#story: Deliverance

[author-morgan]

I adore Lily from Deliverance! 🥹 Are there any headcanons or tidbits about her you wouldn’t mind sharing?

ohhh thank you ❤️let's see. here's a bit of background for miss lily.

Lilian Cornwall was born on October 11, 1871 — making her 28 at the time of the game events in 1899.

She received her degree from Wellesley College in 1891 at the age of 20 (one of the youngest, if not the youngest, graduates from the college at the time) and then went on to complete a master's degree two years later at the same institution, with a focus on business and economics. Leviticus was adamant about her receiving a proper education, as he always planned for her to take over the business one day.

Lilian met Lyndon Monroe, who at the time was a recent graduate from West Point, at a party hosted in Washington D.C. in 1893. Infatuated with one another, they exchange letters before striking up a courtship in the following months, much to her father's displeasure.

If she's nervous, Lily often wrings her hands together and starts picking at her nails.

In the true rich Victorian girl™️ fashion, Lily can play the piano and was classically trained as a girl. She's a bit out of practice, though, having always preferred to spend her free time sketching rather than playing.

Lilian doesn't have many friends. She knows a lot of people but considers very few to be true friends given their penchant for often using her name and fortune to better themselves in the end. Due to this, she's a very reserved person in the public eye and tends to prefer remaining away from the spotlight unless the occasion calls for it.

One of her most prized possession is the photograph of her mother, Ada, and her father, Leviticus. Seeing that Ada died due to complications in childbirth, this is the only picture she has of her mother and it’s very dear to her. She keeps it in a silver frame on her writing desk.

Her favorite color is white-creme, which is why her bedroom and drawing room are bright and airy compared to the rest of the Cornwall Saint Denis house decor.

Despite being known for her business prowess in the business community, Lilian is even better known for her philanthropy. After fully becoming her father's apprentice, she established the Cornwall Foundation, which started out as a way to help employees, but now seeks to help impoverished peoples and communities by providing necessities, services, and opportunities too.

[ppriesttess]

Guise,

[fiddleturnips]

Fiddleford: regularly plays in public Random dude 1: "Play dueling banjos!" Random dude 2: "Play dueling banjos!" Random dude 3: "Play that song from Deliverance, you know, Dueling Banjos!" Fiddleford: What in tarnation are these guys talking about, let me watch this movie.... Fiddleford, a week later, after vomiting into a trash can outside of the common room with the VHS player: Random dude 4: "Play dueli-" gets hit in the head with a physics textbook

(Deliverance was released in '72.)

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Destiny & Deliverance Chapter 4

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo X OFC

SUPPORT YOUR CREATORS. REBLOGGING & COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives. 

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: “This must be the ‘fucking scary’ side that I heard about.”

I awoke to my neighbor’s alarm going off, again. I didn’t want my Tuesday to start like this. I was annoyed, but it really wasn’t even that loud. A normal person would probably sleep through it. I laid there attempting to go back to sleep. It went off again twenty minutes later. Seriously, what is the point of hitting the snooze button? Just get up already and be done with it. 

I rolled over and grabbed my phone to do a quick email check. I had an email from Aubry saying she hoped my trip was going well. Nothing else. She was phishing for information. I hit reply and typed out, “It’s fantastic.” then hit send. She was going to love that. I was giving her nothing.

I sat there for a moment wondering if Dieter had social media. This is a slippery slope, I thought. Then I opened Instagram anyway and found him. It was a verified public account, so I’m not sure what I expected to find. There was a lot of promotional stuff for his movies and shows. Some pictures from his travels. Typical celebrity stuff most likely. The latest post was an advertisement for a talk show that was happening this morning. I went to the search bar and entered his name in. Tons of images came up. Pictures of him out with friends. Paparazzi images of him walking around LA. I actually felt kind of bad for the guy. He couldn’t even walk down the street without someone shoving a camera in his face. 

The alarm next door went off again ten minutes later. I huffed and threw my phone down on the bed. I decided to get up and start my day. My morning started the same as yesterday��s, minus the encounter with Dieter. Joe was waiting for me with coffee and a blueberry scone at 7AM. Megan met me outside the building when I arrived. She shared a funny story about her dog on the way up to the office. I felt like she was slowly warming up to me. 

I spent the entire day doing observations and meeting with different staff members to ask questions. My lunch break was quick. I scarfed down the chicken alfredo that Megan had ordered, then immediately got back to work. I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of information that was coming in. I was starting to worry that maybe I wouldn’t be able to get through everything before the end of the week and I still hadn’t come across any obvious red flags. I was concerned that I had missed something. That familiar feeling of anxiety was really starting to kick in by the end of the day. I, of course, did not let it show. I was also feeling pretty exhausted. I thought about taking it easy on the workload this evening at the hotel. Maybe even try to go to bed a little earlier.  

When 5 PM hit, I was ready to get out of there. I was peopled out for the day. Talking to people could be so mentally and physically exhausting for me since I tend to be more introverted. These were always my worst days. I would much rather be locked in a room reviewing data.  

I walked out to meet Joe. He greeted me with a smile and again asked if I needed to make any stops before the hotel. I declined and slumped down into the seat. He didn’t try for any chit chat today. I think he could tell I was worn out. He just let me be. We pulled up in front of the hotel and he opened the door to let me out. He told me to have a good evening and he would be here at his usual time in the morning. I nodded my thanks and gave him a small smile. 

I slowly walked into the hotel entrance debating on if I wanted to post up downstairs again while I had dinner or go back to my room and just eat junk food. I stopped in front of the restaurant and looked in. Not a soul in sight, except for Tim the bartender. He saw me, pulled out a wine glass, and started pouring whatever it was he gave me yesterday. I walked in and smiled thanking him as I took it to my back corner booth. He followed behind me. 

“Tough day?” he asked. 

“Not tough. Just long and I still have more to do.”

“Are we having a steady flow of wine and appetizers tonight?” he asked with a sympathetic look on his face.  

“Why not.” I said as I shrugged. He laughed and walked back to put in my order. 

I started pulling out all of my stuff and got to work reviewing more documents. It was an hour and a half later and a glass and a half of wine in when a voice asking to join me snapped me out of my intense focus. It was Dieter. I knew it as soon as I heard his voice. I looked up and he gave me that big, brilliant smile that made me want to melt. I smiled back, “Of course, have a seat!” 

“I hope I’m not distracting you from your work. I can go somewhere else if I need to.”

“No! Not at all. Actually, I think I could use a distraction right now. I need a break. I told myself I was going to take it easy tonight, yet here I am.” I gestured to my stuff spread out on the table and gave an exasperated laugh. 

“Well, if you insist on a distraction…” he chuckled as he sat down in the curved booth, rather closely on my right side. I could feel the heat from his body due to his proximity. It was a miracle that I could focus on anything else. 

“So, how’s it going? Have you uncovered the big secret yet?” he asked with what seemed like genuine interest. 

I sighed heavily, “No, not at all. I have suspicions, but nothing to back it up so far. I’m hopeful I’ll find something tomorrow when I really start digging into their data and tech stuff. I’m starting to get a little worried there may be nothing. Which, if that’s the case, it is what it is. The CEO doesn’t have any definitive proof of anything going on, he just suspects. I didn’t want details on the who or why yet. I don’t want any potential bias to affect what I am doing.”

“I am sure you’ll figure it out. You seem pretty intelligent.” he said as he gently bumped his shoulder against mine. I felt hot suddenly.

“Wha…what about you? Have you heard back about the audition or whatever it was you were anxious about?” I stuttered out. 

“I haven’t. I think I should probably hear something tomorrow. I know they’ve inquired about my filming schedule, so that could be a good sign.” 

“That’s awesome. Hopefully you’ll have something to celebrate tomorrow.”

Bartender Tim came over to take Dieter’s order. He ordered a beer and asked what I was having. 

“I am partaking in endless appetizers and wine tonight. Feel free to have some of whatever I get surprised with next.” Dieter knitted his eyebrows together and started laughing at me. He looked back at bartender Tim and said, “Yeah, bring extra of whatever you're bringing her. We can split it. I’m down for a little appetizer roulette.” Bartender Tim sniggered at us and walked off. 

“Bartender Tim and I have become BFFs already. He’s making sure I’m taken care of.” I said as I raised my wine glass as if to give a toast, then finished it off. 

“How much of that have you had?” Dieter asked. 

“Why? Do I sound drunk already? This is just my second glass. Trust me, I can tolerate more.” He chuckled. 

“I don’t know about drunk, but you’re definitely amusing yourself. How long were you down here yesterday? I saw you as I was leaving.”

“A while..and you didn’t say hi? I feel insulted.” I said jokingly and lightly pushed on his shoulder. For fuck’s sake, I was flirting. I should stop drinking. It’s going to get me in trouble. 

Bartender Tim came back with Dieter’s beer, cheese sticks and jalapeno poppers, more wine, and a glass of water for me. I didn’t even ask for the water. I think he was just doing me a solid before I got sloppy. 

Dieter continued our conversation, “I actually wanted to pop in and say hi, but I was running late. As usual. A fucking disaster as you say. There just isn’t enough time in the day sometimes.”

My phone buzzed. Lauren always had impeccable timing. I tried to ignore it, but it kept buzzing. I looked at him and said sorry as I picked up my phone.

LAUREN: What are you doing? 

LAUREN: I haven’t heard from you much. You need to take a break and call me.

LAUREN: I’m bored. 

LAUREN: What do you want to do for our girl’s day when you get back? Maybe a spa day? 

LAUREN: You DO need to learn how to relax occasionally. 

I rolled my eyes at her. She always did this when she was bored. Normally I found it to be hilarious, but I didn’t have time for that right now. I hit reply. 

ME: I can’t talk right now. 

LAUREN: Why? Are you being held hostage? 

LAUREN: If it’s because of work, then yes you can. Take a break already.

ME: I’m busy. 

LAUREN: Are you ok? These are weird responses for you. 

LAUREN: Waaaaaaaait. Are you with the hottie? 

LAUREN: You better tell me if you are. You know you can’t lie to me. 

Dieter was giving me the side eye. 

“I’m sorry. It’s my best friend. She is being needy and ridiculous right now.” He gave me a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “That’s fine. No biggie.” I started typing out a response. 

ME: Ok, yes. I am. We will talk later. 

LAUREN: Hell yes! Get it GUUURL!

ME: Stop it. Bye. 

I set my phone back down on the table. “Everything ok?” he asked. 

“Yeah, she’s just bored. She gives me hell for working too much. She tends to be a bundle of energy, so she starts about five different conversations before I can get the first response in.” He laughed at my description of her. 

“I can’t fuss about her too much. She’s been amazing the last few months. Helping me with things and all the drama I’ve been dealing with.” I said without thinking. Hopefully he didn’t ask me to elaborate.  

“Drama?” he asked. I gave him a contemplative look. Ok, I guess we are going there, I thought. Without thinking, I put my right hand up to my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  

“I’ve been going through a divorce. He was an asshole and a cheater. I put up with it way longer than I should have. He really messed me up, but it’s done now. Hopefully I’ll never see him again.” I looked down at my glass of wine, expressionless and unblinking. Dieter reached over and grabbed my right hand away from my shoulder, breaking my thoughts. He sat it on the table and gave it a squeeze. I looked up at him and our eyes locked. I could feel my heart almost beating out of my chest. 

“No one deserves to be treated like that. Karma is a bitch. It’ll bite him back one day. He’ll never be happy and live a miserable existence.” 

He said it with conviction. At that moment, I felt like he was looking into my soul with his dark eyes. I could see the sadness hidden there again. It made me wonder if someone had hurt him in the past. He slowly let go of my hand.   

I let out a measured breath, “I certainly hope so. Who knows, maybe one day karma may come in the form of slashed tires and sugar in the gas tank of his fancy car,” I said casually. I was attempting humor to lighten the mood. He took the bait and started laughing at me. 

“This must be the ‘fucking scary’ side that I heard about,” he said through his laughs. 

“Welcome to the show, I’ll be here all week.”

Thankfully that did lighten the mood. We spent two and a half hours chatting, eating, and drinking. The conversation and laughter never stopped. His fun and boisterous side was more evident now than our previous encounters. He had a hilarious sense of humor and even a touch of dark humor that I could appreciate. The small touches continued. He would lean into me and lay his forehead on my shoulder when he laughed. I had seen pictures of him with his friends appearing to do the same thing, so I couldn’t tell if this is just the way he was with people or if he was being flirty. He was very hard to read. I did, however, feel very at ease with him. My anxiety was non-existent once we got past the initial awkwardness. He seemed to be more at ease as well. 

Around 10 PM we decided to call it a night since we both had an early start. I slowly stood up and started packing all my stuff that had been scooted to the other side of the table as he handed it over to me. I was still slightly tipsy.  

“So…” he started to say, then gave a long pause. I stopped what I was doing and looked down at him. “Is it possible that I might run into you down here tomorrow evening? I should be done kind of early.” He looked down at the nearly empty glass in front of him and started lightly tapping on the table with his index finger. He was clearly nervous to ask. He kept his head lowered but looked up at me through his lashes while he bit his lip. Was he trying to give me a heart attack? My mind momentarily wandered to me biting that lip. I shook my head. What the hell was my problem? I suddenly felt embarrassed, like he could read my thoughts. I finally pulled it together enough to respond.

“It’s a very good possibility. We do have to celebrate tomorrow after all.” 

He gave me a questioning look. 

“We’ll be celebrating you getting that role. I have a good feeling about it.”

He gave me a huge smile and said, “Please don’t jinx it” as he got up out of the booth. 

We walked over to the elevator and got on. 

“Which floor?” he asked as he hit the number “9”. I froze and looked at him, slightly confused. 

“What?”

“Are you on the 9th floor?”

“Yeah, why?”

The doors slid shut and I started laughing hysterically. Immediately thinking of Lauren talking about all the destiny garbage. This was getting comical. 

“What’s so funny?” he said with a very confused look on his face. 

“Nothing. It’s just that we’re on the same floor.” He kind of laughed too. The door slid open, and we both stepped off of the elevator. We stopped, awkwardly standing in the middle of the hallway. I had a gut feeling, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle the answer, but I asked anyway. 

“Which room is yours?”

“The second to the end on the left side.” 

I absolutely lost it and doubled over in laughter. “You’re the snooze guy!” I said through my laughter. He stared at me wide eyed and confused. 

I finally got it together and had to wipe tears from my eyes. It was absolutely absurd at this point. 

“Just so you know, I’ve been internally cursing you every morning because I can hear your alarm every time it goes off.”

“You can hear that?” he said in disbelief. 

“Yes, I can. I’m pretty sure our beds share a wall.”

He looked slightly embarrassed for a minute, but then started laughing too. We began walking toward our doors, both still laughing and shaking our heads. We said our goodnights and keyed into our respective suites. Our eyes lingered on each other as we walked through the doors. 

I walked into my suite and shut the door in utter disbelief. There is no way this is actually happening. I threw my stuff down on the couch in the sitting area and dug my phone out of my bag to text Lauren.

ME: You’re never going to believe this. 

LAUREN: Well, hello to you too, jerk. I’ve been waiting to hear from you.

My phone started ringing. She wasted no time calling me. I answered, acutely aware that he was right next door. I was paranoid he could hear me. I stayed on the opposite end of the suite, pacing and talking in a hushed voice. 

“Well? What’s the big news? Did you finally get laid?” Lauren said sarcastically.  

“What?! No. Shut up. I am dying right now. His room literally shares a wall with mine. He’s next door. It’s his alarm that's been waking me up the last two mornings.” 

She was quiet for what seemed like forever. Then there was a burst of laughter. 

“You absolutely cannot make this stuff up,” she said through her maniacal guffaws. 

“So, are you going to tell me what you’ve been doing all this time? I need details.”

“Not many details to be had. We’ve been downstairs at the restaurant talking. We realized our rooms were next to each other after we called it a night. We both laughed about it.” 

“That’s all I get? Really?”

“Yes.”

“You. Suck.”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to read into anything that’s not there. I know if I tell you, we’ll both be doing that. Honestly, I think he’s lonely and just wants someone to hang out with who isn’t fawning over who he is.”  

“Wait, so does he know that you know who he is?”

“No. I haven’t said anything.” 

“Don’t you think maybe you should?”

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t want him to think I was looking him up though.”

“Good point. Maybe it’ll come up naturally next time you see him. Assuming you do.” 

I was quiet. I wasn’t sure if I should tell her we had already discussed dinner tomorrow. 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Oh my gosh, fine. He’s going to be done early tomorrow, so we’re going to meet for dinner again.”

“Oh. Yeah. There is totally nothing to this,” she said sarcastically.

“That’s it. I’ve got to go. I’m tired. Bye. Goodnight.” 

“Let me know how tomorrow goes!” I heard her yelling as I hung up.  

I got ready for bed. After laying there in the dark for what seemed like forever, I reached for my phone and searched his name again. There were so many pictures and videos of him out with his friends. There were also a lot of him with people he worked with and at events. Nothing recent romantically linking him to any girls though. I skimmed comments on the pictures. On several, there were people arguing about his relationship status and preferences. Poor guy, no wonder he wasn’t dating anyone. The general public and paparazzi were all up in his business.  I heard the faint sound of a TV click on, next door. It seems Dieter was having trouble sleeping too. It was nearing midnight, and I was still wide awake. Knowing that he was just on the other side of the wall was kind of driving me crazy. I could feel the magnetic pull, drawing me to him. I decided I was going to get up and take some melatonin in hopes that would knock me out. About 30 minutes later, I finally drifted off into another restless sleep. 

A/N: Things really start heating up between our dear Dieter and Talia in the next chapter. I promise, it’s coming soon. 😉

Next Chapter

[wodania]

what kind of video games would egg like? and which would he play with dunk?

MINECRAFT!!! 100%!!! Egg’s method of playing Minecraft would be finding badly loaded villages and giving them beautiful renovations. Bridges, new houses, new work buildings. He’d create so many new villagers until he has a bustling, thriving village. He’s also in charge of storage, house building, and managing all the logistic stuff. Egg is building a gorgeous castle for him and Dunk meanwhile Dunk is fighting for his life in a cave. They have a system but a lot of that system stems from Dunk not trusting Egg to not die and lose all of the hard earned stuff that Dunk had grinded for only an hour before. Egg would have a retinue of animals with funny names and he’d find mods to dress the animals up in cute outfits. Rideable dragon mod and it’s named something like “Fluffy”. Not fond of the idea of killing the Ender Dragon, wants the Wither to be the final boss instead.

I think Egg would like Stardew too. Void chicken is his beloved he thinks it’s funny. He’d also steal all of the furniture from Dunk’s house and hide it in the chicken coop or cave when Dunk wasn’t looking (me). Once again he’s on farming, building duty while Dunk is fighting for his life in the mines.

This was not asked but I think Dunk is a soulsborne and soulslike fan. I can see him absolutely demolishing Elden Ring and becoming a Let Me Solo Her type figure of pop culture legend.

[sarah-sandwich-writes]

Ok I lied, I also desperately want more about VLTD because I'm FERAL for it... *please*?? I'll take any little snippets you're willing to offer <3 - @fieldsofview

@fieldsofview god okay so Violet is coming a bit slow. I got 6k into it and realized I was already bored with the story. It just wasn't doing it for me, so I put it back in the percolator to stew some more and NOW I think I have the right setting for it. Originally I wanted to send them to Alaska bc of Nash's little throwaway thought about being brother of the year by buying Jo a plane ticket, but that's just not working for me creatively. Tennessee is where it's at, you know?

SO INSTEAD, he's going to buy her the ticket not knowing the reason she's been down in the dumps lately is because she misses when it was just the two of them. She's going to have a bit of a breakdown bc she's feeling all that and now he's trying to send her away?? But she still doesn't want to say it's him and Teddy that are the problem bc he's literally never been this happy before and she won't be the one to ruin it. So instead she confesses she misses her friends, which she does but also there's drama between her and Bella because of her moving away so it's a bit of a nasty surprise when she finds out that instead of Alaska Nash has arranged for her friends to stay with them for a week.

So now she has to deal with even less one-on-one time with her brother and also all the drama she thought was safely sequestered in Buford Hills.

So I'm going to have to cut most of what I have written (*sob*) but the intro is good enough to keep so here you go!

Here there be spoilers for Blue, like don't forget about me!

There’s an art to picking a hotel cheap enough that living out of it for three weeks won’t bankrupt you, but nice enough you won’t need to worry about bugs. In Jo’s opinion, it all comes down to the desk.

Hotel rooms follow a basic formula: bed (obviously), mini fridge (to store stress pudding), shitty single-brew coffee maker (always the same), a microwave (always different), an armchair in the corner (to sit in whilst eating pudding), and a desk. A good look at the desk and you’ll know whether you’ve made a mistake.

Too squat or wobbly—clearly not intended to be used—you’re in a cheap hotel meant for a single night stay and expected to be gone by breakfast. But a nice desk with a matching chair in a room that doesn’t make you feel like a dirty street urchin means you have successfully walked the line between frugality and indulgence.

Careful not to topple the precarious stack of client notes, Jo scoots the hard four-legged chair closer to the desk that’s too low to fit her thighs under despite being all of 5’4” in her derby skates. She sticks her plastic pudding spoon between her teeth and moves the stack away from the edge while creamy chocolate warms on her tongue. The sleeve of her favorite sweater, an ancient thing with a brown stain over her left breast that looks like a fatal stab wound (pudding incident of 2022), catches on the sharp corner but tears free without trouble thanks to the tattered state of the hems.

“When’re you gonna be home?”

She picks up her phone to see the familiar worry line between her brother’s eyebrows. Nash’s hair is overgrown again—beachy curls inching over his ears and peeping around the sides of his neck. He looks tired, but he always looks tired. More important is the aura of peace that he’s carried like a favorite blankie since they moved to their little mountain.

She swallows and slips the spoon from between her lips. “Thursday.” She points her spoon at the mini fridge where three pudding cups remain—one for each remaining day. “Think you can get the place baby sister proofed by then?”

The stress lines framing his mouth flex. “Yeah. ‘Course.”

She sticks her spoon into her pudding and leaves it there as she prepares to dig for whatever he isn’t saying, but, for once, he beats her to it.

He casts a surreptitious look over his shoulder then hunches forward and says, “Teddy’s got napkin swatches all over the front room.”

Ah, and they’re talking about Teddy again. It was a fun novelty for the first two months—she’s never seen her brother fall all over himself like he did for Teddy—but it’s been three years and she’s over it.

“I don’t understand why swatches. Why not just give us one of each napkin? It don’t make sense.”

“Uh, yeah I guess it’s kind of weird. Why napkins?”

His expression turns dour. “He wants me to pick one for the reception.”

“Alright, so pick.”

They were supposed to get married in February (fucked up, unnatural time for a wedding but nobody asked her), but then Teddy freaked out acting like a little backyard shindig wouldn’t be good enough and now they’re shelling out actual cash money to stand around in a swanky lodge for six hours and eat overpriced chicken.

Downright foolish, but again, nobody asked her.

“I tried but he said he could tell I was just trying to get out of it.” Steel gray eyes stare into hers. “Jo, I don’t care about napkins.”

“I don’t think anybody cares about napkins.”

“That’s what I—!” He lowers his voice. “That’s what I said.”

“But Teddy cares about—,”

“That’s the thing,” Nash interrupts, eyes wide, animated in his exasperation. “He doesn’t care either.”

“Then why—,”

“He thinks—,” He wrinkles his nose, then confesses, “He thinks it’s one of those things where maybe I do care, I just haven’t thought about it enough to know.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I know.”

“They’re napkins.”

“I know.”

It takes another five minutes to talk Nash around into telling Teddy that he’s put in enough due thought to determine he very much doesn’t care what people wipe their hands and face on at their wedding, but he turns down Jo’s suggestion that they stick a paper towel roll on each table so he must care at least a little bit.

When they hang up the pit of missing home hasn’t filled an inch. Even worse, her pudding is room temperature.

[thelightningstreak]

Final Chapter for Karma - Thread Complete!

Part of Deliverance - A collection of one-shots and short stories on ff.net featuring Valerie Gray and Dan Phantom

Chapter Summary for Karma Part 15, Epilogue: The clear-minded Ghost King Dan Phantom struggles under the weight of his past, but he's not the only one as he and Valerie forge a little found family from the ashes of the world around them. Final chapter of the Karma thread!

Chapter Warnings: None

Overall Thread Rating: M

Read the new chapter here on FFN!

[deliverance-the-game]

so my mom is Very White and growing up there were foods my dad was Not Allowed to bring into the house. he loved her a ton and when she was home he respected her so much, but as soon as she left town to go visit her sisters he'd immediately buy a jar of kimchi or whatever else (my favorite time it happened he cooked with trinidad scorpion and effectively pepper sprayed my entire family at 5am because Mom Isn't Home) and then he'd eat the entire thing in one sitting

do the ROs have anything like that? guilty pleasures maybe? like "i respect this is a polarizing thing / i get that my lover despises this and I won't bring it anywhere near them" and also "if im home alone it's fair game and i promise i AM indulging"?

Ishraq

Maybe durian? That's definitely a polarizing food that he indulges in. Unless the Messenger is also a fan of it, then it's a win-win. It has a taste and smell that will not go away anytime soon, so he probably won't eat it at home if he lives with them. There are usually seats at the durian stalls anyway.

Deva

First of all, Deva does not feel guilty about her pleasures. But she's respect their preferences if they don't like it. As an experimenter, she likes to find every spice and sauce and herb and whatnot that she can find and create new flavours. Not every creation will work, some will in fact end up being complete disasters, but that is all part of the fun.

Yi-feng

Not a guilty pleasure but probably polarizing - foods like chicken feet, stinky tofu, and century eggs. Very tasty but might demand for an acquired taste - they are not the most appealing to the senses to some.

Yeshe

In terms of guilty pleasure food, I can't think of any of Yeshe's that are considered polarizing. Perhaps yak yoghurt (yoghurt made from yak's milk) - it's uncommon but it is not exactly a guilty pleasure either because of its health benefits.

[papirouge]

My sister is really into watching trad wife content like classically Abby? I think that’s her name. I don’t really know who is she. But my sister basically changed her whole personality to follow this woman’s life advice

Turns out though as I learned, her brother is Ben Shapro (that guy that talks weird and made that video about the WAP song and how his wife never got wet for sex , not sure if he was joking because his voice is just very flat) But they’re both very supportive of Zionism and my sister began defending Israel and the genocide in Gaza because of this. Im currently not talking to her because she’s been so disgusting towards Palestinians

If she's under 25, consider this like a fad, like the meninist nlogs of the early 2010s. And like meninist they will come around as they age and cringe when looking back at it lol

The trad movement is just the pendulum shifting back from the mid 2010 #girlboss era. You can bet that in a few years from now, a new version of glirboss will pop out as an opposition to the trad/anti feminist movement and its consequences. I'm very curious where those women will be. Either washed out from their toxic relationship dynamics, bitter for still being not picked (à la Pearl and other MRA girls). I'm sure gen alpha will see this mess and be like "maaan I do not want to be like that, I want to be a free and emancipated woman!!" ....and the pendulum will shift again. Rinse and repeat.

If she's older than that well.... there's not much you can do for her. One of the perks of aging is realizing you can't save everyone and that other people's mistakes (yes, even family members) aren't your responsibility and that's ok.

I have very complicated relationship with one of my sister and very seldomly interact with her and I'm fine with that.

Ben Shapiro is a Jew so it's not surprising for him to root for Israel imo. His DailyWire drama with Candace Owen and how they dropped the ball on her was very entertaining to watch lol I think it's extremely telling that those folks had no issue with her dunking on Blacks, and supporting Kanye "slavery was choice" West, but God forbid being remotely critical of Israel 👀

FYI Kanye backtracked his statements about the Jewish community lmao I mean, homebro has ugly sneakers to sell, he knows what he's doing.... 🙃 still no excuses to the Black community for his slavery comments though #iykyk

A moment of silence for all the people who genuinely believed he was born again after his Christian era. Dude got back to his vomit in a QUICKNESS smh

[spookcataloger]

Enora the powerhobo (2020)

[biblebloodhound]

Telling a Story of Faith (Deuteronomy 26:5-10)

Beneath all of the purchased things and electronic devices is a longing for connection, a desire to know who we are, where we came from, and what our true roots are.

A 13th century artwork depicting the Apostles writing the Creed Then, standing there in front of the place of worship, you must pray: My ancestor was homeless,an Aramean who went to live    in Egypt.There were only a few    in his family then,but they became greatand powerful,    a nation of many people. The Egyptians were cruel    and had no pity on us.They mistreated our people    and forced…

[wanderingandfound]

Yesterday I was listening to The Unexplored Places: Deliverance, OH 41 and I kept having to pause because I was mad at Chase for not engaging (let alone flirting with :( ) the NPC Aspen and then being mean to Birdie's mom. And then I finished the episode. Paused the playlist. Drove the rest of the way in silence.

Today I went back to Friends at the Table: All Year Round, There Is Work To Do for the first time since I was taking a walk in Illinois in April.

I am so mad at Chase. I am so mad at Chase. I don't remember the last time I was this mad at a fictional character. What the fuck? What the fuck!

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Destiny & Deliverance: Chapter 1

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo X OFC

SUPPORT YOUR CREATORS. REBLOGGING & COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives. 

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: “Why the hell do I keep doing this to myself? I hate it.”

I sat preparing for my latest virtual meeting to discuss the final report that I had sent to the company I was currently working with. I work as a Technical and Organizational Consultant for one of the largest consulting firms in LA. While I loved what I did, I hated the people part of my job. People could be combative or downright insulting when they didn’t like what I had to say about their company or their role. For someone with high functioning anxiety, these meetings could be literal torture. After reading through my report for the third time that morning, I sat back in my chair staring at the wall, unblinking. My right hand was sitting just below my collarbone with fingers lightly tapping on the curve of my shoulder. It was one of my many nervous habits. Outwardly it just appeared that I was deep in thought. On the inside, I was working myself up to a mild internal panic attack that never had any obvious signs to the casual observer. I could feel my chest tightening and my heart was starting to pick up pace. I took a deep breath and tried to relax a little. 

My phone buzzed on the table. It was a text message from my best friend, Lauren.

LAUREN: I swear the nerve of some people. I had a lady criticizing everything I said during my stained-glass workshop this morning. Like, why are you even here if you know how to do it already?!?! Respectfully ma’am, please go back to your bridge. What a ducking troll. Anyway, long story short, I’m done early. I’ll be there soon with coffee.

LAUREN: Damn you autocorrect. Let me be angry! 

I laughed to myself. She was such a nut. 

ME: Lol! Can’t wait to hear all the gory details of how that worked out for her. Come on in. I’m about to jump on this virtual meeting so I can get yelled at. 

LAUREN: Engage bitch mode. You’ll be fine and they will regret their existence. 

ME: Don’t worry, you know my face is in perpetual bitch mode anyway and I can’t seem to fix it. At least I have that going for me. 

LAUREN: I am happy you are finally embracing it. 

I set my phone back down and joined the meeting. I could always tell who was going to be the problem as soon as we got started. This time it would be one of the division heads, Mr. Smith. He wasn’t fully engaged with the small talk and pleasantries while we waited for everyone to join. He looked agitated and fidgety. I had a feeling he would be a problem when I was on-site for the visit. He didn’t like all the questions and was reluctant to provide details on his processes. Once everyone joined, we immediately dove into the report and discussions about ways to improve the company. 

Lauren walked in just as we were getting to the part I was dreading. She set my coffee to the side of my laptop and sat opposite me at the table, scrolling through her phone. Intently listening to the drama unfold. 

Mr. Smith interrupted me as I began going over my findings for his area.

“Sorry, to interrupt…,” I could feel the tension form in my jaw. I could only imagine what my face looked like. He continued, “I don’t really think this is necessary. I’ve got everything figured out with logistics and it seems to be working pretty well. I don’t understand how making all these changes and getting some fancy software is going to do anything but cause more issues. If we are trying to save money, how is spending more money going to solve whatever perceived problems you think we have? I am not even sure why we wasted the money for you to tell us things we could have figured out ourselves.” 

I hear Lauren mutter, “oh he is about to find out” as she shakes her head from across the table. 

I took a deep breath and slowly bobbed my head up and down. Everyone on the call was completely silent. The owner of the company, Will Stevens, looked completely mortified. 

I smiled, “Mr. Smith, I don’t feel the need to explain why I’m qualified to do what I do and I’m not going to. What I will come back with are facts. This company currently has a 1.5 star rating for shipping times. When you have companies regularly shipping within 2 business days, don’t you think up to 2 weeks for your items to ship is a little excessive? That isn’t going to keep customers coming back. Furthermore, there are a high number of complaints indicating that part of your customer’s orders arrived incomplete, or no order arrived at all. There are also a high number of complaints relating to poor packaging and items arriving broken. Now, forgive me if I am wrong, but the logistics of these issues is your area, correct?” 

Mr. Smith sat there wide eyed and gave a slight nod. Clearly my point was being made. I could see Lauren in my periphery pumping her fist in the air and trying so hard to keep her laughing quiet. 

“Now, your current method of using spreadsheets in a share drive that everyone has access to is a little antiquated and doesn’t properly track orders. Not to mention the human error that goes into everyone accessing and editing that spreadsheet. That may have been doable when the company was small and just getting started, but not now. You have expanded too much. Add all that to manually requesting each shipping label online from the carrier resulting in incorrect address entry and you are failing before you even get started. If you use custom software that handles all this it will cut out a lot of the steps, increase shipping time and accuracy of orders, while also automating a lot of the steps. Therefore, increasing overall productivity and customer satisfaction and leading to more sales. This is only a small piece of the puzzle. All divisions need to be better streamlined in different ways, so they work better as a unit. Quite frankly, your division needs the most work in order for all the others to fall in line as they need to. Now, do you have any further questions you would like addressed Mr. Smith?”

Multiple staff members were clearly trying to stifle a laugh, including the business owner. Mr. Smith sat with his mouth agape for a brief moment before responding with, “No, I think that covers it.” Then he proceeded to turn off his camera and eventually left the meeting as we worked through some strategies and plans for moving forward. As soon as I logged off and closed my computer, I let out a shaky breath. I needed a drink after that one. In my mind, I immediately started running through everything I had said, second guessing myself. What if I was wrong about something? Should I have been so blunt in my response? 

Lauren pulled me out of my thoughts. “And that my dear is why you are so badass. The nerve of that guy! I bet he won’t talk down to anyone like that ever again. Maybe he can hook up with the troll lady from this morning. I think they were made for each other!” She said and laughed at her own joke. 

I stared at her for a minute. “Why the hell do I keep doing this to myself? I hate it.”

“Because you make a shit ton of money and you’re good at it.” Lauren says with conviction. 

I rub my face with both hands and look up at her through my fingers, “I don’t know what I want to do anymore. I just feel lost. I think I’m hitting my mid-life crisis. This is not where I saw myself at 38 years old.”

Lauren looked at me with concern, “you absolutely cannot be talking like that. You are my life advisor and supposed to have your shit together.” Her look quickly changed to amusement. She was trying to cheer me up. 

“I’m sure once things settle down with the divorce and everything, you’ll figure it out. You’ve just had a lot of changes recently and need time to adjust.” 

“The divorce is final. It’s done. As of Monday,” I said with a deadpan look.

“Oh. Well, that’s good! Right? Now you don’t have to have anything to do with that asshat anymore.” 

“Yeah, I guess. I just don’t know myself anymore. He really fucked me up. I don’t know how to be on my own. I mean, we had been together since college. I basically molded myself and my life around that asshole. I just don’t know where to start.” 

I got up and poured myself a very large glass of wine, which had become routine as of late. Lauren stared at me disapprovingly. 

“It’s a little early in the day for that, don't you think? Maybe stick with the coffee.” 

“Coffee doesn’t have the desired effect. Besides, I might need to lay off the caffeine. I can’t sleep as it is. I’m not even sure how I’m functional if I’m being honest. I think my anxiety may be getting worse too. I’m fairly certain I almost had an actual panic attack the other day because I couldn’t handle picking out clothes for work. Who fucking does that? I’m literally second guessing everything I do.” 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. This is all on him. I just wished you had been open with me about the way he was treating you sooner. Maybe I could have talked some sense into you years ago. I feel like I’ve been such a shitty friend because I didn’t even realize what was actually happening. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“Lauren, stop that. You didn’t know because I didn’t want you to. I was really good at hiding it. That part is on me.” 

Lauren had been my saving grace the last six months. We had been best friends since high school, and she was literally the only one I had left. I lost touch with most of them when I married Justin, which was by design as I realized many years later. Everyone else that came into my life after that was his friend first. They got me by default and dropped me as soon as I filed for divorce. I was starting over in all aspects of my life and it was terrifying and depressing. Luckily, I had Lauren to help me through everything and keep me sane. 

My phone rang. It was my boss, Aubrey, calling. Most likely to see how the meeting went this morning. Aubrey and I had a long history and tended to be pretty blunt with each other. She was a little older than me, but not much. I had been her TA back when she used to teach college courses. We became close and I looked to her as a mentor in my early years. I was one of the first people she brought on board when she opened her own consulting firm. 

I moved the phone to my ear as I answered. 

“Hey, I was just about to…” she cut me off before I could finish the sentence, “so I heard your meeting went well.”

It was a statement. I couldn’t read much from her tone, but I didn’t think she was mad. 

“Yeah, I mean, you know, the usual stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I just got off the phone with Will. He says he has a job opening. He joked about hiring you full time.” 

The phone was loud enough that Lauren could hear the conversation. She started to chuckle. I rolled my eyes at her and started pacing around the kitchen. 

“Well, I’m sorry to hear he is down an employee. Did he say who?” I said with thick sarcasm. 

“A Mr. Smith I believe. Apparently, he turned in his resignation as soon as your meeting was over. He refuses to learn new software. Will said it saved him the trouble of firing his ass, so that made his day.” 

“Well, I’m happy to be of service then, I guess,” I said flatly. She laughed at my tone. 

“Well, now that you’re wrapping up that account, I would like to talk to you about the next one. I know it’s kind of last minute and completely out of your service area, but I need my best one on this. It’s a big contract and without saying too much to cause some bias inclinations on your part, they possibly have some issues that I don’t trust anyone else to handle. I need someone who won’t be bullied into submission or be afraid to say what they are thinking to the CEO.” 

“So, is the CEO on board with this? Or…? I’m not following.”

“Yes, the CEO is one hundred percent on board. He is actually an old college friend and trusts that I will send my best to handle it. He has suspicions about some things, which I have asked him to not discuss with you at all, by the way. I made it clear that you do not like knowing personal suspicions before your evaluation.” 

“Ok. This sounds like it’s gonna be a blast. That’s sarcasm by the way in case you missed it.” I sighed heavily, “So, out of my service area…where is it exactly?” 

“It’s in New York. I’ve had your flight scheduled for Sunday. First class, I might add. You will be there until the following Friday.” 

“Waaaait a minute! New York?!?! That’s WAY out of my service area and you know I hate flying. That’s literally the farthest away from where I’m currently at. No way. I’m not doing it.” 

“You took that well. Can’t wait for the updates. I’ll have the details sent over and I will talk to you next week.” Then she hung up. 

I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at it in utter shock. “Fucking bitch. Did that really just happen?”

Lauren ran over to me with a concerned look on her face and turned me toward her, “What’s wrong?!?!”

“I guess I’m going to New York.” 

“I thought you didn’t have to go anywhere you couldn’t drive to?”

“Apparently, it’s a special account. I knew it, I am going to lose my shit.” 

“Well, maybe while you’re there, you can find a hottie to entertain you. I think getting laid would do you some good. Seriously, how long has it been?”

I gave her an annoyed look and sat back down at the table. “We are not talking about my sex life right now and that is out of the question. A man is the last thing I need right now.”

“I’m not saying you gotta keep him. It’s just for a night, or three.” She shrugged and smiled at me. 

“You are so ridiculous. As your life advisor, I totally do not approve of that type of behavior. Is that the shit you're doing these days?”

Lauren feigned shock that I would even suggest such a thing. 

“Absolutely not. I am not that type of girl. I am looking for a serious relationship. I just haven’t had any luck with that. The dating pool around here is sooo ridiculous. The last guy I thought might be decent, gave me a belt buckle as a gift on our last date. Initially I thought it was a neat and unique gift, but I think it was just his weird way of saying he wanted to get into my pants. So, I dropped him real quick.”

I gave her a blank stare for a few seconds, then doubled over in laughter. Tears started to pour out of my eyes, and I was gasping for air. Because of the serious way she said it and the look on her face, I absolutely lost it. 

Lauren stood there with her hands on her hips giving me a sour look. 

“He seriously gave you a belt buckle?!?!” I said through laughter. Once I calmed down a bit, I asked, “what the hell did it look like? I hope it was at least expensive.” 

“I don’t know. It was gold, oval, and bulky. Very tacky. Not something I would ever actually use. I don’t even wear stuff like that.” 

“Well, thanks for the laugh. I needed that,” I said as I chuckled. 

She huffed then sat back down across from me with her elbows propped on the table. 

“That’s enough about me. Back to you. Seriously, if you find a guy to waste some time with while you are there, go for it. Please don’t spend the whole week working. At least get out and explore the city or something.”

“I never have time for any of that when I am doing visits. I’ll have a lot of stuff to review. You know that. This seems like an important contract too. I need to focus. At least it will be a decent distraction and get me away from here for a bit. Maybe it will do me some good.” 

“Well, when you get back, we are doing something fun. I don’t know what, but it’s happening. I will plan a girl’s day for us.” 

“Greaaat. I can’t wait.” Lauren looked offended and I laughed. “Well, I guess our lazy Friday evening has been ruined. I need to pack and prep,” I said as I downed my glass of wine. 

“I’ll help you pack. I’ve got to make sure you’re looking hot.” 

I rolled my eyes at her as I got up and started walking to my bedroom. “Stop that shit. I’m going to work, not looking for a one-night stand.” 

Lauren followed behind me as she laughed. “Hey, you never know what destiny might bring your way. Don’t knock it.”

She spent the next several hours helping me pack and picking out my clothes for the week. I am pretty sure she snuck some unnecessary items into the suitcase, but either way, I was thankful for her help. It was less decisions I had to make and then question later. 

I spent Saturday prepping and reviewing the documents that had been sent in advance. They were pretty thorough, containing organizational charts, job descriptions, operations manuals, financial processing details…the list goes on. Pretty much anything I might need, they sent. At least they had it all on paper and I wouldn’t have to document as much during the on-site visit. That was a relief. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I wasn’t sure what the big deal was with this one. 

On Sunday, I was a bundle of nerves. I hardly slept any and was dreading the five-hour flight from LA to New York. I was actually wishing I had talked to my doctor about some anti-anxiety medication. She had offered it in the past, but I declined because I hate taking any kind of medications unless I absolutely had to. I have been determined to deal with things without being medicated. I also tend to have weird reactions to meds. I really could have used it at that moment though because I absolutely hate flying. I had a large glass of wine before the Uber picked me up in hopes it would help me relax. I’m not sure it made much of an impact. I was a hot mess throughout the whole boarding process. A/N: Don't worry, Dieter makes an appearance in the next chapter.

NEXT CHAPTER

[dozingdose]

ESAU GRIMSTONE: CHARACTER DETAILS

ESAU GRIMSTONE ( ELIAS FISCHER )

PRONOUNS: HE / HIM

AGE: 24

AFFILIATION: THE LORD OF THE ENLIGHTENED / PATRON OF KNOWLEDGE-SEEKERS (INHERENT)

PERSONALITY:

A young gentleman with a solemn and rather mysterious countenance, bearing a perpetually blank and inexpressive face. If you can break through his empty facade, you might just find his hidden depths even deeper than you'd first imagined.

Despite the original Esau Grimstone's rather distasteful reputation, he chooses to hide his identity as a Transmigrator, due to his status as the less... palatable kind of Enlightened.

He's a rather practical and pragmatic sort of person, and dislikes the overly dramatic sort. Still, despite his seeming coldness, there's an underlying warmth to his actions he often tries to deny.

He's fond of flowers, and liked reading novels.

DESCRIPTION:

His current body's appearance is that of a young adult with messy pure white hair, like an albino, and pitch black irises like his pupils had subsumed them. His features are rather sharp, and he is admittedly rather attractive. He has an elegant air to him, though this is only expected of a nobleman.

He dresses in mostly dark blue and black, with a white blouse. He favors wearing a coat. He also often brings an plain umbrella with him.

[aanews69]

Dive into the fascinating world of Forge, whose inventions go far beyond the realms of the X-Men.⚙️ In this captivating video, uncover the hidden depths of t...

[dreadseadreams]

gen tag drop