#mention: vidal

[westminster-insider]

DATE NUMBER 23 - Sicily, Italy. Winning Bid: @franciscovidal with £31,000. Total Bids: 21.

"A visit to San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily, to embrace the beautiful beaches. An afternoon spent climbing the face of Monte Monaco, before winding down with a relaxing dinner in the town, with plenty of local wine to share."

Partner: @cassandra-acton Special prize upon arrival for Most Bids.

[post-futurism]

So i finished white lotus s2 and have thoughts. heed the spoiler warning. 

Tanya and Portia’s storyline was the only one that wasn’t lacklustre imo. 

Lucia and Mia were cute and i did find Mia’s role entertaining but Lucia’s involvement with the Di Grasso’s was annoying because the Di Grasso’s in general were annoying. 

did not really care for the infidelity mind game shit the others were playing at either. 

aubrey plaza was gorgeous and i think this role really shows her range given she’s been prone to playing chaotic characters over the last several years. 

i love will sharpe too but his character didn’t make any sense like if he wasn’t even great friends with cameron why did he agree to go on this thing in the first place? i thought for a little bit the point was that ethan is one of those people who likes to watch and even facilitate the destruction of his relationship going by how he wasn’t phased by cameron changing in his room in front of his wife and just his general like delusional daydreams of cameron fucking harper in the last episode. but imo they didn’t play that up enough, the fact that he was passively destroying his own relationship. it was almost there but not quite there. and because it didn’t quite get to that mark his character seemed weird to me. 

not enough cristobal. the score was sooooo lack lustre. at first the opening song being remixed as a club song hit me but it just doesn’t have that on-repeat factor like the s1 opening song does. i think they really messed up with the sound design on this season. 

the costume design for portia was like nothing i’ve seen on tv before it was so unique and childish at times and insane i loved it. 

the casting director was told “thick eyebrows” and they delivered. 

loved all of the midnight blue shots of the ocean in the last episode in particular but also the first episode i think it was when they showed the hotel in the blue night and the hotel itself was in this warm yellow light, love that shit man. 

[trainsg1rl]

OGH ITS THINKING ABOJT VIDALLAS TIME

[whorifics]

back  against  the  wall  and  no  where  to  go.  soft  whimpers  scratch  at  the  back  of  her  throat,  chest  heaving  as  masked  man  approaches.  “  please  ——  ”  whispers  out  helplessly.  “  don’t  hurt  me.  ”  /  @ntamed​  [  based  ]

[encrucijada]

can you infodump about connor as well pretty please 💚

oof this one is a bit tougher because haze dogs is a bit more nebulous because of who i am as a person. but let's give this a go

most of connor's clothes are repurposed from other people's closets (this includes both her parents and her best friend delilah). she likes to sew odd pieces together and mismatch things. an example of this is her outfit at the beginning of the book where she goes to the party in an cutesy white dress but she's wearing a spiked collar, chain bracelets, and worn converse with black tights.

when i say connor is like the alt best friend in a 00s movie i am talking she has the energy of the best friend in sitcoms or teen girl movies who wore like 3 pounds of clips on her hair, painted her nails metallic blue and wore dark clothes. that's connor's vibe.

did archery in school. does still practice sometimes on targets made with old bedsheets and foam inside garbage bags

she's mean on purpose. she's fully aware of how unpleasant she can be and thrives on it, you make your fun how you can in a haunted dying town. only goes out of her way to be pleasant with her parents and people she considers friends

there's a 7ish year differende between her and benjy, her older brother

maximalist bedroom like that of teenage girls in old movies and tv shows

to balance out the Everything that is going to happen to connor i gave her loving parents. i am undecided on don hidalgo's name but doña mejía's name is irma <3

connor considers her mum's mutt dog miel more of a sibling to her than benjy lmao

and speaking of dogs she's friends with the sheepdog that guards the herd the town keeps as bait for the haze dogs. the barbed wire fence of the herd's pasture comes up close to connor's house so they're acquainted

cat's approach to getting attention. will start dropping things from high places so people look at her

says she "could be an arsonist if she wanted to". fascination for fire, one of her favourite past times is just lighting a candle and burning things and see what happens (what happens is fire)

you know how i mentioned she steals clothes and accessories. she does it with other things too. like whatever she can find at the vidal manor, including an oil painting that hangs on her bedroom wall now

enjoys floor time. it's not rare to find her fast asleep on the carpet

[vorchagirl]

What's this? A wild Lena!? Yep - I'm trying to be more active! I've been writing again and have finished my newest fic - a Sara Ryder x Reyes Vidal fic called 'Haunted'.

Enjoy this little snippet while i finish editing it!

Sara pondered the idea, swirling the liquid in her glass as she thought how clever he'd been to mention the innocent people who would get hurt. Reyes couldn't help himself, he was a born manipulator.

"What's in it for me, Reyes? Things hardly turned out well the last time we worked together. "

He grinned suddenly and leaned back, a twinkle in his eye. "That's a matter of opinion. I may not have ended up with everything I wanted," and his gaze swept over her meaningfully, "but it was hardly a bad outcome for the people of Kadara. As for what's in it for you, well, aside from saving Kadara," Reyes grin widened the tiniest bit more, "Maybe the satisfaction of knowing you've got the most charming man in the galaxy on your side?"

Sara snorted softly, shaking her head at him. "Try again."

He sighed dramatically and put a hand over his heart as though injured. "Can't blame a man for trying. Fine, picture this – you and me, securing Kadara from those who mean it harm, and, " he nodded towards the port, "free fuel and restock for your ship whenever you need it. Upgrades and materials if needed too." There was a pause and then he added,  "Within reason." 

Reyes did not like parting with credits or giving anything away for free, which meant he was desperate.

[ashenlavellan]

A Kudos Post to my favorite ME LIs

this will be a condensed post of my appreciation for ALL of my favorite Mass Effect (including Andromeda) Romances - please keep in mind that this is my opinion/favorites and I may not have one of your romances listed. Please be respectful of that ^.^

Kaidan Alenko - The Sentinel Biotic

I've said it before and I'll say it again - he's by-far one of the most sympathetic, but he's also willing to stand his ground against stuff that contradicts his morals. I thoroughly appreciate that he's supportive, but he's not always a yes-man - whether or not he's romanced.

Also, I've mentioned it before, but chronic migraines are no fucking joke - the cause of them being his implants/biotics too? This man deserves an award.

Liara T'Soni - The Asari Scientist / Shadow Broker

By far, one of my all-time favorite Bioware romances. Her personality and her thoughtfulness always melts my heart and even if she's not romanced, I genuinely believe that she's also a platonic soulmate. Some people may not like her for the hero/savior-complex she has in ME1, but she mellows out in the later games and it feels like she's on equal-footing later on.

Her VA is also one of my all-time favorite actresses - Ali Hillis, who also plays as Lightning (Claire) Farron from FFXIII and recently, Lace Harding from DA: Inquisition / Veilguard.

Garrus Vakarian - The Archangel of Omega

My first ever romance and what initially led me to playing the trilogy. The initial awkwardness of an interspecies liaison, which led to a flirty yet playful interaction - then we find ourselves head-over-heels for this scarred turian.

If not romanced, I genuinely believe that Garrus could also be a platonic soulmate - whether it's FemShep/BroShep. The relationship and understanding feels so... real.

Thane Krios - The Drell Assassin

This romance broke my heart and soul; his troubled life with the loss of his deceased ex-wife and the discord between himself and his son felt like so much for him to bear. Especially for an entire decade. Now, when I initially romanced him, I was merely intrigued by his personality and how he dealt with everything - knowing he had limited time.

Progressing through the story led me to the realization that he was merely getting by, but the second he finds love once more? He's devastated at the prospect that he's found his other half, but with so little time and knowing that she'll be left alone...

I was devastated and pathetically sobbed when he died; especially when watching the clips that were left behind during the Citadel DLC.

Reyes Vidal - The Charlatan of Kadara

By far, one of the most intriguing romances of ME: Andromeda and it felt like there’s a lot of chemistry between him and [preferred] Ryder - regardless if he’s romanced or not. He’s got a flair for the dramatics yet he’s terrified of losing what has become cherished to him, at the cost of his lies.

His personality and voice certainly drew me in during my first play-through - I genuinely thought there would be a game where I found none of the romances appealing, but then this shady bastard appeared and winked.

[pierppasolini]

movies about loneliness in general or after a broke up, please

Le rayon vert (The Green Ray - 1986, dir. Éric Rohmer) Happy Together (1997, Wong Kar-wai) Chungking Express (1994, dir. Wong Kar-wai) Vive L’Amour (1995, dir. Tsai Ming-liang) I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (2006, dir. Tsai Ming-liang) What Time is it There? (2001, dir. Tsai Ming-liang) The Misfits (1961, dir. John Huston) After the Storm (2016, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda) Ikiru (1952, dir. Akira Kurosawa) The End (2018, dir. Noel Alejandro) Tokyo Decadence (1992, dir. Ryû Murakami Sauvage (2018, dir. Camille Vidal-Naquet) Maborosi (1995, dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda) Twilight (1982, dir. Govindan Aravindan) Martin (1977, dir. George A. Romero) Trois couleurs: Bleu (Three Colors: Blue - 1993, dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski) Wild Strawberries (1957, dir. Ingmar Bergman) A Woman Under the Influence (1974, dir, John Cassavetes) Paris, Texas (1984, dir. Wim Wenders) Moonlight (2016, dir. Barry Jenkins) Habeas Corpus (1986) // dir. Jorge Acha The Swimmer (1968, dir. Frank Perry)

and pretty much anything else that I didn’t mention by Tsai Ming-liang

[the-starry-seas]

Would love to hear more about your bbs Royal Squad. 🏷️

🏷️ - How did they get their name?

Royal Squad is from an AU where Fox survives Vader and is whisked away to Alderaan, where he marries Bail and Breha. Yars later, when clone production is stopped, Kamino decides to sell off the remaining cadets to the highest bidder, and decommission whatever they can't sell. Fox hears about this and begs Breha for the money to try to save some of them. She gives him carte blanche to bring them all home.

Most of them are adopted by other Alderaanian families. Five of them are brought home by Fox. They're two years old, the same age as Leia, and he loves them so dearly. He didn't intend to adopt them but the littlest one wanted to be held and he couldn't bear to let them out of his arms. They're called Royal Squad because of their AU, and also because they're adopted by the royal family!

As for their individual names-

Bug: Insists he’s named after his favourite thing, and nobody can say no to those big brown eyes lbr. He’s very invested in all of Alderaan’s insect life. They get him an ant farm but that does not suffice. He keeps bringing home all the cool bugs he finds. Eventually they set aside a dedicated area for his zoo because none of them are exactly delighted to keep finding random insects all over the house. He names the first insect species he discovers after Fox. Fox is 99% sure it’s a compliment but that other 1% makes him wonder for a while. He is extremely picky about his clothes because sometimes textures are evil and he will cry if it’s bad enough. Breha always takes him with her when she goes clothes shopping and they have matching bracelets.

Jaonyc [jai-ON-eesh]: In this AU, Fox isn’t very connected to Mando culture, since Jango and the Cuy'val Dar weren’t exactly great role models. But he likes the sound of the word and it’s certainly accurate. The other tubies sometimes call him Jai for short but Fox always uses his full name to emphasise how important his kid is to him. Jaonyc also hates lightning so the two of them hide out together during storms. Bail lets them modify a spare room to be a hideout - soundproof with no windows and a surround-sound system for music. Jaonyc loves music so Fox always has their favourites ready, and something new to take their minds off the storm.

Yancy: An absolute sweetheart, through and through. He’s constantly begging to visit the beach house on weekends because he loves the ocean. He’s scared of sharks and slimy seaweed, though, so one of his parents has to be nearby to watch out for him. Fox and Bail will carry him on their hip to protect him from the seaweed. Breha loves collecting shells with him. (All three of them keep a very close eye on him the entire time they’re at the beach. He can swim all right, but he’s still a toddler.) Bug’s collection also scares him a little. Fish are perfect and have no legs, so clearly anything with 6+ legs is the opposite of perfect. He also likes to draw even though he’s not very good at it.

Helio: The quietest of the bunch, he’s named after Bail’s grandfather. He would much rather cuddle up to one of his parents and have them read to him, than go chase bugs or fish or whatever. Sometimes when Breha and Bail don’t have any meetings, they’ll let him sit in their laps and read paperwork to him. He understands none of it but he loves being included. He does love limmie, though, and watches every game that the Alderaanian teams have. Breha is also a fierce supporter of the team, and the game as a whole. She arranges for the two of them to go on a week-long trip to hang out at the spring training ground every year. Helio cries when he gets to meet Cael Hanarist for the first time.

Vidal: Breha’s parents were going to name her Vidal if she was a boy, which she mentioned when Fox started looking for baby names. Even though he doesn’t have to be a soldier any more, he’s a scrapper through and through. He’s very protective of his siblings, even Kit who’s ten years older, and Leia who’s as fiery as he is. Fox personally oversees every second of Vidal’s training. He bases some of it on what he was taught himself as a cadet, but he’s much gentler with Vidal. He loves his boy too much to put him through the kind of suffering Kamino always caused. Once Fox finally gets used to Alderaan having so much nature, he and Vidal go on a lot of day hikes. They call it training but they both know i’s not, actually, and they just enjoy hanging out together. They always take the same kind of orange for part of their lunch and it becomes their mutual favourite fruit. Eventually he brings home a songbird with a broken wing to ensure it gets good medical care, and it and its mate nest outside his bedroom for years.

[islahvnt]

Secretly you love this, do you even wanna' go free? Let me in the ring, I'll show you what that big word means

mentions: Yvonne, Ayaz, Vidal, Henry and Olivier tw: gore, violence, murder

The lights had never bothered her. If anything, they made it all the easier to slip in and out of the crowd of people that ventured into the open mouth of the Venue, and more specifically the Rutherfords. A cesspool of the cities most oblivious mingling without a thought about the demons they congregated with. If Hell offered an everglade of euphoria for the worst creatures the city held; the Venue would be the welcoming party. The leather skirt she wore clung tight to a lithe form. A snake among them, sidling up alongside the unsuspecting offering a glimpse of sweat and honey beneath the white lace of her crop top; leaving little to the imagination as she lured them beyond the lobby of a Rutherford hellscape and beyond. Without question, she teed up dealers with those willing to pay, and poured every elixir known to man that might otherwise inebriate those only looking for a night they’ll never remember.

Gather information; carve out a safe place for lips eager to spill all. She was little more than a pretty face to them; harmless. Good for a fuck, just a taste; all while she wove the design of their own demise between manicured fingertips.

As easily as she managed, there was no doubting the dire need to lash out that had simmered away since her initial release. Bound and muzzled by her mentors, Isla listened to Henry and Vidal because she wanted to. And subconsciously, in a grab for their approval. Their respect. It’s one of the few things she’s deigned to desire since the cold night two of the Rutherford's enforcers arrived at her fathers store to deliver the consequence of a failed payment. It was a fire that never dimmed, and one that Isla would prove was catching, even if it killed her. Even if she was just a pretty face.

A hand, as silken as the smoothes porcelain surface found its way beneath her skirt, squeezing the curve of her behind with a certain fervor that made her teeth grit. Pause. Her features soften as she glances across her shoulder at him, the glint of mischief in the sparkle of her eye that only becomes all the brighter as her manicured brow peaks “Where you going, baby?” She reads his lips over the reverberating thrum of drum and bass that called the club home. The blonde turns, instantly pressing her body into his, just to speak into the shell of his ear as she lifts the expensive bottle she was taking to a booth of loyalists. “To do my job. Someone around here has to make sure you’re all having a good night,” there’s something sickly sweet to the curvature of her voice, a flicker of venom that nobody ever saw coming. Yvonne Rutherford. The name had swelled an unspeakable cloud above them that they were entirely unaware of. A passing mention that perhaps nobody else would have thought to pick up, and yet Isla had. Perhaps the awful accent, or the pompous way in which they dressed, as loud as their voices - begging everyone close enough to believe they were something worth watching made them believe that there was too much to see, for anyone to truly be listening. Maybe they knew that their worth truly only extended to their looks; and not every moronic fucking thought that came to the front of their barely mature mind. She never missed a beat though. “How are you meant to make sure we’re having fun if you’re not here with us?” It doesn’t really land with her, though the fact that he and his friends are quickly jabbing each other with elbows makes it clear to her the kind of people they were. “You’re too pretty to be working like this..” he grinned and pulled her closer, pressing a finger beneath her chin to lift her gaze, “- I’d take care of you.” She could have gagged, openly, feeling her skin crawl in the same way that it always did. 

Gather information. Fuck that. 

White teeth scour her lesser lip, and doe hues flicked between them, and back to the bar. Beneath her heels, the sticky substance seeks to glue her to the spot and the tang of desire rears its ugly head as she sets the bottle on the table and offers a dazzling smile, “How about you take care of this for now..” The blonde drawls out, the briefest touch of fingertips across his leg, just a taste, “And then you take care of me later.” Hues linger just long enough for it to sink in, beneath his foolish demure of importance, “Both of you… take care of me later.” It’s all she says, plucking the phone from the table in front of him, to dial her own number before she tucks it safely into the pocket on the inside of his suit jacket. “I’ll call you when I finish,” —----------------

There are options. There are always options. But Isla had never been one to weigh them up equally. And the taste of being the only one to know only served to fill her drunk with the spark of desire that she felt beneath her bones once again. Proving herself was one thing, though she’d hoped that the things she wanted didn’t make her seem desperate to impress. Simply put, Isla Hunt knew what she was good at. And chaos tangled itself so tightly around her fingertips, it was impossible to ignore. “I’ll be out in five x.”

The club had emptied out and the lingering echo of all that went on within the four walls continued to ricochet as each lights dimmed out, as each of those she worked with said goodnight and left. The early hours always gave Isla the time she needed to herself - it suited her to be the last to leave, very few others were willing to deal with what could be waiting beyond the doors. But this time, Isla knew. The back door closes behind her, a heavy steel door upon rusting hinges and she perches upon the landing just long enough to light a cigarette. The cherry tip in the dark an ominous glow when one considered the horrors that lurked in the dark. Luckily, tonight, she intended to be that horror. The car pulls up. The darkened SUV worth more than everything she owns, and she cursed it to hell as her heels click against the steps and the doors of the vehicle swing open to reveal the two french soldiers. Unassuming, and stupid. They jeer. One waves a clear bag of white powder and the blonde feels a sting of disappointment at the notion of it. Inebriated, she didn’t hate.. But if they were high, it certainly took an ounce of fun out of it. The irony wasn’t entirely lost on her. The barely gone cigarette is crushed beneath the toe of her shoe as she slows to a stop, pressing a shoulder into the car and it’s clear enough that they’ve only got one thing on their mind. The press of damp lips meet her shoulder as the taller of the two draws an arm around her waist - the giggle that she elicits is hollow, but they don’t know that. Somewhere in the mess of powder, lips, teeth and the bottle of vodka she’d palmed off to them earlier, the cool leather of the backseat settles against her skin. It’s a wonder the two can barely see, though she supposes they’re built like bulls and couldn’t think for a second that they’d made a single wrong move in their attempt to run a very, very stupid play by the eyes and ears of the Rutherford organization. A rough hand curls in against the inside of her thigh, and she buries fingertips into the mess of blonde hair upon what she thinks might be the younger of the two before she speaks. A heavy breath, one among many to fog the windows just that little bit more. 

“Hey.. hey,” there’s velvet in the husk of her voice, as she thinks about how many times she’ll have to scrub her skin raw, and yet she continues, reaching for the bottle with one hand as she shifts just enough for the brute with blue eyes to draw her into his lap, the cramped backseat nothing that he clearly hasn’t maneuvered before. She draws the bottle to her lips, careful enough that the clear liquid slips through the gap without her ever really touching the rim of the bottle. Isla leans in, a hand pressed to his chest as she looks between the two. The tilt of her head portraying the same beautiful woman she’d become accustomed to being seen as, “How do you know Yvonne Rutherford’s address?”

Silence.

Something in her eyes changes. A flicker in the warmth of the fire burning. Once one of muted desire, turned to a raging inferno as realization dawned on them.

“It’ll be easy. She’s like an outlier of the family.. Nobody is paying her any fucking attention right now and I’ve been staking the place for weeks now.” “You’re insane.” Pause. “Wait till the boy’s find out we kidnapped and put Yvonne Rutherford six fucking feet under.”

The bottle she held already cracked; a detail she’d noted hours before and intended to get rid of before conversation had crept in like a little voice in her head, met the back of the center console with a deft shatter of glass, and everything within the confines of the car exploded. Isla’s hand still curled around the neck of the bottle as she drove the jagged edge into his gut, once... twice.... in the same breath that a hand curls around her neck and drags her to the other side of the backseat.

Her head connects with the window, tinnitus rupturing within her head as everything spins and she searches in the dark for clarity. It doesn’t matter where it is. All she knows is anger - anger and pure hatred. The air in her lungs rushing out as a fist buries itself somewhere in the pit of her stomach. Like hell - the blonde knew who she was, what she was; and among the monsters that reigned above her, Isla Hunt wasn’t one to be underestimated. She’d lost the bottle, and it rolled away beneath one of the chairs; but she didn’t need it. The shard she now gripped as she doubled over cut deeply into the palm of her hand, her own blood the same sacrifice she’d make over and over for the Rutherfords after they picked her up and gave her something to wield. They’d lost enough. Stars splinter her vision, and she feels the skin at her brow split, blood slipping to stain usually piercing eyes with a certain horror that she’d fight to see through. Instinctively, her hand flies up to protect her face and instead collides with a target she hadn’t been aiming for. Glass slices through flesh and she knows it’s a scar he’ll either wear for the rest of his life, or one that will never get a chance to heal. His scream ripples through the air and she knows it pierces the night beyond the cars cabin. “You fucking bitch, my eye..” His eye indeed. It hangs limp from his socket and the gnarly open wound a crevice of flesh and blood that she knows belongs to her now. Isla heaves a breath as he slows, perhaps conceding some kind of defeat. The other, slumped in his seat growing paler by the minute hadn’t served an ounce of fight since she carved open his gut. 

She feels a moment of relief slither into the tension in her back, but disappointment soon follows. All that bravado for fuck all. The blonde spits, a mix of blood and saliva and wipes at her mouth, crimson highlighting the white of her teeth even more than usual. “Fucking pigs.” It’s muttered beneath her breath, stained blonde hair catching against the drivers side headrest as she leans back to catch another breath; a mistake that she deeply regrets as she her side lights up, white hot with pain and the sound of a bullet fires off.  It’s deafening and whatever ringing she might have heard in her ears before hand was nothing compared to this. The hole the bullet had carved through the roof of the car only inches from the side of her head; a near miss. Unlike the shard of glass now broken off just beneath her ribs. The blonde gasps and finds she can’t draw a big enough breath, and where defeat might have come swiftly, it only surged her anger to boil over. “And here I was, considering leaving you alive to play messenger boy.” But with one heavy swing, the already bloodied glass buried itself in his neck. The blonde slumps back in his seat, and she watches quietly, as he drowns in his own blood and meets whatever devil hell sent for him. “The Rutherford’s send their fucking regards.”

—------------------ It’s with great effort that Isla pulls herself over the center console and into the front seat. She digs through the glove box, quick to snatch up the phone that definitely doesn’t belong to her - knocking an array of photographs to the floor in the process, only to dial her own number long enough to find her purse. Tucked away beneath the passenger seat, blood smears the leather, dark until it dries and becomes a piece of the upholstery, and true to the women’s ability to multitask, she flips over the photographs as she digs it free.

“I need your help. Venue. x.” 

She texts, hues flickering over each snapshot of Yvonne coming and going from her home in London. She doesn’t care what the time is; Isla knows Ayaz will be there.

And while she waits, she flips the vanity mirror down, drawing the edge of a shaky pinky finger around the edge of her lip, her opposing thumb pressing down on the trigger of her lighter, watching as it caught light in the dark of her resurgence. She would always be more than just a pretty face, but a pretty face didn’t hurt.

[red-riding-wood]

Girl I am so sorry that you went through so much with that POS. I’m sending you lots and lots of love and hugs. Please take care of yourself and thank you for sharing your story.

I wanted to confirm whether his name is actually Killian Vidal? Or was it a fake one? And he’s from the UK? You had mentioned you and your friend found his Facebook account so just wanted to know, if it’s okay with you.

Thank you for the love! Sending it back! <3

A few days ago, I spoke with conviction that Killian was not his real name and that we had found his real name. Now, I'm not so sure what his real name really was.

As for the UK thing, ehhh... again, I am not 100%. The police report confirmed him to at least be in the UK at the time when he was pretending to be in a hospital in Indianapolis, but that was under the name Killian Vidal and after it coming out that he's used another name I'm not sure anymore how that worked. It doesn't help that the police were very vague when I checked in (they don't want to reveal any more information than they have to).

From the new information that's been found, we also believe that either him or his parents are originally from Poland. And when on call, his voice definitely sounded to be a mix of English and Slavic.

Saying all this, I'm not investigating this issue anymore. My friend @kittenonpluto still is and if she chooses to reveal any more information that's up to her but personally I need to move on and start focusing on my health and hopefully writing.

[westminster-insider]

DATE NUMBER 19 - New York, USA. Winning Bid: @franciscovidal with £5,500. Total Bids: 1.

"A trip to New York to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and do a food tour of the city together."

Partner: @jessi-reyes

[brokenbluebouquet]

George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham in Fiction - a partial summary

CW: discussions of biphobia and homophobia in historical fiction and current historiography.

Feeling both inspired and outraged in equal measure by the upcoming Mary&George series, and having been fascinated with this remarkable man since forever, I have decided to post this partial overview of portrayals of George in fiction. The ones in bold are the ones I have read. Feel free to add to the list.

The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas 

The Honey and The Sting, Elizabeth Freemantle 

My Queen My Love, E.M Vidal 

Cavalier Queen, Fiona Mountain 

The Dangerous Kingdom Of Love, Neil Blackmore 

The Fallen Angel, Tracy Borman

Wife Of Great Buckingham, Hilda Lewis

Darling Of Kings, P J Womack

The Queens Dwarf, Ella March Chase

The Smallest Man, Frances Owen

The Spanish Match, Brennan Purcell

Captain Alatriste, Arturo Pérez-Reverte

The Cardinal and The Queen, Evelyn Anthony 

Earthly Joys, Philippa Gregory

Myself My Enemy, Jean Plaidy

Charles The King, Evelyn Anthony 

The Young And Lonely King, Jane Lane

The Fortunes Of Nigel, Walter Scott 

The Crowned Lovers, E Barrington

The Minion, Raphael Sabiniti 

The Murder In The Tower, Jean Plaidy 

A Net For Small Fishes, Lucy Jago 

The Arm and the Darkness, Taylor Caldwell

Les Gloires et les perils (?), Robert Merle

And a few I’m not so sure about where George is mentioned in passing: . 

Viper Wine, Hermionie Eyre

John Saturnalls Feast, Lawrence Norfolk 

Rebels and traitors, Lindsay Davis

The Assassin, Ronald Blythe 

Some observations, in no particular order:

Novels set mostly in James reign often have George as a rival to Robert Carr and will attempt to foreshadow how much worse he will be compared to Carr.

The ones that feature Henrietta Maria as Protagonist or at least POV character, where George is normally a baddie trying to sabotage HM and Charles I's relationship, and his death is often portrayed as some sort of salvation for HM. In these books George will often be lamed for things which were IRL Charles's fault such as the expulsion of HMs French household in 1626.

Three Musketeers is practically a category in its own right due to all the film/tv adaptions but has had relatively few clones or imitators in English which is something of a surprise

George is only a protagonist in one of these books (Darling of Kings, P J Womack) in the rest he's a cameo or a villain

Rumours that I suspect authors know is nonsense are repeated verbatim such as Tracy Borman's baseless speculation about G offing the Manners brothers, king James, and his rumoured involvement with the occult.

Georges relationships with James and Charles respectively are mentioned but not meaningfully explored. neither are any other personal relationships he had.

The insights and shifts in terms of post 1970s revisionist and post revisionist scholarship esp. Roger Lockyer's bio of George have not found their way into any fiction set in this era. Georges capability as an administrator and manager of patronage is more often than not totally absent.

the general view of George and why he's often shown in such a negative light is pretty much "well, he was willing to god knows what with that dirty old man James; who knows what other depravities he was capable of" and its female authors who really seem to lean into this, which I find fascinating and disturbing.

EDIT (can’t believe I forgot this) George’s murder in 1628 is always the result of some sort of aristocratic conspiracy rather than the act of terrorism it was IRL. I do get why authors do this - the amount of world building and foreshadowing needed to make it seem plausible rather than random in universe. However making it the result of personal grudge rather than ideological violence detracts from why it was so shocking and important.

[vivivisca]

oc refs i did for artfight. you can find me at /~visca

some oc info if interested (copypasted from their character pages lol):

Aurelias Golzar Vidal: A homunculus made by the alchemist Mariam Vidal, they are the child of Mariam and Lorenza "Lor" Contreras. Generally friendly, but capable of brutality. Others have noted an oddness to their thought process at times. Some may consider that some of their oddness may be from their changeling parentage, but some of it is just them being themself. They're still figuring themself out, they hope that traveling will give them more life experience to help them not only settle more into themself, but to also hone their skills. For now, they're a capable fighter and knowledgeable enough in alchemy to do things like create some remedies and tinctures in a pinch. Their biology allows them to manipulate and change/shape their body to a certain extent, and often in ways that some would find off putting. They also have an above average healing factor. There has been much speculation into the nature of souls, the creation of homunculi simply adds to the discussion. In Aurelias' case, they were previously killed as a young teenager and their soul was pulled from the afterlife during their rebirth as a homunculus* (their mother and Lor are unaware of this, they simply attribute any weird mannerisms to their status as an artificial being and their atypical upbringing). They were previously wary of Mariam as a young child, but in the present day they have a great fondness and love for her and Lor. notes: -* the thing about homunculus souls is something i'm playing around with. i have another character i'm in the progress of designing that i want to have as a sort of foil to them (no previous memories, not raised by an alchemist who cared for/nutured him, the luciferic androgyne to aurelias' mercurial androgyne, stern and reserved vs friendly and freespirited, etc) -their outfit is mostly black in their primary ref, but if i ever did more art of them further along their storyline i'd have different colors as the focus, to reflect the process of the philosopher's stone (nigredo->black, cauda pavonis->black with green/other colors, albedo->white, citrinitas->yellow, rubedo->red, etc) -the main inspiration for them was the alchemical concept of the rebis, along with the homunculus/philosopher's stone

~~

Mariam Vidal: An alchemist who works as an pharmacist/apothecary in her day to day life. She did not pursue the creation of the philosopher's stone like others. Instead attempting and succeeding at the act of takwin, with the creation of her child, Aurelias. She is a calm and caring woman who can put others at ease, but that isn't to say she can't be firm with others when needed. She has a garden outside her home that she harvests from, whether for creating medicines and tinctures, or food with fresh herbs and veggies (and fruits too). She's made sure to nurture Aurelias' natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge and also teach them as much about her craft as she can. This is not only to continue her family's legacy, but also so it can potentially aid them after leaving home. While she and Lor are both Aurelias' genetic parents, Mariam is their primary caretaker given that Lor both travels for work, and keeps herself more in a sort of aunt role. notes: -she was inspired by both european and islamic alchemy/alchemists, there were individuals in both groups who wanted to or claimed to have made beings like homunculi (the above mentioned "takwin" was basically the creation of artificial life). there are a handful of homunculus recipes floating around, most of them are kinda gross lol -i'm playing with the idea of her being the descendant of a son of jabir ibn hayyan, mainly for her/her family having a reason to not care as much for the philosopher's stone -the accessories on her chatelaine/chain are a reference to the alchemical concept of the 3 primes (salt, sulfur, mercury). mercury->the notebook, because of mercury's association with the mind/intellect/imagination. sulfur->the match vesta, because of sulfur's association with fire. and the garden scissors->salt, because of salt's association with the earth and solidness (though admittedly this accessory might be my weakest link. i really wanted her to have scissors though) -i had her wear a lot of red to show that basically, as far as alchemy goes, she's succeeded in her field. the final stage of the creation of the philosopher's stone is rubedo (red). that's also why i gave her rose imagery on her chain+accessories, because alchemical works have associated roses with the rubedo stage -her outfit in general can be seen as a reference to the process of creating the philosopher's stone: black apron (nigredo), white collar on tunic (albedo), yellowish/khaki pants (citrinitas), red tunic/coat/shoes/scissor handles (rubedo)

~~

Lor Contreras: Aurelias' other genetic parent. She takes a more aunt-like role with them, while Mariam is their primary caretaker. It's an arrangement that works for all of them, especially considering that Lor often travels for work.* Since they're a changeling, they were left in a human family by their birth parent, in order to replace one of the family's children. They were eventually found out and chased away, and discarded their previous name. They spent many years going from place to place. She is often cynical and can seem avoidant, but she does care for those she's grown close to She partnered up with Mariam for a time before Mariam settled down and started her own apothecary business. Lor and Mariam value each other as friends, so she was amenable to helping Mariam in her goal in creating a homunculus. But she made it clear to Mariam that Lor wouldn't constantly be around to help with things like child rearing notes: -*i'm not sure what Lor does for work. maybe fishing or something, i'll have to figure something out -Lor and Mariam are not romantically involved (cause yknow, Lor's aro) but they're good friends+they've def had sex lol -i feel like Aurelias would call her auntie

[ruvviks]

– Afterparty.

Characters >> Aubrey Valentine (oc), Sebastian Vidal (other's oc) Total >> 5.8k words Warnings >> Alcohol, blood mention, drugs, NSFW, some vague mentions of uncomfortable sexual experiences, violence mention Context >> It's August 2081, some time after Cassidy and Sebastian return from the spaceship Elysium; the Cobras have started a collaboration with Aubrey's fixer business, which often leads to Aubrey and Sebastian going on gigs together, much like this one Disclaimer >> No cheating going on here, these men are in some weird undefinable polyamorous relationship don't even worry about it

‘Watch your step, darling.’

The motel room was mostly dark, some bright pink neon light from outside pouring in through the half opened door and the blinded window beside it. Both men entering struggled to find the light switch, simultaneously giving up before slamming the door shut behind them.

Not the most ideal way to spend the night- but they could not complain. Motels in Japantown were significantly better than the cheaper variants in neighboring subdistricts and taking the end of their recently finished gig into consideration it was safer than going back home for the night, in case any reinforcements had been sent to track them down.

‘Could’ve gone better, won’t lie,’ Seb said, the mechanical edge to his voice sharper than usual as a result of their long night out. He fumbled taking out his phone, squinting at the screen while turning on his flashlight and he shone it directly into Aubrey’s eyes who immediately attempted- and failed- to slap his hands away.

‘Always room for improvement,’ he mumbled in return, landing a successful hit on Seb’s phone and nearly knocking it out of his hands. ‘I’d say we did quite well considering the circumstances.’

‘Circumstances-? You mean the easily avoidable consequences of our own actions?’

‘I mean the unfortunate reality of the fine and significantly more dead than before young man being heterosexual and not falling for our irresistible charm. How were we supposed to know? Him dressed in a suit like that?’

Of course it was always a gamble- though usually their attempts at seducing security went a lot better than that particular night, where the incident had not only caused them to be unable to gather enough information on their target, but had also caused a huge fight to break out leaving more than a dozen gang members dead and the two of them covered in blood, scrapes and bruises.

Seb sighed a little more dramatically than necessary and put his hand on his hip, still shining the flashlight directly in Aubrey’s face and moving his arm around to dodge his attacks. But the upturn of the usually slightly lopsided corner of his mouth and the shimmer in his pale blue eyes told Aubrey the adrenaline of the fight was still in the other man’s system, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling the same thing too.

‘We did what we could, and there’s always next time,’ he said, finally managing to get a hold of Seb’s phone and he tossed it on the nightstand, the flashlight illuminating the ceiling above their heads. ‘We know where the target is- can always get them tomorrow.’

‘Love how you keep saying “we”,’ Seb interrupted him, taking a step closer- using every single one of the nearly four inches they differed in height to tower over Aubrey, who felt anything but intimidated. ‘Shifting blame, now?’

‘Are you saying it’s my fault?’

‘I’m not not saying it.’

‘Curious.’

‘Interesting.’

‘Now you’re just saying words back at me.’

Seb wiggled his eyebrows and Aubrey rolled his eyes, turning his head away- though before he could do that a strong hand suddenly grabbed his jaw, locking his head in place, and he sucked in a shallow breath when Seb pulled him in and leaned a little closer.

‘Trying to change the subject?’ he asked, not loosening his grip but simultaneously gently running his thumb over the edge of Aubrey’s cyberjaw. ‘We failed the gig, Bee. And I wanna know why.’

They’d been drinking.

Not as if it did them much; both men could easily down several bottles in a night and would barely suffer the consequences the next morning, a mild headache and some dizziness at worst but nothing an ibuprofen or- well, another shot or two- couldn’t fix.

But the influence of the alcohol, as little as it was- mixed with whatever drugs they’d been snorting and inhaling and shotgunning directly into each other’s mouths and the leftover adrenaline from the fight- was causing Aubrey’s head to spin in a way he had never expected it to in the presence of Sebastian of all people.

And naturally when said man reached up his other hand to wipe some blood off his cheek, Aubrey in turn grabbed his wrists and shoved him back into the wall, pinning his hands above his head and barely able to suppress a smile when a noise of surprise left Seb’s throat.

‘Too close for comfort?’ Aubrey playfully asked, though tilted his head in genuine questioning manner as he waited for Seb to respond- a simple shake of the head, causing the tips of their noses to brush past one another.

‘Perhaps you do have a point,’ he continued, tightening his grip on Seb’s wrists when he tried to wriggle himself free. ‘Suppose I was a little distracted. Rarely happens. Caught me on a bad day it seems.’

That was a lie. Aubrey was very easily distracted by everything around him, though that was not nearly what he was aiming for with his monologue, his free hand running down Seb’s half exposed chest under the glittery suit jacket that he was wearing- before he hooked his thumb into it to pull the single button holding the two halves together loose.

‘See?’ Seb said in return, slightly arching his back from the wall and rolling his hips forward- similar to how the two of them had danced together in that overcrowded club while on the gig, and it was almost as if Aubrey could hear the music play in the distance again. ‘So easy to just admit when you’ve done something wrong.’

‘Hm- You’re right. I’m sorry.’

The whiny undertone of Aubrey’s voice was feigned, though his spiked heartbeat was very much real, as was the blood rushing down when Seb’s hips collided with his own once more. He leaned in- ‘I won’t let it happen again,’ whispered right against Seb’s skin while pressing a soft kiss on the corner of his lips.

It was funny, how their relationship had developed over time.

To think that Aubrey had been jealous of Sebastian at first- scared of, well, what, exactly? That Leon would fall for a man in a committed relationship with someone else and Aubrey would no longer have a chance with him?

Seb finally managed to free his hands from Aubrey’s grip and cupped his cheek with one, the other freely roaming his mostly naked torso under the thin mesh shirt he was wearing. Their foreheads still rested against each other- and Aubrey grabbed Seb’s shoulder tightly when his thigh was gripped with equal force, foot lifted from the floor when Seb pulled his leg up to his own.

‘Good,’ he breathed, lips brushing past Aubrey’s with a hint of a smile lingering on them. ‘Wouldn’t want to get punished for it now, would we?’

From a strained collaboration in Elysium- circumstances leaving them with no alternative and Aubrey’s initial wariness of the two strangers on the spaceship lingering longer than necessary- to perfectly in sync teamwork back in Night City, both in their respective businesses as well as in the field. The last thing Aubrey had expected to happen; as well as all the kissing and dry humping in their work breaks, but he was all but complaining.

He leaned in even further, leaving a trail of kisses on Seb’s cyberjaw all the way to his ear- ‘Maybe you should, make sure it won’t happen ever again,’ teeth grazing past the sensitive skin just around his cyberware and tugging on one of his earrings.

‘I’ve been told I’m good at that,’ Seb replied, nails dragging over Aubrey’s thigh as he instead grabbed his ass and gave it a squeeze. And Aubrey merely pushed himself closer, tight pants even tighter now that he had given in to the tension in his lower abdomen and he reached up to grab Seb’s jaw-

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

It was always exciting to kiss Seb- the sweet and sour taste of the cherry candy cocktail he’d been sipping away at earlier that night spilling into Aubrey’s mouth like a drug entering his bloodstream and causing his head to spin. A muffled moan left his lips when Seb eagerly bit his lower lip- and another followed when the other man took advantage of the moment by pushing his tongue into Aubrey’s mouth, teeth clacking together as they both pushed themself as close to the other as physically possible in the slightly out of sync kiss.

He felt weightless; quite literally so, lifted off his feet by Seb who tossed him on the bed and lowered himself on top of him, locking him in place though keeping most his weight on his forearms still.

‘Are you going to be a good boy for me?’ he asked, purposely deepened voice accentuating the raw, mechanical edge to it even more so than before.

‘Can’t make any promises,’ Aubrey breathed in return, grabbing Seb’s jacket to yank him down for another kiss- though Seb was stronger and pulled back right before their lips could touch, leaning down further to move toward his ear instead and causing the hairs in Aubrey’s neck to stand up straight.

‘That’s alright,’ he whispered, and pressed his lips right on the spot where Aubrey’s cyberjaw connected with his skin.

‘I’ll make sure you behave one way or another.’

Aubrey had heard that sentence before. Many, many times.

Had never had the money to go to college himself but had had enough friends to essentially live on campus with them, hopping from dorm to dorm- payment through providing tech services, shady hacking jobs or, well, through other means- free access to any and every party and other activities they participated in.

And he had always been so easily influenced by others. A strange need to fit in, in a way; perhaps not in appearance or behavior, but through playing along with their little games, people-pleasing left and right by doing everything they wanted of him just to feel something, just to feel like he was part of something, just to not be all alone.

How often Aubrey had found himself pinned to a mattress in someone’s shitty dorm room or in a random motel, hands freely traveling over his body, lips and teeth marking territory, hips rolling down and colliding with his own; how often had he stared at the ceiling caught in a haze of pleasure, breathing in the same air as the person- or people- on top of him, or underneath him, how often had he surrendered himself completely to strangers just to feel alive.

And he had loved every single second of it.

But it had never felt right.

Aubrey wrapped his arms around Seb’s neck and pulled him closer, lips brushing past each other before he slightly turned his head and instead licked some blood off Seb’s cheek. The bitter, metallic taste barely bothered him- he had become familiar enough with it over time after everything that had happened in Elysium- and leaned in for another kiss when a quiet whine left Seb’s lips.

‘Eager tonight, huh?’ Seb mumbled in return, his thighs locking Aubrey into place the second he attempted to push himself closer. ‘What’s the rush?’

‘None of your business,’ Aubrey mumbled back- but the sudden higher pitch of his voice and his heart racing in his chest gave him away and his eyes fluttered shut when Seb left a trail of kisses along his jaw all the way to his ear.

He still often could not help but wonder how things had changed so suddenly for them. He and Seb were friends, nothing more- right?- and both in a committed relationship with someone else, and while Aubrey was polyamorous and would not mind at all to broaden his horizons he had no idea if anyone else involved would be okay with that.

Yet somewhere along the way they had started to kiss each other. An accident at first- less so of an accident the second time round, and Cassidy and Leon were fine with it so obviously it had kept happening in the heat of the moment after jobs, during jobs, hell, whenever they would find a moment in the car waiting for a target or client to show up.

After all, why wouldn’t he? Seb was a very attractive man, a fighter on the surface but a lover first and foremost with a gentleness to him that nearly exceeded Leon; Aubrey would be lying if he said he had expected any of that from the man who had once been meant to become an Arasaka killing machine.

Gentle, and kind, and careful- teeth grazing past Aubrey’s ear and breath hot on his skin but lips curled up in a little smile as he pressed another kiss on Aubrey’s jaw, who in return could barely suppress a whiny sigh while running a hand through Seb’s silvery gray hair.

‘What’s the matter, Aubrey?’ Seb whispered in his ear, tightening his thighs around Aubrey’s hips the second his hair was pulled on with a bit more force than initially meant for. ‘You seem restless. Anything I can do to help?’

Aubrey was unable to answer, breathing shallow and head spinning as Seb rolled his hips forward and grinded down on him causing blood to rush down even more than it already had. Seb dipped his head forward- ‘Use your words, baby,’ softly whispered against Aubrey’s skin before he pressed a kiss on his neck and let his hand travel up Aubrey’s mesh shirt to grab his chest.

Is this really happening?

Another whine escaped Aubrey’s lips and he reached down for Seb’s waist, pulling him closer as his mouth involuntarily opened and he was only just able to suppress a shaky moan. And Seb kissed him again- somehow messier than before, thumb running over Aubrey’s nipple and his other hand gently holding his neck.

One thing would lead to another and before he would know it, it was already too late.

It had left him with more regrets than he could count on his hands, but his desperation- and addiction, to a certain degree- had rendered him unable to stop making the same damn mistakes over and over again, like a broken record player blasting the same old tune on full volume for everyone to hear.

And even now, still, Seb’s jacket draped over the doorknob of the motel room’s entrance, Aubrey’s mesh shirt dropped on the floor and their shoes kicked off and scattered across the room, it was happening again- but this felt like anything but a mistake, Seb’s body heavy on his own but comforting in a way only few had managed to do in all of those years, and despite the man’s teeth once more digging themselves into his lip and his hands gripping Aubrey’s body tight enough for bruises to take shape he felt safer than he had felt at any point earlier that night.

‘Mmh- Fuck, baby,’ Seb breathed, briefly pulling back to gasp for air but before he could fully do so Aubrey had already yanked him back by his necklace and he allowed Seb to steal the air from his lungs, the taste of his lips more addicting than any amount of pleasure he could give him. He moved his hands down, grabbing Seb’s thighs- nails digging through the tight leather into his flesh and it was met with an approving whine directly into Aubrey’s mouth.

How good it felt, to be that close to someone. How good it felt to trust someone enough to let them take full control- and in that moment Aubrey would let Seb do anything to him, desperately attempting to spread his legs locked between the other man’s thighs just a little further, searching for just a little more friction.

His desperation had never been all that reciprocated.

Not in the way he meant it, at least; obviously wanting the pleasure, but wanting the vulnerability too, both the physical as well as the emotional closeness with another human being he could not easily get out of any other situation. His past partners had mostly been chasing their own high- and their own finish- leaving Aubrey satisfied enough in the end but still wondering where he’d gone wrong.

But Seb was different.

The constant grinding since he had tossed Aubrey on the bed, the not-so-subtle glances to check his reactions between kisses and teases, the soft smiles before his teeth would dig into the sensitive skin of Aubrey’s neck- his fingertips leaving a burning trail behind on Aubrey’s skin as they traveled down and locked his hips into place, one hand slipping into the front of his pants drawing an embarrassingly loud moan from his lips.

‘I’ll be honest with you, this- this doesn’t feel like- like punishment much,’ Aubrey breathed, eyes fluttering shut as he rolled his hips forward to meet the rhythmical movements of Seb’s hand in the middle. ‘But I’m not complaining.’

‘I can tell.’ A quiet giggle left Seb’s lips with the statement and he sank his teeth into Aubrey’s shoulder again, speeding up the slightest bit when another moan rolled off Aubrey’s tongue.

‘Now shut up and let me do my job, yes?’

‘Yessir.’

‘Good boy.’

Aubrey’s head was spinning.

Seb gently held his waist and Aubrey instantly grabbed his hand, squeezing a little as Seb began leaving soft kisses from his shoulder down over his collarbones and chest, following the curve of the cyberware crossing over his side to his hip and then back to his tummy and down his happy trail-

Surely he was dreaming.

The feeling of the other man’s lips locking around him was enough to raise Aubrey’s back from the mattress, arching into Seb’s gentle touch as he tilted his head up and opened his mouth for a soundless moan. The wave of relief quickly settled deep within his stomach; and he reached down to rest his hand on Seb’s head, fingers burying themselves in his hair.

Surely he was dreaming. Right?

Aubrey glanced down, barely able to see Seb through the haze of his own pleasure- their gazes met in the middle and Seb briefly pulled back, reassuringly smiling up at him before pressing a kiss on his tip and without hesitation took him back in his mouth, drawing yet another moan from Aubrey’s lips and he quickly covered his face with his free hand, biting down in a mostly futile attempt to keep quiet.

Oh, he was definitely awake.

His grip on Seb’s hair tightened instantly and Seb moaned, the vibrations sending shivers up Aubrey’s spine. But suddenly the warmth of his mouth was gone- ‘No, please, don’t stop-’- uttered before he could stop himself but simply met with Seb bringing himself back to eye level to gently remove Aubrey’s hand from his mouth and kiss him when Aubrey tried to protest, cheeks rapidly flushing red.

‘It’s okay, baby,’ Seb hummed, thigh brushing past Aubrey leaving him throbbing and tightening the building pressure in his abdomen. He leaned in closer to Aubrey’s ear, gently biting down before speaking up again-

‘I want to hear you.’

Curious, how self-conscious Aubrey could still get from time to time.

But he put no more thought into it, the gentle encouragement enough for him to let the worries slide off his shoulders as Seb moved back down and pulled Aubrey’s legs over his shoulders, wrapping his arms around his thighs before getting back to work.

And he seemed to know exactly what he was doing, cheeks hollow and eyes locked on Aubrey’s face- hand wrapped around his base and rhythmically moving along with the bobbing of his head, the occasional soft moan leaving his throat whenever Aubrey’s grip on his hair would tighten.

It felt so good.

Of course it did- Seb could do anything to him and Aubrey would enjoy every second of it, just like with Leon. The mere fact that it was them- not someone else, not some stranger he had only met a few hours ago but two men who Aubrey loved more than anything else in the world- it never failed to make him lose himself in his pleasure, muscles desperately tightening as he could feel himself getting close.

And Seb took notice too, significantly speeding up and grabbing Aubrey’s ass to pull him even closer, the cool metal of his tongue piercing dragging over Aubrey’s length and his hips lifted off the mattress once more to get himself as close to Seb’s touch as possible while another desperate whine left his lips-

And all of it was enough to push him over the edge with a relieved sigh, hips twitching as his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he pleadingly held Seb’s head in place; though it had not been necessary in the first place, the other man making no attempt to move away from him and instead eagerly pulling him closer, not stopping until Aubrey had given him everything he had left to give.

‘Fuck, that was good.’

Aubrey smiled at the compliment as he lifted his head, scrunching up his nose when Callum ruffled his hair. He left a soft kiss on the other man’s hip, then quickly moved his way back up and leaned in to kiss him- only to be met with Callum’s finger pressing against his lips.

‘Go wash your mouth first, honey,’ he absently mumbled, yawning as he shrugged Aubrey off and turned on his side. ‘Don’t feel like tasting myself on you.’

And for some reason, Aubrey had listened to him.

He had always listened to him.

And that very night he had once again made his way through the bedroom to the bathroom, quiet as he could as to not wake the others who had already been fast asleep, and he had cleaned himself up as Callum had told him to despite knowing his partner would no longer be awake the second he would return and he would have to curl up on the edge of the bed all by himself.

‘Good night, love,’ Aubrey whispered against Callum’s back, pressing a soft kiss between his shoulder blades and wincing when Callum groaned and rolled closer to Reyes instead.

He still missed them, sometimes.

Aubrey sucked in a shallow breath and nervously glanced down, watching as Seb carefully lowered his legs on the mattress and looked up at him with a soft smile on his face. Aubrey ran his hand through Seb’s hair again- then down past his cyberware, fingertips trailing the freckles scattered across his cheekbones and nose- gently resting it on the back of his neck to pull him up, lifting his head from the pillow to meet Seb’s lips in the middle.

A desperate but hesitant kiss, his heart skipping a beat or two when Seb momentarily tensed up against him; though his initial surprise washed off within seconds, melting into the kiss with similar passion as before but with a newfound softness that made Aubrey wish the moment would never end.

But before he knew it he was on his stomach, pinned to the mattress once more with Seb’s full body weight on top of him and his hands gripping Aubrey’s hips with significantly more force than before. Surely he was just fucking dreaming- the thought once more bouncing around in his skull as he gripped the sheets and whined into the pillow, momentarily unable to find a comfortable position.

‘Shh,’ Seb quietly shushed him, lifting his hips to give Aubrey more space and gently running his fingers through his hair. ‘You’re okay. Just relax.’

Another shiver ran down Aubrey’s spine when Seb’s lips left a soft kiss on the back of his neck- and another one a little further down on his back, and another one on his shoulder- covering him in sweet little kisses until the tension vanished from Aubrey’s body and he reached around to bury his fingers in Seb’s hair again, the other man’s hand guiding him so he could get a better grip.

The pleasure was always worth the pain.

But there was a clear difference between enduring and enjoying, Aubrey’s limits often tested in the past by inexperienced or impatient lovers, or his own efforts cut short after an early finish on the receiving end and their wish to not continue further.

And in the heat of the moment it had not bothered him all that much, time after time after time; just happy it had happened in the first place, finding satisfaction in the parts he had enjoyed. A nearly pathetic search for the positive- in what he had later found out had mostly been negative- in an attempt to reassure himself that he was fine, to convince himself it hadn’t hurt half as much as it’d actually done.

‘What’s the matter, Bee? You like it rough, don’t you?’

The other man did not even give him time to adjust and Aubrey quickly buried his face in his pillow on the next slow thrust to muffle his whines. It was true, he supposed- he did not mind being manhandled even a little bit, so why would this be any different?

Seb was not impatient like that.

He gently brushed Aubrey’s hair out of his neck and pressed a kiss on his skin, hands traveling down his sides and holding his hips to prop him up- fingers slowly working their magic as he waited for Aubrey to turn his head so he could leave a kiss on his cheek and Aubrey wondered if Seb knew it had been a while since his last time.

‘Want me to stop?’ he hummed in Aubrey’s ear, running his free hand through his hair and planting another kiss on his temple as he patiently waited for an answer- and when Aubrey quickly shook his head in response he smiled and slowly pulled out his fingers, drawing another loud moan from Aubrey’s lips and Seb gently held his hip as he lined himself up.

One thing would lead to another and before he would know it, it was already too late.

It had just been a simple gig; follow a target into a club, gather the information necessary and get out through the back door without drawing any attention to themselves. Well within their capabilities, a job like any other- but their overconfidence- lately bordering on arrogance more than either of them would willingly admit- had led them down the much more primitive path of violence, leaving them empty-handed, bloodied, and fucking high on adrenaline.

And somehow it had led them there to that flashlight-lit shitty motel room, Aubrey’s back arched into those first few slow and gentle thrusts as his eyes glossed over and a strong hand on the back of his neck held him pinned in place, thumb running in small circles over his cyberware.

But he could not complain.

Of course he did not know how much of it was genuine; of course he did not know how under the influence either of them exactly were, how much of what Seb did was merely to have fun and mess around and how much of it was-

How much of it was real, he supposed.

But it did not matter in that moment, the moans spilling from either of their lips loud enough to be heard from outside- not even the distant music and chatter from the bar could drown it out- echoing between the four walls enclosing them, in sync with the sound of Seb’s hips colliding with Aubrey’s own.

He loosened his grip on Seb’s hair and dropped his arm, searching for his hand instead and shaky fingers attempted to intertwine but failed to get a grip with each bounce of his body. But Seb noticed; and gently pinned Aubrey’s wrist to the mattress, tattooed fingers curling between his own and squeezing softly as he picked up his pace.

‘Harder,’ Aubrey blurted out, eyes fluttering shut and muscles tightening when Seb’s movements briefly faltered as if the request had caught him off guard, ‘please.’ Adjusted well enough by then to be able to take it and desperate for more, with his heart beating rapidly in his chest and breathing shallow in his throat as he felt a second climax steadily building up.

And of course Seb listened to him and wasted no time- teeth digging into Aubrey’s shoulder as he pulled him closer and his thrusts went deeper and more out of control, Aubrey’s eyes closing once more in response and the pleasure overwhelming him to the point no sound left his lips anymore all while Seb moaned loud enough for the both of them combined.

He did not regret it.

Aubrey loved Seb; no matter what others thought of the two of them, no matter what label could be put on what they had- he undeniably loved that man to pieces and no amount of drugs and booze could feign such adoration.

And again he did not know how reciprocated it was; knowing well enough just how much Seb loved Cassidy, knowing well enough he himself had been in merely a fraction of the other man’s life and knowing better than anyone that sex more than often meant absolutely nothing to some people, and this here could easily be very much the same.

‘Mmh- Fuck, Aubrey,’ Seb moaned, grip on Aubrey’s hand and hip tightening and his nails digging deep into flesh, his breath shaky and hot on the back of his neck and lips barely brushing past his skin.

Please don’t stop now, was all Aubrey could think in return- face pressed into the pillow and free hand reaching for Seb’s hair again, fingers fumbling to get a grip as he rocked his hips back into Seb’s thrusts as much as he could and he whined when he felt Seb finish buried deep inside of him-

And relief washed over him for the second time that night, whole body left shivering as a sob of pleasure escaped his throat and he collapsed on the mattress, Seb lowering himself on top of him and pressing his lips against his neck while still slightly moving his hips as he filled Aubrey up.

It was quiet in the room, now.

Aubrey let go of Seb’s hair and hand, a quiet and involuntary whine leaving his lips when Seb slowly pulled out and rolled himself off of him. And for a split second he could not stop himself from panicking- suddenly terrified the other man would get up and leave, leave him all by himself in that motel room, confirming his fears that it had all meant nothing-

He’d been left alone a few too many times in the past.

Perhaps that’s why he still missed them.

Perhaps he was still expecting them to come back.

Aubrey finally moved, carefully turning himself on his side as he cautiously watched Seb stretch and roll over to the arguably cleaner side of the bed. He hesitantly shuffled a little closer, head still spinning from- everything, by then, and as much as he knew it would be a smart move to get up to drink some water he was way too exhausted for that.

‘C’mere,’ Seb suddenly quietly said, his voice somehow even more mechanical than it had been before but it did not take away any of the gentleness to it, hands reaching out to grab Aubrey’s to pull him closer; and he allowed him to do so, shaky exhale leaving his chest as Seb wrapped his arms around him and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.

He did not regret it.

Of course he didn’t- how could he? Safe and sound in Sebastian’s arms, face buried in his neck with the other man’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist, their legs intertwined. He loved being close to him and whether Seb did too or not did not matter in that very moment, his face buried in Aubrey’s hair and fingertips gently running in circles over his skin.

Aubrey tilted his head and kissed Seb’s cyberjaw, following the curve sloping toward his chin up to his lips and Seb eagerly kissed him back, pulling him as close as physically possible while his tongue found its way back into Aubrey’s mouth.

It felt very real to him, either way. That had to count for something.

‘Good night,’ Seb softly mumbled against his lips, the kiss by then so slow that their heads were merely resting against each other and Aubrey smiled, reaching up to brush some of Seb’s hair out of his face.

‘Good night, darling,’ he whispered back, pressing a last little kiss on the corner of his mouth; but Seb was already fast asleep, head heavy on his pillow and arms still wrapped around Aubrey- perhaps even tighter than before, somehow, but Aubrey could not complain.

He carefully reached over Seb’s shoulder to grab his phone from the nightstand, turning off the flashlight and leaving the both of them wrapped in the darkness of the motel room. The neon lights outside poured in just enough for Aubrey to be able to see the outline of Seb’s arm, steadily rising and falling with each breath he took.

‘Hey- Where are you going?’

Aubrey blinked and turned back to look at Leon, who shoved two of his pillows out of the way and reached out for him, not lowering his arms until Aubrey was back within hand’s reach and he could wrap his arms around his neck to pull him closer.

‘Just wanted to brush my teeth-’ Aubrey quietly explained but his sentence was cut short by Leon’s mouth on his own, sharp fangs teasingly digging into his lower lip and hands burying themselves in his hair.

‘Who cares?’ Leon mumbled, eyes half closed when he pulled back and that goofy little grin on his face Aubrey loved so much, rendering him unable to stop a similar smile from spreading on his face as Leon kissed him again with such force it nearly knocked both of them off the bed.

Everything was different now.

Aubrey often had to remind himself of that fact- it was easy to forget, now that he was back in Night City and on a surface level everything still looked the same, down to the decisions he would take that would lead him to a situation such as the one he’d found himself in at that very moment.

He gently ran his fingers over Seb’s cheek and through his hair, struggling to keep his eyes open as the reality of it all finally started to kick in; and he suddenly realized he had forgotten to call Leon after they had reached the motel, and had not even managed to send him a text before- well, things had escalated.

Surely he will understand, right?

That was going to be interesting to explain the next morning.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Random number here we go: 6, 18,11, 1, 15

Since you didn't specify any kids, I'm just gonna answer for the kids that fit the question.

1. What are their child's/children's name/s?

So, I guess I'm just gonna go with everyone.

First off all, I have hinted of a Pablangie daughter, but I have never really written her in anything, just mentioned in passing conversation. I think I have decided her name is Paula. She's born around 2016.

The Violetta next gens, oldest to youngest:

Kim Torres (Born late 2021)

Isadora Vargas (Born August 1st, 2022)

Diana Caviglia-Hernandez (Born around late september/early october 2022)

Stella Vidal (Born October 2023)

I've also acquired two new next gens that I came up with literally last night at 1 AM. They are twins, and this far I've just decided that one of them will be named Tommy. No idea when the twins are born, but I know they are gonna be younger than everyone else. Maybe born in like 2028 or 2029, or even 2030.

Plus: The Franletta kids, Elina, Carolina and Oliver Castillo-Caviglia. Born mid 2022 (maybe August 1st too lol), late 2024 and specifically June 2027 respectively.

The Soy Luna next gens, oldest to youngest:

(Note: There may be some inconsistencies with the ages if you have read some fics of mine, for example Lucia appeared to be older than Charlie in a oneshot. But, I have changed my mind about it now.)

Lola Sanchez (Born either December 2022 or January 2023)

Charlotte "Charlie" Sanchez (Born early 2025)

Lucia Valente (Born mid 2025) -She wasn't adopted until she was 1-

Lilith Alvarez (Born mid/late 2026)

Angelica Alvarez (Born early/mid 2028)

Also, I may have kinda thought about some Gastina kids? Can't elaborate on that a lot rn, but I think they're slightly younger. Maybe that one of them may be born in like 2027/2028, but that's a maybe.

6. Does the child/children have any planned romantic partners?

Isadora, Diana, Kim and Stella do ;) And depending on the universe, Lola and Elina do too ;)

11. How are their relationships with other relatives (grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc)?

Isadora is extremely awkward around Germán, even though she loves him. She's always felt safe around Angie though, and looks up to Paula like a cooler older sister. Leon's parents spoil Isadora a lot, it being their only granddaughter, and they always make her food and give her gifts.

Diana has a jokeful relationship with Gregorio, she likes to prank him and tease him, but it's all in good fun. She's also the only grandchild of Francesca's parents, as Luca never had kids. Luca got to babysit her once when she was like 5 and he seems to have traumatic memories from it (although Diana doesn't remember it at all), so every time she meets Luca she jokes that he looks so nervous around her.

Franletta's kids get along with all of their relatives. Germán is instead the one awkward around them, because suddenly there's three of them running around and he occasionally forgets Violetta and Francesca are married. Violetta starts to wonder if he has dementia.

Kim gets along with all of Camila's relatives and always has fun with his aunts and cousins. Camila has a large family, as everyone agrees on.

Stella looks up to her aunt Lena a lot. Because Ludmila has a strained relationship with Priscila, Stella does too. She has met Priscila very few times, so there's barely a relationship there.

Lucia is adored by her grandparents.

I headcanon Ámbar mostly visiting Sharon herself without her kids. She tells them a lot about them and how they're progressing and growing. Lilith and Angelica have met her, but they haven't talked much with her. They are very very close with all of Simón's family, though.

The other next gens I don't have much to say about, but they have a good relationship with their relatives.

15. How is their clothing style?

I haven't gotten definitive styles for a lot of them, except that Lilith is a mix of a punk, grunge and Simón's clothing style. Lola is also kind of grunge.

Diana is, as I've always described her, "Francesca's looks and Diego's personality", so she dresses like a female Diego a lot of the time.

Stella has some galaxy themed outfits... she's been influenced.

18. Sexuality?

The ones I have decided on:

Lesbian: Isadora, Elina, Lola

Bisexual: Diana, Lilith

Asexual: Stella

The others I don't have much on, mostly because it's not gonna be relevant (I mean, it's very irrelevant with Lilith as of now, but I just thought about her as a teen and was like... bisexual...)