the clock ticking. This is a waiting game, her father, in a condition neither thought would be possible.

She is with her sister at times too. Eating dinners in hospital cafeterias after picking her up from school. This is just as hard for Leandra as it is for Cesca. Leandra being the one to find him collapsed.

She has also been feeling increasing sick. She looks and feels terrible in fact. She is fighting symptoms of pregnancy, but of course she does not know that yet. She is also throwing up, and showing signs of pregnancy(and in the details of the post. Show bottles of medicines and stiff)

The doctors come in to announce what had already been in the back of her mind for days now.

D] It’s lung Cancer.

F] shocked gasp C-Cancer?

D] He’s in the fourth stage, Ms. Ortega. It’d be best to get his affairs in order, as he might…

The sentence blurrs out because, No, she isn’t listening. An overwhelming piercing sound overwhelms her. She is in shock, the last parent she has in the world is dying. And it’s too late to save him. In the room full of doctors, Francesca Ortega Collapses.

She wakes up, she herself is in a hospital bed of her own. A nurse who happens to be in the room, rushes to her side. She tries to speak.

F]Wh- What am I?

N] There’s no need to worry. You collapsed due to dehydration and fatigue. Ms. Ortega, were you aware of the pregnancy?

F] Pregn-?

N] Pregnancy—Yes, you are going to have a child, Ms. Ortega.

This shocks Francesca of course, on top of everything, she is also pregnant. Of course things start clicking into place.

“I’m pregnant” she thinks.

Of course, she has been feeling nasceous, sick, fatigued,etc. all of the normal ailments that something like this could cause. She thought it was because of the stress of her father. Of course she understands now, And this understand makes her panic. How is her life going to be even more fucked up than it already has become? How will she go to graduate school with a mortage to pay for? How will she become what she wants with two children to raise(her little sister)? Her life is forever messed up, and how could she wreck his?

She decides she wont, she won’t say a thing. A few months later she begins to show, she’s on the phone with Lucian, who is none the wiser. (in the shot, show her with a close up on the phone, and then a wide show with her huge belly)

L] Nick is on my ass about trying out for the team next year. I don’t think I will.

F]…

L] My parents are forcing me to figure out my degree. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, It’s just that…

(fade off, next slide is the next part)

F] Are you excited for the semester?

L] I can’t be, not if you’re not there.

F] she laughs I can’t promise you that.

L] Are you alright, Cesca?

F] couldn’t be better. fake gleefulness

Standing in the hall of the hospital (another day). A Leandra rushed up to her, saying her father is awake.

She runs to his room, Leandra snuggles up to him. he’s laying in the bed, he’s laying with his eyes open, but he can’t speak. He doesn’t move as she gets close to him, and Cesca knows. She walks up to the bed, and lays her head on his chest. She cries.

F] crying Papa

P] Oh, La luz de mis ojos [The light of my eyes]

F] crying somore

P] I’m sorry for all the trouble i’ve caused, You’ll see. This will be behind all of us.

The scene changes, it’s nighttime. Leandra is sleeping in the bed with her father still. Francesca is sitting in a chair close to the bed. She is also dozing but is quickly awaken by the sound of a loud, singular screech. It’s the heart monitor, he’s dying.

beepppppp

F]waking up Papa?

Nurses rush into the room, it’s chaos after that. Cesca scoops her sister into her arms, as the nurses rush around (***use the motion filter on ps). ****The girls stand apart from the chaos. Francesca is shaking, she is scared. Her world has forever changed.

Fully pregnant now, in her second trimester, the girls are in a small church, they are alone in the pews. The only sign of a funeral is the large wreaths and image of their father smiling happily. And the Casket at the front. She is staring blankly, nothing is quite feeling. She feels a buzzing in her bag, it’s a call from Lucian. She see’s this as she stares at her phone.

She goes outside of the place, she stands alone outside in a dark atmosphere of rain and cloudiness.

L] Francesca! You haven’t answered any of my calls!

F] I’m sorry… things have been busy.

L] You’re voice sounds rough… Is everything ok, Cesca?

F] hoarse laugh I love you, Lucian. You know I do?

L] chuckling Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?

F] I am.

L] laughing now Sure, I love you too.

She stands in the hallway, the atmosphere darker than ever. She knows that’s the last time they will speak.

Time goes on like it always does. We see shots of her kissing her sister on their way to school. She runs off excitedly.

We see Cesca working at multiple jobs, A barista, a cashier.

We see them surviving, we see them laughing. We see her even more pregnant than the last time. (*maybe in a shot with her being in her third trimester with that skin detail. And in a crop top)

In one of the last scenes, she is at work. Fully pregnant and doing her job. She hunches over in pain, clutching her stomach. Possibly show a bit of blood trickling down her legs. Francesca yells in pain.

She is rushed in an ambulance, the lights are flashing. At the hospital nurses are rushing in and out. All she can do is cry, all she can do is scream.

F] NO! No-nooo

The screams fade to black, They are now back in the present. This clip will be brief. They are now in Francesca’s apartment. sitting on the floor or something. They are both crying, Francesca and Lucian.

F] through the tears Are you happy now? 6 whole years later.

L]also crying…

F] I’ve tried, Luc. To protect— I- there is no amount of words to describe this pain… I feel. How did you not notice, Luc?

L] I didn’t—…I-

F] He is- Was yours, Lucian.

L] crying intensified Mine? My?… (clearly in shock)

L] sobbing…

F] leave. GET OUT LUCIAN, LEAVE! Please. crying

he gets up, and leaves. this is it, they’re done.

[ckerouac]

What I Read: July

Back with another busy month of books. Sitting in waiting rooms and poolside really adds up.

Fiction

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

4.5/5 || It sucked me in, devoured it in two pool afternoons.

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath.

The Rom-commers by Katherine Center

4.24/5 || I really enjoyed this story, but the narrator definitely has a distinct style that you’ll either vibe with or it’ll drive you up a wall. I wanted to snatch all the ‘what? WHAT?’ type repeated questions from the author and put them on a high shelf out of her reach. But the story was really fun.

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god! But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

4/5 || Unsettling and great. Apparently Argentinian horror is something I’m loving this year.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the "Transition." Now, eating human meat--"special meat"--is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing. Then one day he's given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he's aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost--and what might still be saved.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

4/5 || A classic of the genre for a reason. Carré can do in 200 pages what takes other authors twice as long.

In the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, Alec Leamas watches as his last agent is shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, the head of Berlin Station, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse--a desk job--Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service--with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

3/5 || I loved the first book, and this one was… fine. Completely lacking in the charm of the first book for me. I was so disappointed.

In Boyfriend Material, Luc and Oliver met, pretended to fall in love, fell in love for real, dealt with heartbreak and disappointment and family and friends…and somehow figured out a way to make it work. Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc’s feeling the social pressure to propose. But it’ll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from I don’t know what I’m doing to I do. Good thing Oliver is such perfect Husband Material.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

3/5 || I think I need to accept that I find the plots of Henry’s books more interesting than her execution of said plots.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. But it’s all just for show because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

3/5 || Norse magic was interesting, main character acted dumber than a box of rocks on too many occasions. Not opposed to reading the second book, but I’ll be surprised if I remember read book 1 when it comes out.

Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya's dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region's jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess's blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Big In Sweden by Sally Franson

2.5/5 || You know those fanfics that have a great set up but you quickly realize is written by someone who feels compelled to overexplain everything to prove they have the correct opinions and are aware of how ‘problematic’ everything is? Yeah.

Paulie Johansson has never put much stock in the idea of family: she has her long-term boyfriend Declan and beloved best friend Jemma, and that's more than enough for her. Yet one night on a lark, she lets Jemma convince her to audition for Sverige och Mig, a show on Swedish television where Swedish-Americans compete to win the ultimate prize: a reunion with their Swedish relatives. Much to her shock, her drunken submission video wins her a spot on the show, and against Declan's advice Paulie decides to go for it. Grappling with long-held notions of family, friendship, and love--not to mention her feelings for the distractingly handsome Swedish cameraman who's been assigned to follow her around--Paulie starts to reconsider her past and rethink what she wants for the future.

Nonfiction

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild

5/5 || You think you know how bad the Belgian destruction of the Congo was. Yeah, it’s even worse. Once I picked this up, I couldn’t put it down.

In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a genocidal plundering of the Congo, he looted its rubber, brutalized its people, and ultimately slashed its population by ten million--all the while shrewdly cultivating his reputation as a great humanitarian. Heroic efforts to expose these crimes eventually led to the first great human rights movement of the twentieth century, in which everyone from Mark Twain to the Archbishop of Canterbury participated. King Leopold's Ghost is the haunting account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions, a man as cunning, charming, and cruel as any of the great Shakespearean villains. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought Leopold: a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure and unexpectedly found themselves witnesses to a holocaust.

The Far Land: 200 Years of Murder, Mania, and Mutiny in the South Pacific by Brandon Presser

3.25/5 || Very readable as a travelogue, but takes a lot of liberties in the history presented as fact that can’t be known for certain.

Told through vivid historical and personal narrative, The Far Land goes beyond the infamous mutiny on the Bounty, offering an unprecedented glimpse at life on the fringes of civilization, and how, perhaps, it's not so different from our own. In 2018, Brandon Presser rode the freighter to live among its present-day families; two clans bound by circumstance and secrets. While on the island, he pieced together Pitcairn's full story: an operatic saga that holds all who have visited in its mortal clutch--even the author.

[yuri-is-online]

Saturday Night Question (MMO AU)

a/n: Inspired by Recovery of an MMO Junkie and that bit of Ch. 6 where Idia assigns all the OB Boys rpg classes. Title comes from the op track which I highly recommend. (x) Loose modern au, NRC is an actual college everyone attends and Grim is still a talking cat-weasel-monster. Not everyone knows each other IRL so expect some minor catfishing. The MMO is based off of Final Fantasy XIV and will contain references to class and game mechanics but no spoilers.

For those unfamiliar with FFXIV chats

[FC] <Tempura Kun> this is the guild chat. Everyone in the guild can see this.

Tempura Kun >> this is a whisper, only two people can see this

[NOVICE] Tempura Kun: this is the novice network for mentors, only Riddle can see this

[Tempura Kun] if someone is texting it will be portrayed like this.

LFM- STYX (FC) recruiting, static needs a pure healer/off tank. Serious offers only.

Your buddy Epel talks you into trying critically acclaimed mmo First Fantasia because it has a thirty day free trial with unlimited game time and includes the first expansion as a joke but as college gets more stressful and you struggle to make irl connections it becomes your personal safe haven. You finally work up the nerve to join a guild and find yourself stuck in the middle of a really familiar set of egos. At least you're having fun.

Tempura Kun| lalafell| white mage/omni-crafter| Yu (you)

A college student living in a haunted mansion their dead beat dad's "renovating." You are only really interested in crafting after being really burned out on hardcore raiding from your last MMO, but agree to sub for heals so Epel can replace the group's usual off tank who's taking a hiatus. That and Gloomurai agreed to let you decorate the FC house, how could you refuse?

Granny Smith| male roegadyn| dark knight| Epel Felmier

One of your friends from class. Mannon keeps mailing him fantasia and insisting he change his race but he's really attached to how muscular this lets him be. He really just wants to play for fun, but he's super competitive and is super eager to try out harder content to "prove how manly he is."

Gloomy Samurai| female miqo'te| samurai| Idia Shroud

The leader of the fc and the person who runs the discord. Extreeeeeemely blunt to the point of being a bit unpleasant and downright scary. You're pretty sure they only let you join to get access to more pictures of Grim and because Epel's friends with the main tank. Super funny for someone so terminally online, but you are beginning to suspect they just- don't have a life outside of gaming.

Jude Bellerose| male hyur| black mage| Riddle Rosehearts

Knows the mechanics for every single fight in game and is scarily efficient at his rotation. Also extremely inflexible and refuses to adjust for a n y o n e, but blames the wipe on everyone else because he knew the mechanics so why don't you? Pretty sure he broke a keyboard while trying to clear the last raid tier.

Vivat Rex| male miqo'te| reaper| Leona Kingscholar

Rex plays this game for triple triad like a true king and is only kept on the static for his consistent dps. Claims that he doesn't pay attention to the discord but he knows everything everyone says in there anyway and responds any time someone vaguely mentions him. Likes to mess with Jude and is not above causing a wipe to out dps him.

Snake Whisper| male au ra| dancer| Jamil Viper

He has every single non-crafter class leveled and knows their rotation. Refuses to play anything other than dancer because he hates people pulling logs and enjoys holding dance partner over the other dps's heads. Likes to post pictures of his cooking in the discord and has his spotify linked to his account. Surprisingly willing to swap recipes if you ask, provided you promise to not give them to Nautilus.

Mannon Du Luc| male elezen| paladin| Vil Schoenheit

Epel's online friend who he says he hates but you're pretty sure he admires a whole lot. He's playing this game for glam, his dresser is maxed out with almost every limited piece ever added. He has completed every single piece of extreme content for the glam without being carried and expects the same level of competence from his off tank. Super nice to you though, he always coms his healers.

Nautilus Noise| male viera| sage| Azul Ashengrotto

Raid leader who does the call outs with Snake Whisper. Claims to be irl friends with Gloomurai but neither of them ever talk about their personal lives so who knows. Has ff logs installed and will pull them to... critique the other static members. You are 99.9999% sure he's playing the market board with 8 retainers but lack concrete proof. At least you can make him shut up if you compliment him.

[thesevenwondersofawitch]

I watched the Picard series finale

Going into this, I have chills 👀

Holy shit Seven looks hot as hell

AHHHHHHHH

She's so bad ass

Raffi my beloved 😍

Seven and Raffi looked at each other👀

Seven looks so done while the poor cook dude is explaining how his mom got sick and his brother got a hernia

"You got this." Just gonna think of her saying this whenever I feel like I'm struggling

AHHHH SHE'S ALL CAPTAINY AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW RAFFI HASN'T JUMPED HER😂

Oh shit

Jack is consumed by the collective 👀

The little smile Beverly exchanged with Jean-Luc

Worf: "And I will make it a threesome."

Will Riker: "Do you even hear yourself?" Oh my god😂😂 I'm dead

That look between Deanna and Will😭

If anything happens to either of them I'm gonna cry

Aw, Beverly is gripping that computer so hard

"I can no longer be your captain. I have to be a father"

Oh no

Does that mean he's gonna take Jack's place and die😭

Picard: "Beverly. Lead me to our son."

I'm crying "You did everything right." Oh damn 😭

OH SHIT VOX

Jack looks kinda awesome as Vox

OH SHIT

BORG QUEEN

I got chills

I am so creeped out rn

AHHHHHHHH

Raffi is Seven's number one

I'm so happy

The looks they keep sharing

I'm screaming with how they're finishing each other's train of thought

That poor Cook 😭😂

OOOOOOO SEVEN IS GIVING A SPEECH

I will fight under her

Raffi called Seven captain

Picard to Borg Queen: "You are not his mother!" AWWWWWWWWWWWW HE WON'T LET BEVERLY BE FORGOTTEN

Damn, this queen is bitter

HOLY SHIT

Oh no

Worf. He got zapped

Hope he still lives

"I had no idea it was that heavy." 😂

"We can't do this forever." Feels like she could be talking about more than their ship fighting

But I could be reaching

The way that Beverly fought so well and ruthlessly, and everyone turned slowly to look at her 😂

Beverly: "A lots happened in the last 20 years"😂

"Swords are fun." They really are

"no computer not even my daughter could navigate us through this." Love how proud he(Geordi) is of his kid

YEAH DATA!

Data: *tells them to trust him*

Also Data, seconds later: "Here goes nothing."

Deanna: "Wait what do you mean here goes nothing." Oh I'd hold on if I were you Deanna

The way Deanna is confused about why she senses enjoyment, meanwhile Data is living the dream 😂

OH SHIT

The earth is undefended 👀

Oh. Shit.

THE TITAN IS EXPOSED 👀

Sisters that assimilate together stick together (the La Forge sisters moving around the ship)

Seven's look of defeat 😭

Aw, the look between Saffi

Oh hell😭

"destroy the cube we kill everyone on there." Shit, Deanna is gonna need so much therapy

Beverly looks so freaking heartbroken I want to hug her 😭

"Will, the moment we fire, you'll have a minute at most." The emotion in her voice 😭

OH MY GOD

Oh MY GOD

OH MY GOD

OH. MY. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

Damn, it hurts even more watching this knowing that if Will, Picard, Jack and Worf die, Deanna will feel it

Picard to his son: "If you won't leave, I'll stay with you till the end. You have changed my life. Forever." Oh damn😭

HOLY SHIT THE way Jack starts ripping out everything to save his dad

Will to Deanna: "I love you Imazati. We'll be waiting, me and our boy."😭

I'm sobbing

"I know where they are." oh thank God

I'm loving how Deanna goes to the console

Me at Jack: You're not alone, together we stand, I'll be by your side, and I'll take your hand. KEEEP HOOOOLDING OONNNNNNNN

OH MY GOD

Awwwww, Seven giving Sydney a hug😭

Pretty awesome looking armor jack is wearing 😂

Deanna and Will are adorable

Awww, three bros, chilling in spinny chairs

TO SAY I'M SCREAMING AT THE CLIP OF RAFFI, SEVEN, AND THE LA FORGE GIRLS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

I love how Worf is just snoozing away 😂

There's still like 22 minutes left, so plenty of time for something to go wrong, but I'm gonna bask in this brief moment of happiness

Oh my god

BEVERLY IS AN ADMIRAL

TUVOK MY BOY

AHHHHHHHH

Seven and Tuvok are talking

Acting Captain Seven of Nine: "I'm resigning from Starfleet." Aw😭

Aw, Shaw was a lil bit, kinda nice😭

Seven's crying 😭

My girl

AHHHHHHHH

Chills

Tuvok: "Resignation denied, Captain"

Raffi got to video chat with her grandbaby🥺

"Strangest thing. My son Gabe, wants me to meet my granddaughter." I'm sobbing😭

Worf leaked the info for her😭

Hell, I'm sobbing

So hard

AWWWWWWWWWWWW he's hugging her😭

Deanna is counseling Data😭

Wonder if he'll meet Daj

Deanna: "We've gone by our time over an hour. Again."😂😂😂

I love how Deanna is searching for beach vacation spots while Data is going on and on 😭😂

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes. Can't wait." Oh she's dreading it a bit

"Still batshit?"

"Stop it." I love them 😂

I wonder if Picard is gonna join Laris wherever she is

"I miss that voice." So do I 😭

"Admiral Picard, Admiral Crusher" AHHHHHHHHH

Ah, Jack is joining Starfleet, I'm sure that'll be a wise and interesting decision

"This is all you son, I'm very proud." AHHHHH

I just slapped my leg so hard

"We know your aversion to fanfare."😂

OH MY GOD

She's beautiful (the ship)

"Out." 😂

"Thank you Number One."

"You're so very welcome, Captain." I. Am. So HAPPY

I AM SO HAPPY

SO HAPPY

Jack's the special counselor to the Captain 😂 this is great

Raffi: "Your first official act of command."

Jack: "Writing the opening line to your legacy, so then, what will it be?"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME

I WANT TO KNOW MORE

Beverly is so drunk😂

Worf has an adorable voice 😂

A different planet vs Orlando?😂 How random

Oh my god I'm screaming

They're gonna play poker!!!

*slams down on table* I fold OK?

So ... Is Laris just chilling in a restaurant, waiting on Picard? 🤔

Feels like they forgot about her

HOLY SHIT

HoLy ShIt

The way it's an old pic of Gates and Patrick 😂

I love that Q is still alive 👀

Oh, I'm screaming. Like so much

This was so good and idk what I'm gonna do with myself now.

[casp1an-sea]

Star Wars But Better Part 3

here’s the link to the master post so you can get part one: Master post

releasing more because I’m bored

————-

(Time skip recap: luc argues with their uncle over leaving. The next day they discover R2 ran away to find obi wan. Luc and Treepio go off to find the little droid before Owen can find out and are ambushed by sand people. Luc is knocked unconscious.)

Ben: *Great howling moan*

(Okay Time skip)

Ben: Hello there my little friend

(Okay time skip again here’s a recap of what just happened because I know you are very confused: Sand people were looting Luc so Ben came walking in with arms flailing making krayt dragon noises to scare them away. Then he said hi to artoo and told them that he’s obi wan he just changed his name. Then he took them all to his house. Not creepy I promise.)

(Oh yeah I also forgot you had to go find threepio before you went to Obi-wan’s house but that’s not important. Now your talking about your father)

Luc: Yeah no my dad wasn’t a soldier. I’m pretty sure he was a drug dealer or something.

Obi-wan: That’s what your uncle told you

Luc: Why the heck would he tell me my dad was a drug dealer if he wasn’t?

Obi-wan: The mind is a strange thing.

Luc: Ya know my uncle also told me you're a creepy old wizard but I don’t think he was wrong about that.

Obi-wan: (Laughs)

Luc: I wasn’t joking

Obi-wan: (Ignores Luc’s comment) Your father did fight in  the war. In fact we fought together.

Luc: Why do I keep meeting War vets?

C3PO: Pardon, but I am not a war vet

Luc: You fought in space battles right?

C3PO: Correct

Luc: Same difference

(R2 tweets that he’s a war vet of course only 3PO can understand)

Obi-wan: I was once a jedi night the same as your father

Luc: Now you’re a sad old hermit

Obi-wan: You seem suprisingling unfazed by this.

Luc: My dad died before I was born. Whatever he did doesn’t really affect me, does it?

Obi-wan: Ah but it does! (Goes to a chest and takes something out of it. It looks like a CERVEZA CRISTAL… jk jk it looks like a silver cylinder) This was your father's. He wanted you to have it when you got old enough. (Thinks: Well not really but If I hadn’t happened to get it by cutting off his limbs and watching his body burn in lava then he probably would)

Luc: (Looks at it judgingly) What is it

Obi-wan: It’s a lightsaber, the weapon of a Jedi!

Luc: (Snatches it quickly) My dad would give weapons to unstable children?! Man we would’ve gotten along!

Obi-wan: (Laughs nervously)

Luc: So how’d he die? I never believed my uncle's story about him falling in the bathtub.

Obi-wan: Ah, that’s how he got a scar down his face.

Luc: By falling in the bathtub? How does that even happen?

Obi-wan: (Shrugs) How he died though was much darker. (He has flashbacks of Anakin’s burnt chicken nugget looking body) He was killed by Darth Vader.

Luc: That’s a lot cooler than falling in the bathtub. How did he kill him?

Obi-wan: Uhhhh….. Maybe that’s a story for another time.

Luc: I bet it’s gory then.

Obi-wan: Unfortunately yes. (Seems like he’s going to cry for a second and then regains composure) It was the force that killed your father, the dark side.

Luc: Force? Like Newton's laws and stuff?

Obi-wan: No no, it’s a mystical thing. It’s in all beings in the galaxy it flows in us and around us. Some people like the Jedi have the ability to control it to some degree. You have that ability.

Luc: And I’m just hearing about this now?!

(R2 Beeps)

Obi-wan: Ah yes, let's see what is going on with your little friend.

Luc: I saw part of the message but apparently I’m not special enough to see the whole thing. (Glares at R2)

(R2 whistles quietly and then plays the video)

Obi-wan: Well it seems he has changed his mind.

Luc: Yes it does (Continues glaring at R2)

Leia: General Kenobi you knew my father or something… my ship is under attack… special plans we got from a confidential information vending machine is inside this droid. My father knows how to find it. So yeah go to Alderan fast. Help me Obi-wan Kenobi! You’re my only hope!

Obi-wan: You must learn the ways of the force if you are to come with me to Alderan.

Luc: (Is shocked) Wait what. That just kinda came out of nowhere.

Obi-wan: Did it? I assumed you’d known you’d be coming with me.

Luc: Why? Why would I even go with you? You're a strange hermit I just met who forced me into your house and gave me a weapon. Also like My Uncle doesn’t trust you and I’m not supposed to leave the planet till after harvest.

Obi-wan: I need your help Luke, she needs your help. I’m getting too old for this kind of thing.

Luc: That’s your problem.

Obi-wan: That’s your uncle talking

Luc: How can I get you to leave me alone?

Obi-Wan: Come with me to Alderan.

Luc: Yeah that’s not gonna happen I got stuff to do. Lots of stuff. I’ll take you as far as Ancorhead if you’ll get off my back and let me go home.

Obi-Wan: If that is how far you will go. Then shall I teach you the ways of the force?

Luc: NO! Sorry old man but I’m not joining whatever cult you're running.

Obi-wan: it’s not a cult it-

Luc: Yeah whatever let’s get to Ancorhead, like I said I have stuff to do.

————-

[saintsir4n]

12. Gossip girl, gone

WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH, MATURE CONTENT AND DEATH

AND just like that, Gossip Girl went nuclear. Every tip sent in had been exposed and posted for all to see. Fights ensured, both physical and verbal across Manhattan. It was a mayhem that not even Winifred Dubois could cause... yet.

"24 tips Winifred?" Winnie heard her mom scrutinise her as she sauntered out of the living room where her parents resided in the morning.

"Relax, it's not like I'm committing crimes," she rebutted, feigning shock when they cast her glares, "oops too soon?"

"Leave, now," Luc gritted.

Winnie saluted them, "Yes, chief."

Caesar gave her a Bottega handbag (which the brand sent her for free) and her phone that had been ringing off the hook.

She groaned when she saw it was a group call and begrudgingly picked up.

"I knew Wellington sent in that tip about me and you," she heard her girlfriend's smooth voice.

"It was obvious," Winnie replied, sounding bored when Caesar passed her coat and gloves.

"And how did you know about my dad?" Julian's voice blared through her phone.

Winnie scowled, "Oh, Julian's on this call? I'm jumping off."

"All your dad's victims knew about your dad," Ginny added and everyone could tell she was smirking.

"And yes I knew about what happened," Winnie declared, putting her phone on speaker as she looked at her reflection.

Her outfit was more subtle than usual, cheaper than the previous day, give or take a thousand. It was black with hints of green instead of her favourite purple.

One look towards Caesar and he escorted out of the house and into the blistering cold. Snow fell graciously -- they rushed through it so Winnie's hair wouldn't get touched.

Julian scoffed, "All this to push your dad's campaign?"

"If the campaign is where your problem lies, your priorities are more fucked up than we thought," Winnie snorted, covering her head with her hand.

"See Jules," Audrey stressed from beside her friend.

"Fuck off hope," Winnie snapped.

"Ladies, ladies, we have a truce," Monet insisted, just as Luna joined her in her foyer with notes about the Gossip Girl tips in hand.

Winnie finally hopped into the car which Zoya already sat in, with her hair newly braided and boredom splatted on her face. The freshman wasn't on the call but she heard enough.

"Seems like it's ending now," she remarked as Caesar sat opposite them.

"Is that Zoya?" Julian gasped, "I thought you were in your room?"

Zoya scrunched up her nose.

Winnie almost flinched when Monet screeched, "You're still driving her around?!"

"What?!" Julian and Audrey yelled.

Winnie rolled her eyes, "I don't drive. She's getting a lift, you should be happy Julian that your sister hasn't been kidnapped or got lost around the city, and ended up having sex with a mole person."

"How long-winded was that excuse," Luna said scanning the whiteboard beside Monet.

"Who put 2 cents in Miss La's hole?" Winnie taunted.

"Salty... at 8 am, have you taken your pills?" Luna gibed, ignoring the glare received from Monet.

Ginny was quick to jump in, "Have you removed your head from Julian's ass?"

"Bitch," Luna snarled.

"Cunt," Winnie spat.

Zoya's eyes widened at the squabbling, but to say she wasn't entertained would be a lie.

"Ladies," Monet stressed.

"I told you the truce wouldn't last." Zoya expressed to an irritant Winnie.

Monet snapped, "I'm talking!"

"I can't be around this negative energy," Audrey grumbled, wanting to leave the call.

"Then off yourself," Winnie advised with a malicious smile.

Luna snickered, "A dead friend might boost Jules' followers. Nothing screams broken but can be fixed again like grief."

"What Lu? Maybe but Ladies! We have a truce, remember? I won't be the only one honouring it. GG exposing all of us, malicious as it may be, It was certainly a plot twist." Monet ranted, "Don't play the fucking blame game when we're all at fault. And acting like we all don't take pleasure in each other's misfortune is an even bigger lie."

"How mature," Winnie narrowed her eyes at her phone, "Are you possessed Mon?"

"Honey, not now," Monet hissed.

Winnie chuckled, "Apologies."

"I didn't send in one tip," Audrey decided to add.

"Oh Saint Audrey," Ginny drawled.

They could hear Luna's dry laughter.

"I only sent tips when I was under attack," Zoya felt the urge to defend herself.

"If I dressed like a lumber Jack, I would expect to be attacked 24/7," Luna mocked, earning a grin from Monet.

Zoya's jaw tightened, "See!"

"Lu!" Julian exclaimed.

Having heard enough of their voices, Winnie reluctantly suggested, "Annual New Year Hudson bash to continue the facade?"

Winnie and Ginny were only invited every year because the Menzies' history will their families and although the girls rarely went, they were going this year, as were their plus ones: Zoya and Billy.

"Brilliant idea," Monet cheered.

"I know," Winnie agreed, before hanging up the phone.

Zoya inhaled deeply, "It won't last."

"Oh, I know," Winnie didn't care much for the truce, so she called out to her driver, "To Brooklyn bakery please."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(@winnerd posted to her story)

PICTURES ON WATTPAD

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The days after Christmas were more tension-filled than usual, which drove Winnie out of her house and with the help of her pill bottle she could just about stomach it.

Calls to and from her therapist worked and as much as she hated to admit it, talking to an unbiased individual about her problems was helpful.

So when she dropped by Ginny's she was happy to see not only her closest friend but her cheeky concubine also.

The Wellington penthouse was always warm and toasty regardless of the verbal domestics between Ginny's parents.

The first thing Winnie saw was the couple...? No, just the intense fling bickering on the couches with a Pixar movie playing in the background.

"You told GG I had a small dick? Why?" She heard Billy's question.

"You said I bleached my hair, babe," Ginny whined.

"I was kidding," Billy started playing with a few strands.

"And no one told you to post your dick to prove her wrong."

"And no one told GG to post about minors' anatomy, I mean I wouldn't care as long as she's actually a student," Winnie commented, seemingly irked as she adjusted her fur hat, interrupting their conversation.

Ginny rose from Billy's lap, rounding the sofa, mirroring her friend's expression and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Billy merely beamed at her as she Winnie rid herself of her coat.

"Who else would she be?" Ginny asked, gesturing one of her maids to take Winnie's shoes and other belongings.

"A good student with impeccable vocab."

"Or an English teacher."

Billy laughed, "You get your kicks arresting teachers."

"Ginny likes getting them fired," Winnie pointed out, sitting down opposite them.

"You got rid of our last French teacher for giving you an A minus," Ginny chuckled.

Winnie shrugged as she brought her knees to her chest, "You encouraged me to do it."

Ginny cooed, "And look how happy you are for it.

Winnie playfully scoffed, "Now shut up and play the movie, I've gotta be back at home in time to pack and relax."

Billy grimaced, "Do we have to go?"

"Yes."

The blondes exchanged an aggravating look.

"We all know it's Monet who's forcing you," Ginny started, earning a glare.

Billy agreed, "First the truce and now —"

" — fuck you both and press play," Winnie couldn't help but snap.

"You're being mean!" Billy huffed, throwing his head back.

"I told you not to expect anything different," Winnie deadpanned.

___

Now back in her townhouse, Winnie allowed Abaddon to lay on her as she leaned on the sofa behind her. At first, he was hesitant but grew used to her stroking his fur and occasionally scratching at his stomach.

It wasn't a minute later, that Monet appeared by the door of the conservatory, eyes softening at the sight as the snow fell and stuck to the vast windows.

Initially, the De Haan teen was a little pissed and sceptical, being in the Dubois estate had her on edge, especially after the little conversation she overheard her parents talking about. Not just that, but to hear her girlfriend kept Zoya on a tight leash frustrated her, of course, she couldn't say much, considering she still represented someone Winnie loathed, but there was a truce and until there were signs of it breaking she would keep her mouth shut.

Winnie glanced up from the heated floor she sat on, to see Monet adorning a lynx hooded coat –  one of the few outfits that she bought her for Christmas. Monet also wore a light brown wig perfectly installed on her head.

Real human hair since synthetic had them both on edge.

"You know I would mistake you for a stalker," Winnie teased, ruffling Adaddon's fur before he caught the familiar scent of the other heiress, causing him to rush over and greet her with happy barks.

Monet smiled as she lowered down, petting him excitedly, she too knew what it was like to receive only limited affection from Winnie.

"No stalker looks as flawless as me," she sassed, walking over to sit beside her girlfriend with Addadon in tow, who constantly looked between them.

"I can't disagree on that," Winnie paused, "No kiss?"

"Sorry," Monet murmured, cupping her face and pressing a warm kiss to her lips.

Winnie's tone lowered as she leaned into her touch, "You've been saying that a lot recently, what's up with you?"

"Minor issues that can easily be remedied, all packed?"

"Three bags and a suitcase."

"You're copying me," Monet pouted, dropping her hand to grab hers.

"No, you're influencing me," Winnie opted to say, "just goes to show how much power we have doesn't it?"

A smirk tugged at Monet's lips, "Vogue called me this morning, they want to do a profile on us."

"I got that same call. 4th of january is when they want to see us."

"Can't wait," Monet squealed at the kisses peppering her face, "Stop Win, my makeup – and just because ruined yours on boxing day, doesn't give you the right at revenge."

"Oh revenge tastes so sweet and feels so wet," Winnie's eyes darkened, "and the sounds revenge makes when she about to cu–" she chuckled at the nudge she received. "What? Too crude for you?"

"Not crude enough," the desire for Monet to spend more time with her girlfriend was peaking and as much as she loved it, she was still very cautious of when she was around her. "I need to tell you something."

Winnie quirked up a brow, "Is it what you wanted to tell me before but was too pussy to say?"

Her question made Monet playfully groan.

"I hate that you know me so well."

"Well, what are partners for? Spill."

Monet rolled her shoulders back and scanned the room, before rushing out, "I love spending time with you and being away from you irritates me. It nauseates me when you are away with off-brand Ken and Barbie. You have a hold over me that at times I want to disappear, but it makes me feel warm and safe, just as much as I feel wary and afraid that something between us," she squeezed her hand harder, staring deeply into her eyes she couldn't bring herself to look away, "-- will implode because of something small and yet, I'm still here. Call me possessive, call me a jealous bitch but when I get something, I won't let it go, unless someone forces my hand."

By the end of her confession, she had closed the distance between them, feeling the corniest sparks fly off her words and into Winnie's pretty brown eyes.

The Dubois heiress was speechless, dozens of things rested on the tip of her tongue and yet when she opened her mouth to speak, something tugged her back.

A split second was all it took for Monet's lightness and calm to deflate until soft lips attacked hers.

Winnie tried her hardest to pour everything she felt into their kiss, the ease Monet caused her to feel and sometimes the torment. From erotic pleasure to happiness she made sure her girlfriend knew what she needed to say but couldn't. Her tears fell onto Monet's cheeks as the kiss grew more in sync and passionate. It was deep and true. Between the soft whines and the breathy whimpers, they had a taste of home and what it should feel like.

Only when they pulled away did they stop to breathe and giggle like two little school girls as Abaddon barked and ran around the room.

Monet wiped away her tears and Winnie fixed her smudged make-up.

They were so caught up in their own bubble they didn't see Max walk up.

"Sigh, love makes me sick."

He caught their attention, leaning against the threshold of the conservatory.

Winnie's glossy eyes narrowed at his defeated state. Max looked exhausted and was supposed to be in Wainscott with Gideon, but opted for bashes as orgies instead. He was drugged up and fucked out and still felt the remanence of Aki and Audrey all over his mind and body.

"You look foul, how did security let you in?" Monet questioned, mildly concerned.

"Raw sex appeal," he deadpanned, disregarding the barking from Abaddon.

"And it's reeking." Winnie thought he looked raggedy, he's spirally only escalated since their sleepover.

Monet leaned against her girlfriend's shoulder, "And you're still avoiding your boorish ball and chain?"

"Not avoiding. They don't exist to me," his scowl was unconvincing.

"Until they do," the girls said in unison, making him scoff.

"God, you two are annoyingly hot together," he brought out a small container as he neared them,  "I don't know whether to look away or stare profusely."

Monet glared, "Look away."

Winnie's phone rang as they stared the other down, she picked up when she saw it was her mom and regretfully answered, speaking in French alerting Margaux she wasn't alone. Neither Monet nor Max cared but were enticed by her effortless accent. Winnie was informed that her mom and dad were going to be back soon from their meeting with Nate Archibald – Billy's nephew and William's grandson.

"I always forget you can do that. It's so hot," Max remarked when the phone call ended.

Winnie huffed out a laugh, stoking her girlfriend's arm when Monet sneered, "Watch it."

Max finally cracked a crooked smile, "Oh I will."

"And you seriously need a shower," Monet added snarkily when he sat behind them.

Winnie squeezed her arm as they turned around to face him, "Oh what happened to the truce you were formidably trying to enforce?"

"You're still doing that? Post tipgate?" Max leaned back surveying the lifeless room that was full of jolly ornaments which did very little to change his mood.

Monet pursed her lips, "Attempting to —"

" — but failing," Winnie interrupted. 

"Just break it, it's not like anything lasts in this world," Monet scrunched up her face at his words,  "Anyway I only stopped by to give you these," he dropped the container of cookies in Winnie's lap, "and to say I'll be joining you on the post new years trip to Cancun. My dad talked to your mom about it, and says I need to spend time away."

Monet feigned glee, "Goody."

"You're riding with me and Zoya to Hudson," Winnie added. Monet held her tongue at the mention of the freshmen. "And the bleached blondes will be there too."

"My favourite lesbians won't be dry humping in the backseat? What a shame," Max tutted, suppressing the urge to scoff at Billy and Ginny's coupling.

"On the way back, yes," Winnie wasn't joking and the look in her eyes had Monet's stomach fluttering, "But meet me here first thing tomorrow," she sent a pointed look at Max, "And try to be sober."

"No promises," he sent them a wink, slapped his knees and rose.

The couple watched as he got further out of sight.

"So... wanna bathe together?" Monet suggested, watching as Winnie basked in the faint smell of the cookies on her lap.

Winnie quirked a brow, "But the way you're scowling... are you sure you won't drown me?"

"I would never kill you, honey," Monet's eyes never left hers, "or anyone," she added, making Winnie cock her head to the side and shift.  "And I have to go to Jules' to help her downsize. But a good bathtime fuck is on the cards right?"

"Always."

___

The ride over to the quaint weekend house was filled with silence, Zoya listened to her music, Winnie snacked on the leftover cookies, Max slept off another hangover, whilst Ginny and Billy doted and murmured delicate things to each other. Caesar drove over an hour in advance.

Zoya was shocked by the size of the grounds, even covered in snow and it looked huge.

Julian, Luna and Monet left their car first and were quick to be welcomed by Aki and Audrey. And later the property Manager Kenneth.

"Max," Winnie nudged the boy who grunted when he woke. Zoya got out with Billy and Ginny, "we're here."

"Can we turn back?" he flinched when the doors shut and they were the only teens left. "Call your mom to get us a 'copter out. The helipad is only back there."

"Maximus."

"Winfired," he mocked but reluctantly opened the door, and rounded the car to open up her side. "Milady."

"I hate you," she grumbled when they stalked towards the house.

Aki and Audrey tried tearing him away from the girl but she moved.

Caesar nodded towards Winnie and she could see he was already accustomed to Kenneth.

Monet quickly joined her, pecking her lips with a smile.

Everyone's coats were quickly taken as they were forced to interact.

"I need to smoke," Billy groaned at the pure awkwardness.

Max hummed, "The first time I'm agreeing with you."

"Oh god," Ginny scoffed at the pair of them.

"Obie! You came," Julian welcomed brightly but her smile fell when he ushered in the girl he'd been seeing.

"Everybody, this is Grace. And I hope that I'm not making a huge mistake introducing you to her," he tugged on Grace, the girl who epitomised the 'girl next door' look so effortlessly.

Winnie hid her smirk in Monet's neck.

Billy simply wrapped an arm around Ginny.

"Thank you so much for having me, Akeno," Grace's smile never faded, despite being very nervous.

Obie chuckled, "That's exactly how his mom says it."

Grace briefly panicked, "Oh, did I get it wrong?"

"No, that's how you're supposed to say it. Nice to meet you," Aki forcibly smiled from beside Audrey who did anything but.

Max zoned out and didn't notice a new person standing so close.

It wasn't until Grace turned to the Dubois heiress did she did her eyes doubled in size.

"Winnie nice seeing you again," she knew that Winnie's bodyguard wouldn't be far so she cast him a gentle smile, "Caesar you too."

The stoic man nodded at her.

"You guys know each other?" Julian was confused, as was everyone else.

Monet turned to her girlfriend with an expecting look.

Winnie hummed, "Yup."

Grace smiled at the blonde boy, who she recognised from a charity event hosted by his father, "Billy."

It was Ginny's turn to face him.

"Gracie," Billy greeted then looked away.

Ginny repeated, "Gracie?"

Monet and Luna exchanged a look, the former more annoyed than anything.

Grace beamed, "You must be Ginny, Both Winnie and Billy have told me so much about you. Just as pretty as they described. And I follow your Instagram, who knew you could make blue my favourite colour?"

Ginny's silence caused Grace to glance around.

Monet cleared her throat, "I'm Monet, Winnie's girlfriend since she told you so much about everyone excluding me."

"Mon," Winnie breathed out as her girlfriend shrugged her off.

Grace shook her head, "Actually she mentioned at the most recent charity event that you're her person."

"Oh shit," Billy whispered to a frustrated Ginny.

"Oh," Monet regretfully gulped, turning to Winnie who chose to look ahead.

Everyone else glanced around, trying to avoid the tension, but if they caught the others of another, they knew they'd laugh.

So they started introducing themselves.

"Luna," the La girl went first.

"Zoya," the freshman awkwardly waved.

Julian said, "I'm J..."

Grace cut her off, "No introduction necessary. I've been following you for years, and half the products on my face come from you. And I know this is a special weekend for y'all, and I'm honoured to be included."

"No, it was imperative that you come, actually. No, please, make yourself comfortable," Julian insisted, whilst Winnie grumbled under her breath, bringing Max out of his dissociation, but he didn't dare look up from the ground.

Everyone went to move, Monet more so to de-escalate an incoming argument, but Grace started greeting the staff who were immersed all at once.

"Hi there, Grace." she shook their hands, shocking most of the room, "Grace. Lovely to meet you."

"Hello," a maid smiled, overwhelmed by her friendliness.

"Hi. How are you?"

Julian panicked, turning to some of them, "It's so nice to see you again, uh... " she trailed off, embarrassed that she didn't know her name.

"Rosa," the head maid gritted.

Julian vigorously nodded, "Rosa."

Max finally broke from his disassociative state, " So, what did I miss?" he blinked rapidly when he saw Grace, "Who are you?"

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "It's Obie's friend."

"It's okay, you can say it," Grace said gently.

Julian stepped forward, "Girlfriend?"

Grace waved her off, with a smile, "Oh. God, no. Not yet. I was gonna say date."

Max turned to an irritant-looking Winnie and sighed.

Aki cleared his throat, "Um... Obie, do you wanna give Grace the tour?"

"Yeah, let's go," Obie didn't hesitate to pull her away.

Julian pulled Monet and Luna over, stressing about the facade she couldn't keep up, "When you invited Camilla to dinner, I didn't think I was gonna have to act like Princess fucking Diana all weekend with a fake smile plastered on my face."

"Well I didn't know you knew Grace, Win," Monet turned to her girlfriend who was already ascending the stairs.

Max avoided Aki and Audrey's pleasantries and followed his friend.

"You never asked," Winnie retorted, shooting her girlfriend a fake smile, "Or seem to let people finish introducing you."

Monet frowned, "Win."

Everyone was dispersing, Zoya knew to find her room and so Ginny went with her.

Billy eyed the blonde as she left his view.

"William," Luna called out to him, "any intel on Grace?" Julian gawked at her, "What? It won't hurt to ask the son of a businessman, uncle to a politician and an ex-mayor of the city about the daughter of some Virginia state senator."

"He won't help Lu," Monet exclaimed, ignoring the narrowed look from the boy. "Probably blocked out her god-awful country accent every time he fell into her."

Luna chuckled.

"A little drink never hurts when you want to know someone's true nature," he replied, eyes darting between Julian and Luna, "so it won't be hard, Calloways love getting people to drink right?"

He jogged away, narrowly avoiding their glares and curses.

___

Margaux had been blowing up her daughter's phone all day, but Winnie paid it no mind. On a subconscious level, she came to the weekend house to escape the hell back home, but she knew it would follow her whenever she was.

Chaos was only her friend when she created it. She thrived, but only when she embraced it and ever since she started therapy she had been almost regressing, however, Dr Anchor called it progress.

But in actuality, Winnie felt weaker, calm but weaker nonetheless.

So after unpacking, she came downstairs with a vaping Max who continued joking about wanting to take all of her pills and fade away.

Monet was stubborn and instead of apologising for the first time in a while, she had been advising Julian, therefore Winnie chose to sit towards the end of the dining table with Max, Zoya was next to join, creating a big gap between them and the others.

Billy and Ginny were no doubt fucking away their differences.

Julian chuckled as she presented a dish, "I just whipped up a little something to start our meal. I got that duck sausage that you like, so I thought..."

Obie forced out a smile, "Beautiful," then Grace cleared her throat, showcasing her own dish that was clearly homemade.

Julian gritted her teeth, "Is that pasta from scratch?"

"Just pici, it's easier than you think," Grace smiled.

"No, she's being humble. Literally, everything that she cooks is unreal," Obie was grinning ear to ear.

The whole thing made Winnie want to down a whole bottle of vodka.

Reading her mind, Max went to leave the table, but Audrey cleared her throat, " I think we forgot to make the sangria."

"That's an emphatic yes from me," Max sat back down, beside the studious girl, who neglected to see all the yearning looks from her girlfriend.

"I'll just text Kenneth to bring the wine up," Aki eagerly said, turning to Audrey.

Obie suggested, "No, Grace and I can go grab the wine. I wanted to show her the cellar."

Julian's voice rose, "No! I... Grace needs to show us how to eat her pasta."

"I can go," Zoya exclaimed, wanting to leave.

Winnie craned her neck to the side, to whisper, "Pussy."

"You're just jealous," Zoya countered childishly.

Julian hastily agreed, "Right. Z, can grab the wine?"

"Where?"

Audrey informed, "The cellar. So, go past the kitchen to the door at the base of the stairs, make a right, and then continue down that hallway until you see another stairway. And that's where it is."

Zoya squinted, "Okay"

She practically raced out of the room.

Winnie turned to the deflated boy next to her, "We should go and help Zoya."

"What?!" Audrey shrieked.

"Why?" Monet didn't want her to go, but Winnie wanted to be anywhere else.

"You read my mind, Miss Dubois," Max stood up, clasping his hands, "have fun eating homemade pasta."

The moment they made it out of the room, they both let out a sigh of relief.

"We're not actually helping Z right?"

"I doubt she's even getting the wine," Winnie chuckled.

"Hey, I need your advice," he inhaled his vape pen, as they strolled further away from the dining room, finding a vast window to look out onto the chilling landscape.

"Audrey and Aki?" Winnie asked knowingly, and when she was sent a nod she tsked, "When was the last time they made you happy? And it didn't involve fucking?"

Well, that had Max stumped.

"They want me," was all he could say.

"You need someone that needs you, like the air you breathe or whatever those insta quotes say," she smiled when he laughed, "come on you need to know your worth, drinking won't make you realize it, it will only lower your self-esteem and your standards. Don't think I don't remember our conversation about love. You're lovable. It's sickening and if you ever tell anyone I said this I'll gut you."

He was overwhelmed by the advice he received and even a little scared.

"Love you too Bear," he pulled her into a hug and she surprisingly didn't pull away.

"Fuck you Wolfe. I need to go and find Ginny."

Max pressed a kiss to head, "Ah, if she's with Billy, I might just join in."

And with that, the duo laughed and went on their separate ways.

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(@billythekid posted to his story)

PICTURES ON WATTPAD

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"I can't believe we're here. Playing nice with them. God they all give me hives. And you and Max?" Ginny's words were muffled by her initial encrusted pillow.

"What about me and Max?" Winnie sat on the edge of her bed.

The moment Winnie found the whining blonde, she was writhing beneath Billy before he was told to fuck off.

"So I need to worry about being replaced?" Ginny rolled over, pulling her duvet to her chin, concealing her modesty or at least part of it.

Winnie scoffed, turning her nose up at the smell of heterosexual sex as well as her friend's childish behaviour.

"No. And I thought you said me hanging out with him wasn't a problem?"

The blonde slumped against the headboard, "It isn't."

"You just like when I devote my time to you and only you?" a grin tugged on Winnie's lips as she made her way over.

Ginny couldn't hide her smile, "You're the same, which is why you're pissed at De Haan."

Winnie joined her, frowning slightly and rested her head against the pillows.

She stared up at the ceiling, pondering her response, "I'm pissed because she keeps overreacting. It's cute sometimes but the Ritalin is rattling my brain," she spoke through clenched teeth.

Just the day before Monet was pouring her heart out and now she was back with Julian, plotting ways to get Grace out.

Winnie didn't know what to do anymore.

"Have you thought about talking to her?" there was an edge of mocking to Ginny's tone but she felt for her friend.

"Before New Year's," Winnie answered, starting to grin when Ginny did.

"You want that New Year's fuck don't you?"

"And you don't – well another one? Still pretending your jealous to bait Billy, he looked like was gonna have an aneurysm when he saw Miss Sunshine and rainbows."

"Now that makes me think, maybe I should stay away from him until then. Makes the sex more riveting."

Winnie cringed, "Just what I needed to hear."

Ginny slapped her arm, "No, what you need to hear, is that we need to break this stupid truce. Agents of chaos want to blow shit up but it's been almost a month since we've done anything like that. And no, putting your relationship on blast isn't that."

Winnie groaned at the realisation, "Then what?"

"Whatever is happening with our families. Your dad suggesting a group trip to Cancun — not suspicious in the slightest. My parents are coming which adds to the whole White House secrecy of it all. So are you gonna tell me what's going down or not?"

Winnie wanted to look away, but she turned on her side to stare at her, eyes flooding with distress, worrying Ginny who turned to face her.

"It's nothing to do with us, we'll not us, but shit that's happened before, years ago," Winnie explained, voice laced with dread.

The blonde's heartbeat picked up, "Scale of Solange beating Jay Z to Princess Diana's existence, how explosive will it be."

Winnie's eyes nearly shot out of her head, "Explosive G, Princess Di level explosive."

Ginny absorbed it all, it was more than a warning and she knew her parents had to be involved or she wouldn't get an invite to the Cancun festivities.

"So when you say this shit will blow up everything if what?" she dared to ask.

"Let's say it might put some on top and make the rest plummet," Winnie replied vaguely, referring to those whom her parents made sure would take the fall if anyone snitched.

Ginny's eyes started glistening, "And my family?"

"I won't let anything happen to yours," Winnie vowed unaware that someone was eavesdropping on the entire thing.

___

Winnie heard all about the drunken festivities of the previous night at the bar most of them had been going to since they were 12. Grace had been set up, to bring shame to her family and it worked.

The girl in question wanted to flee the mansion with ease, something Zoya fiercely advised her not to do. But it was clear on the freshman's face as she entered the room with the indoor pool that her mission had been unsuccessful.

Winnie sent a look that said not to worry but she simply frowned.

Max was over in the jacuzzi, wearing a ridiculous hat, being badgered by Audrey and Aki.

Julian and Luna rested by the side, lounging in bathing suits.

Billy was the only one swimming around.

Winnie chilled on the edge, with a towel around her hair to avoid it from frizzing. She wore a Calvin Klein swimsuit, and posted a few pictures to her story of it, tagging the brand who sponsored her.

Her legs glided through the pool, since being forced to part from tennis, some of the muscle in her thighs had weakened and she thought at times she gained weight, but forced herself not to think of such things.

She squealed when hands attacked her feet.

"Billy!"

He smiled cheekily when he resurfaced, placing his hands on either side of her legs, wetting them in the process.

"Did you hear? Grace left," He was eager to tell.

"Probably eager to fuck her twin?" She said quietly, filling his eyes with mirth.

"You know about that too?" A chesty chuckle escaped him as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, your nephew told me at the last luncheon," Winnie answered, highly amused and severely disgusted.

Nate Archibald rarely gossiped but when he did, boy did he tell all.

"Fuck, mayors find out everything, I might run against your dad," Billy joked.

"You'd win... if you killed him."

Their laughs tore through the room, alerting a certain De Haan who appeared suddenly and stalked over to them, just as Max escaped the Jacuzzi and met Luna to chat.

"Must you bother my girlfriend Van Der Bilt?" Monet's voice brought their amusement to a halt.

Her hair was tied up and her red bikini complimented her skin in ways that had Winnie salivating even though she knew she shouldn't.

The cheeky boy cocked his head to the side, "If I don't, who else will, you've been spending more time with Julian than Winnie."

"She's here now Billy," Winnie sent him a drop-it look, "it's fine."

Monet came to sit down next to her girlfriend and accidentally kicked Billy's hand out of the way causing it to slap the surface of the pool.

"You can go now," Monet wore a sickly smile.

Winnie swiped her tongue over her cheek as she scanned his darkening eyes.

"I'll find you later, Win," Billy then swam away.

Winnie's jaw clenched when Monet began fussing over her, wiping the water from her legs and even re-adjusting the straps of her thin bikini.

Monet's delicate touch was stirring up more than just anger.

"Really? Jealous?" Winnie finally breathed out, snapping her gaze over to her, annoyed with how great she looked.

"I don't like people tainting what I find to be priceless," was all Monet could say.

Winnie smiled widely, but it didn't reach her eyes, "am I still yours?" She caught the hand going to cup her face and lowered it much to Monet's surprise, "the least you could do is apologize for jumping to conclusions. You didn't have to do that so fucking publicly, it only embarrassed yourself in the making."

Monet gulped, "I know."

"Do you? And it took you hours to say anything." Winnie pulled her legs out of the pool and shot her a glare, "pathetic."

Monet seethed, "Fuck."

___

"I thought you wanted space. Okay? Normally when we argue we don't speak for days and then everything comes together right? So I didn't think it would be any different," Monet expressed after finding Winnie in her bedroom.

They were still in their swimwear, but Winnie had rid herself of the towel around her head and fought the urge to tug on every strand until it was straight so it didn't look unkempt.

She scoffed, from her vanity table, "Exactly."

Monet folded her arms, "Exactly what?"

"You didn't think."

Monet cocked her head to the side, eyes dragging from Winnie's reflection to her flawless legs, trying to distract herself from the impending argument.

"... I know," she quietly admitted.

Winnie abruptly stood up to face her girlfriend, "You hurt my... you hurt me okay?" she confessed, startling Monet, "When I hurt you, you demand more than an apology you want the fucking sun, so the least you can do is say sorry." she was met with silence, "Now is the time for you to speak."

Monet threw up her hands, "Fuck okay, refresh. I was pissed about the Grace thing."

"The whole of Hudson knows that," Winnie retorted, squinting her eyes as she walked toward the edge of her bed and sat down, "and those goodnight texts or paragraphs are fucking pointless to me."

"I know that now. I would ghost me too," Monet acknowledged.

"...okay."

"But I did give you your space and now that's over," Monet walked over to cup her face. "You said I was your person, to a complete nobody. I was internally swooning trust me," Winnie's face remained blank, so Monet conceded, "And I know that's not all you want to hear. So I'm... I'm sorry."

"Was that so hard to say?"

"Yes."

"Even to me?" Winnie almost reeled back, eyes flashing with dejection making Monet panic. "You do it when it's over the smallest things."

"It's just hard for me to say, but I'm doing it for you," the De Haan teen reiterated, but it seemed that it wasn't sticking, "all of you okay?" Winnie's eyes did not change, "I'm trying, let me show you how much I'm trying."

She laid a kiss on her lips, much more forceful than before, but still, it was accepted.

Winnie knew she shouldn't have caved, but the constant battles were one less thing she needed.

So when Monet's lips trailed down her neck, her eyes fluttered shut in complete ecstasy.

Their clothes were soon lying scattered on the floor, forgotten in the heat of the moment, including Winnie's necklace that she'd never seen without.

And the couple weren't seen for hours.

___

"You look like you had fun," Billy stepped into the games room, seeing Winnie sitting on the edge of the pool table in loungewear, "Surprise you're not getting ready, guests are coming in two hours."

She stared at the colour-coded ball in her hand. Number 5. "I know, I'm just thinking."

Billy nodded, slipping on his father's watch as he walked towards her in his evening wear.

He knew she had taken her medication, he and Ginny had been monitoring that more than anyone. But Max had kept track of how often she ate. Billy noticed the changes to her attitude, despite how slight it had been he could tell.

But what caught him off guard was her lack of accessories, "Where's your necklace?"

She stiffened, feeling her neck to discover it was a bear, "Oh shit." She cursed, realizing Monet had taken it off.

"I never see you without it," Billy stated, furrowing his brows and slipping his hands into his pockets. "I don't like it."

She snorted, "Bold of you to assume I care about your likes and dislikes."

"You do, you act like you don't but you do," he rocked on his heels.

"Think whatever you want."

"I will, but you should know, being the daughter of the future mayor of NYC you need to know certain things," he stepped closer and their gazes finally locked.

Her eyes sharpened, "I know certain things but what do you know?"

"Our family have always been old friends, even back when —"

"My family was white? Yes, I remember those days all those centuries ago," she drew a laugh from him, "but what is it that you wanna say to me?"

He gingerly looked around, before saying, "I know."

She squeezed the ball in her hand, "You know what?"

"I'm not a dumb blonde," he stated, rather offended that she could think so little of him.

"Could've fooled me."

"I know what went down in Cancun," he reiterated, causing her amusement to fade, "you don't need to worry about me saying anything. I overheard your dad talking to mine a year ago about it." Their eyes never tore away, though hers grew harsher, "Secrets like those keep the bond between our families strong, it runs deep and nothing can break it."

Her hand wiped over her face, "What do you want me to say to that?"

"I'm on your side," Billy insisted, meaning every word.

She swallowed the knot forming in her throat, "Are you?"

She trusted Ginny more than anything, but Billy only crept into her life, well, he had been in and out of it since they were kids so she wasn't entirely sure, but she needed all the allies she could get.

"It's either sleep with the wolves or get fucked by the sheep and I've never been a bottom in my life so why start now?" Billy retorted, clasping his hands over his head.

Winnie shook her head, though, a smile formed on her face, "To the wolves."

"To the wolves," Billy's cheeky smile grew, "now let's go, Ginny says you need to take pictures."

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(@winnerd posted)

PICTURES ON WATTPAD

(tagged @g.wells and @billythekid)

liked by @billythekid and 105,876 others

always got you 🤞🏾p.s. billy had to take this 20 times before he got it right.

@g.wells 🤞🏻

↳@winnerd 🤍

↳@g.wells🤎

@alottazee i guess i don't exist.

↳@g.wells winnie come and get your freshman

↳@billythekid get behind me Z and i can take great pictures thank you very much!

↳@wellingtonlovesbillypage they're so silly

↳@ginforthewin ridiculous 😭

@winniesbiggestfan the best duo

↳@duboisfanpage always on top

↳@dehannduboisstan monifred >>>

↳@alwaysmonifred right!!

↳@ginnyandwinniefaves never right. winnie and ginny have always been there for each other and will continue to do so, if you can't see that then you're delusional. sorry.

(@g.wells liked this comment)

limited comments.

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The Hudson mansion was now packed, and Winnie had to give everyone their credit, they looked good, but she looked better.

Julian apparently invited the entire town going against her advisor's better judgment and persisted that Obie left to find Grace, but he was adamant on staying until 12.

Winnie scanned the rooms she entered, not surprised to see Billy and Ginny sucking each other's faces, nor was she when Zoya tried to escape the lust-filled sight.

"Zoya, where are you going?" She called out to the freshman who was attempting to push through the crowd of people.

Zoya turned around, with a sheepish smile, "Shan invited me to this thing and I know I should stay but –"

"Go."

Zoya's face lit up, "Really?"

"I'm not your keeper, just go," Winnie practically shooed her away.

The Dubois heiress felt a level of happiness for the freshman and had to admit she was wearing a nice outfit, similar to her own Scarlett Dior but it was nice.

"Happy New Year Winnie," Zoya shocked both herself and the heiress with a hug. When they pulled back, she awkwardly rubbed at her neck, "I'll text you when I get back."

"I have your location," Winnie told, as glee danced around her eyes.

Zoya winced, "Creepy, but expected."

"Just being cautious," Winnie countered.

"See you next year... no alright bye."

Winnie couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic joke that echoed through her head as Zoya passed through the door and greeted her best friend.

"Tarantino bitch!" Winnie heard Shan call from a distance, only adding to her amusement.

"Miss Dubois," she turned to see Caesar standing there phone in hand, "your mother would like you to leave earlier than you expected."

"When?" Winnie's smile faded.

"5 minutes after New Year's."

"Great," she gritted.

"I'll be in the car."

She nodded as he walked away. Winnie retrieved her phone from her purse, only to see several missed calls from Margaux and 0 texts from Monet. She was being ghosted again and she didn't know why.

Billy and Ginny both cast her worried looks which she ignored and leaned against the banisters.

Her mouth craved a drink but mixing one with her medication affected them deeply and she saw how Max acted and would hate to end up like that. She still hadn't put on her necklace despite desperately needing it. She missed it but thought it was better in her clutch for now.

Max wasn't far from her, moping on a couch near the staircase, drink in hand as a few of the townspeople danced in front of him, moving to the loud music.

She was dragged from her thoughts when Monet appeared, teeth gritted and eyes mean.

"I've been looking for you," Winnie breathed out.

Monet reeled back, "Really? Why?"

"What's wrong now?" Winnie sighed, "What have I done?"

"You're looking out for anyone who isn't me."

Winnie squinted her eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Zoya was here and for what?" Monet stressed, folding her hands.

Winnie exhaled sharply, "You're like a broken record, need I remind you that you're attached to Julian's hip? But now I bite my tongue and have kept my comments to myself."

"No, your comments have said enough, well not everything. I mean -- I pour my heart out to you and yet you can't say a fucking word."

Winnie flinched back like she had been slapped.

She lowered her voice, "I thought you understood, and we don't need an audience for this shit Monet, let's go."

"Countdown starts in 5!" A guest yelled, followed by cheers.

Max caught sight of the ongoing argument but didn't think much of it.

Monet let out a humourless laugh, "No, you don't care enough to tell me what you think about me, I have to hear it from your conversations with everyone and anything else. You can speak, hiss and curse at the fucking wall but when it comes from matters of the heart, what matters to me, you're silent."

Dejection flashed across Winnie's face, but that didn't stop her girlfriend from going on.

Max caught the look on her face, it wasn't right, her shoulders were slumped and her expression was nearly broken, so he tore away from the couch and moved towards her, as did Ginny and Billy.

"You brought Billy the fiend, someone you've known for two seconds here, having these deep conversations about life and all you do is kiss me," Monet hissed.

Her words got the attention of a few others.

"De Haan, there's a time and a place," Max tried, settling a hand down on Winnie's tensed shoulders.

"Leave them to it," Audrey appeared, wanting to talk to him, but he shrugged her off, so she called over Aki.

Monet continued, hardened eyes darting between her and Max, "Really Winnie?"

"What do you want from me?" Winnie exclaimed.

Billy and Ginny were ready to get involved, hating how agitated their friend looked.

But their presence only spurred on the De Haan teen.

"Honesty, but I can't even get that. The one thing you promised me from the start of us being official. I know shit is going down Winnie," the anger in her tone sent shots around the small area, "I've known since Hulaween when you cried to me."

"Stop it," Winnie warned, glaring deeply at her.

Now was not the time for this, nor the place but everything had to be a spectacle for Monet De Haan.

"And it has to do with all of our parents right? The Menzies, The Wellingtons, even the fucking Van Der Bilts!"

Monet's voice beckoned more people towards them.

Winnie was seething as she looked around, Max was more worried than confused, despite his drunken state.

Ginny needed Monet to shut up, but her mouth was moving a mile a minute.

"Does it have to do with our trip?" Aki questioned, joining Audrey.

Julian groaned, "Again with this trip."

"What about it? kinda annoyed I'm not going," Luna added, though she was stunned by the arguing.

Ginny scowled at the pair of them, "Really?"

"You said that when shit gets exposed 'it might put some on top and make the rest plummet' and you said that to your fucking bestie, leaving me out in the cold," Monet snapped.

"That's not what I meant and besides you were fucking eavesdropping?!" Winnie's voice rose.

The look on her eyes was deadly, but Monet's was malicious.

"Classless," Ginny scoffed, drawing De Haan's attention.

"Oh fuck you!"

Luna tried grabbing her arm, "Mone I think it's time to go."

"No, she needs to hear this," Monet persisted, viciously, "that she proclaims that she won't let anything happen to Ginny's family. Not mine."

"That's not what I meant!" Winnie's wanted nothing more than to bang her hand against the wall.

Monet rapidly blinked, "I overheard you and your little pocket-sized Clinton... so I had to take matters into my own hands."

Her warning sobered Winnie's anger, "What did you do?"

Her tone was calm, too calm, causing Max to turn to the blondes, deeply unnerved.

The sounds of phones beeping tore through the room and made the group jump.

"Gossip Girl isn't anything but punctual," Monet mocked.

"Oh fuck," Billy tore away from the catastrophe to stare at the tweet on his phone.

Max stood next to him to see. Ginny tugged Winnie away to show her. Luna, Julian, Audrey and Aki hastily retrieve their phones to look.

Scenes lit up their faces.

"You were gonna let everything crumble whilst you jumped ship," Monet went on, staring deeply into her girlfriend's unmoving eyes.

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(@gossipgirl just tweeted)

Happy Holidays, followers. Trigger warning. This post will not be pretty. We all knew that oil rigs lead to global warming but that's only one way the Dubois' had been killing the planet. Here's the other. Daddy Dubois has been allegedly covering crimes and wiping his misdeeds in the blood of victims who slipped and succumbed to wounds on their working sites. One body, two bodies, three bodies, four, the deadly Dubois' have gone against the law. Haven't you heard, that only killing animals is acceptable, not people? But let me let you all in on a little secret, the Dubois weren't the only ones in on the cover-up, but that was obvious, nevertheless, I'm sure my little helper was unaware that her family was implicated in the matter. Monet De Haan... your parents are just as bad as your girlfriends. So next time read the fine print before you drop everyone in it.

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All colour drained from Winnie's motionless face.

Julian gawked, "Oh my —"

Luna had never been speechless, but tonight was that day.

"Monet what the fuck?!" Ginny screeched.

"1 minute to new years!" Another guess bellowed, causing those who hadn't seen the post to cheer.

Max ran his hands through his hair, whilst Billy pocketed his phone and turned to the Dubois heiress.

"I didn't know everyone else was involved!" Monet's voice shook as her hand trembled. She repeated it like a chant.

"This fucks everything," Billy hissed.

Audrey turned to her boyfriend, "Aki, did you know?"

"No," Aki gulped, "I need to call my dad."

"Billy," Ginny mumbled, watching as Aki's hand quivered when he put his phone to his ear.

"I'm calling mine," Billy shakily whispered.

"My mom said to say nothing," Aki showed them the text when she didn't pick.

"Winnie!" Ginny's yell broke her from her catatonic state.

She and Billy joined her. Max is shocked, the news sobered him slightly, but he couldn't help but be on the fence.

"You just fucked everyone. And me," Winnie uttered, gaze unwavering from Monet.

The girl in question's face was a picture of pure horror, "Winnie..."

"We're done."

Monet stepped back, physically pained by her words, "What?"

Winnie gripped her phone as everything imploded. There was so much noise, that she could barely take it. She had to go, escape the chaos she had been yearning for, one look at her closest friends and she readied around to leave.

"Max, where are you going?" Audrey pleaded with him to stay, she couldn't understand why he was going with her, with them. Aki didn't take note of what was happening, his dad was screaming down the line. "Don't go."

Luna shook her head when he glanced at her and Julian begged him not to leave.

Max swivelled on his heel and walked out and towards the car, just as Caesar walked in.

An usher walked passed as the countdown was nearing with a tray of champagne and Winnie couldn't care less anymore and picked up a flute.

"But all of this ain't fucking over. You threw just cast the first stone," Winnie glared at Monet and Monet alone as she shockingly downed a drink. "New Year's resolution: this truce is officially over. The war won't end until we all go down in flames," a menacing grin tugged at her lips, "so thanks hon, you thought I was malicious before, no, I'll show you why I earned my legacy, my fucking name and my reputation."

Billy darkly laughed as he walked out, leaving Ginny to grab her best friend's hand.

"Happy New Year!" Winnie faux cheered and dropped the glass that splattered over the floor, making the others jump back.

They strutted out of the house, Caesar in tow as the room erupted in cheers, kisses and applause, most of the guests were blissfully unaware of the horrific reality dawning on the 4 friends who were frightened to their core.

What the fuck just happened?

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

THE END

a/n:

i don't know why this chapter took me so long to write, but i did enjoy writing this story, as said before i won't be doing season two, i prefer to leave it like this. monet and winnie were never going to end up together, because of the nature of their characters. of course, i loved writing their pairing but it was only gonna end up blowing up and it did.

even towards the end of season 1 of the show, it was obvious that monet was plotting a breakaway from julian, but i changed that slightly. she had already seen the clues of what happened decades ago in winnie's room and there was no way she wouldn't research everything. her motives were out of jealousy and miscommunication and we've seen a lot of them between monifred throughout the story. it's just sad she couldn't trust winnie, but she was following her parent's lead and it was unfortunately the wrong choice. both girls are family-orientated but in different ways, both cutthroat and bloodthirsty, so the betrayal was only a matter of time. monet's breaking point was clearly because of winnie's loyalty to not just gimny, but her budding friendships with billy and max, and her closeness with zoya.

i loved showcasing winnie's progression with relationships, those that never grew and the others that gradually changed, max breaking away from audrey and aki and joining winnie's side despite the copious emotional red flags she showcases is wild. even now he chose her despite everything suggesting how much he values their friendship. it could be seen as a testament to her manipulative tendencies or just the fact she can be very black-and-white.

when it came down to it, winnie and ginny were never going to stray from each other and this chapter proved it. ginny knew there was so weird shit going doing, but didn't question it. even regarding the trip (which i was never going write, i was using it to allude to the sinister finale, which i hoped worked), ginny knew that all the rich families excluding obi's (surprisingly) were included and yet she kept quiet. just like the prologue stated, winnie could only trust herself, but also ginny as well as the extension of max and billy.

so i hope you enjoyed my little insight into the rich and lavish lives of the upper east side. thank you for the support, the comments and the votes. check out my other stories, if you can or reread this one.

- liv

[revvethasmythh]

For the critical role ask meme: 15 and 30.

Or, if you want to be spicy: 5 and 11. 👀

Or any combination of the above :)

15: Favorite one-on-one conversation (can be between two PCs, or a PC and NPC).

Caleb and Fjord in episode 62, Domestic Respite. That has been my favorite conversation since I first heard it and it still is. Caleb's "We can remake ourselves into something better" is, to me, the thesis of what the Mighty Nein campaign is about. That is The Ultimate conversation for me.

I do want to shout out Beau and Caleb's one-on-one in episode 57 though, too, because I do genuinely love that conversation and how it so viscerally feels like a turning point in their relationship and the campaign as a whole. Also Beau saying "You don't have to thank me for my time like you're a social worker" and then giving Caleb just a really long awkward hug lives in my head rent free

30: What is your favorite theory or headcanon that has absolutely no bearing on the plot and isn't important at all, but which is completely compliant with canon?

Okay as far as I am aware, this is canon compliant and if it's not don't tell me let me live in it, but it's "Eshteross is Fjord's dad." I have tethered myself to that theory. I am it's cheerleader. The only one who can take this from me is Matt

5: Meta you would write if you did not fear people would be SUPER weird about it. This is also an invitation to write that meta and block the haters.

Oh boy. there's quite a few honestly. But first that comes to mind is an expansion of that very brief (not maintagged) post I made exploring why Imogen has frustrated me as a character and despite wanting to like her, I really just find myself unable to connect with her. In conjunction with this, I think there is something to be said about Imogen and Laudna's relationship holding each other back from developing more. Something about the way they always reach for each feels like a stagnation of their developments that just leaves me wishing we could see them interact with more members of the group more often or to, honestly, see their codependency come up as a topic/be addressed in canon or sever more than it has to date.

It's like you know that conversation Nott and Caleb had in c2e46: Caleb said, "lately, I've gotten a little wrapped up in the group. I've forgotten about us. I've forgotten." And that's an interesting character beat! It'd be something different from the same homogeneity that their relationship has been dawdling in. The rock fight is the most interesting thing that's happened between them and that didn't even get all that heated or really change anything! Like not to abandon all attempts at maintaining a formal discussion on the topic, but I am emotionally poking their relationship with a stick saying "do something already"

okay. that felt good to get out. now ANOTHER THING

Honestly, I feel like a very long meta could be written about the way that fandom had pigeonholed Veth a "Mother" that doesn't actually leave room for her to be a person. I have seen so many people boil down her character to nothing more than a "mom," as if that's a character trait and not just something that she is. Like, yeah, she IS a mom. But "mom" isn't a personality and I don't know why the fandom treats it like one, and then goes so far as to continually behave like Veth is not just Luc's mom but Caleb's too, which she has not only repeatedly said she is NOT, but has openly and canonically admitted to having romantic/sexual attraction to him to the point where I'm like.......what do you think mothers are like? And that's not even about shipping. Shipping goggles are off, friends. That's about ignoring canon and vital character details that contribute to Veth's overall character arc that are willfully forgotten. And man, does that grind my gears.

Okay that's probably enough salt (this got long, sorry) and I can't think of anything off the top of my head for 11, but if something comes up I might add it.

Thanks for the questions!!

Weirdly specific ask meme!

[autismwithoutpremium]

Moving forward

It was after the fight. Luc had been arrested for what he did. I'm still in shock from what happened, but I'm trying to stay strong. Ro and I are sitting at a table in the bar. Everyone has left. She's looking at my eye. It's swollen, but luckily no bleeding.

"is it bad?" I ask. "No, the swelling will go down eventually, but it will hurt for a while". She puts an ice pack on it for the swelling. I close my eyes trying to relax. After a minute I open my eyes and see tears in Ro's eyes.

"Are you crying?"

"Keep your eyes shut until I'm done"

"What happened is not your fault. You know that right?"She looks away from me.

"Does your head hurt?"

"I'm having a conversation with you!" I say irritated.

"I need to know if you have a concussion smart ass" she says.

"Yes my head's fine..." I put my head down. I know she doesn't like these conversations, but I can't let these thoughts eat at her when they aren't true. It's not her fault that there are homophobic bastards out there. She literally fought Luc to protect me. She's the one bleeding from her head, but she still feels guilty.

"Ro...thank you for standing up for me"

"Louis it my job I'm a bouncer here"

"You would protect me wherever and you know that!" I just want her to understand how important she is. But she just won't accept compliments.

"Ro i appreciate everything you have done for me. I'm still here because of you. You made sure we could move out and live together where we could be safe from our parents and I mean that. But it's not you're job to do what mom and dad couldn't. You're my sister not my parent"I see more tears running down her face. I can see the pain in her eyes.

"I know you're right...but who else will fill that void?" Ro says.

"You've already did Ro. You drove me to school everyday so I could still finish my degree. You taught me how to cook and helped me with finding a job. But you can't protect me all the time. I'm glad you could this time, but you're putting so much pressure on yourself to make sure that I'm okay when you're not even looking out for yourself. You deserve love and protection too." She smiles at me. Wich doesn't happen a lot because she's so stubborn she doesn't show emotion. I grab a wet cloth to remove some of the blood of her face.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one giving advice and giving peptalks"

"Yeah see that's to problem!" I laugh. I put Band-Aids on her wound and wipe her tears.

"Thank you...I do need to learn to let go more. I just love you so much and want you to be okay" she says

"But are you okay? You're the one that got attacked tonight."

"Yeahhh..I'll probably cry about it later in bed." I laugh.

"No don't! You can't do that anymore idiot."

We stand up and put the first aid kit away. Ro looks at me and hugs me tight. Wich is also very uncommon. I'm always the one that wants a hug. I hug her back.

"Let's go home now"

[runicink]

While Lucía does not purposefully step outside of the line of all of their safety, she doesn't balk at the idea of progress. Which means that she has quite a few things on her server that will incriminate herself and the community at large, including but not limited to:

Videos of her tattooing specific blessings and runes on people incorporated into other designs (some that animate, some that don't, but all definitely not normal tattoos.) She takes most of these for study on her technique and to evolve, but alas...

Videos of she and Nyx, her black snake familiar, doing things that are not exactly normal of pet and owner, including having full on conversations and Nyx helping her with spell work by grabbing things for her as she records videos of designs and whatnot.

Receipts for controlled magical substances she uses to enhance her work in the tattoo shop, including things that sound dangerous and/or could incite a sort of 'satanic panic' among the humans if noticed and get her some side-eyes from others in the community.

Videos of herself (and others, it's up to you if you want your character involved directly of it's just NPCs) in supernatural situations at clubs (including fight clubs) with various things happening in the background. Vampire feeding, wolves being wolves, etc in club areas and whatnot because you know Luc likes getting videos of herself and those she actually likes doing the fun shit.

Texts and emails between she and others of the community openly talking about rituals and whatnot. This includes, but is not limited to, her two dads (both witches), friends, tattoo recipients, and even some humans checking in about the arcane mark with her which would be a true scandal (y i k e).

Saved conversations from a deleted contact that prove that Luc can, in fact, fall in love and it didn't end well which informs her attitude now. (scandal for her)

Nudes. Just basic things. She won't give a fuck if those get out though. There could, potentially, be nudes of herself and others (if anyone wants that just add it to your own and include Luc's name and I'm fine with that she's fine with her body and sharing it)

[chicken2potato]

4/13/23 pt 2

I’m fully convinced that I can’t be loved. That I am the problem. My own fucking mother doesn’t want anything to do with me. Why would anyone else want to? 

I remember the day when I finally realized that you were crazy. You pinned me down on the floor and the entire time were screaming into the phone of one of your friends that I needed to take my hands off of you and to stop fighting. I wasn’t doing anything. I was just trying to get out of the bathroom that you had trapped me in. Somehow I ended up on the floor with you on top of me. I remember telling you I couldn’t breathe, and you said, “You can still talk so you can breathe just fine.”

I should just use that day as a mental note, that it’s not me, it’s you. But what if it is me? My dad? Rowan? Ryan? Jacob? John? Even Luc can’t commit. What is it that I’m doing wrong? I’m trying so hard to be the person that people need. I’ll stay up and talk to you if you need. I’ll drive a fucking hour just to give someone ramen noodles because they’re sick. Then I just get replaced. I just get tossed aside as if I were nothing to begin with.

It’s like high school all over again. It’s like my childhood all over again. I’m just always getting tossed aside. He told me that he wanted to work on himself and couldn’t have a relationship... then a month and a half later he was back together with his ex? I was there for him. I held him when he came to me to talk about her. I held his hand through it all. I combed my fingers through his hair while he slept peacefully on my lap. I ignored my problems and focused on him because that was what he needed. Then I’m treated like I don’t exist. Why am I never good enough? What is it that I’m doing wrong? I’m trying so hard to be what people need and then I still get thrown away.

Maybe I need to come to that realization; that I will never be good enough. I won’t be good enough for Luc. I won’t be good enough for John. I won’t be good enough for Rowan. I won’t be good enough for my own mother. I should just stop trying altogether. What’s the point anymore? To give away more pieces of my heart? What happens when there are no more pieces left to give? 

I want nothing more than to be enough for someone. I want someone to genuinely love me and care about me. Is that possible? I want to be held close. I want to be wanted. I want someone to crave me as much as I crave them. I want to be thought about and cherished. I want someone to look at me and be so enthralled with me that all else passes away. But I don’t think that I will ever get that. How can one be consumed with someone so inconsumable? I’m not worth holding. I’m not worth wanting. I’m not worth craving. I’m not worth thinking about or cherishing. I’m not worth it. I’m just a girl who’s too broken to be loved. 

I don’t want to be broken. I want to be whole and fixed. It seems as though every time I feel like I have made headway and gotten better, something happens to show me how wrong I am. 

I told Rowan today that his divorce wouldn’t affect him as much in thirty years as it does now. That eventually he will move on and he’ll do better. Which I fully believe is true. He’s been through so much and he’s such an amazingly strong individual, I know he can take whatever this life throws at him. But it got me thinking about my relationship with my mother. Will it matter to me in thirty years as it does to me right at this moment? If you would have asked me eight hours ago, I would have said no. But now... I can’t stop thinking about all the things I will not get. 

I won’t have someone who helped me move into my first apartment. I won’t have a mother at my wedding. I won’t have family Christmases anymore. I won’t have family Easters, or birthdays, or Thanksgivings. I won’t have nights at the camp playing cards with my Aunt and Uncle. I won’t have those afternoons at my grandparents anymore. I won’t get to see how Emma and Thea grow up. I won’t get to be apart of their lives. My children won’t have a grandmother. They won’t know what it’s like to be spoiled rotten by Grammie. I don’t have a mom there for me when I go through heart break. It’s just me. 

It’s getting so hard. To bear it all alone. To be just me. I need someone to lean on and it spill this all out to. Not just using Tumblr as an outlet. But who? No one wants to hear from me. Mk just had back surgery. And she won’t understand. Rowan is becoming my friend again, which I am so incredibly beyond grateful... But he is dealing with so much right now. I can’t burden him with everything. And it’s not like he would really care. I’m just an ex. Just an old friend from high school. Nothing else. And why would I be? After all that I did to him? Hannah and Dyanna are good friends, but they’re so busy. And I don’t think that they would understand. Dy more than Hannah. But still... I can’t go to them.

After John, it became even more evident that it was just me. Losing him crushed me. He was the first person since Rowan that I thought I may marry. I loved him. I saw a future with him. I told myself after Jacob that I wouldn’t be serious with anyone unless I really thought that they might be the one. I had a few people that I was interested in or had a crush on. But I didn’t let it get further than that because I wasn’t going to give away part of my heart to someone who was going to not take it. And then I did just that. 

It hurt so much when he left. And brought back all my insecurities stemmed from my mother and father and Rowan; that I can’t be loved, that I’m not worth it, that I’m not good enough. My own father couldn’t stick around. My mother hasn’t spoken to me in years. And Rowan chose another over me, more than once. And John added to that fire. When he said that he couldn’t have a relationship, but wanted one, but had to take time to heal himself, and then went and got back together with his ex-girlfriend... That hurt so much. I thought that he was it. I thought I had finally been able to move on from Rowan and all the hope that still laid there. But I was wrong. I was just being used for attention, for comfort, for security while he was going through all that he was going through.

And what the fuck is this shit that I have with Rowan? Why is a part of me still so hung up on him? We’ve been talking over the past week or so and it’s made me so happy to hear from him and to have him as a friend again. I’ve literally cried at the thought of being able to see him again, at the thought of perhaps hugging him one more time. I miss his hugs. I miss his laugh. I miss his smile. I miss his humor. I miss his kindness. I miss his compassion. I miss his strength. I miss him. And I shouldn’t. I can’t. It’s been fucking years. Am I really in love with him still, or still hung up on the fantasy of us living “happily ever after”? And it’s not like it is mutual. He’s literally talking to someone. Also, I’m kind of talking to Luc? But I have no idea what’s going on with that. I do know that I still care so deeply for Rowan, and talking to him these past couple of weeks has made it abundantly clear that he still means so much to me. He was the first person that I could ever truly be myself around. The first person that I think I ever truly loved. I genuinely thought that I would be spending the rest of my life with him. And now, for whatever reason, I am thrown back into that way of thinking.

But then there’s Luc. But he has been so confusing. Does he want commitment or not? Does he actually like me or not? Considering my track record, I’m pretty sure he’ll just use me to get the emotional connection he needs at the moment until he finds someone better and who can do better than I. That’s how it has always been. I’ve always been the... “in-between girl”... I suppose you can call it. The girl that is “the girl” until they find someone that they actually want to be with. Like with Rowan, and John, and Jacob, and Ryan. I’m never “the one”. Probably never will be. So why does it matter what I feel anyway? Nobody cares. Nobody ever did and nobody ever will. So... again I ask, what’s the point?

What’s the point in me being here? To hand out McChicken’s? To scan groceries? It’s not like my friends need me. It’s not like I have anyone that would miss me. My mom probably wouldn’t even bat an eye. Maybe she’d think “good riddance”. Maybe she’d finally be free from all of the stress that I caused her. All of my friends would be. They wouldn’t have to worry about me ever asking for help again or for money again or eating their food or taking up their time. I would be gone, and they would have better lives. They wouldn’t have to listen to me complain about my stupid situations. They wouldn’t have to hear about my middle school boy drama. They wouldn’t have to wonder where I am or what I’m doing. They would be free from me and my stress and my burdens. 

Am I suicidal? No. Well. What’s it called? Passive suicidal tendencies? I don’t think I would have the guts to kill myself but if something were to happen to me, I’m not sure how hard I would fight. It’s not like it’s worth it. The world would be a better place without me dragging everything down. 

I hate feeling this way. I don’t want to. But I don’t want to go on meds. I want to just be normal. Also, not like I could anyway, even if I wanted to. My mom won’t even tell me what my freaking health insurance shit is. Oh! And I found out that she has been keeping money from me. I’ve literally had less than a dollar in my bank account for almost three weeks now. I have gone entire days without eating because I simply couldn’t afford it. I could have seriously used that fucking money.

Like what is even the point?

What the actual fuck is life?

This is so fucking stupid and I’m so over it.

[introvrt]

── hearing that his father had threatened to cut him off is enough for riley to know that it was bad. she'd heard bits and pieces of plenty of stories, plenty of instances between lucian and his father over the years, but she can't remember a time that he's ever threatened to cut his son off completely. there've been dozens of fights, over a dozen different things (but seemingly always leading back to the same root cause: lucian, himself), of which riley only knows about because of nights like this, because of lucian showing up drunk on her doorstep, loose-lipped. lucian makes the admission that there isn't anything he actually wants to do, and it's here that riley is reminded of how similar they can be. she feels the same way, about life in general; she's driven, sure, but for money. for romance (or whatever you can call this screwed up situation between them, bordering romance and bordering insanity, too), for a good time. she's never been driven towards a career, towards a stable future, towards anything that actually makes sense; the only difference is that she doesn't have a dad around to scold her for it. "that's not a crime, y'know. just wanting to... live? exist? without having to worry about doing everything right." she knows this answer won't help, none of her answers will help him the way he needs, but she gives them, anyway. there's a murmured complaint at fingers pressing hard into her hips, but at the same time she makes no move to shift out from under them or bat them away. "hey, no." what she does bat away are his words, right out of the air between them, a finger poking against his chest. "you're not useless, luc. you care about shit? you just... care differently." she frowns, sympathetic, head dipped so they're pressed almost fully together. "your old man's a piece of shit for saying that. doesn't know what he has right in front of him." this is a rare moment of riley being fully open about just how much she actually likes lucian; usually, she'd be the one making degrading comments, this conversation turned fully on its head. but of course she never means them; this is how she really feels.

he can't even really admit it to himself - how well riley probably knows him. just like how he couldn't admit to himself how well he really knew her; he was pretty sure that he knew her better than he knew himself. it wasn't like that was saying a lot - he had never really understood what it meant to understand yourself, but with riley, he never had that problem. he may not have always known what to do, he may sometimes even actively choose to do what he knows is the wrong thing. but he understands her. he's blame the alcohol tomorrow, he would probably claim that he didn't even remember this - insist that he had simply shown up and passed out on the couch without talking, but he would remember it. he always did.

"bad. he threatened to cut me off. i know he won't, but he never threatened it before either, you know." he's thankful for the weight in his lap, his hands moving to her hips, fingers digging roughly into the flesh as they dip under her shirt; not sexually, more just distracting himself as he keeps talking mindlessly, "nah, riley. i don't think there's anything i want to do." that was the first time he had said that out loud, the first time he had even admitted it to himself. he continued with a shrug, "i think he's right." his eyes were glazed over and he was looking at riley without really seeing her, "i think i'm just... useless. i couldn't think of a single thing i would be able to do and care about."

[rogue-bard]

Oh god, for Mighty Nein Reunited, I hope we get a montage where Jester calls everyone from their daily chores to come help her save her boyfriend from a tentacle monster.

I want Yasha to be gardening and being attacked by a carnivorus plant that she finds cute, and I want her to answer to Jester that no, she's not doing anything currently, of course she has time to talk!

I want Beau to be in court, testifying about another corruption scandal she discovered and stagger through her sentences because there's a sudden "Hellooooo are you pooping???" while she's describing the politician in question.

I want Veth to be screaming down a teacher while answering the call. "NO, LUC DESERVES AN A+ oh hi Jess, of course I'm coming to save your puny husband; I know he couldn't fight a baby lamb on his own WHY WOULD YOU THROW HIM OUT OF CLASS FOR SHOOTING YOU WITH A CROSSBOW?"

I want Kingsley to have just lost his ship to another pirate and be all casual about it like "oh hi mom, that's great, listen can I move in with you and dad again until I find a new place?"

I want Caleb to be in the middle of class, in a bored voice "And that is why Evocation has several overlaps with no I am not pooping at the moment dunamancy."

And I want Essek to be fighting off assassins and be the only one who is normal about this: "JESTER, I CAN'T TALK- SEND BEAU AND CALEB TO HELP, I'M IN AN ALLEY BEHIND MAIN STREET" only for Jester to be like "huh, sucks, that was my last sending. Oh well."

[meanqueens]

I'm disappointed that the show got Laena's daughters involved in the situation where Aemond loses his eye. It's just more unnecessary narrative favoritism toward the Blacks characters for no reason - because of course the girls would be touchy about their just-dead mother's dragon being claimed, and Jace and Luc come off more sympathetic as "protecting their cousins" kind of thing, who are girls besides. Whereas in the book it's just these three little brats being unable to mind their own business and ganging up 3-on-1 and then also one of them bringing an actual weapon in a fight that until then had been fists and toy swords. Also there's a difference between Aemond calling them bastards (which is true) and being like "you're gonna burn like your dad." I know Aemond is supposed to grow up into a pretty vicious young adult, but still. The show seemed to go out of its way to make a situation where Aemond is clearly meant to be the sympathetic party to negate that element as much as possible.

thank you for your asks, both of you!!

so from what i understand, jace/luke/rhaena/baela were on the hunt to figure out who’s riding vhagar, and they come across aemond and put two and two together. the kids get snappy with each other, and rhaena is the one who gets physical first, launching herself at aemond who pushes her away and to the ground. then baela steps in to punch him in the face, he hits her back, she retreats on the ground, and then the boys come in. and it all goes downhill from there. but aemond did not “start beating the girls for shits and giggles”. these are kids, they’re in an upsetting time, and they’re not quite able to check their emotions at this point in their lives, so yeah, they’re gonna get vicious. and to note, aemond did not get physical until the others did. it was my understanding that aemond hadn’t gone out of his way to hurt rhaena or baela by claiming vhagar; his thought process was, “there’s a free dragon here, i’ve been treated and felt like shit for not having one, i’m gonna take this chance”. it wasn’t personal, until he came across the quartet and it became personal.

i’m not sure how i feel about rhaena and baela getting involved with the incident; theoretically, with the time shenanigans making joffrey currently a baby, the writers were trying to figure out where they could make up for the lack of a 3v1 and settled on adding the girls. vhagar having been their mother’s dragon allows room for some justification. i don’t think, however, than it necessarily negates aemond being a victim in the situation except to those who are staunchly in the “the blacks can do no wrong” camp. aemond wasn’t empathetic, but he was still ambushed and pummeled in a 4v1, and he lost an eye. not only did he lose an eye, but it was treated like it wasn’t a big deal (except to his mother) bc the slander was more “important” than his mutilation.