#they stayed home a lot more then Tilly did

[hermitshell]

I'm ill actually about Billy

If I remember correctly, Pearl didn't even include the taming of Billy in her first episode. She always gets a pet of some kind in each of these series and Billy is another new companion and yet. She named him with the same kind of inflection as Tilly, in a series where she has scott and cleo on her team again, and yet. She's afraid for him, she hasn't even brought him to the new base yet because it's more dangerous there. It's more dangerous with her. "Haven't you accepted nothing in this series stays alive?" She says about Joel's car. She knows that he's impermanent too.

[modernsuperhero]

hello I would love to hear about your life series OUAT AU please tell me all the things 👀

Okay you don't know how excited I am to share this.

So quick recap for those who don't know, the premise of Once Upon A Time is that pretty much every fairy tale (and Disney movie character) is magically yoinked via a dark curse from the fairy tale world into ours, (specifically a town called Storybrooke in Maine) with their memories erased. They're trapped in basically a timeloop, frozen at the same ages as when they were transported. The curse also gives them fake memories of their lives that are intentionally curated to make each of them as miserable as possible! A few staples of the plot are that none of the fairy tales went down exactly as we know them - they'll be technically the same, but the details way more complicated and often more mature than a children's bedtime story would allow. Several fairy tale characters are secretly also other fairy tale characters, and a bunch of them are related in confusing ways.

Now, onto the Life Series OUAT AU! (Featuring some non-Life guys too!)

Now, admittedly I don't have everything figured out for every character - the AU isn't quite finished, so there's a couple holes. But I have a lot of it! I've also used this AU as an excuse to use my favorite obscure fairy tales~

Everything starts, of course, with Snow White.

And her sister. (Did you know there's a second, unrelated fairy tale to Snow White, called Snow White and Rose Red?)

Snow White is... Pearl! And her sister, Gem, is named Rose Red - Snow White for her pale skin and Rose Red for her bright hair. In this AU, Snow White and Rose Red are princesses whose father remarries an evil queen. Quite classically, she's jealous of Snow White, and tries to have her killed. Both Snow White AND Rose Red flee to a cabin in the woods. In the winter, a terrifying massive talking bear appears and asks to shelter in the warmth of their home. Rose Red [Gem] has a moment of quick thinking, not wanting to risk this being some threat to her sister, and introduces herself as Snow White, and Pearl as Rose Red. Confused yet? Rose Red Snow White [Gem] allows him to stay for the winter, and both sisters quickly befriend him. He warns them both about an evil dwarf(?) before leaving after winter thaws. Over the course of the next several months the evil dwarf appears to cause problems for the sisters, eventually concluding with the bear returning to kill the dwarf and transforming into a prince! The Bear Prince reveals the dwarf had cursed him, and now that he's free he proposes to Rose Red Snow White [Gem] and offers to take her and Snow White Rose Red [Pearl] back to his kingdom with him where he can protect them.

The End.

Right?

Obviously not all goes to plan.

This is the first instance where the details of the AU are fuzzy. Somehow, the Bear Prince dies. Probably because of "Snow White" being wanted, and Gem being targeted. Because of this, "Snow White" Rose Red [Gem] turns on "Rose Red" Snow White [Pearl], blaming her for her fiance's death. Pearl has to flee once again for her life. This time, she finds a home inhabited by seven dwarves, the youngest of which is a young girl dwarf (because of course girl dwarves exist in this world, and OUAT was a coward for not including them) named Tilly.

"Rose Red" Snow White [Pearl] gradually becomes comfortable in her home. Her sister has yet to reveal their identity swap - partly because "Snow White" is the name of who married the Bear Prince, and thus inherited his throne when he passed, and partly to keep anyone other than Gem from killing "Rose Red". "Rose Red" Snow White [Pearl] even starts wearing a big red cloak everywhere.

In the meantime, "Snow White" Rose Red [Gem] has become queen of the Bear Prince's land, and found herself a strange and powerful mentor - a man toting a magic wand and a strange dagger, calling himself Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin is... Scott! Rumple [Scott] starts teaching Gem dark magic, eventually leading her to kill some strange demon man called Xornoth with Rumple [Scott]'s dagger... only of course for her to pull the dagger from his chest and see the name carved on the side change from 'Xornoth' to 'Rose Red'.

Rumpelstiltskin [Scott] is ALSO not pleased at this development, having believed Gem was Snow White. He reveals that Xornoth was a being called a 'Dark One', the ultimate embodiment and well of darkness and dark magic. By killing Xornoth, Gem has herself become the next Dark One. As her body starts to become absorbed by the darkness, Rumpelstiltskin abandons the Evil Queen to her fate.

Once Gem has been absorbed by the darkness, she vows revenge against the one she blames for her greatest tragedy, who led her to follow Scott's advice in the first place - Pearl. She transforms her friends, including Tilly, into wolves. Pearl - sorry, Little Red Riding Hood "Rose Red" Snow White [Pearl] (confused NOW?) - goes on the run once more with her wolves in search of answers for how to fix her sister, searching specifically for a man her grandmother told her of. Her grandmother, who married the old king despite being only a poor miller's daughter, by supposedly spinning straw into gold - who secretly told little Pearl the story of the man who helped her do so... a man by the name of Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin, aka Scott, has his own motivations. Years and years ago, in fact, he wasn't evil at all...

...but I might make that its own post! Partly because I don't want this one to get too crazy long LOL. But I do have plans for the Dark Curse, featuring some characters as Jack and the Beanstalk, Donkey Skin, and Pinocchio!

For now, know that in the town of Storybrooke, neither Gem nor Pearl - as are their new names, in our world without magic - are aware of their sordid pasts, only of their complicated, yet mundane, relationship as sisters.

[hannah-shipper-banana]

I, personally, will NOT tolerate any Ally Dawson slander. That’s my bby girl.

How can you say Austin cared more about her than she did for him? Girlie was most definitely in love.

Just for that, here are some things Ally did for him…

Season 1

. She forgave him for stealing her song.

.She literally forgave him for humiliating her on live TV AND agreed to be his songwriter even though they were literally like 14 years old.

. She fricking WROTE most of his songs for him despite the fact that she had a JOB and school and a life! She also went through a lot writing said songs.

. Everyone (especially Austin) was being a massive dick to her for not having a song despite that fact that she had a life of her own and a store to run and whatnot. That got me so mad. Poor girl was literally getting pressured by everyone.

. She encouraged Austin to do good things so that Tilly couldn’t get any bad footage of him.

.She attempted to perform,despite the fact that she had stage fright, so that Tilly would stop posing embarrassing footage of him. Even when he told her she didn’t have to go through with it, she still tried. (He eventually did it for her but its the thought that counts)

.Ally gave him Dougie the dolphin.

. She defended him and told him to hide when everyone thought Austin was the Mall thief. Home girl fully stood up to a whole mob by herself.

. She helped him overcome his fear of umbrellas.

. She forgave him for ‘accidentally’ playing her song on the radio and went through with his plan of Trish pretending to be her.

. She helped him get with Cassidy by writing him a song. (Yh the first one was bad but that’s literally what he told her to write. Heartbeat was a banger tho)

. SHE FRICKING GAVE UP THE CHANCE TO GO TO AN ELITE MUSIC SCHOOL (WITH A FULL SCHOLARSHIP) SO THAT SHE COULD CONTINUE TO WRITE SONGS FOR HIM! AND HE WASN’T EVEN THAT BIG YET!

Season 2

. She performed with him (despite the fact that she had stage fright) by pretending to be Taylor Swift.

. She bungee jumped off a bridge with him (yh it was to cover up her lie but…) so that he could make a good impression with the magazine editor.

. Ally was fully ready to accept her punishment from her dad so that Trish and Dez could buy Austin more time so he can run home before his parents get home (yh he still got in trouble but that was only because the fan page alerted his parents, he would’ve gotten away with it) Yes I know Austin was selfless this whole episode but Im trying to prove a point here ok? Also can I just say it was so obvious they liked each other from this episode

.She helped him plan a date FOR ANOTHER GIRL despite the fact that she started having feelings for him. And she pulled out all the stops too because she knew he liked Kira

. She could’ve outed him then and there to Kira that they kissed but she literally just walked away.

. Ally wasn’t petty or mad when she thought he chose Kira over her. She was accepting.

. Ally still wrote a song about him even though she was a little mad at him. (He then serenades her and wins her back with said song)

.Ally still offered to write him a song (the only time she could was 4am) despite having her own career to focus on, and he declined. And at the last minute offered to give him one of hers but he though they were too girly.

. Home girl was ready to give up her song (the most personal one she’s ever written) to Kira, so that Kira could consider asking Jimmy to sign Austin again. (Kira is a literal sweetheart and let Ally sing it herself but…) Also Austin was fully ready to let Ally take his place at Starr Records but Ally wasn’t having that either.

. Ally gave him his own songbook to write his music in.

. Ally wanted him to enjoy his youth, so convinced him to stay on the basketball team despite what Jimmy said.

. She helped him makeover his idol Jackson Lowe and get him back into stardom

. She forgave him for meeting with another songwriter despite the fact that he was being a drama queen and she had more of a right to be mad at him.

. She was ready to give up making her debut album just so that she could go on tour with him but Trish had to convince her not to.

Season 3

. Ally fully came just to see them (mainly him) despite that she was working on her own music. Even if she saw him for 3 days she was ready to drop everything to see him.

. She decided to stay on tour with him because she missed him too much and didn’t want to miss his first tour. He begged her to stay and she did.

.She distracted the tour guide and the press on numerous occasions so that he can escape with the silver shoes and not get in trouble.

. Ally fully adopted an ALIAS and risked losing her record deal, just so she could continue to write songs for him. Even when she had second thoughts, Austin convinced her to go through with it and she did.

.She then stood up to her FUCKING BOSS and risked losing her record deal because she refused to stop writing songs for him. She was not going down without a fight.

. She helped him with his Physics project and even made the paper plane for him. (He didn’t end up using it but he would’ve gotten an A if he did)

. Ally was the one who helped Austin overcome his stage fright and basically the one who pulled him out of his funk.

.Ally was such a supportive wifey that episode. Firstly she tried to hide the magazines with the bad review on Austin so he wouldn’t be hurt. Then she always convinced him to look at it positively. Then she became Swag Master Ally to pull him out of his funk.

.Then she gave him the ultimate pep talk which convinced him to perform in front of the critic.

.And of course she was his safety net when he was performing so he wouldn’t get nervous. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

.She knew something was off about Dwayne and started to investigate which led her to seeing that he was obsessed with Austin. She then came up with the plan to distract the butler so they all could escape.

. Ally helps him convince Dwayne Wade he wrote the song so he could stop being obsessed with him.

.She convinced him to go to prom and enjoy himself with Piper even though she still had feelings for him and she knew Austin was hesitant to leave her alone.

. Ally (and Trish and Dez) helped him escape Brooke.

. She (with everyone else, but especially her) didn’t want her dad to sell Sonic Boom because its where they had the most memories (its also where she grew up) and hatched a plan to convince her dad not to go through with the sale. (This is more everyone’s doing but still)

. Ally broke up with him (she really didn’t want to) because she didn’t want Austin to lose his record deal. And we all know how that turned out.

Season 4

. Ally gave up going on her tour so that she could stay in Miami with him for senior year because she knew she was gonna miss him.

.She (with Trish and Dez) begged him not to go to military school.

. She was the one who came up with the Music Factory idea so Austin wouldn’t have to work at his parents’ store forever, and he could get to do what he loves.

. She pushed him to do better in his exam so he could graduate with them

.She still made the giant pancake for him even tho he lost the bet, because she loves him and wanted to give him something for believing in her (🥹)

. Ally stayed up all night baking the 6 tier wedding cake he wanted but she really didn’t need to because everything was already done. She felt guilty that she didn’t help out more and wanted to make it up to him. (She even got cake all over her trying to get it to school)

. This isnt a point really but can I just say Ally was the only one who figured out that Flermy was Austin right away. Home girl knows her man when she sees him.

.Ally forgave him (and Trish) for not believing that she could pull off the performance at the awards show.

. Ally convinces him not to get in his head too much about his first performance since the break. She kept telling him not to listen to the fortune teller so that he wont get anxious.

.She tried to get him to think positively no matter how many things were going wrong. She even tried to lie when something the the fortune teller came true, so that he wouldn’t think what the teller told him would be true too. (That was a mouthful). Girlie was stressed for him this entire episode.

.She was the main one convincing him not to believe the negative prediction from the fortune teller.

.She tries to help him get out of the glass box.

. Ally lets the Austin impersonator stay in the music factory as Austin is coaching him. (Despite him making mess and making noise)

. Ally forgives him for losing her library book and lying about it (it almost didn’t allow her to graduate but she fixed that)

. ALLY GIVES AUSTIN HER SONGBOOK AS A GOODBYE PRESENT. Everyone knows her songbook is her firstborn child (sorry Ava). The songbook was basically her personal diary and contained all their memories she would’ve written down.

. Not to mention that the songbook had pre written songs in it so his career could continue while she was at school.

. Ally admits that she continued to write songs about him even though they were broken up.

. They sing a song she wrote about him, and that’s the performance that gets them back together.

. She agrees to officially become a musical duo with him. (Im now realizing this is yet another parallel to the pilot)

Just because Austin was more open with his love (and more dramatic) it doesn’t mean that Ally loved him any less.

Anyone with eyes can see that they’re both just as in love (and obsessed) with the other.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[agendabymooner]

it’s time to go ! max v. x ofc (hearth sister!ofc)

“sometimes giving up is the strong thing.”

summary: sylvie edson ford hearth swore not to think about what had happened back in 2012, but max verstappen has a different plan with his absent childhood friend. OR lando norris has a bad habit of sharing things that he isn’t permitted to share— like her phone number.

content warning: written and text messages applied, frenemies to lovers (ish), hurt/comfort? or angst, use of explicit language, model!student!ofc (sylvie), mentions of anxiety, consciousness, childhood friendships

note: i had to listen to a lot of ts songs. thank you all for the 82 followers!!! i’m so glad you guys are enjoying the content i make. i honestly had been making them because i keep them in my notes but never wrote full narratives of them. if they are written down, they’re normally not published— aka they’re in my wattpad draft. so… i hope you guys enjoy this xx

masterlist

Everybody swore that the two would get together eventually. Too bad it didn’t work like that.

Christmas was what Sylvie considered the best time of the year. She loved the way Christmas lifted the spirits of everyone, no matter how difficult the year had been for them. She loved being one of the children who would chase each other down the halls while parents gathered around and talked about the last season. She loved being around people that knew her well.

The thing was, however, no one knew her anymore. Not as well as they used to.

For a supermodel-on-the-rise, she sure felt conscious about the amount of eyes that watched her as she stepped foot inside the ballroom of the estate. The tulles of her red skirt should have given her more space to breathe, but she felt her body hyperventilating as she nearly dove headfirst into the mini bar.

Looking down on her newly manicured nails had been a habit of hers that night. She pretended to admire the polished nails while she waited for the bartender to mix her strawberry daiquiri, not wanting to look up and meet anyone’s eyes.

The teenagers and the ones who recently left that phase wondered how… How did she change that much?

Her physique certainly matured more than anyone could expect. Her slightly rounded cheeks were replaced by the sharp jawline that could possibly kill. Her eyes that avoided any form of communication were foxy and just as sharp as her jaw. Her nose was just as sharp, as well. If you were to ask Lando, she didn’t have to wear heels to out-height him. Her body and face were no longer recognizable. She was ready to be a fan favourite and a well-paid supermodel.

Funnily enough, she prioritized racing first before she did her child modeling classes. How she managed to transition from one thing to another in the span of three years, nobody could answer. She was a jack of all trades, said by her mother, just like her siblings. She was one of the many sisters who had more options to pursue instead of just sticking to racing. So for her to continue with modeling and fashion… yeah, she already knew how to operate before she was even hired by an agency. At least now she didn’t have to struggle with finding work. She didn’t have to worry about getting hired by a team.

Her career now was clearly something that she couldn’t act on, though. She was always told to walk, don’t pay attention to what everyone’s talking about and get a move on.

But this party wasn’t a runway. The judging eyes didn’t want to pay attention to the details of the clothes, but rather, the figure who wore the dress herself.

“You’re a bit tense, lovie,” Tilly was a blessing in disguise, shaped in the form of a woman who carried a 20 weeks worth of a precious gift in her womb. She must’ve picked up on Sylvie’s discomfort that she decided to strut towards her sister’s direction as quickly as a pregnant woman could. “You could have stayed at home, as I said.”

“I’ve got to say hi to them at some point,” Sylvie murmured to her sister. “Especially Lando. That bloke wouldn’t let it go if I decided to avoid him, too.”

“Well, they should be around here,” Tilly quipped as she rubbed her stomach. Seeing the movement in her peripheral vision, Sylvie spontaneously reached out and got a feel of the bump. She tried to ease her mind by doing the most peaceful thing. “They’re not looking at you for the wrong reasons, Sylv. I promise.”

“If they are, then they’re going to have to face Maman and I’s wrath,” Tilly cheekily smiled. Tilly looked past Sylvie’s shoulder as she said, “Look. Here are the boys.”

Sylvie was glad that her glass was empty and already resting at the counter, otherwise she would have made a scene if she had dropped it after being attacked by a bear hug.

“Fucking Lando,” she swore beneath her breath, trying to pull him off as she turned feeling restrained. He wouldn’t let go. She would have sworn once more, preferably aloud this time, had it been for the other boys that stood excitedly with him. She couldn’t even look at them properly due to the hold that Lando had on her.

“I told you I was going to kidnap you,” Lando let out an evil laugh before waving enthusiastically at Tilly, “Thanks, Tils! I’ll return her to you later!”

“Good, you better,” Tilly called out.

Her poor feet would be dead by the end of the night and Sylvie knew that she was fucked if she didn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t like she could stop Lando from dragging her down to wherever he’s taking her to just so she could slip out of her Valentino. She couldn’t seem to stop him especially when they both passed by familiar faces. Especially one that she didn’t want to see.

Fucking Max Verstappen. She thought that God was laughing at her that night.

She couldn’t even look at him by the time that they formed some sort of circle around the lounge room.

The telly was on, but it had been playing nothing but the screen of the karaoke waiting to show its texts and tunes. None of them paid that much attention to it, especially her.

The boys seemed like they were craving for companionship of a woman as they surrounded her with curiosity and excitement. They tried to get her attention while she was still speaking to another person. She felt like she was what Fergie was talking about in Fergalicious.

She still couldn’t look him in the eyes, situating herself between Charles Leclerc— her favourite enemy in the track and George Russell— the boy that she once called “everyone’s crush”— to avoid sharing a conversation with Max. She made sure she sat next to the two, not looking at the Dutchman as she continued to catch up with Lando and the other people she was acquainted with.

Most of them knew who she was, of course. She had been friends with most of them for years, finding themselves in the same track as they trained. She competed with them, offering nothing to the boys but fun and friendly competition. She saw things differently from everyone else. No matter how much she wished to be an F1 driver, she didn’t push past her limits— not even when her father told her to.

She was dubbed “the Wild Mustang” at the age of 10 after she realized that she was able to reach the pedal and brake of her mother’s vehicle.

The boys had never seen someone do a donut in their own parking lot before. Let alone a 10-year-old girl—thank god for her Uncle Gilles for teaching her how to do that on TV. Despite their amazement and enthusiasm, Sylvie was no longer allowed to be in the vehicle on her own after she was caught doing another donut while the other kids watched and cheered. Sylvie clearly made everyone’s time because of her wildness and risky attitude. Oh, and her blunt mouth.

So for her to sit silently as she nodded to whatever it was that her acquaintances were talking about? It wasn’t her.

Ever since she left the academy, at the age of 14, she didn’t look back. She didn’t look back at her own friends, either. Lando was the only one persistent enough to barge inside her room only for him to find out that she was packing to go to university.

Extremely early advancement program, she said. She went to university and while she was there, Lando made sure that she’d call him at least once in a while. Otherwise the security would have a problem fighting with a 4 foot something boy who only wanted to see his friend.

Nobody truly saw her behaviour change besides from her family… and Lando. She seemed more reserved when she’s out and about, much to Lando’s dismay. He really hated it when he was the only one who would bring the energy into the room. As if she lacked the power. Lando was convinced that he annoyed her because of the lack of retorts she had passed to him.

He didn’t stop talking to her. He abruptly confronted her about her behaviour instead of trying to skirt his way around it. He was more than relieved that she wasn’t annoyed by his presence, yet he was curious to know what had her acting like this. She had been like that since she left the academy. Her silence could be interpreted as sourness and hatred.

Regardless, they saw each other every other six months whether it’s during the race weekend or an event hosted by a family. But she never went to any of his racing tournaments.

She had attended certain Formula One race weekends throughout the absence of her racing career. People only caught a glimpse of her whenever she went, wondering how fast she’d disappeared even when she visited each garage.

Her attitude remained the same to her family, though. That’s why Tilly and her sisters wondered how people could see Sylvie as an introvert or a bitch. She made fun of Tilly back when Toto was still a stranger to the family. She spoke to whichever Mercedes staff had brought her to the grandstand or hospitality. She was… still her.

She refused to speak to people her age— that weren’t her sisters, of course. Especially those who were familiar with the tracks and familiar with who she was. She never looked at them. She didn’t feel comfortable being in this room. Lando was just pushing her to speak as much as she could since his attention was everywhere. He was friends with everyone in the circle and that meant that she, too, had to speak.

Still, she couldn’t seem to reply to Max. She’d only have a passing comment if he asked something to her. He was clearly trying to get her attention, but her eyes were trained anywhere else but his own pair.

“I want some more Coke,” Lando complained, “you should have gotten more, Alex.”

“Eh? Why me? Why don’t you get up?” Alex Albon replied with a scoff, “You’re the one who’s drinking it.”

She took this as an opportunity to dip out for a moment as she said, “I’ll grab ‘em.”

“Thanks Mustang,” Lando’s boyish grin appeared on his face as she stood up from the carpet. Her skirt slightly wrinkled from sitting on the floor for too long, but her feet were thankful that the low heels that she wore were taken off. “You are the best.”

“Only when you need something, espèce de salaud paresseux.” you lazy bastard. Charles snorted, clearly understanding what she just called Lando as she walked down the hallway to find the little man cave that she once explored. The room was dark, the only thing that brightened was the mini fridge with cans of Coke in them.

She didn’t know why she tiptoed towards it, kneeling down to its level as her fingers touched the cold metal. She didn’t even realize she couldn’t carry that many cans. Lando, on a good day, would drink a dozen of the mini cans and Sylvie learned that you might as well get them all now before he bitches about running out of drink.

“D’you need help?”

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” She hit her head when she tried looking up to see who just spoke. But she didn’t need to look. She already knew who decided to corner her. In a dark room.

“Shit, shit, sorry schat,” Max swore as he reached out, “are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a hiss, “lost a fucking brain or two but I suppose I am.”

The last time that they spoke was at the paddock during the 2014 Silverstone race. That was when he shoulder checked her unintentionally, leaving her to bark at him in annoyance before stomping off. They didn’t even see each other’s faces.

“Here, do you need help?” He asked genuinely, gesturing with his empty hands as he offered some sort of support.

She didn’t bother hesitating, just shoving the cold cans of pop in his arms while she turned to grab more. She busied herself with the fridge before she groaned after hearing him clear his throat.

“So uh… How have you been, Sylvie?”

“Delightful,” she responded drily.

“How was your first and second term?”

“Busy.”

“How are you doing with the…modeling stuff then?” Oh he really wouldn’t leave without getting words out of her mouth.

“Great,” she muttered. He still wouldn’t catch onto the disinterest in her tone. Was he really this oblivious or did he lose a brain cell or two for the past few years?

“You look—“ he cleared his throat once more, feeling his face flush pink as he remembered the last picture that he saw of her. The holiday collection of Victoria’s Secret Pink. “You looked very beautiful at them.”

She paused, wondering what the fuck was he doing in the man cave with her. What was the reason for his intervention? Did he corner her just to compliment her latest project?

“Thank you,” she sighed before grabbing the last of the cans, kicking the fridge closed as she walked past him.

“I want to catch up with you,” he voiced out as they walked down the hallway. It remained empty, the ballroom was obviously occupied by loud music and loud guests and hosts. The lounge room, despite it being a few feet away, remained loud as well as the boys sung their hearts out. Poorly.

His voice echoed in the hallway, leaving her to pause and turn around. She remained standing there as he finally jogged towards her. They were both still cradling cans of pop as if those were their children.

“It’s just…” Max trailed off, wanting to scratch his head but couldn’t. “You stopped talking to all of us after you left. At least all of us but Lando.”

She wanted to scoff. She wanted to laugh at his face. There was no way he’d have this much audacity to assume that she’d even dare talk to him. Not after all of that fiasco.

“Some of us were wondering,” he rocked back and forth on his feet. “Especially with where you went after all of that. I was going to apologize to you.”

“Hm,” she hummed disinterestedly. She was itching to go back to the lounge room.

“For doing that,” Max spoke meekly.

She was infuriated for the first time in four years. She had never been angry about this. She downplayed her anger and acted as if she had only quit the academy when she was already on her way to become the first female F1 driver. She pretended that he didn’t exist, because God only knew what she could do at the thought of him.

Back in 2014, when she learned that he was a reserved driver, she begged her sister for something so silly. To fire Max. She didn’t really mean that. She only wanted to say his name with disdain to let it out of her system. But then she returned to her routine of being silent and keeping some shit to herself, not wanting to slag him off any further as an ounce of guilt filled her mind.

Then he said some shit like this. He wouldn’t even tell her what he did. She had never been so angry since now.

But she could only offer nothing but a cold tone. “For doing what?” She asked coolly, looking at him in the eyes as she challenged him.

Her coldness left him stammering, “F-for the uh…” then he was silent.

Watching his mouth clamp shut, she laughed humourlessly before shaking her head in disbelief. “If you’re going to apologize, you have to recognize what you’ve done first. Oh, Verstappen,” she tutted, “you are so silly.”

Walking back to the lounge room, she left him behind in the hallway. Maybe after today, she could cry herself to sleep this time. She hasn't been able to cry ever since she left. Maybe after letting that out, she’d be able to rest a little bit better.

Everyone thought that, after growing up with each other, they’d end up as something else that’ll last forever. But if anyone had seen this confrontation, they’d express how wrong they were. Because the first glimpse of her long lost lover turned into something like hate. It wasn’t the same as it was before 2012.

[aseriesofsmallthings]

Writemas: Day Four

Hello! Writemas day four (hosted by @agirlandherquill) is upon us and I'm still going strong! Today's entry is being brought to you from a hotel room desk, and was written on the train over here! As a result, it's another long(ish) one, which I'm quite pleased with, as the previous two had been dropping off a tad in terms of word count. This one also borders so close to fanfic it's ridiculous (it isn't fanfic, but a lot of it was unintentionally inspired by a TV show kinda), and my head is now screaming at me to turn it into one. Anyways, as per the previous three, very limited editing was done to this, so I apologise for any mistakes made throughout. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! 🤍

Prompt: He could not stay still, if he did, his mind would shatter.

Title: Untitled.

Words: 711

Genre(s): Contemporary (very angsty)

He paced the hallway, shuffling the case files under his arm from one side to the other – left to right to left. He reached her door, then backed off again; lifted his fist to knock, and let it drop to his side again. His hand hovered over the handle, contemplating just letting himself in, his other hand fiddling with the well-worn folders.

     He had to blink away the tears that formed in his eyes, over and over again. A deep breath. He steeled himself against the onslaught of emotions that threatened to spill, pushed himself forward, opening her door – probably with more force than necessary – before he could change his mind.

     It was exactly as she had left it. A pile of books she would never get to read stacked precariously on the small, oak coffee table; the olive curtains drawn back to reveal the treetops outside the window. Picture frames of her family, her friends, the team, scattered along the windowsill, the fireplace, the TV stand. An empty cup left on the side table next to the low, grey sofa. Everything the same, waiting for her, it seemed.

     He pushed the door shut behind him, taking his time to look around before he stepped in further, the glow of the setting sun outside filling the room with an ethereal quality he didn’t want to disturb. He moved slowly towards the kitchen, placing the files on the island counter in front of him. He pulled out a stool, as he had done here so many times before, to pore over the case at hand. It had become their routine, choosing whose place they would use, ordering Chinese food and sitting across from each other, analysing case notes and piecing the evidence together. The evenings would start off as work, and eventually would turn into playful banter and laughing. He smiled at the thought of her laugh, how it used to consume him, and he broke, once again.

     He steadied himself with another deep breath and was overcome with the scent of her surrounding him, wishing she would walk through the door just one more time.

     “I thought I would find you here”, a voice from behind him announced. His heart leapt, his mind taking a second to catch up to the fact that it wasn’t her. He didn’t respond, merely glanced over in her direction, a smile of too much sympathy etched across her face. It infuriated him that she had followed, especially here. She had been doing that a lot lately, ever since… since Tilly. He had chosen to ignore her – he had gotten quite good at it – but this was different, she shouldn’t be here, not in Tilly’s flat. “Please, look at me. We’re worried, Daniel.”

     “Please, just leave me alone,” he sighed, defeated.

     “This isn’t going to change anything, this frantic running about you’re doing. She’s dead, Daniel, and acting the way you are isn’t going to bring her back, nothing can.”

     “Leave me alone.”

     “You need to stop, at least just for tonight - go home, rest, the case will still be here in the morning.”

     He clenched his fists, gripping the edges of the files that now lay open on the countertop with white knuckles. He bit his lip, a feeble attempt at keeping his next words to himself, stifling the tears, that once again, tried to escape his eyes.

     “You’re wrong.” He had never been good at keeping quiet – he almost laughed at what Tilly would have had to say to that. “It will change something. It will change the fact that those, murderers,” he spat, “are roaming around free, while Tilly doesn’t get to anymore!” He had to keep going, he had to keep pursuing them, for her, but for him too. He wouldn’t rest until their lives were no longer theirs, made to spend the rest of them behind bars. He would not stop – could not – until that happened. He couldn’t stay still, if he did, his mind would shatter, much like his heart already had.

     The tears he had tried so hard to suppress fell freely now. “She doesn’t get to live anymore,” his voice was almost a whisper now, breaking in places where the sobs overwhelmed him, “- neither should they.”

[madeintheniamh]

I feel like Lottie gives me rebel teen vibes compared to Tilly...... so could we please please have a one shot of teen Lottie doing something rebellious ;)

hehehe... loved writing this one

a hairstyle for a styles

stmf one shot #19

You weren’t that fussy with how the girls looked growing up- whilst Tilly was more similar to you in that she liked to have her hair done and wear matching socks and fancy dresses, Lottie followed much more closely to Harry. But you did have a rule, which was that you wanted the girls to keep their long hair. Both of them had inherited the typical Styles hair genes- with Tilly’s hair being long and dark blonde, and Lottie’s being a mad, curly chocolate brown lob that formed ringlets around her head. There were only a few things that Lottie didn’t like about herself- she was much more confident than her older sister- but her hair was unfortunately one of those things.

new imessage from kitty:

just chop it. you’re gunna look amazing 😉

“Fuck it,” she muttered to herself, as she took the scissors to her hair and made the first cut. “Fuck,”

It was shorter than she had intended, with the offending chunk now barely touching her collarbone, whilst the rest of her hair still rested halfway down her spine. There was no going back, she thought, as she took the rest of the thick curly lob in her hand and chopped it off at her neck, and then proceeded to stare in the mirror for a good-few-minutes, realising her mistake, her long brown hair now scattered all over the bathroom floor. She was glad you weren’t home, but she had no clue what she was going to do when you did arrive home.

The first person to see the botched haircut was Tilly, who audibly gasped.

“Oh my god,” She screamed. “Your hair,”

She ushered Lottie downstairs, still virtually screaming at this point. Harry was sat in the living room, guitar in hand, as the noise made him look up.

“Hey my best girls, whoa, wow,” He choked slightly. “What happened?”

“I think it looks better,” Lottie smiled.

“Better!” Tilly scoffed, running her hands through her sister’s hair. “It looks like a toddler’s cut your hair!”

Harry sat up slowly. “It looks good, from the front,” He laughed. “But it’s not very even, and what is your Mum going to say when she gets home?”

“Why,” Tilly moaned, as she directed Lottie towards one of the barstools in the kitchen. “Your hair was so nice,”

Harry laid one of the tea-towels out on the floor, and grabbed a pair of scissors from the cupboard, passing them to Tilly.

“You want me to use these? On hair?” Tilly gasped. “These are for cooking!”

“We don’t really have a choice,” He sighed. “Just try and make it a bit better before your Mum gets home, surely it can’t get much worse,”

Tilly’s brows furrowed in concentration as she attempted to make both sides of her sister’s hair even, with a lot of colourful sounding words escaping from her mouth in the process. Harry stayed watching the entire time, laughing every-time Tilly would forcefully grab hold of Lottie’s chin and wrench it upright.

“Stop moving, or it’s going to be even worse! And stop laughing, Daddy, it’s not funny,” she scolded, whacking Harry’s back with one of the tea towels they had laid out on the back of the chair. “This is serious,”

Twenty minutes later, Lottie’s hair looked somewhat better. Whilst it was still slightly uneven, it was pretty good considering that Tilly had never cut hair before, and in the process, Harry had called his hair stylist to come round the next day and try and make it look a little bit more presentable.

“Quick, hide!” he shouted, as he heard the front door unlock, you entering the house with a few bags full of shopping. You pretended to not have heard all three of them shuffling around in the kitchen, as Tilly attempted to shove the scissors back in the drawer. When you walked in, Harry was stood in front of Lottie, blocking her from your view, Tilly stood next to him.

“Harry,” You began to laugh, as you put one of the bags down on the worktop. “Why are you standing like that,”

“Like what?” He asked, a dimple beginning to show on one of his cheeks. “Just standing here, that’s all,”

“Tilly,” You looked over at her. “I feel like you and your Daddy are up to something, I hope you’re not playing pranks on me again, I told you to stop that,”

She smirked slightly, trying to avoid your eyes, but found Harry’s instead, and they both burst out into a roar of laughter, their movement revealing Lottie to be sat behind them.

“Your hair!” You gasped. “Harry! Did you encourage this?!”

“We were trying to fix it!” He laughed. “To be honest, it doesn’t look half bad,”

“Lottie, why didn’t you just tell me, you wanted it shorter.” You sighed.

“You wouldn’t have let me anyway!” She replied, standing up from the chair. “And Daddy says it looks good, so it’s fine,” She winked at Harry, as she lent into his arms.

“It does look good, Lottie baby,” He played with a loose strand of her now shoulder length hair with his fingers. “But you always look good no matter what, my best girl,”

________

there you have it. my full intro to rebel teen lottie. more will come soon. thank you to my bestie becca for helping me craft lottie’s personality somewhat (we have many secrets about both her and Tilly that will be revealed gradually teehee)

this forms part of my slipping through my fingers series! I have linked the masterlist for the rest of the series here. as always if you have any requests feel free to send them to my inbox and I will try my best to write them for you. love you all have a wonderful Sunday and week xxx

(my ear is still throbbing from having my helix pierced today so I’m going to bed now)

[excalumbras]

tilly jackson hcs bc she deserves to be talked abt too.

due to her csa trauma, she was very skittish after dutch had saved her & let her stay in the vdl gang. she wouldnt let her guard down & if she sensed any danger towards her from any of the members, she was ready to bolt.

grimshaw was never kind to her. not ever—she just put that girl straight to work & has never said a single kind word to her.

the only reason tilly turned out to be the sweetest out of all the vdl gang is bc she saw how they were & wanted to be nothing like them + her mother's last words to her were wishing her to live happy.

it took the combined (& frankly awkward) efforts of kohn & arthur to get tilly to trust not just them, but also hosea & dutch. they couldnt get her to trust or even like grimshaw, but she learned how to tune that woman's incessant insults & beratings out by the time she was 16.

arthur & john were (& still are!! idc what canon says!!!) very protective of her; if she went anywhere, even a little ways away from camp, trust & believe that one of the brothers was with her.

they also taught her to how fend for herself. hosea & dutch, for once, didnt want a child to learn how to fight... never mind the fact that tilly learned how to do kill someone at 12yo. or possibly younger than.

she absolutely loved bessie. she learned how to be feminine from her (because, again, tilly hated grimshaw growing up). she got her love for stories (especially the romance genre) from watching hosea & bessie act all lovey-dovey whenever bessie was around camp. & the only reason im mentioning this is bc dutch's books are. Not romance—that man probably had her read moby dick when it first came out or smth.

she would bicker & banter w john a whole lot more than she did with arthur; shes much closer to john's age. they lovingly & playfully bullied each other.

courtesy of being raised by dutch & hosea: hers, arthur's, & john's senses of humor are dry as the desert.

arthur gave her piggyback rides a lot.

tilly wouldnt let Anyone touch her hair, not even to wash it.

she has some memoirs of her mother that she grabbed from their home before running away again.

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 114 - Spock is on the Run

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2 Episode 3 - Point of Light

With Christmas over, I can get back to doing this properly.

This time, we're still on the lookout for Red Angel Signals and for any clues about Spock's situation. Sylvia Tilly is still seeing the ghost of her childhood friend May. Discovery stumbles across Sarek's ship, who requests to transport someone over. Everyone expects it to be Sarek, but it turns out to actually be his wife.

After the Intro we cut to the Klingon Empire, and things seem to be going well under L'Rell's rule. The Klingon houses are all together, even if there it a bit of tension about Tyler/Voq's presence.

Back on Discovery, we find out that Amanda tried to visit Spock in his psychiatric ward, but they wouldn't let her see him, and apparently any info about his situation is being kept secret, even from Family. So, she stole his medical file, and hands it off to Michael who in turn takes it to Captain Pike.

After a bit of Convincing, Pike calls up the Facility, but tactfully doesn't mention Amanda or the Stolen File, he simply words his request as a simple check from a captain, and we find out that apparently Spock escaped and is wanted for murder. This call convinces Pike to allow Michael to crack open the medical file.

We get this really good scene with Amanda opening up about how she regrets raising Spock in the way she did, and wishing he would have been allowed to express his emotion more, but this is interrupted by drawings of the Red Angel flickering through in the medical file, and then further interrupted by a call from Ash Tyler, which Michael needs to take. Michael's call with Ash is just a general catch up, and a nice heart to heart, but nothing immediately pressing. Later, we do find out that L'Rell and Voq had a child together, a complete surprise to Ash. L'Rell didn't tell Ash because she wanted him to be able to return to a human life without any need to return to Chronos. L'Rell knows that Ash called Michael and basically has seen the writing on the wall from Day 1. The way she wants to protect Ash/Voq's happiness is really sweet. Ash says he wishes to remain committed to staying on Klingon though, and agrees to raise the child. As to go to meet him however, they find the child has been kidnapped by one of rogue noble houses. We get a pretty good action scene out of it, although I wish it was a lit a bit better, it fell into the trap of thinking Visually Dark = Good. L'Rell and Ash lose their fight however, but are rescued by none other than Georgiou, who for some reason has a vested interest in L'Rell remaining the Chancellor of the Klingon empire

On Discovery's Bridge, where the Command Training Program people are beginning their "Shadow Exercises" which is a lot less badass than it sounds. Basically, they're studying directly under another officer. Sylvia, still her ghost, is studying under Captain Pike himself, which is definitely a golden opportunity. They have built him to be considered one of the best captains in the fleet, after all.

Apparently May's ghost is urgent to talk to a Captain, but not Pike, and not Saru because what she described sounds Human. I really wonder where this ghost falls on the Malice vs Incompetence Spectrum, throughout this sequence it does seem like she's pushing to block Sylvia from command. Pike notices something is up, but it's too late because May pushes Sylvia into an open outburst, which, because only she can see may, everyone on bridge thinks is directed towards Pike. I really like the idea of this ghost as kind of a metaphor stress or pushing yourself too hard or something, she did first appear in a scene where Saru gave her a little pep-talk about that.

Elsewhere, Michael's conversation with Amanda continues, and we learn a bit more about the Red Angel. Apparently the first time it appeared for Spock was during an incident where Michael ran away from home, and it told Spock exactly where she was. Additionally, we find out a bit more about what happened to damage Spock and Michael's relationship so much. Apparently, Michael Traumatised him to protect him from the logic extremists, because he kept following her around everywhere. We don't find out exactly what.

After both Michael and Sylvia's emotional moments, they both meet up in their bunks, and Sylvia finally opens up about how she's seeing a ghost. Michael manages to build Sylvia up a bit, which was really nice to see. And also, she manages to throw down a bit of logic about her situation: May isn't a hallucination, and whatever she is, she isn't the real Ghost of May. Additionally, because Michael has held a rock from the Asteroid and not suffered this effect, it must be connected to the Spores, and they agree to visit Paul Stamets.

Paul and Saru, now informed on Sylvia's situation get work and find out that May is a spore from the Terran Universe, but they make quick work of Extracting her. The fungal organism is huge however, and ends up contained.

I enjoyed this episode, especially Sylvia and May stuff, although I do wish we could have got a few more episodes of weird ghost stuff before it was resolved, I guess. The Klingon stuff was also great here. Apparently Georgiou is part of a black-ops unit called Section 31, I'm really interested to see where that goes now that she's back in play. Overall a pretty good episode.

[huskynotwolf]

Little Soldiers

-song by the Crane Wives

-fanfic by The Crazy Husky

No. 6

(Drums: Impulse)

Apparently, Joel had caught Ren and Martyn lip-locking.

Impulse seemed to be upset that not only Tango and Etho did not acknowledge him, Skizz stayed away from him most of the time. Pearl had also managed to get an actual wolf as a pet (named Tilly) and keeps it in her room. Jimmy (with the broken leg) was finally out of the infirmary and had crutches.

Pearl later broke his arm.

Scott was wandering around the base when he saw BigB and Pearl playing with a frog. They were squealing about how funny and cute it looks, then they began discussing how to breed them to scare Tango. Scott had no idea what they meant until Pearl stabbed one of the baby frogs with a blunt tooth right in front of Tango, and he kept his distance from the two for the rest of the day as they went around scaring people. It wasn’t long before BigB actually murdered the frog in front of Grian and Martyn and scared them really badly. They later revealed it was a toy and the real frog was in an enclosure.

Impulse then had the idea of singing Little Soldiers for the Treebark Duo, as it was Ren’s birthday coming up. Pearl did agree (in the terms of Impulse making another frog dummy for the pair to murder) and had practised the lyrics. Scott sat this one out so the latter only included Pearl, Gem and Impulse.

Scott sat in the audience as Ren and Martyn was pushed on the floor (Ren sat on his cape bedsheet) then watched. This time, everyone gathered to listen. Scott had also hidden all the birthday supplies and was waiting patiently for them to finish then ambush Ren. He’d told almost everyone (with the exception of Martyn) so they all knew what was coming up.

“~~~” She began playing with Impulse on the drums. “On the broken backs of all the words we spared, like little soldiers in the trenches.” Gem started, taking in the fun of music. “It was a march we made towards ruin and despair but we held hands all the while.”

“I swear that I loved you, I swear that I loved you.” Pearl sung. Gem joined in and vocalised, “I swear that I loved you. I swear, I swear~” Scott especially enjoyed it when they play together. With Pearl not constantly trying to kill anyone, and Gem not chasing random people around and trying to break their legs, but then he felt guilt swelling in his belly.

“Beneath the table you would offer up my bones, and all the dogs would lick your fingers.” He thought about Impulse. It wasn’t earlier that Etho had told Scott that he thinks Impulse had left TIES to join them, but Scott replied with he’s just trying to meet more friends. Since then, Impulse and TIES had been in a lot more arguments that usual. “And I dragged you through every room inside our home, but you still held me at night.” Speaking of unwavering loyalty…

“I swear that you loved me, I swear that you loved me,” the song reminded him of back when he was still in the Flower Husbands group with Jimmy, when Martyn and Ren would run around and act like drama queens. Then there would be Scar and Grian, who is definitely worth mentioning. Those two are basically soulmates in every way shape or form. “I swear that you loved me. I swear, I swear,” Gen was going at it at full, with Impulse enjoying his time with the girls. Lizzie and Etho sat together by the back, apparently muttering about Joel or something, because her husband whipped around and dove at her, causing her to yelp.

“We didn't give up, we wouldn't dare surrender. It was an honest loss,” Scott heard Impulse’s voice for the first time. The girls seemed to know like they rehearsed it. “Now the aftermath will ring with songs you've sung, all of our words sent home in boxes.” Grian eyed Martyn as he gripped Ren’s hand tight. “I fought with tooth and nail before the flag had flown, but you were already gone.” Ren cringed at that verse but said nothing.

“I'll swear that I loved you, I'll swear that I loved you, I'll swear that I loved you. I swear, I swear.” Gem sounded like she really and finally enjoyed something for real. Scott’s fingers drifted over to a button hidden from sight. Tango and Mumbo gave him a thumbs up. “I'll swear that I loved you, I'll swear that I loved you. I'll swear that I loved you, I swear, I swear~”

As they came to a close, Mumbo nodded and Scott pressed the button. Immediately birthday decorations popped up from the ceiling and Tango showered Ren with confetti. “Happy Birthday Ren!” Everyone yelled. Impulse, Gem and Pearl abandoned their instruments and went over to congratulate.

Ren seemed shocked. He felt so surprised he fell over on his back. Martyn giggled and stepped back. “Best party ever,” Ren breathed, and Grian giggled. Tango and Mumbo did a victory dance for successfully setting up the deco.

“Dogwarts!” Pearl laughed and waved the red and white flag. Martyn, who seemed confused and shocked at the same time, staggered towards the wall and stayed there, breathing heavily. “Yo what,” he gasped. “You gave me a heart attack.” Scott laughed, patted his back and smiled. “I understand.”

Suddenly Martyn’s whole body jerked and he collapsed on the floor. Scott tried to help him up, but he wouldn’t budge and instead muttered, ”Summer falls, destruction calls. The sun’s gaze, the moon’s raze, star of forgiveness, running sands of vengeance, the Earth and its loneliness. Come together in a single piece, or shatter forever without peace. The eyes watch, may not interfere. Crimes among the stars, the outcast among others. Paid by the unforgiving sea, bought back by the singing moon, or the hourglass continues falling.” Then he fainted.

Scott knew it. The Watchers are actually intervening. And he knew exactly what will happen.

Next

Previous

[mangaka-neko-chan]

What are your characters most ashamed of?

Oh I like that question. I assume this is for my Darktide lads but if you want to ask that about Neh'edi, Fura or whoever too, then let me know, you can always ask again.

Harken - Very easy answer. The fall of Cadia. Harken makes himself responsible for it even tho that's obviously nonsense, he was but a dust particle in the whole scenario. When the fall of Cadia was clear, the leader of the platoon Harken was part of got scared and dipped in the right moment. He took many soldiers with him for protection. That included Harken. At the time he was very much against the idea of leaving but in 40k your superiors' orders can not be disobeyed so he told himself that there surely is a reason for why they leave. As they did leave Cadia broke apart right before his eyes. The worst moment of his life. He's still grieving a lot and is ashamed that he didn't take a stand and stayed behind to fight. It doesn't matter that it would have been futile, he holds onto the chance that it maybe wouldn't have been.

Harald - Harald is ashamed of many many things, past mistakes that he made which continuisly pushed him further down in life. His biggest regret and shame is that his naivity got his mother killed. He thought he could support her with his Psyker powers but it backfired. He's ashamed that he gave in to his naive thinking again with confronting his Ecclesiarch father in hope to get a family back but was met with rejection and persecution. He's ashamed for endangering his surrogate father by staying too long with him tho that was the first time he learned and left him before things could get worse. He's ashamed that the first person he got romantically involved in turned out to reject and scream at him the second she found out that he was a Psyker. Harald's shame is very much him blaming himself for his bad decisions. He put faith in the wrong people and that ended up in him rejecting the good ones out of fear. It made him very distrustful.

Moggy - Moggy is someone who rarely gets ashamed of anything. She belives in individualism and mistakes being part of what shapes you as a person. It's usually just minor, situational thing. But she has her lingering regrets. She regrets not being strong enough to protect the group of young ones she was part of, her family, when the cultists filled the streets but she is aware that at the time she was too young and unexperienced to be able to do so. She honored her familys wishes for her to live on and survive with faith and pride, so Moggy could make peace with that.

Tilly - On the other hand Tilly feels a lot of shame, it is a big reason for why she is the way she is. She was ashamed that she could not protect the youngest of the group she was guarding. She feels shame about being the supposedly "Emperor's chosen one" after she failed. She feels shame about leaving her home and her community behind even tho they endorsed her to do so. She's ashamed that she can not live up to expectations as she wishes to. She's ashamed that she is getting out of touch with her origins more and more in favor of these expectations, loosing traditions, loosing her language. Tilly's high and mighty attitude definitely stems from the fact that shame and regret is a big part of her life and so she tries to repent by any means necessary.

Benn - Benn is never ashamed and was never ashamed. He's too headstrong and prideful for that (and also too Ogryn). He does get upset if you call him out for forgetting names and the like but he doesn't really feel shame about that, he's just annoyed and angry that people basically call him dumb. He does occasionally think about the consequence of him forgetting many good people in his life but then he decides it doesn't matter since he can't change that anyway. The lucky lad has all the confidence (maybe too much lol) and basically no worries in life, hahaha.

[nghtmarish]

@leagueofdccm ; negan : hey, where'd you go? i was starting to miss you! meme that can't be found ; meme tag : always accepting.

     𝐢𝐭  𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭  𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭  𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜,     like  life  still  continued  and  was  just  the  same  as  before,  but  it  was  hugely  different.     their  home  was  shared  with  a  lot  more  people  than  she  ever  expected,  a  repurposed  factory  that  they  were  keeping  safe  and  she  felt  like  she  could  actually  still     𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩     people.     something  that  she  hadn't  thought  she  would  be  able  to  do  again.     lucille  knew  that  this  was  a  way  that  they  could  survive,  that  they  could  keep  on  thriving  and  it  was  good  to  have  a     𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞  𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞��    for  their  daughter  to  grow  up.     it  was  all  she  could  ask  for,  that  didn't  mean  it  would  ever  feel  like  home.     but  it  would  do,  they  were  safe,  they  were  alive  and  they  were  together.     

     𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞  𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭  𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞  𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭  𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝  𝐚𝐭  𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬,     seeing  him  standing  in  the  kitchen  making  them  dinner  like  he  would've  done  back  at  their  home.     it  helped  it  all  feel  more  normal,  not  that  it  was  normal  anymore,  their  new  normal  was  leaders  of  this  group  and  with  that  came  having  to  do  things  that  she  had  never  expected  them  to  have  to  do.     except  it  was  almost  worst  how  it  all  started  to  feel  normal,     "     just  checkin'  on  some  things.     not  really  sure  why  simon  brought  you  a  doctor  from  hilltop.     you  two  doubting  my  skills,  old  man?     "     she  teased,  shutting  the  door  behind  her  as  she  moved  into  their  room  and  towards  him.     the  saviors  were  a  powerful  group,  he  had  made  them  that  way  and  it  was  somewhat     𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞     to  see  the  way  he  stepped  up  and  led  them,  gave  the  people  someone  to  have  faith  and  trust  in.     they  all  had  adapted  to  the  way  things  were,  gone  was  the  man  who  hadn't  wanted  to  even  kill  the  dead,  they  both  had  done  things  to  keep  each  other  alive  and  they  weren't  the  same  people  they  were  before  all  of  this.

     𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬  𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝  𝐡𝐢𝐦,     head  resting  against  him  for  a  moment  and  these  were  the  moments  she  craved,  no  one  could  take  this  away  from  them  and  she  was  just  glad  that  the  two  still  had  each  other,     "     if  only  they  could  all  see  you  now     -     negan,  leader  of  the  saviors,  domestic  king  in  the  kitchen,     "     lucille  teased,  moving  round  to  stand  at  his  side,  looking  over  the  food  and  she  knows  how  lucky  they  are  to  actually  have  good  food  to  eat.     their  relationship  with  hilltop  and  the  kingdom  meant  that  everyone  had  decent  food,  they  did  their  part  and  they  shared  resources.     she  may  not  always  like  how  things  are  handled,  how  they  get  people  to  fall  in  line,  but  it  worked  and  she  would  always  be  there  to  help  when  it  was  needed,     "     do  i  need  to  go  and  grab  tilly?     how  far  off  is  dinner?     and  please  tell  me  you  actually  got  her  to  do  some  school  work  and  didn't  just�� throw  ball  all  day,     "    lucille  questioned  with  a  playful  smile,  already  knowing  that  he  was  going  to  tell  her  that  what  did  it  really  matter  if  tilly  knew  basic  maths.     she  was  just  grateful  that  throughout  all  of  this,  their  bond  still  hadn't  changed.     motioning  with  her  finger  for  him  to  lean  down  and  give  her  a  kiss,  the  smile  stays  on  her  lips  as  she  looks  up  at  him,     "     she  needs  a  rountine,  she  gonna  get  herself  in  trouble  if  we  don't  give  her  something  to  do,     "

[mountttmase]

HIIIII

THAT WAS HONESTLY THE BEST SURPRISE EVER🥹🥹🥹

You’d never been in so much pain in your life. It was almost like you could still feel the pain radiating through you as you retold the story to your best friend on the phone. OH LOVE

‘Sid I swear, like worse than childbirth I’m telling you cause at least then you’re getting a cute thing to take home with you at the end. With this all I’ve got is a scar and aching limbs’ you told her, a slight laugh in your voice so you could let her know it was okay to laugh too but she was feeling more sympathetic than anything else. OH, HI SIDDDD🤭

The pain had started at the end of last week but you ignored it until you really couldn’t anymore and after an emergent doctor's appointment you were rushed into surgery to have your ruptured appendix removed. It was all so sudden and everything hurt but slowly and surely you were on the mend. THE APPENDICITIS NO WAY

‘He’s doing alright. I believe they're letting him take ollie to to training tomorrow as Debbie leaves in the morning but he’s been amazing so far’ you smiled, thinking about how he’d really taken charge in the last few days and kept the house running with some help from Debbie who'd come to stay for a few days to help out. ‘Tilly’s still got nursery so she should be fine’ HE IS A GOOD MAN SAMANTHA 😂😂

‘I might take you up on that. I’ll see how he gets on tomorrow’ you told her, not wanting Mason to think like you didn’t trust him to look after everything he’s been doing before you heard a rustling coming from outside. TRUE😌

You saw Mason's head poke around the door, a soft smile on his face as he slowly made his way over to kiss your forehead before heading to the bathroom. He looked exhausted so with a quick goodbye to Sid you made sure you were free to speak to Mason when he reappeared. HI LOVE

‘Hey baby, you okay?’ You smiled as he emerged a little while later, dressed only in his boxers and your heart gave a thud as he flopped down next to you gently. DEAD

‘You look a lot better today. Got a bit more colour in your face’ he smiled before he went a little shy. ‘Do you think I might be able to have a cuddle?’ He asked quietly. Knowing that he’d been refraining from asking as he had to be so careful with you and even though you missed his touch, you still weren't quite ready for a full on hug. You weren’t about to burst his bubble though so you patted your chest so that he would place his head there and positioned his arm so that it was far away from your scar. Thankfully Mason was laid on the opposite side to it so he could cuddle up to your side without any issues but you felt your heart race when hummed contently at the feel of you. ‘Thank you, beautiful. I’ve missed this’ OMG I'M CRYING

‘I don’t know how you do this everyday with them. Even with my mum's help I’m half dead’ he laughed, kissing your neck gently as he referred to looking after the kids and the house all on his own. ‘You’re like a real life superwoman’ HAHAHAHAHHA, SHE IS A WOMAN, YOURE A MAN, EASY😌

‘You’re doing such a good job though, Mase’ you reassured him quietly. ‘And I’ll be able to start helping out more soon’ I LOVE THAT SHE COMPLIMETED HIM

‘Well not too soon. You need to be 100% better before you even lift a finger okay?’ YES

‘Well you deserve a rest. But you should have just said if you needed one you know? Didn’t have to rupture your appendix just for some sympathy’ he teased HAHAHAHAHAH SILLY

‘I did’ you laughed, knowing how proud he was about making you dinner even thought it was basically already done for him and he just had to heat it up. ‘I won’t lie though, I can’t wait until I’m allowed solid foods again. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to chew’ HAHAHAHAHAH HE IS SO PROUD OF IT

CAN I HAVE ANYTHING SHE WANTS TO EAT TOO?

‘You should get some sleep Mase’ you whispered, looking down at him resting peacefully on your chest and you could almost feel your heart bursting from how much you loved him. I LOVE HIM

When you woke up, he was there again. Stroking your skin and letting you know you were fine. That you were his everything and the thought of losing you killed him and even though his vulnerable side broke your heart there was no one else you wanted to wake up to. OHHHHH, ILL CRY NOW😭😭😭😭

You felt him get heavy as he fell asleep on you, not having the heart to move him as he looked so peaceful and you’d missed his touch so even though it was against the doctors orders you let him sleep cuddled up against you that night. You’d been sleeping throughout the day so even though you were a little bit tired you spent the next twenty minutes just looking at him. Stroking the soft skin of his cheek, kissing his forehead and wondering how you got so lucky to have this beautiful man all to yourself. THE PERFECT WAY TO END A DAY HONESTLY

The next day everyone was up and out before you had a chance to wake up. Tilly was apparently furious that Ollie got to spend the day with Mason and had refused to leave until Debbie had coaxed her out by telling her she got a special ride in nanny’s car and she then went without fuss. You made sure to send Debbie a quick thank you text to let her know how grateful you were that she’d come to help in your hour of need before letting Sid know you were bored and she promised to come over after lunch to keep you company. SORRY OLLY, I LOVE YOU, BUT YOUR SISTER IS MY FAVOURITE HUMAN BEING 😂😂😂

‘He really has been so good, Sid’ you told her, picking out a nail colour from the bag she bought over before she took your hand and began to shape your nails. ‘He’s got them up in the morning, made sure they’ve got where they needed to be. Got the home again, made dinner, bathed them all whilst still going to training and doing what he needs to do and checking in on me every five minutes’ OMG I FEEL HEALED HONESTLY

‘Is that nice tills?’ Mason asked gently, slowly massaging her head as he worked the shampoo into her hair. She didn’t respond but you knew she was loving it, her eyes half open as her mouth formed the most adorable little ‘o’. Letting Mason gently relax her muscles. ‘Mumma always gives me the best head massages when I’ve not had a good day’ OH BABY GIRL WHO HURT MY FAVOURITE HUMAN BEING?

‘How’s that knee baby?’ He asked, popping some conditioner in her hair before looking down at where she was pointing. OHHH HAHAHAHAH GOT IT

‘I know baby, you’re so brave though. Took it like a right champ from what I heard’ he told her and your heart fluttered at her adorable little giggle. ‘But when you’re feeling all better again-‘ SHE IS A BIG GIRL😌

‘Mummy!’ Tilly suddenly interrupted. Your plan of staying hidden clearly not working as she’d seen your reflection in the mirror so you went in. Masons face a picture as you carefully made your way over to them. OH MY BABY GIRL

‘What are you doing out of bed?’ Mason asked. A smile on his face as he looked up at you but you just shrugged trying to play it off. AHAHAHAHAH HE IS SOOO WORRIED

‘Someone got tackled by one of the bigger boys at lunch today when they were all playing football’ Mason explained, trying to keep his tone light but you could tell he was angry. AHHAHAHA PROTECTIVE DAD MADON MOOD ON

‘No, but when I find out I swear-‘ AHHAHAHAH MOUNT HAHAHAHAH HE IS 3 YEARS OLD,LEAVE THE POOR BABY ALONE

‘I don’t know, love. Some of those kids are massive. I don’t know what people feed them these days to make them so tall’ he laughed, rinsing out the last of the conditioner before reaching for Tilly’s towel. ‘But what I was trying to say before was. When you’re feeling better, you gotta get back out there okay? Don’t let this make you not wanna play anymore. I fall over all the time when I play, you just gotta get back up’ he told her, placing a kiss to her forehead before helping her stand so he could wrap her up and gently lift her out. PFF I CAN SEE HER PLAYING 5 MINUTES AFTER

‘I miss story time’ you pouted, until you suddenly had an idea. ‘Why don’t you all come in our room for story time so I can join in’ you beamed, hoping Mason would agree but he didn’t look too convinced. YES, PLEASE

‘I’ll be fine, Mase, pleaseeee. I miss you guys’ you told him, sadness evident in your voice and it didn’t take much to convince him. He never wanted to upset you. OHHHHH😭😭😭

‘Thank you Masey’ you whispered, kissing him softly before dropping a kiss on Tilly’s forehead. ‘See you soon okay?’ You told her and she nodded back at you with an excited smile. FINALLY SOME FAMILY TIMEEE

‘Come on then’ Mason encouraged, leading them inside before hoisting them up next to you. Ollie taking the space under your arm that you extended out for him and you couldn’t help but pull him into your side and litter his head with tiny kisses. IM EMOTIONAL

You weren’t sure if it was your pain killers wearing off or the fact you were all together again but you could feel the tears springing in your eyes as you all huddled together to listen to Ollie read for you all but you held it in as best you could. Not wanting to ruin the moment but you knew Mason could feel your emotions from across the room so when you felt him link your fingers together that were resting on his thigh from your arm that was behind Ollie, you gently squeezed him to let him know you were okay. IM CRYING FOR YOU Y/N DONT WORRY

‘I think the girls might be tired,’ Mason told Ollie quietly. Thinking you couldn’t hear but you could. ‘Let me go put Tilly to bed and I’ll come back for you. Do you think you could help mummy lay down?’ He asked when you felt a little hand on your shoulder, you opened your bleary eyes to see Ollie’s face. YOU OFFICIALLY LOST ME

‘Come on mum, it’s bedtime’ he told you gently, encouraging you to shuffle down until you were flat and once you were you held out your arms to him in hopes he’d want a cuddle. OMG😭😭😭😭

‘Are you okay mum?’ He asked carefully, a slight wobble in his voice and when you looked down his eyes were full of unshed tears. OMG THAT REMINDS ME OF A VIDEO I SENT YOUUU

‘I was just a bit worried’ he told you. 😭😭😭😭

‘I’m sorry baby, there’s nothing to be scared of anymore though okay? I’m still here and daddy’s said you’ve been such a big help to him and with Tilly. I’m so proud of you’ you whispered, pulling back in hopes he’d look at you but his red eyes and blotchy cheeks just made you hurt even more. ‘When I’m better we can have an Ollie and mummy day yeah? They’ve just opened that new big arcade in town we can try out and get some lunch there. It’s right by that big book shop you love too. Does that sound good?’ I LOVE A MUMMY AND OLLY DAY HONESTLY

‘Hey, what’s all the tears for’ you suddenly heard, looking up to see Mason coming back to get Ollie but he was clearly surprised to find the pair of you upset. ‘I asked you to help her get into bed not to terrorise each other’ AHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH HE IS SO STUPID

By the time Mason made it back you were just about nod off and the last thing you remember before you let the sleep overtake you was Mason's lips on your forehead and his soft voice telling you he loved you. CAN I HAVE THIS?

‘What’s going on in here then’ you asked as you rounded the corner. Catching the three of them covered in flour as they were rolling something into balls in their hands and when you looked down to the tray you could see they were making cookies. NO WAY😭😭😭😂😂😂

‘Morning sunshine’ Mason laughed. ‘We’re making you cookies but don’t worry I’ll get it all cleaned up’ he assured you as Tilly made her way over to you. Hugging you leg and you ran your hand through her hair as you weren’t quite strong enough to lift her yet. ‘I tell you what, Ollie take Tilly up and go get changed. They’ll be ready by the time you’re done’ he told them. The pair of them walking off hand in hand as you made your way over to a dusty Mason. THE FACT THAT OLLY IS TAKING CARE OF HIS LITTLE SISTER😭😭😭😭

‘I’m running out of ideas, can’t you tell’ he joked, resting his forehead on yours as you shared a peaceful moment. ‘You know you’re never allowed to be sick again babe. I can’t do this all the time. And you’re never allowed to leave me. I can barely cope without you’ THAT SOUNDS LIKE A THREAT

‘I promise you Mason, you’re stuck with me. For life’ ‘Nothing to me has ever sounded better’ he whispered, finally connecting your lips. GOODBYEEEEE

OMG

THANK YOU

WOW

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT MIX OF APPENDICITIS AND TILLY GETTING HURT

SCREAMING, GIGGLING, KICKING MY FEETS, EVERYTHING

I LOVED THAT, IT WAS SOOOO HEALING AND COMFORTING, I JUST FEEL LIGHTER NOW

THANK YOI FOR YOUR MAGIC BESTIE

I LOVE YOU AND YOUR WRITING SOOOO MUCH

I FELT EVERY LITTLE EMOTION, FROM MASONS FEARS, TO HER FEELING ALONE, TO TILLY BEING A BIT SCARED OF HER LITTLE INJURY, TO OLLY BEING SCARE FOR HIS MUMMA....WOW

THANK YOU🩷🩷🩷🌺🌺

THANK YOU BESTIE

I love how much you love Tilly 🥹 she’s our little princess 🩷🩷🩷

Thank you so much for this I love reading what you think you’re just so kind and lovely 🥹🩷🌺

[agendabymooner]

goodnight n go ! max v. x ofc (hearth sister!ofc)

“it’s bad enough we get along so well.”

summary: there’s a way to make a graduation celebration better than to have her photos taken by the paparazzi, and max verstappen makes sure she remembers that. OR the dutch driver is making it hard for sylvie to dislike him. (1) (2)

content warning: use of explicit language

note: i wrote too much blurbs yesterday of max verstappen.

masterlist

liked by max33verstappen, lewishamilton, tillymarie

comments have been limited

lando.norris proud of you best friend!!!

charles_leclerc congrats sylvie!! (the master debater part isn’t that necessary)

tillymarie so so so proud of you lovie ! keep it up !

Photos were taken left and right by the time her family stepped out of the Sheldonian Theatre. Her black grad gown, she couldn’t wait to take it off. There’s three or five paparazzi that were by the gates, asking to get her photos taken— but she didn’t want to look in their direction, wanting to celebrate her accomplishments with her sisters and her mother after the grueling four years of school. Was she ever thankful that her private school had offered the advancement program. 

She was a graduate at 18– all thanks to the program and the money that her mother had invested into her education. Sylvie was so much like her sisters, but she had gotten into her post secondary education earlier because of her intelligence. Tilly had moved a year up after having herself assessed, but Sylvie… She's the only one who’s managed to get to college early due to the practically perfect marks that she had gotten throughout the years.

“Sylvie, can you just pose with your sisters for a moment?” Her mother begged as she held the digital camera, lens pointing at Sylvie, Stevie and Aimee. “We need a photo to put up in my study.”

“Maman, there’s a lot of paparazzi,” Sylvie whined, stomping her feet lightly. “I’m sure they got something for us.”

“They’ve been told to stay within a certain distance,” Stevie nudged Sylvie. She smiled and murmured, “Now smile. I need some photos to post.”

“I don’t like you,” Sylvie grumbled before her mouth quirked, hearing her mother’s camera clicking. That… and the many clicks of the cameras from the gate did too. It was meant to be a celebration for her family and friends only. It turns out, her life was everyone else’s too. 

Posing for a few more pictures, Blanche Ford finally put the camera down and grinned. “Well, do you want to get your photos taken with your friends?” 

“Already had enough taken earlier, Maman,” Sylvie sighed, “I want to go home and see Soren now.”

She didn’t want to celebrate. The past few weeks were rough. The Spanish GP had taken a toll on her energy and mental wellbeing; the last thing she had wanted to do was host parties or call for celebration. Whatever they had planned for today, that wasn’t her doing.

All she wanted was to see her two week old nephew and retire to bed after. 

But her family had a different plan. She only found out when they made the drive back to Brackley. 

Their home there had been built long before anyone was even born. It was only purchased by Blanche by the time her divorce papers were filed and signed, making it a home for her three daughters. They grew up there, and they didn’t even know that a few minutes from their place was the Mercedes AMG Petronas headquarters. It was funny how that worked because Tilly never really met Toto despite visiting the town. Sylvie still laughed about that. 

The estate was something of a peaceful place. Sylvie loved it there. She made it a goal to spend her Christmas breaks at home seeing as university was only 27 minutes away. Now, not only was she staying there again, but Tilly and Toto moved to another neighborhood that’s only 10 minutes away from their estate. It was an easier commute for Sylvie if she wanted to visit Soren. 

But her thoughts washed away when she opened the front door and heard the screams of, “SURPRISE!”

Sylvie caught the graduation cap that she nearly dropped. What the hell is going on, she asked herself. 

The foyer wasn’t fully decorated but anyone who had never seen the full estate would say otherwise. Balloons that spelled out ‘Congratulations’ were hung up and reflecting due to their metallic appearance. The marble columns by the two spiral staircases were fully wrapped in artificially made hydrangeas and other perennials that made the muted foyer colourful. As if those weren’t enough, the arch leading to the halls were decorated with garlands and flowers, string lights putting a wedding reception to shame because of how warm it made the house’s appearance. 

“You are not supposed to be here,” she finally found her words as she pointed at Toto, who was merely laughing at her bluntness as he approached her with a smile, hugging her as she wrapped her arms as much as she could around him. 

“Congratulations, maus,” Toto grinned, “I’m so proud of you.” 

That party that Tilly and Blanche held for her started there, but the discomfort that she was feeling while she wore her university uniform was unbecoming. So while she was having a conversation with Lando and George, she excused herself for a second to head upstairs and change her clothes. 

Life really was full of surprises, Sylvie told herself hours after she opened the door to her bedroom and found her vanity area cluttered with shopping bags and piles of books. She could have sworn that she hadn’t purchased any books lately, too stressed out to even look at a back synopsis. She also knew that there were some things sent to her by designer houses and brands that were trying to hire her — graduation gifts, her agent told her a day ago. But those gifts were downstairs according to Tilly. So she wasn’t exactly sure where this came from. 

Looking at the corner of her bedroom, however, she moved quickly as she grabbed the blue envelope from the foot tall teddy bear that she swore she never had either. The envelope was addressed to her. Well… it’s addressed to a “B. Mustang” making it easily known to her who had written the content inside. Regardless, she opened the envelope and read the message. 

“Mustang, 

Congratulations on surviving university. I heard it sucks there. I hope you like this bear— I called him McLaren. At least we have something to not argue about, no?

Also I hope you like the gifts I got you. It’s the least I can do. Enjoy your celebration! Wish me luck for the next race.

Love,

O. Cadillac.”

She had never been so frustrated over a man before. She swore. She hated having to see his face at the paddock or the garage but she had never been so angry about appreciating him or liking him. He made it difficult for her to dislike him, she hated that. 

She wanted to toss out the Dior, Cartier and whatever the fuck were dropped off at her bedroom. Everything that came from him, she wanted to throw out. Even McLaren the Teddy Bear. She wanted to despise him so much because of how shitty their history had turned out to become. But it’s not going to work like that anytime soon, she told herself. She was going to work with him one way or another and she’d have to work with him professionally. Clearly hatred didn’t work out for her— she was so grateful for the gifts he had gotten her and she was slowly returning the same feeling that he had.

She told herself that she could stay in her room for another fifteen minutes and looked down at the letter in her hand. With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and began typing. Her right hand typed and searched for his name and the other began to open the little bags first. 

[heartfe1t]

    ❝    sure- but i should've called. not that you'd have heard it over the music, perhaps, but- i didn't. that's on me.    ❞    he apologizes to her with a smile. as he sees her face change, logan shakes his head.    ❝    keep it-    ❞    he finds himself saying. watching her start to take it off (and getting a glimpse of the fact she's not exactly wearing anything under it, besides that bra...) he smiles at her sheepishly.    ❝    keep it on- and if you like it- you should keep it. i mean it. it's more than okay, tilly- you really don't have anything to apologize for. you couldn't have known, and- i did tell you to make yourself at home    ❞    her going through the closet may not have been something he anticipated, but- he didn't ever tell her anything was off limits. tilly was a really nice girl- he liked her a lot the day they met, and charlotte loved her, and that makes him like her even more.    ❝    well- stay as long as you need to. or want to for that matter. i don't mind.    ❞    he smiles at her more warmly, thoughts turning in his head.    ❝    yours and charlotte's afternoon plans are still on- i wouldn't dream of disappointing her, and she'd definitely kill me. but... maybe if you didn't already extend afternoon plans to evening ones, i could take you someplace nice for dinner? the two of you-    ❞    he needs to spend time with charlotte, and he'd be lying if he didn't want to take the opportunity to spend some time with tilly too. especially after potentially putting her out like this.

SHE'S QUICK TO TURN THE RADIO OFF and offers logan an apologetic look. « no, startle me all you'd like. it's your home, » tilly replies sheepishly, shooting him a beam that quickly dies at his next words. « oooh my god. oh my god, i'm so sorry logan, i had no idea — » and she's desperately wriggling out of the sweater already as if she's on fire, though as she tugs it halfway over her head she realizes she's not wearing anything but a bra underneath. she slowly tugs the sweater down to conceal her body again. « actually, i'll keep it on for now. if that's okay. » she wants the ground to open up and swallow her. « nooo, it's okay, » even though he sort of has — she's rented out her own shitty apartment to a rather sketchy couple for the week, anything to earn a few bucks. « i mean — i'd love to stay if you're absolutely completely sure it doesn't interfere with your plans. it's just, charlotte and i had the whole afternoon planned when she gets home from school. and she might just bite your head off if you send me home. »

[cherryxcadbury]

When the Alcohol Kicks In

context: context: you get drunk one night, and you and Jude start arguing

2nd person POV

Getting drunk was a rare occurrence for you. One, you didn't drink very often, you had too much to worry about. Two, you had a very high alcohol tolerance. Five shots didn't phase you in the slightest. 

However, on the rare occasions in which you did get drunk, it was bad.

You never intended to get as drunk as you did. By the time you left the house, you and your boyfriend Jude had gotten into a bit of a squabble. You had intentions of going out with your somewhat large group of friends, consisting of both males and females. That wasn't what Jude was worried about.

There was a certain someone in the group, Lewis, an acquaintance of yours that Jude didn't like.

"He's so clearly into you Y/N!" Jude had said before you left the house.

"Don't be ridiculous Jude, I hardly talk to him." You scoffed.

It was true. Out of all the people in your group, Lewis was the one you spoke to the least. You guys had gone to the same secondary school, but you barely knew each other. Let alone, be familiar enough with each other that he'd actually like you. 

"I'm telling you Y/N, just watch!" Jude warned you.

"If you're so concerned just come Jude!" You shouted back at him.

Jude sighed, "You know exactly why I can't! The club would kill me."

You rolled your eyes. The man cared more about his club than you. Maybe you were over exaggerating a bit, but you didn't care.

***

The lot of you were at Suhana's place, dancing and drinking. It wasn't a party exactly, but a gathering of "close friends". 

You were dancing with your two best friends, Tilly and Elijah. From any onlooker, it was more like bouncing around wildly. You were tipsy at this point, and that's where you'd stand. Elijah and Tilly left to grab more snacks from the kitchen while you continued bouncing around in your spot. You were very much an ambivert. Introverted to most but really quite social and extroverted with your friends.

You were enjoying just hopping around to the beat of the music when you felt someone's hands on both of your hips. You immediately turned and smacked both hands off.

You looked around to see if anyone had seen, you could only see someone having fallen asleep on the couch. Everyone else had been in the kitchen eating. 

"What is wrong with you!" You hissed, stepping very far away from him. 

Lewis shot you a lazy smirk. A disgusting one at that. 

"Aw come on, Bellingham's not even here." He slurred, you could smell the alcohol in his breath.

He stepped closer to you, trying to touch your face and kiss you.

This time, you slapped him hard, and shoved him before shrieking.

"I hope you never see the light of day!" You spit, before the rest of your friends came running.

"What's happened?" Tilly frantically questioned.

"She slapped me!" Lewis defended himself, pointing fingers at you.

"He touched me and tried to kiss me!" You shouted in defense of yourself.

Lewis just smiled lazily again. Tilly, Suhana, and the others bolted in Lewis's direction to physically assault him. Elijah stopped them from getting too chaotic and kicked Lewis out. Everyone else then turned to you, who was leaning against the wall with your arms crossed in front of your chest. You were staring down at the ground, tears slowly escaping your eyes.

Jude was right. He was 100% right. And you had just ignored him and scoffed due to a silly little fight.

"You okay love?" Tilly asked, putting an arm around you.

You wiped your tears off before nodding.

"You want me to take you and Tilly home?" Elijah offered.

You shook your head.

"I just want a drink. Something strong." You requested, this was a mistake on your part.

The reason many people thought you had such good alcohol tolerance was because you stayed away from the strong stuff. Realistically, you were a lightweight.

"I have tequila." Suhana offered.

You nodded, following her for the glass.

***

Two hours later and many missed calls from Jude. Elijah and Tilly were walking you home, you were drunk out of your mind. They'd never seen you in such a state.

"This must've been her first time drinking tequila." Tilly whispered to Elijah as they helped you up to your flat.

"I always thought Y/N had a high tolerance." Elijah responded.

"Stop acting like I'm not here! I do have a high tolerance, I'm not a lightweight!" You protested.

"Calm down Y/N. It's been a long night. You just need some sleep." Tilly tried to soothe you.

The three of you stopped abruptly once you got to your flat door. Your friends turned to you for keys. You somehow managed to grab them out of your bag and began fumbling with them. Before you could even get it into the lock, the door swung open. There was Jude, stationed by the door with a relieved look on his face.

As it turned out, when you hadn't picked up your phone, he called the others and finally got a response from Suhana who said you were on your way home. Normally, he would've been asleep two hours earlier, but he stayed up, waiting for you to come home.

You walked in, avoiding eye contact, heading straight for the couch while Jude said his hellos and goodbyes to Elijah and Tilly.

"What the hell? You didn't pick up your phone! Do you know how worried I was! What the fuck is with you!" Jude gritted through his teeth.

All you wanted to do was run to him and cry in his arms about your crappy night, but you were too stubborn for that.

"I'm sorry! It was a long night, I must've forgotten or something!" You mumbled.

Jude's face began to soften as he heard the tremble in your voice. 

But then he smelled the alcohol on your breath, that was enough to forget about the softness in your voice.

"Are you fucking kidding me. You're bloody drunk. That's why you did not pick up your phone." Jude shouted.

This was where you drew the line.

"I'm not drunk so shut the fuck up. I honestly can't with you! Stop acting like you own me!" You yelled at him, slamming the door as you made your way into the bathroom which was connected to yours and Jude's room.

You looked in the mirror and sighed at the reflection. You didn't wear makeup so it wasn't a terrible sight to behold. But, there was mascara running down your face. Your hair looked a little crazy, and you looked like a shell of your usual self.

Note to self, stay away from hard alcohol.

You pealed your clothes off, and got into the shower. Letting the hot water consume all of the negative thoughts. Once you were finished, you came out a new person, like your normal self. You wrapped your wet hair in a towel and left the bathroom to see Jude still up, scrolling on his phone.

He would never go to sleep without knowing you were safe.

You climbed in bed next to him, scooting close to him to hug him from his sides.

"I'm sorry." You said, burying your head in his neck.

He moved closer to you and kissed your forehead.

"I love you." He mumbled to you.

That brought a smile to your face, "I love you too, so much."

Jude grinned at you, coyly.

"So. What did happen?" Jude asked you with concern on his face.

You sighed, "You can't say I told you so." 

Jude's smile immediately darkened. His face grew very easy.

"It was that son of a bitch wasn't it? I swear to god, I'll show him. The nerve he has, trying something on my girlfriend." Jude began muttering under his breath.

He sprang out of bed, getting a winter coat and shoes on. It was very clearly he was about to hunt Lewis down and very likely punch him senselessly.

Before he could get himself arrested, you grabbed Jude, slowly beckoning him to come back to bed. 

"Please." You begged him, looking up at him with big emotional eyes.

Who was Jude to say no to that?

Jude sighed in defeat as a smile found its way on your face. You both went back to bed, you snuggled into his side, him with his arm wrapped around your body. 

"We'll both go beat him up tomorrow, when we're well rested and have stronger punches." You smirked at Jude.

"That's my girl." Jude grinned before kissing you again.

it feels nice to be writing again

[kirain]

I started playing rdr2 but stopped because like idk but I can't seem to get over the fact that all the women are prostitutes and they don't really have any important roles. Like what's Abigail do? Ooh she's a mother who's always mad? What do the other women do? Oooh they sleep with the gang. What's Sadie do? Oooh she becomes a badly written femme fetale who suddenly becomes a flawless killer. The women are just so badly represented.

I get the feeling you didn't play the game naturally or see any random encounters, because none of what you said is true. There's a lot to unpack here, so let's start with the "all the women are prostitutes" comment.

First of all, none of the women are prostitutes, a fact that deeply irritates Micah. During a coach robbery where he rides with Arthur and Bill, he even says, “Why the hell do we need a gaggle of girls who won’t even fuck you if you put a gun to their head? Is it too much to ask considering they get a piece of every damn dollar I bring in?” Poor baby. He even tries to proposition all of the women (Grimshaw included), but they all insult him and send him running with his tail between his legs. It’s hilarious and I love it. Arthur also responds to Micah with, “Everyone does their share. I don’t see you lifting a finger around camp.”

Now a bit about the girls:

Mary-Beth was a skilled pickpocket, but she ended up being caught by a group of her victims. She mentions this during a conversation with Arthur, where she points out how hard it was for women who came from nothing, and the inequality of it all. RDR2 actually regularly highlights how difficult frontier/outlaw life was for women back then, often pulling zero punches. While fleeing her pursuers, Mary-Beth luckily ran into Hosea, who helped her escape and welcomed her to the gang. You can see Dutch lusting after her a few times, because he's an old pervert, but she always shuns his advances. She was never a prostitute and she was actually underage when she joined.

Tilly was a child outlaw and a member of the Forman gang from the age of twelve. She ended up killing the leader's cousin because he [as is heavily implied] tried to rape her. She was around sixteen at the time and tried to return to her mother after the ordeal, but she unfortunately passed away while Tilly was running with the Formans. Out of options, she eventually joined the van der Linde gang after Dutch saved her from some unspecified trouble. You can find most of this out during one of my favourite side missions, where she gets kidnapped by Anthony Foreman in retaliation for killing his cousin. With Grimshaw’s help, you can rescue Tilly and put an end to it once and for all. She was never a prostitute and was also underage when taken in.

Susan Grimshaw was one of the original members of the gang and one of Dutch's first lovers. They parted amicably and both fell in love with other people (Dutch with Annabelle, and Susan with a doctor who sadly ended up dying), but she stayed with the gang because of their mutual respect for each other. She later became the arbiter of the camp and a kind of surrogate mother to Arthur, John, and the other girls. She was never a prostitute, but rather a rough-and-tumble outlaw.

Karen is a little more complicated. Overall, she was a scam artist (Hosea even called her an “actress”) who sometimes lured men into brothels, then stole from them or picked their brains for leads. That doesn't necessarily mean she was a prostitute; however, it just means she used sex as a manipulation tactic. Out of all the women in the group, she was the freest and most unconventional. She also stood on guard duty and participated in heists. The only man she ever slept with in game was Sean, and his death absolutely devastated her. If you talk to her or observe her interactions, you also discover she’s a raging alcoholic suffering from some very deep-seated issues. She likely did have to do things she wasn’t proud of in order to survive, but in my opinion that makes her one of the most realistic members of the group. She was never described as a prostitute.

Molly was an aristocrat who left her family to be with Dutch. His abusive treatment eventually led her to suffer an identity crisis, where she ended up hysterical and heartbroken. Her story is sad, but she was never a prostitute. If anything, Molly is the best example we have that Dutch views people as items, not human beings.

Abigail is the only prostitute in the game, but by the events of RDR2 she's an ex-prostitute. To say she's nothing more than "a mother who's always mad", I feel, does her character a great disservice. First of all, she left that profession behind to raise her son, to give him a decent chance in life. Unlike John, she stepped up immediately to become a responsible adult. I don't think people realise how impressive that is because, one, she could've easily abandoned Jack at the roadside (which was common back then), two, she could've induced an abortion, and three, she was quite young when she had him; around nineteen years old.

You say the women are "poorly represented", but they're stronger, smarter, and more mature than most of the men. A few of them even become self-sufficient in the turn of the century, something dear old Dutch couldn't even do/accept. Abigail in particular helps Sadie mourn her husband and the two grow very close. Their interactions are both grounded and heartwarming, with Abigail telling Sadie she’ll suffer the loss of her husband, but that it’ll get better if she keeps on living. She takes care of her, and Sadie later returns that kindness. These women are so full of quirks and humour and personality, I don’t know how you missed it.

As for Sadie ... where do I even begin? Badly written? Femme fatale? Flawless killer? Sadie is one of the best written characters. She's not flawless, she's exceptionally flawed, temperamental, and traumatised. It's never expressly stated, but it's implied at several points throughout the game that she was repeatedly assaulted while the O'Driscolls kept her captive. At first, she's petrified and miserable, to the point that all she does is cry and express suicidal ideation. Then, she gets angry. Very angry. Having nothing left to live for, her home and husband torn from her grasp, she throws herself headfirst into danger, which almost gets her killed on a number of occasions.

She's not a "flawless killer", she's a messy killer. She's not an expert death-dealer, and that's made evident from the start -- but she was a hunter who shared the workload with her husband, so it's not as if her skills just magically appeared. You do see how much it weighs on her, however, near the end of chapter six. If you help her kill the rest of the O'Driscolls, she laments what she's become because she thinks her husband would be horrified. She’s extremely complex and struggles between mourning and moving on.

I also can't help but laugh at the "femme fatale" accusation, because Sadie actually defeminises herself, which is understandable considering the hell she’s suffered. She even wears men's clothing, which wasn't illegal [anymore] back then, but it was openly frowned upon. Femme fatales use their beauty and sexuality to their advantage, ensnaring men with their feminine wiles. Sadie never does that and fights side-by-side with the boys. Interestingly enough, that's partially why Calamity Jane, an actual historical figure, garnered so much attention, because of how she behaved/dressed. It’s pretty clear to me that Rockstar might’ve used her as inspiration for Sadie. This was a real woman who lived from 1852 to 1903.

In addition, Sadie plays one of the most important roles, yet she does so without falling into the category of a Mary-Sue. She saves the gang and moves them to a new location when the Pinkertons attack Shady Belle. She hatches the plan that frees John from prison. She helps Arthur rescue Abigail after she gets kidnapped. She tracks down Micah and puts an end to his reign of terror. But most of what she does she accomplishes with a partner--Arthur or John--both of whom she respects immensely. No one, not even Arthur, does everything alone, and when they do there’s usually negative consequences. It's the camaraderie and shared experiences that make these characters successful, and aside from Charles and Hosea, I’d even argue that the women are more well-rounded and fleshed out than the men.

I gather from for comments that you didn't finish the game, so I hate to spoil it, but I kind of have to if you walked away with this mindset. The women of RDR2 are a force to be reckoned with.