#shes living her best new life as florida woman

[scootsaboot]

My piece for The Wonderful World zine! (@TWW_Zine on twitter!) I had a lot of fun working on the zine and hope you'll check out everyone's hard work!

edit: the gator is foo fighters lol

[sideysvault]

ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִInnocuous Games ִ ་༘࿐

Pairing: Roman Roy x fem!reader

Wc: 2,030k

Tags: [sfw] Mentions of mature themes, sexual innuendo, slightly toxic relationship, friends with benefits, angst with fluffy ending.

────────

Once, they only slept together once. Friends for eight years, and it was all tainted by those unstoppable fleeting passions.

The two of them, alone, lonely, drunk. The bathroom of the rented villa was excessively decorated, and the warm crystal lights seemed to swallow the room whole. The thought had crossed her mind before, of course. Numerous times.

And God knew that the November slip did not count as sex. It was so chaste that even the most religious among us would not be able to classify it as a sin.

The second time, in her apartment late in the afternoon, which he usually preferred to sleep in, with the poor excuse that his driver lived closer and that he liked the New York transplant decorations. There had been a little too much champagne; and they fell off the sofa laughing a few times too many; and they had wound up on the floor; and the next thing they knew was that their hands were already all over each other. An innocent, comprehensible mistake. One that was ended by the sudden need of the man to put space between them.

But then it happened again. And again, and again. And eight years of friendship were ruined by the irresistible stain that mutual masturbation and strange sexual encounters left behind.

The both of them knew it was a bad idea, that it would only end with poorly said excuses and the broken pieces of their bond. But it wasn’t enough. It never is, is it? And the worst part of it all was that it wasn’t a matter of fleeting -albeit strong-desire for pulp contact. The woman felt that being just his friend was not enough anymore. Needing him far beyond the realms of which she could obtain. She required him like a mean, neglected child begging for love.

The late nights at his apartment, the whispered secrets and the allusive but always earnest sweetness that he sometimes gave her would never be enough. Because even in that bathroom, with its dim lights and its artificial scents she was already convinced: If he dared to ask, the woman would give herself completely. Two broken pieces coming together.

All she could think about, between the lascivious eyes and the contained gasps, was how his hair would look in the early mornings, how would his coffee taste in the afternoons, and how words of tender love would roll out his tongue. A life with Roman.

——

It had been your best kept secret. A buried and shameful desire you had inexplicably felt since the day you had met him. And now that the line had been crossed, it roamed unleashed between the air that filled the space between you two. It deeply saddens you, being so close to what you desire, knowing that at best you’d only receive his strange patterns of affection and subtextual love. The realization only deepened with every encounter you had with Roman. And it began burbling and burning inside you. Making waves, twisting itself, and unwinding just enough to let you breathe.

The only way to erase the feeling was to drown it with other casual relationships with boring men. The latest provider of stability was a retired Florida lobbyist who wanted to take his chance in the Manhattan real estate scene.

And there you were. In your thirties, proclaiming your love to the broker to anyone who’d listen, humiliating yourself and playing high school games in hopes that Roman would hear the news. You hoped that he’d finally push you away in a fit of rage and jealousy, that he’d say something hurtful enough to get you out of your torturous enamourment. Or maybe that he’d act indifferent enough for you to finally realize that you’d been nothing but a victim of imaginary romantic affections.

Your brain was working hard to convince its heart that you both just enjoyed mirroring each other, to see your own sickness reflected on someone else. That it was nothing but a sick, meaningless fantasy projected onto a strong but simple friendship.

Deep down, however, you knew your true intentions were different. It was your earnest wish: that some rainbow-colored, gonna-happen and not-to-be-mocked day he would confess his feelings to you and be able to have a somewhat conventional and fulfilling relationship with you.

The games finally came to fruition. And in typical Roy extravagance, he decided to start the conversation on the most inappropriate of places.

His sharp and very public office with glass see-through windows. He was pretending to read his emails, doing work, for once. And he didn’t even bother to raise his gaze from his phone when he muttered “So, uh, is it true? Are you in love with the guy or something?”

You sighed, and for a fleeting moment considered telling him the truth. But today was not the day. Instead, you distractedly responded “Uh, yeah sure. How could I not be? We've been seeing each other for a while now”.

Your response apparently tickled something in the pit of his stomach, because he squirmed on his sit and made an ugly face as he continued his rant

“Come on! The guy is a prick. Just another model-fucking broker. And from Miami of all places. You believe that make-believe story of early retirement? The guy is probably under investigation, hiding from a trip to the grand jury.” He called your name in an exasperated sigh “They are all the same. You are not some bimbo bitch, you know this”.

“Fuck off, Roman. You are so fucking predictable” He really wasn’t, but you still let out a laugh that could only be described as unamused “What about it? You are just another rich suit on the east end and no one’s bitching and complaining about it”.

Making your most annoying baby voice, you continued to mock him as you moved closer to him

“Model-fucking broker. What a clever boy you are, Rome, seriously.”

All of this was going on in the space of a rich shade of brown leather furniture and Italian wooden desks.

Finding it hard to remember how much you enjoyed watching his dark iridescent eyes spark while he thought of another clever comment, how he had stood up for you, shakily but firm in his conviction of protecting you as much as he could. How at closed doors, he became a cynical no-nonsense type of man early at dawn, only to melt away around the same time dusk came into sight. It was hard to remember it all, remember this was your plan all along, when he acted so dense.

“Stop doing that baby voice on me. You know It gets me going”.

”God, Remy. You are HRs worst fucking nightmare, disgusting sick freak!”

“You are only getting me harder. Please go on” He got up the couch and started making theatrical moans and graphic gestures over the coach.

Last thing you expect from an uptight office administration is a fine sense of humor. And you’d be right. They don’t.

Roman doesn’t.

Suddenly tired of the childish bickering that would usually make you smile, you dropped on the sofa, with heavy shoulders, and suddenly feeling that the bun on your hair was too tight, the fabric on tour sweater started itching your skin, and the collar began to strangle you.

The man takes notice. He sits beside you on the sofa, and unbuttons the first two tiny pieces, the ones nearest at your neck. An unexpected smile adorns your face, and he looks down at your neck, the little beams of sweat forming around the warm skin, he looks at you in the eye, a bit more serious, when he tells you “Hey, I get it. I could see how this messianic older Patrick Bateman could wow even as tough a cookie as you. Oh my, yes.”

A laugh is heard. Roman seems relieved. You get closer to him and playfully bump him on the shoulder with yours.

Things are quiet for a beat. But they can’t stay silent forever.

“You are not in love with him”.

“I am”

“No, you are not.”

Murmuring something under your breath, undoing your hair, preparing for the reason you’ve been enduring this conversation in the first place.

“Please, Remy. What is this? We did not even have sex”.

“Of course we do!”

“Jerking off in the same room as each other once a month doesn’t count, for the love of God!”

“You aren’t in love with one of those Manhattan parasites. Fucking transplants, with their, uh, petrodollars, and, uh south money. The fucker probably even needs a month in advance reservation to get into fucking, uh, Cantinori.”

You laugh. How innocent of you to think this was a good strategy in the first place.

“Shut up. It doesn’t matter. It's not that serious, okay? Will you get off my dick now?”

“Never. You know it. I’m a sick puppy, and I’ll follow you around forever even if you only feed me with scraps”.

Your head rests on Roman shoulder now. Not caring about the curious, judging eyes watching from beyond the glass. Rolling your eyes, and then closing them for a second. You can smell his aftershave, the scent they use at the cleaners, his cologne. The eyes still way their knowing eyes, but, with the Roys, they probably had seen worse.

“Speaking of, I’ll fucking take you to Cantinori. Right fucking now. No peasant reservations. Hell, I’ll take you to that horrible hippie place you like. What’s it called? Fucking Buddakkan?”

You laugh, again. You were drunk on his scent and tired, your eyelids tickled and threatened to close themselves. “Oh forget it. Don’t be so insecure.”

“Oh, fuck off. You are just trying to fuck me over. We both know it.”

You suddenly don’t feel so tired anymore. Looking up, with big, doe eyes, embellished with the sweet look of hope. Like a child, begging for love.

“It’s working, okay? I’ll do better”.

You smile. For the first time since this started, he sounds sincere. He gives you a chaste, small kiss on the side of your temple. When he retreats, the feeling still burns on your skin.

Giving him a kiss on the cheek in return, you feel its warmth. And it’s redder than you remembered it to be.

——

The tallest building of Manhattan, 200th on Amsterdam Street, with its rectangular grid windows, and the light, rough looking concrete on its exterior, with its golden door, and the mirrored elevator that always seems to be too cold to the touch.

In the private penthouse of the building, the natural light fills the space, and it bounces off several antique mirrors, instead of its usual blue iridescent artificial lights. The wine cellar is usually emptied out on Saturday mornings, its contents laying over a table set for two, with takeout sharing the surface with the sound of chatter, laughs and clattering dishware.

The small hot tub that lies on top of the turf, is just deep enough for lounging and contemplation. Naked bodies lay in it inside it, merely caressing each other, mindlessly, tenderly, without an ounce of sin in its touch. Adding the cold air that is always contrasting the warm water of the tub, and fingertips wrinkle before anyone disturbs the serenity of the scene.

The patio has a privileged view of the city and its bright blue sky. Two black sofas with a concrete table in-between. Although the townhouse is in the middle of a concrete city, recently there has been plenty of greenery as lines of Star Jasmine, Oak Stars and Lavender decorate most of the patio.

In the master bedroom lies the two of them, coffee has been made by the man, because he is a light sleeper, and knows the woman adores to drink something right after getting out of bed. The sheets are warm, slightly humid with sweat, evidence of the previous night. And he can barely see her face in between her arms and hair, but he smiles as he leaves a kiss over her shoulder, and holds her tighter.

200th in Amsterdam street is finally being lived in. 

────────

Notes: This was based on this Ao3 request! I had so much fun. I’ll never get over my RR phase I fear. I haven’t been posting much because I took a gap year and I’m studying to get into my dream college and taking care of my grandad. Please take care everyone! Writing in here has become my safe place. Thank you for that.

- Sidey xxxo

[voraciouspangolin]

Thread of my second read through The Days Have Worn Away

his stupid smile . I want to put him through a food processor

ok one of them came out wearing an eyepatch i think soldier got cheated on and zhanna had a kid with demo

he proposed with a grenade. and. and he pulled the pin and put the ring on zhanna's finger. and threw the grendade

tbh I fear for the person who becomes the centre of her devotion next

she is willing and ready to use her powers for evil

new sniper lore dropped too. He can fly bush planes

hes so real for this

i think these are the team classic characters... There's a plaque missing on the stone statue at the bottom, I wonder what was on it.

I like how everyone at… Administrator HQ is wearing purple

So earlier we got miss pauling's first name initial, f. Pauling.... so this is a confirmation that her name starts with F, and she's on first name basis with engie. Flo- like, Florence? Florida?

This might be a stretch but I think that these paintings on the wall, I think they're like, the BEST of the best mercernaries of their respective class. Pyro is looking at a hard to make out person surrounded by flames, and demo is looking at a high tech looking demoman

look at all these stupid idiots. i love them

she's SO done dude. SO DONE

also this whole thing. Love the detail that spy is checking his watch pompously . and how everyone else is lined up waiting for them to continue walkign

And this one... god, that smile she gives scout. The way scout beams

The art in this comic has improved so so much, its absolutely gorgeous. The way its layed out, the emotion it conveys without needing dialogue.... magnificent. I like how Miss P's undone hair shows itself as more messy. She's at her wits end- she's past the point of anxiety, past the point of tightening and adjusting her hair so that no strand sticks out.

I think this is the most creature like I've seen pyro and I'm so here for it. E's got eyebrows over the mask lol. Also medic's stupid ass tippy toeing to see over heavy

I love the placement of this context we're getting for how Helen became involved with the Manns. It immediately makes you think to the place where The Naked and The Dead ended, with Helen fully perked up on the final bits of australium she had. Yet its a look into the past

big fan of this painting. Three rifles... and these book titles. So silly i love it

New competitor for Most eyebrows, Zepheniah has two eyebrow spikes, beating medics mere one spike

A whole graveyard of Manns.... I like the one thats just a giant M. Really hammering in the notion that the Mann last name is an identity of immense value, that takes over your whole life. oh, and that panel before the final one, its so full of tension... so good

And here's the actual moment we get to see her in all her insanity. What a woman. I like that the screens all face him, constantly displaying the products of redmond's and blutarch's failure to follow the family line of succession. His eyelids constantly forcefully open, unable to speak, yet his brain still processes the information his body is percieving. He's like if Mr House (fonv) had a dominatrix

me too, scout. me too

big fan of how heavy's eyes are the only ones that are dots

her and miss pauling both, they share the Devotion, the ability to pour their entire beings and lives into one single thing

I bet that thing felt like jerky. who said that

Absolute cinema. Amazing. Magnificent. Wonderful. No notes

[caramelcleopatraa]

First Appointment (Suit & Tie Revised)

Word Count: 1.9k

x: this fic idea won in the polls :) this series was inspired by kayjayxchar on wattpad ( she's A1 ) and then while writing, I decided to make this into sort of a series. no smut in this part ( I know I know, its such a tragedy! ) but don't underestimate what I got in the works :p not proofread... yet

xx: hello :) new caramel typing here. I wanted to revisit this series and fix it up now since I've written more work since I started this. Now enjoy the New and Revised SUIT & TIE <3

Content: Mafia!Roman Reigns x Designer!Reader, fluff, suggestive themes ( gets a lil steamy ;) ) 18+ Minors Do Not Interact!!

Your fingers type away at your computer, responding to emails from your clients. Your employees are setting up the shop, quickly preparing for another busy day. You were one of the top rated designers in the state of Florida. You’ve been able to travel around the country teaching classes, working your magic for top notch celebrities, and make public appearances. To cut it short, you were living your best life, truly. You got to do what you were passionate about and go against the standard of your families’ traditions and values. And to your surprise, they still supported you. You were proud of yourself that you are successful as you are. There was too much work that you have done to downplay your status, work ethic, and talent.

The chime of your door occupies your attention as a group of people walk in before opening time.

“Wassup biiiiiittch!” One of your closest friends, Trinity, was the first to make herself known. She throws herself on you, and you welcome her sudden embrace. She often visited you at your shop to check on you in her free time, and you always welcomed her company, especially on busy days. Today however, was one of those days where she was coming to you as a client. Because she was your friend and today was one of your busiest days, you told her to come an hour and a half early before you opened. That gave you plenty of time to fit your friends, clean up, and open on time. You scan the group that entered through the door with her. You saw Trinity, her husband Jimmy, his twin Jey and his wife Talia. Your eyes shifted to the larger man that stood behind them, that was accompanied by a shorter, voluptuous woman. It was someone you knew too well. Anyone that lived in Florida had to know his name. Roman Reigns. standing next to him, was what looked like a model. She looked too familiar, and you swore you've seen her somewhere, but you couldn't call it at the moment. The group of six admired your shop, casually walking around and scouting different designs that were displayed on the walls. 

Men’s Side

Women’s Side 

“No matter how many times I come in here, I'm always shocked. Is this new?” Jey says, pointing to the gray suits on your model displays. You knew he would gravitate to those pieces as soon as you came up with the idea a month ago. He always liked black and gray when it came to suits. “Yeah, new in stock. Ya like it?” You sing shakily as Trinity rocked you to death. “Can I take this off ya hands?” “You can after i fit you” You chuckled at his eagerness.

“Anyways..” Talia says, pushing her way through Jimmy and Jey. “This is Roman. I told him that I know a really good designer that can whip up an amazing suit. So he’s here to get fitted as well as the rest of us.” Talia explains to you, looking up in his direction to find him already staring at you. You notice his chocolate brown eyes and brown skin that complimented each other. You try your best to not let that distract you as you reach your hand towards him. You didn’t think he would shake your hand at all. Cold and Dismissive. The two words that would always get thrown around when Roman's name was mentioned.

But he subverted your expectations. You contentedly grinned when his warm hand engulfed yours. “Nice to meet you, beautiful” “Nice to meet you too, handsome.” His voice was smooth and calming. On top of his charming attitude. The perfect voice to coerce someone into doing something illegal. ‘oh my god he’s fine... how am i supposed to stay professional around this man...’

Still, your poker face stayed true as you continued to engage with your client. His partner stayed close to him, latched on at the arm. Almost child like. She pulled on his arm to get his attention, but he simply dismissed her by saying, “Wait over there for me sweets”, and she happily obliged. 

“So how does this whole thing work?” He says, tugging at his black tee. “You’ve never gotten fitted here before and my place runs a little differently than most. We have our scheduled appointments set up so that we can fit our clients, try on potential outfits for you, and send you home with them hours later. There’s a huge inventory that I have attached to this store so as soon as I get done recording your requests, we can get your order started as soon as possible. Any questions?”

Roman smiles smugly and looks at Talia. “She’s good.” Talia retaliates with “I told you so.” You smiled at their comments. To you, it didn’t seem like much. You were simply explaining how your company works so that your client has a basic rundown of how things work. Trinity nudged your shoulder as soon as she noticed your flustered state. You covered your face and did a quick spin, a little habit that formed when you get flustered. The group laughed at your small action. You snapped back into business mode and called your assistant to help you distribute the party of five.

“Aahkilah, can you help me with this party of five?”

 “Coming!” She galloped out to the main area with a work outfit that was damn near cutting dress code, but you didn’t have time to deal with that shit right now. “You can take the couples since they have been fitted before. Be flexible enough to make changes on the spot if our presets don’t fit like they’re supposed to. I’ll take Roman and do the whole process since he’ll be new information in the system.” She was fairly new, and you didn’t trust her just yet with doing an entire fitting appointment on a new client. Plus, you could tell everything that you were saying was going over her head as she basically eye-fucked Roman. Absolutely no work would be done. “But that’s not fairrrruuh! why can’t I take him?” she says, almost mimicking a complaining child. Your eyes close slowly as you sigh and respond, “Because you’re not ready to give a full fitting appointment yet.” 

You wanted to put a nail in this conversation so you could do your job. But, this woman had a damn mission. “You just wanna get him in your private fitting room and fuck him!! You’re not slic-"

“He came here for a fitting! A fitting done by me girl! Please don’t make me have to deal with a child right now.” You were starting to get loud, so you didn’t go back and forth with her like you usually would to whip that bitch into shape. The twins were barely succeeding at hiding their laughter as well as Talia. Roman and Trinity wore smirks on their faces as you reprimanded Aahkilah. She finally buckled down and made sure that the room was ready for the couples. You called in another employee, Gio, to help you with your workload online while you fit your client.

“Oh my god who is that-“ You hit her and stop her sentence and she looks at you like you're crazy. “What!? He’s fine as fuck!” You mentally facepalm as she tries to whisper to you, that ends up more like a whisper scream. “Mhm” You said, as you went behind your desk and pulled up some work for her to do. Sadly, you couldn't stop her when she got to talking. “Oh don’t tell me you don’t think he’s fine! isn’t he right up your alley? Tall? muscular? deep voice? beard? The whole nine?” You took pride in the fact that you took time to know your employees on a personal level and vice versa. You did not think she was going to air out all of the information you told her however. You gave Gio a look that screamed ‘shut the FUCK up’ and she responded to your look by playfully rolling her eyes. You turn the computer towards her. “You’re here to get a bag, not play matchmaker” She groans in response and says “Whatever.” to your dismissive comment. ‘she did not have to embarrass me like that. OMG WHAAT THE FU-‘

“The whole nine huh?” You hear a deep voice mirror your employee’s statement. You turn around to face Roman, the corner of his lips still curled into that mind melting smirk again. He motioned up and down his body, trying to fluster you. And it worked, as your eyes drift over his muscular body. “Little ole me?” ‘LITTLE?’ 

“Little?” Your face contorted into a confused expression, that earns a laugh out of the tall samoan. He starts to walk towards you, decreasing the amount of space between you too. Your momma ain’t raise no bitch so you stood your ground. Well, you tried. You could clearly distinguish the height difference between you and him, and your head raised as your eyes met his. Your hand rested on your hip and your head tilted, slightly sizing him up. “Sir, I will let you know that this is a professional business.” You said, ending off your sentence with an eyebrow raise. Just as you expected, he challenged you back, “Well I'm not invading your personal space, am I?” He said, letting his eyes drift over your body. Anyone in the room would have felt the tension and both of you were desperately waiting on someone to make a move. “Nah, i just don't want a wannabe gangsta playboy fucking up my reputation.” His eyes fluttered closed as he laughed at your statement. You had amused him and peaked his interest. He closed the gap between you two. His breath ghosted over your lips as he said, “So you must know i’m good at fucking something else up, huh?” His eyes glazed over your soft lips, coated with lip gloss. As much as your mind told yourself you had a job to do, his words you had you distracted. It was honestly embarrassing how quick he got you off course. But you wanted to entertain this a little bit. You took a moment to gather yourself before prompting another response. ”Well I wouldn't know cause it’s just rumors.” You shrugged your shoulders looking off to the side. 

“You know how those be.”

“Mhm” He licked his lips. From how close you guys were, you were surprised that his tongue didn't make contact with your bottom lip. “What they been saying about me ma?”

“That apparently you’re good in bed” You raised your pointer and middle fingers bent to imitate quotation marks.

“Mhm, keep going”

“Boy ion know, I really don't be concerned with you.” Your hand returned to your hip. Your attitude started to shine through. 

“Maybe it’s because I haven't taken care of you yet sweetheart” He leans down to whisper the sentence in your ear. You feel his lips lightly touch your ear and your entire body froze. 

You huffed, and said “You say that like you're so sure of yourself.” You challenged his boldness, but nothing could prepare you for what he said to you next.

“Maybe when we hit this fitting room, I can show you how sure I am”

🏷️ tags :) @hunnidmilly @reignsboy19 @2-muchsauce

@theninthwonder @harmshake @alichesmi @thesamoanqueen

@alyyaanna @empressdede @badbitchcentralinc @christinabae

@fame-ass-ers @southerngirl41 @cyberdejos2 @murrylove

@sassginaswanmills @pixiedust4000

@shes2real @pittieprincess22 @wrestlingprincess80

@msbigredmachine @sayyestoheav3nn @trippinsorrows @mzv11

@saintmagx @jstarr86 @pr3ttiesz @trentybenty @romansthrone

@scarlettnoir01 @tshepisho @rose-bliss @yana3sworld

@queeny23 @bebesobrielo @heauxvibez @amandairene88

@potatosackk

[freshlyrage]

Running Like Water

Chapter 28

pairing: Javier Peña x OFC (written as xReader)

fic warnings: NSFW Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI) language, strained family relationships, mentions of drug abuse, discussions of insecurities and body image issues, daddy and mommy issues

fic tags: Best friends younger sister, Life-long crush, Friends to lovers, Unrequited love, slow burn, Push and Pull, Small Town Dynamics, Secret Relationships, latina MC, Fluff and Angst, OFC!Jessica Alba face claim, sorry Lorraine I'm bringing you into this, Time jumps, 2 year age gap, pre-canon

word count: 5.1k

IMPORTANT a/n: Hello! This chapter is all flashbacks!

Next chapter things start to pick up. I will still be loosely following the plot of Narcos but not the exact timeline for times sake. Would just feel cruel keeping the babies apart for five more chapters! I hope this doesn't hinder anyones reading experience.

Send asks! Enjoy

Summer 1986

There is a heat wave and you find it as a personal punishment.

You stand in the middle of your empty room and feel nothing. You see the wallpaper lifting, small drawings you made when you were a child and you see dust untouched and you feel not much.

You’re in a dress.

One you hate, but you let your mother have some control for one last time. Baby blue with off white stripes, ruffling at your neckline. Blue little heels leaving an indent in your vacuumed rug. You bought that van you passed on your way to work with the black and red for sale sign.

Packed all your belongings and held a tag sale on all your furniture. 

It wasn’t common in your culture what you planned on doing. You family is meant to be by your side forever. You don't leave.

Up and leaving like spoiled Americans, that's the way your mother saw it. She kept her thoughts to herself but you heard her on the phone with her friend.

Ranting in Spanish about your ungrateful ass. That you were given the world, you had a roof, you had a bed, and look what you give in return.

The truth is, if the endless cycle of familial guilt didn’t exist in immigrant households everyone would grow some balls and leave behind those who mistreated you– even if they were family. 

You see your mother and you see someone who wanted to leave parents that never seemed to care for her either. You see her as a young woman determined to build her own life. If they hadn’t died she’d still be in Florida in their basement hoping one day they’ll care to show love to their daughter. The cycle continues. You suppose you’re breaking it, or maybe creating a new one–who’s to say.

You’ll ask your kids when they're in their twenties.

Your mother lived for approval. It’s why she spent hours on the phone with random “friends” who acted as yes men while she described all her flaws and missteps without shame. They will tell her how she is so strong and doesn’t deserve a spoiled brat like you.

An overgrown popular girl. Your mother was.

She scurries to the feet of the Smithfield's to help with their wedding. In an attempt of kindness, she’s never been very good at this, she promises not to be so involved in the wedding considering it– "makes you all depressed.”

You looked at her with a squint but decided to nod, reminding yourself that soon you’ll be gone. You planned on sleeping in the morning of the wedding. To which that idea died when your mother frantically barged into your nearly empty room. 

“The air conditioning in their church is out! We have to move services outside. I have to get it set up.” And then she slams the door and bolts. You shut your eyes tighter and let out a scream that was actually quite liberating for 30 seconds until you were reminded that your step father was still in bed with the baby.

You pretended to be asleep when he banged on your door as a warning. You eventually do doze off and find yourself waking up numb in more ways than one at 1:30 pm. 

You told yourself that you will only attend the ceremony. You knew if you stayed for the reception you might throw down one too many mimosas and end up vomiting on Lorraine and crying for Javier.

So… yeah no.

You dress up, paint your face like a fraud and you can’t cry so there's that scary truth. You were floating, finding yourself nowhere in the middle of your empty room. So that’s when you find yourself giving your room one last look for a little while. In the dress your mom bought. Rugged floor with a mattress splayed in the middle and nothing else but cobwebs and wall drawings. You don’t dwell, you don’t think but your nails are picking at each other and you’re so scared to be alone again. 

You leave and load your new truck stuffed with your entire life and drive to church. 

You think of making the wrong turn at every light, because you could just leave for good now. Save yourself from reality.

Javier and his father spent a few nights the past week having hard conversations. They smashed down cases of beer and Javier attempted to absorb all of the golden stories his father had to offer. 

Ultimately Javier wanted to know what he felt when his mother was pregnant. 

He said to him that he felt this pull towards her, Flaca.

Despite their rocky relationship it was like her hormones and his existed as one and all they could ever think about is how they were going to be having their own little family.

Chucho says that it’s common amongst new fathers to feel guilt when they take any small glance at their partner. Because what a task it is to grow a person inside of you. He says it isn’t the typical feeling you get when someone you know is pregnant. It isn’t just a, let me be nice to her she’s with child. No, Chucho had the urge to worship the ground she walked on, thank her—he said if she was craving pickles at 2 am he’d go out and buy some. He said this pull was biological, there was no explanation for it. 

Javier wonders when he’ll begin to feel that. At all.  

“Can I be honest with you?” Frankie flattens the lapels of his tux in Javier’s poorly decorated room. Javier flicks ash in his tray, he was beyond grateful that the heat wave hadn’t fucked with the power at his dad’s ranch. If it had, the heat might have triggered him at the wrong moment and he’d be running on foot away from the altar.

That’s just the sort of mood he was in.

He was almost looking for an excuse to not get married today, to give him some time so he can find a way out while also still obtaining the right to see his child grow. 

Lorraine slept in his bed all week, Javier slept in the living room most nights. It was two nights ago when he slept in the same bed as her. He had snuck into the room for his new pack of reds he left in his jacket late at night when he heard her crying. They talked about their fears, or he explained his anxieties and guilt and she stayed silent. He dozed off with a small bump below his hand and a promise of being a good father.

He thought it was you next to him and woke up in a cold sweat. 

Today he woke up numb. Chucho had been silent and to himself ever since Lorraine made her place in the home. Chucho was going through his own grief in ways, he was losing his son all over again. He was losing you too and soon he would be completely alone like he was when Javi was in Houston and you were in college. Javier supposes he’s also angry at his irresponsibility. Just a month ago they were knee deep in dirt and Chucho begged him not to hurt you again. 

Javier’s father left the house early to help with setting up the small wedding. Lorraine was at her parents place getting ready with her mother and Javier was here, at home with Frankie.

Javier was stalling a bit, he got the call that Lorraine was already on the road and Javier hadn’t even perfected his tie yet. He shoots a glance at Frankie. “I feel like you’re always honest, even if you’re being a fucking dick.” Javier mutters, pulling his tie over his shoulders. Multitasking, taking a drag with one hand and assembling his tie with the other. Frankie chuckles. 

“When you asked me to be your best man a few days ago I thought about punching you.” He shrugs, swiping his curls out his face and sipping the beer at Javier’s nightstand. Javier frowns because he knows this isn’t just a little joke amongst friends. “And listen, you were dealt some shitty cards, this whole situation is fucked up. Luckily the impending doom of fatherhood has made me soft and I know you probably need me to be your friend right now– and I will but just know it’s really hard.”

Javi looks at the ground, he can't look your brother in the eye. He felt like he did last Thursday when he saw you in 7-11, when you looked at him and pretended he didn’t exist.

He knew it was really over, and he felt like nothing.

“I wanted to marry your sister.”

“I know.” 

Javi looks up at Frankie and find him looking away. They were best friends but their vulnerability never stretched beyond reflecting on their childhood. This was new and they couldn’t look each other in the eye. “Before… all of this. Me and Andrea planned on telling you about us.”

“Hmph.” He clenches his jaw.

“Would you have… been okay with it?”

It's silent again, just the distant white noise of his clunky AC.

“Yeah. I was angry when you first came home and honestly still upset until recently about how you left her. But my priorities shifted so I guess I would have been grossed out but ultimately happy that you know… finally.”

Javi chuckles, “Yeah… finally.” It all could've been so simple. "She would be better off without me. I'm glad she's making this move." Javi mutters.

Frankie doesn't agree but his silence is enough answer. “I don’t like Lorraine very much. But I’m about to be a dad, you're about to be a dad. I feel like this was an opportunity to be a better friend to you. I hope that our kids become best friends so I feel like you know… I gotta be here now to make that happen.”

There was the silver lining in all of this.

 The promise of a family. Even if the family was just Javier and his child. That could be enough, it was enough for his father. Javier grins at Frankie and he grins back. 

“She’s probably waiting at the altar. Let's go.” Javi jokes and adjusts his tie. Frankie gets to his feet and points to the ceiling and looks up with it.  

“Padre ruega por nosotros.”

“Thank god you’re here. They’re running so late. Lorraine is cursing up a storm inside.” 

Genie grabs your arm and pulls you into the makeshift ceremony set up. You’ll give it to your mom, she did a decent job making this look alright. The guests weren’t seated, instead they were gossiping in small groups. It was far too hot to have a wedding outdoors. You scan and realize this wasn’t the modest little wedding that was on the invitation. 

Surprise! We’re getting married at Laredo Baptist on June 21st . 

It was handwritten and left on your counter by your mother last week. You would be surprised that so many people showed up in such short notice but it’s Laredo, and it’s the preacher's daughter getting married to Laredos DEA prodigy. There were so many people from your high school you swear you could faint. 

“Isn’t the ceremony scheduled to start in 3 minutes.” You rushed out of your truck when you saw the time on your stereo. The last thing you wanted to do was walk in late when Javier’s saying his vows or what not. 

Vows.

Why am I here? 

Genie nodded in annoyance, “Sit down on the third row next to my purse. Your mom was in shambles arguing with Chucho inside about Javier’s tardiness. I’m going back to that.”

“Do you want me to come with-“ You don’t know why you asked, it would be mental warfare for you. Your mother rowdy and Lorraine cranky. It’s like your least favorite people in one room, dumb idea. Genie knew it too and just squeezed your shoulder and walked back towards the church. You watch her go with a sigh and make your way to your seat. 

The hair on the nape of your neck sticking to you like glue. You missed the seventies, you missed when the dresses your mother bought you were flowy— not stiff and hot and ruffly. It was a sensory nightmare on top of the fact this whole thing was a nightmare-nightmare.

If anyone knew your situation besides your lovely sister in law, they’d smack you upside the head and force you leave because good. Lord, was this stupid. You wondered every six minutes of today why in the world you were doing this to yourself. It wasn’t as if the situation alone made you forget what it felt like to be happy. 

But there comes that sliver, the tiny line of delusion that has you believing that this is all real.

 That it’s a hoax, that the cameras are rolling and they’ll be revealed soon. So maybe you’re at the wedding in hopes of the camera crew to come out with a surprise before the I do’s. It’s healthier to say that you’re here because watching it happen will officially end a chapter about the thing you once thought was meant to be the premise of the whole book. 

Two rows behind you, you could hear the chatter. 

“I don’t get it. He’s been home for two months without her. Now all of sudden he’s getting married. It’s fishy.”

“Exactly! It seems like a shotgun wedding. Lorraine Smithfield would never get married in a such a disorganized manner if this wasn’t obviously some front.”

“Not to start anything but I swear I saw Javier kiss Andrea outside that party Xavi threw for memorial day.”

“Andrea? Like Frankie Diaz’s little sister?”

“Yes! I heard that they hooked up in high school. I always thought they would bang.”

“Javier hooked up with everyone in high school.”

“Nah. This was different. I think he was dating Lorraine when they did. Super sneaky because Lorri and Andrea were buddies.”

“I don’t think so. I know Andrea, she's shy, she doesn’t peg me as a homewrecker.”

“Eh I guess. I don’t know, regardless it’s too bad for her. I remember she had the craziest crush on him, now she’s watching him get married.”

“Tragic.”

“Speaking of, why is he so late?”

Lorraine didn’t feel like Chuchos beat up truck was an appropriate ride to roll in for their wedding so she left him her car. Frankie loaded into the passenger's seat all fidgety and nervous. Javier still had been on a rare mental high of picturing holding his child for the first time. Frankie really brought it out of him and despite dreading getting married—he saw the slightest glimpse of hope. 

But ultimately he knows at the end of the his short ride will be an altar, and you in the stands. It was his worst nightmare. He knows married life with Lorraine will be unpleasant. Just dating life with her left him a bit scarred. Tantrums and shattered plates. Holding her wrists so she couldn’t claw at him in a fit of anger. He tried to understand her, he really did.

She told him about her parents cheating on each other constantly. The yelling and constant fighting. Mrs. Smithfield was an explosive partner, Lorraine took after her he supposes. 

They were the classic case of town socialites. Pristine and prim and perfect to everyone else. Behind closed doors, toxic and unhealthy. She told him all of it after one of her blow ups over him working later than usual. In hopes to excuse her actions. He listened, still he grew more and more resentful of their relationship with every argument that ended in him consoling him. He found it difficult to empathize with her. You can only be so awful so many times, only a few times could be excused by trauma. 

Javier rolled his tongue on the side of his mouth, clenched his jaw and held the steering wheel tightly as he inched out of the driveway. Driving as slow as he could, he needed more time. Frankie was fidgety, the same way he was two weeks ago when he was getting married. He was rambling the same, Javier tried his best to keep it together. The air on Lorraines car was shit. The suit was thick, and itchy and a bit too big. He didn’t have time to be tailored. 

Didn't have time to be tailored. How fucked was that. 

His eyes had bags and he wasn’t smiling. His chest was tight every second, it loosened at the thought of being a father. He still almost had that. He was close to telling Frankie to shut the fuck up. He was so deep in his own ramblings he hadn’t noticed that Javier purposefully drove in a loop, finding the courage to make the left on main street. 

“You know maybe it isn’t all that bad. You two aren't doing vows, service should be quick.” Frankie drummed his fingers along the dash. Wiping sweat from his brow and settling back into the car seat. 

Javi mumbled in blind agreement. 

“It’ll be nice, me and you with baby carriers. Women love that shit, not that I’m interested but you know for you.”

“I’m literally about to get married.” Javi deadpanned. 

“Well, you know it’s not like traditional. Or maybe it's very traditional, most marriages around here are arranged in a way you know? Like preordained. Half of the married people here are with the only person their parents let them around growing up. Always a family friend, or a high school sweetheart. Not me, I found my wife. She rejected me a few times but you know I found her.” He gleams and Javier can’t imagine feeling the same way he does. Maybe he was familiar, but he isn’t anymore.

Javi shoots him a side glance. “Genevieve was your high school sweetheart though.”           

“I guess. We broke up like ten times though so we both had our fun. We lived before we settled. I’m happy she took me back that last time. I wouldn’t want a family with anyone else.”

How lucky, Javier is tempted to verbalize but he keeps it to himself. “Hm.” Javi circles the street one more time. 

“If you’re going to keep stalling we might as well…” Frankie reaches into his jacket pulling out a zip lock baggie with a perfectly rolled joint. He noticed then, Javier wasn’t sure if he should feel embarrassed or not for being so shameless in his anxiety. Javi chuckles and nods in approval. “Lighter?” 

He shrugged, “Never been in this car, check here.” He leans over, tapping the glove compartment and straightening up. “You think they're going to kill us for being fifteen minutes late.”

Frankie shrugged, tucking his hand on the handle and opening the thing. A yellow lighter and three papers fall out. Two white with black type on it, and one little black square. A sonogram. Javier smiles at the sight, it seems a bit different from the picture Lorraine let him have. The baby seemed smaller, it must have been an earlier appointment. Far before she came back to Laredo. Frankie seems to not care, he was zeroed in on that lighter. “Clean that shit up man.” Frankie chuckles, grabbing the papers. 

He smiles at the sonogram. “Little guy. This shit is crazy. Lorraine Smithfield, June 6th 1986 12 weeks pregnant. Who would have thought?” Frankie chuckles, losing the doctor's note back in the compartment. Oblivious to Javier's silence, he flicks the lighter on. His brows furrow at the stoplight and make the left to take him right back to the house. His chest tight, and jaw tight. Frankie turns his head. “You alright.”

Javier blinks, once, twice. He holds the third time, the tips of his ears hot. Knuckles white. Frankie catches on, and in a panic grabs the paper again. Flipping to the second page, another note, from another appointment. And from Frankies, quiet, You’ve got to be fucking with me, the time was confirmed.

 Javier closes his eyes again, sees your face, feels the blistering heat. 

He turns his car around.

The chatter is unbearable. The people are getting antsy and the sun is getting hotter, somehow. Your dress is itchier, you’ve scratched your thigh about twenty six times. A nervous tick, you dig your heels in the grass. Dirt surfacing at your fidget.

He’s nearly half an hour late now. You’ve listened to your ex classmates gossip for far too long, you’ve been tempted to turn around and make your presence known for minutes now. Mr. Smithfield came out ten minutes ago blaming the wait on a wardrobe malfunction which earned laughs from everyone but you.

You read straight through the lie. 

You were about to reach for your twenty seventh scratch when a cold hand grips your shoulder. You turn your head and flinch at your mothers closeness. “We need you inside. Now.” She doesn’t give you a moment to think. She's taking your hand and making heads turn while she drags you to the front of the church. Your eyes struggle to adjust to the dark surroundings of the powerless cathedral. It's loud inside, Spanish and English overlapping. Arguing, yelling, crying. 

You drop your mothers hand and stride toward the noise. Afraid, and confused. Your heels tap against the polished floor. And your mother scurries behind you as you turn the corner and find the scene. Chucho cursing in his mother tongue. Lorraine crying, holding her stomach and Genie yelling at Mrs. Smithfield.

You blink, once, twice and wave your hands. “Woah– What's going on?!” You shake your head. Placing your purse on the ground. Lorraine looks up at you and breaks into more tears. Her mascara ran down her blushed cheeks. Her dress poofing beside her on the pew. Her father held her shoulder, with his nose pinched. Your mother is holding your arm. You shake her off. You silence the room with your presence. 

Genie turns to you fully, her cheeks red from anger. “He’s not the father.”

You don't register what she means. You stare blankly at her for a moment. You look at each of the people in the room, and it hits you.

It hits you and you take a step back like it was a physical threat. Your eyes flick to Lorraine and she's looking at you with eyes like an apology.

“I thought– I thought it would fix us– I”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” It has your head spinning, it echoes off the walls, felt like it could rattle the stained glass windows. For a moment you're unsure who it came from. You have never heard Chucho raise his voice and it strikes you. It blurs for you. 

“Do not cuss at my daughter. It was what we felt was best for her situation.” Mrs. Smithfield strokes Lorriane's hair and she leans her forehead to her mothers stomach. Chucho shakes his head and removes his hat. He holds it over his chest, with a face of absolute devastation. He takes one look at you and walks away from the scene. 

You swear you hear him rip a sob as he walks away. Torn from head to toe at the pain his son must be feeling. You want to forget the sound of the strongest person in your life crumbling.

But you– you- you're angry. You close your eyes and breathe slowly, shake your mothers grip away. You hear Genie take some steps towards you and you accept her hold. You feel anger burning so bright, the reflection in your sockets burn orange. 

Calmly, you ask, “Could someone please tell me what's going on.” 

Genevieve is angry too, she jumps to it. “She’s been lying– she knew it wasn’t Javi’s he–” She takes a deep breath. “I can't believe I called you a friend.” Genie cuts straight through Lorraine and she racks another chest heaving sob. Genie rolls her eyes and moves to stand in front of you. Blocking a view of Lorraine.

She walks you around the corner and away from the family entirely. It’s just the two of you at the entrance of the church.  “Frankie called me. He found notes from her most recent appointment. The timeline doesn’t add up– Javi– he– He’s so hurt. He’s not coming. Frankie’s on his way, he doesn’t want to be around anyone.”

Your chin quivers and you're embarrassed by it. You do not want to cry in front of her. 

“He shouldn't be alone.” You frown, lip trembling. “He shouldn’t, I have to go– I can't believe this.” You nearly take a step but she grabs you again. 

“No– No. Chucho will go see him. Her parents knew– they were trying to save their image because she doesn’t know the father. And she–she believed this could fix them. She planned on getting back with him before she even knew she was pregnant. She’s only three months along, Andrea… I– I’m sick to my stomach.” Tears form at the corners of her eyes and she holds her own stomach. You hold her this time, rubbing her arms. You weren't sure if you were trying to soothe yourself or her. Maybe the latter.  

“Hey, hey, take it easy for her.” You join her hand on her stomach and she breathes steadier at that. You stay like this for a moment, grounding her while you float. While your heart is filled with pure rage. While you think of how upset he must be, how many irreversible changes you’ve made to your life because of this situation– this hoax– I have to see him. I have to tell him I love him, that I’ll break my lease. I’ll lose all the money I threw away to run away from him. I will be there, tell him it was never his fault. That I will never be angry with him.

“Please…” You whisper, “Please I–” You’re cut off by Lorraines audible sobs and fuck it, you’ve had enough. You let Genie go and she watches your face contort in genuine discontent. You shake your head and you begin to walk away.

“Andrea!” Genie calls for you but strut right back into the nave. Lorraine looks up at you and all you see is self pity. 

You reach down to grab your purse and you tuck it under your arm. You hold your chin up high and there are no tears.

 “You are an evil person. I spent years feeling guilty about my crush on Javier- feeling guilty because you were so kind to me to my face. But really Lorraine, you're just a mean girl. I would never wish anything bad upon you. Living the rest of your life as yourself is enough karma.” Her nostrils flare and she deserves all of this. Being left in tears at the altar. You hope to god that Javier never speaks to her again. That she repeats this day in her head forever. Without closure. You look to her parents who seem to be praying. Eyes closed, holding her shoulders. You take a step forward and slam your hand against the pew. It echoes loudly and they snap from their performance and look at you. “Pray harder, all three of you are going to hell.” 

You turn at their gasps and walk back into the atrium where your mother is sat at the stairs to the basement with a frown. Genie is still in the same spot, rubbing her stomach. You dig in your purse for your car keys. You almost forget that your entire life is packed in that thing right now.

“I’ll call you later. I have to go make sure he’s alright.” You wave to your mother and begin to walk when you hear Genie call your name. 

“He asked not to see you.” It rings around the halls of the church. Echoing, a satisfying sound to no ones ears but Lorraines. Your heart dips low.

“What?” But you aren’t sure you heard correctly. 

Genie looks at her shoes and begins to cry. “I don't know Andrea– he- he said to not let you in the house. He can't– he doesn't want to see you.” Your breathing hitches and your eyes gloss over.

“What do you mean I–”

The church doors open and your body whips around to face your brother.

He had been crying too, he looks at the car keys in your hands and back up at your tear stained face. And he knows.

“You can’t go. He– he doesn’t want to get in the way– not again.”

And fuck it, you're bawling in the middle of your childhood church. “Get in the way of what?”

“He knows you're leaving, he knows you signed the lease. He knows you got a job in New Orleans.”

Shaking your head again you try to walk past your brother but he steps in front of you again. “Frankie–please just move. I– I’m not changing my whole plan– I just need to see him.” You move your way around him and near the door when he calls out once more.

“He knows that isn’t true. He told me. He knows nena. He knows if you see him again you will never leave. He knows you’ll give up all your plans for him. He does not want to see you.”

He's speaking to the back of your head and for a moment you pause. Each word hit like slices. You, an open wound in front of everyone.

Soaking it all in. Feeling everything and nothing all at once. 

You open the church door and step back into the sunlight. Looking at the grass full of people still waiting on a wedding that was never going to happen.

Every step you take, you nearly trip, you quicken your pace once you see your packed car. Your eyes so full of hot tears you can barely stick you key properly. Cussing at yourself between tears until you can figure it out. You're not sure how long you cry in your car but you cry long enough for people to start leaving the wedding.

You lay your head on the wheel for most of it, afraid to be caught by onlookers. Your chest rips in stomach churning sobs. You know he’s right, you know you'll leave it all for him. You were ready to be nothing and no one together. Hold him until he’s had enough, until Colombia. Revert to your original plan of just… you and him and the summer. Just us. And if you did, it would hurt all just the same.

Your head hurts less.

Your eyes dry.

Your dress discarded in the passenger's seat, changed into a t-shirt and shorts.

Milk shake in your cup holder, eyes still puffy.

Chest tight but the sun sets and you think you’ll just cry more when you get there. 

You drive to New Orleans and don't look back.

[pimosworld]

The ties that bind

Pairing- Dave York x f!reader x Francisco Morales

Series Summary-Dave is a private investigator who tracks down soulmates. He’s tasked to find Frankie’s, but what happens when he finds you and he wants you to himself?

CW-18+,MDNI, Angst,Fluff,Eventual Smut,Hurt, Comfort,MMF dynamics. General warnings for each chapter. Anything sensitive will be added to individual chapters.

WK-5.5K

A/N-This starts out angsty but I don’t write sad endings so keep that in mind going forward. Reader has a best friend very near and dear to my heart.

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Chapter I

Dave looks over the file on his desk again before he makes the call. He reviewed it the night before and was going to contact the client until he realized not everyone holds the same weird hours as he does. Insomnia. 

  He takes a sip of his coffee as he dials the number with a Florida area code. At least he would get to enjoy some nice weather this time. The last soulmate he tracked down mid winter lived in Buffalo New York, he wasted weeks trying to find him only to find out he was happily married and had no intention of leaving his current wife. The woman who hired him was devastated but…devastated doesn’t pay the bills so she was out twenty grand, and went back to being single a few states over. 

  They don’t always end in misery but he’s used to it now. He wonders why he still does it, maybe helping these people will erase the thought of killing someone’s soulmate when he’s contracted for his other job. He can’t think about that one too much. 

  “Hello Santiago speaking.” Dave glances down at the file once more to be sure. 

  “Ugh yes I’m Dave York calling to reach Francisco Morales?” He hears a low curse on the other end and some apologies. 

  “Oh ya, just give me a second.” He can hear ruffling and the sound of a sliding door. My patience is already wearing thin. 

  “Thanks for returning my call. I’m actually hiring you on behalf of my friend Francisco.” 

  This wouldn’t be the first time he was contracted to find someone’s soulmate because some friend or family member couldn’t keep their nose where it belonged. There would most certainly be drama and resistance. Two things Dave did not handle well. 

  “That’s very generous of you. Is Francisco eager to find his soulmate?” 

  “He ugh…well…yes, yes he is.” Fat chance

  “I would need to meet him of course to go through with this, you understand?” 

  “Of course, that won’t be a problem at all. I sent you the details of when and where we can meet and provided you with the deposit.” At least he means business, either way Dave doesn’t care about the in’s and outs of why people do it. He knows it’s important… or at least he did. 

  He finishes going over the rules with Santiago that will hopefully get relaid to Frankie. He’ll find your soulmate and set up a meeting. If the person does not wish to pursue the relationship he will relay that to you to avoid any in person embarrassment. No stalking or harassment involved. If he can’t find them within 30 days you get your money back. 

  Some people frowned upon what he did. Purists thought you should meet your soulmate organically. They were rarely alone for more than a few years before they found theirs so he didn’t like listening to what they had to say. 

  He wasted years trying to find his love. When he did find her…it was already too late. Those six months were the best and worst of his life. Knowing he’s found his soulmate and gets to spend every waking moment with her only to have it ripped from his grasp. 

  If he had to spend the rest of his tortured life helping others not waste time then he would. 

  ****

  Why the hell did Will make them wear bow ties? This must be Amanda’s suggestion, there’s no way he decided they should all be this uncomfortable on his wedding day. 

  Frankie looks over at Ben and Will having some brotherly talk as if the younger miller has some wise words of advice having been married for all of six months. He loved rubbing it in that he was able to tie the knot before the rest of them of course excluding Tom who got married years ago when they were all in basic. 

  He tries really hard not to be bitter on these days but he can’t help himself. Of course he ran that risk when he married someone who was not his soulmate. He loved Sophia so much it didn’t matter to him. It’s worked out for plenty of other people and it worked for him…until it didn’t. 

  He didn’t try very hard to find his soulmate. Between being in the military, not being able to put down roots for so long and the fact that his soulmate probably hated him for all his scars and tattoos he can’t say he put much of an effort into finding them. 

  The hummingbird tattoo on his wrist practically taunted him his entire marriage. He pretended he didn’t care and so did she. She always told him they would try for kids when she was ready and he never pushed. He thought she was finally ready when she told him they needed to talk. Never in a million years did he expect her to say she found her soulmate and she was leaving him. 

  Their baby boy should be a year old by now, Sophia was pregnant within a month of the divorce being finalized. This was information Santiago insisted despite the others protests that he needed to know so that he could move on. 

  He can’t put the blame all on her. He left for Colombia to bring home money so they could start a family and he came home with nothing but news that her best friend's husband was dead. 

  It must be some kind of fucked up karma that they went back for the money and now he’s alone. If he’s really being honest with himself, he knows they never really loved each other. It was convenient for both of them. Frankie doesn’t like being honest with himself so he'd rather continue on painting her as the villain in his story. 

  “Hermano, you need some help with that tie.” Santiago starts fidgeting before he can even answer no. He slaps his hands away and Santi backs away with his hands up in surrender. 

  “Why are you being so nice?” 

  “I’m always nice.” Frankie scoffs at that. Santiago was never nice unless he wanted something from you. 

  “You picked up my tux, gave me a ride here and now you’re offering to fix my tie?!” He gives him a look and Santi knows it’s only a matter of time. 

  “I have a surprise for you.” He resumes fixing his tie despite Frankie’s protests. 

  “The last time you surprised me someone died.” Santi clears his throat but doesn’t protest, it must be bad. 

  “I hired a PI to find your soulmate.” That last part is rushed out but Frankie hears him clear as day. 

  He shoves him back a few steps which draws the attention of Ben and Will. “Why the fuck would you do that?” 

  “Chill out Fish, what’s your problem?” Ben steps between the two of them as Frankie looks as though he could spit fire. 

  “I told him about the PI.” Ben whips around to Santi. 

  “I thought we were gonna wait until tomorrow.” Frankie looks over at Will in disbelief. 

  “You fucking knew about this?” He can see it in their eyes and how no one will look at him directly.

  “Can we please talk about this tomorrow? I’m getting married in an hour.” 

  Sure he’ll talk tomorrow, they can all talk about staying out of his life and meddling in his business. Pope can call off the PI and they can all go back to being happy with their soulmates and Santiago can go fuck off somewhere in another country as he always does, leaving Frankie to mope alone with his thoughts. 

  “Ya we’ll talk tomorrow.” Ben comes over to fix his tie and Frankie clenches his fists at his side. 

  This is going to be a long day. 

  ****

  The new Mr.& Mrs. Miller do look very in love on the dance floor as Frankie enjoys his second piece of cake. Cake never betrayed him…his ex wife and his best friends maybe but never cake. 

  Ben dips his wife and it sorely reminds him of his wedding day when he and Sophia ended up with calloused feet from dancing all night. 

  His chest tightens at the sight of Molly dancing with her girls. She stayed so strong through it all and she looks so happy, maybe it’s just a front or maybe she’s choosing not to be a miserable sap like him. She lost her soulmate and never once judged them for what they did. She knew how Tom could be. Frankie doesn’t know how someone could treat their soulmate the way Tom treated Molly. He’s better off alone than with a soulmate who doesn’t love him back. 

  Santiago makes his way over to the table and gestures to the seat next to Frankie. He nods his head for him to sit down while he watches the dance floor. They sit in silence for a moment and Frankie thinks about how selfish he is for being so petulant about the whole thing. 

  Santiago never cared about finding his soulmate, maybe because of their line of work or maybe it was the nature of his being. He’ll never forget the look on his face when his tattoo’s disappeared. He told the guys it was fine but they could hear him trying to muffle his cries in his bunk. 

  “I’ll do it Pope.” Santiago looks at him with a mixture of shock and excitement. 

  “I came ready for an argument.” He slides Frankie’s plate closer to him to steal a bite of cake. “We meet him tomorrow.” 

  “Jesus what if I said no?” Frankie slides the plate back to himself, not ready to let go of his precious dessert. 

  “You might want to lay off the cake if you’re going to meet your soulmate soon.” Frankie flips him off as Santi grabs the plate and saunters off to the dance floor. 

  ****

  Dave’s always early to meet a client, but never this early. He couldn’t find a lot of information on Francisco Morales but he did find out he was Delta Force and so was the man that hired him on his behalf. He always met potential clients in a public place of their choosing to get an idea of who they are. There's no doubt in his mind that this coffee shop holds no significance to the two men and will most certainly not help him figure out anything about Francisco. 

  He knows it’s their military training that they will never seem to break free from. It doesn’t make it easy for your soulmate to find you when you're as mysterious as Francisco Morales. No social media, no parking tickets, no convictions. A minor hiccup with his pilot's license but his record was scrubbed clean a few years ago. It takes a lot of money to completely wipe your record. 

  Their trip to Colombia wasn’t as off the books as they thought. With Dave’s connections he can find out a lot more about the average person than they think. It’s true he is paid to find your soulmate but he has a duty to uphold to not put said person in harm's way. Frankie’s sketchy past and interesting finances make him a little wary to just introduce him to the person he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life with. He doesn’t know the circumstances behind his wife leaving him and that also has his guard up. Who just up and leaves after 8 years? 

  He pauses his thoughts momentarily as he notices an old Jeep pull into the parking lot of the cafe. He hasn’t seen a Jeep like that in years. His suspicions are correct when two men around his age step out. Still relatively in military shape, the shorter of the two in a black t-shirt much too tight for him and black jeans. The taller one in an open flannel and blue jeans donning a dirty cap and aviators…that must be Francisco. 

  They both survey the area as if it’s their first time here and that confirms his other notion that these men wanted to meet somewhere not near their home. Probably thirty minutes to an hour outside of where they actually live if he would guess. Fifteen minutes early to be safe but still not earlier than him. 

  “I should’ve worn something nicer.” Frankie smooths his hands down the front of his worn flannel as they approach the coffee shop. This was his nice flannel but maybe he could’ve taken an iron to it or something. 

  “Relax hermano, he didn’t bring your soulmate to the meeting.” 

  “You vetted this guy?” Frankie couldn’t find much information on David York, which worried him a little. 

  “As much as I could.” Frankie holds the door open for Santiago as they enter and head straight for the counter. Coffee is much needed after imbibing too much at the wedding. He’s grateful in hindsight that he chose this location just outside of town. 

  “Corner,black suit.” 

  Frankie glances up, hopefully shielded by his sunglasses. “He looks smug.” 

  “Don’t start.” Santi hisses under his breath as he steps up to place their order. “ Two black coffees please.” 

  Best case scenario, this guy finds his soulmate and Frankie can’t even wrap his head around what he would do with that information. It scares him to even think about it. 

  Worst case scenario, Pope is out some money that he didn’t ask him to spend in the first place and he can go back to whatever semblance of a life he was living before all this. 

  Way to be positive Frankie

  ****

  Introductions are awkward to say the least. Frankie and Santi seated at the small cafe table across from Dave who has set a notepad down next to his small coffee. The silence is deafening as he scribbled down a few things after giving them a once over. 

  “So I’m sure you have some questions for me. If you don’t mind holding those until I’ve gone over everything.” He’s not really asking and Frankie already had his hackles up at the grim outlook of the man in front of him. 

  He always hated ‘suits’ . This guy is obviously ex-government and he’s not really sure how someone like him ended up in the line of work of finding someone’s soulmate. Besides the obvious monetary aspect there is a lot of love and emotion involved and the man seated before him doesn’t strike him as the romantic type. 

  “Why did you decide to hire me to find your soulmate?” I didn’t hire you. Frankie looks over at Santiago hoping he’ll help him out a little. 

  “Well ugh…I actually didn’t.” Dave raises his eyebrows at that but lets him continue. “My friend here was kind enough to give me a push in the right direction.” After too many drinks and a lot of talking he reconciled with Santi that this was something he should at least try to pursue. 

  Everything seems pretty straightforward once he starts going over his normal way of doing things. Frankie understands after the initial round of uncomfortable questions that Dave needs to make sure he’s not some weirdo. He opted to return a few peoples initial deposit upon meeting them and not deeming them safe enough or sane enough to track down their soulmate and uproot their lives. 

  Frankie’s thankful he doesn’t pry too much into his reason for divorcing. Dave mostly wanted to make sure that he was not still legally married because he won’t set anyone up for heartbreak. 

  Dave has a thirty day guarantee, if he doesn’t find them in that time frame you get a full refund. Frankie is a little shocked at his confidence. People spend their entire lives trying to find their soulmate and he can somehow guarantee it. 

  “So, now that I’ve gone over all the logistics. Do you have any questions for me?” Frankie looks to Santiago who’s been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this meeting. Maybe out of courtesy for Frankie or perhaps he’s sizing him up. Either way, Frankie really only has one thing he is curious about. 

  “Why do you do it?” 

  Dave takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee. It’s pretty bad if he’s being honest but he needs a moment. He always needs a moment when this question is brought up. It’s usually one of the only questions he hates answering. Truthfully answering would require to let people in ‘strangers’. 

  These same strangers trust him enough to do this so as uncomfortable as it is he provides enough of an answer to suit both parties. 

  “I hate to say that it pays well, but I have to state the obvious.” For the first time during the meeting Frankie can see his hard exterior crack a little. The first time where he seems nervous and unsure of what he’s going to say. 

  “Also…I wish I had met my wife sooner. I may have had more time with her.” 

  Santiago excuses himself from the table. He doesn’t do well with emotions. Frankie knows that probably stung a little. He’s not sure if it’s worse that Santi never got to meet them or if meeting them briefly makes it all that more painful. 

  “I appreciate your honesty Dave.” He sends him a tight lip smile that doesn’t meet the eyes. 

  “If that’s all you have for me I’ll be in touch in the next few days hopefully with an update.” 

  Frankie shakes his hand, a firm handshake he notes to himself. Dave has a nice build, he’s not sure why he makes a note of that as well. 

  Frankie finished the rest of his coffee and headed outside. Santi leans against the back of the Jeep scrolling idly on his phone. He looks up at him but says nothing as they both get in, Frankie in the driver's seat. 

  “I just needed some air.” Santiago looks out the passenger window seemingly fixated on the passing cars. 

  “I know hermano.” He doesn’t need to say anything more. 

  Neither of them speak for a while, too many thoughts on their minds as they ponder the meeting and what all of it means. Seeing Santiago still struggling with losing his soulmate makes Frankie want to give this his all. 

  ****

  Santi can’t shake the thought of Dave doing all this because he didn’t have enough time with his soulmate. At least he got to spend some time with them. He's lied to himself all these years after his tattoos and scars of his soulmate were long gone. This was not about him though, this is about helping his friend move on and be happy. That’s all he wants for them after the chaos he caused in Colombia. He has to make things right for him. Frankie may not see it as his fault but Santiago can’t help but think maybe Sophia would’ve stayed if things hadn’t gone so poorly. 

  Santiago would never know that things started to sour in their relationship long before that Ill fated trip to steal someone else’s money. 

  Frankie was the one who had it all together. A real job he could be proud of , a wife he loved , a house for their future family. Things quickly fell apart for him after they returned and he was no longer the one that they looked to for guidance. 

  Santiago made it his mission to help Frankie get back on his feet after they went back for the money. Frankie got his license back, he bought a home that didn’t remind him of all his memories with his ex wife, now all he needed to do was find love. 

  Santi rubs his hands across his jeans trying to shake himself from the trance. Frankie eyes him cautiously from the driver’s seat. 

  Santiago leans forward to turn the radio down. “So how are you feeling about all this?” 

  “Considering he has a guarantee, a little better than I felt going in.” 

  He doesn't want to get his hopes up too much but he’s starting to get that feeling like things may be taking a turn for the better. 

  Frankie pulls up to Santi’s house and puts the car in park. 

  “I know what you’re gonna say, I’ll be fine I promise and I’ll call you later after I sleep off this hangover.” Frankie smiles at that,Santiago only lets a select few into his world and he won’t push it any further. 

  “I just want to say thanks Pope. This really means a lot.” Santi waves him off and hops out, he knows how much it means but he’s not gonna get any more emotions out of this day. 

  “Love you hermano, this time next year we’ll be planning your wedding.” Santi calls out over his shoulder before he enters his house. Frankie wants to roll his eyes at that but he secretly hopes that he’s right. 

  ****

  “Alicia! We’re gonna be late.” You stand in your bedroom in front of the floor length mirror putting the finishing touches on your makeup. The modest yellow sundress and strappy heels you bought ages ago are finally getting some use. 

  “I can’t decide on what to wear.” You faintly hear her yell from her bedroom. 

  You’re not particularly excited about this singles event she signed you up for but you certainly didn’t want to walk in late and have all eyes on you. She’s your best friend so you agreed to accompany her on one of her many schemes to get you back on the dating scene. 

  You cross the hall to her room and find a mountain of clothes on her bed and more clothes flying out of her closet. 

  “Let me see what you’re wearing.” She emerges from her closet in a slinky black dress to match her long black hair. She was a bombshell in anything she wore so you aren’t sure what the hold up is. 

  “Alicia that looks hot, wear that.” She gives herself a once over in the mirror as she smooths her hands down the front. 

  “You don’t think this is sending the wrong message?” 

  “Babe you said yourself you need to get laid.” You glance down at the time on your phone. “Shit we’re gonna be really late.”

  “You’re right, I did say that. Thanks for talking me off a ledge.” She grabs her phone from the nightstand as you follow her out of the room. 

  “You’re gonna need to pretend my room is yours if you bring someone home though.” You gesture towards the disaster she left on her bed. 

  She turns to you, grabbing your face and kissing your forehead. “Only a true friend would let me defile her bed for the sake of a hookup.”

  You laugh as you shoo her along out the door. “That’s what friends are for.”

  ****

  The bad news, you were indeed late. The good news is no one seems to notice as you both enter the hotel lounge for the event. Everyone is talking and mingling amongst themselves so you and Alicia have an opportunity to grab a drink and settle in. 

  You haven’t been on a proper date in years so she thought this would be a nice way to ease back into things. No pressure or obligations and no awkward first date etiquette. People were just here to simply talk and get to know each other. If you made a connection that was great but if you just didn’t like someone then there were no hard feelings. 

  “Cute guy at twelve o'clock is checking you out.” You try to do a subtle scan of the room as you sip your fruity drink. 

  “Alicia I don’t know what that means…Wait how do you know he wasn’t checking you out?” She steps in front of you to slightly block your view. 

  “He’s in the gray button down on my right .” She half whispers as she attempts a head nod. “Do you see him?” 

  “Oh shit he’s coming over here.” You both do your best worst to act casual as a tall and very attractive…distractingly attractive man walks over. 

  “I do have to say yellow is definitely your color.” 

  “Told you.” Alicia says under her breath as she leaves you at the bar with this stranger. 

  You thank him politely for his compliment and introduce yourself as you try to ignore the lewd gestures your best friend is making with her hands behind his back. Thankfully she’s interrupted by a man with a tap on her shoulder. He’s noticeably not the type she goes for. He’s much too tall for her…she prefers to tower over her love interests ‘it makes me feel powerful’ in her words. 

  Jeff was nice enough as he engaged you in conversation. He mostly droned on about his job in finance and his hobbies, his five year goals and now come to think of it…you didn’t really get a chance to talk about yourself. He excused himself from the conversation when he saw someone he knew in the crowd, leaving you in your comfortable silence once again. 

  Your moment of reprieve is short lived when a woman approaches you. You actually enjoy talking to her and you can tell she’s listening intently. She’s beautiful, funny and smart. Perhaps another time you would be interested but she mentioned she just got out of a long term relationship and you don’t have the energy to be someone’s rebound. You’ve spent years repairing your broken heart and if this is your one attempt at trying to find love again it just wouldn’t be fair to either of you. 

  You still exchanged numbers after she’d said how nice it was to meet you. Your eyes immediately find Alicia’s across the room with a man who could be her grandfather. He doesn’t seem to notice her look of save me etched across her face. You take this moment to tease her a bit, making the same hand motions she did earlier. An older woman looks on in shock when you realize a little too late that you’ve caught the attention of others in the room. 

  After offering an apologetic smile, you gather yourself and join her across the room. 

  “Sorry to interrupt, Alicia, can I borrow you for a moment.”

   She loops her arm in yours pulling you close to her side. “It was nice to meet you Irving.”

  “The pleasure is all mine dear.” He takes her free hand, planting a sloppy wet kiss on the top. You bite your cheek to stifle a laugh as she waves him off. You can feel her eyes on you as you exit the lounge. 

  If looks could kill you’d be a goner. 

  “Irving seemed nice.”

  “Shut up.” 

  You both burst into a fit of giggles as you make it safely to the hotel lobby out of sight of anyone trying to vy for your attention. 

  These were the moments you lived for with your best friend. The reason you were able to get back on your feet when you moved across the country to start your life over. She took you in like a stray cat, no questions asked when you replied to her ad looking for a roommate. You didn’t find out until later on that she didn’t need the money, she just hated living alone. 

  She came from a wealthy family and traveled the world before settling in Naples Florida. She never had a soulmate…it wasn’t out of the ordinary for people to go their entire lives without so much as a mark or tattoo. It makes you wonder if the universe chooses at random or if people are destined for that path. She is such a free spirit it almost makes sense why she can’t be tied down to just one person. Her biggest problem is making sure her current interests aren't only after her for money. 

  “So…what’s the plan for the rest of the evening babe?” You both step out still arm in arm. It’s a beautiful sunset starting just over the tops of the buildings downtown. You could walk down to the beach or drab a drink at another bar. 

  You can feel your dress starting to cling to your back from the humidity and you made a huge mistake wearing heels that weren’t broken in yet. Alicia looks at you and then pulls out her phone to call a car to come get you. “Let’s go home and eat ice cream while we discuss what a train wreck that was.” 

  You let out a sigh of relief as you push back trying to stand on the heels of your feet. “That sounds like a perfect night.” 

  ****

  “At one point he actually took his dentures out to show me.” Alicia buries her head in the pillow as you make a disgusted face. 

  “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.” You’re laughing to the point of a stomach ache. 

  “Ya, you sound really sorry.” She throws the pillow at you on the other end of the couch. “So tell me about the girl. You were talking to her for a while.” She raises one eyebrow at you as she reaches down to the coffee table for the carton of rocky road. 

  “She was nice.” You lean forward grabbing the carton from her hands. “She was more than nice actually…but she just got out of a serious relationship.” 

  “Ugh…no one wants to be a rebound.” 

  Your thoughts exactly. 

  You swear sometimes you share a brain, or maybe you have just spent so much time with each other that you can’t help but think alike. 

  “I’m glad we went, I needed to break the ice. It’s not like the love of my life is gonna waltz into the record store.” You loved your job, you always had a love for music. There was something so special about the medium of records standing the test of time. That’s the kind of love you wanted. 

  “Let’s just marry each other if this dating thing doesn’t work out.” She holds out her pinky as you wrap yours around hers. 

  “Deal.” 

  “Deal.” 

  You raise from the couch gathering your plush blankets. “I’m gonna turn in for the night, love you leesh.” 

  “Love you too hon’, get some sleep.”

  ****

  Sleep

  That was a joke in its own right. The problem with having anxiety is the one time where your brain should quiet down is when it wants to be the most active. 

  You brush your thumb along the etched roses on your ring finger. It’s such a fine and delicate tattoo, the line work is beautiful and the stem of it perfectly curls around coming to a point at the end of your finger. 

  You hate to assume, but it’s always felt feminine in nature. It doesn’t seem like a drunken mistake or a rushed decision. The tattoo feels intentional. You had a lot of tattoos in a short amount of time when you were in college. These tattoos were overtly masculine. A small Blackhawk tattoo on your left wrist, almost mirroring your hummingbird. A gun of some kind on your left ankle…you weren’t familiar with firearms. A tiny elephant on the inside of your left thigh, by far the most adorable of the set. 

  In short succession they all adorned your body before you graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a minor in arts management and a major in music history. Your step mother always said it was a waste and your father couldn’t be bothered to defend you. Your mother would have been proud though. 

  It was years before the roses showed up on your finger one beautiful spring day. It was so unlike the others it turned your world upside down. 

  The reason you moved across the country to escape the control and the pressure of someone who couldn’t love you with those scars and tattoos. Resenting you more and more each day knowing that you belonged to someone else. 

  It’s those thoughts that keep you up at night. The nightmares and horrible things that only your mind thinks up. As much as you try to push those thoughts away, you know deep down someone is out there. Made for you. 

  We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. 

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[pssionfruit]

(  madelyn cline.  ciswoman.  she/her.  )  did  you  hear  ?  QUINN MONTGOMERY  is  stuck  in  stonehaven   for  the  foreseeable  future  …  they've  lived  here  for  A FEW MONTHS  and  are  known  around  town  as  THE  OUTCAST,  though  back  in  high  school  they  were  better  known  for  being  voted  BEST SMILE.  if  i'm  not  mistaken,  they’re  a  TWENTY-TWO year  old  senior  studying  PRE-MED (  i  really  hope  that  translates  well  into  their  role  as  a MEDIC  in  the  ‘new  world'  ).  according  to  my  records  they  were  originally  on  the  trip  because  she needed it for her grad school admissions  —  which  checks  out,  given  they’re  LOYAL,  INDEPENDENT  and  WORRISOME.  if  you’re  ever  trying  to  find  them,  your  best  bet  is  to  start  at  bell’s bookstore  and  listen  for  someone  humming  don’t smile  by  sabrina carpenter.  oh,  and  don’t  forget  to  try  calling  out  quinny  or  picturing  french-tipped nails , dirty-blonde perfect waves , & a hand full of books  for  extra  help.  let's  hope  the  chaos  doesn't  get  to  them 

𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚜

full     name     :    quinn alison montgomery . nicknames     /     aliases     :   quinny . age     :     twenty     two . date     of     birth     :    november 5th . zodiac     :     scorpio gender     :     cis     woman   ,     she     /     her    pronouns     preferred     . sexual     orientation     :     heterosexual . nationality     :     american     . ethnicity     :     caucasian   . major     :    pre-med .

𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍

quinn alison montgomery is originally from sarasota , florida . that's where she was born and raised by her wild child mother .

quinn could tell from an early age that her mom had wilder tendences than most moms ( being out til 2am , bringing home diff people each night , partying in their apartment ) , so she had to grow up quite fast .... feeling like a mom to herself kjshd

her father was a mystery & he wasn't allowed to be discussed in her house .. or else her mom would lash out and freak .

quinn excelled in school & got a scholarship to attend florida university for pre-med ( she wanted to do well for herself lmao ) . she took the scholarship & was finally away from her mom's antics . she made smm friends at school & w was havin the time of her life .

but , a few days after her 21st bday - she found out the news that her mom had been arrested for dr*g possession along with her boyfriend . for once , quinn rly had no idea how to remedy the situation .

a few weeks went by and quinn's mysterious father somehow found out about the arrest and got in contact with her . he invited her to come move near him so she wouldn't be alone dealing w this . where'd he live ? lil , cute , small town of stonehaven , indiana .

quinn couldn't handle being alone and eventually agreed to go live with her dad ... sacrificing her college experience & enrolling in the closest college to her dad ( they had a pre-med program thankfully ) .

so as of now , shes living w her dad & adjusting to the drama that has went down in her life ... shes the outcast bc she's very new to the town still & rly hates going out and talking to anyone bc shes lowkey goin thru it and doens't want to talk abt why she's rly in town .. plus it's a small town where ppl know each other , so she feels left out / odd

𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢

quinn is known around town as the outcast bc she's recently moved to stonehaven to live with her dad . and she hasn't done much favors for herself since she hasn't really tried to make friends lmao .. but when you get to know her .. she's very down to earth , can be protective over those she loves , shes very dedicated to her major and things she cares abt , intelligent , & very realistic .

think ... meredith grey tbh.

𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

so she's new , so she prob doesn't have many connections rn sjdfhskf....but it'd be nice to get a friend for her! maybe they aren't friends yet..but they become friends & it's her first friend in stonehaven :-)

flings/crushes??

a rivals situation...maybe some1 doesn't like how quiet and outcast-y she is ...?? or she doesn't like them for some reason ?? idk

anything! <3333

[ocstabler]

Law & Order SVU S1E2 (A Single Life)

Work Life: A woman falls to her death.

Work Relations: Olivia defends not being able to tell her neighbours apart because she's always with Elliot.

A shrink they visit about their victim thinks Elliot and Olivia are a couple coming for therapy.

Elliot has a friend who works for the New York Ledger.

He mentions Elliots old partner Alfonse and asks Elliot if 'big fatso' had a heart attack. Elliot says he retired and moved to Florida.

While talking to a suspect, Elliot cuts short the interview when Olivia bites back at the suspect. She tells Elliot outside the room that a guy like that isn't going to talk to her and sends him back in solo. Elliot checks if they're okay first before he does and Olivia confirms they are fine.

Elliot comes across a folders from a victim titled 'penis quotes' and makes Olivia go through it.

Cragen calls Olivia and Elliot two of his best detectives.

Family Life: We find out Elliot lives in Queens.

Olivia makes Elliot admit that Kathy does all the housework because he's never home. Elliot agrees and says Kathy is the man of the house until Dickie is old enough.

Elliot clears the gunk out of the garbage disposal at home.

We meet all the Stabler kids, though not by name.

Maureen is shown chatting on the phone, Kathleen is at the table doing her homework and Elizabeth is playing 'Old McDonald' on the piano. Dickie comes running in and asks Kathy if she's seen his turtle he left in the sink. Hopefully, a toy turtle.

Maureen is the only one mentioned by name in this scene, although Dickie was mentioned by name before hand so it's just Elizabeth and Kathleen to be named.

Elliot talks to Kathy about his concerns and how stranger danger is taught to kids but sometimes trusted adults can betray kids.

Kathy tells him they've had the conversation before.

She calls him 'El', which is somethine Olivia and others eventually call him at work but, this is the first time he's called the name.

Kathy fills Elliot in on Maureen's grades and Kathleens orthodonist appointment. Elliot talks about work again and Kathy again turns the conversation back onto their children. At this point, she does name all of the kids.

Kathy tells him that Elizabeth made him a play-doh astray but then Dickie flushed it down the toilet. Elliot mentions to Kathy that he doesn't smoke. He again brings the topic of the case up and Kathy, who seemed to want to be intimate with him, hugs him instead to comfort him over his upset.

Interestingly, in this episode, Elliot is talking to Kathy about his work and the current case while Kathy talks about their kids. In later series it's a big part of Elliot's character that he won't talk about work at home.

Trauma: Elliot is upset when he learns that their victim was raped by her father. He doesn't get angry, he just seems shocked by it.

Anger Issues: Elliot gets a little annoyed with a cop who suggests a rape victim was dressed inappropriately if she didn't want sex, although he's pretty mild.

Stability: 9/10. Elliot is quite upset at the idea that a father raped their own child but he does at least talk about it with Kathy.

Flirty behaviour: When Elliot and Olivia talk about their home lives and he calls her a monkette as they get to the car he stops and watches her as she puts things in the car. Olivia notices and asks what and he shrugs it off and says nothing.

Although I often see this shown in clips of their love, and I have included it here as flirting, I think in reality, Elliot is thinking of how the victim- who they are having a hard time finding next of kin for and haven't been able to contact anyone about her death so far- is a lot like Liv. Olivia only has her mother and I think Elliot thinks highly of Liv and it bothers him a little that she goes home alone. So although I don't think it's love like some people think it is, I think it still shows his feelings for her, just in a more platonic way at this point.

Damage Control: None.

Anything else: Elliot and Olivia stop at a hotdog stand and he orders her hotdog for her while she's on the phone. Some of the relish goes on the napkin and you can tell that he is poking the relish onto the hotdog before giving it to her.

As noted above in the family life section, Elliot is open with Kathy about work and talks to her about cases that upset him and he can't quite shake.

Kathy seems to avoid the conversation by refocusing Elliot on their children, but he clearly needs to talk through cases that are bothering him. Twice during their conversation, Kathy changes the subject and at the beginning, when he is talking about their own kids safety, she tells him they've talked about it already.

It's also noted how much time Olivia and Elliot spend together, even this early on in their partnership.

[richincolor]

[The six images above are the covers of the books that are featured in the post and are described below after each of the titles.]

Disability Pride Month

For Disability Pride Month we gathered a few titles that we have enjoyed and/or hope to read in the near future. If you know of others that shouldn't be missed, please let us know. 

The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown Levine Querido [Cover is painted and shows three young people sitting near water with a bright sun up above. They're wearing shorts and have long dark hair.]

THE BSE (Best Summer Ever) LIST!

1. Blueberries 2. Art show in ShoeHorn 3. Lizzo concert 4. Thrift shop pop-up 5. Skinny Dipping at the lake house 6. Amusement Park Day! 7. Drew Barrymarathon 8. Paintball day

Oh, and ….

9. Fall out of love with Hailee

Andrea Williams has got this. The Best Summer Ever. Two summers ago, she spent all her time in bed, recovering from the latest surgery for her cerebral palsy. She’s waited too long for adventure and thrills to enter her life. Together with her crew of ride-or-die friends, and the best parents anyone could ask for (just don’t tell them that), she’s going to live it up.

There’s just one thing that could ruin it: Her best friend, Hailee, finding out Andrea’s true feelings. So Andrea WILL fall out of love with Hailee – even if it means dating the cute boy George who keeps showing up everywhere with a smile.

Do we want Andrea to succeed? No! Does she? We’re not telling!

Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester Clarion Books [Cover has a young woman swimming in water. She is wearing a bikini and there are scars visible on her back.]

In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.

Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body.

Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor.

She decides it’s time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her—the truth about her own body.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes Balzer + Bray [Cover shows four brightly dressed young people in a narrow passageway or hallway. They are leaning in towards each other to pose together for the picture.]

Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers, despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen.

Luis’s attention soon turns to something more, and they have sex at a party—while Ari didn’t say no, she definitely didn’t say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning—thanks, she’s sure, to Luis’s ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won’t say no.

Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker that eventually leads her to a group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she’ll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night—and risk everything to see justice done.

Disability Visibility Adapted for Young People edited by Alice Wong Delacorte Press [Our review] [The cover has several geometric shapes and bright colors on it along with the title.]

The seventeen eye-opening essays in Disability Visibility , all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life's ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy.

The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be “fixed,” but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations. It is essential reading for all.

Something More by Jackie Khalileh Tundra [The cover shows three students in uniform near a school sign. One is standing in front and the other two people are sitting on top of the sign.]

Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script.

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp Farrar, Straus and Giroux [This cover features two people hugging with their eyes closed on the cover. One has long hair and the other has very closely cut hair on one side with longer hair on the top. The one with short hair has a cane in one hand.]

This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future.

The contributing authors are awardwinners, bestsellers, and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Each author identifies as disabled along a physical, mental, or neurodiverse axis―and their characters reflect this diversity.

[bayoubashsims]

Addams Family Tree & History

I'm sick with the flu and still grieving, so I decided to remake the Addams Family tree (lol excuse the tacky graphic design) and write down their fictional history based on all of the references to their ancestors. Some of the placements of relatives here are speculative, based on the time they lived in and so on.

Pre-1600s

The many iterations of the Addams Family provides several information on the history of the fictional family. The eldest known ancestor of the Addams family is probably the ghostly caveman featured in the musical and Mamoud Khali Pasha Addams, who was called the Firebug of the Bosporus that burned the Library of Alexandria down in 270 AD. Around the Dark Ages, an ancestor named Rulen the Ruthless Addams existed.

1600s

The earliest appearance of an ancestor was one that was featured prominently in Wednesday (series). Goody Addams and her mother lived in Jericho, Vermont during the witch trials of 1625 and were of Mexican descent, having lived among the native folk for a long time. When the town founder Joseph Crackstone set those accused of withcraft on fire, Goody escaped. Goody is not mentioned to be a direct ancestor, so it is possible that she may be the sister of one of Wednesday's ancestors.

A year later, in 1626, a Dutch man by the name of Van Dyke Addams helped in buying Manhattan from the natives of New York. Though Gomez claimed him to be his great-great-great-great-grandfather, this is not plausible because of Long John (see below), who existed in the latter part of the 1600s. Given the timeline, it's possible that Van Dyke was actually the grandfather of Long John and the father of Goody.

In the The New Addams Family, Long John Addams, Gomez's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was a pirate and in 1699 wrote a story about his life. He had a brother named Curly Addams, whose severed hand became Pinky (presumably an ancestor of Thing) and Long John later married Lady Penelope Addams, who was actually a dread pirate that was his rival and sought someone to best her.

1700s

In the early 1700s, an aunt by the name of Calpurnia Addams danced naked in the town square and enslaved a minister, and was burned as a witch in 1706.

According to Gomez in the musical in July 31st, 1715, a man named Captain General Redondo Cuervo (short for Redondo Ventana Laguna Don Jose Cuervo), who commanded a Spanish warship named Pico de Gallo, sailed from Madrid, but was still stuck there three weeks later. He sank six months later off the southern coast of Florida and presumably settled there. It was not mentioned that he was a direct ancestor by Gomez and he did not bear the name of Addams, so it's possible that he might have come from a maternal line.

A woman by the name of Miss Salem Addams was born in 1730 and lived up until 1830, and was buried in the family cemetery.

In 1764, an Admiral John Paul Addams was apparently hanged, but he was also apparently responsible for 'the shot heard round the world' in 1775, which began the American Revolutionary War, and for fighting against Hideki Tojo's forces and the German flotilla in the North Atlantic sea during World War II.

It can be inferred that he was possibly the captain of a ghost ship, considering that he had died in the mid 1700s and was yet active in the 1940s. It is possible that he was Gomez's great-great-great-great-grandfather.

Another relative who appeared in the American Revolutionary War was Old Cannonball Addams, who was said to be a natural-born leader at Bunker Hill in 1775 before he began firing at his own men due to him not being able to see without his glasses. An Addams that possibly lived in this generation as well was Blood and Guts Addams, who may also have been in the American Revolutionary War.

During the 1700s, apparently a branch of the family split into the famous Adams political family in Boston, Massachussetts, of which Gomez's distant cousin by marriage, Abigail Adams, is a member of and sees herself as the head of the family.

1800s

Around this time, Ol' Ebenezer Addams led early settlers to the Great Plains and sold the first guns to the Native Americans (it is possible that he was Gomez's great-great-great-grandfather). Later on, Old Blood and Thunder Addams participated in the American Civil War and was very inspirational right before he turned traitor at Shiloh in 1862, while in 1863, General Ulysses S. Addams surrendered in Vicksburg after enemy soldiers caught up with him.

Then presumably in c.1860-1870, Gomez's great-great-grandfather, Goober Addams (according to Gomez in the 1992 series) built The Addams Family Mansion in order to enjoy the swamp. It is possible that Goober was a sibling of Blood and Thunder and Ulysses, and the son of Ebenezer.

His presumable son, Pegleg Addams, was Gomez's great-grandfather (mentioned in the 1964 series), who was the last of the adventureous Addams and was wanted by fifteen countries for piracy. He had hid the treasure under the mansion. It was possible that he had siblings by the name of Bluebeard Addams, Black Bart Addams, and Bloody Addams, who were presumably pirates too.

1900s

Pegleg had at least one son, Mortimer Addams, a pyromaniac who resembled Gomez and married Delilah Addams. Delilah is possibly the daughter of Grandpa Squint, a medical expert of some kind who Abraham Lincoln begged for his political support in the 1860s, and Grandma Squint, who often makes strange sounds and cackles from the attic on dark stormy nights.

It was possible that Pegleg had another son named Uncle Blight, who masterminded the presidential campaigns of Al Smith, Wendell Wilkie, and Adlai Stevenson in 1928, 1940, and 1952 (respectively). Additionally, a relative by the name of Edwin Booth Addams was presumably named after the killer of Abraham Lincoln, and could possibly be a relative of them.

Mortimer and Delilah visited the family in Addams Family Reunion, in which they showed symptoms for Waltzheimer's Disease and became pleasant old people. By the time of The New Addams Family, Delilah had died by being struck by a truck while rollerblading with headphones on. Mortimer later married Diandra Addams, who resembled Morticia.

Mortimer's son was Father Addams (possibly named Harold) who later married Grandmama (or Mother Addams), and they had four children: Gomez Addams, Pancho Addams, and Uncle Cosimo, Uncle Fester. They spent some time in Spain (Gomez calls it his 'ancestral land') as it was mentioned that Gomez lived there until he was 10 and a marriage was arranged by Mortimer (who signed the marriage contract) and Don Xavier Molina between Gomez and Consuela, Don Xavier's daughter. Their families were said to have known each other since the time of the Spanish inquisition. According to Morticia in the 1991 film, both Mother and Father Addams later died in the hands of an angry mob.

Present time

In Wednesday, Gomez and Morticia both attended Nevermore Academy for their high school, and that is where they met in 1997.

In The Addams Family (TV Series) and The New Addams Family, Granny Frump and Grandmama had planned to marry Morticia's older sister Ophelia Frump to Gomez, but the plan failed when Gomez fell in love with Morticia instead. Beforehand, Morticia had been dating Gomez' cousin Cousin Vlad, since they had gone to the same high school, and Gomez and Morticia had first met at a funeral, but only gotten to know each other better around the time of Ophelia and Gomez's matchmaking.

After they married at the age of 22, they had three children: Wednesday Addams, Pugsley Addams, and later, in Addams Family Values, Pubert Addams. There were also two other children in the Halloween special named Wednesday Jr. Addams and Pugsley Jr. Addams, but they are often not considered canon.

They live in the crumbling Addams Family mansion with their butler, Lurch, who had presumably been in the family for a long time. His father, Father Lurch, a Dr. Frankenstein-like character, put him together and wanted him to be a jockey, and he has a very smothering mother by the name of Mother Lurch. Gomez said that Lurch has the heart of an Addams and it is implied to be literal. Lurch apparently came from a long line of similar looking, hulking people. in the 2019 film, Lurch was a former inmate at the insane asylum that became the family mansion.

Another member of the household is Thing (or his full name, Thing T. Thing). Though he is sometimes portrayed as having been a hand creature born from a long line of hands (a photograph of his parents appears in the 1964 series, as a female hand holding a male hand), other portrayals have him as a disembodied hand, possibly of a member of a family. Indeed, in the original cartoons, Thing was shown to be a creature with a body who often appears in the peripherals of the illustrations. He then became an arm and later on, only a hand.

Grandmama's Branch

The oldest known ancestor from Grandmama's side of the family was her great-great-great-grandmother Slice, who sharpened guillotines and was called 'the belle of the French Revolution' in 1789-1799.

Not much is known about her branch of the family, but it was known that she came from a family of witches. Her mother was presumably called Mooma, who would run her kids out of town if they ever got too big for their brooms, while her father was presumably Grandpa Slurp, who had two heads: with a bucktooth in one head, and a receding chin on the other.

She was also known to have two siblings: Uncle Jester, a zany, trouble-making jester who resembled Fester (and who she greatly disliked), and Great Auntie Sloom, who was looked at as a family elder who presided over the family traditions (such as the Mazurka). It can be inferred, then, that Grandmama's family and the main Addams family have their traditions intertwined.

She had a dark complexion (in the original illustrations and the 2020s films) and was known to have gone to a high school named Swamptown High with Granny Frump. In the 2020s film, she often travels the world and has an Old World, Eastern-European accent, the first iteration that showed her to be of a non-American origin.

The Frump Branch

Morticia's great-great-great-Aunt Singe was said to be burned during the Salem Witch Trials of 1892-1893, placing her as the oldest known ancestor of the Frump family. Another possible relative from this time would be Great-Aunt Esther.

Morticia was known to have a grandfather named Grandpa Droop, who gave her stock certicifactes for her twelfth birthday, implying they were rich. He may presumably be the father of Morticia's father, Grandpa Frump or her mother, Granny Frump. Grandpa and Granny had fallen in love because Fester (here as Grandpa's brother, in the 1964 series) shot the arrow (and the gun) that brought them together. They had two children: Ophelia Frump and Morticia.

Granny was a witch and presumably, Morticia's ancestors were also witches. Because of Morticia's anti-social tendencies, Granny had to homeschool her and taught her everything. Morticia has an assortment of cousins with eccentric behaviors, such as the sisters Cousin Melancholia and Cousin Catastrophia, and Cousin Pretensia.

[thestupidhelmet]

If the original writers had stuck around for the eighth season and we'd gotten a Jackie/Hyde endgame possibly ending with their wedding, do you think the writers of the reboot would have destroyed that in favor of pairing Jackie with Kelso the way they broke up Jackie and Fez? Or do you think there's a chance their endgame would have been preserved? For some reason, I feel like J/H shippers would have been screwed no matter what due to real life stuff.

Many of the original writers stayed, and some of them wrote great J/H episodes before season 8. The show runners changed from the J/H-loving Filgos to the J/H hating duo who took the job afterward.

If season 7 hadn't been decided to be last season and originally written as the end of the show, the Filgos likely would've stuck around to finish out the series (if it was just one more season). As far as everyone on T7S was concerned, S7 was it, and people started looking for new gigs, including the Filgos.

The writers take story direction from he showrunners. If the Filgos had stayed for S8, they would've had to deal with Eric's absence and Kelso's mostly absence. I'd like to believe they would've made sure both characters were still part of the show even if offscreen.

Jackie and Hyde would've been engaged (as in the originally-written S7/series finale). A lot of humor could've been derived from that. Red/Kitty and Jackie/Hyde likely would've had a lot of stories together, comparing and contrasting a long-married couple to a newly-engaged one (which isn't the direction taken during E/D's engagement arc).

W.B. would've been utilized more, hopefully with his character (and relationship with Hyde) fleshed out instead of just punchlines.

Fez would grieve over Kelso, a storyline of its own. He and Donna could bond over their mutual losses. At some point, Fez might misinterpret his new friendship-closeness as romantic, and Donna would have to shut him down. She's still in love with Eric, and she's waiting for him. Ez would think about this a moment and say, "And I will wait for Kelso, too."

Donna: But Kelso's not coming back. He's living with Brooke and their baby in Chicago.

Fez: Then I will go to him.

Donna: And do what?

Fez (emotional): Tell him I love him!

Donna: Okay, when you say *love* ...

Fez: Love, woman! Can't one man love another man in this country without everyone else being weird about it?!

Donna: I suppose father and sons, brothers --

Fez: And best friends. Now good day.

Donna: Fez, we're in my house.

Fez: I said good day!

Out of this we get an episode where Fez visits Kelso in Chicago. Unfortunately the actress who played Brooke didn't love being on the show, but maybe she'd do one guest spot like she did in S7.

What I would love is if Fez runs into Rhonda in Chicago, and the second half of season 8 for Fez is about them reconciling.

Jackie and Donna s storylines have a lot of potential, too. Jackie might say she understands what Donna's going through with having a long-distance relationship.

Donna: Oh? Do tell.

Jackie: Steven has to go to Milwaukee every few weeks for work. That's, like, an hour away, and sometimes he's there the whole weekend to spend time with family.

Donna: Jackie, Eric is across the ocean on another continent. I get letters from him twice a week. I haven't heard his voice in months. Hyde going to Milwaukee for a weekend doesn't compare -- and you go with him for a lot of the overnights.

Jackie: Well, fine. If you don't want my sympathy, you don't have to have it.

Donna and Jackie reconcile sooner than later, though, and Jackie helps Donna come up with the best care package for Eric ever, which Kitty gets nosy about. She tries to slip in a few items her own, and Red catches her. This leads to their story in that episode.

We also have Bob, whom might not have planned to move to Florida but started to date another woman, played by a famous actress (as T7S is wont to do). Maybe someone totally inappropriate for him or insane, which gives him a story arc with all the main characters who have to deal with this new presence and her weird effect on Bob. Not a Caroline/Fez rehash, though.

All in all, I hope the Filgos would feel free to let humor and plot rise organically from characterization. No more alcoholism for Kitty and no put-upon cliche TV husband for Red. R/K would get their due with their characters, evolving as the circumstances around them have changed (e.g., no Eric, J/H engaged, an ever-present Fez and Donna, etc.)

[lostr4ils]

pinterest / full stats / dependent oc blog @kiawahisland.

birth name : fiammetta maria torres.

alias / nickname : fia; also known as @ fiamatorres.

age : 24.

date of birth : december 15th 1999.

place of birth : miami, florida.

zodiac : sagittarius sun, gemini rising.

hometown & neighborhood : kiawah island & ocean park ( c. 2003 ).

gender + pronouns: demi woman + she / they.

orientation : queer.

occupation : tour guide & scuba instructor for the oasis charter; photographer & social media influencer.

spoken languages : english and spanish.

family : gonzalo torres ( father; cfo of the golden cove country club ), natalia rossi ( mother ), older sister.

the torres are planners. from career aspirations to moving across the country to when they'll have another child, everything was perfectly scheduled to best improve their life and social standing. what they had not expected was that, in between the attempted majestry of their life, their youngest kid would turn out...like that. while their eldest followed expectation promptly and elegantly, fia struggled to do the bare minimum. it isn't that she's incapable or anything of the sort, but their lack of interest was notorious throughout all the opportunities presented, and they certainly received many: a ballet lesson that only lasted two months, a foreign languages class that lasted half of that, drawing and numbers to lead to a career in architecture - - none of it lasts, the only constant is that fia will jump in between as many things as they can.

the melodrama of teenagehood doesn't make it better. at every important meeting, she is there, but she is also tracking way too much sand and her mother's lip is curled in disgust at how fia seems to be purposefully misbehaving as a ploy for attention. so they lower the attention she gets, and instead of an improvement, fia sneaks to parties across the island. when time for college comes, her trust fund is ready to send her anywhere - - she snags a portion of it and goes to new york, but six months of courses are enough to make her know what she wants to do with her life: she wants to be a photographer. and better yet, she wants to photograph things at sea, at home. new york is definitely not a place she enjoys all that much.

she returns with the promise of finishing her courses - - at some point. it won't be with torres' money, though. that comes with too many expectations and demands and she doesn't want to be like them, can't her family understand that? so they get a job. they know the island well, and after sneaking some independent tours around the town, they manage to get a job at the oasis charter. it would be easier to get something down at the resort or even at her dad's club, but she's adamant against it. she is going to do this her way.

despite her bullheadness, she still lives with her parents. it's a headache but fia makes sure to spend most of her time away from home; unfortunately, her gigs doesn't pay as much as she would like to get a flat for herself. it's fine, money is not that deep a concern (for someone who's had it all her life, anyways).

a condition to have the roof over her head is still doing family appearances on important events around ocean or indigo park.

they collect rocks. not sea shells, but rocks.

her instagram (as seen above) is filled with pictures she's taken around the island and under the sea. she's often on the prowl for interesting sights, wrecks and marine life. some of her pictures have made it to the charter's website to draw in attention to scubaing and she's growing attention on the web; her parents are trying to make her publish in actual magazines.

[petertingle-yipyip]

POOKIE now that the album has been out for a while what are your fav songs????

me personnally i cant pick they all already mean sm to me😭😭

once i saw it was a DOUBLE ALBUM i decided to wait till i had enough time to listen in full so i will listen right now and pull a you and give live ratings! (skip to the bottom for an overall feeling)

fortnight 8/10 - this is so ex coded holy “i love you and it’s ruining my life” literally of her relationships at some point, wow. i will say that post is an interesting collab for this type of song but i don’t hate it

the tortured poets department 6/10 - i liked the bridge (i think that’s what it is) the best. lyrically it’s good but not my fave and saying that ab the title track i hope doesn’t get me yelled at by anyone

my boy only breaks his favorite toys 9/10 - i claimed this one from the tracklist so i knew i was gonna like it. the best she stays with as she sings the title is perfect for an edit

down bad 7.5/10 - i didn’t expect her to come out cussing at me, okay ms swift. not a skip but not a daily listen either. crying at the gym is relatable though

so long, london 8/10 - i used this as a fic title lol but the cadence really shows how angry/tired she was by the time they split. the lyrics here are so powerful too. her imagery is always so beautiful

but daddy i love him 6/10 - idk why but this just doesn’t resonate with me the way i thought it would. still good though but i wouldn’t save it turn it on from my own phone

fresh out the slammer 9/10- having that one person who is your immediate thought, the driving force behind you, your everything is all i want and that yearning keeps me up at night

florida!! 4/10- nothing about this song drew me in 🫣

guilty as sin? 8/10 - “i choose you and me religiously” so matt murdock coded

who’s afraid of little old me? 10/10 - SO ex coded and rep coded “i was gentle, i was tame till the circus life made me mean” or “you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me” TELL ME THAT ISNT OUR GIRL EXODUS

i can fix him (no really i can) 6.5/10 - me with every fictional man i come across the “ woah, maybe i can’t” at the end is crazy, basically agreeing that he was such a mess but i was hoping to like this one a little more

loml 9/10- joe put her through it, holy shit

i can do it with a broken heart 10/10 - immediately can tell she was writing about herself performing from another perspective and i love the juxtaposition of a pop-dance type beat with these tougher lyrics “i cry a lot but im so productive” is literally me

the smallest man who ever lived 7.8/10 - the title feels like the inverse of the “loudest woman this town has ever seen” lyric and to me, it really highlights got she was always this icon whereas he was always ducking and dodging and not willing to live in that spotlight with her

the alchemy 5/10 - i feel like the message of this song went right over my head

clara bow 6/10 - it’s a cute song that (i think) documents the growth of her career and maybe the comparisons/comments she gotten as she’s worked and how people compare new stars to her

the black dog 5/10- it doesn’t really resonate with me

imgonnagetyouback 8.5/10 - is this the one some people are saying is similar to get him back! by liv? bc the only similarity i hear is the concept of not knowing if you’re gonna rekindle or beat the shit out of your ex

the albatross 8.5/10 - it’s like she knows exodus and elektra. “she is here to destroy you” but i think this is another way of her reclaiming her image/reputation through acknowledging and challenging what men/media say about her

chloe or sam or sophia or marcus 8.8/10 - honestly idk what ab this song but it’s so beautiful. i can’t explain it but its like a ballroom dance

how did it end? 9/10 - this song gives the vibes of a movie scene where two people are on swings at the night and then suddenly, one swing is empty (but still going) and the other person is just teetering on their toes

so high school 5/10 - gives me early ts vibes and it’s cute but not really me

i hate it here 7/10- not my favorite but i do like the beat

thanK you aIMee 6/10 - this is directed at KIM or am i tripping? also the guitar reminds me of debut era for some reason

i look in peoples windows 7.5/10 - this song is yearning, wanting to see that person just one more time and its me wondering if i’ll see my ex again, just to know what’d happen if he saw me again after everything he’s said to me

the prophecy 9/10 - i really love the chorus

cassandra 5/10 - didn’t really stick out to me and became background noise 🫣

peter 7.8/10 - its really cute and ik it’s probably more of a peter pan reference but the editors need to get on it and do peter x mj

the bolter 8.7/10 - i was not reviled by anyone except my own father so (we’re better now though) but i do run from intimacy

robin 6/10 - slow, sweet, cute little song

the manuscript 9/10- instantly loved it (forgot what else i wanted to say here)

overall, is a lyrically beautiful album. there’s so much emotion in the music and her delivery. her imagery is so beautiful as always. personally, i won’t say i love it but it is so so impactful. releasing 31 songs in one project is unheard of so i tip my hat to her ability to tell these stories with such grace and eloquence through such a marathon of an album. i like that you can hear bits of her previous albums in some of the songs and it is a very mature project imo. you can tell how much this meant to her and how much of herself she’s poured out. its an overall ~7.8/10 for me but i would recommend everyone to give it a listen

[firsttraintovictoriaville]

(using hypnotism) you will release the miss usa hair colors...

...I'm...I'm going to release the Miss USA hair colors....i shall also release the Universities' hair colors I just finished headcanoning under a read more as a bonus

I've also given Miss USAs more dyed hair because it is canon in the fact of Miss Alabama, it is more socially acceptable in the USA for a woman to dye her hair for fun than a man, it more socially acceptable for a man to have gray hair than a woman, and because I am an American woman who dyes her hair so that bleeds into it too

Miss USA-

Blonde- Ohio, Rhode Island, Kansas, Minnesota, Kentucky, California, Hawaii, South Carolina, New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, DC (18/51)

Brunette- Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, Michigan, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, West Virginia, Alaska (15/51)

Black-haired: Montana, Illinois, Vermont, Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland, New Mexico, Virginia (8/51)

Redhead: Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (6/51)

Have dyed their hair a "natural" color:

Tennessee (dyed auburn from blonde) [she wanted to lived her best Jolene life], Alabama (dyed blonde from brown)

Have dyed their hair an "unnatural" color: Florida (flamingo pink ombre on blonde hair), Nevada (light brown dyed whole head bluegreen that's more blue)

Universities-

Blonde- University of Alabama, University of Tennessee (2/8)

Brunette-University of South Carolina (1/8)

Black-haired: Texas Christian University, University of Michigan (2/8)

Red-haired: Auburn University, The Ohio State University (2/8)

Dyed their hair a "natural" color: University of Georgia (has the front/bangs/face framing strands whatever the style is called of her dark brown dyed pink)

[wickedsrest-rp]

Name: Safiya Zidan Species: Spellcaster Occupation: Owner of Over the Garden Wall Age: 39 Years Old Played By: Fish Face Claim: May Calamawy

"Listen to the sound of the water, let it take you away. You’re safe here."

TW: Parental death

Sometimes the story of your life isn’t the one you’ve been told. Take Safiya for example. Safiya grew up in Florida with her four siblings. Samir, practically her twin, was her best friend and eternal playmate. Samir was older than her, just by nine months, basically her twin in all ways that mattered. Together they ruled over their three little siblings. Safiya was a prodigy child. She always had her nose in a book, and she was always learning. The only time she wasn’t head first in her pursuit of knowledge was when she was spending time with the family. For Safiya, it was always family first.

That was until she was fifteen. Safiya hadn’t wanted to go to the store, but their father said they had to. Safiya remembers very little about that day. She remembers being angry, Samir’s hand grasping hers tightly. She remembers anger at her dad because of a joke he made at her expense when she was already so angry. The EMTs said it was a heart attack, but something had unlocked in Saf that day. A dam had opened, and Saf was left with knowledge she did not want to admit. Those little accidents that happened around her were not accidents. There was something different about her.

There are times when a death in the family brings the family closer together. They hold each other tighter out of fear of losing another one of their loved ones. That didn’t happen for Safiya. Within the year, her mother had admitted she wasn’t even one of their biological children. The story came out in fits of angry yelling from a woman inconsolable over her husband's death. Safiya, in her thirties, would finally track down the full story. Safiya was born to Ahmed and Aya. Ahmed had been childhood best friends with the man she’d thought was her father, Tarik. Ahmed and Aya had been part of a coven full of powerful elemental witches and wizards in Florida. A few months after her birth, while Safiya had been at a playdate with Samir, the coven had been wiped from existence. All of her biological family going with it. With nowhere else to go, and because Tarik and Ahmed had always been like brothers, the Zidan family took her in. 

Dina, the matriarch of the Zidan family, had decided the admittance of Safiya into their family had been the start of all their problems, and ultimately the death of Tarik. Safiya feared Dina was right because she didn’t even know about the feeling in Safiya’s bones on the day of Tarik’s death. 

At eighteen, Safiya purchased a one-way ticket to Colorado. She’d spent the two years after Tarik’s death looking for other magic users on the internet. She was determined to meet anyone who could help her. That started the road trip of her life. The man she met in Colorado hadn’t known real magic, he was just trying to impress women on the internet. Then there had been the woman suffering from illusions of grandeur in Wyoming, then the couple who wanted to start a cult in Minnesota. Safiya was devastated. She’d left the only family she’d known, she’d taken trip after trip, worked shitty job after shitty job, and she wasn’t getting anywhere. That was until she was twenty-five and she met Maude Meaven. 

Maude was a real witch. Old and tired, she was ready to pass on her life’s work to someone new. It was by coincidence that they found each other, but old Maude would say that was just magic working in its wild ways. Maude was a water elemental witch living and working in Wicked’s Rest. She believed that magic should be used to help everyone, even those that didn’t know it existed. Because of that belief, she ran a healing hot spring. All guests were welcome to come and rest their weary bones in her healing waters. Healing waters being a misnomer, because true healing requires sacrifice, but Safiya can offer pain management, and sometimes that's all people need to give them hope. A secret shop was also set up on the land, where people who found their way there, could purchase potions, tonics, spells, and workings.

Maude was the perfect teacher. Kindness was a wave that swept around her and encompassed Safiya, giving her a safe place to learn and grow. Under Maude’s tutelage, Safiya became a master at water and potions in her own right. When Maude finally passed away, peacefully and in her bed, of old age, everything was left to Safya. Safiya became the owner of Over the Garden Wall, and the woman’s estate that was the garden over the wall.

Some people get older. They decide that family life is for them. They decide to settle down. But Safiya had always forgone her family from the moment she walked out of the Zidan household at the age of eighteen. The idea of making a new one, or reconnecting never crossed her mind. Her life was dedicated to helping people. There could be no greater privilege in life than to dedicate her life to the service of others.

Safiya would have been happy to forget her family and move on from her past. That was until she saw someone in town. Someone she hadn’t seen for nearly twenty-two years. Her brother. An old family wound ripped open in the new life that she loves so much. Times change unexpectedly. 

Character Facts:

Personality: Caring, resourceful, meticulous, nurturing, fussy, nervous, vain, timid

Safiya is the owner of Over the Garden Wall, a healing spring surrounded by a large garden. There is a magic shop hidden away at the back of the grounds, where people who wander in, may be surprised to find potions, talismans, and tonics that may help them. 

Safiya is very interested in keeping the peace. She goes out of her way to not argue, even if she knows someone is wrong. She wouldn’t lift a finger to defend herself, because she wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. 

Safiya is a community pillar in Wicked’s Rest. She is known for her bountiful charity work, always having a kind word for everyone she meets, and most of her profits are moved right back into the community with philanthropy. 

Safiya has a Lullabird familiar that is known to relax clientele of the hot spring and help chase away their fears and anxiety. 

Safiya has a photographic memory and she speaks six languages. It helps her study magic. 

Safiya collects first-edition and rare books. You never know what kind of spells you can find worked into old books. Plus, she does have a love for reading. 

Safiya claims to be a healer, but actually she’s really a magical pain management specialist. True works of major healing are works of major magic that she doesn’t have the ability for, or the want to do. They require great sacrifice at other creature’s cost. Safiya offers pain soothing, to make the natural healing process easier.

[rockislandadultreads]

Black History Month: Mystery Recommendations

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby

Beauregard "Bug" Montage: husband, father, honest car mechanic. But he was once known - from North Carolina to the beaches of Florida - as the best getaway driver on the East Coast. Just like his father, who disappeared many years ago.

After a series of financial calamities (worsened by the racial prejudices of the small town he lives in) Bug reluctantly takes part in a daring diamond heist to solve his money troubles - and to go straight once and for all. However, when it goes horrifically wrong, he's sucked into a grimy underworld which threatens everything, and everyone, he holds dear...

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette 

Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family's ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she's going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors - many from her grandmother's original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away. To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win's father is implicated in his death. It's not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she'll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown...

This is the first volume in the “Ice Cream Parlor Mystery” series. 

Blood Grove by Walter Mosley

It is 1969, and flames can be seen on the horizon, protest wafts like smoke though the thick air, and Easy Rawlins, the Black private detective whose small agency finally has its own office, gets a visit from a white Vietnam veteran. The young man comes to Easy with a story that makes little sense. He and his lover, a beautiful young woman, were attacked in a citrus grove at the city’s outskirts. He may have killed a man, and the woman and his dog are now missing. Inclined to turn down what sounds like nothing but trouble, Easy takes the case when he realizes how damaged the young vet is from his war experiences - the bond between veterans superseding all other considerations.

The veteran is not Easy’s only unlooked-for trouble. Easy’s adopted daughter Feather’s white uncle shows up uninvited, raising questions and unsettling the life Easy has long forged for the now young woman. Where Feather sees a family reunion, Easy suspects something else, something that will break his heart.

This is the 15th volume in the “Easy Rawlins” series. 

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson 

It's 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She's brilliant, but she's also a young black woman working in an old boys' club. Her career has stalled out, she's overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she's given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. Yes, even though she secretly admires the work Thomas is doing for his country. Yes, even though she is still grieving over the mysterious death of her sister, whose example led Marie to this career path in the first place. Yes, even though a furious part of her suspects she's being offered the job because of her appearance and not her talent.

In the year that follows, Marie will observe Thomas, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American.

Inspired by true events - Thomas Sankara is known as “Africa's Che Guevara” - this novel knits together a gripping spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a passionate romance. This is a face of the Cold War you've never seen before, and it introduces a powerful new literary voice.

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...