#my mother likes to claim fire hazard

[hiding-in-my-blanket-fort]

Narcissistic parents are so delicate and fragile that the simple act of turning the lock on your bedroom door from open to closed flips their world upside down and you can literally watch them completely lose their shit right before your eyes.

[princessbrunette]

au catalogue ♡

it has come to my attention that i write a lot on this blog, so sometimes the explanation of the lore behind one of my au’s gets a little lost. in this catalogue, i will detail the basic backstory behind each of my universes.

JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

♡ outlaw!john b:

the two of you met on your land when he’d snuck into your barn to rest after being on the run from the sheriff — being falsely accused of a crime. you allow him to stay, and in return he becomes a part time farmhand and full time boyfriend. overtime, you fall in love. the events of this au are told through my full length fic; hold me kiss me.

♡ dad!john b:

you accidentally fall pregnant with john b due to your shared breeding kink. you end up with one boy one girl!

♡ dbf!john b:

self explanatory. your dads best friend who’s a little younger than your dad — having met down at the local grill. your father trusts him a lot as he is known for his sweet and patient nature, but can’t help but notice you — the desperate and lustful daughter who can’t keep your paws off. he’s constantly scolding you for teasing him and shaking his head at you, but will still pay you a visit when he knows your dads not home.

♡ stepbro!john b

when your mother met big john routledge, she fell in love and decided to leave her world behind to pursue treasure hunting with her new partner in crime— thus dumping you on the chateau doorstep with nothing more than a few suitcases. feeling bad for you, john b tries to take on the big brother role — but a year and a half later the two of you are finding it hard to resist eachother. you are constantly throwing yourself at him, the two of you physically closer than one can imagine which people find odd. he resists you for a long time, but when jj tells john b that he’d be happy to step up and ‘look after you’, your step brother makes a move.

♡ apocalypse!john b

once a leader, always a leader — john b is in charge of patrols, heading outside the gates of your safe zone kitty hawk to find supplies and clear the area of the undead. after the tragic death of sarah cameron, john b is 10x more protective and serious, not allowing you to ever come with them on supply runs. he can always rely on the doting camp-nurse to fuss over him and make him feel better after a long gruelling day beyond the gates. the details to the apocalypse!au can be found here.

♡ toxicex!john b

after the two of you broke up due to you feeling neglected by the boy because of his love for treasure hunting with his friends, you can’t help but want to be around him. as detailed in this post, john b will always be there for you — even if he’s snarky and rude in the process.

♡ firefighter!john b

john b and his best friend jj maybank have joined the firefighting department. excited to save pretty women from buildings and claim their hero titles, they’re disgruntled to find they have been lumped with the ‘newbie’ jobs for a while — meaning they must drive around on patrol for potential fire hazards all day and save cats from trees. as they work their way slowly up the firefighter ladder, they find themselves short for money and looking for a roommate — who ends up being the sunshiney receptionist in their building who sees them as the heroes they are. after spending a lot of time together, john b and jj realise that they’re happy to share more than just their love for firefighting.

♡ jedi!john b

the jedi was seemingly of the purest heart. known for his defensive fighting style (much like obi wan kenobi) john b has always wanted to do the right thing and abide by jedi council rules. when the jedi was a young boy, his father the jedi master disappeared without a trace or even a goodbye. believing he had died in battle all these years, john b went about his life with only the tales of how great his father was. entering his early twenties, he feels in the force that his father is still alive out there — and sets off to find him. during his travels he meets you, damsel in distress in the shape of a naboo princess. more details to the star wars au can be found here.

JJ MAYBANK

♡ outlaw!jj

jj the outlaw is a regular at the saloon you work at, always having been a bit of a brute. he’s constantly on the run from the sheriffs and getting thrown into a cell after minor misconducts and bar fights. he’s always checking out your ass as you bring him his whiskey and will always make some kind of comment regarding whether or not you’d like to wear his hat and ride a cowboy. where this would make you turn your nose up at anyone else, you can’t help but feel special gaining his attention being such a well known outlaw from out of town. sometimes after your shifts you get cozy in a booth with him and he tells you wild, exaggerated tales of his crazy life.

♡ farmhand!jj

the slutty farmhand hired by your father to work on the barn, but spends a lot of his time working on you instead. the two of you are a total secret, loving the thrill of sneaking around — but the boy hopes to marry you one day.

♡ linecook!jj

the story told in this full length fic details how you met jj, the linecook at the restaurant you waitress for. this au is acclaimed to be one of the most husband-material jj’s — many discussions having followed regarding him knocking you up and making you food whenever you please. this au is also considered a classic on this blog as it were one of the first au’s i developed.

♡ campcounselor!jj

you’re the daughter of the campsite owners, the spoiled princess who gets everything she wants and everybody loves her. jj is the class-clown camp counselor hired for the summer because he struggled to find a job. overtime he realises how great he is with the kids, and you realise how badly you wanna fuck him. each night isn’t complete without you inviting the blonde back to your luxury cabin in the woods to sate your needs. he can’t believe his luck but doesn’t dare question it. overtime, the two of you realise you’re starting to fall for eachother.

♡ mascot!jj

in this au, jj heads to university. there he meets you, the pretty and shy cheerleader. taking the job as the school’s mascot, running around in a giant animal costume to hype up the crowd — he realises it’s his chance to get close to you. though all the girls on the team seemingly adore jj due to his smooth, funny and slick mouth — he fears he will always be seen as the sweaty, class clown mascot guy after every game. noticing the star football player rafe has taken an interest in you, he decides to step it up.

♡ bbf!jj

you can’t resist your older brothers best friend, jj maybank. he’s always at your house, playing on the playstation with your sibling downstairs, wandering the halls, or ‘accidentally’ walking into the bathroom whilst you’re showering. though you know it’s wrong, you can’t keep your hands off eachother.

♡ bsf!jj

jj maybank has been your best friend since you were young. the two of you knew everything about eachother, so it should feel like a sibling relationship right? wrong. the two of you have always been very hands on, flirty almost. whether you’re sitting on his lap at a party or curling up next to him in your bed — people can never quite tell if the two of you are a thing. the two of you struggle to distinguish this too, as your urges grow stronger you test the waters, beginning to perform ‘favours’ for eachother. what begins as jj massaging your sore tits late at night when you can’t sleep, becomes you ‘returning the favour’ and giving him head when he asks for it, which then becomes him fingering you in his lap when you’re needy. the lines are blurred, and you try to tell yourself you’re still best friends — scared of ruining things, but will rip away anyone of the opposite gender in a jealous rage.

♡ dealer!jj

jj is your favourite dealer in town. you’re always visiting him to buy your weed, and he always offers to smoke you out for a cheap price or even free. truthfully, he just enjoys the company in his little shack of a house, loving the way you get more touchy and needy the higher you get. the blonde ensures to feed you water to prevent cotton mouth, and even lets you lazily ride his thigh when you get inevitably horny!

♡ apocalypse!jj

never losing his sense of humour, jj is the master at making bombs from scratch and going out on patrols to ensure the safety of kitty hawk. his pretty nurse is always there to patch him up when he gets home. details to the apocalypse au can be found here.

♡ spiderman!jj

your best friend jj is the friendly neighbourhood spiderman… but you don’t know that. being his shy best friend studying to be a nurse, you’re open to your bestie about how much you lust towards the cities superhero, and jj tries his best to keep his mouth shut. inevitably, you figure things out — and then you become the nurse he visits in the middle of the night to get patched up after a particularly rough night. he constantly teases you about your crush on him and the tension only grows.

♡ piercer!jj

working along side tattooartist!pope, jj is the king of giving piercings. knowing him through mutual friends, your crush only grows when you visit him to get your nipples pierced and he totally talks you through it. after you start dating, you’re constantly hounding him about other girls getting their tits pierced by him so he’s gotta eat you out until you think reasonably.

♡ stepbro!jj

luke found the woman of his dreams and decided to finally get his shit together and try to be a better father. with luke’s new woman, comes you her daughter — the bunch of you living under one roof. luke spends a lot of his time in AA and working, and your mother works long shifts too — leaving the two of you alone. you’re as innocent as they come, but with that comes sexual curiosity — and who better to confide in about that than your big step bro? jj is happy to help, so long as you keep it hush.

♡ babydaddy!jj

after knocking you up, jj freaks out about becoming just like his father and leaves — before returning deep into your pregnancy to step it up and be there for you. it’s hard at first to put your pride aside, but you give him a chance after he begs you to let him back into your life. he keeps a respectful distance of course, but picks up extra shifts at work and is at your beck and call whenever you need him. once the baby is born, he’s spending even more time around you — showing up at your doorstep unannounced and finding excuses to come inside to spend time with his family. eventually, he weasels his way into your bed to look after you and help you unwind.

♡ toxic!jj

jj is your toxic boyfriend who lets his fears and insecurities get the best of him, resulting in him being a little mean and manipulative. talking to another guy at a party? he’s making a scene, beating the guy bloody before pulling you away to yell at you. not in the mood to be all over him? he’s accusing you of not wanting to be with him anymore, telling you that he ‘knows’ you’re going to dump him. despite the arguments, the night always ends in two ways — either him drunk, crying into your shoulder and begging you not to leave him — or having you pinned beneath him, fucking you dumb on his cock.

♡ toxicex!jj

the ex boyfriend that you’re still fucking and is obsessed with you. he’s constantly blowing up your phone everytime a guy likes your instagram, asking if you’re fucking him too, and scaring off any guy who dares make a move on you at a party by pulling out his pistol and threatening him.

♡ criminal!jj

jj maybank who got in with the wrong crowd and wound himself up in jail. you’re the sweet thing in little dresses that pouts in his visiting booth, asking when he’s getting out — and he promises you hundreds of dates when he’s released. upon finally getting out, the two of you can’t keep your hands off one another. he’s still shady, hanging out with the wrong kinds of people, and jail hardened him — but you love him all the same.

♡ shittysoundcloudrapper!jj

feeling inspired after one drunken freestyle night at the chateau, jj convinces himself he’s destined to become a rapper. writing, producing, and recording his own stuff — jj truly feels he has a knack for it. his stuff isn’t awful, just cheaply produced and vulgar. he likes to think his inspiration is partynextdoor — taking extra care in recruiting his pretty best friend to pose scantily clad for his single cover, or to moan on the backing track of his songs. he’s willing to do anything to get you on board.

♡ firefighter!jj

john b and his best friend jj maybank have joined the firefighting department. excited to save pretty women from buildings and claim their hero titles, they’re disgruntled to find they have been lumped with the ‘newbie’ jobs for a while — meaning they must drive around on patrol for potential fire hazards all day and save cats from trees. as they work their way slowly up the firefighter ladder, they find themselves short for money and looking for a roommate — who ends up being the sunshiney receptionist in their building who sees them as the heroes they are. after spending a lot of time together, john b and jj realise that they’re happy to share more than just their love for firefighting.

♡ streamer!jj

jj takes up streaming after combining his love for playing games and yapping. discovering he has a knack for it, he doesn’t expect to blow up the way he does. as much as he’s all about the games, he’s pretty oblivious to the fact his audience is mostly female, trying to gain his attention in the chat box or on his fan discord, or by making thirst trap edits of him to r&b tracks on tiktok, sexualising his body language or facial expressions on stream. he doesn’t pay it much mind though, happily in love with you — his supportive girlfriend who occasionally makes an appearance in his streams.

♡ onlyfans!jj

needing a bit of extra cash, jj starts to anonymously sell faceless videos of himself jerking off for money. not realising how successful he’d be, he continues to make videos pleasing himself on his account. after a couple of dates with jj, the two of you really clicking — he casually mentions that it’s something he does for a living, and you shyly suggest helping him out. at first it starts with helping him shoot, getting hot and flushed behind the camera as you pan down on him fisting at his cock — and eventually you decide to star in a few of his premium videos. depending on preference, streamer!jj can be the earlier version of onlyfans!jj if so desired.

♡ jedi!jj

more like anakin skywalker with his offensive fighting style — jj is the more reckless jedi of him and john b. when it’s discovered that bounty hunters are planning to take you, the princess of naboo — jj is hired as your knight to protect you. so nervous about the whole ordeal, you order him to sleep in your bed with you to make sure you’re safe through the night. with this, you can’t help but get physically closer to the jedi, pleading with him to break the council rules and be with you secretly. more details on the star wars au can be found here.

♡ bodyguard!jj

you’re the spoiled kook influencer who has recently gained some stalkers, and jj is the pogue bodyguard hired by your parents to protect you during this time as you continue to attend events to further your career. the lore behind the two of you can be found here.

RAFE CAMERON

♡ boxer!rafe

considered a classic on this blog, boxer!rafe is one of the most beloved au’s i created. a little bit into the future, rafe takes up boxing to work out his rage problems and finds it a great outlet, emotionally settling down and finally finding his own. he goes pro, and meets you — the daughter of the stadium owner at the venue he fights at. you’re sweet, always lingering round the gym or stadium watching him prepare for fights, hanging around the ropes to ask him questions and feed him water when he needs it. he’s obsessed with your soft nature, whisking you out of that place to provide for you, marry you, and fuck babies into you.

♡ bountyhunter!rafe

following the western au, your father winds himself up in some trouble with ward cameron — feared outlaw. for revenge, ward tasks his son, new to the job bounty hunter with kidnapping you to pay your father back for what he did. so rafe sets off, and with some struggle manages to take you away from everything you’ve ever known. he’s rough, mean and perverted — but somehow you find yourself developing stockholm syndrome and falling for him, not able to run away if you tried. think buffalo 66 vibes but western.

♡ prisoner!rafe

your boyfriend finally got locked up, so until he’s released — you do everything in your power to hold him down. dealing with his business outside the walls, you come to visit your man weekly, delivering sexy pictures of yourself to his post room to keep him satisfied and flashing him at the visiting booth. it’s getting harder and harder to be apart from him, especially when prison has physically done him so nicely.

♡ babydaddy!rafe

after breaking up with rafe because he’s too reckless and explosive, you discover that you’re pregnant with his baby. choosing to keep it, rafe decides he’s going to use this to get you to stay with him. he provides you with every penny needed to fund you and your babies life whilst on the side working to get his shit together and become the man he’s always wanted to be. once you’ve had your baby, he’s round for routine visits, occasionally fucking you and spending time with you when you’re tearful and lonely, needing him. convinced he can win you back with this, he’s constantly buying your love, and whisking you away to the bahamas to spend ‘quality family time’ and fuck you during the babies nap times.

♡ dealer!rafe

the grumpy kook is seemingly the life of the party due to his side hustle in dealing coke. working along side barry, rafe starts to pop up at every party you go to, holding lingering eye contact but keeping his distance because he probably shouldn’t bother the sweet innocent girl that stuck to two drinks a night. your friends are boisterous, walking all over you a little and send you to do their dirty work, being buying their coke for them. thinking you’re being a good friend, you seek out rafe and he fixes you up, all whilst telling you stop taking shit from your friends. he gives you discounts because you’re pretty, so your friends continue to send you back to him, where he sweeps you into his criminal lifestyle.

♡ stepbro!rafe

when ward cameron divorces rose and ends up with your mother, you move into tannyhill with your new stepsiblings. whilst you develop and great sister-like relationship with sarah and wheezie — rafe takes a different approach, his brain rotted by porn and makes it his mission to sleep with you. due to your innocent nature, you don’t realise what he’s doing half the time, and can’t deny how good it feels when he touches you. your secret sessions give you a rush, sat at the dinner table each night with no one knowing you just came on his dick upstairs.

♡ dbf!rafe

rafe becomes great friends with your father when they begin to work together, your father being rafe’s boss. he’s older, but still a little younger than your dad — and is careful with how much he pervs on you as he can’t afford to lose his job, being cut off by his own dad. you’re the spoiled kook ex cheerleader daughter who’s used to getting her way, and when you set your eyes on rafe you know you have to have him. constant teasing leads to rafe inevitably losing his temper and fucking you how you want under the condition you promise to keep it a secret.

♡ apocalypse!rafe

after ward cameron got killed in a shootout between them and the pogues to reclaim sarah, rafe is left to be the kingpin of his safe zone. he treats everyone there as his soldiers, ruthlessly commanding them to kill anyone who got in his way. on a hunt for revenge, rafe kidnaps you from kitty hawk camp where your safe zone is and forces you to be his apocalypse wife, telling you that the two of you will have to repopulate the world. more information on the apocalypse au can be found here.

♡ pervyneighbour!rafe

when you move in next door to tanny hill, ward cameron appoints rafe to be a good neighbour and show you around, being similar in age. he quickly discovers you’re rather innocent and decides he can take advantage of that, inviting you round to ‘get you acclimatised’ to the kook life — which means teaching you how to suck him off in his bedroom.

♡ fratboy!rafe

another fan favourite, fratboy rafe is the epitome of the american frat lord. parties, drugs, drinking, and skimming through his classes are what it’s all about. you’re in one of his lectures, quiet and shy at first — and he takes interest in you, getting his notes from the classes he missed from you as means to talk to you. he’s an odd one, rather rude and bully-like in nature, even towards you — but singles you out from everyone else to slide in compliments and check you out. you have a complicated relationship. you start to show up to parties, and he decides he’s gotta get his hands on you. fratboy!rafe is also gooner!rafe depending on preference.

♡ gooner!rafe

still a fratboy, however he spends more of his time in his dorm either watching porn or fucking yoi until you’re sore. stuffed in his closet are fleshlights and even sex torso dolls that he used before you came along to get himself off. when you come along, he treats you the same way he does his sex dolls — groping you constantly and demanding you to be at his beck and call, which you secretly don’t mind. he’s gross, willing to try out any position, fantasy or kink if he’s seen enough porn of it to convince him.

♡ pogue!rafe

a universe where rafe is a pogue, having left his family at a young age to be raised by the older fisherman pogues on the island. he’s 6ft5, mean, and hates everyone — slaving away day in day out at a building site or doing repairs for kooks much to his dismay. he still doesn’t get on with the core pogues, jj maybank in particular grinding his gears. you’re a kook, and rafe is hired by your parents to come and do the renovations on your house for a couple of weeks at a time — soon being trusted as their favourite handyman. he can’t stand kooks, but your parents pay well so he tolerates it. you’re not like the other kooks, sweet and humble — however you don’t know when to take a hint, constantly following him around begging him to hang out with you despite his constant dismissal. don’t get it twisted, he wants to fuck you until you cry — but is it worth getting involved with a kook? maybe you needed teaching a lesson or two in politeness.

♡ harryosbourne!rafe

a less popular au— rafe in the spiderman!jj universe, still rich and snobby, living in a high rise pent house with his father who happens to secretly be the green goblin.

♡ toxicex!rafe

incredibly self-explanatory, rafe your ex boyfriend who is toxic as all hell and won’t leave you alone. he stalks, shows up and beats up new guys you’re interested in, threatens people with guns just to prove to you he can protect you. you can’t help but go back to him and get your fix of dick from time to time.

♡ lord!rafe

this au is designed to be viewed in a creepy, a24 unsettling movie type of way. tannyhill becomes a haven for parties where all sorts of sexual, illegal, drug heavy activities go down. youre sweet and innocent, but get wrapped up into it — soon to be adopted by ‘rafes girls’, a group of women that parade around the home through the day wearing very little, pleasing rafe and his friends. he selects you to be his favourite like a little sacrifice and his women guide you through learning how to please him. more lore on this universe can be found here.

♡ sleepover!rafe

a less known au, but real ones remember this one! this au actually inspired lord!rafe, but it’s more casual and a lot more different. you and your friends often attend rafes parties, and after getting cozy with you — he ‘innocently’ invites you all to attend ‘sleepovers’ at his house. he spends the evening getting climbed all over by giggly girls, and wakes up in the morning to your friends touching all over him, easing you onto his lap and whispering for you to ask him to fuck you. your friends are weird voyeurs, but rafes even weirder.

♡ star wars au bountyhunter!rafe

in a galaxy far far away in the star wars universe, rafe cameron poses as a poster boy for ward cameron’s political party by day, and a bounty hunter by night. after stalking you around senate events, he woo’s the princess of naboo for a few evenings at a time — before later gearing up in his stolen mandalorian gear and kidnapping you for his father. will he keep you for himself? or cash in the bounty? more information on the star wars au can be found here.

♡ basketball!rafe

rich and famous basketball player rafe cameron spoiling his kook it-girl pinterest muse girlfriend and soon to be wife and mother of his children. the lore can be found here.

POPE HEYWARD

♡ kook!pope

probably the most beloved pope au on this blog! pope is a rich university student who is the smartest guy around. he’s invited to every party but still keeps his good morals and stays far away from rafe cameron if he can help it. when he meets you at a party, you stand out to him — and he decides he wants to take you in, tutor you and make you his.

♡ tattooartist!pope

working alongside piercer!jj, pope heyward is the best tattoo artist around. he has steady hands and a calm voice that could talk you through the pain (and other things). outside of work, he’s still kind of a nerd that rambles — just a nerd with sexy tats.

♡ drummer!pope

picture pope with a bandana tied round his head with the sleeves cut off his shirt, playing in a small town band with his friends. you have a little crush on him, and drag your friends to every single show to watch him until they force you to find him after a set and give him your number.

♡ dbf!pope

your dads slightly younger best friend who owns the grill now, still carrying that same soft spoken patience that makes him ever so trust worthy. so trustworthy that your father even convinces him to tutor his sweet college student daughter — unbeknownst to the fact she refuses to be tutored unless she’s sat on his lap, grinding on his dick.

♡ apocalypse!pope

pope works in the control room at kitty hawk, making sure everything is running smoothly, watching for intruders through the cameras he set up, and spending day in day out trying to contact other survivors through the radio channels. he’s been pretty quiet and stoic since the outbreak, struggling with the loss of people he loves and cares about — but you can always get through to him, convincing him to take breaks with you and fall in love with being alive again. the two of you like to smoke weed together in abandoned buildings and you let him pound out his frustrations by bending you over. in return he protects you with his life. more information on the apocalypse au can be found here.

♡ pizzadeliveryboy!pope

think your local pizza delivery boy, paired with a bratty, snooty kook— who is fucking pope after each of his shifts because your stupid cheating boyfriend can’t make you cum. for some reason, his uniform does it for you, and he wastes no time dropping his bike on your yard and running in straight after he clocks out with a pizza box in one hand and a condom in his pocket. he hates feeling used by you, he wants to respect himself more — but the sex is just too good to give up.

♡ drivinginstructor!pope

picking up a driving instructor gig to make some money after college whilst he decides what he wants to do. he doesn’t expect his first client to be you, the pretty kook girl with an insatiable need to fuck in the backseat.

♡ star wars au captain!pope

pope heyward is jj maybanks first in command, the soldier he relies on the most to help him navigate through the war against the separatists. after saving you, the damsel in distress princess of naboo, and spending time talking to him — he realises maybe there’s more to life than his identity as a soldier. more information on the star wars au can be found here.

THE READERS

♡ bunny!reader

the ditsy, girly girl kook who moved to the obx and instantly attached herself to rafes side. think haley dunphy but kinder, and the house bunny but a little younger. she is typically paired with rafe, but have been in other pairings before. she’s often seen in strictly pink and white, wearing bows, ribbons and skirts that ride up her ass. a lot of the time, she’ll be plugged with a fluffy bunny tail butt plug, put inside of her by her boyfriend to keep her docile. here’s the introductory post for bunny.

♡ kitty!reader

the opposite to bunny in the sense that she’s got tonnes of attitude and spunk, but just as much as a sex addict. she’s most commonly paired with jj, after meeting him in a grocery store and approaching him silently, wide eyed and curious. she’s super prissy, decked out most commonly in black and pink together, and if she’s not biting jj’s arm begging for dick she’s mouthing off, pushing to get put in her place.

♡ puppy!reader

pup is most commonly paired with john b, the sweetest, most hyperactive and slightly ditsy girl in town. she’s incredibly clumsy, mostly because she runs everywhere and you can never predict what she might do next. puppy!reader met john b after falling off her bike near the chateau, arriving on the brunettes doorstep in tears asking for a bandaid and if he knew how to fix bikes (the wheel was comically detached.)

♡ deer!reader

skittish, shy, curious and always following where her nose takes her like a deer. most commonly paired with pope but has been seen to join other popular pairings. she’s an all round good do-er, working at the library and volunteering in her free time — meaning the heywards absolutely adore her. it takes a while for her to warm up to people and be herself, but once she does she truly lets the weirdo out.

♡ mouse!reader

mousey is usually strictly paired in her trio relationship with kook!pope and regular jj. she’s originally a pogue, dating our two boys— pope paying her way through ballet school, and jj keeping her grounded in the pogue world. she’s known for her love of ballet, cheese, and shoplifting (which she always gets told off for by her boys! but never gets caught because she looks so innocent) here’s a drabble that details her more.

♡ lamb!reader

daughter of carla limbrey, lamb!reader is new in town. she’s been raised as strictly catholic her whole life and is learning what it’s like to be a modern girl living in the obx. with the help of the pogues, specifically jj — she navigates what it’s like to feel curious about wanting to fuck. although she’s ‘innocent’, she’s not afraid to lecture you and put you in your place, often sticking her nose in the air. aside from warming to jj, she’s got rafe on her case — always twirling her cross necklace round his finger, desperate to corrupt her ways, which only makes her angrier when her body reacts. if she’s not with the pogues in her little white outfits, she’s driving around in her ‘59 cadillac that was gifted to her on her 16th birthday. here’s a post detailing her more.

♡ spoiledkook!reader

the baddest baddie of them all. paired with any character you’d like — she’s like bunny if bunny was a bitch! popular pairings for her to be apart of — dbf!rafe, bsf!jj, pizzadeliveryboy!pope… the list goes on! this vid is totally her vibes.

♡ sheriffsdaughter!reader

often paired with jj, shoupes daughter pretty much lives at the station. she got a shitty little job there doing paperwork and signing people in and out, but the highlight of her shifts are when jj gets taken in (selfishly) because she gets to flirt with him. her father is oppressive and strict, and got her labelled with being a ‘narc’ for all of her teen years and never invited to parties — so she resents him, throwing herself at jj. think the song 18 by anabor meets please please please by sabrina carpenter. here’s a post inspired by that and an edit to help you see my vision.

THREEWAY SHIPS

♡ jj x reader x john b

the first ever threeway relationship i brought to this blog! a classic au to the real ones who have been here for aaaages! the two are usually paired with puppy!reader, all being friends until they realised their feelings for reader were stronger than it should be and they didn’t mind sharing! john b is the ‘daddy’, the stern but sweet calming presence that keeps everyone grounded, and jj is the fun playful one that teases you and riles you up.

♡ rafe x kook!reader x jj

another classic au! when jj takes the job mowing lawns for kook families, he spots the prettiest girl he’s even seen sunbathing outside in the tiniest bikini ever. deciding he has to have her, he swoops in and befriends her, using her innocence to take advantage of and take her under his wing. however, rafe cameron had been your neighbour for years. due to the two of you practically growing up together, your parents have always forced you two together — ward instructing rafe to always invite you to every event and gala as his date growing up. as you come into adulthood, the boy realises that he does infact want you, in every way, especially now he’s seen that jj has his eyes on you. the two boys battle it out over you.

♡ jj x mouse!reader x pope

see mouse!reader above!

♡ john b x reader x sarah

sarah and john b have always been chronically horny, and when they spot you working at the local library — they decide to befriend you with the purpose of corrupting you and joining you into their weird little horny relationship. at first you think it’s normal, they’re just a little affectionate — especially sarah, but soon the boundaries get pushed and you can’t help your body reacting to your two closest friends. occasionally jj joins in on the fun too! heres a post detailing their odd relationship.

♡ jj x reader x maggie

maggie is an oc created by me to play a masc-leaning lesbian mechanic in the obx, jj’s best friend at the garage they work at. she has a few face claims, but her most popular one is charlie watson from bumblebee, or kate bishop. the two are usually paired with puppy!reader, both caring for her in their own way — jj being a golden retriever hyper horn dog and maggie being a grumpy black cat.

♡ firefighter!johnb x receptionist!reader x firefighter!jj

see firefighter!johnb/jj above!

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for the season 4, sixth episode "This Is Not a Drill" which originally aired on February 28, 2023. THis episode was written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson and directed by Michael Medico. Spoilers ahead!

***LAST TIME ON 9-1-1: LONE STAR***

Marjan discovers she is the reason the 126 has been brought under review by the Austin Fire Department Internal Affairs due to her calling a woman she was rescuing a "crazy lady". The woman and her former ex-husband ask Marjan to publicly apologize as well as paste a link to their GoFundMe on her Instagram. Marjan refuses to be extorted and ends up resigning from the 126. Meanwhile, Grace investigates the concerning phone calls she has been receiving from a little boy. She enlists the help of her husband and Tommy to come to the boy's (and his mother's) rescue. 

Now that we're all caught up, let's talk about episode six - THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

We begin the episode with an actual drill. The 126, sans Marjan Marwani, enter a building with bomb gear on. Owen leads the team up a set of stairs and they find a young boy and his father. Owen tells the little boy to evacuate while Tommy tends to his father. The little boy tells Owen that his two sisters are in the room next door. Owen and the others go to the next room, open the door, and BOOM! Pink mist! The lights come on and a very official-looking woman with a clipboard in her hand comes out and tells them they're all dead. Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and TK are all upset by their failure at the drill. Nancy suggests that she is merely maimed and not dead since she isn't as covered in pink mist as the others. Paul makes a reference to the Kobayashi Maru (an unwinnable test) and my heart is filled with joy. My boy Paul is a Trekkie! It was fun to hear them banter back and forth but judging by the look on Captain Strand's face, he was not having it.

Title card!

Back at the house, Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and TK are in a jovial mood. They all take a selfie together to send to Marjan. Owen snaps on all of them and tells them to think about all of the first responders who went on calls where they didn't come back alive. I mean Owen does have a point but he's also being a major buzzkill. The others feel like poo after his outburst. Tommy gives Judd a look that says, hey, you got this one. Judd, our second in command, sighs and goes to talk to the captain. 

Judd goes to Owen's office and tells him that the others - Paul, Mateo, Nancy, and TK - haven't been through what they have. They don't know what it's like to lose someone on the job. Judd also reminds Captain Strand that the drills are designed for them to fail. Owen goes to close the door to his office. He tells Judd he believes something big is coming. He then tells Judd that the Honor Dogs are on the FBI's domestic terror watch list and that a truckload of ammonium nitrate was stolen. Judd asks him how he has all of this information and Owen confesses he's been working with the FBI. Judd asks if the Feds have any clue as to what the Honor Dogs are planning and Owen tells him that they won't even return his phone calls. Owen says he's tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen so he tells Judd he's acting captain until he returns. 

Owen goes off, alone, in one of the Austin Fire Department pickups, to the Honor Dogs' clubhouse and is met with an icy reception. He tells Red (Dan Sanders-Joyce) he wants to have a chat with him. Red asks if he's wearing a wire this time and Owen says he's not and tells Red he can "check his junk". Red says that he doesn't talk to Feds or the friends of Feds and threatens to drag Owen out of the bar. Owen reminds him he's a fire captain and tells him he can have the bar shutdown due to several fire hazards. Red asks him what he wants and Owen reveals that he knows about the ANFO (ammonium nitrate) and suggests that he can make a deal with Red if he gives everything up. Red is unmoved by Owen's words and claims he doesn't know anything. Owen is inclined to believe him just as the FBI raid the place. Owen is escorted outside by Special Agent Chuck Biondi (Rob Parks). Owen tells Biondi that he believes the Honor Dogs don't know anything about the stolen ANFO but Biondi is skeptical. He goes to put handcuffs on Owen right as the clubhouse explodes.

The rest of the 126 responds to the emergency and we find out there were nine FBI agents, including Special Agent Rose Casey (Amanda Schull), and who knows how many bikers inside the clubhouse when the bomb detonated. Paul and Judd notice an Austin Fire Department vehicle already on the scene. Judd gives out marching orders while Tommy, Nancy, and TK set start to set up triage. Owen carries Special Agent Casey out of the bar and she is taken by ambulance to the hospital with Owen riding with her. Special Agent Casey tells Owen she's scared and for a brief moment I wondered if this was a sign of a potential romance between the two. During the ambulance she asks him to call her "Rose" right before she dies.

Sergeant Ty O'Brien (Neal McDonough) arrives at the hospital at Owen's request. Owen fills him in on everything that's happened. Nine FBI agents, including Special Agent Casey, and several members of the Honor Dogs (we are told the number is in the double digits) are dead. However, Red is still alive but in surgery. The working theory regarding the explosion is someone 'accidentally' detonated the ammonium nitrate which was being housed at the bar. Neither Owen nor O'Brien believe this. Special Agent Biondi joins them and tells them that the case is closed since the prime suspect (Red) is in custody. Owen tells him that Red is not the man they are looking for and the explosion at the bar didn't even account for half of the stolen ammonium nitrate. Special Agent Biondi tells Owen that Red is refusing to talk. Owen suggests that he and O'Brien can try talking to Red.

Owen and O'Brien go into Red's room and find him bandaged up with several burns all over his body. The way he turned over in bed gave me Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Dark Knight vibes. Red calls them both snitches which made me laugh. Owen informs him that eleven of his brothers are dead as a result of the explosion, including Turner (Scott Peat). Owen also tells him the FBI believes he is responsible due to his politics and their belief that he is a terrorist. Red doesn't seem too surprised by this information but he insists that he is not the one responsible. Owen mentions that prior to him arriving at the clubhouse the Honor Dogs in attendance looked like they were meeting about something. He asks if Red called the meeting. Red tells him that he didn't call the meeting but the invite came from his phone number. He suggests that someone 'spoofed' his phone number and he believes that someone is Andy - the person they kicked out due to his extreme views. Damn, how extreme do your views have to be if the Honor Dogs think they're too extreme?

The FBI raid Andy's house and find it empty. O'Brien tells Special Agent Biondi he hasn't heard from his niece (Andy's wife) in two days. Another FBI agent informs Owen, O'Brien, and Special Agent Biondi that a neighbor says they saw Andy's wife and son leave the house two days ago with an unidentified male. We then see Andy spray-painting a van. We also see two giant barrels of ANFO. Dun-dun-dunnnn!

Back at Andy's home, Owen asks O'Brien. Let me just say, I love their budding friendship. I feel like O'Brien brings out the best in Owen. He just seems more level-headed and people like Owen Strand need to be surrounded by people like Sergeant Ty O'Brien. Special Agent Biondi tells them three days ago someone blew up a school bus. Traces of ANFO were found at the scene along with a dead hiker. The school bus was traced back to a salvage yard where the owner identified Andy as the one who purchased it. Yikes! Things are not looking good for O'Brien's nephew. Special Agent Biondi asks O'Brien if he knows of where Andy may be. O'Brien doesn't know. Owen suggests Andy is living at The Farm which is where he and O'Brien found the ANFO. The FBI initially believed that Red and the other Honor Dogs moved the ANFO before the FBI raid, however Owen believes Andy is the one who moved it. Special Agent Biondi prepares to go to The Farm and O'Brien insists that he go with them. Special Agent Biondi seems reluctant to have him tag-along but Owen reminds him that he's already lost a lot of his team. Special Agent Biondi agrees to have O'Brien join them.

Owen heads back over to the 126 and comes clean to his team about his involvement with the FBI. He tells them that another terrorist plot is imminent and that he needs their help. Meanwhile, the FBI along with O'Brien and Carlos arrive at The Farm. I have to admit, Carlos looked pretty badass with a rifle in hand. We see Grace get a call at the 9-1-1 dispatch and then we see the alarm go off at the 126. Several houses are called into action. It's time for battle!

Back at The Farm, there's no trace of Andy. O'Brien speculates that someone is working with Andy and believes that person is still on the premises. Special Agent Biondi tells his team they need to head over to the capitol because he just got notice that an anonymous bomb threat has been called in. O'Brien thinks that they should continue searching the grounds, especially the surrounding woods. Special Agent Biondi tells him he can stay but they are leaving. Carlos offers to remain with O'Brien. Oooh, an O'Brien and Carlos team-up! I am definitely here for this!

Over at the capitol, the 126 are helping with evaculations. We see Owen inside of a van working with the bomb squad. They are trying to locate a bomb inside the capitol. Using a robot, they locate several metal drums possibly filled with ANFO. The funniest part of this scene is that Owen Strand, captain of the 126, appears to be running the whole operation. No one is a bigger Owen Strand-defender than I am. People often complain about how he gets too much to do in this show and my response is, Owen Strand is the main character on the show. Of course he gets more to do than anyone else. I don't see Lone Star as the ensemble show that the original 9-1-1 is. The original show has several big names attached to it (Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Connie Britton, and Jennifer Love Hewitt) while outside of Rob Lowe, Live Tyler, and Gina Torres, Lone Star is mostly composed of actors who don't have a lot of heft to their iMDB pages. Anywho, with that said, I find it a wee bit ridiculous that a fire captain is having such a major environment in a bomb situation. And I know the writers are really pushing the narrative that Owen was at the Twin Towers during 9/11 but this is Austin, not New York City. Okay, back to the story.

The guy operating the robot asks how someone was able to get all of those explosives into the building without being noticed by security. Owen immediately leaves the van against orders and walks right into the capitol building. When TK sees him, he shakes his head and has a look on his face that says, dad's gonna dad. I feel like if this happened two seasons ago, TK would be freaking out. It just goes to show, after so many instances of Owen just walking into volatile situations, all willy nilly, everyone around him is just like, that's what he does. The guys in the van ask Owen what he's doing repeatedly over the radio and he assures them he will be out in a minute ... one way or another. Owen locates the metal drums and for some reason decides to open one against the orders of the bomb squad captain. Well, it turns out the drum is empty along with the others. Outside of the capitol, Andy pulls up in an EMS van (the same van we saw him spray-painting) and he starts the countdown on the bomb that is in the back of the van. We have 10 minutes! Yikes!

Meanwhile, my new favorite dynamic duo/buddy-cop pairing, O'Brien and Carlos, strike out into the woods where they find tiny white pellets littering the ground. O'Brien picks one of them up and determines its ammonium nitrate. O'Brien posits this is where the bomb was built. The two of them stumble upon a shed. O'Brien sees tire marks on the ground. He tells Carlos he will go inside and sweep the place and will holler if he needs him. O'Brien goes inside and sees evidence of where someone has been living. He continues to do a sweep of the premises and finds his niece, Joanne (Stevie Lynn Jones) and his great-nephew, Jack (Kayden Alexander Koshelev) in a cell. He opens the cell to release them but is shot by Mikey (Richard Meehan). It turns out Mikey is the same young guy we saw getting branded the night Owen and Judd went to the Honor Dog's clubhouse a few episodes ago. Thankfully, O'Brien is wearing a bulletproof vest. When Mikey goes to shoot him in the head, Carlos shoots him. Hey writers! This is the Carlos we need! Give me more badass Carlos! Oh, and please make him a detective. At this point, he's doing more than the average cop. 

Owen exits the capitol and radios to Judd that everyone needs to go back inside the building. Judd asks if this is an all-clear and Owen tells him the safest place for everyone to be is behind the building's granite walls. Now, I'm not an expert on explosives but are we supposed to believe the same ammonium nitrate that can take out most of Austin is no match for the capitol building? Then again, who am I, a mere writer who likes to react to episodes of the TV shows I enjoy, to question the authority of Captain Owen Strand? Anywho, Judd thanks everyone for participating in the drill and tells them to head back inside. Owen debriefs with the bomb squad captain, Captain Jenkins (Bob Stephenson) and Tommy. He believes the reason the bomber wanted them to evacuate the building is because the bomb is outside the capitol, not inside. Captain Jenkins tells him that his team has secured the perimeter. Owen tells him he believes the bomb is in an emergency vehicle since they have clearance and access to the scene. Tommy suggests the bomb is inside an ambulance which seems like a leap to me in logic but, then again, an ambulance has more space in it to keep the explosives so perhaps that's her logic. She also mentions she saw a unit pull onto the scene shortly before the all-clear was given. She gives the unit number to Captain Jenkins and leaves to inform his team.

Owen gets a call from O'Brien and the latter catches him up on what he and Carlos have been up to. O'Brien tells Owen that Mikey is the one running the operation, not Andy. I get that this changes things a bit about the situation but I still don't see a scenario where Andy doesn't end up going to jail. Owen hangs up with his bestie and then we get a huge product placement for Verizon, one of the worst, if not the worst, cell phone carriers in the country. The bomb squad uses a drone (sponsored by Verizon) to locate Andy and the ambulance he's in. Special Agent Biondi arrives and tells Owen that when they find Andy, they're going to take him out. Yikes! Owen walks away and tells Special Agent Biondi he will find Andy himself. Owen sheds his gear and goes looking for O'Brien's nephew. He locates Andy and the ambulance and tells him that he knows that he's O'Brien's nephew. Andy tells Owen that Mikey's going to kill his family if he doesn't go through with their plan but Owen holds up a phone so that he can hear his wife. Joanne tells Andy that Mikey's been arrested and that they are safe. Owen tells him to get out of the vehicle and get his hand off the detonator but Andy tells him it's too late. There's less than 3 minutes left. Owen tells him to step out and do whatever the FBI says. While the FBI subdues Andy, Owen climbs in the ambulance and drives off.

Owen calls 9-1-1 and gets Grace on the line because, of course! Grace directs Owen to drive the ambulance into the river and make sure it's completely submerged underwater. Owen jumps out of the ambulance right before it drives into the water. In a funny scene, the ambulance stops just short of the water but thankfully, Judd, Paul, and Mateo arrive and finish pushing the ambulance into the water before it explodes. The underwater explosion isn't as big as I was expecting and all I kept thinking is, all of the poor wildlife! Also, what happens to the water supply in Austin if the river now has ammonium nitrate in it? Are we going to have a Flint, Michigan-level crisis in Austin because of this? Anywho, the day is saved by Owen, Grace, and the 126 so yay!

We then get a flashback to last summer. We see Andy get kicked out of the Honor Dogs due to his extreme views. Mikey finds him and the manipulation begins. Back in the present day, Andy tells the FBI he was really angry. He says he should've just walked away from Mikey but instead he got pulled into the madness. We learn Mikey's the one who stole all of the ANFO. Mikey is clearly psychotic. Sensing Andy's reluctance, Mikey threatens to kill Andy's wife and son and when he saw Mikey take out the hiker, he knew the threat was real. I'm so relieved that it wasn't Andy who killed the hiker. The last thing he needs is murder added to his growing list of concerns. Andy says that Mikey forced him to go through with building the bomb. He apologizes to his wife, Joanne. Andy thanks everyone, including Owen, for saving his family and all of the people. 

We see Andy say goodbye to his wife before he is taken to jail while Owen and O'Brien watch. O'Brien says that the worst part of all of this is that now Andy will have to watch his son grow up from behind bars where he'll be for 20 years. O'Brien looks so defeated. I'm sure he probably blames himself for getting Andy involved with the Honor Dogs in the first place. O'Brien worries that Jack will grow up without a father just like Andy did. The cycle continues. O'Brien feels like he fails but Owen tells him that he hasn't. Andy's alive and that's what matters at the moment. O'Brien thanks Owen for being a pain in his ass. I hope we get to see more of these two. 

In the final scene of the episode, we see Owen arrive at TK and Carlos' place with Chinese food. TK is pleasantly surprised by his father's presence and invites him inside. Owen tells TK he's proud of him. TK thanks him and asks what brought all of this up. Owen says throughout all of their ups and downs, he is grateful that TK has never decided to blow up a government building. Owen mentions the wedding and tells them he has thoughts. We then see the three of them through a window right before everything fades to black. 

Okay, my thoughts on the episode? I really, really enjoyed it. I love that we got the culmination to a plot introduced at the beginning of the season. My initial concern was that we would drag this storyline out for most of the season. It was fun watching Owen save the day with the 126's help, of course, but I look forward to episodes where Owen isn't the main focus. At this point, I think the fandom will revolt if we don't focus on Paul or Nancy or Mateo. It does look like next episode we will get to see more of Tommy and her blossoming romance with Trevor (D.B. Woodside). So, until next time ...

[arsonism-the-eighth]

Third option :)

1.

Seduce (optional) the big ocean creature with your fucked up info dumping, squeeze your way into its heart. Then once you’ve gotten it to fall for you/made it confused and interested in what in the seven seas is “wrong” with you, get it to bring you to shore.

2.

Once it’s brought you to shore, you tell it to complete either three, seven, or twelve (depending on where your from and your general preferences) impossible tasks. Thus leading to it going back to the ocean, or wherever else it might go, to - hopefully - try and complete the impossible tasks you’ve set for it.

3.

You get between some weeks, months, or even several years worth of time to just vibe around and chill in a world made up of a failing capitalistic, and slow dumpster fire. Then when it returns, for it will return no matter what you tasked it to do, it shall present you with whatever it was tasked with, claim you as its own and drag you down to the depths of long forgotten empires and cities.

4.

Here it may vary, you could marry it, simply be a confidant, die, travel, explore, become one with an unknown universe so far behind the human comprehension that your mind is ripped apart and put back together again, but something is wrong, you don’t know what but something is wrong. you can’t breathe, your clawing at your neck, you can’t breathe, your eyes are wide but all you see are the hollow depths of its dark eyes, that are somehow so much darker than the ocean around you, how it is possible, you don’t know, you can’t breathe, it surrounds you body and soul, trapping you, cradling you as a mother would an infant, you can’t breathe, please let me go home, you can’t breathe, it has consumed your very being, you and it are one in the same, it has always been this way, you can’t breathe, it has been searching for you child, you can’t breathe, your finally home, you can’t breathe, one and the same, you can’t breathe, whole once more, you can’t breathe, father and son, you can’t breathe, mother and daughter, you can’t breathe, parent and child, you can’t breathe, one from the other, you can’t breathe

You shall never leave me no more young beirn, for you have seen enough damage and horror to last several generations my child, you are safe here with me

You. Can’t. Breathe.

You try to escape, to run, but it holds fast - have I not done enough for you child - it doesn’t speak, but it’s in your bones, ripping your flesh off of them, half hazardously putting you back together, you, can’t, breathe.

You’ll be safe here, I’ve finally found you again my small beirn, I’ll keep you safe, no longer shall you ever come to harm

You - Can’t - Breathe

Safe, child in my arms you shall stay, till the stars take you from me again, and then I shall rip the cosmos apart, until the day I find you and hold you once more.

Water makes its way into your lungs, the pressure from the ocean flooding into them and crushing you, or maybe it’s the things grip on you that’s tightening.

You can’t breathe.

They shall never steal you from me again child, for I shall hold you close to me, and my chest and keep you safe, my darling love, my first creation, my child.

You can’t breathe - and soon everything turns to black.

______________________________________________________________ Note! - i wrote this on like two hour of sleep at midnight, and didnt relise it was epic untill this morning :)

wyd in this situation

[feduprona]

Its all in my head

I started to seek professional medical help for my mental health issues on October 2014, I was still reluctant then because I was really clueless about what happens in a typical session with a psychiatrist Like others, I was not really aware of what a psychiatrist really does since Filipino movies and series painted a negative perception that people meet them when they are already hysterical and raging en route rehab facilities. I know it seemed shallow but it was just like that.

I believe depression started when my mother died twelve years ago and I had a deep guilt about not loving and supporting her – I was a problematic daughter who never stopped having troubles since high school. I was sickly, cutting classes, having catfights with other students and when I started working, I always get fired and went home begging her to solve my problems. It did not stop until her last breath and until now, I can still feel the incurable pain I’ve caused her when she was still alive.

I had so much happening in my head and heart and I had no clue that it was already a deep psychological concern. I woke up sad and unmotivated, I never enjoyed my life and I always seek attention and love from other people that I became demanding and eventually lose them. I was a bad friend too; I was always irrationally sensitive and clingy.

I had a hard time doing well in my job—my previous bosses and workmates complained how moody I was. I also had this habit of not joining our corporate gatherings for vague reasons. I always felt tired as days went on as I did not have clear duties and responsibilities as well the most appropriate immediate superior (my work is involved in risk management in food service setup covering wide tasks such as handling customer complaints including food poisoning claims, identifying food related hazards and correcting them).There was also a point when a doctor gave up on me because I was really THAT difficult and stubborn.

I already gave up to the point that it did not matter anymore if I die –by any cause. I was always thinking how much I wanted to end the life as I knew and have it.

I was always lethargic and sad; I was always alone in the piano lounge a known private hospital in BGC. I was  there in the middle of afternoon and just sitting there—crying silently because of my miserable life . One day of September 2014, my friend who happened to be a unit nurse manager there approached me and advised me to go to a psychiatrist. I initially wanted to back out and guess what , I only showed up  to my clinic appointment after seven weeks of weekly schedule .

For the first time in so many years, it dawned to me why I was always tired—I had an impractical commuting routine, excessive working hours , poor eating habits because of stress and lack of proper rest during weekends . I also failed to move on with my past  guilt and hurt  thinking that I  should live in pain for being a bad daughter to my mother.

The on and off therapy ended during the start of pandemic. It was kind of interesting case since unlike the majority, I never feared the COVID itself, I just accepted that I will just die when I get it because of my medical issues. But I was never afraid or worried about it. I am sickly for the past 10 years and getting in and out of hospital every other month was already normal. Maybe because I dealt with much personal battles and tragedies all of my life, I was able to manage the pandemic well. I am not proud of this; some of my closest friend died because of COVID or have lost their livelihoods, jobs and depleted resources.

When ECQ/lockdowns started, I was forced to relocate and live on my own for the first time. I never knew that it was the only thing that I needed to completely heal. I never had to whine over a long EDSA commute, never have to wake up as early as 4:30 AM and go home at 11 pm. Finally, my body started getting complete rest and sleep. I was even able to revitalize childhood hobbies—painting, reading books and playing guitar.I also started having “constants” or regular set of friends with less emotional hang ups on my part. I was comfortable mingling with them at the same time, I was just as cool being alone.

What happened after I started the therapy?

When you go to a psychiatrist, it won’t be just a regular chat—your behavior and symptoms (mental or physical ) will be verified by laboratory tests and there were also time that the psychiatrist will refer you to another specialist. Because of that, I was finally diagnosed to have auto immune disorder and PCOS and eventually got proper medical treatment.

I became more mindful of my feelings. I started to know what is valid and not. I already knew when to take medicines

I stopped mocking people who post sad quotes, suicidal notes I encourage the people around them to check up on them.

I was no longer overly sensitive when people tease me about being “baliw” or “may topak”. I can’t always confront them but I can finally ignore them.—as you ignore the bullying it gradually stops.

I became comfortable and happy being alone—I watched movies at cinemas alone, shopped  and pock groceries without a companion and even attended a lot of art exhibits and comics convention on my own. But who cared? My personal network with the people with shared interests widened.

I started trusting people and accepting that friends can hurt you once in a while and you can actually move pass from their mistakes, because like them ,you can also hurt them at some point

 Because of the above stuff, I did not become my boss’ favorite or a star employee but they finally understood how to deal with me. I was not actually weird—I was just—me. I still don’t like attending parties—but it was also great to be invited sincerely.I became productive  too.

#mentalhealth #depression #anxietydisorder

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Twenty Two: Don't Fear the Reaper Pt. 6

“Oh my gods Greed!” Dolly couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous makeshift Dante Puppet as Greed went on to perform.

 “Hello! I’m Dante! I make the lives of those around me an absolute hell fest! I like to wear hideous chartreuse dresses on Sundays as it makes me think of suffering orphan children living in their own filth! My personal hobbies are picking out the most uncomfortable younger bodies imaginable and obsess over my exes when no one is looking! Did you know I can sing too?! LALALALALALALA AAAAAAAA!” Greed mocked a high pitch voice for Dante’s puppet as he began to sing very off key to portray the rather loathsome lady.

 “Hey Dante, we’re gonna eat all of your expensive imported sweets!” Ernest laughed aloud as he took a truffle to stuff into his clay monster face. “Not my super expensive sweets, anything but that! It’s the only thing I can eat right now after the doctor told me to stop devouring the souls of young children! What will I ever do without that unnecessary necessity in my life!” Greed made the hand puppet throw its ‘head’ back in complete angst over the pillaging of her luxury items, wailing away in that high pitch voice.

 “Hey boss…you should come outside for a moment..” Dolcetto walked in from the outdoors to witness Greed’s little puppet show.

 “I thought you were getting up some of those rare plants Dante owns.” Greed paused in his little puppet show in confusion.

 “I know, but the capital has large blooms of smoke erupting from it.” Dolcetto explained looking rather concerned about the smoke plumes outside.

 “Shit, for real? Alright, everyone grab the loot and take it outside, the Capital is on fire!” Greed barked out the order as the chimeras scrambled with the looted items and trinkets from Dante’s Household, leaving it completely trashed on the inside.

 “What about the others?! They might be still down in the underground!” Dolly gasped out in horror before having to be led out by her two clay monsters who had also taken the luxury sweets with them.

 “We’re going to assume they got out of there through another exit, for now, we need to leave the villa, it’s a hazard.” Greed ushered Dolly and her monsters out of the villa, partially because Dolly was part of the team and the other because Greed still was a highly combustible gentleman.

 “Shit...Dolcetto wasn't kidding…look at all that smoke coming out! That had to be from the carbonized underground…” Dorian was in awe of the thick, dark, toxic clouds of death erupting from the Capital.

 “It had to have been from it…but how? None of them would be stupid enough to like cause a fire down there given what Dante did to the joint.” Greed was in full shock as he glanced over at Dolly who was looking very tempted to teleport at that moment.

 “Dolly don’t, they’re going to be fine.” Ernest caught on and snapped Dolly out of that mind frame. “I know that Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Tim, and Hughes will be fine. What about Freddy and the Elrics!? They’re not fireproof!” Dolly looked down at her clay representations of her abilities in horror that she wasn’t being allowed to do just that. “The Elrics should be fine, they both have brains. Freddy…I think nature had every right to reclaim him back into its womb after his brief time on earth.” Dorian reason, rooting for mother nature to do its magic involving Freddy.

 “Dorian!” Dolly was thoroughly mortified at what came out of Dorian’s horrible clay maul as he bleeped his makeshift tongue a bit. “It’s true though! If Mother Nature wants Freddy, then Mother Nature gets to keep him in her fiery inferno embrace.” Ernest thoroughly supported his brother’s statement of letting nature lay claim on Freddy. “As touching as this debate is, I’m surprised that Dante’s villa isn’t up in flames yet.” Greed interrupted after noticing there hadn’t been a sign of smoke billowing from the building.

 “Boss…the ground is shaking…” Dolcetto froze a bit once the tremors became a bit noticeable after standing for a moment. “Well that’s fucking delightful..” Roa grunted as he too felt the tremor as the villa shook. The gasses had built up thanks to Survive’s intervention, gradually building up more and more until everyone was out. Moment the occupants were free from the luxury death trap, the villa became loose from its very foundation and launched upwards as though it were a rocket on New Year’s. The debris of shattered wood and glass rained over the area where the villa had launched itself before as a pillar of fire erupted from where the house once stood. The second half of the group stood still in shock at just how strong the inferno was as it came pouring out of the former residence like a geyser. Ernest and Dorian stood silently watching the intense blaze coming from the underground as both came to realize what they had wished upon Freddy was maybe, just maybe not the greatest thing to wish on another living being. Dolly’s heart sank a bit as she watched the blaze, not knowing if Envy or the others had managed to escape safely before dropping to her knees a bit from the shock. Greed’s usually smug face wasn’t there anymore as he watched the fire continuously billow out of the passageway knowing full well if a Human had been down there still, they would’ve been cinders by now. It also didn’t help matters that another massive explosion could be seen right from where the capital was.

[rauhauser]

Atmosphere & Atmospherics

Fifteen years ago I moved to Massachusetts and in the four years that followed I drifted as far south as northern Virginia before heading back west. I have friends all along that five hundred miles of urban sprawl and I’ve heard from all of them in the last 72 hours. Coughing was pretty universal. The ones that have jobs chipped in for a couple HEPA filters for someone who inhabits the same margin of society that I do.

As a NorCal veteran of the insane 2020 fire season I am … taken aback by that map. When we see maroon 250+ AQI markets on the Purple Air Map, those are generally downwind from a major wildfire AND close enough to see the flames. When things are bad here I’ve seen my meter go as high as 210, but that only lasted until the breeze shifted.

The taiga – what the English speaking world calls the boreal forest biome, is going to burn. Year after year, some wet, some dry, and it will keep doing that until the species we know begin to change in response to the evolutionary pressure. If you’ve read Gamma Draconis Rising, you’re aware that I don’t expect our species to respond in an effective fashion to the existential threat of our carbon exhumation habit.

Whatever the future holds, 2022 is the year climate change arrived in an undeniable fashion. Mother Nature is going to alternate back of the hand with palm until we’re slapped into a state of reasonableness.

I became aware of this cluster of hazards in 2007, the result of having a busy, restless mind, and having lost everything to Lyme disease over the summer of that year. Everything I’ve done since then has been at least tangentially related to countering this threat. I’ve had a lot of years to come to grips with what I expressed in Gamma Draconis Rising. Hearing a parent is going to die is one of those coming of age rituals in our middle years. Later we start having the same conversation with friends, and we begin to ponder our own demise. Getting notice that this is happening for our whole species is … similar in feeling … but dramatically different in scope.

Many of the ninety million people coughing and wheezing under the funeral pall of the Canadian boreal forest previously had only a vague, theoretical awareness that something had changed. They’ve been buried under bomb cyclone snowdrifts, a counterintuitive result of the warming in the Arctic, but that was just the amplification of something they’re used to facing. Having third world industrial city air quality across the region is going to jolt them out of complacency.

The northeast is less inclined to the crackpot conservatism that defines the Republican party in its twilight years, but … it’s a fair estimate that perhaps one in six are thusly afflicted. They may interpret this change as part of the seven years of tribulations that precede their end of days myth. The Qanon cult has injected endless, irrational novelty; claims that these fires were set by bigfoot in order to clear landing zones for a Nordic alien invasion are within the bounds of normal discussions in that realm.

What happens when you combine toxic wildfire smoke with an irrational, toxic national mood?

I don’t need my meter to tell me there’s wildfire smoke in the air. Well before I can smell it, the presence of submicron particulates drives me up a wall. It feels maybe a bit like the first hints of an incoming panic attack, mixed with a triple espresso after taking a month off from caffeine.

I work at home and since the pandemic started I’ve accepted the need for delivery services. This place has central air, I tape up anything inclined to leak, and I have two Holmes HEPA machines with the 99.97% 0.3 micron filters. This is the year I added a Filti MERV 16 to the HVAC. I can see the shelf where my spare HEPA filters usually sit, but I just changed them, and that empty spot is bugging me.

This elderly, shut-in existence is quite luxurious in a time of dangerously high particulates. Few people with anything like a normal life get to spend 100% of their time in hospital clean air. Their eyes, noses, and throats are burning. Outdoor events are skipped or cancelled. Outdoor work becomes a horror. The hated pandemic masks give way to N-95s fitted as tightly as a nurse would wear in a COVID19 ward.

Panademic economic hits. Particulate driven anxiety. Political upheaval. Poisonous air, poisonous media, and we’re entering the season where the thermometer will hit 30C. Violent crime rises above that temperature until the heat starts chasing us indoors around 35C.

The next year and a half in the U.S. is going to be a couple chapters in future history books.

[ladyartemesia]

The Terms

◐ PART III of THE ALPHA ◐

◐ Part I ◐ Part II ◐ Series Masterlist ◐

Pairing: Alpha Werewolf Jimin x Omega Reader

Rating: Mature (for this installment)

Warnings: ABO sexual dynamics including discussion of scenting, marking, mating, and claiming. Violence and discussion of violence relating to ritual combat. Jin’s pheromones need their own warning. Yoonji and Yunli are not the same person.

Word Count: 2300

Author’s Note: As promised, this chapter is twice as long as the previous two and a lot of what people have been speculating about in the asks is discussed in this chapter... along with a few surprises...

“Luna rex provocatione means ‘the moon king’s challenge.’ It is never invoked lightly as its consequences are grave indeed... If an alpha believes that he is the true Alpha and the goddess has placed another in his path as a test of worthiness and dedication to the pack, then he will acknowledge his acceptance of this test by declaring luna rex provocatione. Once the challenge has been set forth only the death of the Luna’s first mate or the total surrender of the challenger can satisfy it...”

Text of the traditional speech given by a chief elder to begin a luna rex provocatione ritual [7th century]

“I know you won’t understand, but this isn’t personal-”

Jimin offered his rival an overtly feigned smile.

“You plan to kill me and claim my mate. Which part of that could I possibly take personally?”

Tae snorted somewhere in the background and Yoongi elbowed him hard.

Tradition dictated that both alphas meet with their second-in-commands in the chief elder’s chambers to discuss the terms of combat.

Namjoon brought Min Yoongi and Jimin had somehow ended up with Taehyung.

He didn’t remember actually agreeing to make Tae his second...

It just sort of happened somewhere between calming his hysterical mother and quickly reading up on archaic pack law.

The chief elder coughed uncomfortably. Goddess, this ascension was supposed to be easy. He never in a million moons thought he’d be in this position.

The last chief elder who oversaw a luna rex provocatione ritual had immortalized it in his journal as “the single most horrific moment of my life,” describing in detail the Luna howling in torment at the loss of her mate and the victor collapsing over the corpse of his foe in misery and guilt.

As in the past, the outcome of this conflict was already decided by fate...

Pain and regret weighed heavily on the older man as he considered the younger of the two alphas.

Park Jimin was going to die violently and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Because Kim Namjoon issued the challenge, his opponent will decide combat form. Your choices are human form, half-shifted, and wolf-form. After your choice is declared, Namjoon may add a minor alteration if he so desires. Park Jimin, please declare form.”

“Human,” he answered softly - and every single occupant of the room recoiled in response.

It was bad enough to witness a fight in wolf form or half-shifted... but to engage in ritual combat as a human-

It would be brutal - even psychologically disturbing - without the benefit of a wolf’s hide to mask the savagery.

Namjoon’s eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly.

“I request teeth and claws.”

Not quite a half-shift. Teeth and claws allowed for attacks using lengthened canines and claws.

It could make a kill slightly more... humane.

Jimin nodded and the elder pressed his seal over the first of the terms.

The were no windows in the small, stuffy chamber and between the heavy ceremonial garb and the nearly twenty braided praesidium bracelets wrapped around his wrists, Jimin felt as if the blood in his veins was literally coming to a boil.

Though he dared not remove them to relieve his discomfort.

Each bracelet represented a prayer to the goddess. They were given as protection to a loved one before a great trial.

His mother had not stopped making them since the ascension. She’d torn apart her most expensive dress and spent hours twisting the fabric strips into intricate traditional braids while she prayed...

Jimin’s fingers sought them out for comfort as the miserable parade of ritual legalities marched past the two hour mark.

Many agreements (like Jimin’s insistence that his mother not be allowed to attend the fight and Namjoon’s pledge to financially support the Park family in the event of their alpha’s death) were settled quickly, however the sheer number of details to be solidified was overwhelming.

“I think it best if we adjourn for a short recess,” the chief elder sighed wearily and Taehyung nearly ran Yoongi over in his desperate scramble to finally use a restroom.

Jimin turned to leave, but a hand on his elbow drew him back.

“I want you to know, I did this for you as much as for the rest of them.”

His tone was low and carefully respectful, but Jimin’s wolf snapped irritably at the elder alpha’s presumption.

“What an... interesting statement to make.”

He pointedly removed Namjoon’s hand from his arm with calculated nonchalance.

“No one expected you to be chosen... Jungkook, or even Hoseok, would have been an understandable alternative, but you’ve never taken being an alpha seriously-”

“According to you,” Jimin fired back, finally allowing his voice to harden in cold fury. “I have always known and valued what I am. I simply never felt called to your version of it.”

Namjoon tilted his head in acknowledgement.

Park Jimin might not look particularly dangerous ... but for the first time, the Kim alpha considered that he may have underestimated his opponent.

“Either way - the pack does not trust you. They are not confident in your ability to lead them,”his hands fisted reflexively at his side as he considered the weight of his next words, “...but if you beat me, they will never question your strength.”

Jimin’s hands tightened into fists.

Namjoon might be an overconfident windbag, but he had a point.

He faced an uphill battle to subdue a restless pack as well as increased threats from rival clans looking to expand their own power and territory.

The challenge was a chance to establish his claim.

Or die trying.

“You think rather highly of yourself,” he chuckled and Namjoon bristled indignantly.

“I have devoted my life to the pack. I have never questioned my duty to them.” He leaned forward a bit, holding the younger alpha’s gaze with purpose. “That is why I will not hesitate to kill you.”

“And what of the Luna?” Jimin wondered in mock contemplation. “Do you think she will take kindly to the loss of her mate if you win?”

Namjoon’s jaw clenched. The Luna was clearly a sore subject.

“If I win, then you were never really her mate were you? Your entire existence boils down to nothing more than a sacred test in my destined path.”

Silence stretched heavily as the two alphas regarded one another with open hostility.

“I will fight you till the last shred of life is ripped from my body,” Jimin snarled.

A shiver ran down Namjoon’s spine, though he was far from intimidated.

“At least now you sound like an alpha,” he scoffed.

Then he was gone.

Jimin waited till the sound of the older man’s footsteps faded before slamming his fist into the table.

He needed air and to be alone with his thoughts for moment before he could civilly resume the endless negotiations.

Unfortunately, the only place offering both of those things was a cluttered balcony near the back of the building.

The room traditionally designated for luna rex provocatione proceedings had been used as a storage closet for at least the last hundred years (and therefore needed to be hastily cleared after Namjoon’s inconvenient declaration). Consequently, the room’s former contents (piles of toys from this season’s charity drive) were now strewn haphazardly across the narrow outdoor space like debris from a brightly colored bomb.

Jimin carefully navigated his way to the balcony’s wooden rail and lifted his eyes to the moon.

“Please,” he begged softly “... send me a sign.”

“If he did not hate me before, he surely does now,” you sighed, staring morosely at the lights flickering in the old chamber building. Somewhere within the bowels of that archaic fire hazard, your mate of less than twenty-four hours was negotiating a nightmare.

“This is not your fault, Luna-“

“Isn’t it?” you snapped. “That’s who I am. I’m the Luna, if I could just accept another mate without someone getting their throat ripped out, then none of this would be necessary.”

Jin sqeezed your hand sympathetically.

The council placed you under guard in a small cottage across from the elder’s chambers in order to prevent the alphas from having any contact with you. Since then you kept a constant vigil from its rickety porch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the young man whose life you had ruined.

“Would you do it then - if you could?... Would you accept another mate to spare the Park alpha?”

Bitter tears burned at the corner of your eyes.

“Yes,” you whispered, “...I think I’d do almost anything to save him.”

Comfortable silence settled between you for several minutes - until a small flutter of movement drew your gaze to the chamber balcony.

Then he walked out.

And just the sight of him was enough to slam your heart up into your throat.

Jimin...

Jin quickly turned to your guard and unleashed a wave of pheromones that would have knocked out a grizzly bear. The guard whined and abandoned her post to follow him inside without a second thought, leaving you conveniently alone.

Male omegas are a rare and dangerous breed, you observed wryly, before retuning your attention to the man across the path.

A painful ache twisted hungrily in your gut as you watched him tilt his face to the sky. Somehow the relentless beauty of his features was even more captivating in the moonlight...

Suddenly a strong breeze braided though the air around you, playing with the loose strands of your hair and carrying your scent away from the small cottage and up to the balcony where the young alpha sought solace.

Jimin’s eyes shot open as the rich, unforgettable essence of you exploded over his senses. His gaze immediately locked with yours, cutting through the distance and darkness with an intensity that left you reeling.

You could not see his face at the ascension - instead the blindfold left you burning with curiosity as your mind conjured a thousand variations of how he might have looked on you in that moment...

Yet every last one of them fell short.

You could never have imagined the naked longing - the fierce desire - that burned boldly in his regard.

A strange, desperate frustration overtook you.

He was too far away - and Namjoon was going to take him from you before you could touch him again - before you could breathe him in again-

The cruel wind continued to pull your fragrance toward Jimin like an erotic incense, yet it offered you no such gift in return. You could not discern his scent and you wanted to - needed to - with a voracity that was almost blinding.

Please...

A mournful whimper tore from your lips and Jimin’s body reacted instantly to your distress.

Suddenly he was digging through the piles of mismatched trinkets and toys on the balcony, tossing aside all manner of discarded treasures till he finally found what he was searching for.

“Jimin-hyung! Where are you? Chief elder wishes to resume-”

Jimin glanced toward door as his fingers worked frantically over the object his hands.

“I’m on my way!”

His eyes found yours one last time, then he drew back-

A muted thwack echoed a few inches from your shoulder as whatever Jimin threw embedded itself into one of the porch beams.

Your fingers trembled with anticipation as you reached forward to retrieve (what appeared to be) a pointed metal dart - probably from a wall-mounted Darts game someone donated...

A length of braided cloth was tied tightly to the shaft and you recognized it immediately as a praesidium bracelet.

Soothing waves of Jimin’s scent drifted up from the fabric where it had rubbed repeatedly against the glands in his wrist.

Your body calmed instantly. Cold desperation gave way to the soft warmth of tenderness.

He knew.

He knew what you needed and he found a way to send it to you.

Your hand closed tightly over the bracelet as you crumpled to your knees and sobbed.

A gentle knock sounded at Namjoon’s door and a familiar figure slipped inside.

“...Yunli?”

Namjoon blinked for several moments in confusion before closing his evening read to approach her.

“Yunli... why - what are you doing here? It’s late - the ritual set to begin at sunrise.” He glanced at the door behind her, “Is Yoongi with you?”

She shook her head.

“My brother doesn’t know I’m here.”

Namjoon’s eyes widened as he considered all the ways his best friend’s younger sister sneaking into his house (in the middle of the night no less) could go horribly wrong.

“Ah. Well... that’s ...not good,” he mumbled, running his hand over his face. “Are-um - are you here to wish me luck for tomorrow?”

He reached for a glass of water to soothe his suddenly dry throat.

“No. Frankly I hope Park Jimin beats you to a bloody pulp.”

Water sprayed comically out of Namjoon’s mouth as he began to cough violently.

“What?!” *wheeze* “Why?!”

She offered him a sad smile.

“You know why, Kim Namjoon.”

He did know why.

Yunli had loved him (or believed she loved him) since she was a little girl.

He sighed heavily.

“Yunli, we’ve been over this-”

“One week. The change comes to me in one week-”

“You’re Yoongi’s sister-”

“I’ll be twenty years old, and for the last time I’m not your sister-”

“Goddess above, Yunli!” he shouted, “You’re just a child!”

Yunli’s hands gripped the collar of his shirt and yanked him down to her level.

“I am not a child!” she growled.

Then her mouth was on his and every single thought he ever had disappeared.

There was only her.

Heat poured through him like heavy syrup as his senses surrendered one by one. His arms wrapped around her without the slightest hesitation, as if their sole purpose was draw her in.

Sweet... Oh goddess, she’s sweet.

Yunli whined needily and a possessive growl rumbled from his chest in response.

Then she was pulling back - wrenching herself away from him with an anguished sob.

Bitter tears flowed freely down her impossibly beautiful face and Namjoon - who spent the majority of his life barely acknowledging his heart - suddenly felt it shatter.

“You should have waited for me,” she whispered.

“Yunli-I-” he tried calling out to her, but it was no use.

She was already gone.

“Are you sure you have everything you need?”

Jimin offered his second a distracted smile and nodded. His room looked the same as it did the morning of the ascension, yet his entire life was different...

“You were great today, Taehyung. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Tae felt his chest swell with pride. He didn’t want to think about what sunrise might bring, but he was determined to serve his old friend well.

For as long as he could.

“I don’t know about that,” he chuckled, recalling that he fell asleep on his feet for three entire terms before anyone noticed. “You’re a surprisingly ruthless negotiator. I barely contributed.”

“I wasn’t alone though...” Jimin whispered, “and when Namjoon first issued the challenge... I thought I might be.”

Taehyung gulped, pushing back the oppressive sorrow settling in his gut in favor of some levity.

“You - uh - you actually missed the wildest part of the whole day.”

“...I did?”

“Yeah it was bizarre. Did you notice the table was different after our break?”

Jimin shrugged. His thoughts had been... elsewhere at that point.

“We couldn’t find you at first, so you missed the whole ordeal but - when we all came back to the room, that big oak table was split in half.”

Hello my precious readers! If you would like to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments.

(If you are already on the taglist, I will automatically tag you in all future chapters, you do not need to ask to be tagged again.)

Please please please PLEASE let me know what you think! This chapter was HARD and I genuinely aganized over it. Your feedback and support are what kept me pushing though. Truly. I would love to hear from you! I treasure every word of feedback like diamonds.

End Note: Yoonji was mentioned earlier in the story. She is Yoongi and Yunli’s cousin. Yunli and Yoonji are separate characters.

[frostfireft]

Can we have more Bickslow headcannons? And maybe Evergreen, Freed, and Lexus too?

Fuck yeah you can! I’m gonna start with a lot of angst and then move into their dynamics as a team. (this got REALLY long but I’m not sorry)

-I gave you all my HC for Freed’s backstory in my last post and mentioned that Freed is the reason that Bickslow and Evergreen joined the guild, so have both their backstories too! 

-Bickslow grew up in a travelling circus with several other child performers. It wasn’t exactly a nice environment. There were lots of issues and safety hazards and abuse going on behind the scenes, but they were forced to keep smiling and performing through it all. 

-Bickslow was especially targeted by the ringmaster because of his magic allowing him to look into people’s souls. The ringmaster is the one who forced him to wear a helmet when he wasn’t using his ability on the crowd for money. 

-Because of that, he only had five friends back then, all children younger than he was, who looked up to him both for his tricks and the fact that no matter how upset he was, he had a smile for them.

-one day the tent caught fire during a practice. Bickslow was the only one to make it out alive. 

-but considering all the traumatic events they went through, most of the children kept there weren’t able to move on, and their spirits lingered in the area... Except for the five kids who were most fond of Bickslow. They stayed near him and talked to him all the time, especially once they realized he could see them. You still have a soul as a spirit after all. 

-the town he was in began to think he was crazy because he was “talking to the air” all the time, and they would continuously call child services to try and take him to an orphanage. The five spirits however, would warn him before they could, and Bickslow used his years of acrobatics skills to stay away from anyone who tried to move him away from where the circus burned down. It may have been a place of trauma, but there were good memories too, and it’s all he had. 

-So the town tried one last gamble. Who better to adopt a child with mysterious magic that Fairy Tail? 

-And Makarov, in an attempt to get Laxus to be more social, decided to send him and Freed. 

-It went about as well as you’d expect. Laxus tried to fight him while Freed did research on the area and what happened to him. 

-Laxus didn’t have as much control over his magic as he thought he did at that age, and Bickslow was kicking his ass before Freed showed up and trapped him so they could talk.

-Freed shared his story with him and offered the same thing Laxus once offered him: a home. 

-Bickslow cracked soon after that, and told them everything after Freed started asking questions about the town thinking he’s crazy while they were on the train back to magnolia. 

-While many members of Fairy Tail were unnerved by him, those around their age did their best to make him feel at home. Natsu listened to all his stories about the circus and about the five ghosts who followed him, and Bickslow listened to his stories about the dragons. 

-Freed used this time to research Seith magic extensively, and he eventually came across the idea of putting the souls into objects. He and Bickslow worked for weeks to figure out how to do it, and the five spirits became his five main “dolls.” 

-He of course, asked them if they were okay with being alongside him before putting them inside the tiki dolls, and if he cried when they said there was nowhere else they’d rather be? Well Freed and Laxus weren’t going to tell anyone about it. 

-Evergreen was both harder and easier to get back to Fairy Tail. 

-Like Freed, She was once a part of the noble class, but under a name she never wants to use again. 

-When she gained her eye magic, she accidentally turned her mother to stone, and it was all downhill from there. Her father tried to keep her locked in a room, and it worked for a long time. 

-Eventually though, she had decided she’d had enough, and snuck out and ran as far away as she could. She kept a ribbon tied around her eyes any time she had to go into town, and learned how to walk while completely blind. This did some damage to her eyesight after several years of doing it. 

-it felt like it was too good to be true. She was free and she did odd little jobs in a town far from her original home to earn money for food. it was all she needed..... Until a child tore the ribbon from her face. 

-the second she made eye contact, the little boy turned to stone. There was nothing she could do about it except cover her face up again and run. 

-her father, however, had notified several guilds about her disappearance and claimed she was dangerous if left alone, so when stories spread about a homeless child turning a boy to stone, it became their first lead in months. 

-there was a lull in fighting missions at the time, and something about her magic intrigued Freed. It was an eye magic like his and Bickslow’s first magics, and they aren’t exactly common. Freed, Laxus, and Bickslow took it upon themselves to take the mission to bring her home.

-She very quickly figured out how to hide herself in the woods and away from people. Freed had to trap the entire area and make it so that eye magics don’t work within his barriers before they could even get close to her. It took almost a month. 

-And much to their surprise, she was nothing like what they were expecting. After all, they were supposed to be hunting down a nobleman’s son, not a daughter.

-Bickslow almost immediately asks her about why she ran away, and Ever looks up at him- then panics as she slams her eyes shut- but he doesn’t turn to stone because of Freed’s runes, and he explains as such. 

-They have a long conversation about why she ran away, and she tells them everything her father did to her, from being locked in her room to being terrified to tell him she’s his daughter and not his son because of his anger issues.

-They realize then and there they can’t give her back to him, and Freed comes up with the plan to tell him that they didn’t find his son, but rather a random girl with a similar magic, and she can join Fairy Tail instead of staying on the run. 

-The only reason she doesn’t agree immediatly is because of her eye magic. She couldn’t control it, and the idea of turning someone to stone again scared her.

-Freed sent Laxus to buy a pair of glasses without a prescription and a nice dress for her to wear, and he etches runes into the glasses to block her eye magic when they’re on.

-She’s sold from that moment on, and the raijinshuu’s friendship is sealed with that secret. 

-Laxus helps her chose her name before they get onto the train, and they solidify the story before then too  

-Makarov Accepts the story without question, even though they have a sneaking suspicion he knows. 

-They become a tight knit group in no time. 

-Then they learn about Ivan and all he did to Laxus, and they start to jokingly refer to themselves as the Laxus protection squad. It’s a lot less of a joke when Ivan’s actually around though, and the guild definitely notices. Makarov even starts to officially call them that in some reports. 

-No one remembers who suggested the name “raijinshuu,” but they all privately agree it’s dumb. Especially since  it insinuates that Laxus is the team leader. Freed’s the captain of their team for a reason.

-Dispite the fact that Bickslow is the tallest of them, both Laxus and Freed are both physically stronger than him. That’s not to say he isn’t strong, but Laxus can carry freakish amounts of weight due to his slayer biology, and Freed does the same due to his demon biology. 

-Freed can carry all of them at once. No one knows how. 

-Freed puts new runes on Ever’s glasses every time she gets new frames or a new prescription. He knows she doesn’t need it anymore, but she’s always grateful for the option. 

-if they share a bed, Freed and Ever cannot sleep next to each other. Their hair tangles together and they’ve only had to make that mistake once. 

-Ever and Bickslow are not under any circumstances allowed to cook, Freed can make fancy meals, and Laxus makes homemade stuff that would make your mouth water. He also stress bakes in secret at four am. 

-That’s how they always know he’s stressed when he doesn’t tell them. It’s kind of hard to miss 6 batches of cookies that spontaneously appeared overnight

-Freed has an unsharpened rapier that feels like getting hit with a slap bracelet at full speed. Naturally, this is the sword he chases Bickslow with when he pisses him off. 

-Laxus likes to pretend he’s one of the smartest members of the guild, but the raijinshuu knows he’s actually kind of a himbo. 

-Bickslow is really close friends with Loke, and when he noticed the man was dying slowly, the others comforted him despite not knowing what was going on.

-Bickslow often helps ghosts pass on from the mortal plane. 

-Evergreen keeps up with all the latest fashion, but she still considers Freed to be more fashionable. Because of this she always double checks her outfits with him. 

-Evergreen’s always the first to sass someone when they’re being rude to her team. It’s earned her her reputation as a “bitch” but she’s far too proud of it to be offended.

-One Laxus was open about his dragon slayer magic, they pushed him to talk to the other slayers to learn about himself and his magic. Freed and Bickslow pushed the hardest though, since they’re friends with Natsu and knew that he would be all too willing to drag Laxus into his little family of dragon slayers.

-Laxus was much happier oncce he accepted that he was more dragon that human anyways, and the more he learned, the happier he was. 

-In case it wasn’t clear: mtf Trans!Ever (she/her exclusively), he/they Freed, and  wtf is gender, is it a food?” Laxus and Bickslow (any pronouns). 

[agoodgoddamnshot]

Glamour - Geralt/Jaskier

[Gif isn’t mine]

Originally posted on my AO3 account.

Geralt is observant. His job calls for it, Jaskier supposes. He’d be a pretty shit Witcher if he was killed by a monster who managed to sneak up behind him in the thickets.

It was probably something ingrained into him during the trails and mutations. Travelling around the Continent together only gave Jaskier an insight into how sharp the Witcher’s instincts really were. He heard things that Jaskier didn’t. In taverns, he would be able to tell what people were talking about at each table: even those who would give them side-eyes and keep their whispers to themselves. The noise always got to him. Jaskier noticed how Geralt could only be in one place for a certain amount of time before the noise grew deafening.

And on most nights, he doesn’t even think that Geralt sleeps. He has every ability to sleep. After a particularly long trek in between towns and cities, or even after a round of lovemaking, Geralt sleeps. But sometimes, noise keeps him awake: the creaking of a floorboard, crows cawing outside, or even the distant hum of conversation floating up to the upstairs rooms of inns.

So Geralt could be one of the most observant people that he’s ever met.

But, gods divine, could he be dense.

Emotional constipation and an incredibly short temper aside, it’s the little things that manage to slip by.

Though, in Geralt’s defence, Jaskier has been wearing a glamour for most of his life. In fact, the more he thinks about it, he isn’t entirely sure when the glamour was placed in the first place. He can remember the first time he saw a mage in his mother’s drawing-room, pouring over some old, leather tome on his lap. He remembers his mother beckoning him over, explaining that the mage was a friend. That Jaskier was ill, apparently. And the mage was very good at making sure that Jaskier would always be healthy and safe.

It wasn’t until he got a bit older, when the glamours started to flicker and fail, did he realise what his mother meant by all of that.

He imagines how the whole thing would have sounded: the Viscountess de Lettenhove had, at some point, fallen into an elf’s bed. The union produced a halfbred bastard – something entirely concealed at Jaskier’s birth, when the Viscountess demanded that the mage be in the room with her, when an army of midwives requested that he stay well out of the business of ladies.

But he understands now.

She just wanted to keep him healthy. And safe. For all that his father knew, Jaskier was his, and that was that. How could he have thought any differently? Especially with the help of the mage who, for all he knew, was only there to monitor the health of his son.

It’s only for his ears. That was the only thing abnormal – though, Jaskier never really liked that word. But he could never find a word that did match how he felt about the entire thing. The faintest arch of the top of his ears: too faint to be belonging to an elf, but enough of an arch to set him apart from human men. Enough of an arch to earn looks.

And he definitely wasn’t the only one who wore glamours. If people actually paid attention and looked, they would be able to see them everywhere.

And it’s not like Geralt hasn’t seen him bare. If anything, he knows the plains of Jaskier’s body better than most. People he had only spent nights with, he didn’t care much for them. They only saw what they were interested in seeing and that was it. Lovers he kept for longer started to scout, but Jaskier never kept them around for long enough to actually map.

Geralt is the only one that holds that kind of information.

And not once did he ever think, or give the inkling of a thought, that Jaskier might have been something else than human.

His ears stayed covered, glamoured to have a rounded arch – a human arch – for most of his life. That was one thing he could hide. Other things were more complicated.

Then Jaskier arrived at the conclusion that Geralt of Rivia was either very bad at acknowledging the passing of time, or he knew what Jaskier was, and made no mention of it.

And Jaskier, knowing Geralt for as long as he has, he’s absolutely convinced that it’s the former.

He met the Witcher when he was starting to claw his way out of his teens. And ageing had kept up well with him; he might have looked like a young eighteen-year-old, but he was eighteen years old nonetheless. And his half-elven blood allowed him to trudge through the years, gaining small little tokens with each year that passes. His skin does start to dull, after a time, and albeit not too noticeably. The faintest of lines scratch at the corners of his eyes and lips. But his blood kept him just out of the reach of whatever claimed other people his age. Or other people that should have been his age. He watched as other people gained white hairs and their muscles starting to slink away. He’s not going to lie and say he didn’t feel a modicum of joy at seeing Valdo Marx squinting at a tome in the middle of Oxenfurt library, adjusting his spectacles, and then huffing when he couldn’t make out anything no matter how close he pulled the book to his face.

Hiding what he was only became complicated when he found himself injured.

Something he can’t hide is how well his body can knit itself back together again. Elf blood is good at extending a life – either through shooing away the effects of time, or making sure that the body it inhabits doesn’t do anything too stupid to kill itself.

He’s never sustained an injury for something like that to be shown. If anything, it’s a very good testament to how well Geralt protects him. The most he’s ever gotten while out on the Path are collections of cuts and bruises – all of them disappearing within a couple of days.

This, though. Jaskier grunts as Geralt lifts him up the last couple of stairs. This could be more difficult.

Then again, it’s the last fucking thing on his mind at the moment.

“Thank you for your help, Witcher!” their contractor calls up the staircase. He’s still covered in rainwater, dripping it on to the floorboards at his feet. Rubbing some manticore blood off of his brow, he offers them both a grateful smile. “I’ll be sure to tell the town about how your deeds here tonight!”

Geralt grunts and takes Jaskier further down the landing, towards their own rented room for the night. As soon as he drags the bard inside, he ushers them both over to the bed. Geralt pulls at the blankets, tossing them down towards the foot of the bed. On the dry mattress, he sets Jaskier down. “Stay here,” he says firmly before wandering over to his bags.

If his lungs didn’t feel like they were caved in, Jaskier would muster up enough air to shout at his Witcher. Where the fuck would I be going? A manticore corpse fell on me. Because of you and your hunting partner not looking where you’re going. Do you know how disgusting that is: a corpse falling on you? Do you know how heavy those fuckers are?

He can’t verbalise it: so staring at the man across the room will have to do. It could have been worse. He’ll give the Witcher that. He could have been pierced by teeth or claws. But gods divine, his right side feels like Roach kicked it. There’s a hefty and deep bruise. He’s sure of it. And possibly a cracked or broken rib.

Or a punctured lung.

Geralt gathers what he needs; a collection of salves and ointments all encased in glass vials and bottles. He sets them at the edge of the bed. As soon as one of the vials is uncapped, Jaskier nose wrinkles. A pungent scent of tea tree coats the roof of his mouth. He turns his head away, staring at the wall at the other side of the room.

Geralt gathers some of the salve in his palm, warming it up a bit, before smearing it along the worst of the bruise. A sharp hiss leaves Jaskier. It might be nothing, but he’s sure that he hears Geralt mutter a soft sorry under his breath.

His blood will knit himself back together again. But it never dulls pain. A design flaw if ever he saw one: living with Geralt is a hazard to his health and wellbeing.

Night fell quickly. Though, winter has long since settled over the Continent, shielding the land from the sun for the past couple of weeks. Any light that does manage to fight its way through the thick, grey, heavy clouds doesn’t last long. The days have grown shorter and the nights stretch out longer. The hunt started when a sun still sat high in the sky. But rainclouds tumbled in, and soon night fell and in all, it has just been a wholly unpleasant day.

With their room only lit by the hearth’s fire and candles sitting on tables, Geralt works mostly in darkness. His eyes aren’t back to their normal gold just yet. Some small trace of black still clings on. Jaskier stares at the wall, holding his breath when Geralt’s hand drifts over a spot that took most of the hit.

Time drifts by. Jaskier blinks when the lip of a glass vial is suddenly set at his lips. “Drink this,” Geralt says gruffly. Jaskier can smell it. Poppy’s milk. It’ll dull the pain, and possibly put him in a coma for the next few days if he takes too much. He lets Geralt tip the vial, judging how much of the potion the bard needs.

Jaskier only tastes a drop of it on his tongue before the vial is gone. He makes a sound in the back of his throat. “This stuff is addictive,” Geralt frowns, putting the vial away completely.

Jaskier rolls his eyes. “I know that,” he sighs, wincing slightly when Geralt prods at the bruise at his side. “Bards are rarely sober. Especially when they’re in college.”

At that, Geralt lifts an eyebrow. “Did you raid your professors’ opium gardens yourself, or?”

A light laugh leaves Jaskier, though he quells it when his lungs start to tighten. “Gods, no. We would have been found out. They had those gardens on lockdown. We...just became very friendly with passing traders.”

Geralt snorts. He works silently, offering the occasional apology whenever Jaskier’s face screws up in pain. It’s been ebbed with the potion, but it still hurts when Geralt presses his fucking fingers into his ribs—

“It’s not broken,” he says after a time. “But it could be cracked.”

“Then stop poking it.”

“Are you like this with physicians?”

“I never see physicians so I wouldn’t know.”

A small frown creases Geralt’s brow. “You don’t see physicians?”

Jaskier’s tongue swells in his mouth. “...No?”

“I can’t say I’ve met a human with such a strong immunity then,” Geralt goes back to his work. There’s a new ointment now; crushed arnica petals, with a strong scent of pine wafting off of it.

You love the Witcher, something in his brain whispers to him. In an otherwise quiet room, he flinches. The thought seems loud enough that it could be heard within the room. But Geralt offers another apology, before smoothing out the last of the salve. You love him. And he loves you. Shouldn’t you tell him?

And it occurs to him, just then, that outside of his mother, a long-since passed away mage, and himself, that no one knows. He’s never told anyone.

Swallowing a lump clawing up his throat, Jaskier rasps. “Maybe it’s because I’m not human.”

Geralt’s hands still over Jaskier’s skin.

He rushes to amend. “Well. I’m half-human. My mother is human.” Jaskier chews the inside of his cheek. “My father...I don’t know who he is. By all accounts, I suppose, Father is my father. He didn’t suspect anything else. But in a biological sense,” why is Geralt staring at him, “Mother told me that he was an elf. But...I don’t know who he is.”

And if the room wasn’t quiet before, it’s certainly quiet now.

“Say something,” Jaskier breathes. “Please. Stop staring at me and say something. Anything.”

And he swears he can see pieces fitting together in Geralt’s brain. It’s a long time before anything resembling a word leaves Geralt’s mouth. “We’ve known each other for so long. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Jaskier lifts a shoulder – as much as he’s able without his ribs hurting. “It never came up, I guess.”

“It never-” Geralt’s mouth opens, but no more words manage to come out of it. The Witcher catches the bridge of his nose between his fingers before sighing heavily. When he’s finally composed himself, he looks back to Jaskier’s body. “So you’ll heal?”

“Quicker than most,” Jaskier nods, “but not as quick as your lot, I imagine.” He hasn’t dashed out the room yet, or jumped out of the window. That’s good.

Geralt hums. His eyes still run over every stretch of exposed skin lain out before him. The bruise really only takes up one side, spreading from the peak of his hip bone to the foot of his ribs. It’s been almost an hour and it’s already beginning to change colour. What was once red and blue is now turning yellow around the edge. His body is starting to knit himself back together again. And with whatever salves Geralt smeared on him, he’s sure that the worst of it will be gone in a few hours.

Jaskier lifts a hand to Geralt’s jaw, skimming his fingers along the ridge of the Witcher’s jawline. “I’ll be fine,” he assures him. “When the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll be right as rain.”

Geralt stares at him blankly for a moment before nodding. “Alright, then.”

It’s not the nicest inn they’ve stayed the night in. But he didn’t expect much for a small trading town on the axis of a crossroads. But the pillows and mattress are soft, and the sheets are clean. And these days, that’s all he ever asks for.

Geralt has every capacity to be gentle with him. He lifts Jaskier just enough to fluff the pillows behind him, and sets him back down again. He gathers the sheets from the foot of the bed, bringing them up to Jaskier’s shoulders. “Do you want the furs too?” he asks, nodding to a collection of pelts.

Jaskier smiles. “If you wouldn’t mind. The nights are getting darker and colder.” So Geralt gathers them, spreading them out across the whole bed, but making sure that they cover Jaskier from chest to toe.

Jaskier stifles a yawn. The poppy’s milk loosens his muscles. If the bed was any softer, he thinks it might sink deeper and drown. Eyelids become heavy, making them difficult to stay awake. He does though, because Geralt is still padding around the room doing menial tasks. He stokes the fire, placing a spark-guard against it. He strips down to his underclothes and sets his armour, shirt, and breeches over the backs of two chairs.

Jaskier must mumble something that resembles a Geralt. Suddenly the scent of the Witcher is all around him. The bed dips by his side and warmth follows. “I’m here,” gentle words mumble against the shell of his ear. When they’ve settled, a peaceful sort of silence blankets over them. Geralt lies on his side, an arm folded underneath his head. His other hand sits in between them both, twitching to reach out but unsure.

“I have a cracked rib,” Jaskier mumbles, rolling his head to look down at Geralt’s hand. “I don’t have the pox.”

And the Witcher reaches out, fingers gentling along the crest of Jaskier’s collarbone. He shuffles closer, and Jaskier only hums with how warm his Witcher is. The last of the winter chill is chased away.

He’s almost asleep when he hears it. “You know what I am,” Geralt’s voice rumbles out of his chest. “And yet you still stay with me. You love me, despite all of that. Why do you think I would be any different with you?”

Jaskier sighs. “I don’t know,” he says truthfully. “I guess even those who are prejudiced against by others can hold prejudices of their own against something else.” He hears Geralt click his tongue, shushing him. Sleep tugs at him. His body is lax and warm, and Geralt knows where to skim fingertips so sleep can creep up on him more quickly.

“Sleep now,” Geralt gentles, his thumb smoothing over Jaskier’s cheek. He drifts off to sleep like that; a chest suddenly, despite being crushed by a beast, lighter than before.

[officialthiamlibrary]

Hey! Do you know of any where one or both of them play a professional sport?

So sorry for the delay, but we are ready with our finds! These are what we could find, but if we are missing any then please let us know and we will add them to our list! 

All the Quads Are My Friends by never_love_a_wild_thing (Teen | Complete | 10K)

Tags: AU - Ice Skating, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Idiots in love, Social Media

Summary: Liam and Theo go to Figure Skating Worlds in Milan, ready to prove themselves to the skating world and end up falling in love along the way.

A Peek Inside: “Theo!” Liam shouted, “You can’t just post pictures of me when I’m sleeping!”

“Aw, but you were so cute, though!” Theo smirked at him. Liam decidedly did not blush. “I don’t think you can even see the drool in that picture.”

Liam gaped at him, trying to figure out how to express his unbridled fury without actually killing anyone. “I do. Not. Drool.” He gritted out.

Breaking The Ice by Bookwyrm (Teen | Complete | 8.8K)

Tags: AU Hockey, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Coming Out

Summary: Theo and Liam used to play for rival hockey teams. Things got explosive everytime they shared the ice, but now they've both been traded to the Beacon Hills Wolves.

A Peek Inside: Theo sat on the ice, and gently pulled out the tissues. When no blood flowed he asked, "What the hell is your problem? Are you just the human version of an overly aggressive chihuahua or is it personal?"

Liam gritted his teeth. "My problem is you are the worst kind of hockey player. You don't care about the rules of the game or who gets hurt, unless of course you hurt them on purpose."

Rings Of Fire by LI0NH34RT (Teen | Complete | 3.1K)

Tags: Figure Skating AU, Ice Skating AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers

Summary: Figure Skater Liam dreamed of being at the Olympics his whole life but when his partner Hayden breaks her ankle at a practice jump too risky, his dream seems over and done. 

Theo is a single skater because his attitude makes him incompatible with a partner but that doesn't stop their coach to pair them off in training – Will the flame of their hate burn them out or light up a different fire?

A Peek Inside: “I absolutely do remember that day. Actually that... unfortunate incident made me aware of the sparks the dynamic between you two has.”

“Sparks? More like fire hazard...”, Theo mumbles to himself.

It is true. Every time Liam Dunbar and Theo are in the same room, they fight. It's lucky they didn't share any ice time yet and that has mostly been due to the fact that single skater and pair skaters trained separately on a team as big as team USA.

Going For Gold by AJP_37 (Explicit | WIP | 15K)

Tags: AU Olympics, AU Swimming

Summary: Scott had just up and quit from the Olympic Swim team. 

And someway, somehow Coach thought it was acceptable to bring in Theo to take his place. 

Liam was not impressed. 

Until he was.

A Peek Inside: “But I want Scott back, I don’t want to swim with this guy.”

“Theo. His name is Theo.” Coach rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Liam when you give him the chance I’m sure he is going to be right up your alley.”

“Coach, he’s been in like three different scandals since the qualifiers.” Liam huffed, slumping down into the chair. “There was a reason why the selectors left him in college. He’s not ready for the big stage.” 

“And funnily enough that is what every single member of the team and coaching staff said about you.” Coach snapped back, leaning forward on his chair.

finding love on the offroad tracks by xTarmanderx (General | WIP | 10K)

Tags: Slow burn, Motocrossed au

Summary: When Theo Raeken is injured before a major motocross competition, his twin Tara decides to step up to the plate. While their father is overseas looking for a new rider to take over for the event, Tara begs their mother to keep it from him and let her try and race in Theo’s place. Disguising herself as Theo, she takes up the racing circuit to keep the family name attached to the event. Enter Liam Dunbar, a professional biker from a different circuit that immediately can tell Tara isn’t who she claims to be. Theo pleads with Liam to keep their secret and he agrees: on one condition.

A Peek Inside: Despite the recently added dips and new curve to the track, Theo took each challenge effortlessly and sped past his father for a second lap. This time, he risked a glance at the man and saw him shake his head, scribbling frantically down onto his clipboard. His teeth ground together and he hit the curve hard, losing momentum as he sought to right his bike. His grip grew tight, lips pinched as he committed his focus back to the track. His father may be hard on him, but he was nowhere near as unforgiving as the dirt.

Melting the Ice by ExtraSteps (Mature | Complete | 29K)

Tags: Hockey au, Scott is a prick

Summary: Liam's entire world is shaken up when Scott McCall, the captain of the Los Angeles Rams and Liam's mentor at the club, unexpectedly asks to be traded to the Dallas Stars. As Liam struggles to deal with this in both his personal and professional life, his teammate and friend, Theo Raeken, is there to help him in any way he can.

A Peek Inside: He already feels a bit better. As much as they’ve had their differences in the past, he knows that Theo would bleed for him, has in fact done so on multiple occasions, putting himself on the line to protect Liam. If anyone can make Liam feel anchored, its him.

Don’t Forget To Breathe by snaeken (Explicit | Complete | 28K)

Tags: Ice hockey, disabled character, depression, anxiety, mental health discussions, smut

Summary: Formerly a professional ice hockey player in the NHL, Theo suffered a career-ending injury on the ice which resulted in the loss of everything he held dear to him. No longer able to cope with his teammates pity, and the speculation from the media and the general public on how bad his injury really is, Theo runs away. He goes back to the hometown he left behind when he turned pro, hoping to find solace in a place which has previously caused him so much pain. After a chance encounter in a graveyard of all places, Beacon Hills local Liam Dunbar slots himself into Theo’s life, wanting to aid him in both his physical and mental recovery. Theo quickly discovers he’s not the only one who has demons, and when feelings become involved… well that’s just inevitable, isn’t it?

A Peek Inside: Even at this time of night, his phone is still blowing up on his night stand. Colleagues and fans and hecklers and press and god knows who else. He can’t bring himself to unlock it and turn off the notifications. Hopefully the battery will run dry soon. Even when he’s tried not to, he’s still seen snippets of the questions he’s getting.

[authorbarbie]

Friendly Fire

Summary: Bucky ropes you into helping him decorate for Christmas but you’re both as chaotic as each other. 

“’Eh’ is not an acceptable answer,” Bucky said adamantly.

“Yes, it is!”

“Not when my question was ‘Is this going to explode?’”

“Technicalities,” you shrugged from your crouched position on the floor and continued to make some tweaks here and there. 

Around a half hour ago, Bucky had knocked on your door on behalf of himself and his roommate Steve and asked you to help decorate their apartment for Christmas. Apparently during their own attempts last year, the boys had bickered back and forth about which decorations should be placed where and after an hour of arguing, had ended up with nothing but a mangled tree and a few measly pieces of tinsel. This year, before a word could even be said (and before Steve came home), Bucky had immediately came to your apartment across the hall to ask for your assistance.

And so, there you were; one amateur and one savant (if you did say so yourself) staring down at a pile of tangled wires and other miscellaneous trinkets that were already beginning to frustrate you to no end. You knew that the lights were most likely unsalvageable, but you didn’t want to give up right away. You’d be damned if you let them beat you.

“This damn thing,” you mumbled to herself as a bead of sweat made it’s way down your forehead.

“Listen, maybe we should leave those,” Bucky leaned over and put a hand on your arm. “I think they’re beyond saving.”

“What the hell happened to these things?” you asked with a huff.

“Uh,” Bucky scratched at the back of his neck nervously. “Our old lights got… misplaced last year so my mother gave me her spare ones. They’re probably years old by now.”

“Misplaced? How did they get misplaced?”

Bucky muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

“Huh?”

“I threw them out the window!”

You blinked. “Are you kidding me?”

“Look, Steve is a real perfectionist and he was driving me nuts!” he claimed heatedly. “So yeah, maybe I dangled them out the window and threatened him to calm down. Maybe he refused to let up and I let them fall. Whatever. You have no proof.”

“You mean other than the fact that you just admitted it?” you paused your work for a moment to make your way to the aforementioned window and squinted into the distance. “Oh my god, are they still in the tree?”

There was a pause.

“I plead the fifth?” Bucky said weakly.

“Dork,” you stated, the beginnings of a smug smile beginning to show on your lips.

Your friend rolled his eyes playfully. “Yeah, so? I’ll get them later, I promise. Now get back to work, Mrs. Claus.”

You snorted in amusement. “What does that make you? Santa? Frosty the Snowman?”

“You’re hilarious,” replied Bucky, though his tone said otherwise.

“I’m the best,” you argued.

“You know what’s not the best?” Bucky asked with a raise of his brow. “That.”

Following his pointed finger, you rolled your eyes and knelt back down to the mess. The wires to the fairy lights he had provided you with were fraying, some of the metal strands already exposed. 

“How do we know these things even work?” you questioned, successfully untangling a knot.

“Only one way to find out, I guess,” Bucky said as he stepped forward to put the plug into the socket.

“Wait, wait, Bucky don’t—”

You jumped back as a spark burst out of the hunk of junk you had been attempting (also known as ‘failing’) to fix and stumbled into Bucky’s legs. “Holy shit!”

Instantly, Bucky bent down to grab you by the upper arms and pull you into a standing position, away from the flames.

“It’s only a little bit on fire,” you said from your position behind Bucky who had an arm out in front of you to stop you from getting any closer to the sparks. “Maybe we could still use them?” One look from Bucky stopped you from continuing.

“Stay back,” he said and stripped off his jacket.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you watched him inch closer to the fire hazard.

Bucky lifted one shoulder in a shrugging motion. “Gotta stop this from escalating somehow.” 

Without another word, he quickly threw his jacket on top of the wires to smother the smoke and the two of you watched anxiously as the tiny flames that had begun to show slowly petered out.

You were safe.

For about 10 seconds.

“Bucky?” called a voice that pulled both yourself and Bucky away from the mess you had accidentally created. “What’s going on here?”

“Uh, everything is fine,” Bucky said quickly, stepping in front of the pile in a lame attempt to hide it from his friend. “Just a slight technical problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“We may have almost set your home on fire?” you supplied with a slight wince. “I mean, we didn’t. Totally. I promise... But hypothetically, that’s a thing you should probably be aware of.”

A ghost of a smile showed on Bucky’s face.

“You call a fire a ‘slight problem’?” Steve asked.

Chuckling nervously, Bucky reached up to smooth his hair out of his face. “See, when you went out earlier, I figured I could get the place Christmas ready before you came back. You know, avoid the drama of last year? I asked her to help with everything and... Turns out our lights are kind of beyond repair.”

“I noticed,” Steve said with a nod towards the still smoking pile behind the man. He sighed in resignation before making his way to the wires. “You wanna take your jacket back?”

Nodding in realisation, Bucky grabbed his jacket from the wreckage. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too badly damaged. It had a burn mark under one arm, a slight hole in a place or two (although they may have already been there) but overall, it could’ve been worse.

As Steve got to work on removing what used to be Bucky’s mother’s lights, he continued to speak. “Maybe you two should get out of here. Get some new lights?”

“Yep,” Bucky said, more than happy to leave, just as you mumbled a “Sorry, Steve.”

With a gesture of his hand, Bucky led the way as you both quickly made their exit.

Steve watched the pair leave with the ghost of a smile and a shake of his head.

“Idiots.”

 ●  ●  ●

Once you had passed the threshold of the apartment building into the cool air, you both began to laugh.

“Did that really just happen?” Bucky asked with a grin. “Did we really just cause a fire and then get away with it?”

“Steve is a very nice man,” you replied honestly. “I think we definitely owe him one now.”

“I’d say you owed me one, too.”

“What?” you asked with a small frown. “Why?”

“Look at my poor jacket!” Bucky held up his leather jacket for you to see. “What did it ever do to you?”

“I could get Wanda to fix that for you,” you offered. “Though it was kind of your own fault.”

Bucky smirked. “Would you rather I left you there to catch fire?”

“I’m not saying that it wasn’t heroic, Barnes,” you joked. “I’m just saying that you willingly damaged that jacket.”

Bucky paused in thought before pulling the jacket back on anyway. “How about we go grab the old lights from up there? I’ll give you a boost.” Without waiting for an answer, Bucky continued walking towards the tree he’d just pointed at.

You continued to grin as you quickened your pace to catch up with him. “You’re just changing the subject because you know I’m right.”

He scoffed. “I am not.”

“Are too.”

[michellemagic]

WMMAP Prompts: Volleyball

Once again, written for @athy-n-lucas and their weekly prompt event! Big thanks to @nights-of-fire who inspired the ending :)

SUMMARY: Lucas is grumpy and doesn’t know how to talk to people, Jennette has a giant crush and freaks out. This leads to getting hit by volleyballs for some reason.

WARNING: SLIGHT LANGUAGE AND I HAVE NO ACTUALLY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE OLYMPICS SO PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND (Also the ships are definitely Athy x Kiel and Lucas x Jenny, you've been warned)

It started, of course, due to Lucas’ own sour personality. 

After finishing his marathon practice- and thoroughly crushing the other swimmers- he had walked by olympic runner, Jennette Margaritta on his way back to the Olympic Village. She was a kind girl, known for being as graceful in her running as she was fast. He noted dully that she seemed to be coming back from a training set herself as he walked by her. She then waved and smiled sweetly at some unknown who was standing somewhere in his general direction and the three time gold medal swimming champion already in an awful mood walked straight past her without a second thought. 

This would turn out to be a major mistake. 

Athanasia de Alger Obelia, Obelian volleyball champion, Jennette’s cousin and Lucas’ best friend texted him later that night. She sent him the link to an article boldly titled “The Drama Brewing Between Olympic Athletes Lucas and Jennette!” which had a picture of him walked by Jennette with a sour look on his face and talked about how he had deliberately ignored his fellow athlete, she also sent several question marks and an inquiry about why he hated her cousin. 

He texted back dryly that he didn’t even know her cousin and that this was all a misunderstanding before throwing he phone hazardously to his bedside table, missing Athanasia’s string of laughing emojis. Cursing the media and their rather amazing ability to ignore any sense, he elected to ignore the entire situation until it eventually just died down. 

But of course his luck sucked and one gutsy journalist decided to ask Athanasia for her opinion on the rumors surrounding her cousin and friend. The blue eyed girl, born and raised by a literal king, gave a vague answer that went along the lines of it was really none of the media’s business what was happening between Jenny and Lucas, the two didn’t know each other for that matter. 

In every article published the next day, the press quickly twisted them not knowing each other to them calling bad blood between each other. The world now believes that Lucas hated Jennette. 

Lucas dejectedly resigned himself to the idea that life was against him.

__

Jennette had a crush.  Actually, it was worse than that, Jennette had a CrushTM.

She’s always been surrounded by attractive people, even from a young age. Her cousin was probably the prettiest person on the face of the planet and Ezekiel, fellow runner and her best friend, has eyes that could melt the heart of anyone who saw him. She was honestly under the impression that the two of them together would create the most powerful power couple known to man. She knew what pretty people looked like, and she honestly liked looking at them. So it was honestly only a matter of time before she became smitten with the aloof swimmer that was dominating his scene. 

She first saw him years before, warming up for his first meet of the season. He had a towel slung over his shoulders and was still dripping with water. She’s not ashamed to admit that her first thought when she saw him was Lord he’s hot 

Yes, technically it didn’t fit her typically stereotypical personality, but she knew beauty when she saw it.  

She doesn’t know how long she stood there staring at Lucas (she knew it was longer than what was considered socially acceptable) but when she snapped out of it she immediately went looking for her best friend. 

“Kiel! Kiel!” 

 Ezekiel Alpheus, Jeanettes best friend and fellow runner, was smart.  More than just book smart, he was people smart. Coming from a rich family meant he needed to know who everyone was, which was perfect for Jeanette at the moment. 

After some search, Jennette was able to find her best friend doing some light jogging at a nearby park.

“Kiel!” Jennette called once more, causing him to turn to her. Taking out his earbuds, he inquired, “Jenny?”

Jennette went straight to the point, “ Do you know this guy with black hair and red eyes? He is one of the swimming athletes, or maybe water polo- I’m not really sure.”

Used to Jeanette’s loud personality Ezekiel was quick to answer, ” Black hair and red eyes?”

Jennette nodded in response. Ezekiel looked thoughtful,” You’re probably talking about Lucas.”

“So you know him?” Ezekiel hummed his agreement. 

“Well yeah,” he paused to pull out his phone, swiping through the small divide before turning it to her. “He has a pretty decent social media following and we swim together sometimes.”

Jennette zero’d in on the picture Ezekiel was showing her. Good lord that man was beautiful, “This picture, I want it.”

Her friend blanched, “I’m sorry, what.”

“I want it.”

“What do you want for it,” Ezekiel watched baffled as a fire lit in Jennette. There was no stopping her now, he’s known her long enough to know that. Well, if she was going to push anyways….

“I mean…”

….

After leaving Ezekiel, Jennette was able to find Athanasia quickly. It honestly wasn’t hard, her cousin was almost always at one of the gyms close to the olympic village practicing her sets or serves. There was a small crowd watching her, mostly die hard fans but there were a few journalists as well. Perfect for her. 

“Athy!” 

Athanasia turned, breathing heavily but happily surprised at the appearance of her cousin. “Jenny! Hi, what are you doing here.”

“I needed to make a confession to you, and I couldn’t wait.”

Her cousin blinked,” Uh- Ok? What’s up?”

“Ezekiel is not just my very attentive best friend. He’s the best male runner in the competition," Jennette spoke to her cousin, her words loud and clear for the paparazzi that she knew was following them. “His abilities are truly unmatchable and you two would made beautiful babies together.”

Athanasia dropped her volleyball.

Later that night Ezekiel texted her. Going into a long rant about how he wanted her to tell Athanasia that he was interested in her and maybe brag about his skills a little bit not tell her that he wanted to have her kids. Oh well, his fault for not being more clear. 

Athanasia has also texted her, her cousin’s message much shorter than Ezekiel’s. Jenny, I don’t know what you sold your soul for, but I hope it was worth it, she followed the message using no less then five nauseous emojis. It was better than her reaction that afternoon considering she turned bright red, threw her volleyball (at Jennette! Her cousin! The nerve!), and ran away.

Blushing lightly at the picture of a smirking, bathing suit wearing Lucas, Jennette decided that, yes, it was worth it. 

__

Lucas blamed Athanasia for all of this. He knew, realistically, that it wasn’t her fault the media sucked, but he was told he couldn’t call bs on the media so ignoring his best friend was the next best option.

That didn’t deter Athanasia at all, she lovingly told him to stop sulking (he wasn’t sulking!) and sent him the link to one of her cousin’s more popular fan cites claiming that if he wanted to fix the situation the best place to start was learning more about Jennette … and he spent more time on the page than he cared to admit. 

The homepage was actually really well designed if too cutesy and bright for his taste. Lucas quickly learned that Jennette lived with Athanasia’s family most of her life (due to her parents walking out on her), her average running and qual times, her (rather decorated) track record, and that she was apparently the most adorable thing know to man - the last item didn’t actually come from an interview or study but several highly detailed fan posts that had numorous pictures and clips of Jennette doing things deemed “adorable”, all the posts ended with a comment along the lines of “BABY!” “WE MUST PROTECT THE CHILD” “PROTECT MY BABY AT ALL COSTS!!!!!” Lucas quickly realized that this was an expression of affection, not the girl’s mother under several different pseudonyms. Apparently, Jennette attracted the cute and adorable in this brutal world.

Well, Lucas wasn’t cute or adorable, but he was definitely attracted. 

__

Jennette was having a crisis. 

She made a major mistake and now the boy she had a crush on hated her. She was just trying to be nice to a fan! That was it! She didn’t know the press would catch the exact moment her eyes zero’d in on Lucas’ instead, or that they would take picture, she didn’t look that long! Afterwards, her cousin told her that of course they noticed Jenny, you’re so obvious when you stare. Cute, but obvious. (She was not!) Of course Athanasia also said it was all a big misunderstanding and that Lucas didn’t actually hate her, but Athanasia always ended to baby things down for her. Protecting her unconsciously like when they were little kids and Jennette would cry over anything and everything. 

But… her cousin wouldn’t lie to her.  Yeah, she seemed in a rush, something about practicing some sets with Ezekiel. They’ve been dating for several months now- and for the record, she did that thank you very much- and Athanasia’s head always went buzzy when she was thinking about Ezekiel. So maybe her cousin just wasn’t thinking when she told Jennette that the boy she had a massive crush on didn’t walk straight past her without a second thought and then proceed to hate Jennette for the rest of her miserable life to the point where the shame would make her have to change her name and disappear to some godforsaken place-

Buzz

Jennette groaned, stopping her mental torture, and went to check her who texted her. It was her cousin, of course.

Heads up, I think Lucas wants to meet with you. If you wanna hid out you can come join Kiel and me at the volleyball court :)))))

That was it. Jennette was going to change her name and move to Greenland. She could probably hid from her shame in Greenland.

—

Lucas had no idea where to start. He isn’t known as a loner among his group for no reason- Hell, he was only friends with Athanasia because she was a force of nature- but other than that… he has acquaintances, not friends.

How did Athanasia socialize? She threw volleyballs at people, and that helped him not at all. He could throw water at Jennette maybe, but that would probably only make things worse. Dang it, why was his only friend a damn volleyball player. Why did that volleyball player have to be his only example of how to interact with humanity. Fuck, he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to find the girl first, thinking about volleyball and Athanasia wasn’t helping.

So of course he found Jennette at the volleyball court with Athanasia. Why volleyball? Why did everything in his life always come back to volleyball. She was sitting next to Ezekiel, spinning a volleyball and chatting absentmindedly with the fellow athlete as they watched Athanasia practice.

“Lucas!”

He turned away from the two runners at Athanasia’s call. His blonde best friend was waving cheekily from where she was practicing her serves. “Go sit will Kiel and Jenny! I’m almost done!”

Yes, Opening! Lucas nodded at his friend before walking over where Ezekiel and Jennette were sitting.

 Ezekiel nodded at him, as charming and sociable as usual. “Lucas.”

“Ezekiel.” Thank god for acquaintances. He’d have no idea what people startedd conversations with without them. He then zero’d in on the jewel eyed girl sitting next to him, she looked slightly petrified. 

“You’re Jennette right? I’m Lucas.” Introductions. You were supposed to start with introductions. He took a deep breath before he continued,” Guess we’ve been a popular subject in the paper recently huh?”

“I’m sorry,” She suddenly blurted out, looking like she could burst into tears, “I know you probably hate me but I promise-“

Lucas suddenly felt a migraine coming on. How did he mess up introductions? This is why he didn’t talk to people he couldn’t help but think as he interrupted the trembling girl. “I don’t hate you”

“The press thinks you hate me.” The press also thought Lucas hated Athanasia when they first became friends, it didn’t make that true.

“I don’t.”

“But-“ Lord did this girl like to press on issues.

“If you’re so worried about the damn rumor,” Lucas stated dryly,” How about I take you out for lunch and we give the paparazzi a reason to stop thinking we hate each other.” 

Jennette, absolutely fluster by this boy -who is definitely hotter when he’s a few feet in front of her-, completely panicked at the implications of his offer. Impulsively, she threw the volleyball in her hands straight at him. Her aim rang true and the ball smacked him right in his forehead. 

Somewhere in the court, the bright sound of Athanasia’s laughter rang out and next to them Ezekiel gave a panicked yelp. That didn’t matter though as the only thing ringing in Lucas’ head was the sound of Jennette’s stuttering apology and the fact that he got hit by a damned volleyball again.

…

The next day, Athanasia sent an article titled Jennette vs Lucas: Assault with Volleyballs? to Jennette, Ezekiel sent her numerous texts questioning her on her mental help, and the young runner’s main coach was definitely setting off her phone of with inquiries on what in the world is happening Jennette. Jennette, shyly sitting across from Lucas in a quaint cafe ignored all of them.

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

home stretch kiddies.

warnings for discussion of abuse. Emile briefly discusses confronting an active shooter, but no details are used. Payton used homophobic and transphobic views. 

 Chapter Fifteen: Pompeii by Bastille

               “Your Honor.” Payton’s Lawyer stated. “Our case will not only prove that my client is a fit parent and that the plaintiffs are unfit to parent.”

               “Present your evidence.” His Honor waved his hand.

               “I would like to call to the stand Mrs. Lefant, Virgil’s English teacher, to the stand.”

               A pleasant looking lady made her way up. As she swore to tell only the truth Patton felt Virgil’s grip on his hand tighten.

               Patton silently rubbed his back. He didn’t have any words of comfort to offer. In fact, he was panicking. They didn’t have any witnesses to call up. Now it really was their word against his.

               “Mrs. Lefant,” Payton’s lawyer began. “How would you describe Mr. Foster’s relationship with his son?”

               “Well, from what I saw he absolutely doted on the boy.” She answered. “Payton was always at parent/teacher meetings, supervised class trips and brought Virgil to all his extracurriculars.”

               “Did Virgil ever express any problems with his home life?”

               “No, in fact we all asked him if anything was the matter when his grades started dropping, and he insisted that everything was fine.”

               “If I may, Your Honor,” Janus rose, much like a snake when it’s being charmed. “I would like to inquire if Mrs. Lefant noticed any bruises on Virgil or any signs of anxiety.”

               “You may.” The judge nodded.

               “Mrs. Lefant?” Janus looked straight at her.

               “Well, he was usually nervous later in the day and was very afraid whenever he had to present something to the class. And we expected that anxiety was the reason he went from A’s to F’s.”

               “That’s quite a plummet.” Janus nodded. “What did his father have to say about that?”

               “Payton insisted that everything was fine at home, he was sure that Virgil just wasn’t applying himself like he used to.” She made a face. “Mr. Foster was adamant that mental illnesses didn’t exist, and that they need to be ignored rather than treated.”

               “Did Virgil ever have any anxiety or panic attacks?” Janus glided forward.

               “Yes, he had a panic attack in the middle of a debate once.”

               “And as a mandatory reporter, if you had thought that Mr. Foster’s attitude was problematic you would have reported it.” Payton’s lawyer added quickly.

               “I did.” She replied. “But nothing came of it. So, I just assumed that I had overreacted.”

               “Meaning that Child Protective Services had deemed Mr. Foster a fit parent after all.” Payton’s lawyer finished off.    

               “I suppose.” She nodded.

               “No further questions, Mrs. Lefant.” Payton’s lawyer nodded.

               “Mr. Pent, do you have further questions?” The judge asked.

               “No, Your Honor.”

               “Then.” Payton’s lawyer added. “We shall call our next witness.”

               “Another one.” Virgil whispered shakily. “I’m screwed.”

               “It’s ok, baby. It’s gonna be ok.” Patton shushed.

               Payton brought up several more of Virgil’s former teachers. They all stated that Payton doted on Virgil and that they had no idea that any abuse was going on. Janus asked each of them if they noticed any bruising on Virgil or had any indication that he was anxious. They all agreed that they thought he had anxiety and that Payton insisted that he did not.

               The pattern was broken when Virgil’s old wrestling coach came to the stand.

               “Mr. Seller.” Jan cross examined. “Virgil mentioned that he quit wrestling, do you have any idea why?”

               “Virgil was being teased by the other boys.” Mr. Seller replied. “I tried my best to put a stop to it, but in the end he just quit.”

               “Why were they teasing him? Was he not good at the sport?”

               “No, he was fantastic, and he really seemed to enjoy it. The teasing started after his father came to pick him up one day.”

               “Oh, so they teased him because his dad always came to get him. And that made him a kind of daddy’s boy in their opinion?”

               “No, actually that was the first time Payton had picked him up from practice. Before that, Virgil had always gone home on the late bus.”

               “So, why would they tease him?” Janus bobbed like a dancing cobra.

               “Payton let it slip that Virgil had a bedwetting problem. And of course, we all know how kids are.”

               “Odd that he would bring up something so personal the first time he ever came to a practice.” Janus tapped his fingers together.

               “I found it a bit weird as well. Virgil clearly wasn’t comfortable with him bringing it up. But Payton came off as a bit naive at times, so we all assumed that he didn’t mean any harm.”

               “Did you find it odd that Virgil was wetting the bed at that age? Isn’t that a serious symptom of emotional distress?”

               “Of course. But when I asked him if everything was alright at home, he was very adamant that everything was fine. And he refused to talk about the bedwetting altogether.”

               “Did you find that odd?”

               “Yes, but I assumed that he was just embarrassed.”

               “So, just to make sure I have this all down.” Jan smiled. “Virgil was on the wrestling team, Payton was not involved in that, and the only time Payton shows up he lets out some very embarrassing information. Am I correct?”

               “Yes.”

               “Did Payton do anything to counter this bullying that happened?”

               “No.” Mr. Seller looked surprised. “Not that I know of.”

               “Interesting.” Janus slid back to their table. “No further questions.”

               “What else do you have for your case?” The judge looked to Payton and his lawyer.

               “We have evidence that will cast doubt on the credibility of both Mr. Foster and Mr. Berry as well as Dr. Picani and their lawyer.”

               “Ok.” Janus sighed, rising to his feet. “Your Honor, if I may hazard a guess, they are going to bring to light an incident in which my then boyfriend got himself high on mushrooms while we were camping with some friends. I myself remained sober, and had my face bashed in for my troubles.”

               “Are you?” His Honor looked at them.

               “Yes, Your Honor.” Payton’s lawyer nodded. “But I was also going to bring to light that after graduating law school, Mr. Janus Pent, changed his name.”

               “Your Honor.” Ethen added. “I used to be a woman. I changed the spelling of my name from j-a-n-i-c-e to J-a-n-u-s. The earlier spelling didn’t really suit me anymore.”

               Patton felt himself blush and looked around at everyone else. They looked uncomfortable too.

               “In that case, Janice couldn’t commit to a gender, doesn’t that raise questions about “his” credibility?” Payton added.

               “No.” Judge Douglass said. “What else do you have to say?”

               “As stated earlier, Mr. Berry is on the Autistic spectrum.” Payton’s lawyer tried to save face.

               “And this makes him an unfit parent why?” He looked confused.

               “People on the spectrum have difficultly taking care of themselves, you couldn’t in good conscience let one have a child.”

               “Mr. Berry.” The judge looked at Logan. “Stand up please.”

               Logan rose.

               “What do you do for work?” Judge Douglassr asked.

               “I teach a high school statistics class, Your Honor.” Logan said stoically.

               “Has being Autistic ever hindered you in any way?”

               “I don’t understand metaphors or sarcasm. Aside from that I am fully able to take care of myself. I worked my way through college and made passing grades.”

               “Are you violent or suicidal?” The judge asked.

               “No, Your Honor.”

               “That is all, be seated.”

               Logan sat back down. He looked at Janus for help.

               “We’re doing pretty good.” Janus whispered to them. “I think he’s almost done.”

               “We also have proof that the younger Mr. Foster was diagnosed and takes medication for clinical depression. And that he is prone to sleepwalking.”

               “So?” His Honor said blankly.

               “So, susceptibility to that kind of diagnosis is telling of how gullible my brother is.” Payton added. “You wouldn’t hand a child over to a man who sent money to a Nigerian prince, so how is this any different? His so-called illness shows a weakness of character.”

               “Mr. Pent.” Judge Douglass looked down at him. “That’s stupid. Is that all you had to discredit your brother with?”

               “No, Your Honor.” Payton said. “Patton went to pieces after our mother passed away. I was worried for Virgil’s safety, so I left with him. And ended contact with my brother.”

               “Why were you worried for your son’s safety?” The judge sighed.

               “Patton was unstable, and I couldn’t be sure that he didn’t, well, put Mom out of her misery, so to speak.”

               Patton tried to jump up, but Virgil was in his lap.

               “Objection Your Honor.” Janus jumped to his feet. “That is unwarranted slander.”

               “Hold on.” His Honor put a finger up. “You mean to tell me that you suspected your brother of murder and did nothing?”

               “Well… I… didn’t think he’d do it again.” Payton stumbled.

               “Then why was your son in danger?”

               “I…”

               “Objection sustained.” The judge looked at Janus.

               “Furthermore.” Payton continued. “Logan was kicked out of his parent’s house because he wouldn’t get a job.”

               “Logan’s financial records show that he was working at CVS from the age of sixteen until he was twenty-three. He was the assistant manager by the time he left to pursue teaching.” Janus countered. “Records also show that his parents disowned him when he came out as gay. There is a police report of the assault.”

               “Was that your final claim?” The judge looked deeply unimpressed.

               “We would also like to call to question the dependability of Dr. Picani, seeing as he both diagnosed Virgil and cleared Mr. Foster, the younger one, and Mr. Berry for adoption. Records prove that Dr. Picani, during his residency, stabbed someone.”

               Judge Douglass growled in his throat.

               “Dr. Picani, please stand up.” He sighed.

               Emile stood up sheepishly.

               “For the benefit of the court and to keep anyone else from bringing it up today, would you please tell the story?”

               “While I was a resident at the hospital, a man came in with a gun. He was unstable and openly firing at people. I was trying to get people out of the hallway, and he came across me and a patient. He aimed at us, so, I stepped in front of my patient and tried to talk him down. Then I stabbed him in the ear with a pen. He dropped the gun and I took it. Security took him away.”

               “What was the official verdict of the stabbing?”

               “Self-defense.” Emile said, fidgeting with his tie. “I got a medal.”  

“Very good, you can sit down now.” The judge looked back at Payton and the lawyer. “I assume you read the police report. So, why, after reading this report, did you think it would help your case?”

“In my defense your honor,” The lawyer said. “Confronting a shooter unarmed is not exactly the psychological profile of a stable individual.”

“Neither is yours.” The judge said flatly. “Custody is awarded to Mr. Foster and Mr. Berry.”

His honor hit his hammer on the desk thing.  

“Wait, that’s all?” Patton mumbled as they stood up.

“We had more than enough.” Logan put his arm around him. “I told you.”

Virgil looked between them as if he were entranced.  

“You were very brave up there, sweetie.” He pulled his anxious baby into a hug.

With shaking hands, Virgil grabbed his jacket and clutched it until his knuckles showed.

“Virgil,” Logan put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you understand what just happened?”

Virgil nodded from inside Patton’s jacket and Patton felt him go limp in his arms.

“I think he fainted again.” Patton tightened his grip.

“I’m still here.” Virgil mumbled. “I-I can’t feel my legs.”

“Yeah, he’s having a panic attack.” Logan nodded, feeling Virgil’s forehead. “We should get him home.”

Nodding in agreement, Patton picked Virgil up bridal style. He was a little heavy, but still only about a hundred pounds.

“I can walk.” Virgil protested dizzily.

No one really acknowledged his saying that for many reasons. The most obvious being that it clearly wasn’t true. They walked outside and Patton set Virgil on one of the steps. He had hoped that the fresh air would be good for him, but it was summer in Florida and the air was so thick that you could see it.

Once he was sitting down Virgil put his head between his knees and continued to gasp and cough.

“Are you ok baby?” Patton asked rubbing his back.

“Yeah…” He strained. “I’m fine.”

“Ok.” Logan pressed a pill into Virgil’s hand. “Take this.”

Virgil silently complied and Logan handed him a bottle of water.

“You two and water.” Virgil snorted.

“Water is a natural tranquilizer, and the most necessary thing for the human body second only to air.”

Virgil slammed half the bottle and put the lid back on.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

“What in the world are you sorry for?” Patton pulled his anxious baby into his lap.

“I wasn’t supposed to freak out.” Virgil slumped into him. “I think I was supposed to be ecstatically happy or something.”

“Are you happy?” Logan asked, untying Virgil’s tie and unbuttoning his collar.

“Yes, I can’t remember ever being happier.” Virgil scoffed.

“Then what’s the problem?” Patton asked, punctuating it with a kiss.

“No one is asking you start singing songs from Annie.” Logan pushed his bangs back. “We both just want you to be content that it’s over now.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Virgil laughed. “It’s finally over.”

With that said, Virgil wrapped his arms around Patton like an octopus and started sobbing. Roman appeared and took a picture of the three of them on his phone.

“Really?” Logan looked at him blankly.

“Yes. The framing was perfect, and we need something for Patton’s scrap books.” Roman justified.

“It’s ok sweetie.” Patton cooed. “I know it’s a lot to take in. But now you have two dads instead of one rotten dad.”

Patton paused as the weight of what he had just said hit him. He was a dad! He had a baby now! Virgil really was his dark strange son! His baby, their baby! He and Logan both, they were dads now!

“Logan.” Patton squeaked, feeling tears already trailing down his cheeks. “We’re parents!”

“I realize that.”

“We have a son!”

“I know, I was there.” Logan laughed.

“We have a son, and his name is Virgil, and he’s ours! He’s our son!”

Logan wrapped his arms around both of them and started laughing. Roman took a picture of that too.

“Why are we laughing?” Virgil sniffed, pulling his head out of Patton’s chest.

“Because we’re happy.” Logan said quickly, ruffling Virgil’s hair.

“Are we now?” Virgil teased.

Patton put Virgil’s chin in his hands and peppered his face with dozens of tiny kisses.

“We’re as happy as we’ve ever been before.” He sniffled.  

“I am too.” Virgil sighed, nestling himself into Patton’s chest again.

[gwenore]

The Demon’s Opera house. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Christine goes out to the town with Meg and Raoul. 

Note:  I really am enjoying the idea of Raoul and Meg together. They both seem to have a sense of adventure and such... or at least in the musical that is. With her being in pants for the ending scene having lead the mob and all that.

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Raoul stood in the opera hall where he waited for Christine and her friend. He had been very surprised when he received Christine’s letter by the evening post. Pleasant surprise that was for certain, but he was still rather concerned about her reaction. Then there were Meg’s story about this “angel of music”.

All of this… it did not feel like the Christine he had known back then.

But… it had been so long since then. He had changed since then, and he could not expect her to be the same…

Still… to see her like that…

He was certain that he had to figure out just who this angel was and then… well… best focus on just finding out who he was…

The fact that Christine’s best friend didn’t even know… that was… strange. Why wouldn’t Christine confide in her friend even, even if the relationship weren’t exactly… proper?

He continued to wander the large stage hall. He had to admit he did not have much knowledge when it came to music, but he had been in several opera houses before… but this one… it was truly astonishing.

What drew him closer was the large pillars. He had thought they were black marble, and reaching out the fingers he found that this was indeed wrong.

It was glass, but blackened from the inside.

“Monsieur?”

He spun around to see Meg standing there.

“Ah Miss Giry! How wonderful to see you again! Have you seen Christine?” he questioned.

“She said she will be down in a minute, told me to tell you,” the ballet dancer said.

“Oh… wonderful. I am glad. Especially as… well with yesterday…” he said with a soft sigh.

“She seems happier today… we should just enjoy each other’s company. I am certain that is for the best at the moment,” she explained. Raoul nodded in agreement.

“I believe you are correct…” he said with a happy tone.

“Hmm… I have to ask… do you happen to know why this opera house have these glass pillars? I cannot say that I have seen anything like it…” Raoul leaned himself against the back of some of the seat.

Meg glanced over it, letting out a soft hum.

“Well…” she began. “You know the legend right?”

“What legend? Wait… the demon one?” he asked.

“Yes… the story goes that the architect made this opera house with the help of a demon… no one knows how he made it, the charts are all gone. But everyone remember the opening night as the primadonna song and fire roared through these pillars to light up the demon’s eyes. My mother told me about it. She was a dancer back then and said it was a spectacle to behold!” Meg exclaimed.

“Certainly sounds like it… but wait… the demon’s eyes?” he had to question.

“Yes… you can still see them,” Meg pointed up towards the chandelier and sure enough Raoul could see the half moon domes of blackened glass just beyond.

“Must have been quite the sight… but… why isn’t it used anymore… I mean I can imagine it being a fire hazard, but…” Raoul muttered.

“No one knows how to light it. I have heard people say there is some mechanism below the opera house, but…” Meg shrugged her shoulders. “I think the architect took that secret with him to the grave… but… they would still light up when the primadonna sang…” Meg pondered slightly.

“Primadonna? Why then?” Raoul asked further.

“Well… no one knows. Some say it was her demon lover who lit the stage for her… she was the architect’s sister you know, but… apparently she had some affair, with a demon it is said, and gave birth to something awful. It is said it still lurks in this very theater,” it was a story that Meg and the ballet dancers had told among themselves more than once. Raoul had to let out a soft scoff.

“People do not truly believe there was a demon designing this building? And that his son now roam the halls? Sounds to me like some sort of cruel story about a primadonna who had a child out of wedlock…” he shook his head slowly.

“You sound like Christine, she said the same,” Meg said with a soft sigh.

“Must say I am a tad surprised, she always had an imagination which could run away with her… but then again we have grown quite a bit since then,” he said a soft sigh. “And yourself…? What do you believe?”

Meg twinned her fingers slightly.

“I mean… THERE have been odd things happening…” she said with an embarrassed tone.

“In a big opera house like this? Of course… but again… if the primadonna indeed got herself into that situation I feel for both her and the child… hard enough without the man being branded as a demon… not that he wasn’t foul if he did such a thing, but evil resides in the hearts of man after all. We need no aid to do evil sadly…” Raoul glanced around.

Meg nodded with a sigh pausing a bit before speaking again. “Still thinks it was odd that that Englishman claimed that he burned himself at our piano. I mean… odds are that he put his fingers on a stove when drunk or something… but one would think a pianist would be more careful with their fingers… even if he wasn’t all that good…”

“I have seen drink make men do some unbelievable things…” though even for Raoul that sounded odd. “Has… anyone else claimed to get burned on the piano?”

“Not as such… but… well if someone doesn’t do well… things really tend to happen to them. Like… strange things. Us ballet dancers say that they pissed of the demon and they are getting punished… honestly it happens all the time…” Meg shook her head. “I have seen people be terrified after they misplay just in case the demon is going to get them… most of the times it happens too!”

Raoul had to furrow his brow. Certainly… in some cases it could be explained away by accidents… but if it truly happened that often… perhaps there was a cause?

He still did not believe in demons, but…

A clever enough man could be just as dangerous as a demon.

“But your mother… you say she was here when the primadonna sang and these pillars were lit… then can she not say what went on during the time? Surely she must know that the child born wasn’t some demon!” Raoul insisted. Meg shook her head.

“She refuse to speak of it. And if you know my mother you will know that getting her to speak about anything she doesn’t want to, not even the devil is going to make her speak!” she insisted.

Raoul had only seen the esteemed Madam Giry once before, and that was enough to make him not doubt that statement for even a second.

“Certainly sounds like something is going on… but I don’t believe it is some sort of demon wandering the halls,” he then sighed, but within him the lust for adventure and a mystery reared its head.

In fact having been stuck in Paris after his adventures at his travels… it had been rough on him. In truth… he had started to feel trapped.

And even if he was certain that he did not believe that there was an actual demon… perhaps he could discover something…

At least it could keep him occupied.

“Well then Miss Giry… perhaps we should try to discover the truth about the accidents in this opera house…” he said with a grin towards her. Meg cocked her head slightly, before she smiled.

“Sounds like a plan.”

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Christine was surprised to see her two friends wrapped in conversation. Their light countenance truly was the antithesis to the abyss which she had been stuck in.

She had to rub over her ring which was now hidden under a pair of white silken gloves. Meg had already seen it… but she knew Raoul would question it further…

After all… how could she explain it?

However she decided that she would enjoy this day out the sun… with them, even if she no longer could truly belong to it.

Yes… she would enjoy this. This she promised herself.

“Raoul! Meg! Please forgive me for being late!” she said as she ran up to them and they greeted her excitedly, all three unaware that their excited plans were being overheard from a shade resting in one of the boxes.

The demon leaned his head back as he watched his love rush out of his kingdom to a place that he could not follow.

Full of sun… and laughter… and them… him… that… insolent boy!

He closed his eyes, letting out a tense breath to his nose as he attempted to still the jealousy burning in him.

His clawed thumb slowly caressed the ring… the sign that she was promised to him… that she was his.

However… already he could feel her missing from this opera house… and it was already empty without her.

Languishing there Erik let out a soft hum, a soft tone filling the opera hall as he longed for her return.

[prorevenge]

Former nerd destroys bully's life

This is a story about my older sister. My sister is a super kind and smart person. In high school, she was a typical “nerd”. Never really cared about her clothes really and stuck to her studies and extra-curricular. Her general style was pulling her hair in a pony-tail, jeans, shirt and sweater/jacket. In her class, there were a group of popular girls that made it their life job to make my sister’s life miserable. Think real-life Mean Girls (Regina George and all). Every time I talked to her about it, I could tell in her eyes it hurt her but she just told me she was ok and she’ll just keep ignoring them. One day, Regina and her minions, spread a rumor about my sister being a slut. Telling everyone she acts innocent but has actually slept with a bunch of guys and even hit on teachers. This rumor spread to all of the students and the staff. I texted my sister when I heard about it and she told me she was fine but when I saw her at home later that night, it was obvious she had been crying. The school called my parents about the whole ordeal. The administration knew that it was all B.S. but still had to do investigate since it involved teachers. My sister and even the administration knew who would spread this kind of rumor, but there was no proof since it was all word of mouth. The teachers knew that those group of girls were not nice but they never did anything this messed up before. My sister confronted Regina and all she said was, “you are a loser and losers deserve a crappy life. Deal with it!”

My sister went on to graduate as the class valedictorian and went to Cambridge in the UK for her undergraduate and graduated magna cum laude and then went to Harvard Law. She worked for a few years at some big law firm but eventually started her own practice back in the area we grew up in with her now husband.

One day she gets a mother and her daughter into her office and asks about suing the landlord of the apartment complex the mother was living in. They said that the premises have not been upkept, has hazardous living conditions and repairs are rarely done and when they are done, they’re not done well. For example, when a water pipe burst, the plumber didn’t replace any of the old pipes and instead just patched with adhesives like duct tape and gorilla tape because the to fully repair the ordeal would take a few days so the management company just patched it up. My sister goes on to find out that the management company is owned none other than by Regina’s family and that the complex had been falling apart ever since Regina’s father retired and Regina decided to take over despite not knowing how to run the company. Over the course of a few months, my sister found out that it was not just this one complex but three out of the four complexes the company managed were in terrible condition and my sister’s firm was able to get about 60% of the residents to file for a class action lawsuit. The list of things that were messed up in these places was astronomical. The fire sprinkler system didn’t work, a huge backlog of repairs needed to be done in the apartments, signs of mold were even sprouting in certain areas with more moisture, and rodent infestation. The only thing they didn’t have were termites. On top of that, there were reports of multiple break-ins in the complexes as the security contractors were no longer working for them. Everything was documented with pictures, police reports and sworn witness statements from current and previous tenants, contractors previously hired, previous employees, and expert witnesses. The case mounted against Regina’s company was basically ironclad. My sister never forgot that rumor and if there was even an opportune moment for her to get back at Regina, it would be now so my sister made it her mission to get anything and everything out of Regina for wronging these people. Initially, Regina's attorneys wanted to settle out of court but since Regina was stubborn and also not too bright, she didn’t want to settle and decided to fight back. As the defendant, Regina’s claim was that all of the problems were caused by the plaintiffs and they were trying to fraud her.

Case eventually went to trial, despite Regina’s attorney wanting to settle out of court. On the first day of court, my sis was nervous about Regina recognizing her, however, it seemed like Regina didn’t remember her at all. Throughout the trial, my sister’s firm produced expert witness after expert witness about how all the damage to the property was caused by negligence and any repairs that were done, were not done properly. Former employees testified how Regina cut costs by reducing critical maintenance staff and expecting the left-over staff to take care of everything. When they couldn’t keep up with the backlog, she fired the people and hired unqualified replacements. The only complex that was maintained well was the one she lived in and she spared no expense to remodel her unit with new appliances and luxuries and also had a bunch of her friends live there too either discounted heavily or free.

At the end of the trial, Regina was found guilty on all accounts and ordered to fix everything or the complexes will be shut down. The judge also ordered that no one was allowed to live there while the repairs were being made so she had to pay for all of the current tenants’ relocation to hotels AND the repairs for an entire month. There were over 300 residents. The costs for everything would cost Regina over $2 million dollars, assuming they don’t find more things wrong and need to extend the repairs. If she had just settled with the plaintiffs, in the beginning, it would have cost her less than $500k. Regina broke down outside of the courthouse and was screaming at her attorneys. When she caught sight of my sister, she ran over and started screaming obscenities at her. My sister put up a hand to quiet her and said to her face, “you are a loser, and losers deserve a crappy life. Deal with it.” And walked away. Regina’s face got bright red for a moment and then the light bulb finally went off, as she realized who my sister is. The same nerd girl she bullied and has now destroyed her life.

Aftermath. Regina’s dad had zero idea of what was going on. After he retired, he moved to out of the country to live abroad and by the time he found out the company he built was falling apart, it was a bit too late. He eventually came back to fire Regina and re-establish his company and hired the right people to run the company.

(source) story by (/u/edwadokun)