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philtstone · 2 years ago

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Sam and AJ and Cass, 29

#29 -- a story that never gets told

a prequel of sorts to my belovedly unhinged magical realism au, the original of which can be read on ao3 by clicking here. i wrote this prompt in random snippets on the subway, so hopefully its coherent. it kind of got away from me, but im leaning into the multiple indulged elements. most importantly, to answer zainabs oft asked question, "is this the one where he can turn into a whole ass wolf?" yes. yes it is.

Sam, as he has told his sister many a time, could learn — hypothetically — to be a great parent if he wanted to. Instead, he nobly chooses to fight for what’s right. This involves on occasion saving innocent lives amidst the unexpected collapse of Kingdoms, and more often petty magical crime, like that idiot who started going around stealing peoples sheep by herding them into his backyard, which he’d doused in a layer of magically un-solvent superglue. Thank God for Clint’s solvent arrows, which is a sentiment Sam brings up smugly whenever his sister expresses disdain towards the usefulness of magical items in completing household chores.

All of that was before Steve vanished into thin air, leaving Sam with custody of an ancient shield and a perpetually moody shapeshifter.

Hypotheticals are abounding just now. Hypothetically, Steve could just be on one long spontaneous vacation that he even logged in the shared magical calendar, which Bucky inconveniently misplaced on that last trek from North country down here. Hypothetically, Steve could have been kidnapped by a unicorn — those things are known to fuck with you just cause they can — and is currently being held in a magically enforced glade and subjected to a game of 21 riddles. Hypothetically, Steve could just be dead. Smallpox, common cold, unanticipated ogre attack on side of road. If Sam might say so himself, even the best of ‘em can get jumped sometimes; ain’t no shame in it.

“If Steve was dead, why hasn’t his ghost shown up to tell us that?” Bucky asks. He has elaborate theories on the matter, half of which involve the unicorn. The other half involve deep and cutting betrayal. Or murder.

“Steve Rogers did not just up and decide to play double agent,” Sam says, rolling his eyes. Bucky is never truly serious about this. He brings up potential intrigue in every conversation purely out of habit. And, Sam supposes begrudgingly, experience.

“So, murder.”

“Maybe ghost Steve is havin’ too much of a good time,” Sam says. “Remember that fae chick he was sweet on, and they got separated decades ago? Got him all stoic and single tear-y when her name came up? Carried her picture in his dumb little locket? She could be dead. They could be partying it up in the afterlife.”

“Bastard,” Bucky says grumpily, about Steve. “I’d tell you guys, if I died without you knowing.”

“Accidentally died,” insists Sam.

Bucky scowls. “I maintain we haven’t ruled out the double agent angle.”

“Oh my God!” says Sam, and throws his hands up in the air.

They have this exchange multiple times.

Sam sees the merit in the murder angle, but doesn’t necessarily like acknowledging it out loud. First of all, admitting Bucky might be right is always annoying, so he avoids doing it. Second, that shit’s bad juju, especially down here; you never know when a shadow man is listening in.

Just in case Ghost Steve really was murdered and forgot to tell them, though, Sam decides to conduct some scientific experiments. He makes Steve’s favourite gumbo (Sam’s mom’s recipe, of course – no one else’s can hold a candle) and bangs the pot lid loudly over the stove in case there are any spirits around to notice. He flips through Steve’s private sketchbook, left behind in Sam’s napsack — another clear evidence that he hasn’t turned coat — and makes childish faces at all the nude figures to trigger Steve’s artistic sensibilities. Then he leaves it out where the kids could find it, to trigger Steve’s moral sensibilities.

Bucky takes more extreme measures. He goes out into the yard and yells, “Hey, jerk! You ever thought about what a basket case I’d be without you here? You don’t even got the decency to explain yourself?” after dark, into the droopy shapes of the mangrove trees.

“Is he gonna start howling at the moon?” Sarah asks Sam one evening, though not unkindly, while they do the dishes and watch Bucky go at it through the small kitchen window.

Sam doesn’t say anything. Privately, he kind of feels like doing the same.

Then, about three months later, after a near-coup and the revelation of multiple conspiracies and a big old honking blockade being put up all through South country, the Wakandans show up. With – holy shit, Sam thinks – a message from Steve.

“Uncle Sam, you’ve already told us that story.”

Okay, so speaking of parenting. Yeah, yeah, Sam would be a great parent in some alternate universe of events decidedly different from this one. In this universe, getting his nephews to bed at a reasonable hour when only this afternoon, a bunch of fancy people in red armour were holding a super secret outlaw meeting in the barn is proving harder than it looks. Sam almost wishes he was dealing with old Paste-Pot Pete and those sheep again.

“Uh, no I have not,” says Sam. “This version has added embellishments. The Wakandan King never challenged me to a duel, that was all Bucky’s bad luck.”

“We’re calling ritual vengeance duels now?” asks Bucky dryly.

“I’m just sayin’, I’m making a bunch of this up here. I am exercising creativity. Story version number one didn’t have any flying dwarves in it.”

Bucky is sitting in the doorway to the kids’ bedroom and attempting to de-encrust his favourite boots, which went through the ringer a bit on their way down through the bayou to Sarah’s three months ago. That was just after this all started. A lot’s changed since then.

Like the fact that Bucky is even in this house, cleaning boots. Or Sam’s newly discovered inability to lull little boys to sleep via adrenaline filled adventure stories while their mother takes a care package to the neighbours’ pregnant daughter in law. Sarah was very excited to see the newest in maternity fashion, which apparently Marlene had been sporting in the village all week, purchased from traveling dressmakers who might have had fae blood. Those guys always do know how to cut a cloak well.

Bucky sniffs loudly at Sam’s defense and pulls an exaggerated face, raising the poor boot up to eye level to inspect it. “Maybe you’re just bad at telling stories,” he says finally.

While AJ and Cass giggle like the traitors they are, Sam makes a loud offended noise.

“Alright,” he says. “Fine. Fine. You know what? Just for that, I’m telling the story of how all of Petruski’s sticky sheep started followin’ your fluffy white wolf ass around.”

AJ dissolves into even harder giggles. Cass says, “Not the sheep story Uncle Sam! All you do in that one is complain!” and Bucky says, more primly than he has any right to, “I was consciously being as non threatening as possible, Samuel.”

“Yeah,” Sam says, “so non threatening they thought you were one of ‘em.”

AJ is really starting to wheeze now, so Sam hauls him into his arms to disrupt the hilarity before it gets medical. Cass brings his pillow up over his head like a crown to smother his own laughter. And Bucky winks, before – in a devastating play – letting out a quiet, plaintive pair of baas in quick succession.

Routines like this one are becoming more and more real. More and more comfortable, Sam thinks, amidst the boys’ shrieks of laughter. Being here, being in this home (their home – The home?) it fills his heart with something warm and solid and unmoving. Like he has put down a heavy load. Sometimes it is hard to imagine what is so important that makes it worth picking up sword and shield and leaving this behind. Without this, where would any of them even be?

It’s just, that thought doesn’t stop the rest of the world from banging on their door sometimes.

Just look at Steve’s cryptic as hell note. The me you know isn’t dead. Seriously. What the fuck. Sam almost wishes he really was dealing with a unicorn.

He settles on telling the story of how he and Steve once met that tiny shrinking guy and between Captain Rogers’ knightly loyalty to his friends, some of Redwing’s more heroic moments, and the addition of the brilliant mage-princess who gifted Bucky the enchantment for his arm, both boys are appeased.

“Uncle Sam,” Cass says, sleepily, towards the tail end of the story. “’S no fair that magic skips a generation. I wanna help save the kingdom like you do.”

Sam quiets, his hand stilling where it was in the middle of brushing over AJs forehead. AJ is already fast asleep. Knocked out cold, snoring and everything.

Thing is, Sam’s brand of magic is pretty limited — some gimmick, even, nowhere close to what his Titi had. All Sam’s good for, practically speaking, is translating messages from carrier pigeons. But it got him into this bigger world, tangled him up in it.

Sam can see, even though Bucky’s head is down, that his friend’s expression has taken on a slight grimness.

“Cass. Hey.” Sam knuckles the boy’s nose gently. “What do you mean, like me. You know how I keep this old kingdom safe? I help your mama do the dishes.”

“Uncle Sam,” Cass says, rolling his sleepy thick-lashed eyes.

Sam sighs. “Cass. Just because it doesn’t make for a good story doesn’t mean it isn’t important.”

More important, even. Running this old house, and its garden (with all those gnomes, little pains-in-the-ass) and its boat.

“Muh huh,” Cass manages. And then he has drifted off, the side of his face squished against the pillow.

Sam and Bucky quietly relocate to the kitchen, where Redwing is awaiting them with a new note and a dead mouse.

“Jesus,” Bucky mutters.

“You better not be about to get in a piss fight with a kestrel when there are sleeping children in the next room.”

As if on cue, Redwing flaps over lands happily on Bucky’s shoulder, startling him. The little bell on his foot jingles, and Bucky glares, which does nothing to deter the little bird’s impulse to start throwing up what appears to be more mouse.

Bucky stands perfectly still and looks awfully close to raptorcide.

Dude, can you like, be normal for once, Sam says, to the bird. Redwing fluffs out all of his feathers in Bucky’s face in response.

“I don’t get into piss fights with your kestrel, Sam,” Bucky says, gritting each word out with individuality.

Redwing twitters happily.

He’ll come around eventually, Sam replies. He scoops the bird up in both hands and re-situates him on his own arm, and begins untying the little package wired to Redwing’s foot. Out loud, he adds, “You know, he wants to be your friend so badly –”

“He’s the one who chews through my best leather breeches twice a month –” Bucky cuts himself off, grumbling under his breath and reaching over to fumble the parchment scroll out of Sam’s hand while its messenger hops in one place and nuzzles the crown of his feathery head into Sam’s armpit. Sam’s poorly concealed smile fades when Bucky openly frowns.

“Note’s from Nakia,” Bucky mutters, tapping the amulet bracelet on his right wrist against the similar shape of beaded stone etched into the scroll’s covering as Sam strokes Redwing’s head.

“It’s – what?”

“What what.”

“From another dimension,” Bucky reads aloud, looking increasingly incredulous.

“What?”

“You already said that.” Sam rolls his eyes. Bucky makes a face at the scroll. “Always gotta be another fuckin’ gimmick. Well. She’s got a guy to decode it.”

“Didn’t she cast the spell?” asks Sam, who is still processing the dimension thing. As in, like, different from their own?

Is that where Steve is?

“Yeah, but only to keep anyone else from decoding it. The bracelet itself already had a message stored in it.”

“Beyond Steve’s disembodied voice materializing outta nowhere the first time I touched that thing to prove he hasn’t kicked the bucket.”

“Which,” Bucky starts, “for the record –”

“Was not your theory.”

Bucky frowns harder. Refocuses. “Yes. The bracelet, which was clearly a magical object enchanted to respond to your touch –”

“Could’a been our touch, you never held it before I did –”

“Fine, sure, our touch – double enchantment. This thing is stolen, and someone – my guess is Steve – managed to layer another goddamn spell on it before sending it our way.”

Sam sighs, staring at the gleaming dishes in the drying rack. A box of Arm and Magical Hammer’s peroxide sits orange and to the side. Maybe this is why Sarah refuses to use any of the handy dandy domestic enchantments he brings home for her.

Because magic’s a pain in the ass.

“So?” says Sam.

“Uh, yeah. She’s got a guy to decode it …” Bucky grimaces, “on the other side of the river.”

Oh. Oh. Yeah, that’s gonna be rough.

“I can’t go through a GRC checkpoint,” Sam says. Redwing makes a mournful sound of agreement. Bucky is still turning the note over and over as if maybe reading it upside down will change its mystifying contents.

“They’d recognize your beautiful knightly face,” he agrees, reciting Sam’s proffered explanation. “And then search all your bags and spook your horse. You know, she’s way too sensitive.”

“Clara ain’t sensitive, she’s emotionally intelligent. There’s a difference,” Bucky mutters something about Sam busting out his inner kingdom social worker lingo on them and Sam adds, “and you can go through a GRC checkpoint even less, by the way.”

“To be fair,” Bucky says, “they have kinda fucked up my nose in all those wanted posters. Maybe they wouldn’t recognize me.”

They both sit down at the table, resigned. It’s a sticky problem. Sam supposes, as Bucky pulls his favourite dagger out and begins flipping it in a broody manner, that they could take Sharon’s smuggler’s detour behind the wall, but she’d ask too many questions. Sending Redwing on his own is too risky (Sam admits, begrudgingly and in the privacy of his own mind). Clint’s roped into a local problem with a gang of overall-wearing gnomes, Bruce has started teaching a yoga of ogres class, even Joaquin just set up shop marketside selling his scroll encryption services … Sam’s stomach growls, and the lingering smell of spiced rice hits his nose. Sarah’s left a potfull on the stove, for them, probably. She blusters plenty, has real right to be angry plenty, and has a mean right hook, but she loves him. And she’s a lot tougher than she looks, Sam’s come to realize. Kept this whole village alive over the years with her caring, and even after they set up the blockades she charmed the border officers better than Sam or Bucky ever could.

Sam clicks his tongue against his teeth and says, “Huh.”

“What,” says Bucky.

“Lemme run a hypothetical by you.”

“Oh no.” Bucky rubs a finger over the bridge of his nose. “You always do this to me. I started like that once –”

“And have had many terrible no good get Sam’s ass in trouble plans since, brother.” Sam crosses his arms; Rewind flaps over to his little perch by the bookshelf in deference. “Hypothetically, you don’t have to look like yourself. Right?”

Bucky looks at him warily. “Well … no.”

“And … hypothetically –”

“Sam …”

“If a familiar person, say … the nice lady who used to take her gumbo to the community house every week. Was to have that bracelet in her box the next time she went –”

“You wanna send your sister through the woods on her own in this economy?” Bucky interrupts, baffled.

Sam lifts his chin. Raises his eyebrows. Wags his head a little bit. Chirp, says Redwing from across the room, which Sam might roughly translate to it’s not rocket science, pal.

It takes Bucky a moment to get it, but when it clicks, it’s obvious.

“Oh, no,” he says, a slow horror growing in his face. “No. No, no, no, no way. I refuse, Sam.”

“I haven’t asked anything yet!” Sam says, very mildly put out.

Bucky levels the pointy end of the dagger at him. “No. You’re not entrusting me as the sole keeper of your sister’s safety in the wilderness!”

Sam leans back in his chair, eyebrows raised. “And who the hell else am I gonna entrust as the sole keeper of my sister’s safety in the wilderness?” Bucky makes a disbelieving little cawing noise, like a sad crow, to which Sam adds, deliberate: “Come on, Buck. Be serious.”

Bucky does not answer, as he seems to go through twelve different emotions at once, silently. Sam, who can acknowledge at sword-point that this is maybe a little mean of him, given Bucky’s profound loyalty to his friends and poorly-concealed devotion to said sister (hmph), gives him a minute. Finally, Bucky manages,

“Anyone! Someone who didn’t spend the last eighty years magically entrapped by a cabal of fascist wizards in the body of a murderous rabid animal!”

He waves his free hand, which was previously clutched in his hair for something to do. He’d look a bit wild if he didn’t look so thoroughly mundane sitting there in his shirts with his boots off.

Well, okay. The knife’s a little intense. But it’s not like Sarah’s kitchen isn’t stacked with em.

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Okay, first of all. Rabid is just flat out inaccurate.”

“Sam,” Bucky grinds out.

“I’m just sayin’,” Sam says. “You’re not diseased. And like, present day wolf you can even be kinda cute. You seen how fluffy you are? Those sheep definitely did.”

Bucky actually growls at him.

“That doesn’t actually dispute my point,” says Sam, “which is that this, right here, is objectively our best plan.”

“I won’t do it.”

“I’m asking you, Bucky.”

“It’s a terrible plan!”

“Says the guy who only ever comes up with the most unhinged plans ever!”

They glare at each other, for a prolonged, stone-headed moment. Sam thinks that next time he tells the kids a bedtime story, he should include a Mexican standoff somewhere in there. Then Bucky raises the knife again, very very slowly.

“Only if Sarah says yes.”

“Which,” Sam agrees, “is extremely unlikely. If magic could be wrapped up in a tiny little football, she’d probably drop kick that thing into the Mississippi like a quarterback.”

Marginally, Bucky’s face relaxes.

“Yeah,” he says, and now Sam is starting to feel some relief too, because really, what the hell is he thinking? Sending his baby sister out into the wilderness so they can all uncover some great conspiracy … “Yeah. Yeah, okay. If she says yes, I’ll do it.”

And then, of course, she does.

#the logic of this au world is essentially what if the witcher got crossed with ella enchanted #thats all u rly need to know #im retconning endgame in my own au by having steves disappearance be for correct reasons #like he got trapped in another dimension where he could have a happy ending but it was an accident and not on purpose #my writing #the falcon and the winter soldier #captain america #tfatws #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sarah wilson #steve rogers #sam x bucky #cass wilson #aj wilson #sarah x bucky is implied and def present in the og fic

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imsparky2002 · 2 years ago

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Lil’ Heroes - First Day

As expected, there was a commotion as the new students at Francois Daycare toddled into the room. There were children of all kinds. The Fairy Squad were whizzing around, Sabrinnochio was allowing Miremba to use her as a scratching post. Sleeping Nath and MarcElsa were finger painting and scribbling together. Snow Mylene had noticed QuasiIvan and Julebeast chatting, and deciding to become friends with them. Ivan was surprised that a pretty girl like her wanted to be with him, but he liked it. Maxiro was showing off his modified toy robot to Kimules, who immediately decided he loved hanging out with the other kid. Reshmabela had created a rose for Roselle. Marilan and Meridagami had decided to be “rivals”, which they thought meant, “friends but we play toy swords a lot”. AdriPunzel was using his hair as a skipping rope for Demolition Denise. CinderZoe was talking to TiAlya about how she loved to clean her room, and Alya mentioned how she loved making snacks for her family. Due to the curse on their family, Julebeast and Maestro Luka had turned into their beast and toy piano forms. Thankfully, no one seemed that bothered by it, with a lot of the kids finding Julebeast to be adorable (she kinda wished she was a lil scary). Juleka then started playing on Luka. Alix had nabbed some candy and toys from previous students in the confiscated, and was tossing them out for others to play with. Reshma had used her magic to create flowers for the teachers and other kids. AriOndine was having a blast, giggling with delight as she toddled around on her new legs, happy to have friends on land. Her favorite new friend, Kim, had given her a ride on his horsie, Xuppu. Jeanzco and Robette were putting on a show for all of their new friends to enjoy. Sure it was chaotic, but the fairy teachers, Miss Bustier and Miss Mendeliev, were just happy to see everyone getting along.

That is... until Chloestazia showed up. She was Zoe’s half-sister and was bratty to both her and the rest of her classmates. Most of the nicer students just ignored her, deciding that maybe she’d be nicer after a while. Some of the more feisty students messed with her, before being told to stop by Zoe and the more worried kids. Overall, Chloe tried to get everyone to do what she wanted, but would realize soon enough that it didn��t work like that. After snack time, Miss Bustier decided that everyone should have a full introduction to the rest of the class, with questions saved for after everyone was done.

Miss Bustier: Ok, everyone. It’s sharing time! We’re gonna go around the room and share what makes us special!

Kids: Yaayy!

Miss Mendeliev: And no interrupting ok? We don’t wanna have any timeouts on the first day. If you have a comment, raise your hand.

Aladdix: *Whispering to IsmaGenie* I no scared a timeouts.

IsmaGenie: *Whispering back* I wike yoo.

Miss Bustier: Alright, we’re gonna go in the order you’re sitting in the circle. Marinette, you’re up first.

Marinette: Uh, my name’s Mawinette and I’m fwom Chi.. China. Mama’s a wawwior and I wanna be just wike her! *Shows her toy sword*

Adripunzel: Hewwo! I’m Adwien. Imma pwince fwom Cowona, and I have two mommies. I got da magick haiw. It gwows and when I sing, it gets wid of booboos! *His hair glows in that moment.*

TiAlya: I wove cooking and gumbo. One day, Imma have a westawant and you can aww come! Oh, when I give fwogs a kiss they become hoomans.

Fairy GodBro: I a new faiwy god.. somethin. I hewp kids who awe in twouble.

Maxiro: I wike to make wobots and tech wike my mommy and daddy. Mawkov’s my buddy.

Aladdix: I wove takin stuff fwom adults! But I usawwy give it back.

Kimules: My weal mommy and daddy are gods, but this meanie took me fwom em and made me a demi... demi..

Miss Mendeliev: Demigod?

Kimules: Yeah! Dat! I weawwy stwong, though. Imma hero!

*AriOndine giggles*

AriOndine: I a mewmaid! I got fishy wegs and swim awound! I got a whoolle wotta sistews, and I da youngest.

MarcElsa: I pwince fwom Awendelle. I use da magick to make ice come outta my hands. I wove makin snowmen and wawm hugs. I weaww wike to wite stuff.

Sleeping Nath: I a pwince too, I wove to dwaw and paint. A witch cuwsed me and now I get sweepy awot. *He give an adorable yawn and rubs his eyes.*

Sabrinnochio: I wazza puppet befowe my daddy wished fow a weal giwl. Auwowe made me weal. Tank yoo, Auwowe!

Snow Mylene: I a pwincess and I wove animaws. I wanna save the enviwoment.

QuasiIvan: I gotta ouchie back, and God is my papa. I wove gawgoywes and bells.

JuleBeast: *Having turned back into human form* Mommy and Daddy got a cuwse and now me ‘n Wuka sometimes tuwn into beast and piano. Tank yoo fow not bein scawed of us. *Ignoring Chloe*

Maestro Luka: Yeah, we weawwy wike that. Anyone wanna pway on me when I piano?

Roselle: Ooh! I wove to wead! I wove that I get to see woyals! Just wike a faiwy tale!

Chloestasia: I bettew than aw you wosers. My mama’s wich. Zoe’s gotta cwean aw my toys. *Sticks her tongue out.*

Kagamerida: I a pwincess anda wawwior. I wove swowds and my awwow. I don’t wike beaws, cause they bwinded my mama.

CinderZoe: I wike cweaning, except for when I gotta do it fow Chwoe. I got miceys as my fwiends.

Jeanzco: I’m da empewor! I wove pwaytime and putting on shows. I hate wwamas!

Demolition Denise: I fwom a vidya game! My mommy’s one of the staws, and I’m gonna be just wike hew when I gwow up. I wove wecking stuff, but then I fixes it.

Simon Pan: I go to Nevewand and now I can fwy! Jingew's a faiwy and we best fwiends! We fiwght piwates and mewmaids. *Looks at AriOndine* I don mind mewmaids, I wike you! The Nevewand mewmaids awe meanies, but Atwantis ones awe nice!

Robette: I wove singin and makin music! One day, I wanna be in a band and make evwyone happy!

Reshmabela: I gotta gift and I can make fwowews! I da oldest sibwing and me an my famwiy hewp out India!

IsmaGenie: I onwy a infant genie, but I stiww powewfuw! Awix fweed me so I no gotta stay in wamp! Yoo nevew had fwiend wike me!

BluRore: I a faiwy awso! I wike bein a mommy to othew kids, so I hope dat ok. I aciddentawy made Sabwina into a weaw wooden giwl, but now I gotta a fwiend!

Miremba: I a hooman-wion hybwid and a pwincess. One day, Imma be da queen a da savannah!

Lacey Bell: I not name Jingews, I Wacey! Im a faiwy too, and I wove tinkewing wif tings.

Now that everyone knew each other, it'd start a wonderful friendship that would last for generations. After story time, everyone's parents or caretakers came to pick them up. They couldn't wait to come back tomorrow.

That was the first day! Thank you so much to @msweebyness for helping out with the concept. As always, make sure to reblog, reply, post and ask to share your thoughts. @artzychic27 @msweebyness

#lil' heroes #class of heroes #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #disney #disneyau #daycare #daycare au #akuma class #science kids #baby au #baby

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awkwardwithapause261 · 2 years ago

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Spoilers for Interview with the Vampire episode 2 if you haven’t watched it.

I found it so comical that he was from the inside of his coffin “I don’t like sleeping angry.” and then lifting up the lid to see if Louis was paying attention because he didn’t respond.

I could talk about how dismissive Lestat was being throughout Louis’ near decade with him at this point about Louis’ unhappiness with being a vampire, but like that’s par for the course. That’s Lestat.

Might add more as it comes to me.

Not exactly episode 2 but I��mma say it anyways There’s a part in one of the trailers where Lestat says “She has poisoned you against me.” I assume the she is Claudia, but all I think is “No sweetie you’ve done that all by yourself.” Especially now that the real Lestat is coming out. I mean there were points in the first episode that Lestat was seen to be toxic and manipulative and dismissive of Louis’ emotions and mental state, but this is multiplied by like a lot.

Also it was like Lestat had lost his romantic luster for me. Which made me not like this episode as much as I did the first. Like I’m over here saying to Louis oh my god get the fuck away from him already.

I asked my sister whether Louis was talking about other vampire when he said he could stand out on his balcony and hear the thoughts of a brute from Madagascar. She said yes, but I was like why did Lestat say that vampires can’t read other vampires minds and her reply was because he’s an asshole liar and other vampires don’t like his ass.

There was a tone and body language and even the words itself that caused Louis’ reaction with the guy he was doing business with. Lestat didn’t get it in the moment he had to marinate in it.

I hope Louis washed up before getting into that coffin from pouring all that what look like milk on himself because I’m sure he’d start to stink along with all that burnt flesh. Lestat didn’t have to get bare butt ass naked he just did it to be petty.

When Lestat says I’m your family I was like but you’re horrible though.

I think Lestat heard Louis’ thoughts at the opera. Maybe about how Louis was having doubts about staying with Lestat because he was humiliated and looked over so much by Lestat so Lestat said what he had to however true it may be to get him to stay. Which is manipulative.

Lestat has no right to lecture Louis on his feeding habits because he himself was dropping bodies left and right when he first came to town. Sure they were probably people no one would miss but still that’s a lot of people for the authorities to consider it some sort of illness. Also figured out what the street light guy did to get himself killed he called Lestat the devil and we’ve seen how much he hates that.

I bet Louis is thinking I wish I had never taken that card from you. Because for me taking that card from him during that poker game was the beginning of their relationship.

So Lestat was lying when he said he liked mama du lac’s gumbo because from Louis we learn presumably everything a vampire eats that isn’t blood taste like paste and chalk.

Louis will never be able to share in Lestat’s world and Lestat will never be able to understand Louis’.

Also when they were at the opera and Lestat held out his hand for the folder of music while staring ahead face void of emotion. I saw what Louis meant when he said sometimes it feels like he’s his slave. Whether they were putting on a show of their own or not it was like he forgot that Louis was his companion. No amount of sweet words or small touches will make up for their dynamic within reputable society

Lestat looked like the headless horseman when he threw the blanket over his head.

You can see Grace’s opinion of Lestat and Louis change over time.

In episode one Lestat says all the roles you conform to and none your true nature when I’m over here saying what you saw of him on Liberty wasn’t his true nature either it was who he had to be to survive and you would know that because you can read minds even if you say you forget you can do that most times. And then in this episode he’s like embrace what you are you are a killer Louis and I’m like who says he has to be? You? Wasn’t the whole point of turning him was so that he wouldn’t have to conform to anyone else’s standards but his own?

Also I wonder if what Lestat says all human thoughts boil down to (I want food, I want sex, I want to go home) is what Louis’ thoughts boiled down to.

Or is Louis one of those exceptional people Lestat has a soft spot for being all that he is as a black man given the time (wealthy successful influential)

Is Lestat in some way fetishizing Louis if the above theory is correct by having Louis be his companion.

#amc #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #jacob anderson #sam reid #season 1 episode 2 #1x02 #interview with the vampire

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wayward-dreamer · 4 years ago

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Foundation Quaking - Part 1

Part 1: Living Room

Pairing: Mechanic!Dean x Female!Teacher!Reader

Word count: 2,972

Summary: Enlisting the help of their friends, Dean and Y/N move into their new home. Later, as they relax and watch a movie, Y/N has a better idea of how to keep both of them entertained.

Warnings: A whole lotta fluff, Dean being cute (yes, that’s a warning), Swearing, Smut: Dirty talk, Oral sex (Male receiving), Unprotected sex (wrap it up before you tap it), More fluff.

A/N: Here it is! The first part of the Life’s Lessons mini-series! I’m so excited to bring this to you all and continue the story of these two who hold my whole damn heart. As always, happy reading and enjoy! :)

Series beta’d by my soul twin @downanddirtydean, divider by @firefly-graphics

Life’s Lessons Saga Masterlist

Dean walked into the house, carrying a box labelled KITCHEN in thick black letters. Putting it carefully on the kitchen island, he turned and smirked when he saw Y/N carrying another, followed by Sam, Cas and Benny also respectively carrying boxes into the house. Y/N walked into the kitchen, putting hers next to his, also meant for the same room. They had spent the last couple of days either packing up everything from their houses to bring to their shared one or giving things to people who wanted them. Y/N had set aside some items to sell too, when people they knew didn’t find a need for them after being offered.

He was excited to get started on setting up the house, but more than anything, he was ecstatic to be doing this with Y/N. Taking the next step with her, especially after he never thought he’d be doing this after his tumultuous relationship with Lisa and living with her was a challenge in itself, was something he had been scared about. However, Y/N being who she was, reassured him and comforted him. Her saying yes when he proposed was the cherry on top of the already amazing sundae that was life with her, and he couldn’t wait for them to kick off the next chapter of their lives.

Dean looked down at her left hand, the engagement ring sparkling brightly, and slipped his hand into hers. She smiled before she looked up at him, leaning into him as she kissed him, softly.

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” he whispered against her lips.

She beamed and kissed him again, squealing into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, spinning her around, her legs hanging above the floor of the kitchen. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding onto him tight.

“I love you,” she mumbled between kisses.

“I love you, too,” he said, smirking as he kissed her back, over and over again.

“Ugh, can you not?” they heard Sam say behind them, as he walked back in with another box. They pulled away from the kiss, making no move to unwrap themselves from each other, as they glared at him.

“Last time I checked this is our house,” Dean said, lifting an eyebrow.

“That may be so, but you wouldn’t want to irk the people helping you out now, would you?” Sam shot back, smiling smugly.

“Well, I think those people better be quiet if they want free food,” Y/N added, an equally smug smile on her face.

Sam’s smile dropped, realizing she had a point. He rolled his eyes and turned away from them, finding some place on the dining table to put the box in his arms down, before walking out again.

“Nice one, babe,” Dean whispered in her ear.

“Thank you,” she said, kissing him again.

Putting her down, they were about to walk out and get the next round of boxes but stopped in their tracks as Benny walked in with a huge pot of something.

“Speaking of food,” he said, smiling at them as he walked into the kitchen and placed the pot on the stove.

“Oh my god, is that-” Y/N started but walked over to the stove and lifted the cover on the pot, the aromas reaching her noses. Benny had made gumbo which is absolutely loved.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she exclaimed, happily as she hugged Benny.

“I had to drive real slow to make sure that didn’t spill, so you’re welcome,” he said, chuckling as he held her. “I got plastic bowls and spoons in the car, so no need to unpack yet, cher.”

“Thanks, man,” Dean said, tapping him on the back as he smelt the delicious food.

“My momma always said a home cooked meal on the first day in a new house is best,” Benny explained, wrapping an arm around Y/N’s shoulders. “And there’s no way you were gonna be cooking today, so…”

“Well, thank you so much,” she said, moving up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I say let’s bring the other boxes in and then let’s eat.”

“Let’s do it,” Dean agreed.

Just as they reached the threshold of the front door, Y/N held back a laugh as she saw Sam and Cas coming back up the driveway, glaring at them.

“So, we’re just doing all the work?” Cas asked, pushing past them.

“Shut up, Cas,” Dean said, casually as they walked down the porch stairs and over to the trailer.

Working quickly to bring everything inside the house, the group was done soon enough. Benny warmed up the gumbo on the stove, serving it out in the disposable bowls that he had brought with him. They sat at the dining table, laughing and talking about different things. Y/N smiled as she thought about how this was their first meal in their new house, with a few of the people closest to them. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Looking down at her ring and then around at the house, she couldn’t help but think about how many more gatherings of family and friends they would have there, for years to come.

After lunch, they all cleaned up and disposed of the plasticware, Y/N thanking Benny again for a delicious meal. After a round of beers, Sam, Benny and Cas left, with a promise from each of them that they’d come back and help with anything else if they needed to. Dean shut the door as they left, instantly pulling Y/N into his arms as soon as he closed it.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going into a food coma after that,” he stated, chuckling.

She hummed, nodding in agreement. “I could definitely take a nap.”

“Okay, so…” he trailed off, narrowing his eyes in thought. “We nap, then unpack a little when we wake up, order pizza for dinner and watch a movie.”

“You gotta set the TV and everything up,” she told him, frowning.

“Which I will… once we wake up,” he said, kissing her softly.

Taking her hand in his, they walked up the stairs to their bedroom, ready for mid-afternoon siesta and recharge to get to work later.

Y/N stifled a yawn, widening her eyes and blinking a few times, trying to keep herself awake as they movie played out on the TV. It wasn’t late, only 8.30pm but the movie was putting her to sleep, and that was the last thing she wanted. After their nap, she unpacked a few things from the boxes, just a pair of plates, some cutlery, cups and glasses, leaving the rest of those things to unpack later. She unpacked some of her casual clothes and put them into her drawers, leaving her more formal ones or outfits for work that needed to be hung up in the closet for another day, knowing that she needed to organize that in a specific way. While she did all of this, Dean set up the TV and the DVD player, adding all their streaming services onto the TV, and then organized the garage a little. They knew they were going to have to take thing slowly, the house was too big to get everything done within a couple of days. Luckily, it was the summer break and she had plenty of time to do things at her own pace.

They had ordered pizza and she indulged Dean in his love of cowboy films this time. However, he had picked Unforgiven over Tombstone, which wasn’t one of her favorites, which was why she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

“I gave you a chance to veto the movie, sweetheart,” he said, staring at the TV but seeing her yawning from the corner of his eye.

“I know,” she said, frowning. “I should’ve taken it.”

He looked at her with a playful glare, before he looked back at the screen. She shifted down, resting her head on his thigh as she looked up at the TV.

“Y/N, I can turn it off,” he sighed, looking down at her.

“No, it’s okay.” She settled in, smiling softly as he laid his hand on her arm. “I’m picking what we watch next, though.”

“Deal,” he muttered, leaning down and kissing her head.

Dean resumed watching the movie, as Y/N tried to pay attention. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Unforgiven, it was just that she wanted to watch something a little light-hearted as the first movie in their new house. Shifting her head to see the TV more clearly, she heard Dean clear his throat as she moved on his lap. She lifted her head slightly, her eyes glancing over his crotch as he shifted uncomfortably. An idea suddenly came to her, a mischievous smile gracing her face.

Discreetly resting her chin on his thigh, she slowly slid her hand up and ran it over his leg. She moved her hand up his thigh, running her palm over the crotch of his jeans, feeling his bulge.

“Y/N,” he mumbled, trying to reach for her hand to move it away. She flicked his hand away, glancing up at with him with that smile he loved, and he knew he was in for it.

“You just watch the movie, baby,” she said, nonchalant as she started undoing his jeans.

“I-” he tried to protest as she sat up slightly, tugging on the denim, but the lift of her eyebrow had him giving in. He smirked slightly, not understanding why he was denying her in favour of watching a movie he had seen a thousand times. He lifted his hips as he looked at the screen, only half paying attention.

Y/N pulled his jeans and boxers down to rest above his knees, his cock resting against his pelvis. She sat up on her knees slightly, leaning over and taking hold of his shaft. She moved her head down, her tongue licking up the length and running over the head, dropping some of her saliva onto the tip. She took his cock in her mouth, sucking softly at the tip, her tongue circling it.

“Fuck,” he breathed out, dropping his head back against the couch.

She lowered her mouth over his length, taking his cock in as he hit the back of her throat. She moaned and lifted her head, gasping as she wrapped her hand around him and pumped it up and down. She took him into her mouth again and began to bob her head, his cock hitting the back of her throat with very movement. She squeezed her thighs together, feeling herself getting wet between her legs as she brought him pleasure.

“Shit, sweetheart,” he groaned, his hand coming up to rest on the crown of her head, his fingers tangling into her hair.

She continued to bob her head, taking him deeper into her throat. As she moved up, she sucked at the tip and dropped more her saliva onto him, taking him into her mouth again. She moved her mouth along his cock, moaning around him as her hand wrapped around the base in a light grip.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he growled, looking down at her head moving up and down, as he had a tight hold on her hair. “You’re way too fucking good at that.”

He bent forward slightly, his other hand cupping her face and slowly lifting her head, his cock leaving her mouth with a wet pop. He leaned in and kissed her, roughly, smirking at her when he pulled away.

“Whatever’s gotten into you, I like it,” he muttered against her lips.

“I know something that’s about to get into me,” she joked, stroking his cock in her hand.

He snorted a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re so cheesy.”

“You’re no better than I am,” she retorted playfully.

Sitting up, she moved her hands under her loose dress, pulling down her panties and kicking them off to the ground. Her hand moved down between her legs, a smirk growing on her face as she watched his eyes go down to her hand. She rubbed her fingers along her folds, feeling her arousal and knew she couldn’t wait any longer. She quickly straddled his lap and took hold of his hard cock, pressing it against her entrance.

“Fuck me,” she said, not needing to say anything else to get him to react.

In one swift motion of Dean’s hips, he was buried within her, a moan leaving her lips as he groaned. Taking a moment to enjoy the feel of stretching around him, Y/N placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes, as she began to bounce on his cock in a slow pace. Pulling her closer, he lifted his hips to match her thrusts, the speed picking up.

“Fuck, Dean,” she moaned loudly, cupping his face and making him look at her. “You feel so good.”

“You love feeling my cock inside you, don’t you, sweetheart?” he asked, smirking as he gripped her hips tight.

“Yes, I love it so much,” she replied, biting her lip. “Love your cock inside me, fucking me so deep.”

His hands brought her hips down against his, the smacking of their skin and their moans now drowning out the sounds of the movie.

“I fucking love seeing you like this,” he said, looking up at her. “So damn gorgeous.”

“Fuck,” she gasped, her eyes wide as she looked down at him. His cock was hitting her g-spot with precision, each thrust bringing her closer to her release.

“So desperate for me you had to have me right here on this couch,” he groaned out with a chuckle. “Right in the middle of the movie.” She moaned and threw her head back, her thrusts down becoming faster. She circled her hips as she thrusted down, making him growl as he pressed his head back against the couch. She knew how crazy he would get when she did that.

“Oh fuck, sweetheart,” he growled, his eyes flicking down to where they were joined together. “Love it when you do that.”

She bit her lip and circled her hips, a small laugh leaving her as he moaned loudly. He pulled her closer as he sat up, their bodies pressed into each other. His hands were no doubt going to leave bruises on her hips from how tight he was holding her, but she didn’t care.

“Take my cock so fucking good, Y/N,” he mumbled against her lips. Her walls clenched around him, signalling she was closer to letting go. “You close, baby?”

“Yeah,” she whimpered, nodding frantically. “Fuck, Dean, cum with me.”

Shaking his head, he smirked devilishly. Kissing her roughly, he kept his lips close to hers as he looked into her eyes. “No sweetheart, you’re gonna cum for me, first.”

“Oh fuck,” she sighed, feeling the coil winding within her, ready to break at any moment.

“You’re gonna cum all over my cock, you’re gonna soak me and then… then I’m gonna cum deep inside you,” he whispered against her lips.

“Dean, I…” she moaned, shaking her head at the feeling that was overwhelming her.

“Do it, sweetheart,” he grunted, smirking at her. “Cum for me.”

“Oh my god, Dean! Fuck!” she cried out, her voice echoing and bouncing off the walls of their new home.

The coil snapped as her walls clenched around him, his cock covered in her release as his name repeatedly left her lips. Dean grunted, pulling her down on his cock, her release triggering his.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he bit out through clenched teeth, looking into her eyes.

“Cum inside me, Dean,” she said, her lips close to his. “Cum deep inside me.”

“Oh fuck!” A strangled moan turned into a roaring one, as his cock pulsed, strings of his cum spurting inside her, coating her walls as he a string of curses left his lips.

They breathed heavily as they came down from their high, still wrapped around each other as Y/N sat in Dean’s lap. She cupped his face, making her look at him. His eyes were unfocused as he smirked at her, shaking his head.

“Fuck that was good,” he muttered, winking at her.

“I’ll say,” she said, smiling.

“You really are something else, sweetheart,” he whispered, looking at her properly.

She shook her head, pecking his lips softly. “Pretty sure I can say the same for you.”

He leaned back against the couch, the smirk still on his face as he looked up at her. “I say we continue this upstairs.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed, leaning down and kissing him sensually.

Y/N sat up slightly, allowing Dean to pull up his jeans. She was glad he didn’t button them up, knowing she was about to rip them off when they got upstairs anyway. Grabbing the remote, he turned off the TV and held Y/N close, standing up from the couch. Her legs wrapped around him as he walked past the wall, turning off the light in the living room.

“I think we better give all the rooms the same treatment as we settle in,” she said, looking into his eyes. “Don’t you think?”

“Always knew you were smarter than me,” he said, grinning. “I like this plan.”

“We already christened the bedroom when we got engaged,” she said, smiling.

“True.” He nodded but bit his lip, wagging his eyebrows at her. “We still got a lot of other rooms, sweetheart.”

Ascending the stairs, Dean carried Y/N into their bedroom, the thought of giving each room their attention on their minds as they continued to settle in and make a life in their new home.

Tags: @deanwanddamons // @winchest09 // @downanddirtydean // @jensengirl83 // @wonder-cole // @that-one-gay-girl // @whatareyousearchingfordean // @flamencodiva // @danneelsmain // @ellewritesfix05 // @roonyxx // @akshi8278 //@hobby27 // @michellethetvaddict // @spngirl05 // @kyjey // @440mxs-wife // @stoneyggirl // @stoneyggirl2 // @deanswaywardgirl // @redbarn1995 // @marianita195 // @babypink224221 // @deans-baby-momma // @parinarain // @thoughts-and-funnies // @mandalou29 // @jerkbitchidjitassbutt // @supernatural-love14 // @vicmc624 // @prettyboyswow // @lunarmoon8 // @supernatural-bellawinchester // @compresshischest09 // @weepingwillowphoenix // @xlynnbbyx // @whiskey-infused-dreams // @perpetualabsurdity // @verytoadpapersoul // @pink-sparkly-witch

#Life's Lessons Saga #Foundation Quaking #Dean x Female!Reader #Dean x Female!Reader Series #Dean x Female!Reader Fanfiction #Female!Reader Insert #Mechanic!Dean #Teacher!Reader #Dean x Reader Fanfiction #Dean Winchester Smut #Dean Winchester Series #Dean Winchester Fanfiction #Supernatural Fanfiction

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aggressivedean · 4 years ago

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Suptober20: Day 27: Banquet

wc: 1700

It’s going to be the burger to end all burgers. It’s going to be the burger to RULE all burgers. He’s the King of Burgers; it was meant to be.

Dean hadn’t been able to focus on his classes all day because he was too preoccupied with plans for a cook-off that he had somehow let himself be roped into. As a college kid, he prided himself on his excellent cooking skills, especially since most of the guys around his age tended to live off of microwave meals 5 days a week and takeout on the weekends. Like really? They were seniors in college, time to learn how to use a stove and if you’re lucky enough to be renting a house like Dean is, maybe even a grill!

Dean knew he excelled at grilling, He used to watch his dad tend to burgers, hot dogs, ribs, anything. He was all too eager to learn once he hit high school and his dad finally trusted him to not burn the house back deck while grilling a patty.

That was why Dean was going to absolutely demolish Benny at their cook-off.

Dean was sharing a rental house with Benny, Castiel, and some random lucky freshman who got randomly assigned to their empty bedroom. Thankfully, Jack was a good kid, if a bit weird. Hell, Cas was weird too and that hadn't stopped them from being fast friends since freshman year. He met Benny at a summer job the summer before sophomore year and they made plans to live together soon after.

Also among the audience were Charlie and Jo, two of the best gals Dean ever had the luck of meeting.

Dean’s eyes flicked to the clock and saw the minute hand tick over to 3:00. Class was finally over! He bolted for the door and all but ran to his car parked halfway across campus. He had to get to the store asap to make sure he had time to gather all his ingredients.

An hour later and Dean was back at his house, ingredients stowed in the fridge, just waiting to be used. Dinner would be served right at 6:00, so he was planning on starting around 5:30--that way the burgers would still be nice and hot. Benny was already working in the kitchen; his meal of choice was a southern gumbo. Kind of cliche really. But who was he to talk, name something more American than a burger. Dean rolled his eyes at himself.

After finishing up some homework, the time had finally come to cook. He threw on his apron, it said “Mr. Good Lookin is Cookin” and had been a bit of a gag gift from Charlie last Christmas, but he loved it. Dean prepared 6 perfect patties and set out for the grill. Medium rare was the only valid way to eat a burger, everybody knew that. Dean couldn't help grinning with joy at hearing the sizzle of the meat first hit the grill. Benny doesn’t even know what's coming for him, Dean thought to himself.

Charlie and Jo came around the corner into the backyard just as Dean was flipping the patties.

“What up bitch!” Charlie yelled as she threw up a peace sign. Dean gave a big smile.

“Hello ladies!”

The girls laughed and came up the stairs, trying to peek at the grill and steal his spatula. He chuckled when he grabbed his trusty spatula back from Charlie. “Hey hey I need that! It’s my magic weapon.” He flourished the spatula in front of the grill with a cheeky smile and an exaggerated wink.

Jo groaned and dragged Charlie towards the door to the house, “Ugh, c’mon Charlie, before he starts talking about grill temperatures or something.” Dean watched as the girls disappeared inside, surely headed to give Benny an equally playful greeting. He shook his head and turned back to his burgers, thinking that tonight would be a proper banquet among friends. Well, without any frilly outfits, Dean thought. That made it even better.

6:00 arrived. Time for the showdown.

Dean and Benny were leaning against the opposite countertops in the kitchen, 6 arranged dishes sitting next to each. Dean gave Benny a smug look. “I’m gonna blow your gumbo all the way back to Louisiana.”

Benny rolled his eyes. “Oh you wish brother. I’ll have them all convinced to come move down south after just one sweet sweet bite.”

Dean tried his best to give a menacing look but it was tough while still wearing a silly apron, which he gathered from the snort Benny gave.

“All right!” Came a voice from the dining table-Jo. “Order up!” Dean heard excited voices break out, and could pick out the low rumbles of Cas’ voice. Dean hadn’t even seen him come in, apparently.

Dean picked up as many plates as he could carry (4, thankfully, one for each actual guest) and put on his most dazzling smile to head to the dining table. “Whoooooo’s hungry?” He called, and was greeting with the drumming of hands on the wooden table. He carefully set a plate in front of Charlie, Jo, Jack, and finally, Cas. Taking extra care at the end. Cas glanced up at him with a soft smile and a quiet “Thank you.”

Benny entered at the next moment, with a large tray to hold all four bowls of gumbo. “You all are about to taste Louisiana heaven,” he drawled. There was more pounding on the table and smiles once everyone had each dish in front of them. Dean and Benny served themselves last and finally sat at either end of the table. Cas was to Dean’s right and he had a great view of his profile. Cas suddenly turned to him.

“So Dean,” he began, “can you tell us what you’ve prepared for us today?” Dean didn’t want to look away from that piercing blue but was drawn by the eyes of the table turning to him. He cleared his throat.

“What you have is a perfect medium rare high quality beef burger, topped with cheese, bacon, a fried egg, and lettuce and tomato for you to eat at your discretion.” The condiments were already on the table and he could see Jo eying the hot sauce for some reason. “How about you, Benny?

The southerner leaned back in his seat. “Well, ladies and gents, there is so much goin’ on in this gumbo I’d be here all day telling you what's in it, but I already spent all day cookin’ it, so let’s just eat.” He finished with a slow smile and was met by whoops from the girls and a few claps from Jack.

Dean took a moment to watch everyone else enjoy their first bites. Jo and Jack started with the gumbo, Charlie and Cas went for the burger. As soon as the first bites hit tastebuds the whole table seemed to let out a groan of satisfaction. Dean beamed at that, and felt that content feeling in his chest at treating his friends right (and soon to be proving burgers are better than gumbo). His eyes landed on Cas and followed the journey of Cas’ thumb as he wiped a bit of ketchup off his lip. Dean wondered how he managed to make a ketchup smudge look good. He tuned back in to Charlie slapping a hand on his arm.

“Dean. Oh my god. This burger is changing my life. I might just kiss you.” Her eyes sparkled and Dean laughed.

“Please don’t, that'll just be uncomfortable for all of us!” They shared a laugh and Dean returned his focus to the two options in front of him. Well, he already knew the burger was amazing, but he didn’t know about the gumbo yet. He set up a nice hefty spoonful of the stuff and down it went.

Wow. Okay, Dean had to admit Benny knew his way around a gumbo. An explosion of seasonings, chicken AND shrimp, and a hefty amount of spice to boot? Dean really couldn’t complain. He caught Benny’s eye from across the table and gave him a smirk. “It’s alright.”

Benny threw his head back in a laugh. “Brother, by the look on your face I know its better than alright.” There was a chorus of “oooo”s from the table and Dean shook his head. What was this, middle school? The feeling didn’t last too long as soon enough everyone had tried both dishes and both cooks were being heaped with praise from the four guests. Dean ate nearly as much as he could stomach but wished he had more room just so he could keep tasting such an excellent meal.

The conversation flowed and eventually everyone had eaten their fill. They each had leftovers, that was for sure. There was a lull in conversation and Cas spoke up.

“Before we pick our favorite chef for the night, we actually have one more entry to consider.” He stood up from the table and Dean tried to catch his eye to ask what the hell but he only saw a mischievous glint and Cas was gone. He looked around the table and everyone else seemed just as confused as he was.

“I thought just you two were cooking tonight.” Jack said, and tilted his head to look between Dean and Benny. Dean just shrugged in response. He had no idea what was going on here. Neither did Benny, by the raised eyebrow he was shooting Dean’s way.

Cas came back from the kitchen holding something in a round dish covered by a towel. He set it down and removed the towel with a flourish. “Ta-daa! A final entry of one apple pie.” Dean’s jaw dropped as he stared at a pie that looked absolutely heavenly. He gazed with awe at Cas, who seemed very smug with himself.

“Dude. When did you do this?” Dean asked, and everyone echoed his statement. Cas raised a hand for quiet.

“I made it at my brothers apartment today. I wanted to keep is a surprise so I knew I couldn't make it here. I kept it in the oven really low for a bit so it would still be warm after dinner.” Cas met Dean’s gaze almost shyly. “So...enjoy!”

Dean couldn't help but feel like the words were directed at him and his stomach gave a small flutter. Could pie make him fall for Cas?

Benny was the first one to cut a slice, everyone else quickly followed suit. Before Dean could cut himself a piece, Cas slide a plate in front of him, full of a lovely slice of pie.”Thanks, man.” Cas nodded and got another slice for himself.

The first bite hitting Dean’s tongue was incredible. He knew pies could taste good but not this good. He couldn't help the groan he let out, and he heard Charlie utter “same. This is crazy good Cas.”

Jo nodded a few times in agreement, her mouth too full to respond. Benny gave an admiring whistle. “You sure know your way around an apple pie Cas; never thought you were the type.”

Cas accepted the praise with a shy smile. “I just thought it might be fun to make one. I’m glad you’re all enjoying it.”

“Buddy,” Dean said, “enjoying it is an understatement.”

That made Cas break into a full-blown smile.

So the night went that they were all full of burger and gumbo and the most excellent pie. And it turns out with a three way tie between who made the best dish, turns out they would have to have another round a different time to narrow it down; with new dishes this time. Except Cas, it was agreed, Cas absolutely had to make the pie again.

#suptober20 #banquet #a bit of. a variation #I actually started this w few weeks ago #but now I got to finish it at the behest of a prompt #I just love pals having a good time #I did not proof read this so please be nice to my mistakes #I can edit in the morning #my writing #my words

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ladyboltontoyou · 6 years ago

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Arthur Morgan x Reader: Farmer’s Daughter. 3

Ask: OH MY GOD IMAGINE THE READER IS A GIRL FROM A GOOD FAMILY, SHES WITH ARTHUR FOR A WHILE NOW, THE PARENTS WANT TO MEET HIM. THEY’RE HAVING FAMILY DINNER AND THE COWBOY MAN JUST CANT KEEP HIS HANDS TO HIMSELF UNDER THE TABLE oh my god if your request are open and you would write that i would probably, most likely die...oh btw i love the “farmer’s daughter” story OH MY GOD MAYBE THIS COULD BE THE NEXT PART AAAAAAAAH SHIT! okay okay i’m sorry i just got excited! love your writing, have a great day!

Warnings: Cursing, probably. Slightly public sex, ya get fingered at dinner ok?

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Reader

A/N: YEEHAW MY FELLOW SLUTS! ENJOY! Also, idk what they called panties back then so I just went with panties, ok?

Two months later and you had fallen completely in love with the man. You both had told yourselves you wouldn’t let it get that far but it was nearly impossible. Every time you would see each other he had something to give you, be it a new drawing of yourself, wildflowers he had found out in the woods, or some suspiciously expensive jewelry that he wouldn’t talk about.

He hadn’t planned on any of it, really, but multiple times a day he would see something that reminded him of you and he just knew he had to take it. Even the jewelry he had stolen from the folks who were unlucky enough to start a fight with him.

After a while of successfully sneaking around the day came you’d both been expecting. Your father caught him.

It wasn’t in the way you’d thought it would happen, thankfully. He didn’t walk in on the two of you or catch Arthur climbing up to your room or sneaking out of it. It was more subtle and less suspicious. The two of you, like the fools you were, were out in broad daylight at the stables on your property. You would go out there regularly to spend time with your horse so you knew your parents wouldn’t question you being down there.

You should have known being that comfortable sneaking around was just asking to be caught. And sure enough, you were.

“(Y/N)? Who is this?”

You fucking twitched. When you turned around you saw your father standing behind you with a look of concern on his face and one of the stable boys watching the whole thing go down. You had given him some money earlier to keep his mouth shut and he sure was getting more than he asked for.

“Howdy mister!” Arthur waved and stepped past you. “Remember me? I stopped by here a while back to ask for some directions.”

Your father squinted and reluctantly shook his hand. Suddenly realization spread across his features as it all clicked. “Oh! Yes!” He laughed and clapped Arthur’s shoulder. “How have you been? Ever find your way?”

“Sure did, thanks to you. I was in town and was asking around, looking to buy some good horses, and a few folks told me you were the man to talk to.” You looked at Arthur with parted lips, in shock at how good of a liar he was. He turned a potential disaster into the most casual and normal interaction without the slightest effort. It was kind of scary.

Your father laughed and nodded, crossing his arms proudly. “You’ve come to the right place, follow me.”

Arthur tossed you a wink and you had to smile then, dumbfounded by how smoothly the whole thing went.

***

After your father had whisked Arthur away to the expensive section of your stables you went back home. Your mother was preparing dinner along with one of the ranch hands, which surprised you. When you questioned why he was there she explained he was making his mother’s famous gumbo, your mother insisted upon it after she had sent some over to your family.

When dinner rolled around your father made it back just in time, a surprise guest at his heels.

“Jane, you remember this man, don’t you? He was the fellow on the white horse who asked for directions to-”

“Of course I do!” She wiped her hands with a kitchen rag, walking into the main room where the two men stood.

You stood up from the kitchen table to watch the whole thing play out, locking eyes with Arthur who just shrugged.

“He came down today to buy a horse from us!” Your father said as he closed the front door behind them. “And to congratulate him on his purchase I’ve invited him to stay for dinner.”

Your mother smiled happily, it wasn’t often you had visitors that weren’t your families prude friends or relatives. “Good! We’re having gumbo tonight, Thomas is cooking his mother’s very own recipe.”

“Oh!” Your father raised his brows. “The one she sent over yesterday?”

“That’s the one.”

“Brilliant! I loved that.”

The two of them talked for a while before Thomas announced the soup was done and your mother went back into the kitchen to help him serve. Your father excused himself to wash up, telling you and his guest to have a seat in the dining room.

You sat down next to Arthur and gave him a look.

“What?” When he finally noticed you looking at him he furrowed his brows.

“How did you manage that?”

“Manage what?”

You snorted, rolling your eyes. “Come on. You’re the best liar I’ve ever met.”

Arthur shrugged, taking the glass of water that Thomas set down in front of him.

“You must not of met a lot of people then.”

“All right, then. Keep your secrets.”

He chuckled and set the glass back down on the table after taking a few generous sips. “Before we almost got ourselves killed, I was going to give you somethin’.” Another gift? He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper. “Don’t let anyone see that.” He added with a whisper since Thomas had walked in with the rest of the drinks.

You smiled at him and slowly unfolded the paper in your lap under the table. Once you had it done you squinted before realizing it was upside down. You flipped it the right way and your face was suddenly burning. Your breath caught in your throat as you took it all in, quickly folding it back up when your mother walked into the room carrying the giant pot of soup.

The urge to punch him was strong. Why did he have to give that to you then? Why couldn’t he wait? You slipped the paper in the front pocket of your dress and cleared your throat.

Arthur chuckled and took another sip of water, smiling sweetly at your mother as she started filling everyone's bowls. “Thank you, ma’am.”

It was impossible to get the image out of your head. It was a drawing of you, completely naked, lying on your stomach with your head resting on your folded arms, your legs kicked up and locked at the ankles. You were looking directly into the viewer’s eyes with a wicked smirk on your face, some of your hair in your face. Once again you looked utterly magnificent, your body drawn in a way that accentuated every part of you perfectly. If it wasn’t a drawing of you, you probably would have gotten off to it. You probably would anyway, knowing Arthur was the one who drew it.

“What horse did you end up buying, Mr…”

“Arthur. The young brown mustang, think your husband called him Taro.”

Your mother nodded and sat down at the opposite end of the table when she was finally done serving. You wished she would let you help with dinner but she was firm in her belief, not allowing you or your father to help her in the slightest.

It was another ten minutes before your father finally joined you, taking his seat beside his wife. “Please excuse me, got carried away with my hair again.” He laughed and eagerly started eating. Your mother shared a laugh with him, chiding him lightly about how vain he was.

Most of dinner was fine, you all talked about the usual dinner subjects such as work, the weather, and town gossip. You barely paid attention though, the image of you drawn naked was stuck in your mind, along with the idea of Arthur drawing it. You wondered if he had done it in the heat of a lust filled moment or if it was just something normal to him.

What finally snapped you out of your thoughts was the feeling of a hand on your knee. You brushed it off at first, it seemed innocent enough, he had done it plenty of times before when the two of you laid together. It wasn’t inherently sexual.

But then he moved his hand lower, brushing his fingers against the hem of your dress. You looked at him with a subtle glance but he refused to acknowledge you at all.

Crossing your legs you tried to get him to stop but that didn’t deter the cowboy at all. He pulled your dress up just enough to slip his hand under the fabric, then let the hem fall back down over his arm. You wanted to curse him out but you held your tongue and tried to act as natural as possible, taking another spoonful of soup into your mouth.

“So, Arthur, you never told us what you do for a living.” Your father said after sending one of the kitchen maids to bring out a bottle of wine.

His hand traveled up to your thighs, his fingers gently rubbing circles over your skin. “Oh, well, it’s nothin’ excitin’. I work for a man collecting debts from people. Good money.”

“Oh!” Your father acted impressed, shrugging and exchanging a look with your mother.

“If that isn’t exciting, I wonder what is to you!” Your mother laughed and so did your father.

‘Maybe fingering your daughter five feet away from you.’ You thought as you shifted in your seat, thankful for how high the table was. If it was any lower surely they would see that the lower half of his arm was extended towards you.

Slowly, extremely slowly, his hand continued it’s journey upwards. You forced yourself to keep a straight face, even when you felt the tips of his fingers brush against your panties. ‘No problem,’ you told yourself, feeling him pull the fabric aside so he could touch you better. ‘No big deal.’

Arthur rubbed slow circles into your clit with a firm amount of pressure, but not quick or firm enough to get you anywhere fast. And he knew it, too. He ate his second bowl of soup just as normally as he did the first, showing no signs of the fact that his fingers were about to be stuffed inside of you.

You liked to think you looked just as calm as he did. You had finished your soup and were waiting for everyone else to so your mother could bring out dessert, and then you could finally leave the table. If only Arthur would hurry up and finish his meal.

The small talk carried on and left almost no silence which worked to your advantage. If they were quiet they probably would hear how fast your breathing had gotten, especially when Arthur pushed that first finger inside of you. You had to practically bite through your tongue to keep the moan silenced.

“(Y/N), you’re quiet, for once. Are you sick?” Your father joked and everyone laughed, including Arthur. That bastard.

“I’m fine, just like listening to you all talk.” You said quickly, surprised at how even and calm your voice sounded. Almost as if you weren’t being finger fucked.

That seemed to satisfy them enough and they carried on with conversation.

Normally at dinner, you rarely drank any wine, since you were never able to just have one glass. It always led to two, or sometimes even three, and you would end up passed out on your bed hours before you usually would. But tonight you happily drank, finishing the second glass right as Arthur had two fingers curling inside of you.

As hard as you tried not to let yourself orgasm you could feel it approaching rapidly. Arthur could too, noting how your chest rose and fell and how you were twitching around his fingers. He slowed down momentarily, allowing you to catch your breath, before he was right back at it, quicker than before. He had a hard-on of his own but with his belt and gun holster in the way, no one would have the slightest idea, even if they looked right at his crotch. Lucky him.

“Are we ready for dessert?” Your mother's voice scared you out of your wits and you jumped.

“Yes!” You laughed to draw attention away from the fact that you almost spilled your wine.

She left along with the kitchen maid, directing her to get together new sets of dishes.

His fingers curled quicker as he sipped on his wine, keeping his eyes anywhere but your father or you. Your father kept up the small talk, allowing you to give yourself the time to focus on having a discreet and quiet orgasm.

You slowed your breathing as you felt it coming, gripping Arthur’s arm under the table with your left hand as you curled your other hand into a fist around your dress. He looked down at you for a split second, savoring the sight of you as best as he could before he forced himself to look away as to not look suspicious. He gave you a few more deep pumps before you came. The heat and tingles exploded, rippling from your clit and inside your body to your entire form. You bit your lip and looked down, sinking your nails into the skin of his arm. The waves of pleasure that coursed through your body were enough to make anyone scream but you kept your mouth shut and posture still.

When it finally finished you sat back in your seat, running a hand through your hair as you sighed, wiping the sweat off your forehead when your father wasn't looking. Arthur smirked at you and you threw him the angriest glare you could, but you couldn’t keep it for long. When he chuckled you broke out into a smile and you had to look away so you didn’t laugh.

“Here it is!” Your mother said proudly as she carried the pecan pie into the dining room. “Took me all day!”

Arthur made a show of looking impressed and your father praised your mother's cooking to no end, telling her that she was the best cook in the whole west. She smiled proudly and served everyone's plates. Thank god you had already came and Arthur’s hand was back where it belonged.

“I’m going to make you regret that.” You whispered to Arthur as your mother talked about how hard it was to find enough pecans.

“Lookin’ forward to it.”

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x reader smut #arthur morgan imagines #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption x reader #red dead redemption smut #red dead redemption x reader smut #red dead redemption 2 imagines #red dead redemption 2 x reader #request #ask #myfanfic #farmersdaughter

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elejah-verse · 6 years ago

Text

Another Love

Fanfiction one shot

TVD AU ending

a/n: something from my fanfiction treasure chest. It's my alternative tvd end ending with S6.

@rissyrapp20 @dendrite-lover @elejahforever @captainshurley @hides2000 @goddessofthunder112

💕

Paris, France

Caroline sat down at her desk and wrote this in her diary-

'The boy wants the girl to love him. The girl, that takes him as he is with all his faults, all his virtues and doesn't want to change him, but grow together. And the girl wants the boy to love her taking her with all her faults and virtues, not wanting to change her. There is no mistery to the thing of love. It is simple. But the path of finding one's true love is not an easy one and often paved with thorns, a long winding road. But there is an end to the yellow brick road, at least for Elena and Elijah, Bonnie and Damon, and me and Stefan.'

Caroline now looked out of the Hotel room to the Eiffel Tower dreamily.

"Close your eyes and click with your shoes and you will find your way home!"- Bonnie heard a voice from a distance. She felt a light finger brush over her cheek and she opened her eyes uttering-

"Damon?"

"The one and only."- he said adding-"Morning."

Bonnie smiled at him stretching her arms a bit, then sitting up.

They were in the Boarding House in a room that Bonnie occupied while staying at the Boarding House in the fake world.

"How are we here again?"- she asked with a slight panic in her voice.

"You mother, don't ask me how, undid the Traveller's magic and there is no more a border and MF is free for all demons, vampires and other crazies to get in again."-Damon explained.

"How long was I asleep?"- she then asked.

"A day or two, the ritual kinda drained you."-Damon said.

Bonnie now remembered them returning to Withmore, making out, dropping on the bed heavily involved in getting their clothes off as she felt faint and sick, blacking out.

"Sorry I blacked out on you!"- Bonnie said.

"Hey, no big. You've been to hell and back twice, you needed your beauty sleep"-Damon joked a little.

"Really? Are you telling me that I was getting ugly?!"-Bonnie didn'appreciate the remark.

"Kai's ugly head reared out at times"-Damon then said-"I wanted my Bon back, just her."

Damon now moved closer to her and traced her face with his fingers gently. He had his BonBon back once again, her sweet meek look in her eyes when she beamed love at him. He kissed her. Bonnie felt the deep loving and passionate motion of his lips she now eagerly responded to. So much went off and they both now didn't want to think about all that had happened months ago. They let themselves float away in their own world.

****

At Withmore, Caroline put her phone down, as Stefan sat down at the table passing her a mug with blood coffee.

"What's up?"- he asked as he could see amazment on his girlfriend's face.

"I just got a text from Elena. She is in Rome with Elijah!?!"-Caroline informed Stefan, who didn't look surprised.

"Do you know something I don't?!"-Caroline questioned.

"Elena has always had a thing for Elijah"-Stefan then said.

"When??"-Caroline looked at him clueless.

Stefan now retold her two major instances where Elena showed that Elijah mattered more to her than just a random guy coming to Mystic Falls.

"Oh, I know that she asked Bonnie to save him!"

"But you didn't see how cut she was about it and the way her heart ached for him!"-Stefan then added.

"She never said anything!!"-Caroline said.

"He had also left her an apology letter when he left after they ruined Esther's ritual"- Stefan added.

Caroline looked pissed off, because Elena didn't share any of it with her.

"There is more isn't there?!"-Caroline now saw that Stefan had something else to share. "They didn't? Did they?"

"He kissed her. That's it!"-Stefan said.

"I can't believe this?!! I told her everything about Klaus and she kept everything about Elijah to her self!! But she told you???!!! It looks like you are her bff and we are just some random girls she went to school with!"

Stefan felt slightly regretful for sharing it with Caroline as it turned out Elena kept the whole Elijah thing from her friends and yet she shared everything with him.

"I seriously don't get her. OMG, the whole Damon thing was not really much!"-Caroline concluded.

"Everything was messed up."-Stefan remarked-"She left to New York. He left New Orleans. They met and- well, now they are travelling the world."

"Yeah, I guess it was. Elena and Elijah, who would have thought?!"

Stefan's phone buzzed and he looked at the message from Damon -"Bonnie is awake and well."

He relayed the message to Caroline, who was happy to hear her friend was fine.

"I have to go to my classes"-Caroline then stood up realizing what the time was-"see you later?"

"Yes."-Stefan said pulling her towards him kissing her passionately.

He was Elena's bff, and Caroline was the one who showed him how quietly another love can enter his heart and feel the thrill of love once again.

💖

In Rome, Italy

Elena and Elijah walked the streets of Rome coming to a point where a very well known Roman landmark was called Bocca della Verita or Mouth of Truth, a sculpture thought to be a part of a fountain, portraing an ancient god of the river Tiber.

"In the Middle Ages one believed that if you told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture it would be bitten off."- Elijah explained.

"I know"- Elena said- "Roman Holiday was one of my mom's favourite black and white movies."

Pop culture wasn't Elijah's forte, so Elena told him of the movie with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

"All right- shall we play the game then?!"- he said smiling somewhat cheekily.

"What truth would you like to know?! Plus you can always compel it out of me?!"- she teased.

"True. Although it is not really my style. And I hope we will not go back to our first meeting."

"Ok. Since it is a game- you are just a guy and I am just a girl who met recently and try to find out the truth about one another"- Elena said.

"Agreed."-Elijah said- "ask me anything you want!"

"Anything?? Hm... Did I make you feel again?"

The Original looked her straight in the eyes surprised she came up with that question.

He put the hand in the Sculputure's mouth. And took it out waving with it showing off that it was perfectly.

"So it is the truth."- Elena's eyes gleamed happily- "ok, now it is your turn."

"Question- Am I your one true love?"

Elena looked him in the eyes and put the hand in the Mouth of the sculputure. She thought that she would make it suspenseful as it was a game after all. She now opened her eyes as if something was about to grab her and said in a slight horror-

"Elijah-"

Before she could say anything more he pulled her hand out and it was perfectly all right.

"You got scared."- Elena teased him about his reaction.

"It's a stupid game." -Elijah huffed a bit. .

"It is- but I think you know the answer-and not because the Mouth didn't bite my hand off." Elena looked at the Original warmly.

"I do."- Elijah said taking hold of her by her hands. Her eyes, her heartbeat were the most genuine tellers of how she felt about him.

He now put his hands on her waist pulling her into a kiss.

*****

In the Boarding House, Mystic Falls

Bonnie got out of the shower. She dried herself off and put her clothes on. She combed her wet hair and called out for Damon. There was no answer, so she went to look for him downstairs.

"Damon?"- she called out.

"In the kitchen."- he shouted.

Bonnie got to the kitchen. Damon was finishing the gumbo.

She came up to him complimenting the good smell of the food. She gave him a peck as he held up the pan to take it over to the table.

"I hope you like my gumbo."- he said- "I know you hated the pancakes."

Bonnie sat down at the table and retorted- "I didn't really hate your pancakes."

Damon sat down as well- "I know, you were just frustrated about being stuck with me."

Bonnie now tried the dish and said that it was a very good one.

"Just good."- Damon teased.

"Nine out of ten. Your vampire taste buds must be off...need a bit more salt"- Bonnie said chuckling and then added- "by the way, I would love to be stuck with you wherever."

"You do, ha?"

"I do."- Bonnie smiled back at him.

"I got the newspapers, if you would like to do the crossword, maybe."- Damon showed her the papers.

"I think that you and I can find something more fun to do than solving crossword puzzles."- Bonnie's eyes beamed at her boyfriend- "I am perfectly rested now."

"Yeah-whatever magical emergency there is in the world, they would have to wait, I agree with you. Let some other witch save the world. So, you don't mind if we lock up the doors and stay stuck in the Boarding House for a while."

"I don't mind at all."- Bonnie smiled.

Another love can be the one true love that you are not even aware one day comes knocking at your door. Open it and invite it in.

I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care

But it's so cold and I don't know where

I brought you daffodils in a pretty string

But they won't flower like they did last spring

And I wanna kiss you, make you feel alright

I'm just so tired to share my nights

I wanna cry and I wanna love

But all my tears have been used up

On another love, another love

Bonnie and Damon, Stefan and Caroline, Elena and Elijah found that drying their eyes over crying for another love cleansed their hearts opening them for their genuinely great love for one another, living happily ever after.

#elijah mikaelson #elena gilbert #elejah #alternative universe #caroline forbes #stefan salvatore #bonnie bennett #damon salvatore #tvd fanfiction #fanfiction

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stanathanxoox · 7 years ago

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Dinner Reservations

Anon requested "I don’t wanna go to your dads-s-s.” In AU where they are teenagers, Tammy is afraid of Sonja's overprotective adoptive parents (Prisler) and tries to be cool with them in family dinner but Pride isn't happy because he caught them making out in his truck near the bar in last week and told Isler about the incident and Sonja is oh my god daaaad and after the dinner they cuddles and Pride is ahem no sex in my house New York.

A/N: So I actually really enjoyed writing this one for some reason, I guess it was a lot of fun to see Prisler as parents and Tammy and Sonja as that awkward couple. Hope you enjoy!

Being the newcomer to school, you were afraid that you wouldn't make any friends, add to that the fact that you were bi and most people tended to shun you. However, when you met Sonja Percy you knew that you didn't have to hide who you were, she accepted you for the young woman you were, quickly taking you under her wings as her friend before the two of you took the next step in your relationship and started dating. You'd meet her father's a couple of times before now, but as you sat in the front seat of her car you whined "I don’t wanna go to your dads-s-s.”. She looks over at you raising an eyebrow before she says "Tough, we're going to dinner with my dad's and you're going to be there, please babe," she says and you look her in the eyes, that look of love and pride on her face "My dear; I am so screwed," you say and she just nods "You're whipped my dear, that's what they call it," she says as she gets out of the car. You follow after her and walk around to her side, before walking up the stairs. You pull her to a stop just as she reaches for the door handle, she turns back to you with an eyebrow raised "What is it babe?" she asks and you take a calming breath. "I feel the urge to run away, or throw up, I'm not sure which one is stronger at this point" you moan and she just shakes her head as she opens the door and walks through the door. "Dad, daddy, we're here" she calls out, Raymond, the taller of the two walks out of the kitchen a beer bottle in hand and a smile on his face as he walks down the hallway to greet his daughter. You knew that Sonja was adopted, and when she told you that her parents were two guys who had met through there jobs as special agents you had been incredibly surprised. "Hey baby girl," Raymond says with a smile on his face as he pulls her in for a hug and places a kiss on her cheek before he turns to you and gives you a small smile "Hello Tammy, how are you?" he asks and you smile "I'm good thank you Mr Isler," you say and he shakes his head a grin spreading across his face "I told you before Tammy, it's Raymond, please", you nod and say "Alright, Mr- Raymond" he smiles before the three of you make your way down the hall towards the kitchen. You walk through the door and your nostrils are instantly filled with an intoxicating flavour and you smile "Wow Mr Pride, that's some nice smelling gumbo, I hope it tastes just as good as it smells sir" you say, you hear a chuckle coming from Raymond and Sonja but your attention is focused on Sonja's other father, the one who if you were being completely honest scared the crap out of you more than Raymond because he was one of those who loved deeply and you'd seen it the first time you saw him with Sonja and his other daughter from a previous relationship Laurel. "Thank you Tammy," he says with a completely straight face. The stare he was giving you was quite unnerving and you felt like you were being watched the whole time, every action, every movement.

The conversation during dinner is one in which makes you feel very much like an outsider even though Sonja and Raymond are very plainly trying to bring you into the conversation. It wasn't until just before you'd all finished dessert when Sonja stood and called Pride out on his behaviour towards you. "Alright Dad, what the hell? You've been giving Tammy the cold shoulder all evening, you're never like this with Laurel's boyfriends or even with my ex, so what the hell?" she's giving Pride an evil look. Raymond places a hand on his husband's shoulder and Pride takes his eyes off of you and looks at his husband and his daughter "Ah saw Sonja and Tammy makin' out in the back of my car the other night outside the bar," he says sending you a glare before he looks back towards his family "Seriously dad, that's what has you ignoring my girlfriend?" Sonja asks and he shakes his head "No, it's not. What has me so worked up is the fact that neither of ya had permission to be datin' no one asked me if ya could be together" he says and you are about to speak up for yourself when Raymond put his hand on Pride's shoulder "Dwayne, you know that's quite an antiquated view on dating, one that hasn't been used in a long time right? I believe Sonja has found a respectful young lady and I trust her judgements. I also believe that Tammy is one of the best people for our little girl, they are in love Dwayne, don't push Sonja away just because you're not able to control her anymore" Raymond says and you gasp at hearing the words that leave the older man's mouth. You hadn't expected for Raymond to stick up for you and Sonja quite like that, so you weren't quite so surprised when your girlfriend blushes a deep red and whines "Oh my god, daaaaaaaad" he chuckles before looking at Pride who looks between you and Sonja before he sighs and says "Alright fine, would ya like ta stay for movie night Tammy?" he asks and you nod "I would love to Mr Pride," you say and he smiles slightly. You and Sonja help clear away the dishes before the two of you sit next to each other on the two-seater couch, you instantly wrap your arms around her waist before Raymond and Pride walk into the room with a bowl of popcorn for you two to share. He's about to make his way over to the couch to sit with Raymond when he says "Ahem! No sex in my house, New York!" you nod, blushing deeply at the comment and Sonja lets out another whine "DAAAAAAD!".

Tag List: @tiva-jenry-caskett-rizzles-densi, @captain-dwayne-pride, @dressed-up-just-like-z1ggy, @nikkiwierden, @samchelforever007, @kirkspockbones, @xoncisxncislaxncisnolaox, @lasalle-pride-sebastian-love

Tag List for Pride: @aryapsnape

*If you want to be tagged in my tag list, please let me know so that I can add you.*

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capnebula · 7 years ago

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chapter one.

in a world where fairy tales and legends live together in various planes of land, sea, and sky, a group of misfits who have never met before veer out of the typical iterations of their stories.

warning: hints/mentions of parental abuse (sexual/physical/emotional), mention of family death due to disease

It was dawn in Arendelle, a kingdom ruled by King Zack and Queen Sharon, and the younger of their two princes was unmistakably wide awake, as he usually was at this time. He sat up in bed, slowly so as to not black out from the sudden change of blood flow. Once he felt ready, he tossed his covers off and ran across the room to his brother's bed. The elder sibling had his back facing his brother, so he had to climb up on the bed to wake him up. “Biiiiilllll. Wake up, wake up, wake up!” he said in a whisper-yell. Bill groaned in response. The boy pressed on, however, and started shaking his brother violently to wake him up. “Go back to sleep, Georgie…” Bill muttered, pushing his brother off of his bed. Georgie plopped onto the floor, landing flat on his butt. He sighed, disheartened for a moment, until an idea hit him. He climbed back up onto Bill’s bed and whispered “Do you wanna build a snowmaaaan?” Bill’s eyes opened with a smirk crawling into his lips. The boys rushed out into the main hall, which was one of the bigger rooms on the castle. “Bill, do the magic, do the magic!” “Okay. Watch this!” Bill conjured a snowball from his bare hands, sent it up into the air, and made it explode into a light snowfall. Georgie watched in awe, an “oooo” escaping his mouth. “Ready, Georgie?” the prince said to his younger brother before stomping on the ground to cause a thin layer of ice perfect for skating on to expand over the room’s entire expanse of floor. Georgie started to slide back on the ice, laughing. Bill, who had always been more apt on the ice, used his feet to push himself over to his brother, skating behind him and pushing him along with a huge grin. They played for god knows how long, making snow angels and having snowball fights and attempting to build and igloo. Most importantly, they built a snowman. Bill sat behind this snowman and made up a silly voice for him, saying “Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs,” And he made the snowman hug Georgie, who was giggling and saying “I love you, Olaf!” After some time, Georgie decided he wanted to jump up on snow pillars. Bill was happy oblige, and made the come up as his brother jumped, going if her and higher until he jumped too soon, and Bill slipped. He reached out for Georgie and a beam of ice hit him in the head. The little boy was knocked stone cold, falling limp to the icy ground and rolling a few feet away. Bill rushed over to his brother and picked up his head, crying for his parents. They came quickly, shoving the doors open. Their worried faces only became more worried as they saw the unconscious Georgie in Bill’s arms. The rushed to find a solution, worried that the boy might die…

“Oh, oh, this is my favourite part, Mike!” Eddie Corcoran exclaimed. He and his friend Mike were listening to Mike’s mother read The Princess and The Frog, which was a favourite amongst the two of them. “And then, the princess picked him up, and kissed that little frog,” Mike’s mom read. Mike made a disgusted face whilst Eddie squealed and hugged his cat. “Mama, I am never, never, never, and I mean ever, gonna kiss a frog,” Mike states decidedly, crossing his arms. Eddie grins. “I would. I'd kiss a hundred frogs if it meant meeting a prince!” Mike sticks his tongue out in disgust yet again. He could only imagine how gross it was to kiss a slimy old frog. Disgusting. Mike’s mom put a few finishing touches on a belt for Eddie’s new outfit before pulling him over to put it on him. Just then, his mother came in and swept the boy off his feet into the air. Mike grabbed his mom’s hand and said his farewells. As fun as Eddie’s was, he was excited to get home. “Alright, Mike, let's head home. Your Daddy should be getting home soon,” Mike smiled and walked outside with his mother into the chilly autumn night. A breeze was blowing softly as they waited for the trolley to come by, and when it came and they stepped in it picked up, colder and harsher. They went to sit down and Mike instinctively took the window seat, sitting on his knees so he could peer out of the tiny window at the passing scenery. He liked to watch it blow by as if they were going to a different dimension. And they were, in a sense. The houses in each neighbourhood grew smaller and less elaborate until they were home, a little street with simple little wood houses, unpainted and modest. They were small, but his parents always said it was better to have a small roof than no roof at all, so he liked it. The trolley came to a stop and the doors opened. Mike and his mother got up and walked to the exit. The driver always managed to stop right in front of their home, so it was a quick beeline to the door, which opened to reveal Will Hanlon smiling and waiting to greet his family. Mike leaped into his father’s arms, happy to see him. His dad swept him up and went straight to the kitchen, where his big metal gumbo pot was waiting. Mike grinned as he was set down on the chair by the stove. “We makin’ gumbo tonight, Pops?” he asked. His father turned back and smiled, nodding. An hour or two passed, and the gumbo was nearly finished. Mike had done a good chunk of the work and was now leaving a final taste test to his dad. “You sure it's done?” “Pretty sure,” “Okay.. Well here I go…” “WAIT!” Mike took the spoon from his father, grabbed the hot sauce, and gave a few heavy shots with it into the pot. He stirred, then took a quick taste of his own. “Now it's done,” Will took a sip of the gumbo and looked to the ground. “Well, Mike, I… I gotta say, this is… The best gumbo I've ever tasted! A dish like this oughta be shared!” He sent Mike out to the front porch to alert the street of the news. “Hey everyone! I made gumbo!” The little neighbourhood all came to the Hanlon household that night to share Mike’s gift of cooking. The night was lively and filled with kind people. Mike’s dad had always said food brought people together, and Mike, though young, would readily use this night to prove that statement true. Some of the people even stayed to help clean up the dishes. It was truly the most memorable night Mike would recall for years to come. Once everything had been cleaned up and everyone had left, Mike got ready for bed. It was late; the stars were shining clearly and the moon accompanied them, waning from the previous night of a full moon. Once he was ready, his parents came to tuck him into bed. “We're gonna have to put your famous gumbo on the menu at my restaurant when it opens, huh Mikey?” his dad smiled. Mike made a face and crossed his arms. “Your restaurant?” “Okay, okay, our restaurant,” He pulled out a picture depicting a beautiful place with people sitting and eating, a chandelier above their adorned heads, and wrote Mike’s Place up in the top corner before handing it to his son. “It's gonna be the best restaurant in the whole city,” Mike grins and sets it next to his bed. “I'm gonna wish for it super hard on the morning star! Eddie says if you wish on it you'll get your wish,” “Now you go on ahead and wish, but remember that wishing will only get you so far. You have to dedicate yourself and work hard to get the rest of the way,” Mike's mom reminded him with a small smile. Mike nodded and crawled into bed. His parents each kissed his forehead and switched off the lights as they walked out. Mike waited until they were all the way down the hall to grab the paper and go to his open window. He looked right at the morning star and then shut his eyes, holding the paper close to his chest.

If one were to search very hard and long, they could probably still pass by a tall tower expertly hidden deep in the forest outside of a successful kingdom. This tower was home to a young girl with beautiful red hair that healed and kept people young. Her name was Beverly, and she lived there with her father. He scared her, admittedly, but she was young and incapable of knowing how to express that properly. All she knew was that her favourite days were the ones she could be left alone to read and paint. These were the days she smiled and laughed and played with a chameleon she had named Grape. She was fond of the night sky, and could often be found tiptoeing past her father's bedroom late at night to the only window in the tower just to watch the stars and moon. After a few years, she noticed that there were floating lights that definitely weren't stars in the sky on the night of her birthday. She found that she desperately wanted to know what they were, which she conveyed to Grape multiple times. She knew her father would be outraged to hear of her wishes to leave the tower, however, so she stayed silent about it. Still, the floating lights continued to shine every night on her birthday. She painted them and dreamt about them and talked to her only friend about them nearly every day. It was the one thing she was more interested in than anything else. Her eyes would light up when she talked about them; it was a topic she found her first true passion in. More years passed, and she was now nine. Her birthday had passed in a blur, but she never forgot the lights. She snuck out to look at them every year, looking dreamily at them floating beneath the stars. The stars that she had looked at ever since she was little. For six years, though it felt like longer, she would sneak to the window and stare at the stars for what seemed like forever. There was a particularly bright star she called the Wishing Star. It shined almost as brightly as her birthday lights, but shone every night unless the clouds obscured it from view. She had started making wishes on it after she read numerous fairy tales in her one book filled with them. Many of them had a star that people could wish on, and she believed that the brightest star in the sky could be her star to wish on. On the eve after her ninth birthday, she kneeled by the window, her hair falling onto the floor behind her. She looked at Grape, then at the sky. Her eyes quickly found her wishing star, and she gazed at it. Tonight, she was going to make the biggest wish she had ever made.

A woman carrying her baby rushed from the plagued town they had lived in, away from their cottage and toward safety. She ran from the man she loved, who had caught the terrible disease along with many others. Once she made it to their horse and small wagon meant for fruits and blankets, she set the crying child in it and jumped in herself, giving the horse’s hindquarters a light smack to get him to gallop. She was unsure of where to go and how to move on. She was crying with her child in the back of a wagon not meant for humans to ride in, alone and on the road to anywhere but where she was. She wondered how to get on with nothing. Over the months and years following, that same woman had found a small town and settled down with her son, Benjamin, there. She did her best to raise him whilst inventing and sketching to try and bring in money. The entire town had already decided she was crazy and worried for her son’s future, but she pressed on. Ben was happy with his mother, blissfully unaware of the town’s view on their little family of two. He liked reading, even if he didn't know how to one hundred percent until he was six, and he loved taking care of the animals they eventually got. He helped tend the garden and did his best to be as helpful as he could be. That was how his mother had raised him, after all. He was a caring and imaginative boy who she felt would one day like books more than people, assuming he didn't already. Their lives slowly became something of a system; Ben would feed the animals while Mama made breakfast, they would eat, then if it needed to be done they would go out and do the laundry or get the needed foods for the next few weeks at the market. Ben always asked to go to the library when they were there, and his mom obliged nearly every time. As Ben grew a few years in age, his blissful ignorance of the town and their opinion about his mother and him disappeared and he found himself defending the two of them when he overheard negative comments. It got him into trouble often, but he couldn't help but snap back. It was his mother, after all, who had raised their little home from next to nothing with the help of a few kind souls long gone from the little town, and his mother who single handedly raised him on top of all the troubles. He found himself frustrated and longing adventure like he read in his books. They were a welcome escape from the hateful, boring life he seemed to live. He found the system in his household to be bland and almost robotic, like everyone ran on steam and did the same things every day at the exact same time. It grew tiresome to him. He had always been a hard worker, but in times of hopelessness he would go outside and talk to the animals when the moon and stars were all there was to light the sky and everyone else was asleep. He would tell them about his problems and how he wanted to go somewhere and do something. This night, the moon nearly full but not quite, was one of those nights, and he sat in the little pen area talking to their two cows.

The sea was the holder of a vast number of islands, but none of them so lush and kind as the home of one young Richard. The people on that island hadn't left it for decades, possibly even centuries, but were thriving and living happily. On this particular morning, Richie was sitting with his grandmother, who was telling him the story of a demigod who stole the heart of the creator of this world. She explained to him that the one day, someone would leave this island, seek out the demigod, and sail him to return the heart. Richie loved the concept, and his young mind thought that maybe one day he could be the one who went. After all, he loved playing in the water at the shoreline, much to his parent's dismay. They loved him, he knew, but as he grew older he would feel like it was almost too much. They couldn't let their little baby go. The little baby that would walk away from his father and grandmother while they argued about the truth of the tale he heard, towards the sea to play. He did this now, and upon seeing a pretty shell, he went for it. However, he saw a newly hatched turtle being attacked by seagulls. After a moment of thought he went to go help the turtle, who he saw was on his back. He grabbed a large leaf from one of the tropical bushes that he could reach, shooed the birds away, and flipped the turtle over. Once that was done, he followed the turtle all the way to the water, leaf over its head. Once it had swam off, he waved and went back to the shell, which he then picked up. As if asked to, the water moved back to reveal another shell similar to the first. Richie went to get that one, too. This pattern continued for a few shells, until the toddler was surrounded by tall walls of water, sea life surrounding him. A glowing rock came through that water, towards him, and he reached out for it. He had nearly grabbed it when the loud call of his father looking for him caused the water to retract the stone, find something to put him in, and quickly float him back to the shore with no shells and no stone. His father had reached the clearing as Richie turned around to look for his findings. This plan was evaded by his dad picking him up. “Richie, you know the water isn't safe,” “But I want to go back!” As his father walked away with him, he stared at the water, stretching to get back to it and reaching out.

“Please, let him be okay…” “I wish with all my heart that I can get my restaurant.” “Please, I wish I could see the lights.” “I just wish I could go somewhere and do something,” “I wish I could go back…”

tags: @richie-toesear @ss-georgiedenbrough @wyoleffs

#writing: fairy tales #character: big bill #character: georgie #character: eddie corcoran #character: mikey #character: bev #character: benny #character: rich

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wineanddinosaur · 4 years ago

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Next Round: Belinda Chang on the Future of Virtual Events

Airing between regular episodes of the VinePair Podcast, “Next Round” explores the ideas and innovations that are helping drinks businesses adapt in a time of unprecedented change. As the coronavirus crisis continues and new challenges arise, VP Pro is in your corner, supporting the drinks community for all the rounds to come. If you have a story or perspective to share, email us at [email protected].

In this episode of “Next Round,” host Zach Geballe sits down with Belinda Chang to discuss her new project, “Virtual Boozy Brunch.” While this project is Chang’s newest endeavor, it is one of many exciting positions she has held in the wine world. Here, Chang discusses how she moved into the wine and hospitality industry shortly after majoring in biochemistry and economics, and the influential roles she has held along the way.

Early in her career, Chang moved to Chicago then San Francisco, where she was selected to replace Rajat Parr as the new wine director for the Fifth Floor. From there, she earned a series of interesting positions and was chosen to be the wine director at MoMA, as well as the first national Champagne educator for LVMH. She also led a team to win a James Beard Award, as well as hosting both an annual pre-prom for female nominees to get ready for the ceremony and an annual pool party in Aspen.

The latter two events were put on by her own company, which she describes as “luxury experiential marketing.” Now, her platform hosts “Virtual Boozy Brunch,” which she initially launched to support wine professionals at the beginning of the pandemic. Today, the series has evolved into what she calls a “sip-along, cook-along, bake-along, dance-along, and many- other-things-along experience,” where users can log on and learn within interactive sessions. Chang emphasizes that these events always focus on user engagement and storytelling and will continue on well into the future.

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Zach: From Seattle, Washington, I’m Zach Geballe, and this is a “Next Round” “VinePair Podcast” conversation. We’re bringing you these conversations in between our regular podcast episodes in order to focus on the issues and stories in the drinks world. Today, I’m speaking with James Beard Award-winning sommelier and the creator of “Virtual Boozy Brunch,” Belinda Chang. Thank you so much for your time.

Belinda: It’s my pleasure. Thanks so much for having me virtually, Zach.

Z: That’s still the way we do pretty much everything these days, for now. So let’s start before we get into “Virtual Boozy Brunch,” where I want to spend a fair bit of our time today talking about your past with your trajectory, your career as a sommelier, before Covid-19 changed everything.

B: Sure. Like many of us, I started at university. I was a graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas, who majored in biochemistry and economics. And if you ask my parents, they would probably say it all went wrong when I started dating the lead singer of this ska band. I mean, there were pretty good ska bands, right? They opened up for the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones. It was a college band, but they were pretty darn good. And the lead singer of the band who I was dating, he was a senior. I was a freshman, and he had the whole down low on how to be really well-fed and drink wine while being a college student and on a typical college student budget. And that was to work at the University Faculty Club, which is called Cohen House. And so that was my first job ever. Of course, I followed along and got myself a job at the Rice University Faculty Club, and I ended up being the head waiter there because I think I was just really having so much fun. So what that looked like was during my lunch hours, I was carving brisket — that brisket in Houston is so delicious — and ladling out bowls of the incredible gumbo and shrimp to say that they had on the buffet line for all of my professors. And then in the evenings, we had a small team that did these synchronized service, fine dining events for the president of the university. And a lot of the illustrious alumni, like the Baker family, people like that. And that was my first experience with fine dining and great wine. Well, the great wine at the time, I think, was Magnums of Macon-Villages.

Z: Seems great.

B: Yeah I mean, it was a private institution, and to me, that was slightly nicer than what they were serving at some of the other faculty clubs. But that’s how I got into this whole thing and fell in love with wine and fell in love with hospitality and fell in love with it all and decided to abandon the path that I had been set on to, maybe become something respectable, like a doctor or a lawyer management consultant. So while I was there, I then — after I fell in love with the lead singer of the ska band who knew a lot about how to get free food and wine — I then fell in love with the new chef of the top restaurant in Houston, which at the time was a restaurant called Cafe Annie, owned and operated by a Ph.D. in biochemistry who became a chef. His name’s Robert Del Grande. He won all the James Beard Awards and was a huge wine lover and lover of rabbit enchiladas and mole. So that was interesting. But, they ended up with a Wine Spectator award-winning program. And it’s a beautiful place where I believe that we had the most interesting clientele you could have at the time, like Colombian drug runners and people like that that are in Houston. And so there were a lot of Chateau Mouton ’82 and magnums of Dom Perignon all over the place. So that was a really fun place to get my start in restaurants proper. So I started in the kitchen there. I knocked on their back door one day and ended up being hired on as a banquet line chef. So I know a lot about making wild mushroom quesadillas really quickly and en masse and also doing that, remember that like ’90s Zig-Zag from the squeeze bottle? The crema fresca over the mole-topped enchiladas and all kinds of beautiful Southwestern food. And that’s where I got my first subscription to the Wine Spectator. I started reading about wine, started guzzling that Newton Chardonnay Unfiltered. I guess Texas is the biggest buyer of that wine. And there started my wine education that set me in that direction. And then a lot of things happened after that. I don’t know if we want to go into that.

Z: Well I just was going to say maybe obviously you’ve had a remarkable and illustrious career, and feel free to recount more of it, but I’m just wondering, obviously for all of us there are the initial formative restaurant experiences that you say “this is where I learned the ropes.” But then along the way for you as well, were there any other stops that you particularly feel like recounting? Or if not, we can certainly move on.

B: Yeah, I mean, I think I think the early stops are to be the most interesting because they really are the formative ones. So I had a great time at Cafe Annie and I loved working with the husband-and-wife team. And I’m grateful that I started on the culinary side to have a good grounding in how a fancy kitchen works and all of that, which made it easier for me to adapt moving forward. So while I was at Cafe Annie — and maybe this is also a little bit about my career strategy from the beginning — I went to Cafe Annie because a friend of mine told me it was the best restaurant. So if you’re going to learn something about cooking in restaurants, go there. And then while I was at Cafe Annie I saw a cover of the Wine Spectator that said that Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago is the best restaurant in the world for a food and drink experience. And I thought, oh, well, of course, I should just go work there next.

Z: I appreciate that. That is some self-confidence.

B: Right. So I wasn’t even thinking about it. It’s like how you might think to yourself, like, “Oh really? Yeah. I’ll just go to Harvard. That’s what I’m going to do.” And so I faxed my resume and went to Kinkos before it was FedEx. I remember driving there, sending in a resume that I’d cobbled together. And lo and behold, by the time I got back, on my answering machine that used a regular cassette tape was a message from Chef Trotter himself. So that was the next thing I did. I packed up everything. And I think within a week I just hustled myself out to Chicago and started working there. And there he starts you wherever he wants to start you, and even though I was so proud of myself at that point, at Cafe Annie I was the only woman working as a captain in the dining room, which in fine dining is like the top of the heap. I went to Charlie Trotter’s, and I was a food runner. So five years there, and I ended my time as the wine director of that very venerable cellar and learned everything you could possibly learn about operating a restaurant in the way that he did and many other lessons. So I think that’s the stop that really set me on this path forever and also informed a lot of what I believe in hospitality and how to deliver experiences and how to work and how to mentor and lots of other things. So I did that. So I went from Houston back home to Chicago. My parents have lived here, and I lived here from third grade on. This was my hometown. And after a couple of years at Charlie Trotter’s, I got a call that a chef named Laurent Gras was looking for a wine director and a replacement for Rajat Parr in San Francisco.

Z: I think I’ve heard of him.

B: Yeah, right. So I was like, oh my God, who doesn’t want to be the follow-up to Rajat Parr and that incredible cellar stocked from floor to ceiling. That was a giant cellar of Burgundy, I think probably the largest in the country, if not the deepest in the country just at that moment in time. And so I flew myself out to San Francisco with the same thought, like, “Of course, I’m the one to replace Rajat Parr.” And I met the chef. I think I was probably the 60th person he’d interviewed, the very last person who put their hat in the ring for it. And there’s a nice moment here where I took the elevator up to the fifth floor, right? The Fifth Floor in San Francisco was on the fifth floor, and I saw Martine Saunier sitting outside and she was on a cell phone. And it wasn’t an iPhone. It was like one of those big ones, I think, or maybe a Motorola flip phone. And she looked up, and we didn’t know each other well. But I met her a few times and she said, “Oh, Belinda Chang.” She said, “Are you here to interview?” And I said, “yes.” And she nodded. And I went into the interview. I found out later that she called chef Gras after and said, “hire her”.

Z: Oh, wow.

B: Yeah. So that was a really cool moment. And I didn’t know about this for many years. And I can tell you, I love him deeply. I think he’s so amazing and I treasure my years that I worked with him. But I do know that when I walked into the room, he was definitely like, but you’re a girl, right? But he comes from very classic dining rooms. And I’m sure in those years, there definitely was not a woman sommelier on any of those service teams.

Z: Yeah, I think that is a safe assumption.

B: So it was pretty cool that she got in the game and told them what to do, and he followed her advice. And I think that at that time that was the job that a lot of people wanted.

Z: I bet, yeah. If 60-something people applied, I bet so. So before we shift gears and talk a little bit about “Virtual Boozy Brunch” and what you’ve been doing lately, what was the last sommelier or wine director job you held? Was your stepping away from the floor just a thing or time that had come, or how did you make that decision?

B: Yeah, it’s a great question. We can fast-forward to it. So from the Fifth Floor in San Francisco I came back to Chicago to oversee a big group of restaurants for Richard Melman from Lettuce Entertain You. From there I was recruited by Danny Meyer’s team to take over the wine director position at the Modern and MoMA in Manhattan. And then after that, after winning the James Beard Award with my team, I then went into a couple of experiments. I worked with Graydon Carter and Ken Friedman at the Monkey Bar, and then I went into that corporate paradigm that a lot of people think that they want to go into after single owner-operators or small-group restaurant paradigms. And I spent some time as the corporate wine director at Starwood Culinary Concepts, which was part of Starwood Hotels and restaurants run by Jean- Georges. And then after that, I spent time as the first national Champagne educator for LVMH, for M.H. USA. So those are all the various things. And then after all of that, I decided it was time to get back onto the floor. So I took a managing partner and wine director position here back in Chicago, my hometown, with Maple and Ash. So that was the last time that I was on the floor. And that was a two-and-a-half-year stint that launched me into my own business.

Z: And so let’s let’s talk about that. So what were you doing, broad strokes, pre-pandemic? And how did you pivot into virtual events?

B: So pre-pandemic, I was about a year and a half into my first foray into single-owner-operated bootstrap entrepreneurship — terrifying in and of itself. But pre-pandemic, I had some great clients. I was working with Champagne Taittinger and Calvisius Caviar, and I was already then doing something that’s not easily explained. I guess if you had to give it a one-liner, it was luxury experiential marketing. The funny thing is, I actually did do some virtual Champagne 101 and food and wine pairing classes via Skype for editors at Sauver Magazine and Elle Magazine before this all happened. But aside from that, I was putting on really cool experiences, like an annual pool party in Aspen and my six-year-running James Beard Awards pre-prom, which put together a glam salon for all the women nominees and women winners to get them red-carpet ready. So things like that. So definitely in the luxury space, definitely in the experiential marketing space. So when we got to that fateful March — which feels like it was 10 years ago, but I guess it was just a few months ago — it was the first year of the business where I felt like it was all going to be OK. I had all my 2020 Q1, Q2, and Q3 lined up, deposits put down, and it was in one day, I was in Toronto on a business trip when I got all the calls. I got four of them in a row, which I thought was really weird, from different clients. And they were all calling me to refund deposits, so I emptied — like, literally emptied, maybe to the last 5 cents — my operating cash account and, of course, refunded all these clients, because I want to work with them again later and sat and cried on my couch, on this red velvet couch. So you can picture me just like, “Oh my God. Oh, my God!” Yeah. So that led to a “Virtual Boozy Brunch” a couple of days later.

Z: So can you again, having attended a couple of them, I don’t know that I could fairly ask you to summarize it in a couple of sentences, but just for the people who are listening who aren’t familiar and we’ll include the links in the show description, what is “Virtual Boozy Brunch” and and how has it maybe evolved since the early days of the pandemic?

B: So it’s how I got off the couch. So I got off the couch a day later and I saw Jackie and Dani’s virtual happy hour. I don’t know if anybody has seen that, but they were really, I think, the first to really put on this big effort where they were inviting three bartenders a night with two showings a night and recreated a bar scenario where friends and supporters could come in and virtually tip these bartenders from all over the country. And they also gave an opportunity for the liquor brands to come in and help out and sponsor all these bartenders that needed help. They’re all furloughed. They’re laid off. What are they going to do? So I thought I should try to do something for the wine people. I feel like that never happens because they all think that we’re landed gentry or something. And it might be because we all have friends who are such natty dressers, that I think it’s pretty unusual or until now pretty rare that there was a dedicated effort to help them. Like, who needs help? They look like they’re doing just fine. But just because we are sipping and swirling Jayer doesn’t mean that we bought it ourselves. It’s just a part of our job. So I thought well, what could I do that could be something similar to this virtual happy hour scenario that really helps wine people? So I called Carrie Leavens, who is a protege of mine. I called a friend Rachel, who was at Osteria Mozza. And I said, “You know what? Let’s put together a Sunday brunch where you can come and chat about wine. You can invite all of your collectors and your fans and your friends and your supporters. And they can tip you for sharing your magic. And we’re going to find a way to do that virtually on camera so that you can still ply your trade.” Right? Which is making people feel great and helping them to drink good wine. So that was what episode 1, 2, and 3 were about, having great wine people and giving them a place to connect with their supporters and fans and try to make some money and do it without having to ask for a handout. And what we realized was that a lot of our chef friends were coming and tuning in and a lot of other people with interesting stories and magic to share were tuning in. So it evolved after a few weeks into this sip-along, cook-along, bake-along, dance-along and many- other-things-along experience. So it evolved really quickly from being like a virtual wine class into being like, I don’t know, it’s a living magazine. It’s a virtual experience. It’s a lot of things right now.

Z: Yeah, well, and I will say just from my own experience attending a few of them, one thing that I think is really fun about it is it feels like going inside the cooking segment of something like “Good Morning America.” And this isn’t a negative thing, but not kind of polished within an inch of its life the way those things are, like, “Hey, mistakes happen!” Swear words definitely happen. People are drinking. But I think you guys do an amazing job of making it. If you want to learn how to do something, you really can. And I think that was the next question I was going to ask. I think one of the hardest things about the virtual format in my experience, especially as it relates to things like cooking, cocktail creation, even the more static things like even just wine tasting, I find it’s very hard to communicate and to receive that training when you’re distanced from somebody, when you’re watching them through a screen. But I think you guys do a really good job of making all of the recipes, all of the cocktail recipes really comprehensible. So how have you done that?

B: Well, I think from the start, we’re thinking about why someone would tune in and how we could keep a great audience and make this endeavor worth our time and engage people all the way through. I mean, I don’t know about you, but especially as I got later into my career, I was like “the formal wine tasting is the most boring thing.” And I was always trying to find ways to make it a little more interesting, in that landscape of back in the day when you and I were full-time directors on the floor, you get like 50 invitations per day. So it’s like, how do you choose which one’s going to be really great? Aside from like maybe going to the one that has the most expensive wine, I think in this virtual space, the ones that are really interesting to me are the ones where I get to really participate. Right. So we never have a moderator read off the questions from the chat and relay that to the chef. We flip you up on screen if you have a question about, “did I do this correctly or does this look right or is it brown enough?” So our audience is always invited to be a part of the experience in every way. I always tell our team if at some point you’re looking at the gallery of viewers and they’re all looking down and they’re texting or they’re looking at their phones instead of what’s happening, we’ve done something wrong. We want it such that everybody who’s in the audience is engaging with the talent the entire time. So it’s a really worthwhile endeavor, whether the talent wants to tell a brand’s story or share a recipe or technique, or just connect. We make it so that it’s a platform in which they can always do that at the highest level. So I think that’s what we’ve learned how to do throughout the pandemic. And I think that’s what we’re doing best.

Z: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I definitely can tell the participant and viewer engagement is high, which is very challenging to do, both in person, frankly, and also virtually. So I think the last thing I want to ask you about, at least at the moment, is we are hopefully — knocking on every piece of wood in my house — at a point in time where it feels like the end of the pandemic might be closer than the beginning. And obviously, none of us know what that process period is going to look like. It’s going to be uneven. Some people are going to be vaccinated and feel comfortable going out in the world. Some people might not even after being vaccinated, it’s going to take time, et cetera. But obviously, like anyone who’s created something in this period of time, you have some thoughts about how to carry it forward into a post-Covid landscape — and don’t feel like you’ve got to share any trade secrets here — but what have you been thinking about in terms of continuing “Virtual Boozy Brunch” once that virtual part is no longer mandatory?

B: It’s such a smart question, Zach. And also to your point about not showing any trade secrets, I’m very proud of the fact that I think that our “Virtual Boozy Brunch” format, which started March 16, has inspired tons of people to do their own take on it. So all my trade secrets are not secrets, I always want to share. I love sharing best practices and what I’ve learned. But to your question, I absolutely think that this is an idea whose time has come — not just because of the pandemic, but because it’s a smart way forward, particularly for marketing and this striving for experiential marketing and authenticity and storytelling. I’m going to be attending virtual experiences, I think, for the rest of my life, because it’s expensive to travel, right? Remember when we would get offered the trip to Germany, but you could only send one person from the restaurant or they were only inviting 10 wine directors from around the world? You can put together this programming that is so powerful if you do it well and hire the production team where it feels just like you’re in Luca Cerrado from Vietti’s mom’s kitchen, smelling the blueberry risotto because they sent you all the ingredients. And you can be stirring that pot with them from home and you can visit the vineyards and you can invite as many people as you want from all over the world. So I think that this is some cool stuff. I always use this analogy: You know those futuristic movies where they’re having the board meeting and all the people on the board are holograms and they’re all sipping the same Scotch together? Whenever I saw a movie vignette like that, I always thought, “Oo, how could we do that in the wine and food space?” And we’re doing it! So I think that this is going to go on forever, and people are going to get better and better at it and send bigger experience boxes and really make this so it does feel just like you’re in the room, but you’re in the room so safely and you can be in any room anywhere in the world with just the click of a button and the opening of a laptop. So I think it’s so cool. I’m all about it, and I’m all in. And I don’t know when I’m going to want to go like, are people going to still do Vinitaly? I don’t know. I did the virtual version of it this year, and it was really fun.

Z: Yeah well, I think that — just my two cents on this whole thing — I think two things seem pretty true to me. One is that virtual experiences and in-person experiences are not mutually exclusive. And people are going to want some of each. They’re going to want the experience of whether it’s getting on a plane and going to Europe, some of them, or the experience of just going out to dinner or having someone serve them. All those things are going to still be popular with people. But I think what we’ve learned, as you said, is that you can do an amazing job of creating a really memorable experience. I think the fear heading into this or before the pandemic was people were going to see a virtual experience as, at best, a pale imitation of an in-person experience. And I think what we found is they’re not exactly the same thing. And there are things that a virtual experience can deliver that an in-person experience can’t, including the fact that you could do it in your house with your pajamas on. And that is, as it turns out, for a lot of us, a thing that we like very much. I also think the other piece of this is that I wonder about, even in my own career. You said that in-person wine tasting had gotten old to you. And I largely agree that there becomes a time for everyone, especially professionals, but even I think for amateurs or just hobbyists and enthusiasts that having access to all the wine is less important than having good wine. And I think about some of the consumer-facing events I’ve been to big, big events in the States and it’s like, is there going to be the same demand? Maybe there will still be the same demand for the drunken s*** show that is these big, hundreds and hundreds of producers pouring drinks as much as you want events. There are always going to people who want to get drunk, for sure. But I think that the smarter positioning for a lot of people is going to be, if you’re a winery or a spirit brand or whatever, do you really want to go be lost in that sea of drunken red-wine sloshing, or do you want to do focused events for people around the country? Who are your actual potential customers? And I think that’s where you’re going to see a lot of that shifting is people’s marketing budgets are going to say, “You know what? We’ve been able to really reach our audience directly, as opposed to hoping that someone not too inebriated comes by our booth, likes our wine, and then remembers to order it five days later.”

B: “Remembers.”

Z: Yeah, exactly. Remembers anything that happened, of course.

B: Agreed. 100 percent. I think we’re at a really interesting moment for those of us that engage in the storytelling marketing activation side of things. I think we are now going to see some permanent changes and things for how we move forward, even when it is possible for us to all be safely together in the same space again.

Z: Absolutely. Well, Belinda, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. It’s been super cool to watch you experiment and explore this virtual space, and I look forward to seeing what comes in the months and years ahead.

B: Thank you so much, Zach. It was a pleasure.

Thanks so much for listening to the VinePair podcast. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review or rating on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever it is that you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show. Now for the credits. VinePair is produced by myself and Zach Geballe. It is also mixed and edited by him. Yeah. Zach, we know you do a lot. I’d also like to thank the entire VinePair team, including my co-founder Josh and our associate editor, Cat Wolinski. Thanks so much for listening. See you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity

The article Next Round: Belinda Chang on the Future of Virtual Events appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-belinda-chang-virtual-boozy-brunch/

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johnboothus · 4 years ago

Text

Next Round: Belinda Chang on the Future of Virtual Events

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check Out the Conversation here

Belinda: It’s my pleasure. Thanks so much for having me virtually, Zach.

Z: Seems great.

Z: I appreciate that. That is some self-confidence.

Z: I think I’ve heard of him.

Z: Oh, wow.

Z: Yeah, I think that is a safe assumption.

B: So it was pretty cool that she got in the game and told them what to do, and he followed her advice. And I think that at that time that was the job that a lot of people wanted.

Z: And so let’s let’s talk about that. So what were you doing, broad strokes, pre-pandemic? And how did you pivot into virtual events?

B: “Remembers.”

Z: Yeah, exactly. Remembers anything that happened, of course.

B: Thank you so much, Zach. It was a pleasure.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity

The article Next Round: Belinda Chang on the Future of Virtual Events appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-belinda-chang-virtual-boozy-brunch/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/next-round-belinda-chang-on-the-future-of-virtual-events

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himbowelsh · 7 years ago

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"I'm gonna need you to calm down." - the Philly squad upon seeing a gator in the bayou visiting Roe's family.

prompt me like a love song baby (ACCEPTING)

Gene’s not sure what he regrets more – inviting Babe down to Louisiana for the week while his cousin is also visiting, or saying it was fine if Babe brought his friends with him.His sister Minnie put it quite nicely. “We call him the creepy cousin for a reason, and it ain’t because he’s a friendly guy. We call him that cause he’s weird, a little scary, and has his share of problems. You’re supposed to keep him away from kids or open flames, not invite your boyfriend down here to meet him.”

To be fair, it’s not like Gene planned it this way. Babe’s visit had been a very spur-of-the-moment thing – as in, Babe called him up one day and told him, “I need to get out of Philly for, like, a week. Can I please crash at your place?” Apparently half a country away seemed like a far enough escape from whatever trouble Babe refuses to tell Gene about. Gene wasn’t even surprised when Babe called him from the plane a few days later and sheepishly told him that the rest of his crew was coming along.(Gene shudders to think of being crammed in alongside the Philly bunch on a long plane ride. He thinks he’d start looking for parachutes before they even made it off the runway.)His cousin showing up on the Roe family’s doorstep on the morning before Babe is set to arrive: that’s a surprise.Merriell Shelton straightened up in the doorway, bared his teeth in a shameless grin, and wasted no time making himself at home. He bedded down on the couch (the guest room, Gene insisted, was for Babe), drank all of the beer, and leered at Gene and his siblings over the top of the Bayou Chene Times. If there’s one thing Merriell’s good at, it’s showing up when he’s not welcome. If he’s good at anything else, it’s making people so uncomfortable that they want to crawl out of their skin.(Minnie and Winnie, the twins – who aren’t actually twins, but are so alike in every way that the family considers them a single unit – hate Merriell with a passion. He antagonizes them, they snap at him right back, and it turns the entire house into a war zone. Gene is ready to rent a hotel room, just because he knows he won’t be able to endure them for long.)Merriell is the last person Gene wants in the house when his boyfriend and his friends show up. But, well, it’s not like he can kick his cousin out. His mother would never let him, or forgive him for suggesting it; his aunt would roll in her grave. Merriell might not care either way, but Gene won’t risk the wrath of his Maman.So, when a gaudy orange taxi rolls through the bayou and pulls up in front of Gene’s family home, Gene is waiting at attention in the doorway; and Merriell is lounging on the porch.“Where in the sweet hell,” Merriell mutters, “did they find a taxi in the middle of this swamp?”Gene doesn’t answer. He knows better than to question Babe’s way of doing things by now. The taxi could be stolen, for all he knows, and he really doesn’t want to find out.As each person steps out (there are so many folks in there that taxi might as well be a clown car), it couldn’t be more obvious that the city-dwellers are out of place. Fran is wearing a sunhat and sunglasses. Bill is grimacing down at the mud staining his pristine white sneakers. Julian’s in jeans, for god’s sake, and Spina has a damn map under one arm. Worst of all, Babe’s Irish porcelain skin all but makes him luminescent in the warm bayou sunlight. The snorts he’s wearing do his bony legs no favors. Gene has no doubt he’ll be red as a cherry before the day is out, and moaning about how much the sunburn hurts.He doesn’t get much of a chance to gape at his out-of-place guests, however. Babe catches sight of his boyfriend and breaks into a grin wide enough to light all of New Orleans.“Gene!”Babe rushes forward, and the next second Gene finds him swept up in an enthusiastic hug. His arms lock around Babe’s shoulders; he pulls him down to plant a kiss against soft lips. In an instant, Babe is pliant against him, and Gene has to stop himself from grinning. He’s missed this.When they break apart, Babe is flushed as red as his hair, and he’s still beaming. “Oh god, you look –” he says, and is cut off by Gene kissing him again. “Great,” he finishes, when the part for air once more. “You look incredible.”From over Gene’s shoulder, he hears his cousin whistle. No force on earth is getting him to tear his eyes from Babe just to tell Merriell Shelton off.A part of him wonders if the Philadelphia gang are actually from earth. If they were some bizarre pack of aliens, it would explain a lot.An unholy shriek splits the bayou, and that’s what gets Gene to tear his attention away from Babe. To be fair, Babe does the same thing. He reels around at the first sound of his friends in trouble, and is already bounding towards them before he catches sight of something that makes him freeze in his tracks.Then Babe screams, and everything falls to chaos after that.People are wailing. The taxi’s horn blares. The Philadelphia tourists run around each other like chickens with no heads, any sense completely abandoned in their panic. “HOLY SHIT,” someone is hollering. It’s shrill enough that it could be Babe, but there’s an equal chance of it being Bill, or Julian. It’s definitely not Fran. “THAT’S A DINOSAUR. THAT IS A GODDAMN DINOSAUR.”Fran has climbed on top of the taxi, armed with her purse and ready to use it. Spins is hammering on the car windows, but the driver has locked the door. Babe has leapt into Bill’s arms, clinging to his neck like a damsel in distress. Julian is on the ground, curled up with his hands clasped over his head, ready for the end of times. Guarnere, in classic Wild Bill style, looks ready for a fight.They’re all losing their minds over an alligator.To be more accurate, they’re losing their minds over Etienne.Etienne has lived around their home for as long as Gene can remember. He’s a friend of the family. Not their pet, of course (“You can never tame nature,” Gene’s late grandmére once told him a small solemn-eyed little boy who never forgot her words. “You gotta to learn to live with it, or it’ll eat you up.”), but a friend all the same. Etienne and the Roe family have an unspoken agreement: you don’t bother us, we won’t bother you. He Roe children were kept well out of the way of the ancient gator as children, though little Gene always dared to venture too close when his mother’s back was turned. In exchange, Etienne gobbled up the pests around the Roe home, and left all the “good things” (like people) alone. Etienne isn’t someone Gene’s Maman will invite in for dinner, but he’s harmless.Mostly.Gene wonders if he has a taste for Philadelphians.Bill drops Babe to the ground, and Babe immediately wraps himself around the taxi’s tire. He looks like he’s crying. Everyone’s screaming so loud that Gene can’t tell whose voice belongs to who.He takes a few steps back onto the porch. For a few moments, all he can do is watch in bemusement. He’s jolted out of his gaze by an inevitable snort of laughter.“You’ve really thought this through,” Merriell drawls, and takes a long drag from his cigarette.Gene sighs through his teeth, and debates the merits of intervening. He could let them wear themselves out – it seems easiest. Then again, if they keep this racket up, the entire bayou is going to be awake, and old Etienne might just get offended enough do do something about it.So he reluctantly clears his throat and steps forward. “Everyone,” he calls; and when this gets no response, “everyone!”Nothing. He’s not sure what he expected.A sudden projectile flies past his head, not leaving Gene time to duck. It shatters against the nearest tree with a loud crash. The noise is jarring enough that, all at once, the chorus of screams cuts off. Merriell is standing up now, staring at the group with a wide-eyed, unreadable expression. He’s doing the thing again, Gene realizes, and fights not to moan. The creepy thing. This is why Merriell is the cousin they don’t like to leave alone in the house.“Oh, look at that. You do know how to shut your mouths.” Merriell’s lips curl back in what no sane person would call a grin. He looks thrilled. “Makes it lots nicer ‘round here when it’s quiet.”Babe is the one to break the spell that Merriell seems to have cast over the group. His attention swivels back to Gene, and he chokes on air as he fights to form words. “G-G-Gene! There’s a, there’s, it’s a goddamn –”“That’s Etienne,” Gene interjects, stepping off the porch again. “Afraid I’m gonna need y'all to quiet down. My Maman’s inside cooking, and all this screaming’s not good for the gumbo.”Fran is staring at him as if he’s lost his mind – even though she’s the one clinging to the hood of a taxi. “You gave that monster a name?”“He’s our neighbor. We’re friendly.” To prove it, Gene gives Etienne a wave. The old gator, smart enough to not want to get involved, slinks back into the depths of the bayou.Only when he’s gone do the Philly crew seem it safe enough to exit Crisis Mode. Babe peels himself off the ground, while Bill lifts Fran off the hood of the car. No one bothers to help Julian up. When they all turn to Gene, wide eyed and expectant, Gene is reminded of schoolkids waiting for the teacher’s instruction. He’s never wanted to be a teacher.“Lets go inside,” he says after a beat. “Time for you to meet to family. My brothers are out, but my sisters are in, and so’s my Maman. They’re all dying to meet you.”“And who’s this asshole?” Bill demands as they pass Merriell (he pulls Fran a little closer to him when Merriell leers at her). His cousin doesn’t seem offended in the least, so Gene just rolls his eyes.“That’s Merriell. He’s part of the family, but he ain’t supposed to be here now. You can ignore him.”As the Philly gang filters through the doorway, one after the other, Gene feels like a mama duckling counting heads. Only when he gets to the last head – full of messy ginger hair – does he pause to look up into Babe’s bright face.“That might have been a rough start,” Babe whispers, looping an arm around his waist, “but this is gonna be a great vacation, Gene. I’m sure of it.”Gene bathes in the confidence of his boyfriend’s words. He wants more than anything to believe that Babe is right.The jagged smile he glimpses on Merriell’s face, however, suggests that Babe and his friends are in for more trouble than they’re prepared to handle.

#Anonymous #snafu shelton #baberoe #babe heffron #gene roe #philly crew #my writing

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theofficialcunt · 7 years ago

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If you're down a would LOVE a little something with Adore winning AS3 (yes I know she's not on it LET ME DREAM) and Ru being like "so what are you gonna do with the money?" and Adore responds with "well I'm gonna spend it on the best fucking honeymoon EVER" and everyone's like ?!?!?! and she's like "oh yeah I forgot to mention I totally got married right before going on the show" *cue smug smirk* and Ru's all "OMG what??? anyone we know???" and BAM! cue Bianca.

I really hope I did this prompt justice. It was actually really fun to write! Enjoy ✨💕

The tv blared loudly throughout the club, the top 3 queens gripping each other’s hands in anticipation. It was hot, Adore was sweating profusely - partly from nerves but mostly from the amount of people watching them.

The crowning was in New York, and it was always a star studded event. Alaska would be crowning the winner, whose picture would then be hung next to hers in the imaginary All Star hall of fame.

Katya, Bob The Drag Queen, Kim Chi, and some of the local new york queens watched in anticipation as the reunion echoed throughout the building. Ru Paul himself was also there, standing next to Alaska with a microphone making comments here and there. Fans would scream and shout every now and then when something entertained them. Courtney Act and Bianca Del Rio were also there for support for their season 6 sister. This is Adore’s 3rd time on the show, and second time in the top 3.

“You ready for this mawma?” Trixie asked playfully, elbowing Adore.

“I mean, I guess.” Adore laughed uncomfortably.

She was not ready. Honestly, losing to Bianca the first time was hard. Yes, the win was well deserved - she dominated the fuck out of the competition. But Adore had to put on a smile for hours after the crowning and pretend to be okay with losing. When in reality she was under the impression she was going to be sharing the grand prize with her.

She was so sure of the win, she had already made plans for her prize money.

So, to say she was crushed when she lost was an understatement.

She did well on All Stars 3, won 3 challenges in fact. She never had to lip sync, and she didnt have to send anybody home either. It was a good situation overall.

But she wasn’t confident in who was going to win. It could be her crown. It could be Trixies crown. It could even be Chi Chi’s crown.

“Y’all, I just want some gumbo.” Chi Chi groaned, adjusting her false eyelash.

The three of them were an odd trio, but somehow their chemistry worked well on All Stars. Adore laughed, always finding it fascinating that Chi Chi and Bianca came from the same state but acted so different. Adore guessed it was because Bianca had too much New York in her now.

“And the winner of All Stars 3 is…”

Chi Chi and Trixie gripped Adore’s hands tightly, each digging their fake nails into her palms as they awaited their fate.

Her and Bianca made eye contact, and Adore noticed for the first time Bianca looked nervous. Her eyes kept darting around the room, she had one hand gripped on the side of her modest boat neck black velvet dress. She had Courtney’s hand in a vice grip, holding it so tight she was probably losing circulation in it.

Bianca smiled at Adore encouragingly, letting her eyes scan over the seafoam green sequin dress that hugged her body. She was wearing a blonde wig tonight, with some extra pieces woven in to add more volume. wanted Adore to win so bad. She thought she had deserved it the first time around, especially with the way that they edited it. Adore had stepped her game up for All Stars 3, investing in gowns and nicer hair pieces then usual. She did her best to show versatility on the show, and it worked - landing her a spot in the top 3. She worked very hard for this, and literally put herself out there all over again which had been hard on her after her departure on All Stars 2. She didn’t know how she would react if she would lose a second time.

“Adore Delano!”

The room erupted in screams, and Adore blinked rapidly with shock. She felt dizzy, her ears ringing from all of the excitement. Trixie screamed, pulling her in for a tight hug. Adore let her head rest into her chest as she let out a few tears. She had won drag race. She had won $100,000. She would be able to buy a house, make another album…

She was completely overwhelmed

This was what winning felt like.

Adore pulled away softly, wiping the tears from her eyes so that her makeup didn’t get ruined. She turned and embraced Chi Chi - giving her a longer hug. She had been a big fan of Chi Chi’s on season 8, and was sad that she didn’t win. They had grown close on the show, mostly becauseAdore was the only one familiar with Louisiana cuisine.

Because of Bianca.

Adore searched the crowd for B, and smiled when she saw her. Bianca was ecstatically jumping up and down, holding Courtney’s hand and…was she crying?!

Bianca’s cheeks were shiny from the tears of joy. She never cried in public, but she couldn’t help herself. Courtney grabbed a tissue from her purse and blotted her face gently, trying to move the elaborate makeup back into place.

“God, you’re a mess!” Courtney exclaimed, laughing as she wiped the runny mascara off of her cheeks.

“Shut up bitch, I have every right to be.” Bianca laughed through her tears, her voice still thick with emotion.

Adore walked across the stage to Alaska and Ru, where they stood with the crown and sceptre. Detox stood by with the check, beaming at her as she was handed a mic.

“I guess I’m expected to make a speech now huh?” Adore laughed nervously, eyeing Ru and Alaska.

The crowd laughed, then fell silent in anticipation.

Adore was nervous now, mostly because she just spoke from the heart when she talked to her fans.Now that she was a winner, was she expected to deliver articulate speeches?

“I want to start off by saying I’m so grateful for this oppurtunity man. Thank you Ru.” Adore smiled at Ru, who in return bowed to her.

“Winning drag race doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop keeping it real with you guys. You deserve to know the truth about shit, and you deserve to be called out if you start acting crazy. I’m talking to you Val.” Adore laughed, catching Valentina’s eyes in the far corner of the club.

“Honestly, you motherfuckers can do anything you set your mind to and I just love you all so much.” Adore exclaimed. “Thank you.”

Alaska smiled, bringing the crown over and gesturing for Adore to kneel down. She placed the crown on top of her blonde locks, smiling with pride as she stood up. The crowd went crazy, shouting and cheering as Adore smiled at them and waved.

Ru handed her the sceptre, whispering congratulations in her ear and ushering her over to Detox to receive the check.

“Presenting your new queen, and winner of $100,000 Adore Delano!” Alaska yelled.

Adore grabbed the check and posed for pictures for what felt like forever. First with Alaska and Detox, then with Alaska, Detox, and Ru. Then with Chi Chi and Trixie, and then finally Courtney and Bianca were pulled on stage.

“I thought it would be fitting to have your originalsisters pose with you.” Ru announced,

Adore smiled as Courtney tackled her in a crushing hug.

“I’m so happy for you Adorm!” Courtney exclaimed, pecking Adore on the cheek playfully.

“Okay that’s enough,” Bianca snapped, pulling Courtney off of her. “Congratulations. I knew it was going to be you.” Bianca held her for a solid minute before letting her go.

They took a few pictures together, and then they were ushered back to the front row while Ru began his interview with her on stage.

“So Adore, I have to ask.” Ru started, as they sat down on two stools that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere. “What are you going to do with the money?”

Adore bit her lip and made brief eye contact with Bianca before she nodded in agreement.

“Well, I’m gonna spend some of it on the best fucking honeymoon ever!” Adore exclaimed.

The crowd grew louder with confusion and excitement. Ru’s jaw dropped, along with all of the other queen’s on stage.

“Y-you’re married? When did that happen?” Ru asked curiously.

“Well, I got the call for All Stars and that was when we were just getting serious and I was like fuck, we could either do this now or do it when I get back - and he was like let’s just do it now!” Adore exclaimed animatedly, talking vividly with her hands. “So I was like, fuck yeah I’m down we’ll get a tax break if I win. So we jetted off to Vegas and did something super low key. We got married at 3 am so no fans would see, it was wild.”

Trixie was shrieking from backstage, along with the audience who had grown much louder during the course of the conversation. Adore had worked very hard to keep her marriage a secret, and it had definitely paid off.

“Bitch, why didn’t you tell me?” Alaska shrieked. “I would have brought you guys a pizza.”

“I’m sorry Lasky! My husband isn’t really big on pizza so it’s better that you didn’t.” Adore laughed.

“Oh my god, this is just so shocking Adore.” Ru finally said, as the audience calmed down. “Now I have to ask, is your husband anyone we know?”

Adore smiled coyly, trying not to look in her husband’s general direction.

“Well, he’s here tonight…” Adore teased, smiling wide.

“Can we meet him?” Ru asked excitedly, scanning the crowd looking for the potential partner.

“Sure man!” Adore exclaimed, smiling smugly.

“Mr. Delano, if you are still in the building come on down!” Ru called, looking around the building.

Just then, Bianca stood up from the front row and sauntered up the steps to the stage. Ru’s jaw dropped, and Alaska screamed as the audience roared in approval. Bianca grinned, pecking Adore on the lips softly before grabbing her microphone.

“It’s Mrs. Del Rio thank you very much.” Bianca smiled, before dipping Adore in a passionate embrace.

Adore knew the fans were going to lose their minds, but she really had no clue how crazy they would get until it was all out in the open. The screaming and shrieking hadn’t died down since it was announced she was married, and had only gotten progressively worse as the night went on.

But Adore wouldn’t have it any other way.

#prompts #requests #biadore

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