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seyaryminamoto · 3 years ago

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Underneath Starlit Skies: Sokkla Saturdays 2021

Day 8: Prince Sokka, Peasant Azula

(AKA: My Sokkla Dragon Age: Origins AU)

Once again, the story is too long to fit in Tumblr.... so proceed to read it at the site you prefer:

On FF.net//On AO3

A few tidbits of info about this AU below...

A very long time ago, a certain someone (*cough*@intolerabletyranny *cough*) thought to tell me that I should play Dragon Age: Origins because the banter between two companion characters of that game reminded her of Sokka and Azula. Said characters are Alistair and Morrigan, two of the main characters of the first game of the franchise... and some of the most important characters in the franchise altogether, if you ask me xD

Unfortunately, while the game absolutely allows you to set them up together for a certain scene in the last quests, and while it has soooo many golden lines of banter and dialogue between these two, they're both romance options for the player character rather than for each other. Which is, frankly, a really big waste because Alistair and Morrigan, together, could have had the most interesting romance in the whole franchise if you ask me :'D There are a few things I didn't really do in this story that I absolutely love about those two in game, such as giving Morrigan a little doll that looks like Alistair and that she can use to poke fun of Alistair in... rather surprising ways xD But there was no room for it in this already massive story, of course.

So, when the Prince Sokka and Peasant Azula prompt won, I had no idea what to do at first... until I remembered that my favorite ship in DA is basically that prompt for those two XD my fate was sealed then, because I knew I had to write what could have happened between Alistair and Morrigan through Sokka and Azula instead.

What followed was a wild mess of trying to figure out how to mix and match the characters from ATLA and the ones from DA:O until I got a proper cast for this story. Naturally, I couldn't have an actual player character Warden, whose true identity in this AU remains a mystery even for me xD Sokka, then, basically took the roles of both the player character, aka the Warden and Alistair, all by himself. A lot of Alistair's more goofy, childish antics were dismissed in order to give Sokka a proper balance between Alistair and the Warden here, thus why certain storylines of Alistair's don't happen here at all (such as Goldanna, who, via later Bioware storytelling, is practically an irrelevant character to Alistair at this point in time anyway...).

As for Azula, she may be a little less abrasive than Morrigan at several points, I did hold her back from slapping Sokka at one point where Morrigan does slap the Warden in the game's infamously cut "angry kiss scene" xD but a lot of her characterization here is outright taken from Morrigan in DA:O. The majority of her conflicts with Sokka over love are practically 100% borrowed from DA:O's canon, but I took a few liberties here and there, anyway :'D

Sadly, Sokka being in Alistair's role meant Katara had to be Cailan, and anyone who played the game knows what that meant. I didn't want Katara to feel like a dumbass the way Cailan does in DA:O, so I deliberately altered the dialogues where Loghain dismisses Cailan here, so that Iroh doesn't disrespect Katara that badly. As for Iroh being such a messed up gray character... that's 100% on Loghain xD I didn't embellish anything, it's completely a matter of the choices made by Loghain himself in DA:O. Sokka, being a mix of Warden and Alistair, gets to agree to Iroh's Joining without throwing a fit about it (?) and Zuko is a much less unpleasant Anora in many ways, it just didn't feel right to portray him being as much of a politically-savvy and sleazy character as Anora can be (I made every awful choice I could have in my first playthrough to see the very WORST of Anora, I swear I did... xD and I made her queen anyway! It's so unfair that she was so mean to me xD).

About Mai and her portrayal here... given that the qunari have such strict gender roles and that Dragon Age: Inquisition, third installment of the franchise, presented qunari characters like Iron Bull who accepted a trans man as a warrior without question, I decided that Mai, being the absolute most similar ATLA character to Sten, would have to be a trans man in this story as well in order to stay true to the lore. It was done because the setting really required it, a female qunari is not really allowed to be a warrior. If Sten isn't a warrior, he would never be in Ferelden when the Blight begins, so... that's why I did what I did.

And as for Toph, due to her casting as Shale, a golem who doesn't really identify as anything at first (as far as I can remember), this was a non-binary portrayal of Toph as well. In a game quest that I didn't feature in the story, Shale learns that they were actually a female dwarf in their squishy lifetime, which means that Toph might have eventually started identifying as female, but as we didn't have that part of the story in the story here, I continued to refer to Toph as they/them for authenticity's sake.

Suki was cast as Oghren but she's a little less disastrous than him xD I didn't want Suki to come off as a major alcoholic with rage management issues, but I didn't want to deviate completely from Oghren's role anyway. So she's possibly one of the characters who's most like herself... whereas Jet practically transformed completely into Zevran xD I couldn't help it, I love Zevran to pieces and Jet made a really fun Zevran to write too. Ty Lee and Leliana are remarkably similar as well, sans the religious thing in Ty Lee's case. There were a few easy casting choices, the last two were some of them... and Yagoda, the elderly healer lady from the Northern Water Tribe, a character I literally have NEVER written before, was also an easy choice for Wynne xD

Another character worth explaining a bit... is Ursa. She is possibly the most distant character from her ATLA portrayal because I turned her into Flemeth, a very iconic, very dangerous and very difficult character to grasp in DA. Flemeth is actually a seriously dangerous being, I don't want to spoil things in case anyone decides to play them xD but Azula, and so, Morrigan, are very right to be wary of their respective mothers. Flemeth isn't all evil, however, and neither is Ursa... but they somehow manage to make themselves look SO BAD to their daughters that I honestly can't blame Morrigan in the slightest for wanting nothing to do with her mother in DA XD at any rate, I may get a chance to somewhat-redeem Ursa if I continue this story in future Sokkla Saturdays...

... Which leads me to my final point to bring up, and that is Aang: there's a reason Aang wasn't in this story at all, and that's because he's the absolutely PERFECT character to correlate with a very polemic character from Dragon Age: Inquisition. Honestly, it's a no-brainer there xD if I continue this story, Aang will likely feature as that character, and it may just be the darkest Aang I've EVER written. Just so you know that it's not that I forgot him, it's really just that Aang has a very dark destiny in this AU XD

At any rate, there's more notes in the chapter itself, and I'm always ready to answer any questions you guys may have pertaining this insanely big AU :D It was a lot of fun to write, it is RIDICULOUSLY long, but I really hope you guys enjoy it if you give it a shot! :)

#sokkla #sokka #azula #sokkla saturdays #FF.net was a pain with formatting this #worth saying #and Tumblr's being a dumbass too so what else is new #anyway to my Zutarian readers #I do apologize that my first take on your ship was this sad #but I did my best to handle it as respectfully as possible and not make Katara that much of a Cailan #beyond that I think the notes address most everything I wanted to say #I had a lot of fun #I loved writing my every Morristair dream for Sokkla #they are both A++++++ ships and work so well together *sobs*#and it got completely out of my control #I am hoping I may continue this with DAI + what the 10~ish years were like #but tbh basing things off the stuff Morrigan says in DAI #the years of crossroads child raising for her and the Warden were great #*innocent whistling*#oh this was fun #though I'm sure the sequel wouldn't be this long xD

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belle-keys · 4 years ago

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I Love Matthew Fairchild aka Incoherent Thoughts about Chain of Iron (2021) by Cassandra Clare

I made one of these rant-rave reviews for SJM's book so check it out if you want, no pressure tho lmao.

Aight so I finished Chain of Iron last night and OMG I HAVE TO YELL like I loved it sooo much like yooo, I have a lot to say. I know the book is new so... beware for spoilers plebs.

Also context: I been reading the Shadowhunter books since I was 12 and I'm 19 now *insert dead emoji face* so yeah, I'm just so happy rn with where the Chronicles have come and the fact that they’re still ongoing *insert uwu face*. I remember when in like 2014-2015 or something when Cassandra Clare teased that Will and Tessa's kids' generation was gonna get a trilogy set in Edwardian London, loosely based on Great Expectations, and holy hell? I think that was perhaps one of the best days of my life considering how much I adore The Infernal Devices (that trilogy really changed the way I see YA literature... don't ask cus I won't shut up about it) (also yes I read TMI and loved it too but there's a “generation gap” between TMI and the other Shadowhunter books stylistically so don't ask me about that either cus I also won't shut up).

Anyway, shoo from here if you want a critical essay on Chain of Iron. I'm not providing that, this is just me raving here for the fun.

Listen... I want the bulk of this to just be two main things: The Matthew Situation, and then all the literary and judeo-christian meta aspects of it.

BUT I ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE SO FRICK LET'S JUST START WITH THE OBVIOUS SHIT LIKE THE PLOT AND WHATEVER

Okay, the plot and writing and shit, let's get that out of the way:

The WHOLE Jack-the-Ripper-esque ambiance was just sooooo good man wow like I did not expect the book to take this cold turn but it worked so well. There was such a contrast between Jamie and Cordelia's warm little house and then the cold winter and the stabbings and shit and it felt like a nice little callback to the actual Ripper phenomenon that preceded them and a nod to the Whitechapel Fiend story from Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

Bitch OFC that whole thing with Wayland was a set-up like nawww that was too easy to spot and I get why Cordelia feels like shit about it.

Dawg Lucie was just the Among Us imposter here in that my girl was just venting and sneaking around with dead people and I was like nooooo girl run, don't deal with Fade this is a set-up THINK ABOUT JULES LUCIE THAT'S LIKE YO GREAT-GRANDSON *sobs* but yeah anyway my girl has death powers she gonna kill some bitches next book.

You see that confrontation between Lilith and Belial? MASTERPIECE DIALOGUE like this was the point within which I was just like "yo is this the book of Genesis or a YA Fantasy novel" like when Lilith said "I may have been cast out but I did not fall" like??????????????????? I YELLED she did not have to END Belial like that. What a bad bitch.

More on Lilith and Belial... "You, who brought nations into darkness? Shall I finally be able to tell the infernal realms you have gone mad, lost even the image of the Creator." HAHAHHAHAHA SHE SAID "YO BELIAL GO GET SOME THERAPY AND GET OFF MY ASS" LIKE??????

Ughhhh yasss Clare has improved writing diverse characters in this book compared to in The Dark Artifices in my opinion... I'm not gonna expand on it cus ain't nobody got time for that but like, I enjoyed how she wove Persian poetry and tales into the story and the way in which she writes Cordelia and Alistair. They're not caricatures of Persian people but rather multi-faceted beings who also happen to be Persian and I appreciate that. Also, Alistair and Thomas and Anna and Ariadne were just so fun and interesting to read as coupbles but also as individuals. She really higlighted diversity in a very natural manner. All I need is a hijabi character and I’ll die a happy woman lmao.

The level of META man like the references to Classics and art (I swear, she might have compared Matthew to angels out of Caravaggio AND Rosetti AND Boticelli paintings and I Am Living For It) and just all the quotes from holy books and shit omg I love it here like you really feel catapulted into the time period, she draws reference to external art and philosophy so well and I feel like she upped the notch on it in this book (didn’t know that was possible but it was the prose is BEAUTIFUL, archaic, but not pretentiously so). No, like the characters live in their OWN worlds of literature and art and history in the way we are living in THEIRS. They quote Wilde and Milton while we'll quote Clare. It's awesome.

This is an unusually structuralist take even from me but: I like the way the milieu social of the book, i.e., the high society Edwardian circles and their values, have a direct influence on the plot. James and Cordelia got married because society’s values essentially forced them to, not a demon. Cordelia abandons Jamie at the end of Iron because her shame as a woman in society and fear for her reputation made her, not a demon. Thomas and Alistair can't be together solely because of how Alistair tarnished the reputation of the Fairchilds and Lightwoods by using the horror of infidelity against them. Issues relating to marriage, gender roles, etc, stemming DIRECTLY from the time period rule the sequence of events to the same degree as the epic fantasy aspects (demons, Princes of Hell, the lore itself) do and I LOVE that dear God above.

OKAY THE GOOD SHIT LET US TALK ABOUT CHARACTERS AND SHIPS (N.B. but imma discuss Matthew and the Fairstairs situation separately below this portion):

Alistair's redemption arc: No, cus Alistair's redemption arc is honestly amazing. He really did change and it's not like his betterment as a person was linked to any one heroic deed but rather he simply decided he wanted to be better especially for his family and he decided to become a proper protective son, a caring brother, and an amiable friend. He fully owned up to his Malfoy tendencies and apologized without expecting forgiveness. He shows how he cares in the little ways and omg it's so sweet and tender. I really do want him to love himself now and be embraced by Matthew especially and the rest of the Thieves.

Dawg Lucie and Jesse are so funny to me like it's so hilarious how this girl fell in love with a whole ass ghost that no one else knows about like HHAHA. Are Lucie and Jesse my ult ship ever? Nah, but it's nothing to do with Clare, it's just that their relationship happened pretty quick and feels quite like something epicly romantic that Lucie herself would write. I just like slow burn and friends-to-lovers the most from Clare. To be honest part of me just wanted Lucie to not have a romantic arc all together but like, it's all good, I'm not complaining.

Okay Grace- like yooooooooooo I never hated her yunno. She has been abused and isolated all her life. It's not that she is a bad person, but rather that she does not know what being a person even entails. Can't even say she's a “doll” of a person cus she's never even been pampered like one by her family. I really started understanding her motivations since when they gave us her half-childhood with Jesse. I want better for her but cmon can she REALLY be saved???

GRACE X CHRISTOPHER *pretends to be shocked*... Okay, sometime in the middle of the Dark Artifices series some big brain put together a very thorough family tree of the families and like, it clearly showed that Grace and Christopher got married so like, lmfaooooo, I knew this was coming one way or another, but the journey to this ship is more important than the destination. Like in a way Christopher is such a cute baby lamb that it makes sense he'd end up being immune to her Grace-ness when he's just a cute little Einstein boiii. Like this is just so funny to me cus he's so oblivious to social conventions while she makes the milieu social her entire life so OFC it's gonna work. Like, this is such a worlds-colliding trope like just Give It To Me.

James and Grace - aw mannn Jamie just had me fricking wanting to hit a wall every two seconds cus like yooooooo every single time I think he and Cordelia are gonna stop being emotionally-constipated spouses, Jamie says some kinda shit like "omg me and Daisy are just friends uwu" like DO I NEED TO HIT YOU?????????? See I can't blame him for not slamming the door on Grace's face even tho he totes should- Jamie is so cerebral and kind that even if Grace wasn't using the enchantment on him, I think he would always be soft for her even if it isn't in a romantic way. There's just so much miscommunication cus like he said "Thank God" when she broke off the engagement with Charles and lowkey embraced her but it also wasn't his fault cus it wasn't even romantic BUT OFC IT LOOKED HORRIBLE TO CORDELIA like James literally never told the woman at least once that he loved her so OFC she thought she was back to square one with him dear God above what a mess. Not his fault, but she DID set down one rule for him: don’t cheat with Grace. And yeah even tho he hasn’t properly cheated, it must FEEL horrible to her cus she’s just been enduring the pain of their unrequeted love for so long :((

See imma just say it but if Cordelia thought that James didn't love Grace then she def would have confessed to him about her feelings right but like James, on the other hand, was delaying his own romantic confession cus he was BEING EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED and I can't even say the bracelet was solely to blame cus like my boi was just being so difficult omg I believe he should be lightly spanked by his three parents aka Will, Tessa and Jem *cries*.

Cordelia is such a MOM like she's so mature and stable and her self-preservation instinct? OFF THE CHARTS I love this woman like James definitely treated her well as a hubby but like I JUST WANTED HER TO HAVE CLOSURE ABOUT SOMETHING and boy oh boy she did get that closure she got it good but not from the person she expected in the LEAST *hehe* *pelican screeching*... like Lucie was being sus with the whole ghost business and James was being just, quite a case, dealing with Grace and Belial right and I don't blame them at all for their secrecy and shit but her FATHER DIED and her friends were hiding a lot from her so in a way she turned to Alistair for help but he could only do so much cus of his own pain (she couldn't even talk to her mom cus she's pregnant and she doesn't wanna stress her right) and then there was this emotional block between her and Jamie, Lucie was often absent and conspiring with the dead... the last person remaining was HIM (imma discuss this soon), but yeah my heart just went OUT to her cus she's tryna save herself and her family and she just doesn't know what to do. That's why I love the way her mom told her to stop holding herself back for others and live her own life. Like Cordelia grew on me so much cus in Gold she undoubtedly was a strange Elizabeth Bennet-wallflower hybrid and I... do not usually get attached to wallflowers but in Iron I feel like I finally understood that she was just tryna be unproblematic and self-preserving all along and nottt put her family and friends in a tough situation.... she reminds me of my mom personality-wise so yeah I’m totally rooting for her now that her *situation* in the past seems clearer.

Anna, Thomas and Matthew are such a SQUAD lmfaooooo like united in their gayness they'd be so unstoppable.

Will and Tessa are the most in-love of all the in-loves in this story and I respect that so much.

I lost a year to my life every time the romance between James and Cordelia got cockblocked. Like they were MARRIED and I thought they were gonna at least sleep next to each other at least once BUT NO James couldn't take a hint omg I'm actually gonna eat my fist and sob (but in retrospect, I think this serves a bigger purpose in terms of the narrative structure i.e. the interruption of all the spicy James and Cordelia action serves a bigger purpose which I think brings me to my next section, *exhale*)

Welcome to the Matthew Fairchild Enthusiast Club (this section is me talking out loud; it makes no sense):

bitch.

LISTEN TO ME LISTEN WELL I LOVE THIS BOY SO MUCH IMMA SCREAM I REALLY AM GONNA SCREAM MY FIST IS LITERALLY IN MY MOUTH *BACKFLIPS OFF THE ROOF WITH LANA DEL REY PLAYING*

Okay like where to BEGIN I think the Shadowhunter boy who I'm most attracted to is Julian while the one I love the most is Will but I think I see myself in Matthew the most. Like ever since that first story where the Thieves all met at the Academy then got expelled, I think that I just KNEW Matthew was destined to be epic. Plus the whole Wilde obsession? I’m no libertine myself but I just love his chaos and passion for life.

NO CUS HE'S SO WITTY AND SWEET AND EPIC AND YET SO SECRETIVE AND DEAR GOD ABOVE AHHHHH WILL HE SURPASS JULIAN FOR ME??? Ion even know but this is just sodjsgdwsdygyegydgef

Hear me out but I said after finishing Gold last March that I wanted this book to be Matthew's healing arc right so halfway into the book when I realized that we weren't getting all that good healing arcing I was confused just cus I thought it seemed natural to address all of his alcohol issues and sadness by now. LITTLE DID I KNOW CASSIE WAS SETTING UP A WHOLE OTHER ARC WITH HIM THAT I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED WTH.

At first I thought Matthew didn't have feelings for anyone at all, and if he DID develop feelings unexpectedly, I fricking thought that maybe he's catching feelings for James, if anyone??? I mean, I did have some suspicions about Matthew from the get-go: like he's so secretive and as readers we think we know everything there is to know about him since we were all privy to the truth potion incident in his short story right BUT NO I GOT PLAYED AND I DESERVE IT SO BADDDDDD.

Listen I hadn't shipped him and Cordelia simply because I never thought it in the realm of possibility but it MAKES SENSE as a ship... think about it: he never says what he feels, he flirts with her like he does with EVERYONE, he is kind to her in the way he is with EVERYONE. Really, Matthew is shippable with everyone, doesn’t matter if they’re taken cus that’s just what his Matthewnes allows for ya feel. There is such a beautiful irony that CORDELIA herself did not see this coming. Even the little teasers and hints in Gold have only NOW started making sense to me likejhss. I just felt like the hints in book 1 did not indicate to me that Matthew really harbored real romantic feelings for Daisy. I thought he was upset that James and Cordelia were being fakes, not a developing CRUSH on the woman fgs.

Not to mention that you usually sense a ship building when the emotional connection or sexual tension between the characters is made clearer but to me their FRIENDSHIP grew right but it didn’t feel like Cordelia was thought that she liked him or he liked her so that means me and Cordelia are clowns *together* 😤

Okay I was lowkey having SUSPICIONS but I immediately shut them down right... like firstly when he took her to the White Horse in his car and she went OFF and OFF and off about how she felt free for the first time? I thought Cassie was just tryna develop Cordelia's self-liberation arc through Matthew there. Heck, I didn't even think ANYTHING of it when Matthew confession to Cordelia about the "truth potion" incident at all cus I was like they're FRIENDS??? BUT now it's adding up now...

See when they were at the inn place and he was telling her that she doesn't in the least seem like a 100 year-old married woman? I was like hmmmm he's so sweet but why did Cassie phrase it like that like??? When Cordelia later reiterated that she thought Matthew's flirting was “meaningless”?? I was like hmmm kinda SUS tho. And then when he and James had their fight over the way Jamie kissed Grace like again I thought he was just like? ion know? mad at James for it but I didn't think he was in LOVE with Cordelia??? So I immediately put aside my slight suspicions. The probability that he had a crush on James at that point seemed more likely to me.

BUT THEN it started hitting me that every time Matthew drank, even before he explained his issue with the truth potion, that Cordelia would note it, she would worry about him, she would think of her father which seemed so poetic to me, history repeating itself and all that but this time you can FIX it??? Yeah, but again I didn't think the L WORD would be involved man???

Now imma sound like a delulu shipper here but it just makes sense they would develop feelings logically- reason being that it definitely is possible based on the way Cassie set up the story, like there's a combination of little “friend things” that can turn this into a proper ship: Matthew rescues Cordelia in the ballroom when Grace captures James' attention in Gold. Cordelia sees her father in Matthew all the time but knows now she has a chance to be there for him in the way she couldn't have been there for Elias (classic “history repeats itself” trope, she doesn't want Matthew drinking in Paris like dhshghdfhdhch). Cordelia tastes freedom for the first time when driving with Matthew. Matthew caught James and Cordelia making out in the room and was pissed but not even HE properly knew why then??? Umm, when she thinks James is forreal cheating with Grace on her she subconsciously goes to Matthew??? I also found it funny just how every intimate marital moment between her and James got interrupted somehow. Like, it's as if the narrative is just a living force REFUSING to let James and Cordelia as a ship be consecrated. Heck, every time Matthew is scantily clothed Cordelia notes it. LITTLE CRUMBS I TELL YOU LITTLE CRUMBS.

I tell you when Cordelia showed up to Matthew's flat I thought they were gonna f*ck as friends but I got SOMETHING EVEN BETTER SOMEHOW

THEY ARE GOING TO PARIS LA BELLE EPOQUE PARIS THE PARIS OF DREAMS AND ART LIKE??? FRICKKKKK I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AT ALLLL MAN? I deadass thought the story would be restrained to the UK but like it MAKES SENSE the trope subversion MAKES SENSE.

“In Paris, with you, I will not need to forget.” SHITTRGEGGGDG

BUT CORDELIA LOVES JAMES TOO LIKE I CAN'T DENY THAT... where are we GOING with this like Matthew wouldn't lie about his feelings and yet Cassie wouldn't give us Matthew and Cordelia crumbs to only end it in the next book immediately for her to just ditch him for James. I mean she was clearly holding back on fleshing out James and Cordelia as a ship for this but to WHAT END??? Daisy feels wild and free with Matthew and she feels warm at home warm with James. I can’t advocate for the sinking of ANY ship here.

Imma say what we're all thinking: Is she gonna give us a Will x Jem x Tessa type situation where Cordelia gets both of them cus I'm not strong enough for this but I also think it'd be really funny if James gets a surprise bi awakening in the next books and then we get POLY even tho this would never happen, it’s actually impossible, because of the whole parabatai thing.

Listen I ship Cordelia and Matthew much more than Cordelia and James, not that I dislike James in any way tho. It's just: Matthew is so unrestrained and she's so composed. They seem like an unlikely pair so it makes sense that they hit harder for me. James and Cordelia have such similar personalities but I ALSO don't ship James with Grace at all so like?? Poly would be... ideal... but it can’t happen especially cus they are fricking parabatai... a Will-Jem-Tessa situation seems more likely but mannnn ion know what to expect. I just want FAIRSTAIRS to have their moment in Paris. I mean James and Matthew clearly don't abhor each other for this.

Take everything I say with several grains of salt, take everything I say with the whole Dead Sea actually, cus I damn well know that Matthew is so flirty and whatnot that I’d have shipped him with anyone in their little circle but now that she set him up with Cordelia it all feels so right?? I have wanted this man in a good relationship since he walked onto the page in Nothing But Shadows so-

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I can't believe Cassia duped me like this omg, Matthew is gonna have his healing arc in Paris with Cordelia by his side like- THIS IS ALL I HAVE WANTED AND SO MUCH MORE. Question to yall btw: are you all as surpised at Fairstairs as me or did yall see it coming all along like smart people? Am I a lone clown? 🥺

BRUH okay criticisms of CC?:

Lmfao a part of me feels like I GOTTA say something bad about CC or the book but honestly I have no objective complaints about it as of now. Am I saying that it’s the PEAK of Young Adult literature and Urban Fantasy? I mean, I make no such claims tbh. I’m not here to be critical when I read as a hobby and when CC’s writing makes me happy regardless of how flawed some people see it.

Okay what next?

So like I’m excited for the adult high fantasy she’s releasing in the fall and whatever other works she might be releasing outside of Chain of Gold within the Chronicles.

As for TLH itself? Man I’m just VIBING like I suspect I will reread Chain of Iron soon and maybe one of the anthologies just because I am happy that this series actually happened after me waiting like 6 years for it when it was just a concept: a Dickensian retelling filled with poetry and culture and history and the conventions I so loved in TID at age 12. This is all I been wanting tbh. I’m just enjoying watching this series come to fruition for it to inspire and transform me in some way. I feel like in a way my coming-of-age aligns with that of these specific characters yet I ALSO feel like I raised Jamie since infancy. Wack.

MATTHEW AND CORDELIA IN FRANCE LA BELLE EPOQUE TO BE EXACT IMMA CRY I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AND AHHHHHH. ALSO WILL AND JAMIE GOING TO CORNWALL TO GET LUCIE AND MAYBE BOND I LOVE WILL. HE WAS ONE OF MY DILF AWAKENINGS AT AGE 12 AND NOW HE’S HERE AGAIN IMMA CRY. I WANNA SEE MATTHEW GET HAPPY. AHHH.

Ending with a fun quote: “In the wise words of someone or other, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Maurice.” 😉

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ssa-dg · 4 years ago

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Undercover Part 1

part 1, part 2

Overview: the BAU has gone undercover to find a potential unsub who has been drugging, raping and murdering women. It own becomes a potential victim. Having to play her part to catch the bad guy, you go to the party all dressed up and dance with a potential murderer all while pretending he is someone else, Spencer Reid.

TW: drugs, rape (it is mentioned how the unsub rapes his victims. the reader is drugged and the unsub takes advantage of her being drugged and begins to take off her dress), murder, sex, adult themes. if these types of things are triggering for you please don’t read. I’m just a average person who tried their best to not cause people to be upset. If this is problematic I’m sorry I didn’t mean for it to be and will take it down.

Relationship: Spencer Reid x (female)reader

word count: 3,384

Author’s note: so this is my first ever Criminal Minds story. If it garners enough attention I will do more parts (honestly even if it doesn’t I probably will lol) PSA: I have never been under the influence of MDMA and honestly I don’t judge if people who do it consensually and safely (which is harder said then done). this is how I imagine it to be like to be on it. Also I like writing and I like sharing my writing because all of the great fan fics that cause me happiness, if I can cause that reaction just to one person that’s enough for me

You would do anything to save the world. Maybe it was a hero complex, maybe it was some form of glory seeking, or maybe it was the only way you knew how to fill the dark abyss you felt when you did nothing of importance. Being a part of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, helped with that. Being on the team gave you everything you needed, a family and a way to save others. Maybe saying you love your job isn’t the correct way to explain your emotions but you knew no better way. Although you wish a job like this wasn’t necessary and didn’t even exist, it did.

Your team meant the world to you and you would contribute almost in any way to help find an unknown subject. So when Penelope Garcia was able to connect the killings in New York City to some private “rich people” clubs, her and the team created a plan to infiltrate.

The victimology was specific. It was all rich young women ranging from the ages 19-30 who just moved into the city to find themselves.

The profile was an easy one to figure out. He was obviously a troubled young white male who was probably an heir of some sort. He was richer than what most people think is rich. He usually meets the victim at a high society social event. Then he’d take them to a more exclusive social event. After that he would drug them with MDMA, rape and kill them.

It was hard for the BAU to get much out of the enclosed and tight group of New York’s most elite families. So going undercover at an event where the unsub could potentially hunt for prey was what made most sense. Your jobs was to observe the women and men there and try to see if any of you could fish out the unsub.

They had done it in the past but usually they did their best work by watching and observing. So here the team was, their second night in a row all dolled up in fancy cocktail dresses at some art gallery. Tara Lewis and Luke Alves stood around a table pretending to talk to each other as they observed potential victims. Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, and Matt Simmons stood at another end of the room checking for the potential unsub, while your unit chief, Emily Prentiss, and you were pretending to be alone at the event eavesdropping on rich families. You listened to those around you while also scanning the room looking for potential young white men talking to lone young women. “Ten o’clock to the creepy face painting,” you heard Alvez say in your small earpiece. You calmly turned pretending to look at the other art pieces and saw a white male in his mid-thirties walking up to a female. He placed his hand on her low back as he leaned in to talk to her. Emily being the closest nearby out of you two, moved closer acting like she was going for some hors d’oeuvres. “That’s not him. He’s too drunk. I can smell all the alcohol he has consumed. He would need to be smoother than that,” Emily whispered as she took a sip of her glass. That’s how most of the night went. We followed and stared at people who might be the unsub and then filed them out. You felt yourself losing hope. You hated this part of the job. The one that made you feel like the profile was wrong and you all would have to start over, which there was never time to start over. Someone could die. That’s when you felt a hand touch the small of your back, your body tensed up immediately. “Relax,” he whispered in your ear. But you didn’t need to force it, because when you turned to look at the person who touched you, you were met with the face of beauty and your body instantly relaxed. You knew this was a dangerous reaction, as would probably many of Ted Bundy’s victims.

The man before you had slicked back short dark hair, bright blue eyes, strong symmetry in his facial features, and strong cheek and jaw bones. He smiled wickedly at you, causing you to intake a sharp breath. It was so sinister but also so beautiful. It wasn’t the most beautiful smile you’d ever seen, no that was reserved for your teammate, best friend, and love of your life (even if he didn’t know it) Spencer Reid. Now, Spencer’s smile was one you could get lost in. You refocused yourself to the beautiful man in front of you. “They say the artist intended for this particular piece to show trauma while he was drinking. His other pieces are other emotions on different drugs,” his deep voice rattled through your ears. You wanted to unwrap yourself from this man’s embrace. How dare he touch you like that without your permission. “Play along,” Luke spoke as he saw a scowl beginning to form on your lips, “he could be the unsub.” You smoothed the scowl into a smile. “It doesn’t look like it depicts trauma,” you responded dumbly. The man before you cocked his head to the side giving you a lopsided smile. “I guess it all depends on how someone experiences trauma,” the smile now wicked, and scarier. A shiver went up your spine. “Are you cold?” He asked, noticing it, while looking you up and down like he could devour you. “No,” your voice came out scratchy as your throat went dry. You cleared it politely. “Just thinking-” “About your own trauma?” He asked. You could hear the fake tone of concern. That snapped you out of your fear. The pictures of all the murdered women that brought the BAU to this case flashed before your eyes. “Maybe,” the smile you plastered on your face was a one you knew he wanted, a sad smile. You were going to play this role like it’s no one's business because you were here to catch a bad guy and if flirting with a creep got you there then so be it. He leaned in closer to your ear, “my name is Alistair Constantine,” you immediately recognized the name. It was on the list of potential unsubs for the profile. His family’s money was old, going back to the revolutionary war. The family seemed to always be updating with the times and never losing that money. You leaned into his other ear and introduced yourself.

Spencer’s hands were clutched at his side as he watched you interact with the Constantine boy. He felt in his gut at this moment, Alastair was the unsub. The way he was looking at you, it was like you were a quest to conquer. Spencer knew he couldn’t just come up, break you two apart and blow the whole investigation but boy did he want to.

Alastair paraded you around the room. Every now and then he would talk to fellow members of the society. It took everything in you to pretend that you didn’t want to beat his ass right then and there. You were always an imaginative kid growing up so you blocked out the gruesome pictures of the crime scenes and instead pretended this was your life a young New York woman getting special treatment from a handsome man. It was easier to fit the rom-com role then what was actually happening. Alistair stopped in front of a painting that was particularly psychedelic looking with bright pastel colors. “This is my favorite piece by the artist. This was when he was on Ecstasy. Look at the happiness and distorted-ness to the art. It’s amazing,” he gushed. It would have been odd that he picked this particular painting to attach too, but it was a strong tie to the method of his killings. “Humankind cannot bear very much of reality,” you spoke out, breaking Spencer from his thoughts about if they had enough information to convict Alistair for the murders. Alistair looked at you funny, not understanding why you would say that. “T. S. Eliot” you told Alistair while Spencer whispered it at the same time. a ghost of a smile playing on your lips when you heard Spencer’s voice. “It’s what I think of when I look at this art. T. S. Eliot is one of my favorite poets,” you blushed at your admission. It felt like for a second, with having just heard Spencer’s voice, that you were talking to him instead of Alistair. Spencer was now looking straight at you two. His eyes held bewilderment, he has known you for years and you never once mentioned this, and he knew you knew this was something he cared about.

“Indeed,” Alistair yawned.

The next 30 minutes was you telling him how you’d grown up in Boston, Massachusetts, that you had no close relatives anymore, and how when your parents died their life savings all went to you (all of it true), the lie came when it was to talk about why you moved to New York City, what you wanted to do with your life etc. And he ate it up every second. You played the roll of being the lonely damsel in a big city trying to find the answer to life. You were his ideal victim and you knew that he didn’t even question how perfect you were.

The night ended with an invite to the society’s ball tomorrow night, and Prentiss fed your ear a fake address for Alistair to send a car to tomorrow. You ordered an Uber to the address where Emily said they’ll pick you up to not seem suspicious in case Alistair sent someone to follow you. Once at the address the FBI’s SUV pulled up and you got in. It was Spencer who picked you up, which was unusual, as he never liked driving. You climbed onto the passenger seat and saw his knuckles were white from the strength of his grip on the steering wheel. It didn’t take a profiler to know Spencer was mad. “Spencer, are you alright?” You approached with a soft whisper. There was a pause of silence, Spencer calculating if he should be honest. He eventually gave into the truth as he knew that he couldn’t hide it from you. “No,” he growled, the anger in his voice causing you to jump in surprise. “No, I am not okay. That man is a murderer and he was holding you in his arm! You two were practically dancing around the room in there. We have put you in danger and now, now you are his next target, his next victim!” he hit the wheel in anger. You had never seen Spencer this angry before. Most times when Spencer got angry, he got smart and he used his logic to fight but now he sounded emotional. “Spencer,” you raised your voice, “I am not a victim, I’m an agent. I will do what it takes to protect others. Just like you.” In anger Spencer swerved the car to the side and put it in park. “Dammit, You don’t get it,” he yelled and turned towards you. “If he is our unsub, which we both know he is, I’ve run the calculations and the risk is too high for you,” his hands flying everywhere in gestures, “There are too many dependent variables. There isn’t enough for us to control. The probability of you getting hurt or,” he stopped to collect himself, and in a quieter voice said, “or worse, it’s too high. I’ve run the math.” Now that sounded more like the Spencer you knew. A soft smile crept onto your lips, then you quickly neutralized your face, in hopes he wouldn’t see the way his concern for you made you feel. And You couldn’t do that to yourself. You couldn’t let yourself feel happiness when Spencer showed you affection, because it eventually just leads to heart break. Subconsciously, you turned more towards him in your seat, “In your math is there probability that we get this guy and he never gets the opportunity to hurt another woman again?” You asked. Spencer gave you a pained look like he knew where you were going. You countered that look with one that told him to answer the question. He let out a heavy sigh, “yes. There is that possibility.” You smiled at him knowing you won the argument, “That settles it then.”

With everyone back in the small conference room at the police station, the conversation began about what to do tomorrow. No one was pleased that one of their own is now the target but there was truth that the situation was now more in the BAU’s control than before. Everyone also believed in you. They knew the risk and that scared them but also you are a Special Advisory Agent for a reason. Relief did not fill you but neither did dread, when you thought of the plan. You were doing the right thing. It didn’t matter if you were going to put yourself in danger.

Spencer kept pressing the heel of his hands into his eyes. Something that happened when he started to get headaches and you could guess this headache was caused by stress. As the rest of the team started packing up, you stared at your best friend hurting over the stress you were causing. You took a seat next to Spencer. He was still wearing his suit from the party. “We are going to be okay tomorrow,” you comforted him. He looked up at you, “I’m not worried about all of us, I’m worried about you,” he confessed. Once again, you knew these words shouldn’t have an effect on you like they did, but it did and this time there was something that felt hidden behind those words, something more. “I trust you not to let anything happen to me,” You countered and placed your hand on his forearm to comfort him. You looked in his eyes and tried to let him know that there is more than just trust there.

The day of the ball, you got ready in the police station bathroom. It wasn’t exactly how you imagined to be getting ready for your first ball in New York City. You’d rather be wearing this gown for other reasons than going undercover to catch a murderer rapist. The Givenchy dress Garcia picked out was gorgeous (as you instructed her to get a designer to fit in the crowd and you would float the bill). It was a long evening dress in blue and green with a gradient-effect. The top had long puffed sleeves, deep V-neckline, and waist accentuated with smooth lamé and long flared skirt. You put your hair up in a loose low bun. The makeup you did was a smooth eye with long flair eyeliner. You put a heavy amount of glow highlighter on your cheek bones and collar bones to accentuate the deep v cut the dress.

You felt ridiculous walking out of the bathroom into the police station wearing your dress. But the way Spencer looked at you was something powerful and intoxicating, making you forget your embarrassment. You strode up to him. A small smile played on your lips looking up at him. You saw him also smiling at you “You’re almost as tall as me,” he blurted out. You let out a small laugh, “‘I guess that’s what heels will do,” you smiled looking down at your feet. Spencer felt ridiculous that’s what he said. He should have told you how amazing you looked or how your beauty felt like the sun- always pulling him in and having his thoughts orbit around you. But he wasn’t good with voicing his feelings (especially in a room with his colleagues).

“We are going to have Officer Melinda Jackson drive you over to the apartment, And stake out the car. She’ll be on the radio the whole time till you are in range with us. We will be at the Capitale when you get there.” Emily disclosed as she strapped on a microphone and earpiece.

You stepped out of the car with your head held high even though your anxiety was on another level. “i’m here,” you whispered. “We are here too,” Tara responded. Everyone disclosed where each one was to you. The venue was massive and beautiful. The ceiling was tall with ornate decorations. The lighting was a bright orangish glow. As you examined the room, checking each point of your team, you also saw Alistair. He was at the bar with what looked like to be a group of his friends. Spencer not too far behind them. You walked towards Alistair but kept your eyes on Spencer. He took your breath away dressed in a tux and his hair slicked back like he used to when he was younger. It felt like your heart was lit on fire just by looking at him all dressed up. He was staring at you intensely. It wasn’t that the world stopped the moment your eyes met his, but it was more like everything else just didn’t matter. You knew you’d have to look away soon to not give away anything but you took him in for just one more second. “You look amazing,” you heard a voice next to you say. You turned to see the ever good looking Alistair. He wore a navy 3 piece suite with a large Gucci tag on the sleeve, and a large Gucci flower pinned on his chest. You gave him a soft smile and returned his compliment. “I want to introduce you to my family. Their approval means everything,” he offered you his arm. You took it tentatively, Spencer watched him lead you away, and he pondered on Alistair’s odd statement about family approval.

Alistair’s family was everything you’d expect. They were proper and pompous. However they liked you, a lot. You fell right into the role you had to play. You stood there laughing and engaged in the conversation with his mom and cousin.

“Shall we dance?” Alistair asked, giving you his hand, as your conversation with his sister came to an end. You nodded and let him take you to the dance floor.

He spun you out and brought you back in close to start the dancing. You gave him a bright smile at his eccentric action. You closed your eyes and let your mind pretend it was Spencer holding you. You followed his lead as he twirled you both around the dance floor. “Stop dancing, we can’t see you,” Spencer frantically said into your ear piece. You snapped your eyes open. Taking in that you were on a secluded corner of the dance floor by an exit door. “You are special. My family, They like you” Alistair said with a sense of manic to it. “you aren’t like the others,” he admitted. His voice sounded different. It was sinister with a tinge of adoration. He pulled you close, so close that his fingers dug into your hand and back. You felt like your brain was freezing up in fear. How many times had you been in fear inducing situations and why did your brain pick now to not work. “you’re hurting me,” you groaned trying to pull yourself away. “Where are you” JJ yelled but then you felt mist hit you, and your mind begin to make things fuzzy, “the left corner, the spray…in the flower,” you breathed out, hoping the team could hear you. You heard a rattle of commands to your co-workers from Emily. Then it went black.

Spencer rushed through the crowd to find you but by the time he got to the corner you told him you were at, you were gone. “She’s not here,” Spencer panicked into the ear piece. “I just saw a black Tesla leave, license plate delta, alpha, hotel nine, one, two ” Luke informed them. “Call and ask them to run it”, Rossi said urgently. “on it,” Luke replied. “JJ and Reid, go talk to the mom and sister, Tara and Matt split up and talk to his friends and the other family members. They have to know where they are,” Emily demanded

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #emily prentiss #david rossi #matt simmons #Penelope Garcia #criminal minds fic #luke alvez #jennifer jareau #tara lewis #criminal minds fanfiction #ssa-dg #spencer reid x you #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds imagine

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echo-hiraeth · 4 years ago

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Empty Promises - Maxwell Lord x GN!Reader

Summary: The reader is a forgotten past romance and works for Maxwell Lord. They’ve secretly been taking care of Alistair when Maxwell failed to do so. When he starts to take notice and offers them a promotion, they speak their mind.

Warnings: Angst

Masterlist

“Alistair!”, Maxwell beamed, spinning his son around while locking eyes with one of his many assistants. “I didn’t know you’d be back so soon!”

“It’s your week with him Mister Lord, you ex-wife just had him dropped off”, a lady in a pencil skirt informed him.

You rolled your eyes at the both of them. Maxwell did this every time, too caught up in his bank statements and bleached hair to pay attention to his own bloody flesh and blood. It wasn’t long before the young boy was kicked out of the office once again. You’d watched this scene every other week, your heart aching for the poor kid, this had to stop.

“Hey there little man, how’s it hanging”, you started, kneeling beside the chair he was sat in.

“I’m bored”, he sighed, eyes glued to his tan hands.

“I see.. wanna come check out my office? I have my own fridge filled with snacks”, you spoke, whispering the last part of the phrase.

Alistair looking up at that, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Really?”

You nodded, smiling at him as he took your hand. “C’mon I’ll show you around, let’s have some fun.”

The two of you had become inseparable over the weeks, spending every otherwise so dull moment together in your office, which you’d given a little revamp. Your mother had given you some of your old and retired toys that you kept in the bottom drawer of your desk. A small chair was also added, which your friend had graciously gifted to you.

Every day after Maxwell dropped his son off with someone else, you’d go and look for him. Once you found him you took him to your little, what he referred to as, clubhouse. Alistair would re-enact movie scenes with the dolls and toy cars you’d given him while you wrote away on your typewriter. Because despite the new self-acclaimed responsibility of taking care of your boss’ son, you also still had your actual job to do.

“Y/n, why can’t we play at home?”, the boy asked as the two of you ate your lunches together.

“Ah sweetheart, you know we can’t, we’re work friends”, you cooed, ruffling through his hair.

“Daddy said it’s fine, I can have friends over”, he continued, eyes filled with hope.

You went to stand, quickly stretching before grabbing two cans of soda out of your small fridge. “Well, I don’t think your daddy likes me that much, niño.”

“He said you went to adult school together.”

“Did he now? I thought he’d forgotten all about me”, you laughed, handing Alistair a can as well.

“He thinks you’re pretty and that you’re very smart too”, he said between gulps, a little bit of soda trickling down his chin in his enthusiasm.

“Your daddy said a lot of things to me back in the day Ali, but people don’t always mean what they say”, you sighed, a sense of nostalgia washing over you as you remembered your time with Maxwell back in college.

“Daddy never plays with me, he always promises me but he’s never home”, the child whispered, lip starting to quiver.

“Hey, your daddy loves you, okay. He loves you so so so much, he’s just… very busy.” You wrapped your arms around him, wiping some of the tears that had fallen from his eyes.

“I don’t think he means that”, the boy sobbed. That was the exact moment your heart shattered and you vowed yourself to fill the void Maxwell had left to the best of your abilities.

“How about I come over to play some more tonight? I’ll sneak in some ice cream too, your dad doesn’t have to know.”

That night you went home with Alistair after arranging with the nanny that you’d be taking over for the night. She was grateful to have you take over, eager to get home to her own family. So here you were, sitting in the colourful bedroom, laughing away with your tiny friend.

“No way, my Action Man is waaaaay cooler looking than yours”, you giggled.

“Yeah but mine will kick your butt”, Alistair retorted, throwing the dolls at one another, acting out an intense fighting scene.

“Hey! No fair, you snuck up on me, that’s against the Action Man code!”, you yelped, tackling the boy to the floor and tickling at his sides.

“Since when”, he spurted out between fits of laughter.

“Since I said so little Mister”, you ordered, grinning as you helped him to sit up straight again.

He wrapped his little arms around you, burying his head in the crook of your neck. “Thank you for playing with me.”

“Ah no you don’t, don’t get all sappy and gross now”, you jokingly warned. “C’mon, it’s bedtime.”

“Will you stay to read me a story?”, he asked, eyes pleading.

You couldn’t resist. After he’d changed into his pyjamas and brushed his teeth after you pushed him back into the bathroom four times, you finally tucked him in. He fell asleep after not even a page of his “Arthur” storybook.

With a sad smile plastered on your face you left his room, carefully shutting the door so as to not wake him. You grabbed your bag and headed downstairs, looking forward to ending to day yourself.

“Y/n?”, a familiar voice sounded.

“Mister Lord”, you greeted, reaching for the door handle.

“Actually, would you mind staying another ten minutes or so, I need to speak with you.”

You shrugged, crossing your arms in front of you as you turned around to face him. He beckoned you to follow him into his living room, urging you to sit down as he offered you a glass of Scotch. You politely declined and waited for him to start talking.

“My Alistair has told me you’ve been taking care of him during your shifts, is this true?” he questioned, playing around with the melting ice in his glass.

“The kid’s bored out of his mind every moment he’s stuck there. So yes, I look after him from time to time. Is there a problem?”

“No! No, not at all, in fact, I’d like to thank you. I looked into your files and noticed your pay is quite average. Besides it seems your potential is wasted in your current position, I’d like to offer you a position as my righthand, secretary-general if you will.” He looked at you with a smug smile, making big hand gestures as he spoke.

You shook your head slowly, scoffing: “No thanks, I like where I’m at.”

“Well if not a promotion then I think a raise would be in order, how much do you wish for?”, he questioned, extending his hands over to you.

“You really don’t get it, do you?” His face contorts in confusion. “I don’t need your money, I’m not some babysitter.”

“Come on now y/n, it’s not that big of a deal, let me give you a token of my appreciation”, he purrs, pulling out a check book.

“Token of appreciation my fucking ass, if you cared about your son as much as you care about your money I wouldn’t even be here in the first place. Do you think I enjoy wiping the fucking tears off of his face when he’s once again crying because he thinks you don’t love him?”, you yelled, standing up and pointing a finger in his face.

“I-I didn’t know..”

“Of course you don’t! How can when you never spend more than five minutes with him! How can you know what your son needs when you’re never even around to hear him out!”, you screamed tears starting to well up in your eyes. “He doesn’t want a pony or a fucking pool, he wants a dad that will sit down and play with him. He- he wants someone to love him”, you spoke in a hushed voice, on the verge of breaking down into sobs yourself.

Maxwell had done the same exact thing to you all these years ago. It was such a cruel trick of fate to be hired by his company, which you didn’t found out until a couple weeks in he was the owner of. You’d been too stubborn to leave, vowing to yourself that you were an adult and totally over your past romances.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to disappoint you again”, he whispered, too ashamed with himself to even look you in the eyes.

The first sob left your throat, making him look up. “This isn’t about me Max… Your boy needs you.”

“I fucked up, I never stopped thinking about you, I couldn’t. If you could please just… help me. I-I’ll do anything, please, I just want Alistair to be proud.. and happy”, he pleaded, slowly stepping closer to you.

“I can only help you if you’ll let me”, you mutter against the skin of his neck as he embraces you.

“Can you even forgive me for what I did to you?”, he inquired, voice shaking with emotion.

“Yeah, if I couldn’t I wouldn’t have missed you so much”, you admitted, slowly letting go of him to look into his red eyes. “Take the week off to catch up with Alistair, the secretary-general will take over for now.”

#maxwell lord #max lord #imagine #ww84 #pedro pascal

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cloveroctobers · 4 years ago

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CHELSEA ELLE HODGSON —

IG info/Bio: @/chelseaaahodecor | 109k followers | hi babes! welcome to my life lovelies, please get comfy with this Prosecco im serving thru this screen! xx here’s my site if you need some light in ur life: ichelseahdgsondesigns.com 🏝💕

24 (25) years

From Buckinghamshire, England

Comes from a wealthy family

her father’s side of the family founded, “Hodgson investments” their company is built off of financial services

Her papo (grandfather) was arrested on tax invasion & served some time for doing so

Her father, Alistair now manages the company but under a different name

Her mother’s side of the family comes from old money...something about horses?

Her mother, Connie holds many events and seems to make $ from them but Chelsea isn’t quite sure what the woman does or if it’s fully legal

The family is all about protecting their image & if you don’t cut it, there will be repercussions

Feels a little like dynasty (I’ve only seen 2-3 episodes & never finished but get the point?) , maybe that’s why Chelsea & her sister enjoy watching it so much

Parents forsure held courtship events or either went to courtship events with their children (even Albie) & found suitors in hopes of marrying their daughters off (& finding Albie a new wife, only on Mrs. Hodgson’s part— mr. Hodgson seems nicer/easy-going)

Has older twin sibs: Albie-Crispin & Dolly-Georgiana

Often referred to as “the triplet” in the press

Well-known in their city

They’re all called by their first & middle name in their family household even tho their parents do not have middle names

Has a love/hate relationship with albie, he is selfish & has proven to do anything to drag others down to make himself look better

He’s a lawyer & has been married to his wife for about 7 years

Mrs. Hodgson, Dolly, & Chelsea all agree they do not like her but Chelsea puts on a smile whenever her sister-in-law is around while Mrs. Hodgson makes it known that she dislikes the woman, she thinks she’s beneath her son since her family does not make nearly enough $ put together between her & Mr. Hodgson

Dolly has a bf who’s a dental hygentist that she’s been dating for about 3 years but they’re both cheating on each other, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be married

She’s in office management

Chelsea fell in love with interior decorating from the moment she played with doll houses. Her grandparents made sure to send her the biggest doll houses they could find every Christmas. She’s always been in love with rearranging and picking certain items and best putting them into a space that works

She shit at drawing (she’ll leave that to the Architects) but she knows her furniture & patterns quite well

Has asked a few architects out on dates, some she worked with or stumbled across, only one seemed like it could have truly worked...I imagine him to look a bit like Henry Cavill with light facial hair (told you I’m a sucker for it, & Chelsea probably can tolerate just a bit not too much)

Yet Chelsea always has a wondering eye, she gets curious quite often which makes you wonder, is she really ready for love? To fully commit? One day she will be

It’s a competitive field and when she’s ready to battle she will but there are moments when she gets let down & has to pick herself up again

Has ADHD, goes to therapy for it & hates taking her meds. She’d rather stick to therapy sessions since it’s always nice to talk to someone

When she was younger she probably stole a friend or two’s bf & would definitely get mad if they did it back to her but they somehow still end up being friends in the end? Yikes

Hung out with the popular kids, was always at the parties making sure everyone was having a good time. Filling up the cups, directing where furniture should be moved, where the kegs should go, how many people should be there, etc...She doesn’t seem like the stuck up type like her mother but she is privileged & doesn’t realize it as much

Was a cheerleader & ran track, quit track to commit full-time to cheerleading since that kept her in shape enough

Dated here & there, had one bf where they would scream at each other and wouldn’t allow the other to leave or would be upset that the other didn’t come after them...yeah one of those couples

Broke up with her goth bf because he didn’t tell her he wasn’t coming to school for about a week; he had the stomach flu

Canon: Took a computer course in high school & in uni & found out she was at the top of her class for typing the fastest, she now loves the sound of her short pink ombré nails on the keys

Canon: Wanted to be a show jumper due to her mother’s side of the family & their history with horses

Goes to the stables every now & then, there’s one horse there that she’s absolutely in love with & loves to ride. Her father always offered to buy it for her but it’s not a animal she wants to own

Canon: loves finger foods + will get full off them at events quickly. She also doesn’t mind the tiny portions of food at expensive ass restaurants, it’s just enough for her

Takes hair supplements. Probably had long hair growing up that she always kept up in a bun or ponytail but decided to start chopping her hair off & getting layers & highlights which damaged her hair

Approves of plastic surgery

Is part of the itty bitty titty community & got a lift for them

Gets lip fillers for her bottom lip but isn’t a fan of needles + overlines her top lip

loves going to the dermatologist, the spa for facials & whatever else she’s willing to try & finding new skincare to buy

Tans & loves tropical hot summers

Buys an overload of bikinis even in the winter

Hates the rain, it messes with her mood

Loves a good lipstick & lipgloss combo, nudes & pinks are her to go to’s

Fav color is pink

Got herself a guinea pig after the show & named her “bubbly” after her baby in the villa

I feel like she would eventually get a tiny dog too

Has her own flat, that’s quite far from all of her family. She loves her dysfunctional problematic family but Chelsea likes her space from them too

Since buckinghamshire’s culture is more of a Middle Ages style, Chelsea made sure her home wouldn’t hold much of that style inside. It needed to be lively! Her family home was filled with dark wood & she can’t stand that

She loves going to the markets tho. She always seems to leave with something & either finds herself not liking it months later and ends up selling whatever item caught her interest

Her family tends to pop in whenever they want, especially her mother

Canon: talks about cat cafe’s when she’s drunk, says its her version of the chocolate factory + she’s the dancing drunk

Always down for a girls night out, girls trip & girls sleepovers

Probably goes to bed early around 10pm or earlier m if she’s not out having the time of her life, which makes her regret her choices the next morning

All her closest friends back home are a group of girls

Hangs out with Priya, Marisol, & Hope from the villa whereas the rest she’ll mostly communicate with them through socials or gatherings

Will host gatherings & expect them ALL to show up

Is dramatic when things don’t go her way

Loses focus more than gets bored in relationships? She’ll find other things or people to occupy her time which she doesn’t realize can be hurtful to others

When she does realize she hurts someone, she immediately wants to fix it

Canon: Is a blabbermouth. Cannot hold a secret for shit, also cannot tell a lie. Her body language gives it away first if she doesn’t spill it

Retail therapy is the best therapy if she doesn’t have a office appointment

Any spice girl song will be her karaoke song, she is always baby spice

Loves her Prosecco (me too sis!) & keeps plenty bottles in her wine fridge. She originally wanted a space with a wine cellar but got creeped out at the thought since it’s just her & bubbly living in the home

Has high cell phone bills, the girl loves a good chat

Cannot cook no matter how hard she tries. She’s been to cooking classes with an ex, watched videos, order from those food delivery sites to prepare food & it just never turns out well

Will spend hours in furniture stores, she’s had to be escorted out pass closing hours by security guards before & manage to make friends out of them. They all know who she is in majority of the stores she enters

Throws a party every time her following goes up. There’s never not a reason to throw one

Was upset that Carl unfollowed her once and figured Hannah made him do it. Which wasn’t true, Hannah was sure of herself now & doesn’t feel the need to be jealous, the man could follow whoever he wanted—she knew he barely stayed on IG in the first place. He thought it was too shallow

So when Chelsea called him one night sobbing he was utterly confused, he didn’t understand why a follow meant so much

He reluctantly followed her back

Thrilled to know Elijah, Lucas, & Carl all keep up with her. Oh & the rest of the boys ofc!

Chats with Jakub! They also hang out. They’re a bit of a odd pairing but they get along well, he’s basically another big brother to her but she actually likes him—

Afraid of the dark, keeps fairy lights lit throughout the night in her bedroom, keeps scent infused night lights in her hallways

Believes in feng shui

I feel like her voice is soft like jennifer Tilly’s?

Idk what her sun sign is? Is she a sag far as daydreaming cause she does that. I KNOW she has Leo in her chart, she’s dramatic, warm, likes to be admired & appreciated. Sun sign I need help? Maybe she’s a Sagittarius sun? + Leo moon + libra rising

Has a collection of celeb gossip magazines that she keeps on a stand next to her pink velvet chair beside her bow window

I think she will be the first islander that gets pregnant tbh & it’s by an architect (the guy I mentioned/envisioned that’s been waiting on her to realize he can give her the love she needs or prove he can balance her out) or firefighter or someone “manly” she wouldn’t end up with a islander I don’t think

she has a girl & names her, “adore”

Canon: Still wants 5 kids but we’ll see how that goes & if it’ll change, it’s been a bit difficult not drinking Prosecco but she’s got a lovely baby out of it

Crushes? Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfred Enoch, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Cole, Gregg Sulkin, Frank Dillane, Charlie Rowe, & Hero Fiennes Tiffin

Can listen to anything that’s got a good beat. But we all know she’s a pop & folk genre lover. She listens to: Astrid S, Maty Noyes, Cher Lloyd, Bebe Rexha, Allie X, Poppy, POST MALONE, etc.

Anthem? Gabrielle Aplin — Until the sun comes up

#litg #litg2 #litg s2 #litg Chelsea #litg carl #litg headcanon #litg headcanons #litg au #50/50 like Chelsea lol #she’s sweet but there’s things that she’s done that makes me side eye her #wouldn’t keep her around my man if she’s single tbh lmao #litg3 #litg s3

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krreader · 5 years ago

Text

BTS reacting to finding out you had a baby years after your break-up.

pairing: bts x reader fandom: bts warnings: language genre: angst ; fluff word count: 2.2+k

a/n: tbh, I didn’t think it was very fitting to make this a super funny scenario since I don’t think laughing would be the first thing that you’d do after you find out something like this. I tried to keep it light-hearted though, I hope I kinda managed that.

kim seokjin

Jin had found out when he saw you out on the streets of Seoul, for the first time in five years since you and him had broken up.

His heart dropped when he was instantly hit with all those past feelings that him and you had once had for each other, but then it completely shattered when he saw the child.

Around five years old.

Call it intuition, but Jin just knew that this boy was his. Maybe it was the fact that he looked almost exactly like him, or maybe it really was just his gut feeling.

Whatever it was, for the first time in five years he opened up your contact and sent you a message, asking you to see him.

And so here you were.

“Believe me.. I wanted to tell you,” you said honestly. You were on your own, figured it would be best this way, “But we broke up because you were too busy, Seokjin. A child would have made things ten times worse for you.”

“You still should have told me. I would have supported you, (Y/N).”

“I know,” you smiled a little, reaching over the table to hold his hand, “We didn't break up on bad terms, I'm not angry.. in fact, I tell him about you quite a lot. He doesn't know who you are, obviously, but.. I tell him his father is a great man. He'd like to meet you one day.”

“I'd like to meet him too,” Jin smiled, “Sooner than later, actually.”

min yoongi

This was all an accident. Yoongi never meant to look at Jimin's messages, but when Jimin went to the bathroom, he had just left his phone unlocked and that's when the message came in.

A message from you.

“Can we please meet today?”

Yoongi knew you and Jimin had been friends, but he didn't know you were still seeing each other after you and him had broken up about a year ago.

He didn't want to open the chat, but at the same time, he did. A part of him was furious, thinking Jimin might have started something with you. And yes, Yoongi was the one that broke up with you, so he had no right to be jealous, but he still was.

However, when he was hit with the messages, he realized that this wasn't about a relationship at all.

“You need to tell him, (Y/N). You know he'd help you,” Jimin wrote a few weeks ago.

“I know.. I will tell him.. one day. After I figure everything out.”

“It's his baby too.”

And that's when he dropped his phone and Jimin walked back in.

But to his surprise, the younger member looked calm, even let out a sigh.

“I told her she needed to tell you the moment she knew she was pregnant. But.. she thought she could do it on her own. And you know her, she can. She's stubborn,” Jimin sat down next to his hyung, “But she's struggling. Financially. Her landlord threw her out because the baby was crying too much and now she can't find an apartment. I let her stay in mine for the time being, but she doesn't want that anymore.”

“Why didn't you tell me?!” Yoongi asked angrily, “Fuck, Jimin, she had a baby! My baby! Why didn't you tell me if you knew?”

“I had to promise her I wouldn't. She said it was hard enough for you to break up with her when you did. She knew the moment you knew about the child would be the moment you'd run back to her.”

“And why would that have been bad?”

“Because she knew that you weren't putting your band first anymore. And she knew with a baby.. your priorities would change.”

“And they should change!” Yoongi immediately got up, not even thinking about anything else but of you and this baby sitting in Jimin's empty apartment, probably scared and tired..

No, this wouldn't continue on like this.

You were surprised when you saw him, but also so relieved that you immediately started crying.

Yoongi wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close, “I'm so sorry, (Y/N). I'm sorry I wasn't there,” he wasn't angry with you that you didn't tell him. He was angry with himself that he never checked on you again. Angry that he let others influence him to break up with you.. angry that he wasn't there for you when you needed him, “But I'm here now and I won't leave you ever again.”

jung hoseok

“Are you okay, mom?” Hoseok asked, his mother poking and shoving her food around which wasn't like her at all. Was she sick?

“Of course,” she lied, faking a smile, “Why wouldn't I be?”

But the reality was that she found out about something today that she wanted to tell her son, but didn't know how.

She had seen you going down the street with a toddler, a little girl around three years old. Three years. The time that had passed since you and her son had broken up.

At first you had thought about lying when she had approached, but it was no use. Your daughter immediately seemed to know who this woman was, was so open with her and smiled from ear to ear. And the moment the little girl smiled was the moment his mother knew.

“Why didn't you tell Hoseok?” she had asked over a cup of coffee later, your daughter sitting in her grandmother's lap.

“I tried to. Many times, actually. But I was scared.. scared that he wouldn't want her. Scared that he'd be angry with me. He broke up with me because he couldn't put me first. But I knew that if he knew about his daughter, he'd feel obligated to. And I didn't want that..”

“I don't know, you seem like there's something on your mind,” Hoseok continued.

She put down her chopsticks and looked him dead in the eye, “I think you should contact (Y/N) again.”

“What? What makes you think that?” he let out a laugh, “I haven't talked to her in three years.”

“Exactly. Three years is a long time, Hoseok. A lot can happen in that time.”

He didn't know what she was getting at that night. Only when he and you agreed to see each other again and a little girl greeted him at the door did he know what she meant.

“You should.. probably come in and sit down,” you said, a little worried that he might pass out.

But he didn't. He was strong. He listened to your every word. And he stayed that night.

And every night that came after.

kim namjoon

As far as Namjoon knew, you had moved away from Seoul after your break-up. He hadn't contacted you anymore after that, but a friend of his had mentioned you moving at some point.

However, now that he was in the country that you had moved to, he couldn't help but want to see you again.

Maybe meet up for a cup of coffee, talk about the good old days. You and him hadn't broken up on bad terms, you didn't talk to each other anymore because the break-up wasn't easy for either of you and you needed space to get over it.

But he was ready.. ready to at least have you as a friend again if that's what you wanted as well.

Who would have known that you wouldn't come alone though.

“Oh,” he said in surprise when a young boy extended his hand to him, “And who are you, young man?”

“I'm Alistair (Y/L/N). Nice to meet you, Sir.”

Alistair.

Oh god.

Namjoon immediately looked at you, you fidgeting nervously with her hands.

“What would you want to name him?” you had asked one night as you were lying half on top of him, still naked from what you had done earlier.

“Mh.. I wouldn't want a Korean name, I think,” he brushed his fingertips over your back, then grinned at you, “I always liked Alistair. It has this.. wisdom to it. Like the little genius that our boy would be.”

Namjoon gulped down hard, then shook the hand of the boy.

His boy.

“I'm.. Namjoon.”

Apparently, I'm your dad.

park jimin

Jimin and you were still talking to each other. Well, messaging each other. It was the usual small talk, how are you, how are things.. never going into any detail though.

It continued on like this for about three years.. and then you slipped up.

“What are you doing today?”

“I have an appointment with a day care today, hopefully they’ll take her, I’ve been trying to find one for weeks.”

And you only realized you had sent the text about an hour later when it hit you.

You had been so careful not to mention anything, mainly because you knew Jimin would drop everything, including his career, to be by your side. And you didn't want that. He had worked too hard for it.

When you looked at your phone again, you saw fifty three missed calls and a dozen more messages all from him.

He wasn’t stupid. You weren’t in this line of work, there was no other reason to go to a day care for you than to put a child in there. And usually, three years was the age to start.

That day you finally came clean to him.

Had no other choice really.

He went over to your place that same day and met his daughter for the first time. He was sad, but also very happy looking at her playing with her dolls and also trucks at the same time.

“She's beautiful,” he smiled.

“She is.. reminds me a lot of you, actually.”

“Can I.. play a bit with her?”

He didn't know the first thing about being a father, but he wanted to learn. He didn't know what the future had in store for him, but he wanted to be there for his girl. Even if he came into her life three years later than he should have..

kim taehyung

Taehyung was angry with Jeongguk. Angry because he thought him and you were together now. He had found out that you and him were seeing each other a few weeks ago but when he asked Jeongguk about it, he said that you and him were just friends.

But friends didn't see each other this often, or at least not when one friend was an idol and barely had any time.

That's how this fight had started.

“You know how much I loved her, how could you do this to me?!” Taehyung screamed.

“I'm doing this because of you, you idiot!” Jeongguk was normally not like this, but he was frustrated with the entire situation, “She's alone with an infant, she needs someone to..-”

And when he saw Taehyung freeze, he knew he had slipped.

His first thought was that maybe Jeongguk had knocked you up, but that wouldn't work. You and him had only broken up a year ago and as far as he knew, Jeongguk only started seeing you about five months ago.

So that could only mean..

Jeongguk thought about stopping him at first, but he was so exhausted himself. He loved you like a sister, so of course he wanted to help you with the baby, but he wasn't a father.. he wasn't nearly ready to be one.. and he shouldn't have to be, because this baby was Taehyung's.

It didn't take thirty minutes before he stood in front of your door, taking a step back when he saw the baby in your arms.

“He told you, didn't he?” you sighed, “I knew he would..”

“Why didn't you?!”

“Doesn't really matter now, does it? You're here.. so.. come in.”

Taehyung knew that the second he'd step foot into that apartment, his life would change.

And he didn't think twice about it, he did it without hesitation.

jeon jeongguk

Jeongguk and you had been young when you had dated. It's been so long.. he barely could remember most of it.

But now that Bangtan had ended and he was alone and lonely, he couldn't help but think back to happier times.

That's probably what made him drive over to your place.

But maybe he should have called first.

“Can I help you?” a young girl, a teenager, opened the door.

“Oh.. I'm sorry.. is.. (Y/N) (Y/L/N) not living here anymore?”

“She is.. MOM!” the girl turned around, making Jeongguk gulp down hard. You had a child now.. that was.. great, “There's some guy here for you.”

“Stop being so rude,” you quickly walked over to the front door, stopping when you saw who it was.

Jeongguk and you stared at each other for a long time, Jeongguk smiling, but you were genuinely just shocked to see him.

“Uh.. this is kind of awkward,” your daughter said, but she seemed to find this amusing at the same time, “Hey.. are you my dad?” she jokingly asked the question every time there was a man that you seemed to know, simply because you never wanted to tell her anything about her father.

Only that this time, you didn't pinch her or tell her to go away like you usually did.

This time, you turned your head to look at her and tried forming a sentence that never left your mouth.

“Holy shit!” your daughter looked back at Jeongguk, who looked at his.. daughter, “You are my dad!”

“I'm your what?” his eyes almost popped out of your head.

“Wait, aren't you like a former idol?” she grinned from ear to ear, “Oh my god, I can't believe this, mom. I always thought my dad was a total loser, but goddamn, you managed to get knocked up by an idol.”

Oh my god.

You were mortified and Jeongguk was just downright speechless.

This would be an awkward first family dinner together.

#bts imagine #bts reactions #bts x reader #bts #bangtan #bangtan reaction #bangtan boys #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop reactions #bangtan sonyeondan #reader #bangtan x reader #bangtan boys x reader #requests

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canyouhearthelight · 5 years ago

Text

The Miys, Ch. 70

After every serious arc, I like to do a fluffy chapter. Super fluffy. And this one is no exception.

There are three people I cannot thank enough for helping with this chapter. First up is @charlylimph-blog for helping me get the character of Charly right. You may remember her briefly as the woman with the collar from the Food Festival arc.

Second, of course, is @satan-parisienne for beta-ing the stuff I churn out. She is in town for New Year’s this week, and I had the absolute pleasure of watching her reactions in real-time (something I haven’t gotten to do in several months)!

Last but not least, @baelpenrose, who has been giving the last few chapters a read to make sure the story is consistent and to poke holes in anything I may have missed or got mixed up.

Happy New Year, and I hope to see you all in the New Roaring 20s!

”Sophia, we sorta kinda maybe need to talk?”

I glanced up from my datapad, rubbing the cramp in my neck as I did. With Insert Winter Holiday – and the crisis with Else – behind us, the backlog at work basically qualified as cruel and unusual punishment in most Terran jurisdictions. Unfortunately, we weren’t on Terra anymore, so I was working twenty hour days trying to get things back on an even keel. Neither my joints nor my partners were very appreciative of it, but at least Conor and Maverick complained less than my spine did.

When I saw my visitor, I stood with much crackling to greet her. Charly bounced in, completely oblivious to my crunchy joints. “You work too much,” she scolded without preamble. “We need a ladies’ night – you, me, Tyche, and Xiomara. No arguments.”

Arching an eyebrow at her uncharacteristically demanding tone, I glanced over her shoulder. A dark silhouette that rivaled Conor’s height flashed a quick, blinding white grin. I shrugged and looked back to the energetic brunette in front of me. “And when am I supposed to have time for a ladies’ night, Charly?”

“I already talked to Xiomara, who talked to Tyche, who told Alistair to clear your calendar the day after tomorrow. So, tomorrow night, we’re getting cute and going out!”

“Three out of four of those names are in relationships,” I pointed out.

“So? It’s drinks with the girls. I tried to ask Grey, but they don’t want to go.” She dropped her eyes and pouted at my navel before looking back in the direction of my face. “Still. It’s not like we have to be on the hunt for sexy fun times just to go out and have drinks together. It’ll be fun. And you know you love the Undine, you just haven’t had an excuse to go back with everything going on.”

Bacon Bloody Marys… I shook my head vigorously, focusing on the present. “You do realize that Xio, Tyche, and I are probably going to talk about work, right?”

“Duh. Geez, that’s what the booze is for. Complaining about work is enhanced… by the booze.”

I sighed. Ever since she had been released from medical observation, I had learned that saying no to Charly was incredibly difficult. Even Tyche just kind of went along with her in something of a confused daze. I swore, the woman had a superpower – people just agreed with her. The only thing standing between her and Galactic domination was the same low threshold my sister and I shared for being around people.

If she was this eager to go out, to a bar, for a girls’ night, who were we to say no?

“Can I at least take today to think about – “ I tried in vain, only to be cut off.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Girls’ night! Girls’ Night! Ladies’ gonna get druuuuuunk!” she started chanting and dancing in a circle.

Sure enough, the next night saw Tyche fussing over my outfit and hair, gently trying to tousle it into something she obviously understood and I didn’t. Xiomara was laughing hard enough that the only thing saving her from an abrupt, face-first introduction with the floor was the doorway she was leaning against. When I tried to turn my head to scowl at her, Tyche used one very firm fingertip to turn my head back to her. “I’m almost done. Would you just hold still? Sheesh,” she grumbled.

“You know I hate getting dolled up,” I pointed out sulkily.

She ignored me, instead stepping back to look at her handiwork. “I think that will work,” she finally pronounced with a nod.

The mirror she held up made me want to scream. “I look exactly like I did before!” I cried in confusion. “Why did you spend an hour making my hair look exactly the same!?”

With a low growl, she rolled her eyes and shook her head at a now-gasping Xiomara. “Some people just don’t understand,” she sighed dramatically. Glaring at me, she pointed at my hair. “This does not look the same. It looks intentional.”

Xiomara temporarily sobered up enough to contribute her two cents. “Before, you had bed-head. Now, you have sex hair. Big difference.”

“You. Two. Are. Loony,” I ground out. I reached to run a hand through my hair in frustration, only to have Tyche intercept it.

“Don’t you dare. I don’t have time to fix it,” she ordered before dragging me out of my office, my hand still clutched tightly in her grasp. Groaning as loudly as possible in hopes of rescue, I reluctantly allowed myself to be pulled along until we reached the Undine. Once outside, my sister stopped and dropped my hand, giving me one last once-over before seeming content that I hadn’t managed to wreck her painstaking work in the last forty meters.

I was permitted to enter the pub under my own power. Making our way to the back of the space, we found Charly had already claimed a high-top. As soon as we were visible, Coffey gently cupped her jaw in one massive hand and gave her a kiss that was paired with a look that clearly meant Stay out of trouble. Charly just gave him an angelic smile.

Frankly, the odds of that were fifty-fifty. Charly wasn’t reckless – not by a long shot. On the contrary, I had learned in recent weeks that she was usually very quiet and extremely cautious. In absolute, direct conflict with this was an underlying need to play pranks on unsuspecting victims.

Given her usual demeanor, ‘unsuspecting’ was synonymous with ‘everyone on the Ark except Noah and Coffey’. Well, Coffey at least suspected it, but he wasn’t exactly immune to pranks. When I asked her about it once, she just shrugged and told me “Hey, if I’m going to be punished, I may as well deserve it.”

The man in question waved one hand at the three of us before disappearing into the crowd. I honestly had no clue how he did that – he was easily the second tallest human on the ship. More annoyingly, he did it all. The. Damned. Time. It was profoundly frustrating, albeit very impressive. Squashing the sigh I felt bubbling up, I turned back to the table. Tyche and Xiomara were already seated, leaving me a seat across from my sister.

No sooner did I climb onto my seat, than Sebastian came through the crowd with a tray full of drinks. Coconut rum and fruit juice for Tyche, an enormous Bloody Mary for myself, neat whiskey for Xiomara, and eye-catchingly blue something-slushy with a huge wedge of pineapple and an umbrella for Charly. She caught me looking and held it up so I could see it better. “It has alcohol, I swear – blue curacao, cognac, and rum.”

With a skeptic glance, Tyche sniffed the drink and wrinkled her nose. “Sounds like a hangover.”

“Nuh-uh,” Charly retorted. “It sounds like fun!”

Xiomara rolled her eyes before downing her whiskey with a wink at me. “If we’re here to drink, may as well, right?”

An hour and a half later, Sebastian was taking away our most recent set of empty glasses, ducking Tyche’s hand as she gesticulated wildly. She was telling some story to Charly, who had slowly scooted her chair closer and closer. At the moment, she was leaning on the part of the table that was actually in front of my sister, watching and giggling as Tyche enthusiastically flailed and made exaggerated faces. I could not figure out for the life of me what story she was telling, but a few minutes later she tipped her head back with a clap of her hands and a peal of laughter. This sent Charly into a fit of giggles, face down on her arms.

I glanced at Xiomara, who was smiling, but still clearly sober despite her drinks. With a conspiratorial tone, I told her “They are soooo drrrrr… draaa…. dur-rur-rur… Inebriated. Very inebriated.”

Xio stopped mid-sip to arch an eyebrow at me. “You seriously couldn’t get out the word drunk so you went with, of all things, inebriated!?”

Tyche and Charly collapsed into howling laughter at the disbelief in her tone. I just tapped my temple and sat as straight as I possibly could, offended. “Dain bramage, Xio. Loooooots of brain damage.” I ruined my scolding tone by belatedly realizing what I had initially said and snorting with laughter.

That seemed to break the dam to pieces, because I started giggling and could not stop myself no matter how hard I tried. It didn’t help when, just as the giggling started to trickle off, Charly howled “Dain Bramaaaage!” at the top of her lungs and blindly toasted the room with a mostly-empty hurricane glass. The gesture sent the wedge of pineapple on the rim into a tumbling arc…

Right into Xiomara’s whiskey, droplets splashing her face.

I didn’t know whether it was the pineapple or the wet-cat look on Xio’s face, but either way, it was the funniest thing the three of us had ever seen. Soon, Tyche and I were leaning against Charly, fighting for breath against the laughter that was possessing us like minor demons.

“Ha, ha, ha,” Xiomara mock-sneered. “Go ahead, laugh it up. I swear, you three are –“

When she stopped mid-sentence, Tyche popped up like a meerkat. Almost immediately, she was smacking my shoulder and shaking Charly. “Look! Looklooklooklooklook.”

Xiomara was frozen, face slack, mouth half-open with the dying breath of whatever she was about to call us. Her eyes were glued to the entrance of the Undine. I felt two different spots in my neck pop as I snapped my head around to see what she was staring at. At first, all I could see was just an ocean of people getting after-work drinks and socializing… granted, it was a little quieter than I expected, and more people were talking in hushed tones than I remembered from bars back home, but maybe I was just out of touch.

Tyche saved me again by reaching across, grabbing my jaw, and turning my head to face what Xiomara was looking at: a beautiful woman, about my height, with what seemed like miles of thick, black hair, and a stunning blue saree with warm gold and pale green details coming over her shoulder. I could see how she was a show-stopper, honestly, but Xio’s reaction seemed a bit dramatic.

In contrast to this, Charly’s head came up, dislodging Tyche’s hand. “Oh, that’s just Parvati! She’s an artist. I think she told me once she did murals in the Before?”

The statement seemed to snap Xio out of her trance. “What? How do you know her?”

Oblivious to the demanding tone, Charly shrugged. “She works with Hannah a lot. Like, a lot-lot. So I’ve met her a few times. She’s really lovely, honestly. Some of her work is in the database… she did a lot of politically-charged protest art, like this one…what was it called?” She snapped her fingers a few times, lost in thought. “Started with a ‘G’ I think? Refugee something?”

“Refugee Guernica!?” my sister and I demanded at the same time.

“Yeah! That one. The really violent one.”

The piece had been extremely controversial: a hyper-realistic mural of climate refugees, posed to evoke the original Picasso work and gaunt with starvation. That, alone, would have been palatable to the powers-that-were. However… the artist had gone one step further and portrayed what had been livestock in the original work as human beings, feasted upon by the fattened rich. It had also been in true-to-life color, which hadn’t helped soften any blows. Tyche and I had both been breathless the first time we saw an image of it.

“That is the person who did that mural?” Tyche asked, pointing a finger at the woman across the bar.

Charly nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! Parvati Fletcher. Remember? Signed all her murals with a little arrow, fletched with peacock feathers?”

Xiomara’s eyes narrowed. “She did the one decrying the Baconists, didn’t she?”

“Yeah! Animal Farm, the scene where the pigs were adding ‘but some animals are more equal than others’. I don’t know if Parvati has it in her to hate, but the closest I ever saw her come was when she compared Baconists to the rich. She said that the only difference between the two was that Baconists were more honest about wanting annihilate humanity.”

Dark eyes narrowed as Xio flicked open her datapad, summoning data furiously. Abruptly, she relaxed. “I remember this file… We suspected her after what happened on Level One, but Noah confirmed on three separate occasions that she was telling the truth.”

“Duuuuuhhhhhhhhh,” Charly intoned, rolling her eyes comically. “Vati doesn’t argue much, but one thing that will always make her speak is the fact that she only believes that humanity is at its best if everyone is given the opportunity to be their best.”

“That’s… why she’s here, isn’t it?” I asked with dawning comprehension.

“Well, yeah. Why else? You’re here for the same reason, right? You believe in the best in a person, no matter the person, right? Well, she believes in that… It’s like, if you’re a psychologist, she would be a sociologist. She believes in the best in humanity, not just the best in a person.”

Huh. That was a breath of fresh air. I glanced back at Xiomara. She looked lost, and I followed her sight back to the same blue and earth-tone saree, shining dark hair, and a bright white laugh. I glanced back and forth a few times before the realization hit me between the eyes like a sledgehammer. The gaping stare, the quick background check and almost melting relief… “Xio?” I whispered in that special, extra-quiet volume only drunk people can use. “You like her, don’t you?”

“Tell the whole bar, why don’t you?” she grumbled.

“Hey, I’m not judging,” I held my hands up placatingly. “I just…. I had a completely different idea in mind for your type, that’s all. Took me a bit to realize I was so, so wrong.”

“Oh, yeah, peopling-queen?” she smirked. “Do tell, what did you have in mind as ‘my type’?”

“Well, I saw this video once of a lady who broke a pumpkin in half between her thighs…” I gave her a pointed look.

Next to her, Tyche nodded vigorously. “And more sharp objects. We both thought your affections could only be won by someone who could best you in single combat.”

Charly scowled. “There are more types of combat than fighting, you two. I bet Parvati has incited more political uprisings than any four people at this table.” My brows furrowed and I opened my mouth to say something, but Charly rolled her eyes again and cut me off. “Yes, Sophia. I am aware there are only four people at this table. That’s the point.”

<< Prev Masterlist Next >>

#the miys #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #aliens #science fiction #original sci fi #apocalypse #alcohol #art #earth is space australia #original fiction

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shackledsculs-remade · 5 years ago

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Two Sides of The Same Coin

Well, well, well....You’re the so called, ‘Wraithfather’. I have to say, you’re not what I was expecting. You’re all...Nice, put together. I mean, you even have a woman who doesn’t think you’re a monster. Does she know what you are? What you’ve really done?”

Zachary stared at the woman who had been trailing him. He didn’t let her know she had caught his attention, but he knew she was like him. What had bothered him, was how he couldn’t reach out to the fragment of the void within her. Normally, he could shut a wraith’s powers, and by extension, their immortality off. He was the first, the “Wraithfather” as people called him. He’d killed many wraiths that showed a sign of going off the deep end, and he’d seen many of them plead that they wanted to live. It hurt, hurt more than he could say. At least, they could finally rest though.

“Hm, is tha’ wha’ y’think? Tha’ I ain’t told her ‘bout wha’ I am? Who I am? Y’got it all wrong. She knows everythin’ ‘bout me. ‘Nd I would’ve agreed with ya, but y’know what? I’ve made m’peace. You? Yer jus’ some empty husk, who feels like th’world owed you yer dues. Ya had all th’power in th’world t’make shit better, ‘nd what did y’do with it? Ya steal people away from their loved ones, y’take what’s not yers. Fer what? Because ya feel jealous of those who haven’t suffered like you?”

Serina grit her teeth, but knew that in a straight up fight, she couldn’t hold a candle to Zachary, but on the other hand, he couldn’t shut her powers off. The fragment of the void that was within her had long since broken off, changed into something unrecognizable. She took a breath, before letting her lips settle into a smile.

“So what if I am? The fact of the matter is that I can do what I wish. None of them can stop me, and neither can you. Pretending to be human...Don’t you get tired of keeping these useless maggots safe? When they’d be much better off under the heel of people who can keep them in line? Stop them from destroying themselves?”

She let out a small chuckle, placing her hands on her waist, at least before she began walking towards him, and placed a hand on his cheek. Her lips curled into a smirk as she began to speak once more.

“Aren’t you going to be awful lonely once that little doll of yours finally kicks the bucket? She’s not immortal, not like we are. Surely, you can find it in your heart to take pity on a poor girl like me, right? From what I’ve seen about you, it’s certainly not wrong that you like your women like that. I can be whatever you want me to be.”

Zachary grabbed her wrist, though it clearly wasn’t him that was in control. His eyes glowed brighter, and his body changed, and his voice now sounded as if multiple people were speaking at once.

“We are not amused, child. We gave you our power to see if you could be a secondary vessel should this one not have worked, it is not a toy to do with as you wish. Alistair may not stop you now, but rest assured, your price will be paid.”

The void had taken over, now? Now it was angry, judging by how the world around it began to react. The sound of voices screaming, the gradual essence of itself leaking from Zachary’s body. It gripped tighter, causing the woman to wince as she tried pulling herself from it’s grip. Instead, she was gradually bought to her knees, a growl emanating from her lips as she stared up at it.

“WE SHALL RIP THE VERY ESSENCE OF YOUR BEING FROM YOUR CORPSE. THERE SHALL BE NO AFTERLIFE FOR YOU. YOU WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO ATONE. NO LONGER SHALL WE SIT IDLY BY WHILE YOU CHOOSE TO DESTROY. YOU MAY NO LONGER BE CONNECTED TO US, BUT WHAT WAS GIVEN, SHALL BE RETURNED.”

Zachary’s free hand reached out, and opened a tear in the realm. It was merely a portal to somewhere else in the world, it wouldn’t kill her, not permanently, but it would serve as a reminder as to what awaited her. Serina struggled more, a look of terror on her face.

“Stop! Stop it, damn you! Release me!”

She summoned her hat pin to her hand, beginning to stab at his wrist, but he didn’t budge, his grip remained strong. He dragged her over to the portal, and now he was in control once more, and glared down at the woman, at least before his face softened. She never asked to become a wraith, never asked to become an immortal that lived, died, and repeated the cycle for centuries.

“I pity you. Yer jus’ like me, angry at what was stolen from ya, feelin’ like y’needed to do more. Feelin’ like th’only thing y’could do was destroy. Yer what I could’ve become if I let m’anger control me. Maybe if y’had someone like Ji...Ya would’ve become somethin’ more.”

He watched as she struggled to maintain her balance, looking up at him with venom in her glare. He’d just have to let go, and she’d be whisked off to another part of the world. Where? He didn’t know, nor care. They’d meet again, he knew they would. Because now it fell to him to kill her. Her beautiful face twisted into an ugly snarl, and she began to shout again.

“Spare me your pity! I DON’T NEED TO PLAY AT BEING HUMAN, BECAUSE I’M MORE THAN THAT. AT LEAST I ACCEPT I’M A MONSTER WEARING A HUMAN’S FACE! YOU’RE A COWARD, NOTHING MORE THAN SCUM! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO DID THIS TO ME! WHY COULDN’T I HAVE STAYED DEAD?! WHY DID YOU-”

He said nothing as he released her from his grip, and watched her fall into the portal, her scream fading as the tear in reality closed. Maybe he was a monster, but it didn’t matter what she saw him as. He knew where he stood, and no matter what happened, he’d kill as many of his wayward ‘children’ as he had to. If it meant that Ji was safe, that the two of them could have peace...He’d do whatever it took.

“Maybe I am a monster...But y’know wha’? I can live with tha’. Because this monster won’t let himself become th’very thing he died to fight against when he was a human. I’ll set you free from this wretched existence. Tha’s a promise. Then, I can finally rest ‘nd one day, Ji ‘nd I can live a life where th’gods don’t interfere with us.”

#Oh Lazarus; How did Your Debts Get Paid? (IC; Zachary)#hoo #I got a banter prompt #and it evolved into this #drabble tag #i'll make a tag for Serina sooner or later

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ramblinganthropologist · 6 years ago

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Last minute shopping

Summary: Garrus always forgets Valentine’s Day is coming until the last moment. Now he’s stuck. To make matters worse, he’s shopping for two this year. What the hell does he get the special girl in his life, and what does bioweapons have to do with any of this?

---

Why was everything about Valentine's Day so... pink?

“No...”

Garrus heaved a sigh as he put a package of chocolate back on the shelf and stepped away. Honestly, he had no idea if it was any good regardless – this was the levo part of the store after all. The bright paper and ribbons looked pretty, but they just weren't... right. Something in his gut was telling him that much anyway.

Right. As if he had any idea what right was.

His mandibles twitched as he glanced around. The turian had been at this for the better part of ten minutes, and all he got for it was sore legs and the vague sense he was being stupid. This was always how it ended – him standing in the aisle, staring blankly until he gave up or some helpful human gave him an idea.

But he didn't want that. Not this year.

Clenching his talons, Garrus continued his work. Thoughts of his husband kept blinking through his mind – Alistair liked milk chocolate, but not white. This one brand made him sick for some reason, avoid it like the plague. It should probably be easy to carry, given his work. But that left him with still a large amount of material to work with. Frustrating didn't even begin to cover it.

And... well, he was shopping for two after all.

“I don't even know what to get her...”

The worry ate away at him as he paced the aisle. Truly, Valentine's Day was more of a human thing even though most of the council species had picked it up in some way or another over the last few decades. He himself thought it was all a little silly, but the look he got when the day came often made it worth it. Though, that was the problem in and of itself – did she celebrate it?

Well... if she didn't, at least she could appreciate the present.

Garrus rounded the corner, eyes still pinned to the shelves. Up ahead was a small pile of stuffed animals, jostled from people picking through to find their favorites. Some of them had even wound up on the floor. He shook his head and bent down to scoop one up, returning it to the display with a light touch. They always tended to rip if he handled them.

“There you go.”

He wasn't sure why he was talking to a stuffed animal besides the fact it was a recent habit imprinted upon him. If the vids were to be believed, these sorts of things had feelings. He didn't believe them – or at least he said he didn't – but... it was only polite to pick things up, right?

…

Yeah, he was getting soft. Oh well.

While he was there, Garrus evaluated the pile with a sharp eye. Most of it was bears – humans really liked those for some reason. He would've given up and turned away, but at the last minute one of them caught his eye – it was buried near the bottom of the pile. Maybe it was the challenge, but he couldn't look away. Mouth set into a thin line, the turian dug through the pile with careful talons. After a few moments and displacement of a few plush bear rumps, he pried his prize free.

“Well... want to come home with me?”

He was asking a cat doll, half expecting for its red thread mouth to open answer him. It didn't – because that would be weird – but it kept smiling at him. Its yellow button eyes stared up at him, as if asking him to take it home. And oh... he couldn't resist that face.

At least... that solved his one problem. What the fuck was he going to get his husband, though?

“Maybe you can help me find a hamster.” He patted the doll on the head and sat it to the side to keep digging. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but his new friend almost seemed to be shining. Of course, that might've just been the fake black fur and yellow button eyes. But whatever, he was going to think what he wanted.

At any rate... come on, lucky hamster...

---

“Al? Danny? I'm home!”

Garrus' flanged voice echoed off the entry way as he closed the front door behind him. There was no one in the living room, and the TV was off. Someone's abandoned math homework lay spread out on a table, one of the questions erased to near extermination by a half chewed pencil. Just the sight of it made him chuckle as he walked past, following the sound of music.

Of course, he stopped in horror as he realized it was coming from the kitchen.

“No.”

The turian's pace quickened and he hid behind the wall in order to get a better view. His old merc days came in handy as he sought solid cover. It was the same concept as hiding from an enemy sniper anyway – if they can't see you, they can't shoot you. Or in this case, nobody could call him out on ruining the surprise. These days, that was as bad as getting shot.

He got a good view of the back of Alistair Shepard's head as the man poured something into a bowl. Next to him, a young turian girl was testing a mixture. Her talon dipped in, and when she didn't recoil in horror that was a pretty good sign.

“How is it, Danny?”

“I think we need to add a little more of this, Pops.”

Garrus' heart bloomed as he heard the two speak. Inside the kitchen and still unaware, Alistair pouted and turned to face his daughter. She was at his shoulder, and soon would be towering over him – much to his displeasure. The turian thought it was funny, honestly.

“But the recipe says-”

Danny held up her small hand with the air of an expert. “And my tongue says we add more. Trust me on this, Pops. I'm the dexpert here.”

Her father chuckled in that way that made Garrus weak in the knees. “Alright, Miss Dexpert. I'll trust you on this one. But if it grows eyes and tries to waddle off the table we're going to have some problems.”

The mixture of laughter brought life into the kitchen in ways it had never felt before six months ago. Garrus felt his mandibles twitch – the happy one. They twitched that way a lot lately, and it showed no signs of slowing down. If they never stopped, he wouldn't complain.

Given things in the kitchen were handled, he attempted to turn to beat a quick retreat. However, in his haste he missed the chair leg that caught him by surprise. He hit the floor right mandible first, stars dancing before his eyes. They didn't clear out as the heavy thump summoned the other residents of the house so fast it made light look slow.

Great. He was busted.

“Dad fell down.” Danny's tone was flat as she no doubt turned to her other father. “Pops, is he going to make it?”

Alistair held back a chuckle as he knelt to examine his husband. Garrus gave him an embarrassed look, which only made the man laugh harder. At least the blow to his pride was only as lethal as the soreness in his mandible – he could live with that.

“Oh, I think so. He's got a pretty hard head.” The former marine's smile turned into a smirk as he patted his husband on the jaw. “Of course, that's if he survives the interrogation for spying on us. What do you say we get to work on that?”

Garrus was the one chuckling now as he watched his daughter cheer for proper interrogation methods. He held up his hands. “I swear, Commander, there's no espionage here. Just making sure you weren't creating any bioweapons.”

It was fun, watching his husband turn that shade of red. Danny was giggling even harder now, her mandibles twitching so much she might have been able to achieve flight. He loved when she did that – and it was happening more and more by the day. One day they might not stop at all, and apart from making talking pretty hard that wouldn't be too bad in his book.

Ok, maybe a little bit. He liked hearing her talk too.

“Don't worry, Dad. I made sure Pops stayed within Council regulations.” Her eyes went wide as she glanced to his side. “Are those for us?”

Damn, she'd gotten him. Yet Garrus didn't mind as he reached for his bag and peeked inside to make sure everything was in order. When he came back, there was his daughter's jewel toned eyes staring at him, begging to know. It was downright adorable.

Well... shit.

“Consider them part of a peace treaty to secure goodwill.” Garrus felt his entire body warm as he handed over the stuffed cat that look so much like the one Danny's aunt had. “Happy Valentine's Day?”

And then that plush was being squished into him as the young turian wrapped her arms around his carapace and squealed her thank you's. Up above, Alistair smiled and his eyes twinkled in the way they had when they had decided to adopt the girl. Parental love, or so he figured, did that to them both.

Maybe this wasn't such a dumb day after all. If it made Danny happy, he would be more than happy to put up with it.

“We made you candy, but you're going to have to wait because Pops can't measure right.” Danny was hugging her stuffed animal and beaming. “Wanna see?”

She held out her small hand to him and Garrus couldn't say no. Up he went, towering over the small girl. Soon they were joined by the house's only human who sought the turian's free hand. Now, sandwiched between the two people in the universe he loved the most, he could go and see just what they had made him.

With any luck, it would be edible. But even if it wasn't, that wouldn't be too bad. He had a pretty strong stomach... and if it got bad, the one who put him in the hospital could get him out too. It was a good arrangement.

#Shakarian #Garrus Vakarian #Alistair Shepard #and introducing #Danny Shepard-Vakarian #ramblinganthropologist's writing

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laythornmuse · 7 years ago

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Where We Begin, Chapter 18

The next few weeks were nothing short of a chaotic mess. Immediately after confirming Claire and their child were safe, Jamie herded Claire to his waiting vehicle, insisting the hospital and Joe knew exactly how to reach her when they needed her.

She hadn’t realized at the time, but a storm of reporters, privy to the fire department call, were about to fall on the hospital and the newly blossoming investigation into Edinburgh’s chief surgeon and her workplace…and her. Jamie, however, seemed well aware of the shitstorm headed there way and was taking the position of an irate sheepdog.

“Claire.” He barked, stopping her from turning back towards the hospital for the third time. The lost stare she threw him immediately hedged his temper as he moved an arm over her shoulders.

“We must go, Claire.” “Where?” She breathed. “Lallybroch,” he said, as he tucked her into the passenger seat. “First to your place to pack a bag.”

Claire had nodded, and for the first time, handed him the power to take care of her. Within the hour, they were on the backroads headed to Inverness, and by the time they were halfway there, he had John fully appraised and Jenny notified of their coming.

“Jamie…pull over…”

Wordlessly, he slowed the car onto the dirt side bank and watched as Claire took three steps away from the vehicle before emptying her stomach on the pavement. Crouched, Claire took deep breaths willing her mind and stomach to settle. Joe had given her explicit instructions to rest and had even packed them six intravenous treatment kits to get her stabilized.

Jamie appeared at her side with a water bottle and blanket, wrapping it over her shoulders as she swished her mouth clean. “Do ye want to pull over for a bit?”

“No, the sooner we get there the better.” She looked up at Jamie, who despite the chaos looked cool and collected and handsome, damn him, and let her head nestle under his chin. “Thank you for this. For taking over, and knowing just what to do.”

“Och, I’m making it up as we go,” He murmured, and he grinned as her chuckle vibrated against his chest. “You’re all right? Truly?”

“Yes,” she sighed, letting her arms tighten around his ribs. “We are both fine. Just get us home.”

A few hours later, Claire was tucked into bed in their usual cabin at Lallybroch. In the weeks since their first visit, they had come twice more and always gravitated toward this small dwelling, though this time it came equipped with a hovering, nervous Jenny. As Claire deftly hung her IV treatment by the bed sconce, she realized Jenny had many questions, and belatedly realized Jamie’s departure for firewood may have been forced upon him.

“So you’re pregnant, aye?”

“Yes,” Claire answered, matching Jenny’s bluntness. Then, recognizing her lack of surprise, Claire felt a flood of shame wash over her. “I guess you know I was being…well…”

“A stubborn ass? Aye, I heard a bit about that.” Jenny seemed to notice Claire’s unease and let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sure my brother deserved every word, mind ye.”

“He didn’t,” Claire replied, “But I appreciate you not thinking the worst of me.”

“Claire…” Jenny cleared her throat and settled herself on the edge of the bed before taking Claire’s hand. “I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by these stubborn, ridiculous men, and while I love them all…you should know I’ve wanted a sister all my life. With this child, you’ll always be family, but you should know you already were, for loving my brother as he deserves. There’s no greater gift you can give me than his happiness.”

Tears slid down Claire’s cheeks, bewildered and struck dumb as she was by Jenny’s unexpected and touching words. When her sleeve proved useless in mopping her face, Jenny chuckled and handed her a handkerchief from the nightstand.

“Do you…want to hear the heartbeat?” Claire said, offering her thanks for Jenny’s words in the best way she could. “These Doppler heart monitors are so affordable we always have twenty or so on hand. Joe packed me one for our stay.”

“Aye, I’d love to meet my niece,” Jenny said, her own eyes growing misty as she shuffled closer.

“We won’t know for sure yet for a few more weeks…”

“Jamie told me you had an inkling, and I trust it. Mother’s are rarely surprised in these things…”

Jenny hushed as the whoosh of a tiny heart at work filled the room, and her face beamed with delight as her hand hovered over Claire’s.

“Oh listen to that! For sure a lass with that strong of a heart.” Jenny whispered. Jenny’s hand clasped Claire’s then. “I’m here for ye, Claire, if you ever have questions or worries. I had so many questions with my first and wished for another female who had any idea what I was going through. You may not, being a doctor…”

“I already have a million questions,” Claire blurted. She paused. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Nay,” Jenny said with a smile. “Fire away. Ian knows to keep Jamie away for at least another 15 minutes.”

“You’re the best schemer I’ve ever met, do you know that?” Claire asked.

“You’ll learn soon enough.”

By the next day, the media was buzzing with the story of Edinburgh’s Chief Surgeon accused of record tampering and possible assault. She wasn’t named yet but knew that may last a week until official charges were filed. The hospital board had called, stating that the circumstances dictated she take a leave of absence while the evidence was gathered and analyzed. That didn’t surprise her as it was the typical protocol for investigations, but their next words did.

“The board unanimously decided to conclude your residency and grant you full accreditation for your surgery work. Congratulations Ms. Beauchamp.”

She could practice anywhere in the UK, once the paperwork was filed.

Present Day

Claire swayed through the wave of guests now gathered under the white canopies where achampagne and whiskey were dolled out in equal measure. Having eluded her husband’s fierce grip in search of beverage, Claire trilled softly when she found her prize in the chest cooler behind the bar: sparkling water. It was the only reason she could consider herself “happily pregnant” despite her indigestion.

“Dr. Fraser!”

“Oh damn it all…” Claire muttered, pouring herself a healthy serving of carbonation. “Dr. Munro,” Claire answered, shooting a brilliance smile at her colleague. “I’m so happy you could make it.”

“I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to rub elbows with some of our most generous sponsors, could I? Could Dr. Abernathy make it?”

“I haven’t seen Joe yet, but he should be here soon. I know he and Gail are still unpacking their home from the move.”

“Splendid. Well, if I haven’t thanked you enough for signing on to the Inverness Children’s hospital, let me say again how honored I am to have your talent and affluence…”

“Oh look! The McDonald Clan is set up just there! Weren’t you telling me your a descendent from the McDonalds?”

“Why yes, you remembered! Oh, I must part with you Claire, but I’ll speak with you again this evening. Off I go!”

Claire smiled and let out a breath of relief. Alistair Munro was a sweet, gifted doctor with a gentle heart and an unfortunately active tongue for chatter. He was the pulse behind Inverness’s new children’s hospital and had welcomed her with open arms when she applied for the hospital’s attending surgeon position. The surgery wing was still under construction, but it offered specialized care for children unavailable at the neighboring general hospital. Jenny had turned her ear to the position since F.B.M was making a substantial donation, and then everything settled into place after that.

“Gave him the shake, did ye?”

“Mmm, it didn’t seem to work on you, however,” Claire said, raising a brow at Jamie’s smug grin. “Really, I'm all right. My nerves are gone, and you really shouldn’t be tied to a buoy all night.”

“Don’t talk about my lover that way,” Jamie whispered in her ear, letting his fingers trace over the bare skin of her back. She tilted her head into his shoulder as his knuckle kneaded the flesh behind her left hip.

“Ohh, you wonderful man,” she moaned, as his breath tickled her neck.

“That spot is still troubling ye, aye?” He muttered softly, holding her elbow steady as he turned to face her.

“Yes, but this helps…and your daughter likes it too.”

Jamie chuckled as a steady beat of kicks drummed where his stomach met Claire’s.

“She’s a wee frog with strong legs like these,” he murmured, rubbing Claire’s belly until the kicking stopped. “All right, promise you’ll sit soon, and I’ll let you alone for a bit, aye?” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

“Deal. Love you.”

“Love you.”

Claire watched as her husband walked back into the crowd, answering to calls across the way, and disappearing into the sea of tartan and suit jackets. Claire had been warmly addressed and welcomed by all the society members and their wives, though she suspected she was still a topic of gossip behind their white gloves.

“They can all hang,” Jenny had said that afternoon as she styled her hair.

“They’re jealous that you snagged my brother, and they’re dying to find something wrong with you. Crooked nose, busted chin, eyes too far spaced…”

“This isn’t reassuring Jenny…”

“But it won’t matter,” Jenny continued, as if not hearing her, “Because when they see how he looks at you-” Jenny paused and met her confused look. “Like the sun shines out of your arse, ye ken?

“He doesn’t...”

“He does,” she said through the pins in her mouth, “and they won’t know what to do with themselves, then.

Jenny shook with mirth that afternoon, but Claire had to admit her words fortified her heart.

She caught Jenny’s eye from across the lawn and nodded her head towards the house. Jenny nodded in understanding and shot her a grin before turning back to her guests. Jenny had made sure the office was unlocked so Claire could escape there if she needed a moment to herself, and now was as good a time as ever for a quick rest.

As Claire entered through the glass doors, she left the lights off and let out a sigh of relief. Lowering herself into the chaise lounge, she promised herself 15 minutes of rest before she returned to the guests.

She heard the door open behind her and smiled, letting her head loll back against the cushions.

“Come to join me, Jenny-”

Her breath stalled in her throat as her eyes widened, taking in the figure that stood before her.

“Hi Claire,” Geneva said softly. “We need to talk.”

#Where We Begin #Chapter 16 #LaythornMuse #Almost at the end!!!#Scream if you hate Geneva #WTF #Angst Delivered #LTM Where We Begin

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kittymaverick · 6 years ago

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It’s been a year, folks, and you know what that means!

Yep, a MCF commentary again. And bear with me as I once again did not buy the game this time and am relying on 123Pazu. This is what happens when you no longer have a working credit card anymore. Spoilers under the cut as usual.

1. Okay, from that creepy Annabelle thing in the mirror alone, I’m glad I’m not playing this game because this thing would give me nightmares. Yeah, you heard me right. I can sit through the entirety of the Ravenhearst mindfuck but I can’t take a creepy smiling woman in a mirror for a few hours. I’m weird like that. And maybe so is the Master Detective. 2. Surprisingly this time, MD has a personal stake in this! They are actually a friend of the missing person! I didn’t know you had friends, MD! “Excuse you I do so have--” Honestly, I half expect them to have all died or be involved in tragic circumstances. I also expect you to have met half of them through your cases. “...You’re not wrong...” 3. The MD has nice tastes in trench coat and shoes. The hat not so much. “HEY.” 4. A manor that has been empty for two centuries and the locals call it evil. And your friend thought it was a good idea to reclaim it? “I never did exactly have friends who have the best decisions...” 5. Pazu: Hm, the black smoke [...] not a good sign. Me: Yeah, for sure. don’t breathe that stuff in, MD. “Too late. My soul’s been stained black.” 6. “Someone’s hiding in the guardhouse--” IT’S VICTOR. “...Can you not--” VICTOR. 7. Car crash is in the way. Time to find another way in. “For the first time in my career, I can’t go through the front gates.” For the first time in your career, you’ve been forced into making a wiser decision. 8. ...You’ve been to a detective academy?? “How else do you think I got my badge?!” ...There’s a detective academy??? 9. PERSON IN THE CLOSET. “Hey, I’m just here to help!” For once people are hiding from you. That’s refreshing. “...I think she might have locked herself in there.” ...Wonderful. 10. Scary entity took your friend. Good luck getting her back. “...I did say my friends never were the best decision makes...” 11. Hey shouldn’t the interior designer leave like right now-- too late. “DAMMIT.” 12. Hey, hey look. That looks like a raven feather-- *Smashes glass* Right, I’ll shut up. 13. *Takes one step* *Car comes charging* OKAY, THAT’S NEW. “Yeah, cars usually drive away from me...” I bet you a chandelier is going to try to fall on your now. 14. Hidden key behind crazy contraptions-- You sure you still want to friend your friend here, MD? “...I want to say no, but friendship demands me to say otherwise. 15. ....You know honestly with this family tree thing in the van, your friend seems awfully... unhinged. “At least it’ll be someone I know this time...” 16. What is it with you and finding weird doll contraptions? “Guess I keep winding up finding them.” ... Really? MD Sarcastic? “I have to have a coping mechanism somehow.” 17. Hey remember to block the door in case it close-- “...Oops.” Oh look a bunch of mirrors-- SMASH THEM SMASH THEM ALL. 18. “I should probably clean this shining--” DON’T CLEAN ANYTHING THAT CAN BE A MIRROR. 19. Wow that flower vase puzzle is super unintuitive... Pazu: Let’s never speak of the puzzle again guys. “I agree.” 20. If a mirror is found in the dungeon, you leave it IN the dungeon! 21. “Not today, Alistair!” Have you seriously taken up to just mocking the bird now??? 22. Oh yes, a pretty black mirror. “Hm, there’re locks on here.” And you are of course going to unlock it. Haven’t we been through this-- AAAND the MD has walked into the mirror. I repeat, the MD has walked into the mirror! “I WAS PULLED IN!” YOU DESERVE IT! 23. Mirror-verse officially canon in the MCF universe. I wonder if that means-- “NO.” I haven’t even-- “NO.” ... “NO.” 24. Okay we just need to get out of here and-- AAAAHHHH CREEPY DANCING ROBOT AAAAAAHHHH. “I really don’t want to--” JUST DANCE WITH IT AND MAKE IT GO AWAY. 25. That thing eats souls. I hope you are prepared. “I can think of several somewhat-dead people that will fight for the right to torture my soul though, so the shade’s welcome to fight for it.” 26. Eleanor: Hello? Hello?! Oh finally, we found her. Aaaand yet it’s going to take a while for us to find how to get her out of there. “Just a moment Eleanor! I’ve got... a lot of puzzles to solve first!” Be glad she can’t really hear you. 27. Eleanor: I knew it was you. Who else would go through all this for me? “To be fair, I go through a lot of things for a lot of people.” 28. MD, why do you have black powder? “No reason.” No really, why do you have it? “...” Have an itch you just need to fulfill? “You know I have a great love of setting things on fire.” 29. Eleanor: Okay, so I prick my finger and touch the mirror, and we hope for the best. “Sounds about right.” Oh I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s only been what, 2 hours of gameplay so far? There’s still at least the third act-- Eleanor: IT DIDN’T WORK! HOW? See, I told you! “I hate it when you are right.” 30. Eleanor: We should look around and try to find some answers. “And hopefully stumble into some friendly ghosts. I’m good at doing that.” Finally, one of your misfortunes is going to help us for once. 31. Gemma: Please set me free, then I’ll tell you the truth. “Okay.” Gemma: Okay thanks I’m gone have fun opening the box. “That’s not exactly telling the truth!” 32. Eleanor: So, I’m not Gloria’s true descendent. I’ll be honest, I was wondering what Gemma’s role was soooo this isn’t a huge surprise. Eleanor: Guess we’ll need to find Gloria, but how? “...” Hey MD? “Time to look for more dead people. 33. Camille: OH it’s you! “...Who are you again?” To be honest, I forgot about her. 34. OKAY MIRROR OUT OUT OUT Gloria: Destroy the mirror! “I actually agree with her for once.” 35. Wait, that’s it? No end credits scene, nothing coming back to haunt us? I like this no strings attached approach. Overall comments: I’m... not sure if this a good game in terms of one that’s in the MCF series. On one hand, there was nothing too glaringly weird or off in the plot, but that said it’s not the most gripping. In fact it sort of lacks all grip. That and some of the puzzles being incredibly unintuitive made even just watching someone play a bit of a chore...

#Mystery Case files #the Countess

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paigenotblank · 7 years ago

Text

A Little Bit of Hope (version 2)

Rating: General

Pairings: Eleventh Doctor/Rose, Thirteenth Doctor/Rose, Eleven x Clara (friendship)

Note: originally written before I joined tumblr, but I’ve tweaked it since the 13th Doctor’s casting has been announced and figured I’d post this and the rest of the series here, even though it’s not new. (more author notes on AO3)

AO3

Part of my As It Should Be series.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and straightened his bow tie. He glanced back at his companion with delight. “Here we are, Clara. A whole planet dedicated to amusements.”

Clara laughed and her smile grew. “You're sure they have roller coasters?”

“All of Quadrant Four.”

“Well then, lead on!” Clara pushed the Time Lord into moving forward.

“We’ll just pop on the--” The Doctor stopped abruptly. “The, uh, the tram...” He tilted his head as if listening.

“Doctor? Is everything alright?”

His gaze swung to Clara and he smiled. “Of course. It's just, well, I think...I think I might be here already.”

Clara looked at him puzzled.

“I mean another me, a past or future me.”

“Oh! Can we go find you and say ‘hi?’”

The Doctor shook his head. “I'm sorry. It's never good when there is more than one of me in the same place.”

Clara looked disappointed, but didn't argue.

The Doctor pointed to a sign. “Follow the signs to the tram. Get on the one heading northwest, it’ll take you to Quadrant Four.”

“But what about you?”

“I'll be right behind you, just want to make sure there’s no crisis first. Get rid of the other me. I'll meet you at the Mega Dragon Coaster.”

“Are you sure you don't want me to--”

“Just go on, Clara. I won't be more than a few minutes.”

“Fine.”

Clara walked off in a huff toward the entrance to the tram and the Doctor spun and looked around. He didn't see anyone that he had been and there weren't any probable future hims that he could see. There were several families and couples and groups of friends. He closed his eyes and focused inwards to see if he could get a sense of how far away his other self was.

He vaguely heard a mother calling out for her daughter before he tuned out all the ambient noise. His eyes opened with a gasp as he realized he could feel not only his own mental signature but that of two other Time Lords. He whispered, “impossible,” right before he was grabbed around his knees from behind by some sort of little creature.

“Daddy!”

He looked down in confusion at a little humanoid girl holding a Barbie doll. She looked up at him with honey colored eyes and dirty blonde pigtails. She reached up and said, “Up, Daddy.”

He stood frozen until the little girl stomped her foot and pouted. “Up!”

He reached down in surprise and lifted her up in his arms. “Why do you keep calling me ‘Daddy?’ That's twice now you've done it. Don't you know what your own father looks like?”

She played with his bow tie and giggled. “Of course, I know what my Daddy looks like.”

“And I look like him, I suppose?”

The little girl shook her head. “Not if I look with my eyes.”

“Well, what else would you look with if not your eyes?”

“My hearts.”

The little girl looked at him with a sweet little smile and the Doctor felt a pang in the region of his hearts. Hearts? “I'm sorry did you just say, ‘hearts?’”

The little girl giggled and cupped his chin. “You're silly. I like your chin.”

He opened his mouth to respond when a blonde woman and a sandy haired boy with bright blue eyes ran up to them.

“You are in so much trouble.” The boy was talking to his sister and when he looked up the Doctor his eyes grew round. “Oh.”

The girl's mother scolded, “Jacqueline, how many times do I have to tell you that you're not to wander off and talk to strangers.” She reached for her daughter and got her first good look at the Doctor. “I'm so sorry. She--” Her head tilted in confusion. “Professor Smith?”

The Doctor looked at her in astonishment. “Rose.”

“What are you doing…” Rose trailed off when she realized how her maths tutor from when she was 14 could be on an alien planet in the year 3208. Her hand flew through the air and slapped him across the cheek. Both children cringed in sympathy.

He raised his hand to the side of his face. “Ow, what was that for?”

“Mum always said she didn't like the way you were always starin’ at me. Thought you were a pervert. Little did she know.”

“I resent the implication, Rose Tyler. I just wanted to help you pass your maths class.”

Rose laughed and then hugged the Doctor tightly. “Oh, Doctor!”

The Doctor pulled back. “What are you doing here? Are these your children?”

Rose nodded and pulled the boy closer to her. “This is Alistair and you've got Jacqueline.”

The Doctor looked at the boy. “Alistair?” And then at the little girl in his arms. “And Jacqueline, eh?”

The little girl nodded. “Jacqueline Amelia Susan Tyler. I'm four.”

Rose cleared her throat and looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow.

“Or I will be four in 26 days.” Jacqueline glared at her mother. “Daddy and you and Jamie lie about how old you are all time.”

Rose shook her head at her precocious daughter and the Doctor couldn't stop his own laugh.

“You're the sweetest little Jackie Tyler I've ever met.”

Alistair rolled his eyes. “Mum’s slapped you once already today, do you really want to push your luck insulting Gran?”

Rose ruffled her son’s hair and smiled down at him.

Jacqueline examined the Doctor’s cheek with her hand. “Does your face hurt?” She leaned in and gave him a kiss over the handprint. “I kiss it better, Daddy.”

The Doctor had to clear his throat before saying, “Thank you, poppet. It doesn't hurt anymore.” Jacqueline beamed at him. “Why are you calling me ‘Daddy?’ Surely you know that I'm not really your father.”

Jacqueline’s bottom lip began to quiver. “Yes, you are.”

The Doctor was looking at Jacqueline with such longing that it brought tears to Rose’s eyes. He pulled his gaze away from the child and pleaded with Rose. “Rose, please…”

Alistair tugged on his sister’s leg to get her attention. “Don't cry, Jackie. He just means that this body isn't the Daddy we know. He isn't our father yet.”

The Doctor looked in shock at the boy. “Yet?” He gasped. “You're both Time Tots! You're the other Time Lords I sensed when I got here? But how?”

Alistair looked guiltily at his mother. “I, uh…I didn't mean to say that.”

Rose kneeled down and faced her son. “It's okay. He’s going to have to forget this anyway, no harm done. It's the first time you've crossed your father’s timeline and you did way better than I did when I crossed my dad’s.” She gave him a quick hug and kiss before she stood to face the Doctor who was gaping at them.

“What? How? What about the meta--”

Rose held up her hand stopping him. “You’re gonna hide these memories, yeah?”

He nodded.

“They are your children. Properly yours, or will be. The...the human Doctor isn't their father. He...let’s just say...he died and I didn't.”

“Oh, Rose. I’m--”

Rose shook her head and wiped away tears, stopping him from finishing that sentence.

“But you're here...in this universe?”

“I am, but I can't tell you how or when I come back. Just that I do...come back to you.”

The Doctor looked from Alistair to Jacqueline. “Two of them? We have two children?”

Rose nodded and smiled. “Kinda have four, but the older ones are on their own adventure.” Rose laughed at the Doctor’s shocked expression and wiped away her tears. “Amusement park was too tame for ‘em. Gonna be sorry they missed seeing you...this you.”

The Doctor held Jackie in one arm and hugged Rose close with the other. He kissed the top of her head. “My girls. I don't know how I'm going to walk away from you again.”

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Doctor.”

“That’s usually my line.”

Rose gave him a small grin and pulled away, taking Jackie from the Doctor. “You're going to walk away and forget about us because you know as well as I do that you'd never endanger their existence.”

The Doctor smiled brightly at Rose, pride and love evident in his gaze. “You always know the right thing to say to me.”

“Have a lot of experience with that.” Rose gave him his favorite tongue touched grin. With a groan he leaned in and kissed her.

“Mum! Dad! Gross.” Alistair looked around, embarrassed by his parents’ public display.

Rose and the Doctor broke apart in amusement.

The Doctor kneeled in front of Alistair. “Can I have a hug goodbye?”

The Doctor had hardly a second to brace himself before Alistair flung himself into his arms. “I'm sorry I messed up and told a spoiler.”

“Oh tosh. How are you supposed to learn if you never make a mistake? I make loads of mistakes...all the time, just ask your mother.”

“But--”

“No buts. I can tell you are a brilliant Time Lord and am very proud to have you as my son. I can't wait to be your dad.” The Doctor squeezed Alistair tighter before reluctantly pulling back and standing up.

“And you, Miss Jacqueline Amelia Susan Tyler, my precious girl, I can tell you're gonna keep me on my toes. It was an honor to meet you.”

The Doctor leaned in to give Jackie a hug and she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of sugar and spice.

Once again, he reluctantly pulled back. Sadness flashed in his eyes before he steeled himself and grinned. “Well, it was lovely to meet you, but I really must be off. Until we meet again.”

The Doctor spun on his heels and started off toward the tram.

“Daddy, wait.”

He stopped, but paused before turning around. “Yes, poppet?”

“I want you to have Mummy-Doll.” Jacqueline held out her Barbie to the Doctor.

“I couldn't possibly take your dolly away from you.”

“I have Mummy to make me feel happy when I'm sad. Mummy-Doll will stay with you and make you not sad until Mummy finds you again.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. I'll keep her safe for you.” The Doctor looked down at the pink and yellow doll and smiled, it did indeed remind him of Rose. He put it in his bigger on the inside pocket and gave Rose and the two children one last kiss goodbye. “Goodbye, my darlings.”

With a wave, the Doctor turned and went off to find Clara.

Rose and the children stayed until they couldn't see him anymore.

“I believe it's time for ice cream.” Rose startled at the sound of her wife’s voice. Rose looked at the Doctor holding a tray of ice cream cones, smiling smugly, and leaned in for a kiss.

Alistair rolled his eyes. "Do you two have to kiss all the time?"

The Doctor laughed and ruffled her son's hair. Jackie reached for her. “Daddy!”

The Doctor handed Rose the tray of frozen treats and took Jacqueline from her. “I have something for you, poppet.” She took Jackie’s Barbie out of her pocket and handed it back to her. “Thank you, my sweet, sweet girl. I didn't always know why, but your dolly always gave me a little bit of hope when I needed it.”

Rose held out her hand to the Doctor; young or old, male or female, human or Time Lord, it was always a perfect fit. “Let's go home.”

The younger Doctor finally made it to the Mega Dragon Coaster. Clara had her arms crossed when he spotted her.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

Clara glared at him. “Well did you find yourself? Was there a crisis that needed averting?”

The Doctor paused as memories settled into place, or no, were locked away. Best not think too much on that. He shrugged. “Oh no, not at all. Ran around looking for him, but never actually found him before he left.”

He rubbed his hands together in glee. “Right then, Clara, Mega Dragon Coaster. It's won best roller coaster in this galaxy 3 years in a row. Twenty seven loops, 14 droops, 7 anti-grav jumps, 3 free falls…”

Clara shook her head at the Doctor. “Leave a little bit of surprise. Come on.” She took off laughing, the Doctor racing her to the entrance.

#eleven x rose #thirteen x rose #ficandchips #eleventh doctor #thirteenth doctor #rose tyler #clara oswald #original child characters #doctor who #fanfic #paigenotblank #ladypaigec #fluff #kid fic #my fic

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happywitch416 · 5 years ago

Note

I'm going to keep asking you: Josephine, idk if I asked about Sebastian or not but if not then it's happening now, Cullen, Sera, Alistair, and Cassandra. I already know your feelings on most but my dude, your opinion is so important to me and also your posts are hilarious.

Did a Seb!

Josephine

How I feel about this character

Josie is that elegant, well spoken lady I dreamed of growing up to be when I was a wee punk. She has mystery! A good heart! Golden. Ruffles. The noble eldest of her family, saving them from doom. I think its fair obvious I am heart eyes gaga over Josie. And she's a gossip! True story, my favorite kind of person. Tell me all the things.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Leliana and Josie is probs my favorite ship for Josie. Next would be the not romance with Blackwall. I don't think I have a specific Inquisitor romance for that i like. But imagining her with an ex carta dwarf lady makes my heart feel fluffy. Val may get a cousin.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Also Leliana, i love their friendship? How they pick on Cullen and Cassandra. You know the shopkeepers cry in terror and joy when they arrive. Like yes a sale but oh the standard they demand.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don't think I have one. Hm.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

I am actually good with her canon. A marriage would be nice in Trespasser. Oh that would be glorious. The flowers alone.

Cullen

How I feel about this character

Cullen is. He is not my favorite normally. Fandom ruined him for me, #notsorry. Now. I do think he is a character with great potential. I also want that furry cloak thing. I need it.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I dont have specific ship but there are a couple, as in literally 2, specific pairings that I read. But its more because I love friends writing then because I am googly eyed over noodle head.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Therapy. He needs it. Do they have lyrium anonymous? That's what he needs.

My unpopular opinion about this character

That is not a redemption arc. He definitely becomes more selective with his mage distrust/hate. But he doesn't really change from his all mages can't be trusted stance. And the templars were poor mistreated puppies! Yeah no they problematic to bud.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Him interacting with now ex templars. Growth beyond the dogma and the addictions. It needed more. But kore isn't for boys who are pretty i guess

Sera

How I feel about this character

Sera is a disaster and I love her. Sera is all of us who saw a qunari lady and also went woof. I like that she's nobody compared to most of your companions. She's a real people. Also eat the rich mentality is just yes. Throw them into the pit. And she brings the inquisitor in as a red jenny? Who else goes after this life, let's have another for you let's go. Her friendship is also so sweet? For all her friends, I don't think she gets friend friends until she's with the inquisition. Also, I totally get how she talks, train of thought is relatable.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Dagna!!!! They are just so damn cute. I am also partial to her and my Asa.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Iron Bull. Mayhem. I also love her and Blackwall. She gets him. He gets her. Dick jokes.

My unpopular opinion about this character

She is perfect. And has a valid point. If there is a golden throne whats worse? An ass in it or it being empty? I also like that shes not an elfy elf. So many are doom gloom our lost cause. From like...over a thousand years ago. Can we grow pls

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I want to be a wingman on a Sera and Dagna date. Let me set up my explosions are for bonding lesbians.

Alistair

How I feel about this character

I was too old for Alistair when I first met him. He's a child. Literally. He's like 19. Thats a baby adult, the boy who didn't want to be king. Also i found this lone blossoming rose amongst the dead things so i took it..for being chantry raised he is not very understanding of miracles. And you gift him dolls. Why did duncan go oh yeah i'll take this one to probably die young. Like why dude. He could have left the chantry with alistair and been like okay here's 100 gold and go that way. You have a good sword arm, become a guard somewhere. Instead of feed the child blood... I also really hate how he treats Morrigan. Wtf man. And yes, she is mean back but to say he was inappropriate when they first met would be an understatement. I'd be a bitch to him to.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

No ships. Oops.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Wynne, he needs a mother. So badly. He needs cookies and hugs and stories. He may not be a child by age, but definitely by maturity.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Like. My whole ass opinion lol

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I want him and Leliana to discuss that rose lol but i want alistair to grow a spine. He doesn't want to be king. His uncle treated him like shit, tell him no? Walk out on that king deal? Like thats barring sparing loghain bc he does sorta grow a pair then but abandons his duty that supposedly means so much. Why couldn't he have been like nah Anora is the queen why should i take her spot? That i don't want?

Cassandra

How I feel about this character

I like that Cass is so Cass. Okay. She will fucking punch you in the face but also reads smut. I have found my people. She tries to right her wrongs, and the orders. She is also willing to eat her own words. She believes in people and goodness. While also maybe stabbing people. But she is also so naive? She believes Varric. Honey. Sweetie. He's full of shit and your full of shit meter is broken.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I don't really have a ship for Cass. Bear with me here, she is married to her work. She believes in it with every fiber in her soul. If she had to choose between romance and what she felt called to, what was right? She would let go of the romance. Which is supported by canon if you romance her and she becomes divine. Love only in glances. The world needs saving after all. And for cass it won't ever stop needing to be saved.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Cullen. She is a good influence on him, that he can do better if he tries, that he is better than he thinks. Also Dorian, their love of books would be a good start for a friendship. You know they read a lot of similar smut, especially if it's terrible. How else do you be mean to it.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I am angry she tried to murder my dwarf. We will go rounds lady. In her defense, I understand why she wanted to stove his head in lol and that's why I don't ship them. To antagonistic for me.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I am pretty happy with her canon.

#the witch speaks

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