#piano and photographer au

[chaotictarlos]

Seven Sentences and Inspiration

***yeah the photo says Wednesday but that's okay lmao

Thank you to @sanjuwrites @bonheur-cafe @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @carlos-in-glasses @mooshkat @reyesstrand @theghostofashton @mikibwrites @catanisspicy @paperstorm and @ravens-words for tagging me in various games this past week! I finally got some things down on my doc last night so enjoy this from my current WIP!

Seven Sentence Sneak Peak:

“We should go on a trip,” Carlos says later that night as he and Daniel are sitting on the couch. They’re curled on up on opposite sides of the couch and as much as Carlos wants to be held and cuddled, he can’t find it in himself to try and initiate it. He knows that Daniel doesn’t like cuddling on the couch and Carlos isn’t sure he can handle the sting of rejection even if he doesn’t love Daniel anymore. 

Daniel looks over at him, “A trip? Now? There’s too much going on.”

Carlos shrugs, “It’s been a while since we’ve gone away together. I think we need it.”

Daniel laughs, “Why do we need it? In the four years we’ve been together we’ve barely gone on any trips. You don’t like them. The last time we left Austin you almost had a panic attack and we came back two days early because you weren’t having fun.”

Carlos sighs and looks away, his throat tight even though it’s the truth. Carlos likes to be home, he likes to be in a place that’s familiar and comfortable to him but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to try and go see other places. The reason he hadn’t been having a good time on the last trip they went on was because Daniel had spent the majority of the time dragging him to different restaurants and cooking things instead of doing any of the nice, fun couple things that Carlos had painstakingly planned for both of them. He had planned things that they would both enjoy but Daniel had other plans.

“Just forget it,” Carlos mutters

Inspiration:

no pressure tags: @detective-giggles @noxsoulmate @brouill3r @paperstorm @mikibwrites @catanisspicy @sanjuwrites @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @largepeachicedtea @taralaurel @otter-love-asl @meditating-honey-badger @alrightbuckaroo @basilsunrise @kiloskywalker @bubblesandroses8 and anyone else who wants to jump in and share!

[chocsra]

idk abt others but yes i do eat up every single one of ur hs au bc it's so silly and yes i am looking at you with a chuuya plushie in my hand to ask for a dazai x reader hs au fanfic

✧ "YOU ARE THE CITY OF MY HEART"

☆ synopsis ↺: skipping class with your classmate, dazai yet again. but this time, you explore the ocean of your feelings together.

☆ content ↺: HIGHSCHOOL AU 15ZAI, musical prodigy! dazai, photographer! dazai, introvert! dazai, slightly ooc, fluff

☆ NOW PLAYING ↺: UNDERSTAND — keshi

☆ w/c ↺: 2k

you don't think you have ever lived without noise,

ever since you were a kid, you were talked your ear off by your parents, lectured by several adults, and screamed plentifully with friends. when there was silence, there was music to mask it. good or bad noise, it existed, survived, and was a huge part of your life.

but you,

Dazai Osamu, are probably the quietest person you've ever known.

the only sound you could associate with him was the shutter of a camera taking a picture—the same sound you've been continually hearing.

It was a regular school day, both dressed in full uniform, baking under the bright rays of the morning sun. There wasn't anything particularly wrong about this day. you could pick off the reddening leaves from bark-ridden tree branches and soak in the imprint of tree stumps, looking ever so similar to that of a fingerprint. it was a pretty autumn day; you just so happened to get to see that. you think, taking a withering leaf into the palm of your hand.

shutter.

"osamu, stop taking photos of me." —you chide, gently swatting the pointed camera out of view. the brunette in front of you, currently crouching, laughs boyishly as he removes his face pressed against the camera, gaze now overseeing the autumn sight before him. "sorry," dazai whispers, tinkering with a few buttons to review the photos he took. "you don't have to skip class with me, y'know." he murmurs, eyes glued to his camera.

he was a photographer, a pretty one at that. quiet and mysterious, you were rather surprised to learn that a boy reads fine literature and other classical means. sometimes, he picked up a violin or combined delicate fingers to gracefully waltz with a grand piano. his most prized possession was a camera, freezing the most beautiful of the intricacies of nature and people. but who was he? the boy who read books instead of taking notes in lectures, wavy chocolate brown hair that sun rays adored to find a home in, and a tall and slim build fitted in a school uniform and bandages. to capture the slope of his cheek, the deep hazel in hollow irises, and his olive skin. he was Dazai Osamu, a walking mystery.

so, you'd like to know where you stood with him in terms of relationship and if he even likes you at all. skipping class together, sneaking in your window at night, pretending to hang out with friends if it meant seeing him—it didn’t feel like something close friends did, like he was a secret you wanted to keep for yourself. but you couldn’t tell if that greed was reciprocated, if he was bored, or even considered you a close friend, a best friend. but instead of worrying too much, you only watch how his fingers work with a bulky camera, capturing nature's highs and lows.

“i know,” you twiddle with your fingers, grumbling, “class is boring anyway.” the brunette furrows his brows at the photos, brushing your excuse off, “this is shit. i think i’ve taken enough photos around the school.” he groans softly; you could practically hear his creative mind burning in the process. “did you delete the picture of me?” you question, standing over the lanky boy’s crouched form. “no, that one is good. i mean, the actual background, it's all repetitive.”

you tap a finger on your chim, “ahh,” you hum, pretending to understand his perspective. “winter should be here already.” the teenager grumbles under his breath before letting go of the camera to let it hang off his neck. you pace around slowly, feeling the surface of leaves crushing under your heels. “I mean, you don’t have to stay in school if you’re already skipping class.” you mutter, watching as a boyish grin lights up on his face. “you’re right, [y/n]! let’s go!”

a cold hand wraps his fingers around yours before dragging you to the nearest exit—"dazai!” you whine as the brunette drags you, “it’s cooooolllddddd!” you complain, your scarf nearly falling off as you run and run. hand in hand. this rather rushing feeling brings you a taste of memories you barely remember you had.

no one understood Dazai Osamu,

because he was a prodigy, he was something. something big, something great, something that made other geniuses seethe in envy. the boy had extraordinary intellect but a weak mind. no, dazai wasn't weak. he was just always unwell to a certain degree, and to most, it didn't take much to figure out—wearing long sleeves in summer, loving bandages for the comforting feelings even if he didn't need them, and reading books guiding the suicidal. dazai never hid it—that he was unwell, almost like a cry for help.

but for the genius that he was, nobody understood that.

but you did, in seventh grade. you were sniffling, pacing in remnants of snow as tears blurred your vision. though in your hazy field of sight, you outline the figure of one of your classmates approaching you, his tall frame catching the snowflakes from hitting your face. slowly, a boyish voice calls out.

"...are you okay?"

it was dazai, the stone-faced boy and talented prodigy. he wore a black trenchcoat, a little too big for his figure, and covered one of his chocolate brown eyes with bandages. you shook your head, a throbbing pain added from the tinge of snowflakes collecting in your hair. his stoic gaze never left you, standing there in the middle of a snowstorm, crying. the boy himself couldn't muster a feasible reason for walking outside in a snowstorm at this hour, so out of courtesy and a slight tinge of nervousness, he whispered, "let's go for a walk."

suddenly, nimble fingers reach out to grab yours; your fingers are used to originally wipe snot and cover your face. but dazai had no reaction to anything gross like that—like snot and tears. instead, he took shaky fingers into the cold ones of his own, pulling you gently along the sidewalk. you could barely make out his face or your feelings at the moment, only focused on his broad shoulders covered by that raven trench coat, soaking up snowflakes and the well of your tears.

from there, you walked and walked. hand in hand. soon running together with no particular destination—only feeling your body starting to warm up, sore feet clashing against snow, and his hand that never let go of yours.

Dazai Osamu never knew why you were crying, nor did you know what ever went through his head that day.

but from that moment forward,

you understood him.

soon, you were led by that same hand past pretty autumn leaves and into a foresty meadow, closed off from the rest of the world. several forms of wildlife scrapped by, followed by a murky pond under the sun's wake, surrounded by trees of reds and oranges. it perfectly provided what the school's campus couldn't—a sense of divergence reeling in the soft convolutions of your brain. "pretty, isn't it?"—the brunette chimes, panting from the long distance you two ran. "why'd you do that?" you grumble, rubbing your abdomen from an incoming sharp pain, "don't you have asthma?"

he immediately backtracks, shooting you an unamused glare, "that's.. enough." dazai huffs, before removing the strapped camera around his neck, "here, maybe you can take better pictures than i can." the boy chuckles shyly, a very drastic verbal response than his usual arrogance.

"hmm," a gentle hum slips past your lips, squinting one of your eyes in order to press the machine against your face. "i can try." after scouting the area with his camera for a few seconds, you began to snap a few shots at the darkening lake, carrying several leaves in its wake.

and as you paid full attention to the awaiting winter, dazai's gaze stayed on you, his autumn. his gaze softened and his slightly chapped lips parted in a momentary surprise, taking you in with every breath he took. Dazai himself loved photography; he loved capturing moments that would soon get lost in time. the brunette, with a talent for many things, found solace in photos. he loved to take photos of resting cats, dark sceneries you'd only find in an alleyway of a fantasy novel, and candid pictures of random couples on dates. dazai loved taking photos but detested that he didn't have a camera on hand at the moment—for he wanted to freeze this divine sight of you in the confines of his brain. your face, fingers, the dip and curve of every facial feature, and how the lighting kisses your skin and hair.

"how's it like? being a total genius?"

you were rather familiar with all your classmates, just curiously getting to know the mysterious musical prodigy, dazai osamu. it was a work period, and everyone in class already begun to slack off, especially since there was a supply.

and you knew that the lanky boy was eerily quiet when the school's athletic hotshot, Chuuya Nakahara, wasn't around. so, asking stupid questions won't exactly result in stupid answers, or so you thought.

"why? wanna be like me?" — he smiles teasingly, tilting his sharp jaw in your direction. "don't think someone who cries in the snow can do it, sorry." you freeze up and scoff, slightly embarrassed from the former interaction you had with him. "dick." a peaceful but awkward silence fills the air between both of you before the boy clears his throat awkwardly. "But i'd be willing to talk about it if you let me bother you at lunch.?"

the question itself caught you off guard. looking around at the chattering students, "i—" the brunette backtracked, hiding his face slightly with gauzed fingers. "Actually!—I am going to bother you. you're friends with chuuya, aren't you?" you shrug, eyes fluttering to the ground, "..i guess so, but i don't eat with him or his friends."

A breathless chuckle slips past the prodigy's lips before covering his mouth softly, completely ignoring you, "alright then, see you anyway, crybaby."

he hates himself for not knowing what to do with you, but he loved you more to let hate consume him, like usual. dazai wanted you; he didn't know what yearning was until he saw pieces of you in sunsets, rain and snow. he's felt destiny with his childhood friend, chuuya nakahara. but he's never felt something so desiring, pining — like he wanted to be with you every day. and maybe one of those days he'll feel you without the stupid gauze wrapped around his fingers. maybe one day he can hold your hand without the excuse of dragging you somewhere new. maybe one day, dazai will figure out how to ask you to be his, how to love you, because he's sure you're the one he wants to love.

"ahh, wait.."

you cock a brow at his shocked face, grabbing onto your sleeve as if the prodigy were reaching for the stars.

"I wish I were a painter, instead." the boy pouts, holding your sleeve childishly, pulling a chuckle from your throat, "why is that, huh?"

dazai's eyes, ever so empty and unfilled, now gleam, pretty and gentle. Softly reaching out to part a strand of hair behind the shell of your ear, gazing up at you feverishly. "usually, I'm so prideful about these things, photography.."

The prodigy clears his throat, his fingers threading through soft strands of hair tucked behind your ear. "But your eyes, they are really pretty." Your lips part bashfully surprised, overcoming your ability to move.

The boy continues as if his mouth was switched on autopilot: " So I wish I could paint them instead. I guess just looking works, too, though."

He smiles cheekily.

all you ever knew was noise,

but you, Dazai Osamu, had that kind of silence to keep you awake at night. Whether that'd be holding hands in a snowstorm, or the few moments he'd stare into your eyes.

Little did you know, that was the moment he fell in love. Or rather, the time it took him to realise you don't fall.

That love has grown before you can even realise it.

✧ chocsra™

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics that are hidden gems - amazing fics that I LOVE that have been a bit overlooked and have under 100 kudos as of the time I made the rec and as requested in an ask that Tumblr has eaten. You can find a similar rec with hidden gems under 200 kudos here. You can find all my other recs here. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! Happy reading!

- Louis/Harry -

💎 ghost of you by beckywritesthings / @beckydoesthings

(E, 109k, Star Wars au) a Star Wars AU where Harry is Obi-Wan, Louis is Satine, and somehow there’s a love story between the cracks where there shouldn’t be.

💎 That Smile and That Midnight Laugh by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

(T, 50k, girl direction) A Ferris Bueller's Day Off AU that picks up right where the movie leaves off, and imagines what might happen if Ferris' girlfriend and sister become friends. And maybe something more, too.

💎 through walls of trees by @ineverateakiwi

(T, 41k, fantasy) Elesdon is a country divided into five kingdoms and had long been considered peaceful. After a coup in the heart of the country, Lady Sulia ascended to the throne and imprisoned the four courts, stripping them of their powers. With the exception of King Louis Tomlinson, who submitted to her favors.

💎 The Things We Know To Be Wild by harryanthus_annuus / @harryanthus-annuus

(M, 39k, dragons) Louis is a London zoologist sent by the University of Highlands and Islands to assess the safety of the island of Eroda as part of the Wonder Seekers Project for sustainable tourism.

💎 But I know you by Thingssicant / @slowlyseducedbycurls

(NR, 26k, space) Harry is a journalist, Louis is an astronaut, but it's way more complicated than that

💎 Room For One More Troubled Soul by patdkitten / @babyarcanacasey

(M, 25k, supernatural) Louis Tomlinson is the chief medical examiner of the Centre for the Law Enforcement of Supernatural Beings - more commonly referred to as simply "The Centre".

💎 'tis the damn season by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 22k, girl direction) Harry returns to her small hometown over the holiday season and starts to think about the road not taken.

💎 they say looks can kill (and i might try) by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove

(M, 18k, superhero au) Now he walks those same streets as Rogue, a vigilante who makes his own justice - and he's making damn sure that justice is coming for CowellCorp too.

💎 In the Strangest of Ways by SunTomato / @sun-tomato

(NR, 17k, ghost au) when the haunting sounds of a melancholy piano piece accompanied by the vague shadow of a beautiful male figure appear, Louis is determined to find out who this beautiful man was and what happened to him…

💎 Ace Drag Queen Louis (series) by @musketrois

(NR, 16k, makeup artist Louis) Louis is a drag queen and Harry is the photographer that wants to be more than friends.

💎 All Shook Up by @littleroverlouis

(T, 9k, rivals) Memphis, Tennessee is looking to crown the Ultimate Elvis Tribute artist. A majority of the contestants are content to shake their hips on stage, but singer-songwriter Harry is taking it more seriously.

💎 defying stars by localopa / @voulezloux

(T, 9k, high school) the marching band au only one person (and that was me) asked for.

💎 The Bandits of Sherwood Forest by foreverfanficaddict / @chaotic-bells

(T, 8k, fairy tale) A Robin Hood AU

💎 Come All Ye by @justanothershadeofblue

(E, 6k, hippies) It's the summer of 1971, and Louis just wants to get out of town for a minute or a day. When his buddy Zayn says they should head down south and check out this radical new music festival

💎 Close Our Eyes (Pretend We're Miles Away) by @haztobegood

(E, 5k, Thelma & Louis au) Just forty eight hours ago, Harry never would have robbed a bank. Hell, she barely would have touched the gun she’d used in the robbery, let alone wave it around to threaten anyone.

💎 Call Me Yours by @maggieisalarrie

(T, 5k, high school) A story about love and lust with some miscommunication and, of course, a happy ending. 

💎 maybe come September by Lake / @alakeeffectgirl

(G, 3k, animal shifter) Louis is a shark, sometimes.

💎 Fingertips Putting on a Show by cherrylarry / @beelou

(E, 2k, girl direction) Harry just wants a relaxing self love session in the bathtub when she gets interrupted by a knock on her door.

💎 Gaydar Lessons by @homosociallyyours

(G, 1k, girl direction) While standing around after softball practice for the company's women's softball team, Harry gets caught (and caught up) in staring at Louis as she eats a ripe, juicy peach. If only she could be certain that Louis was into women.

💎 Are We In the Clear by asphodelknox / @iamasphodelknox

(M, 1k, historical) Louis and Harry meet across a crowded court at a time when falling in love would mean their destruction. With help from a friend, they run for their freedom.

- Rare Pairs -

💎 For Evermore by Layne Faire / @laynefaire

(T, 17k, Zayn/Liam) A Beauty and the Beast AU in which Liam is the Beast, trapped in a world suspended in time, and Zayn is the only one willing to look past the facade of enchantment to find the humanity of the man hidden within.

💎 I Can Only Hold You by @lululawrence

(NR, 8k, Louis/Jordan North) When Louis learns Jordan is close to falling into depri, he rushes over to help. What follows is so much more than either of them planned for.

💎 One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor by @kingsofeverything

(E, 3k, Niall/Maggie Rogers) Niall and Maggie come up with a way to get revenge on her annoying neighbors.

[plague-of-insomnia]

WIP Wednesday: Sebardagni 1920s AU: Snippet - Bard meets Ruby

I'm back on my business hoping 2025 is finally the year I get to fill your lives with tons of kuro rarepair AU content!

Here's another scene from my 1920s sebardagni AU that has been floating around in my mind for months and that I was finally able to write the other day.

It's the first of two scenes in which Bard meets Sebastian, aka "Ruby," for the first time, and he's immediately smitten--even after he realizes "Ruby" is a man.

About this AU:

Sebardagni, multichapter, 1920s AU, Human Sebastian, Disabled Sebastian

Set in the US during the 1920s when Prohibition of alcohol was at its peak. Sebastian has a mysterious past that becomes central to the story as it unfolds, but when it begins works out of his apartment as a music tutor and at night performs at Undertaker's speakeasy. That's where he meets Bard, who was left aimless after the end of WWI, and now works as a bouncer for Undertaker in his club. Agni (who isn't in this snippet) is a doctor and who was living with Sebastian when Bard and he met.

*the image above is a preview of a comic by @luci-on-the-moon that will be revealed later

Enjoy, and if this is an AU you're interested in, let me know!

~#~

A hush fell over the entire club as all attention fixed on the piano, which played a simple, tinkling melody that seemed to float through the air like a mist. In the center of it all, spotlight illuminating, was Ruby, dress and jewels the color of her namesake glittering in the light. She was even more beautiful than Bard had imagined she’d be based on everything he’d heard. Her long, luxurious black hair draped over her shoulders, not chopped short like was the fashion, and Bard wondered if, despite the fact she was singing in an underground club run by a shady character like Undertaker, she might be a traditional, classy girl. Her lips were full and lashes long, with skin like fresh cream that Bard longed to touch. But then the piano swelled and she began to sing, and suddenly the entire world around Bard faded away into the soulful sound that cradled him like a warm embrace after years at war. “What’ll I do? When you are far away and I am blue.“ Bard’s mouth went dry as he listened, ash falling from his cigarette as he remained enraptured, as if Ruby were a siren mesmerizing him with her song. The melody was simple, letting the richness of her singing shine through. Bard could feel the emotion she was pouring into every word as she sang sadly of the lover she would never see again. The music crescendoed as Ruby leaned back on the piano, her long legs peaking from the slit in her unfashionably long dress. Though it fit her like God himself had made it for her, so Bard wasn’t about to complain. She wasn’t curvy, but she had a magnetism that made her beauty radiate. “What’ll I do with just a photograph—” She dropped her gaze, those captivating long lashes brushing her cheeks, and when she lifted it again, Bard could have sworn she was looking straight at him. “—to tell my troubles to?” Ruby smiled, amused, but only for a fleeting moment as she continued the song, heartbreak hovering in every note, “When I’m alone, with all the dreams of you that won’t come true. . .” Ruby paused, and so did the music, to let the audience hang on every single second, waiting for her to finish. She stared down at her legs, her voice shifting so that Bard would have sworn she were on the brink of tears. “What’ll I do?” The final chord played and the speakeasy erupted into whistling and clapping, most of the crowd jumping to their feet. But all Bard’s attention was still fixed on Ruby, her red dress glittering as she shifted, blowing kisses to the crowd and winking occasionally before the spotlight slid to the left and the MC began introducing the next performance. As much as he wanted to keep his gaze fixed on her until the last moment, when she disappeared backstage, a fight broke out to Bard’s right. which meant he had a job to do. But after his shift ended, he was gonna pay Ruby a visit.

[wintfleur]

𓈒  ୭ৎ   ˖˙  ᰋ  ── ALRIGHTY APHRODITE

aka gwen's profile

au masterlist - everything for the AU is under #📷 ͡ ꒱ GwenCaufield

ꪆ୧ BASICS ! 

name: Gwendolyn Caufield 

nicknames:

gwen (everyone)

wendy (luke)

winnie (juraj)

winnie the pooh (cole) 

lyn (parents) 

dolly (jack, trevor and alex) 

birthday and zodiac: october 31st 2004, scorpio 

location:

mosinee, wisconsin (former)

montreal, quebec (currently) 

ꪆ୧ ABOUT ! 

personality: gwen is more on the quiet side in general, more reserved and calmer, especially around new people. But when she gets more comfortable, she's a lot like Cole, can be a little loud, playful, silly, teasing and sarcastic. She’s a really sweet girl but she's just not as expressive as others. She’s really good at keeping in her emotions, so it's rare to really see her angry. She has an infectious laugh and is honestly quite the nerd. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family but likes to be alone as well. She's an introvert. 

good traits: hard-working, passionate, trustful and reliable, a good listener, warm-hearted 

bad traits: her determination can turn into stubbornness, brutally honest, scared of commitment in relationships, 

quirks: lip biting, being fidgety, doodling on anything, getting lost in her thoughts, rambling when she's nervous 

likes: photography, horror movies, drawing, thunderstorms, reading, anything autumn, chapstick, jeans, halloween obviously, steve harrington, the canucks, music, the cinema, napping, sweaters, lockets, smiski’s, lollipops, her guitars 

dislikes: hot weather, driving, fireworks, the smell of grapefruit, wearing socks in bed, stand up comedy, doing the dishes, being compared to her brothers, rude fans, sad juraj, 

hobbies: drawing, pottery, journaling, scrapbooking, ballet, singing, playing the guitar and piano 

fears: heights, dying alone, being stuck in tight spaces, loud noises 

strengths: creative, attention to detail, determined, organized 

weaknesses: talking about her feelings, self critical, perfectionism, 

languages spoken: english (fluent) french (70%) slovak (20%) 

occupation/profession: photographer for the montreal canadiens nhl team  

ꪆ୧ RELATIONSHIPS ! 

parents:

paul caufield 

kelly caufield 

sibling(s): 

brock caufield 

cole caufield 

best friends: luke hughes, arber xhekaj, lily dao, mark estapa 

friends: kaiden guhle, the rest of the habs team, trevor zegras, jack hughes, quinn hughes, alex turcotte, tate mcrae + more 

love interest: juraj slafkovský

pet(s): none at the moment but she really wants a cat 

ꪆ୧ MORE ! 

outfits: gwen’s closet mostly has a lot of darker shades but she will wear any color really. She loves wearing jeans, fishnets/different patterned tights, short skirts, leather jackets, corset/vests, hoodies etc. She loves thrift shopping so she has a large range of different clothes, for shoes she mostly wears boots, sneakers etc. Link to her closet is right here. 

accessories: she mostly accessories with her large collection of sunglasses and bags, With her larger/medium bags she likes adding small addons to them, pins, sonny angel/smiski/ keychains, small plushie keychains, photocard holder keychains ect. With her small bags she likes tying ribbon boys to them and her sonny angel/smiski keychains. She will occasionally wear a fake pair of glasses, just to add something different to her outfit. For headwear she mostly wears earmuffs, headbands and beanies. Will sometimes wear scarfs, but really her accessories really just depend on the outfit she's wearing. 

jewelry: she's a big fan of necklaces and rings. For necklaces she loves lockets, she owns many. But the one she wears the most is the one Juraj got her. For rings she wears multiple at a time, mostly four and she's always changing them out. She’s always changing out her earrings and belly button and nose piercing, she likes having something new every once in a while, she gets bored with the same things. 

makeup: gwen doesn't really use a lot of makeup, mostly just her eyelashes, eyeliner, a little bit of eyeshadow and some blush and her lips. she will sometimes wear some highlighter on her nose, cheeks and in the corner of her eyes but not often. 

scars: has a few scars on her feet from the years of her doing ballet, but none othem are really that noticeable. 

sexuality: bisexual 

height: 5’5 

piercing(s): her bellybutton, two in each ear, nose 

tattoo(s): her chest, lower back (wants more) 

face claim: ugh_liza 

ꪆ୧ FAVORITES ! 

food(s): cereal, pasta, muffins, pomegranates, cherries, tomato soup, frozen yogurt, honey 

drink(s): hot chocolate, dr pepper, hot and cold tea, water 

color(s): black, reds, oranges, greens, browns 

animal(s): bears, bunnies, bats 

season(s): autumn, winter 

bands and artist: fleetwood mac, wallows, the smiths, florence + the machine, lana del rey, hozier, the strokes, paramore, avril lavigne 

show(s): supernatural, stranger things, survivor, gilmore girls, american horror story, 

movie(s): hocus pocus, halloweentown series, scream series, halloween series, the fear street series, the amazing spider man series 

person: her boyfriend juraj and her platonic soulmate luke hughes 

ꪆ୧ FUN FACTS ! 

Gwen’s Nickname from Cole is WInne the Pooh, she absolutely loves anything honey and bears!

She can play the piano and guitar

She was six when she received her first camera, it was a digital one that she got for her birthday and she never let it out of her sight.

Over the years, her parents noticed that her love for photography only got stronger, and the fact that she was really good helped with them deciding on buying her a canon.

Gwen was part of the newspaper for her school, taking pictures and helping write articles.

Gwen did ballet since she was a little girl, only stopping when she was 17 so she could focus more on photography.

Gwen was always the teachers favorite, something her brothers loved to tease her about

She was going to join luke at umich, but decided against it when she got a job offer in montreal

Her best friend is Luke Hughes, they are inseparable.

Her favorite holiday is Halloween, and it's only right since it's also her birthday!

She's very serious about Halloween, loving to dress up, watching horror movies, eating tons of candy, and pumpkin carving.

She loves watching old horror movies, she's a big nerd about it !!

When she gets overwhelmed she becomes very quiet and a little clingy.

She doesn't go anywhere without her headphones, music is her escape.

Quinn bought her a skateboard for her 16th birthday and she almost cried, she loves it so much!

She has a great relationship with the habs team, they all think of her as a little sister . . . besides Juraj of course.

Cole is her safeplace, she knows that no matter what, her big brother has her back!

Gwen's bisexual awakening was thorn from the hex girls! And taylor momsen

She has such a loud and contagious laugh that you can't help but join in.

She's very popular amongst the fans, and she has no clue why, she likes to keep to herself.

She has 3 million followers on TikTok, and Jack and Trevor like to tease her about her being a content creator, she refuses to call herself that.

Poor girl gets teased by Trevor and Jack a lot, but they do love her! She's their little sister they never asked for.

Out of all of Cole's teammates, she would say she's the closest to arber (besides juraj) they have a great friendship! If she's not sitting next to juraj on the plaine she's sitting next to him.

The love of her life is Steve Harrington . . .

Will forever be upset that she couldn't have her teenage years in the 2000’s

She has a wonderful voice but she's only comfortable singing in front of a few people!

She writes her own songs, but they are hidden in one of her journals.

She wants to get more tattoos but she's scared to give cole and brock another heart attack

a big resident evil girly

Has an internal debate everyday in her head if she should dye her hair, she's never done it!

As the youngest sibling, she's overly protected, by like everyone . . .

She's very soft tempered

She lives with Cole, and her room is her favorite place to be!

She loves going on walks

Gwen has trouble making friends, that's why she's so grateful to have luke in her life, he's really helped her get out of her shell and introduce her to his friends.

She loves art, she's excellent at drawing and painting, mostly with watercolors.

Her favorite flowers are tulips.

Juraj is her first boyfriend, she's only dated one other person besides him and that was her first girlfriend luna.

They dated for 2 years, but Gwen broke up with her in Their senior year when she found out that luna was cheating on her,

Poor Gwen was heartbroken after that, and became very distant from the thought of loving another.

Her baby is her record player, and every year Luke and Cole buy her a new record for her birthday.

Her favorite band is Paramore and she's been to 6 concerts!

She has a collection of a ton of different cameras she's gotten over the years!

She can be very sarcastic when she wants to, mostly when she's really tired or when Jack talks too much . . . so always.

Had the biggest and i mean biggest crush on quinn hughes, the only one who knows about it is luke and he loves to tease her about it.

She's the passenger princess . . . she cried during her drivers test, she hates driving.

Always has a book in her bag.

When she gets shy, her face and ears get all red

she’s secretly such a romantic

She’s a big cuddler

Secretly such a yapper omg

Gwen has two instagrams, her public one is @/gwendolyn_caufield and her private one is @/winnethepoohbear

Gwen is a sweet girl who's just more on the quiet side, she's fiercely loyal to the people she loves, and is just a great person to be around!

ꪆ୧ HER ROOM AESTHETIC ! 

ꪆ୧ HER CLOTHES AESTHETIC ! 

˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( Gwen my love 🫶🏻 I’m actually in love with her , and I really hope you guys grow to love her as well !! Please feel free to send in as many asks as you want , and please let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist )

°. — taglist ( @lovings4turn @toasttt11 @cixrosie )

©️WINTFLEUR

[1dfanfictionbookcovers]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of Mates and Men by bananaheathen ( @bananaheathen ) - 630k

In which, Louis and Harry meet as best men for their best friends' wedding... well... sort of.

covers to come

you are in love, by wildestdreams ( @thelavendrhaze ) -  270k

The one where there’s late night coffee runs with deep conversations, lots of frat parties with cute frat boys, TV show references, numerous social network interactions, first kisses in the rain and a slow burn love story between two unlikely people.

favourite cover - other covers

Young & Beautiful, by Velvetoscar ( @mizzwilde ) - 227k

Louis, to his horror, attends an elitist university in which the name Zayn Malik means something, Niall Horan doesn't stop talking, there are pianos everywhere, and Harry Styles, only son of a drug-addled, clinically insane ex-rocker, has a perfect smile and empty eyes.

favourite cover - other covers

Collision, by itjustkindahappened ( @tequiladimples ) - 226k

Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other.

favourite cover - other covers

Stranger Stars by shaylea ( @sunshineandhisrainbows ) - 212k

Five years ago, Africa offered a grieving Louis Tomlinson an escape from an England he couldn't tolerate. Now it's become home as he leads overland tours across the continent with his best friend and driver Zayn Malik. What's meant to be just another ordinary six-week trip from Cape Town to Nairobi turns into anything but, when future lawyer/current photographer and songwriter Harry Styles and his friends join Louis' latest set of passengers.

favourite cover - other covers

Three Days in February by mercurial-madhouse ( @mercurial-madhouse ) - 198k

How close is too close? Harry and Louis are about to find out after a drunken night leaves Louis cursed. With only a week before tour starts, the race is on to fix things before they lose Louis forever. Oh, and Harry has to keep his long-time crush on Louis a secret while the lad can literally hear his thoughts. Easy, right?

favourite cover - other covers

Love After the End of the World by mercurial-madhouse (deleted) ( @mercurial-madhouse ) - 158k

Society shattered when all electricity suddenly cut off across the globe, plunging the world into darkness. When staying alive is already a constant battle, the deadliest weakness is to be in love. For Harry and Louis, Jinding each other sits on top of the endless list of What Else Could Go Wrong.

favourite cover - other covers

Strawberry Milk fic: the series, by Wankerville ( @wankerville ) - 158k

an au where harry paints his nails and drinks strawberry milk and is too nervous for it to be nothing and louis' just trying to figure out whats wrong with him

favourite cover - other covers

Nameless Night, by green_feelings ( @greenfeelings ) - 155k

A fic about differences that make no difference at all: Harry and Louis are soulmates. In every way possible. Featuring Niall as a role model, and Liam and Zayn as a different kind of role models.

favourite cover - other covers

Where Your Heart Is by anhcor, tvshows_addict (deleted) ( @tvshows-addict ) - 154k

A college AU set in San Francisco where two lost boys who seemingly have nothing in common find inspiration, each other, and themselves in the process.

favourite cover - other covers

Own the Scars by KimmieRocks ( @crinkle-eyed-boo ) - 144k

Louis has never felt like he was good enough: for his stepdad, for his life-long best friend, for the life he's supposed to want. After an accident that nearly costs him his life, Louis' parents send him to rehab where he’s forced to face his demons. On the long and difficult road to recovery, Louis must confront the truths he’s been avoiding about his future, his relationships, and his sense of self-worth. Because before he can love anyone else, he’s got to learn how to love himself first.

favourite cover - other covers

Tired Tired Sea, by MediaWhore ( @mediawhorefics ) - 113k

As a B&B owner on the most remote of all the British Isles, Louis Tomlinson is used to spending the coldest half of the year in complete isolation, with his dog and the sea as sole companions. Until, one day, a mysterious stranger on a quest to rebuild himself rents a room for the winter.

favourite cover - other covers

nocturne in silver and blue, by tinyweirdloves - 97k

louis is a fallen star and harry brings him home. told over the course of fourteen years.

favourite cover - other covers

Butterfly Gun, by eravain (deleted) - 85k

1940’s AU. Even after six years apart, they can’t forget their shared wartime childhood.

favourite cover - other covers

The Ground Below is Above My Feet by zanni_scaramouche ( @zanniscaramouche) - 63k

“-ouis, are you awake?” “M’ff,” Louis manages. Slowly he remembers where he is. Who he is. His nerve endings take stock of his body, the soft sheets twisted around his legs and the warm rush of breath on his face. Harry. “You were sleeping like the dead,” Harry muses, calloused fingers delicately brushing through Louis’ fringe. “Could barely tell if you were breathing.”

favourite cover - other covers

Like cabbages and kings by you_explode ( @nobodymoves ) - 61k

When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland. There were rabbits wearing waistcoats and talking cats and ridiculous tea parties, and amidst all the absurdity, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, big green eyes and the sweetest soul Louis has ever known. Louis has always kept a place in his heart for that boy and for his funny dreamworld, and when he’s twenty-five and his life falls apart, it turns out Wonderland might not be so imaginary after all.

favourite cover - other covers

Play Pretend, Find a Friend? by angelichl ( @angelichl ) - 40k

When Louis sees his ex-boyfriend kissing a random girl at a party, he acts out of blind jealousy. He kisses the first guy he can find. It turns into a thing. INSPIRED BY CLOUDS.

favourite cover - other covers

In Dreams You're Mine by SunnAfternoon ( @sunnafternoon ) - 37k

This is a tale of the choices that shape our lives. Some change our paths, but some change who we are at our core. Some we can't un-choose. Some, we can. This is also a tale of choosing love. A love that fights against odds and across time, transcending reality, a love that endures dragons and poison apples, heartbreak and curses, a love that reoccurs, in dream after dream.

covers to come

Through the Darkest of Your Days by robpatFF (deleted) - 35k

"Harry thinks he might not really know what okay is, but Louis is warm next to him, solid and constant and questioning. He’s all wide eyes and nerves and vulnerability. And this feels alright, this might be some sort of okay, Harry thinks." 

favourite cover - other covers

Nobody Marks You, by graceling_in_a_suit ( @graceling-in-a-suit ) - 33k

Post apocalypse AU: Five assholes stuck in a bunker put on a play.

favourite cover - other covers

My Heart Lies With You by asphodelknox ( @iamasphodelknox ) - 31k

For being the God of Death, Niall has a habit of acting on ideas without thinking them through. It's probably why Harry ends up with an unexpected but entirely welcome visitor in his bed the day after a Mount Olympus party.

favourite cover - other covers

To Live On The Moon With You, by toastghost - 26k

In which Louis is a struggling writer who gets sad sometimes and Harry works in an ice cream shop. Zayn is the best friend in the world and Liam is shy and Niall thinks they're all definitely a clique.

favourite cover - other covers

A Road To Something Better by taggiecb ( @taggiecb ) - 25k

Louis Tomlinson, famous romance novelist, has just had the rug pulled out from under his feet when his boyfriend leaves him without notice. What's the most appropriate response to this? Move a thousand miles away and seclude himself in a tiny lake town, of course. But nothing is as he expects it to be in the very best way, especially not the handsome mayor of McAll, Idaho.

favourite cover - other covers

a house built out of stone by robpatFF (deleted) - 22k

Louis has a used bookshop and Harry has a habit of claiming things that don't belong to him.

favourite cover - other covers

[being-addie]

Little Ways to Love Your Life

I love performing little rituals to enhance my life. It's infinitely satisfying and it reminds me why living is so beautiful, on days when I start viewing the world through a pessimistic lens. This is your reminder that there's so much beauty in the mundane, just start looking for it :)

Here's some things I do that make me love my life just a little bit more:

Wake with the sun:

There is nothing better than opening your eyes to golden sunshine on your face. The golden hour has this quality that makes you feel like royalty.

Move your body:

Give your body a dose of endorphins by doing some exercise! Go for a hot girl walk, hit the gym for a sweaty HIIT sesh, or just groove to some Just Dance. I promise it will make you feel like you can conquer the world.

Smell sweet:

Put on a playlist and sing as you shower. Lather yourself up with sweet-smelling soap, and after you step out of the bath, slick on some vanilla scented moisturizer, and perfume. Don't forget deodorant! Make sure to stick with organic products because chemicals can irritate your skin.

Food = love:

A full stomach is a happy person. Make yourself a cup of coffee, and a hearty breakfast. Take note of the way milk swirls into the dark coffee, how the egg sizzles in the pan. Allow yourself to just exist in the moment, where you are taking care of your mind and body.

Self-love:

While I eat healthy 90% of the time, on days I really need to feel excited, I go buy a pain au chocolat from my nearest artisan bakery. It's one of my favourite foods to indulge in and it always makes me smile. Likewise, buy yourself something nice. It could be a new shirt, a bouquet of flowers, or designer chocolates. Indulge in yourself. You deserve it.

Look at beautiful things:

I don't mean window shopping or aesthetic Instagram pictures. Go out and observe. Look at the shape of the clouds, and how the trees dance in the wind. Pet that cute dog. Smell the wildflowers. Disconnect from the online world, even if it's for half an hour. Give yourself that much time.

Take pictures:

Screw retail therapy, taking aesthetic pictures is my new thing. Take so many pictures. The way sunlight filters in through your window, a cat stretching, a close-up of a flower, your Starbucks mocha latte. Unleash your inner photographer.

Pursue your hobbies:

When I'm down I play the piano or whip out my glue gun and craft my worries away. Doing something you love instantly puts your brain in a good mood. It could be tennis, gardening, quilling, birdwatching. Whatever you love. Do it.

Restrict your social media:

I was unknowingly comparing myself to all the girls I saw on Instagram and it was so detrimental to my self-esteem. I ended up deleting the app. I'm currently planning on reinstalling it by July next year. Delete the apps that do not make you feel good. You will have more time to dedicate to work, hobbies, family and relationships.

Finding joy in the mundane is the most healing thing you can do. Make your routine special, and switch it up once in a while. Don't shy away from your dream life, because you DESERVE it. You deserve EVERYTHING you ever want, okay? Now go get it. xoxo

<3

[godihatethiswebsite]

Desert Oasis

✽ Johnny "Soap" Mactavish x f!reader (The Mummy AU)

Main Masterlist ✽ Ao3

✽ Part 2 - Cultivating a curious mind

You know what? I blame @dragonnarrative-writes for all of this. It's all their fault for poking this part of my brain in the first place even though I was originally just trying to poke theirs ><

There were only so many places you'd been allowed to go growing up even with a chaperone at your side. Mother brought you up the way any well respected young lady should be, and to be honest you felt much more at home in your skirts and dresses working on your drawings in the parlor than you did climbing over the fence in your backyard like your cousin convinced you to. But your father worried Kyle was improperly rubbing off on you and wanted to find you something to fill your head with where you could still be kept an eye on.

His solution: the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo.

After all, how much trouble could you get into reading about dead guys? At least they wouldn't be trying to chase your skirts as you got older.

Father owned his own shipping company that dealt with the transport of goods and wares, ancient artifacts included. He knew the people who were in charge of the facilities and thought this could be a replacement for the adventures your cousin liked to try to drag you on.

The beautifully painted sarcophagi drew in your imagination like a moth to a flame, chiseled sculptures and pillars depicting ancient beings far different than the god you'd been brought up believing in. And weren't you just the most well behaved little girl when your father brought you along on his business trips. All he had to do was put a book in your hand about the Old Kingdom and you'd stay seated right where he left you until it was time to leave. The drawings in your room turned less from pretty landscapes and fresh vases to imitations of the reliefs you'd seen from photographs of burial chamber walls. Your mother was slightly alarmed at first, but once she saw you still happily keeping up with your piano lessons and needlework she quickly gave in.

Once you were old enough to walk around the city by yourself, you stopped by the museum at least once a week just to spend hours wandering the halls - sometimes more if you noticed a new shipment of wares showing up on your father's ledgers that week slated for delivery. Always so eager to witness the unveiling of new items even if they'd never get put on display. One of the perks of growing up around the loading docks and being a sweet well mannered child to the workers.

You didn't work at the museum with Dr. John Price, but you'd frequented there an awful lot to have come to decent terms with the man. Always gruff, a bit rough around the edges, but boy did he have a mind for antiquities.

He wasn't always the easiest man to deal with; someone who didn't have time for the stupidity that came with being around the uneducated masses during business hours. He'd been working there in some capacity or another since you'd first became a patron, though back in those days he'd been a lot less rigid.

At one point you'd been barred from looking at a book that your father deemed had too much suggestive material in it - it was a tome about Tawaret, goddess of childbirth and fertility - and sent over to your favorite reading chair with something about Pepi II instead. Try as you might you couldn't get into it, mind still lingering on the forbidden subject which was just the latest in your stream of mythology research. You'd been half-heartedly flipping through the pages when a shadow passed you by and casually deposited the desired reading material in your lap, not even bothering to glance your way as he kept moving and turned down another aisle. He was clean shaven back then, but he'd made an impression as a kindred spirit willing to look the other way.

Now almost twenty years later you did your best to stay out of his way and disturb him as little as possible, but every so often you'd be fortunate enough to stumble upon him on a good day where he'd indulge you on certain topics of conversation that flowed smoothly, allowing you to see the lingering passionate twinkle of a younger man hiding behind eyes so full of wisdom and tired experience.

(And if you happened by chance to occassionally pass by a tall, large, tank of a dark robed man waiting patiently for his turn to have an audience with Price on your way out of his office - following you with his deep brown eyes and a cloth cover shrouding the lower half of his face from view - you kept your gaze to the floor and gave him a wide respectful berth, only risking a glance back at the individual long enough to see the broad planes of his back disappearing behind Price's door with a click of the lock)

<< ✿ Previous ✿ << ✽ >> ✿ Next ✿ >>

[Edited 5/8/24: changed formatting, title, tags, and numbering system]

[peakyswritings]

Abomination || Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: where Tommy’s stay in Sicily takes a dark turn.

Warnings: supernatural elements, mentions of violence, mentions of killings, English is not my first language.

A/N: didn’t make it before midnight, but here it is! My writing is a bit rusty to be honest, but I really wanted this to be out. Originally this was supposed to have three parts in total, but I’m not sure whether I’ll fully write the other two or write something short about them. I’m leaning more towards the second option, since it’s late already.

Nina Ferrante is the OC from my Tommy Shelby x OC series Heart, Body and Soul. This is a spooky!AU.

AU MOODBOARD

A shiver shook Tommy’s back as a gust of wind entered from the open window, the night breeze carrying the smell of wet grass and jasmine. He took a deep breath, trying to let the scent soothe his raging nerves, but the way his undershirt was uncomfortably sticking to the sheen of sweat covering his body made it a rather difficult task. It seemed to him that his nightmares had become even more frequent since his arrival in the small Sicilian village.

A marriage of convenience, the union of two families to avert a war so bloody it would easily wipe both of them off the earth. A mechanism Tommy knew too well, but which until then had never involved him personally. He had taken too high a risk, travelling there on his own. But much to his surprise, he hadn’t been killed the moment he had stepped on the Italian territory, and the Ferrante family had treated him nicely enough. As for the girl he was supposed to marry - Agnese, his former enemy’s niece who lived in the adjacent house -, she was kind, and beautiful. Things could’ve been much worse. They were disconcertingly good, in fact.

Yet, Tommy couldn’t shake off a weird feeling. It would come without warning, taking the shape of a tingling sensation on the back of his neck, or of a weight sitting in the pit of his stomach. A terrible anguish would fill the air, engulfing his whole body, wrapping around his throat, making it hard to even breathe. And then it would fade. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, maybe it was his instinct trying to tell him there was a danger lurking in the corner, one he hadn’t taken into account. Maybe he just needed to get out of that place.

Another shiver shook his frame as he walked barefoot down the hallway, passing the room of the only member of the Ferrante family he hadn’t had the pleasure to meet yet.

Her door was open.

He had never seen her, nor had he ever heard the sound of her voice. There were no photographs of her around the house, and no objects belonging to her. He had even questioned her existence, at some point. Until she started to make her presence known. She seemed to only come out at night. Sometimes the faint sound of her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, only to fade as she walked down the stairs. Sometimes the sad melody of a piano reverberated through the walls, breaking the silence of the night.

Her family never spoke about her. Her name was like a curse, a forbidden word no one in that house dared say out loud. The only things he had heard about her came from her cousins, but those things he could hardly believe. They ranted about malevolent powers and deals with the Devil, they told tales of horror and dread so preposterous he often questioned the girls’ sanity. They had an impressive imagination, that was for sure.

The conclusion Tommy had come to was that the poor girl was probably mutilated. That was the most plausible explanation for why she was so isolated. And considering how superstitious those people had shown to be, it would also explain the malicious things her cousins said about her.

Tommy squinted his eyes, but the darkness on the other side was too thick for him to get a single glimpse of what was inside. He shouldn’t pry, he knew he shouldn’t. But there was some sort of magnetic pull luring him, enticing him to get closer, to take that forbidden step and cross the line that separated him from the unknown. It was calling him. He had always had a taste for the forbidden, after all.

A sharp noise coming from downstairs pulled him out of his trance. Tommy had got so distracted by his musings he had almost forgotten the reason why he had come out of his room. The nightmare had left him with a throat so parched he felt like he had swallowed sandpaper. And it appeared he wasn’t the only one awake in the house. He walked down the imposing stairs, step after step, his heart starting to race, his stomach starting to churn. There it came, that feeling. But it didn’t stop him.

In the dim light of the kitchen, a young woman was standing near the window. A cascade of dark hair fell down her slender back in rebellious waves, almost shining in the warm hue. She was holding a steaming cup in her hands, and although Tommy couldn’t see her face, she seemed to be deep in thought. He walked further into the room with slow, hesitant steps. After all the questions he had racked his brains with, there she was, in the same room as him. He didn’t know what to expect.

For a moment he thought about saying something, not wanting to scare her with his sudden appearance. But she sensed his presence before he could make it known.

“Blood moon,” she noted, tilting her head.

Tommy tried to catch a glimpse of her face from the reflection in the window, but the glass offered him nothing more than a blurred image. As if capturing his unspoken prayer, she turned around to face him, the white robe she was wearing brushing slightly against the floor. His breath hitched in his throat.

She was beautiful.

No, not just beautiful. Enthralling. Captivating. More than words could ever express.

Bringing her cup to her lips, she carefully took a sip, but her eyebrows furrowed immediately. Grimacing, she placed it on the table with a thud. “Not sweet enough.”

Tommy observed her as she added an impressive quantity of honey in her tea. It was strange, to finally be able to put a face to someone who up until then had been almost an abstract entity, a name without a shape.

Her brown eyes looked him with a glint of amusement. “You want tea?”

“No, thank you,” he shook his head, his throat feeling even drier. “I just… I just needed water.”

“Help yourself.”

Still somewhat muzzy, Tommy filled a glass with tap water, glancing at her from time to time.

God, he needed to get ahold of himself.

He cleared his throat, pondering his next words. “How come I’ve never seen you around, eh?”

She picked up the cup with both hands, taking her time to take a sip and test the sweetness. “I’m a lonely creature,” she said, the hint of a joke in her voice. “And I enjoy my nights way more than I enjoy my days.”

It made sense. In the Ferrante property, night was the only time someone could get some quiet. “They’re peaceful.”

“Peaceful,” she hummed, as if tasting the word on her tongue. “Yes, I guess they are,” she conceded, shrugging slightly. “Until they’re not.”

Tommy blinked, trying to make sense of her words. She spoke cryptically, following a thread she had woven in her own mind. She was unusual, he had to admit. He could almost see why there were certain whispers about her.

“Your cousins say some interesting things about you,” he said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“I know,” she raised her eyebrows. “It appears I am some… abomination.” She flashed a smile, and for a moment Tommy got the impression that her white teeth looked a lot like fangs.

He really needed to sleep.

A heavy silence fell into the room. Putting down her cup, the young woman approached him with light, measured steps. The scent of lavender and something sweet filled his nostril, making his head spin. A magnetic pull even stronger the one he had felt before washed over Tommy, and it took all his self-control in order not to reach out to her. She placed a hand on his arm, causing a chill to run down his spine. Despite having held the warm cup for a while, it was icy. Freezing. He could feel the cold through the long sleeve of his shirt, it set deep into his bones, leaving him almost paralysed.

“Go to sleep, Mr Shelby. It’s a dangerous night to wander around.”

When Tommy walked down the hallway the morning after, her door was closed again. The conversation he’d had with her felt like a distant dream, like a figment of his imagination. He also vaguely remembered the melancholic music of a piano had woken him up at some point during the night, but even of that he wasn’t sure. He felt so numb he couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what was not.

Some important news had shaken the Ferrante property, that morning. The papers reported Stefano and Vito Spinietta had been found dead in a field in the outskirts of the village. An animal attack, they said. The Spinietta family had many enemies, but it would’ve been impossible for a human being to cause the damage that had been caused to the two brothers.

Sitting on the sofa of the living room, Tommy looked at the photo printed on the journal he couldn’t read. The sons of the Ferrantes’ biggest threat, dead. He wouldn’t be surprised to find out his hosts were behind it.

Suddenly, something else caught his attention. The majestic, untouchable piano placed just a few feet away from him was open. And it looked dirty. He furrowed his brows, getting up to get a closer look.

Crimson marks stained the white keys.

Heart, Body and Sould tag list:

@zablife @queenofshinigamis @raincoffeeandfandoms / @justrainandcoffee @call-sign-shark

@kmc1989 @babayaga67 @kmhappybunny240 @diorrfairy @mariaelizabeth21-blog1

@gaslysainz @brummiereader @loverhymeswith @fairypitou @prettywhenicry4

@mysticalbouquetwolf-posts @woofgocows @girlwith-thepearlearring @goblinjnr @outlanderuniverse

@citylights31 @neonpurplestars89-blog @outlanderuniverse @red-riding-wood @evita-shelby

@look-at-the-soul @gathania93 @wonderlanddreamer @thelastemzy @meadows5

@mischievouslittlecreature @seedlings-stuff

General Tag list: @iamngoclinh08 @lilywinchesterlove @fandom-puff @capitanostella @caelys

@lucillethings @peakyxtommy @queenofkings1212 @lyarr24 @kmc1989

@call-sign-shark @jomarch-wannabe @ce1iat @areyenotfondofmelobster @red-riding-wood

@optimisticsandwichgladiator @lunarubra

Tommy Shelby tag list: @50svibes @bellabarnes1378 @jbrownta

[tangledinink]

do you have any headcanons abt your swanatello au (or any others for that matter!) that you've been dying someone to ask about but haven't had the excuse to tell us yet? :3c

Oh what a wonderful ask~

For SWANATELLO

-A few of you noticed in this comic that Leo has flashcards! He (and the rest of his family) use these, as well as notes and visuals on Swannie's research board, to help him remember things. Part of the hope is that by going over memories and details repeatedly, Swannie will have an easier time remembering them and holding onto information even when they're not there. It is helping! A little, anyway.

-Swanatello dances often, even though there's no music... (Well, no music that anyone else can hear, anyway...)

-Swanatello tends to be a bit more outwardly emotional/needy than Donatello, which is partly just because he is so often confused or stressed, and therefore is more prone to seek comfort from his family when he's able to recognize them.

-Swanatello is currently capable of recognizing (to varying degrees) all three of his brothers, April, and Splinter. But he has yet to ever allow Baron Draxum access to his lake (much to everyone's frustration, as Barry would, in theory, be able to do a lot more research and make more progress if he could inspect the actual lake, and Donnie.)

-None of them will admit it, but all his brothers are a teeny bit salty that he can kick their asses so easily now.

-Fun Fact. This story takes place post-movie.

for GEMINI

-Swanatello isn't the only one who does ballet! The Twins have been studying ballet since they were quite small, though it's fallen a bit to the wayside since they began their Battle Nexus careers, as their focus shifted to combat training and PR activities. Likewise, they both grew up taking voice lessons and are wonderful singers, and play multiple instruments (Leo plays the piano and guitar, and Donnie plays the violin, harp, and flute.)

-Both of them view themselves as the others' protector.

-Whenever they're out and about in public, Donnie always walks on Leo's right side, in case his bad knee or hip becomes painful. This way, Leo can subtly lean on Donnie if need be.

-Whenever they're doing interviews or on talk shows, they're always sent with instructions or some kind of script from Mama. Donnie has a photographic memory, whereas Leo struggles, and likewise, Leo finds improvising to come naturally whereas Donnie is more likely to freeze up or flounder. As a result, Donnie will always give Leo subtle hints, keywords, or cues during interviews to keep him on track, and Leo does most of the talking. If Leo is having a hard time, Donnie will jump in and nudge him in the right direction. Likewise, is Donnie is freezing up, Leo will always jump in and take over.

[vorib250]

*suddenly appeared* Hello everyone! I don't know how happy you are to see me here, but I'm already here :) While coming up with an AU with my friend, I involuntarily thought about what's going on in others' AUs? And that's why I want to know the key points, facts, or ideas from YOUR AUs! And to make sure everything is fair, I'll tell you a couple of my facts :)

•Despite the huge garden behind the headquarters, Amber also grows plants in her room, and one of them is Sarracenia. But at the same time, she has a favorite flower, which is: Rhododendron.

•In addition to the fact that Helly works as a lifeguard in Broomtown, he is also studying online at college to become a professional photographer, because this is his dream.

•Roy can play three instruments: guitar, drums, and piano. He also has a good voice, and at 17 he was a soloist in a little-known band.

•Jean has a lot of scars on her fingers from instruments. And most often her right hand suffers.

•Initially, Poli wanted to study to be a fashion designer, but due to personal reasons he went to become a policeman (nobody knows the reason for such a change).

•Dampu has a daughter, and he is divorced.

Write your facts, and I will respond to each one! :D

[chaotictarlos]

7 Sentence Sunday

Thank you to @carlos-in-glasses @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @alrightbuckaroo @reyesstrand @bonheur-cafe @taralaurel for the tag. You all are so nice for always including me, even when I barely have anything to share at the moment.

This is from a scene that came to me that I want to put into this fic. I haven't gotten to this scene yet, but I've already gotten it written out. Now I just need to build up to it.

This is from the photographer and piano player au I'm working on.

-

“You’re a dangerous person, Carlos,” TK says in a soft voice as he looks at the man across from him.

Carlos smirks and the look shouldn’t be sending TK’s stomach into a flutter of butterflies. TK wondered where the shy man he had first met months before had gone - not that TK was going to complain about this new side he was getting to see.

“How so?” Carlos asks in a voice that tells TK that Carlos already knows. TK doesn’t have to say it, doesn’t have to spell it out but they both know he will.

“You make me believe that I can have things I want,” TK says, taking a tentative step closer. “That I can have you.”

Carlos reaches out for him and TK closes the distance, a soft sigh falling from his lips as Carlos cups his cheeks. The touch is so simple, so soft that if TK were to close his eyes he’s sure it would feel like he’s imagining it. Carlos runs his thumb over TK’s cheekbone and TK shivers, convinced that this is all a dream he’ll wake up from soon.

“You can have whatever you want, Tyler.”

npt: @kiloskywalker (I know you have wonderful bits to share) @meditating-honey-badger @detective-giggles (didn't you tell me the other day you had some things finished? This is me pushing you to post them) @catanisspicy @sanjuwrites @paperstorm @mooshkat @thebumblecee @strandnreyes @largepeachicedtea @lightningboltreader (more enemies to lovers maybe?) @shadesofdeviant (hunger games au maybe?) @bubblesandroses8 and ANYONE WHO SEES THIS AND WANTS TO POST, tag me I want to see

[i-am-baechu]

Chapter one

Wishes (M) (Season One) 

Summary: After a long day of classes, Min Yoongi decides to take a break at the music hall that has become his second home. He walks in with his cigarette lit and his blank expression quickly changes when he sees a girl playing his piano. The moment their eyes meet, their lives become complicated and Yoongi blames himself for her future pain. Was the love we had honest? 

Genre: Gang au!, college au!,  strangers to enemies (one-sided), strangers to lovers, slow burn, friendships, romance, angst,  little comedy, and smut

Main pairing: Gang leader! Min Yoongi x Pianist! Reader 

Warnings: Explicit language, smut, mature themes, gangs, violence, smoking cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol usage 

⇜ Masterlist ⇝

Melancholy. The only way Min Yoongi could describe how he was feeling on this September evening. The sun was in its perfect position to bring in the photographers or just the average person on Instagram but to Yoongi, it was annoying. The light purple mixing with the pink so seamlessly was annoying. The sky always brought annoyance to him. It was consistent and in his world that meant safety. Safety was something he could never have and he knows this. 

He lit his cigarette and made his way through the campus. No one knew who Yoongi truly was, he never let anyone get close to him to find out. There were rumors that he was a gang leader and even though they were true, he never let anyone know that. He was a mystery, a mystery no one wanted to solve because of fear. The fear of the truth is enough to keep the daring away. 

He opened the door to the music hall and his eyebrows furrowed when he heard a soft melody. It bounced off of the red velvet walls and created this hypnosis that would make the weak clap their hands but Yoongi wasn’t weak. He quietly walked further down the music hall and watched the girl play away on his piano (it wasn’t his but the whole campus knew not to touch it). He tilted his head in curiosity at the girl, he couldn’t see her face but whoever it was, had to be new. He softly made his way up to the wooden stage, making sure not to make noise, and stood behind her. He took his cigarette out and let out a puff, “You shouldn’t touch things that aren't yours.” 

He waited for a response. Nothing. His eyebrow twitched at this and let out a cough as the girl continued to play, “Yo, did you hear me?” He gently kicked the chair and she jumped at the sudden action. She looked at him with wide eyes, she looked innocent. Her sweater was nice and it looked like it was expensive and her pearl earrings gave away more than she could ever know.

She took off her headphones and gave him a small smile, “Did you want to play too? I was almost finished practicing.” 

He scoffed at her and let out another puff as she watched him closely, “It’s my piano. I don’t need your permission to play it.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone’s name on it. If anything it's the schools.”

“What’s your name?” 

“Now why would I tell you that?” He watched her gather her things and his eyes focused on the seal on her bag. It was the seal of the private school across the way, which only the rich and influential go to. He glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow, “Now what is a rich girl doing in a community college music hall?”  

She put her arm through the loops and turned to look at Yoongi, “The fact you're already judging me for being rich is annoying. I’m here because I can be. Good luck with your piece, bye.” 

She pushed her hair behind her ear and gave him a tight smile. She walked down the steps but he couldn’t peel his eyes away from her. She glanced back at him and gave him another tight smile, “Have fun...”

With that, she walked out of the music hall leaving Yoongi standing there with a confused face. He let out a puff of smoke and shook his head, “Women...” He sat at the piano and stared at the ebony keys. The one place where he could be at peace. Some people had the moon and the stars to give that said peace but for Yoongi the piano gave him everything he needed. His fingers gently touched the keys and the sad melody played throughout the hall. 

It was quiet. Too quiet. Yoongi sighed and cracked his neck with annoyance. He turned his head and glared at the door, “I know you're there.” 

“Haven’t lost your touch, boss.” The curtains moved and Kim Namjoon appeared with his glasses shining under the stage light. Kim Namjoon was the student president on campus and he was well respected. He was intelligent, elegant, and a good second-hand man. He was also Yoongi’s best friend since they were children. He knows all the secrets and the darkness in his soul and vice versa, best friends till death. 

“Don’t call me boss on campus. What happens if someone hears you?” 

Namjoon shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the piano with a small smirk, “We could always just kill them.” 

“And waste a bullet on a student, and to think I thought you were smart.” 

“When I need to be. We have that meeting tonight.” 

Yoongi sighed and sucked in the air, “Don’t leave any evidence.” 

“Do you want to keep a finger?” 

“I’m sure he wants to see his son’s finger one last time. Just make sure he doesn’t kill one of our men again, he’ll learn.” 

Namjoon nodded his head and took a cigarette from his pack. He lit the cigarette and placed it in his mouth, “It wasn’t just that...You know what he did to me.”

“That’s why I’m doing this...let’s go.” 

The two left the music hall but before they left the campus, Yoongi turned towards Namjoon, “I need you to keep an eye on that private school.”

Namjoon raised his eyebrow while smashing his cigarette under his shoe, “Why?” 

“Just do it.” 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The only thing that guided them was the lamp posts and the occasional headlights from the street. It was Yoongi and his main crew, the captains. Kim Namjoon; the second-hand man, Kim Seokjin; the hacker, Jung Hoseok; the interrogator, Kim Taehyung; the stealth, Park Jimin; the seducer, and Jeon Jungkook; the muscle. Best friends since childhood to gang leaders, oh how the time passes. 

Yoongi cracked his neck and glanced down the dark alley looking over his shoulder to Taehyung, “To the roofs. I’ll signal you when I need you, take Jin.”

Jin looked at Yoongi with a frown, “You want me to go that high up with him, you trust him?”

“Of course I trust him. He hasn’t killed you yet.” 

Taehyung let out a chuckle and shook his head, “Come on hyung, you love spending time with me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, kid, let's go.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes at the two and turned towards Jungkook, “You know what to do. Hoseok, you're going to follow Jungkook.”

“Yes, boss.” 

“Alright let's go.”  

The rest of the guys made their way down the alley and Yoongi cracked his neck when he saw a person standing at the end. He raised his eyebrow at the scene, it was weird to see just one person. Where were the rest of the guys? He looked around and saw Taehyung standing at the building next to them. Taehyung flashed three lights letting him know that the close was clear. 

Yoongi stopped and took out his cigarette to lit, “What do you want, Hwan?”

Song Hwan was Yoongi’s rival since the beginning of The Seven. Hwan was one of those kids that whined to his dad to get what he wanted and his father was the type to make sure his son gets it. Hwan went to the same school as Yoongi and was always jealous of everything he achieved in school. Yoongi may be a gang leader but he was always the top student in his year. It all started when Yoongi showed up at school with a gold chain and Hwan wanted it. Hwan would stalk Yoongi and see that he was selling drugs among other things and wanted to make the same if not more money than him. It was just a petty one-sided rivalry that was more annoying to Yoongi but that ends tonight. 

Hwan let out a small chuckle and watched Yoongi puff out some smoke, “Those are bad for you, you know?”

“What do you want, Hwan?”

Hwan rolled his eyes and glanced at Namjoon, “Never one for small talk. How’s your sister Namjoon?”

Namjoon tensed at this but Yoongi put his hand up to stop him from charging. He turned his head at Hwan and shook his head, “You called me here for a meeting. Get on with it.” 

“Fine. My father is getting too involved with business and is leaving The Dragons in my hand...I don’t want to be rivals anymore.” 

Yoongi took out his pistol and pointed it towards Hwan, “You got the nerve to say that to me, after everything you’ve done. Should’ve killed you when we were teenagers.” 

“Just listen, there’s a bigger threat coming.” 

“Speak.” 

Hwan sighed and glanced down at the pavement, “There’s a new group that's becoming big. I know you heard about the death of Ha Joon.” 

“Of course.”

“It was done by this new group, Demony na zapade.”

Yoongi lowered his gun and stared at him, “Why should I believe you? You almost killed my right-hand’s sister and even mocked him tonight with it. Why would I ever want to work with you?” 

“Because Demony na zapade's main goal is to destroy all the groups...they already sent Chin Hwa to the hospital.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened at this and took a step forward, “Chin Hwa, the boxer? In the hospital because of this group, boss...”

“I’ll think about it, Hwan. Let’s go.” 

Hwan sighed and nodded his head, “Fine. Let me know soon before something happens.”

“Fuck off.” 

Yoongi entered their headquarters and walked straight to his bedroom leaving the rest in the living room. He slammed the door and locked it. He ran his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He turned his head and walked towards two pictures with a small smile. He lit the candle in front of them and started to pray. He let the smell of lilac fill the room and camouflage the sins for another night. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

“You really don’t listen do you?”

She turned her head and tilted her head at him, “I haven’t seen you in a couple of days. I thought I scared you off.”

He scoffed and took his cigarette out of his mouth, “You like annoying people don’t you?”

She let out a small laugh and shook her head, “I wouldn’t say annoying...I like to keep them on their toes. That’s all.” 

“You gonna tell me your name?” 

She shook her head and stood up from the stool, grabbing her backpack. She turned towards him and gave him a small smile, “No but I can take you out for food.” 

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

“No, I was just heading out to get food and I thought it would be polite to invite you. Looking at it now, I don’t think you deserve an invite.” 

He raised his eyebrow and let out a deep chuckle, “Oh? Why is that?”

“Because you're a tyrant.”

“How so?” 

She glanced at his cigarette and then back at him, “Only tyrants smoke indoors when there's a sign that clearly says no smoking. Also, in a music room? Where it's supposed to be peaceful, not filled with smoke and ash.” 

“Very poetic. Does that fancy school teach you this?”  

She rolled her eyes at this and looked away from him, “Why do you keep bringing up my school? It’s annoying...”

“It’s annoying that a rich person is asking me to go out with them like it's nothing.” 

“I revoke your invitation.” She walked away from Yoongi but stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and looked at Yoongi with a raised eyebrow, “What-”

“Let’s go get noodles before I change my mind.” 

“Really?”

“I’m hungry...hurry up, woman.” 

The walk to the local noodle restaurant was quiet but Yoongi was used to the silence but not this form of silence. This silence was comforting? It was strange that the silence between two strangers gave him more security than being surrounded by his guards. He glanced at her and really took in her appearance. She was shorter than him but not by much and her hair could cause someone to crash their car with how shiny her hair was. He noticed when they talked her voice was soft but it still had power behind it and just from the few interactions, he could tell she was stubborn. She wasn’t like the other girls that he has fucked in the past, she was different. Different isn’t always a good thing in his mind. 

She opened the door and waved at the waiter, “Oppa!” 

The waiter smiled at her but his eyes landed on Yoongi. Yoongi wanted to scoff at the glare but kept it in, “Who is this, Y/N?”

Y/N glanced at Yoongi and looked back at the waiter, “Joo Won, this is my friend. I met him at the music hall.” 

Joo Won looked him up and down, “He plays the piano?” 

“Never judge a book by its cover. I’ll sit.” She turned towards Yoongi and pointed towards the table in the back. He looked at her and nodded his head, her excited smile was cute? They moved their way through the other tables and sat by the window. She glanced outside and smiled at the sunset, “It was hot today.”

“Seriously talking about the weather?” 

She rolled her eyes and nodded her head, “Yeah, it's a good way to start a conversation.”

“It was normal temperature.” 

“The news said it was abnormal, are you going to disagree with the forecast?” 

He clicked his tongue and leaned forward as she continued to stare at him with a raised eyebrow, “Why do you want to fight me so bad, Bambi?” 

“Bambi? Why am I, Bambi?” 

“You seem too innocent for this world. Now, why do you want to push my buttons so much?” 

She shrugged her shoulders, “If I push your buttons, why did you come with me?” 

“Because I can, Y/N.” 

She rolled her eyes and went back to stare out the window, “Great you know my name.” 

“Of course I do Bambi. Now order something.”

“Fine, Yoongi.” 

He glanced from the menu to her, “Now, how do you know my name?” 

“All the girls on your campus know your name. It wasn’t hard to figure it out.” 

“She's innocent and smart, I like that.” 

She pressed the button under the table and looked back at Yoongi with a small smirk, “Thanks, I like me too.” 

After eating and Y/N constantly pushing his buttons, they left the noodle place. Yoongi couldn’t help but notice the way Joo Won stared at her, it was annoying. He would’ve let Y/N walk on him if it meant being that close to her. It was clear he was in love with her but Y/N didn’t notice it or didn’t feel the same. Either way, it shouldn’t matter to Yoongi. 

They stopped by the light and he glanced down at her, “Where do you live?” 

“Not that far. I was going to walk there.” 

“You can’t. It’s dark out and you're a woman.” 

She let out a small laugh and looked at him, “I’ll be fine don’t worry.” 

“I’m walking you, let’s go.” He grabbed her jacket sleeve and she glanced at his hand and back to his face. She rolled her eyes and let out a small sigh, “Fine.” They walked through the city and the noises around them polluted his mind. He felt dizzy being next to her and he felt like the whole world could see him, it was making him sick. 

She let out a small giggle and this caused him to look at her, “What?”

“It would make things easier if I told you where I lived.”

He let go of her jacket and nodded his head, “Hurry up.” 

“I live by my school, just two houses down.” 

“So, you are rich.” 

She rolled her eyes and started to walk away from him, “Technically my parents are rich. I have money but it's not close to them,  hurry up.” 

“Innocent, smart, stubborn, and independent...I like it.” 

They continued to walk and they stopped when they were in front of a tall gate. Yoongi glanced at the house and saw that their lawn was decorated with flowers that any floral shop would want. The grass was so green that it made paintings look dull. He looked at her and tilted his head, “Just who are you, Y/N?”

She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders, “Just a Ceo’s daughter trying to get good grades and money on her own. Who is Yoongi?” 

Trouble. “Just a college student that smokes.” 

���Which is bad...but I digress. Goodnight, Yoongi...” She pressed a button and did a small wave (a camera has to be there, she’s that rich). The gates opened and she glanced at him with a small smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Maybe. Goodnight, Y/N.” 

He watched her enter the large house and waited until the gates closed. There was something about her that he couldn’t figure out and that pissed him off. He’s a gang leader and he had to be one step ahead of everyone but here he is, stuck. Whoever Y/N is, he was going to figure it out. The walk back to the headquarters wasn’t that long but long enough for him to clear his mind. Jimin was the first one to go up to him, “Boss where were you?” 

“Eating. Any new details on Demony na zapade?” 

Jin sighed and rubbed his neck roughly, “The only thing I saw was there from Europe. That’s it. Whoever these guys are, they're quick with everything they do.” 

“They’re like ghosts.” 

Jin rolled his eyes at Jungkook as Namjoon pushed them out of the way, “You wanted me to keep an eye on Ariana Marie Academy, is there someone you want me to focus on?”

“Her name is Y/N. I don’t have a last name but try and find out for me.” 

Namjoon looked at his boss with furrowed eyebrows, “Why? Is she dangerous?” 

Dangerous to me, “No, I’m just curious.” 

“Hyung has a crush on someone!” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes and glared at Taehyung, “Shut up and go look around the area. Only for an hour and then come back inside, take Jungkook with you.”

“I can handle myself!” 

“I don’t give a fuck, we have to be more cautious. We can’t lose each other, now go. I’ll be in my room.” 

Yoongi didn’t even wait for a response and headed to his room. He locked his door and kneeled in front of the pictures like he did the night before. He changed the candle with something new (Namjoon gifted it to him a month ago) and lit it. The smell of freshness with a hint of floral notes filled the room and he couldn’t help but think about Y/N. It smelled just like her...he hated that.

[goldeneyedgirl]

Ficmas24 Christmas Eve: Variable Stars

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Gosh it's gone fast.

Tonight, I've decided on the first section of the new chapter of Variable Stars. Why? Because it's been a flustercluck of a day and I'm still not happy with part two of the STL AU.

I also have five other requests to work through, so there will be some random snippet drops in the new year ;) Plus NYE fic is a tradtional part of Ficmas.

But for now, Variable Stars. I cannot wait to post this entire chapter, I'm really excited with the 'new' direction that this fic is taking.

I hope your holidays are beautiful, loving, and restful and that you all get to indulge in your favourite foods with your favourite people!

most wanted. It’s the ice forming in the river again that reminds her that time is passing.

It's easy to forget; she assumes it’s the same for all of them - a lack of sleep and of change means that everything falls together in the end. But she should ask Jasper, in case that’s another one of the things that makes her different.

(There have been a few things over the years, that have made everyone pause and look at her like she’s from another planet. Now she checks with Jasper about the things she’s not sure about, just so she doesn’t seem foolish.)

But whether or not time passing feels the same for all the Cullens, it has passed and things have changed. She’s really not sure when it happened.

When it stopped being the Cullens’ house and it stopped being Jasper’s house and it started being hers too. When she started seeing her own face in the photographs on the walls; when the other family members called for her, and she wasn’t just an extension of Jasper.

She knows the house - which step is cracked because one of them stepped down too hard (there’s been a lot of damage lately, so they’re all gingerly avoiding it in the hopes it can hold out a few weeks so that Esme doesn’t get too mad); which bathroom never has hot water after midnight. That Carlisle moved all the travel books from the top-most shelves in the library down to her eye-level so she could take them without lingering. And that the refrigerator - full of Carlisle’s samples and experiments - always lets out something like a sigh around three in the morning, as if exhausted.

She knows that Esme is fiercely protective of her garden - that the stepping-stones are there for a reason, and that most days, Esme values the lives of her rose bushes more than any of them. There’s a greenhouse that’s about to be built so Esme can protect her more precious plants (Emmett and Bella are already forbidden from entering the hallowed halls). And in the years that she’s been with them, she’s never ever heard Esme say a cruel word to any of them.

Bella sulks if anyone is in the hammock when she wants to use it. (She also knows that Emmett and Rose are banned from the hammock because of what they did to the last one.) Edward’s piano in the side room - the music room - was his human mother’s, and it’s the thing he prizes more than anything else he owns.

Carlisle has a strange relationship with his father’s crucifix, seeing it as a symbol of all that he resented from his father but also a symbol of forgiveness and betterment in his own life. Emmett keeps a worn, hazy photograph of his youngest human brother in a frame in the room he shares with Rosalie - the only memento he has from his first life.

(She could say what she knows about Jasper, but that’s everything; it’s woven into the fabric of her universe. He’s her very best friend. She knows him. The scar he worries at on the palm of his hand when he’s thinking; the way his left pupil dilates just before he has a flashback. The way he hunches over to read and write - he probably needed glasses as a human. The way he holds her, so tight, like she’s going to be torn away… She knows him, right down to the bone, the same way she knows herself.)

Peace is a funny thing; it feels steady and solid but she’s so intensely aware of how easily it could shatter; like the ice in the river. Eight vampires in one place is a recipe for disaster; she never forgets that, even if it feels like the others do. But for now, she just savours every single moment.

It’s home. She’s finally home.

—

Once, a long time ago, Jasper sat on a bucket outside a dilapidated mansion in Monterrey and watched the sunrise.

Peter, his brother in all the ways that mattered, was long gone with the girl he proclaimed he loved. That he cared about enough to risk it all in whatever hell on earth lay beyond the borders of Maria’s territory.

And those parting words he left Jasper with lingered in the air. Can’t you tell, Major? That I’m telling the truth? That I love her? The look of horror and pity on Peter’s face stayed with him as well. The words cut deep because he couldn’t. He was too far gone, too sunken into depression and violence and control, too used to lies and double-speak to trust anything that he was being told.

Peter ran. He was glad he did. If he hadn’t destroyed Charlotte that night, she wouldn’t have survived much longer - not after her newborn strength ebbed.

But he remembers sitting there, watching the sunrise, and hoping that his brother was out there, safe. He remembers sitting there, feeling hollow and brittle, and wondering if there was anything else. From one war to another, it all blurred together until he was nothing but a machine designed to spill blood, to break bones, and leave behind a trail of bodies. There was nothing soft or kind about this life, and it was… he was just so tired, and it never seemed to end. There was no way out except the pyres. And every single part of him would resist that until the last moment. That’s just who he was.

There was never any hope for him.

Except…

“Jasper!”

Alice is there, stepping onto a stack of books, onto the arm of his couch, and then plopping down beside him. There’s something about her, about the way she’s here, wearing leggings and one of Bella’s t-shirts with socks pulled over the cuffs of her pants. She smells like home, like ozone and honey as always. There’s the warm halo of her emotions, of contentment and affection and protectiveness that seeps into him like the warmth of the sun.

“Emmett is insisting that he needs to teach me poker, and I don’t trust him at all.” Her eyes dart with amusement, the cards shuffling between her hands. “Esme said it’s a dollar buy-in only because of whatever happened in South Dakota? No one will tell me what happened. Come protect me?”

She doesn’t even have to ask. Alice is possessive over her small amount of savings, determined to figure out the stock market and investing so that she doesn’t have to ask anyone for money. He understands, thinks it’s important even, that she has her own foundation and security. But he’s going to miss her hunched over his computer, bossily informing him which items she wants to order. And the hugs when he relinquished his credit cards without protest.

“Just try and stop me - we can split the profits,” he says, and she beams at him. He’s reaching out to help her up the second she reaches out to him.

(And he wants to go back to his old self sitting in the dirt with no light at the end of the tunnel, and tell him it’s gonna be okay. That all the pieces are going to come together. He’s going to have a family, a place that is quiet and calm, a place without death and fighting and bodies. Peter and Charlotte are going to forgive him. And he’s going to have a person of his own, someone who makes him feel solid and whole and at peace. That he’s never known the security of another person until he met Alice. That if he reaches out, she will reach back without missing a beat. That if he has to throw a punch at someone, she’ll be right there to throw the next one. That he just has to hold on a little longer, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and everything will be better than fine. It’ll be everything he ever wanted, even the things he didn’t know to want.)

He follows Alice down the stairs, grinning as she begins taunting Emmett, the deck of cards flickering from hand to hand, like some kind of a magic trick.

(It’ll be perfect.)

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics with American football as part of the fic as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers. You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!

—Louis/Harry—

🏈 Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose by dolce_piccante / @haydolce

(M, 112k, uni) A bet about the pair, who might be more similar than they originally thought, brings them together. Shakespeare, ballet, Disney, football, library chats, running, accidental spooning, Daredevil and Domino’s Pizza all blend into one big friendship Frappucino, but who will win in the end?

🏈 Follow Your Arrow by Anonymous

(E, 78k, high school) It's senior year and everything is about to change.

🏈 Want you to want me by lorinhazuzu

(T, 62k, high school) Louis is the popular football player, there’s nothing he wants he can’t get. He wants Harry, but Harry is not impressed.

🏈 But I’m the Quarterback by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

(E, 51k, conversion camp) At True Directions, Harry meets four other boys and five girls, all there to be cured of their homosexuality. He has to find a way out of this place as soon as possible—Christ, he isn’t even gay!

🏈 hush. by @wankerville

(T, 41k, high school) an au where small towns suck, louis is losing it, and harry’s just too perfect.

🏈 bloodsport by tofiveohfive

(E, 40k, exes to lovers) “This is the first time you’re talking to me in eight months, and it’s still about football.”

🏈 feels like home to me by tippytoetomlinstyles

(NR, 34k, high school) the one where Harry is the quarterback who wants to be a photographer, Louis is the piano prodigy who like being a wallflower, and it's a roller coaster of a life but they're along for the ride.

🏈 the boys of fall by @godgavemelou

(M, 21k, hate to love) an american football au where the boys play for the university of tennessee, and harry and louis quite hate each other.

🏈 make me your future history by treaclenectar / @guccistrawberries

(E, 20k, baking) Or an exes to lovers Valentine’s Day AU

🏈 Twist a Little Closer, Now by @fackinglouis

(T, 20k, dance) the one where Harry signs up for a dance class that Louis teaches. Incidentally, the class is for six year olds.

🏈 one more for the stars by imsosorry

(M, 16k, high school) Harry's the star quarterback and Louis is about to graduate. It's a heartbreak waiting to happen

🏈 Shut Up and Wink at Me by kikikryslee / @flamboyantommo

(T, 14k, roommates) the one where Louis wants to go away to college to get away from everything having to do with his hometown.

🏈 Before you go, can you read my mind? by anditsonlyforthebrave

(NR, 13k, mindreading) Harry can listen to whatever is going inside of Louis’ head and breaks up with him. Louis can never let it go.

🏈 So Much Left to Say by myownspark / @myownsparknow

(M, 7k, established relationship) Harry and Louis play for rival high school football teams, and when they play against each other in the Homecoming game, someone has to lose

🏈 Bad Move, Just Act Normal by @berzerkshires

(NR, 595 words, jersey swap) Quarterback Harry Styles wore rookie kicker Louis Tomlinson's jersey to a press conference.

—Rare Pairs—

🏈 fire for a heart by alnima

(M, 28k, Zayn/Louis)  the one where Louis is on the football team, Zayn is in yearbook, and they make it work.

🏈 I pledge my hands to larger service by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

(M, 4k, Harry/Tim Riggins) Harry hasn't seen his high school crush since he graduated over ten years ago. The last place he expected to run into him is in a dark hallway while he's sneaking out after a one-night stand.

[justforbooks]

Jeannette Charles

The Queen’s most famous lookalike, who enjoyed a long career in film and television thanks to their uncanny resemblance

In 1972, Jeannette Charles was in her mid-40s and settling down to life in an Essex village, having returned, with her husband, Ken, from Libya. They had been living there for some years, but left following the army coup led by Muammar Gaddafi.

On reading about the artist Jane Thornhill in a local newspaper, Charles decided to commission a painting of herself for her husband’s birthday. Thornhill asked whether she could submit it for the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition in London, but when she did, the venerable institution returned the picture, believing it to be a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and having been told by Buckingham Palace that the monarch had not sat for it.

The resulting publicity began a new chapter in the life of Charles, who would spend the next 40 years as the Queen’s most famous lookalike, and who has died aged 96. She appeared on British television and in Hollywood films, alongside stars such as Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and Mike Myers, and also modelled for Spitting Image when the satirical TV show was making the Queen’s puppet.

Charles said of her uncanny resemblance to the monarch, whom she never met: “We both have the same bone structure, so the same style of makeup and hairdressing suits us best. But I’m 2 inches shorter than her, so my clothes wouldn’t always look well on her and vice versa.”

She also made personal appearances – opening shops, handing out gifts with the flamboyant piano virtuoso Liberace and presenting a silver disc to the rock group Queen – and Muhammad Ali put in a special request to have a photograph taken with her. Commercials kept her busy, too, but Charles insisted: “I am not an actress. I only do the one role.”

Her first job as the Queen was posing for a London Weekly Advertiser poster that featured her reading a paper, with a stuffed corgi at her feet. However, London Transport, which was due to display it on buses and Tube trains, objected and never used it. Charles said it was a lesson: “too real … a little vulgar”. She insisted she was a staunch royalist, and told the Guardian in 2022: “I would never do anything that reflected badly on the monarch or myself. Over the years, I’ve turned down large sums to pose for Page 3-type pictures and insisted I should never be introduced as the Queen when making appearances.”

Jeannette was born in London, 18 months after Princess Elizabeth, to Yetta (nee Wonsoff), who was Dutch, of Polish descent, and Alfred Clark, a chef, later restaurateur, and was brought up in Perivale, Middlesex. Her resemblance to the future monarch was spotted when she was still a child. She recalled: “On a trip to Greenwich when I was 11 or 12, a photographer asked if he could use me in some shots, saying, ‘She looks like Princess Elizabeth.’ Later, I’d draw crowds, especially abroad, and sometimes had to run away.”

After leaving Wembley high school, she took a job as a secretary and spent evenings acting with an amateur group in Acton. She dreamed of acting professionally, and passed an audition to train at Rada, but could not afford the fees. Instead, she emigrated to the US at the age of 24 and settled in Midland, Texas.

While working there as an au pair, she met Ken Charles, a British oil drilling engineer with BP. His work took him to Canada – where they married in Alberta in 1957 – and then to South America and Libya.

They returned to Britain in 1969 and, when regal fame came to Charles, she found herself travelling the world again. At home, her early screen appearances were in the sketch shows Rutland Weekend Television (1975), with Eric Idle and Neil Innes, Spike Milligan’s Q series (from 1976 to 1980), and Not the Nine O’Clock News (1980). She was also in sitcoms such as Mind Your Language (1978) and Never the Twain (1990), and jetted to the US for a 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live.

When Hollywood came calling, she put on the royal tiara to appear in National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985). In The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), she was seen flat on her back with Nielsen on top of her as they slide down a royal banqueting table – when his inept detective believes the Queen is about to be assassinated and jumps to her rescue. For Charles, another highlight of filming that wacky movie was being invited to Presley’s trailer for lunch. “We became good friends,” she said.

She was back in Hollywood for The Parent Trap (1998), with Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), when she mistook its star, Myers, for a crew electrician on first meeting him.

Alongside chat shows, corporate events, fete openings and other appearances, she appeared in Motörhead’s music video promoting their version of the Sex Pistols song God Save the Queen in 2000.

Charles’s autobiography, The Queen & I, was published in 1986.

Her husband died in 1997. She is survived by their three children, David, Peter and Carol, and her sister, Delinda.

🔔 Jeannette Dorothea Louise Charles, lookalike, born 15 October 1927; died 2 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?