#they’re not friends so she doesn’t even know the situation or how Claudia actually feels

[revisitingstoneybrook]

#86 Mary Anne and Camp BSC: Chapter 8

Wow, sorry for the huge delay in posting! Real life got in the way again, as it always does. I’ll definitely be more on top with posting here!

Where we last left off, the BSC is hosting ANOTHER summer camp for their charges and this time, it’s circus-themed. Karen and her friends are putting a damper on things by bragging that they’ve been to a REAL circus camp. And since it’s Karen, the BSC is doing nothing to discipline her and her friends for being rude to the other campers.

Also, Mary Anne’s dad is on a business trip and she’s starting to get tired of Sharon ordering takeout every night and being messy. Which brings us to this chapter.

Sharon’s taking “baching it” to a whole new level, Karen is either smuggling drugs into camp or building a torture device and Becca and Carolyn tell Hannie and Nancy where they can shove their REAL circus camp (just in a nice way).

So Mary Anne is still lamenting her dad being gone and is talking about him as if he's dead, with a “It's funny how you don't miss something until it's gone.” Oh my GOD Mary Anne, he'll be back in a little more than a week! He hasn't been reunited with Alma!

She's slowly turning into Richard though. She misses home-cooked food and is growing sick of takeout. They've ordered from a different takeout place the past few nights (and always requested no Styrofoam containers or plastic forks) and now the sink is full of dirty foil containers and the kitchen's full of garbage. Oh, and Sharon and Dawn don’t feel like cleaning the dishes either, so Sharon brought out the “good” silverware and dishes.

Holy crap. Sharon's probably thrilled because she doesn't have to act like she actually gives a shit about having a clean house. Aren't they worried about bugs or staining the dishes if they're just leaving food on them? But Mary Anne is her father’s daughter and her neat freak side is coming out.

Mary Anne takes a break from being mopey and picks up the newspapers and magazines that Sharon and Dawn let pile up, washes the dishes and changes the toilet paper instead of leaving the new roll balanced on the edge of the bathtub. Sharon, “baching it” doesn't mean living like a slob! Though I guess she's just reverting back to what she was before she married Richard. And Mary Anne keeps whining that she's turning into Maid Mary Anne and doesn't like it. Uh...Sharon and Dawn aren't ordering you to clean the house. You took it upon yourself. Would you please cheer the hell up?

The next day at camp, Karen explains to Mary Anne she needs to work on her real circus project and needs somewhere gigundoly private to do it. Mary Anne finds her a spot and sees Karen put a big, bulging backpack on the table and waits until Mary Anne leaves so she can start working on it. One of two situations here:

1. Karen smuggled a large supply of drugs into camp and is looking to sabotage the kids who didn't go to real circus camp by slipping acid into their lunch.

2. Karen stuck Emily Michelle in the backpack and for her real circus trick, will be building an iron maiden and sticking her in it, reclaiming her title of the youngest sister. Pure evil, I tell you.

Mary Anne then goes to help Claudia with the animal and clown costumes and overhears this little gem of a conversation. Which I'm copying word-for-word here.

Hannie: It's too bad we can't have some real circus acts. Nancy: Yeah. But this isn't a real circus camp, Hannie. Just a, just a...you know. Carolyn: This is a real camp. We're even going to have a cookout tomorrow night. It's fun. I like it. Becca: Don't you like this camp? Hannie: Well, sure. I guess. I mean... Becca: Why don't you like this camp? Just because you're not at a circus camp doesn't mean you can't have fun at this camp. It's just a different camp, that's all. Hannie: Maybe.

Claudia thanks Becca and Carolyn for “being cool kids” and quickly adds in that all the kids are, before Hannie and Nancy bitch about that too. Seriously, who the hell do these little shits think they are? Of course it isn't a real circus camp, none of the BSC are trained professionals, it's a fun day camp for them to hang out with their friends and the babysitters they love so much, why are they being such horrible brats about it? Get the hell over it.

Mary Anne walks past the little kids making their animal costumes, Alicia seems to have forgotten about her mom and is hard at work decorating her Halloween costume with circus decorations. She's going to be a camel, while Andrew and Claire are being lions and Jamie is a tiger. Mary Anne then wanders over to Karen, who screams for her to go away because she's trying to get makey-outey with her husband she's working on her top secret project. Mary Anne yells back “Fine!” and walks away. I was waiting for someone to snap and yell at Karen but I wasn't expecting it to be Mary Anne.

That night at dinner, Sharon sets the table with the fancy tablecloth (geez, she stopped doing laundry too?) and the good dishes and even lights candles. She and Dawn order pizza while Mary Anne glumly fixes herself a salad and takes a burger out of the freezer and microwaves it (Nooo, please don’t tell me she cooked a frozen burger in the microwave). The dining room, Mary Anne says, looks very elegant save for the pizza with olives, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, eggplant and garlic on it.

Sharon raises a pizza toast (Don't tell Kristy, she'll accuse Sharon of stealing her idea!) and toasts the bachelor life with the magical question no bachelor girl should ever forget: Do you deliver? Her and Dawn say it in unison, Mary Anne raises a forkful of salad to go along with it but she's still sulking and moping about her dad. “Not that anyone noticed. Or cared.”

Oh boo hoo...though Nola Thacker did succeed in making her sound like a 13-year-old here.

[vonkarma2]

🍒🧡🍇 for the oc ask meme

Before I start I want to say sorry for taking a while to get to these :P Ive been pretty busy recently but yeah I am going to finish the other ones people sent in dw

What kind of things do they expect from their relationships? Does this differ between platonic relationships and romantic ones? Is your OC “demanding” or a door mat? What kinds of things do people expect from them in a relationship?

Francisco is like a prince, right, and there’s nothing people would particularly hold against him. So I wouldn’t say straight up entitled to the point where he abuses his power *but* I do think he like expects to be treated very respectfully so if people are rude or even indifferent to him he’s like ??? Wtf. Confused and gets indignant easily, not because he doesn’t think they’re giving him the respect he’s owed as royalty, but because his standards are so skewed he expects everyone to be nice and polite and accommodating all the time and is surprised when they aren’t. Not argumentative or demanding abt it but he gets kind of incensed. I don’t think he asks for much usually though, like he would Want to be independent and do things on his own rather than asking/forcing people to do them for him. 

That’s mostly in platonic relationships or when interacting with people he barely knows. I think romantically he tends to be more understanding, I don’t think he’d be particularly bad at communicating with people he does respect. I actually think in a relationship he’d be looking for a challenge, like as in someone who’s willing to go against him and has a different perspective on the world than he does. I feel like he’d enjoy arguing over philosophies or like inconsequential things, like not fighting and getting angry but like talking through things or whatever. 

As for what’s expected from him… probably some level of politeness and dignity, but I feel like he has a good reputation (as honorable, responsible, respectful, a good son, etc)so he can get away with a lot. Probably also like devotion to his country/the monarchy above all else.

Who is your OC’s favourite person? Why is this person the top of their list and have they actually met them (an idol or rolemodel or celeb can be someone’s favourite after all!).

I’m gna cop out here and only go with characters we’ve already established to have strong relationships rather than making up like friends or family or significant others for people. 

I think Claudia’s favorite person is ofc Irene. She has to an extent fallen for the front of like a super courageous and honorable person she puts up, but she also genuinely does know how   she gets ummm I guess depressed and miserable or whatever? Like she’s not a machine she gets tired and makes mistakes but that kind of makes her appreciate her more. She appreciates how she’s supportive and respectful and has faith in her abilities. She likes her a lot because she’s the only person she feels like she actually has a meaningful relationship with in spite of the like spy fake identity lying to everyone situation. This is in part bc of their backstory where they like saved each other’s lives and kept each other going when they otherwise might have given up and like frozen or starved or whatever to death.

She’s someone she likes so much it makes her wish for peace even more, or at least like in a more personal way. I think we should work more on what their dynamic is/was like though that might be fun. 

Day or Night? Sun or Rain? Summer or Winter?

Irene I think would be associated with primarily night. I don’t know how captaining a ship works but I think it would be cool if you usually had to stay up late at night to make sure nothing went wrong/you’re available to take charge immediately. I think she’d also be like, kept up at night by whatever anxieties or worries she’s currently concerned about anyway. Stoically masculine in that way. Staring out mysteriously to sea in the middle of the night or whatever.

Also I think she’d be more associated with sun, I was thinking like bright sun reflecting off snow + ice in a really cold environment, like enough to be blinding. This is bc of like all the scenes from when she was at war Im thinking of as like well-lot and during the day but still awful like them being in the middle of a nice day makes them more horrifying.

And finally I think she would be more associated with winter, for obvious reasons.

[yourqueenb]

So I found this chapter’s scene with Brett really weird. I guess I get what they were trying to do. And I’m always one for sticking up for people who can’t do so for themselves. But idk at the same time, I didn’t like that MC was discussing other people’s trauma with the person who traumatized them. Especially because it seemed like she was still in wannabe detective mode. So actually, I don’t get the point of that scene. And I feel like doing things like that often causes more problems for the people who were actually affected

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 4

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be Viren being villainous, Rayla, Claudia, Soren, and Callum, and tons of culture clash themey stuff

and a tw: animal death, Claudia why

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

Viren's scenes in Book Two: Sky are all amazing because they're full of worldbuilding and character building details. I love to study the word choices used from his perspective. They're so tasty. Like how he forced a servant, and also Soren, to carry his messages to the rookery, so that he never had to go himself. I'm really curious why Viren is forcing a servant, whose job is literally to serve, here. He really only has to ask. Maybe he was mean about it on purpose, or maybe he picked a servant who was afraid of birds just to flex on them. Whatever the reason for the word choice, Viren doesn't seem to like servants' jobs, it seems, especially when they take him somewhere with poop on the floor. It makes it all the more ironic that he sweeps Runaan's cell clean himself, then, humbling himself before he finally figures out the mirror.

Viren's secretive, right down to his very carefully chosen words to those around him, but his true thoughts shine through even more clearly in the book than in the show. He knows he's been sneaking and hiding stuff, and he knows that some of those actions would be called treachery. Stealing the king's seal to forge royal documents is up there on the treacherous list, but it's apparently not there alone. Ah, Viren, such a villainous delight. What have you gotten up to?

The way he thinks of and treats Crow Master is ageist and classist, but certain lines also hint that Viren has spent a lot of time memorizing the finer points of proper courtesy, and he expects others to have done the same. There are many reasons someone might put forth such effort: a commoner trying to better himself to be noticed by a kind prince is a nice version. A sociopath learning to fake caring about rich people so he can blend in with them is less nice. Superconveniently, the skills a young, earnest Viren might use to feel worthy of Harrow's attention will serve him just as well when dark magic ravages his empathy and he has to lie to everyone about how dead he is inside in order to keep his position of power. Until he's not lying anymore and he straight up threatens poor Crow Master with death unless he sends illegal mail for him. There's the Viren we know and uhhhhhh

Rayla and the blue rose! It's so fun to see inside her head here. She acted swiftly in the last chapter to save herself from Claudia's sleep spell, but now that she has to lie there, that thorn really hurts! She wishes she maybe had a different plan instead of playing asleep.

I hope Rayla only calls Claudia's voice "awful" because of association. I love Claudia's raspy voice! It's so neat! Rayla immediately recognizes it as Claudia's, from the castle and identifies her as a dark mage, with a clanky-metal warrior beside her. She gets mad at Soren for apparently calling killing a sport, even though that's not what he said at all. Soren's using an unfamiliar, maybe old-fashioned term, and Rayla's taking it very literally. It's like Viren and Runaan are arguing through them. A fun little example of culture clash.

Also digging the fact that Rayla knows what sleeping breathing looks like, as opposed to awake breathing, for the purposes of faking someone out. Did she just. Perch in a tree over Runaan and Ethari as they napped after a picnic and watched them sleep, or did Runaan help her sneak around the Silvergrove to spy on sleeping elves for training purposes? Also, raise your hand if you've faked sleep breathing to fool someone. that's not just me right

Rayla's sass is a constant delight. Whenever she's up against an enemy, she is outwardly fearless and full of witty taunts and comments, and I love her so much. where could she have learned this from I also love that she can't help but flex on Soren about her technique. It seems that her attitude is part "never show fear" and part "humans are liars."

Claudia and Soren were trying to kill Rayla to save the princes from her. But Rayla was also intent on killing both of them right back. And she wasn't ever gonna tell Callum and Ez about that. Woah. First Harrow, now this. That whole "death and secrets" thing really sank in with her, didn't it? Crack voice in the back of my brain: Ethari does know Runaan stabs people, right, he does know that?

Interesting change of detail from show to book: in the show, Claudia overheats Rayla's swords with some green splattery goo from a little glass jar. In the book, uhhh. She grabs a live bird and squishes it to cast the spell. Eew. Really making a point of dark magic's inherent violence today, I see. Got it.

"Rayla, pipe down." Callum still has a ways to go on how to win friends and influence people here. Everyone's shouting, he's interrupted to save Rayla's life (or so he thinks), and when Rayla shouts that his friends tried to kill her, he tells her--and no one else--to pipe down. Followed soon by "but a 'good' elf." Ahgod. He doesn't think he's taking sides, but he's got two humans versus one elf, and he's a human himself, and his underlying biases are showing. He's 14, and he's willing to learn, though--and he really does learn and grow over time. But this version of this scene was just. So. Painfully. Awkward.

I feel like this version was part of a larger theme I'm seeing throughout the first half of the book, emphasizing that Callum comes from years of having a crush on Claudia, and it takes many scenes with Claudia and with Rayla to shift through several gears with each of them in order to facilitate the possibility of breaking with Claudia and then also of falling for Rayla, in a way that feels organic within the structure of the story being told.

Also Callum super has a type and it's Girls Who Will Commit Murder. I don't make the rules.

Rayla's defense just attacks Callum's word choice: "What do you mean, 'but a good elf'? Do you know any bad elves?" And I just. Rayla, honey. You're not in any better of a spot than Callum right now. Your mentor literally stabs people to death. You're both literally assassins. Some humans could accept most elves, but they might draw the line at assassins.

But this tiny clash in the midst of this war, this single exchange of words, is such a great microcosm, the war made personal. It's early enough in their adventure and their growth that they're still sounding a lot like their parents. And that includes Claudia! She demands to know how an elf can be good, and Callum allows that it's possible for good elves to exist, but he has to be the one to say it, not the actual elf behind him. And the actual elf behind him insists that her kind are all good, thank you very much, and implying otherwise skirts very close to "humans are liars."

It's quite a tangle, but having the main characters tangled up like this shows us that as they untangle themselves in their own personal situations, they're learning things about human and elven hearts, about relationships and family, and those things are universal truths which they can use to help them understand other people's troubles, as well as the larger issues involved in the war they're trying to stop.

Callum assessing--and then reassessing--his confidence level. It's adorable, and it serves to show that his first scrambling attempt to make peace, in which he messed up a little but at least no one died--won't be his last. He's not really sure how this is gonna go. Everything is new. But he's dedicated to peace, and he's not giving up. He did just run in between Soren and his target while Soren was holding a sword.

He keeps doing that. Standing in front of people who have their weapons raised in his direction. And he does it with a ridiculous amount of chill. Is this Sarai's influence on him? Considering that Harrow has kept his distance, maybe so! I'd love that.

This chapter ends with some fun relationship drama when Callum gets butterflies in his stomach at being around Claudia again. She tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, and he forgets all about telling her about smashing her primal stone. He instantly worries that Rayla saw her gesture, which of course she did. Callum's nervousness and Rayla's glare feel to me like they're supposed to fit into a tactical box instead of a romantic box, but I can see how it could be interpreted the other way. Callum just intervened in a fight that Rayla completely intended to end by secretly killing Claudia and Soren, so in Rayla's mind, she's probably convinced that Callum intervened to save his girlfriend's life, while he's sure that he just saved Rayla's. She's probably angry because Claudia's gesture is making her think that Callum only seemed to be trying to save Rayla when his true intention was to save Claudia all along.

Dun dun dunnnnnnn.

[raayllum]

(in reference to your post about rayla losing three family members + ethari and the silvergrove ghosting her) that’s why it bothers me when i saw people saying rayla “ignored” soren’s trauma, especially since at the beginning she says “i’m sorry” when he says he was there at the night harrow was murdered

yeah, rayla is a sixteen year old girl dealing with a very quick turn over of multiple levels of grief on top of being uncertain about how all of them died (in addition to feeling responsible, at the very least, for runaan’s). and to be clear, trauma is not a competition. soren has been through shit too

but his situation is very different in some crucial ways. for example, the way i read his hesitance - “do we have to talk about this?” - was from guilt, not trauma. (he defs has trauma in relation to feeling like he failed harrow, that night, but that’s not the core of either side of their conversation at all.) similar to how he looks away in when janai says “to fight the monster who destroyed our home.” 

soren, in his own words, knows he has done or been convinced to do terrible things. and although rayla doesn’t label herself as one of the assassins anymore, soren still knows that they were her troupe and she cared about them, and that soren, his crownguard, and his family were responsible for all of their deaths. there are also more immediate differences, such as:

1) soren chose to cut ties with his dad of his own accord well before the battle (3x05) and then more permanently (3x07) knowing that it was the right thing to do for himself and the war, and 2) while soren has trauma related to viren’s death, he also admits himself that there’s both relief and anxiety in knowing he didn’t really kill his father - but there is a somewhat positive emotion, there, understandably.

soren is also 1) able to return to his childhood home and have familiarity there and in his position as a crownguard, and 2) hold onto two of his oldest friends (callum and ezran).

rayla doesn’t have any of that. she can’t go home. she can’t communicate with ethari. she never even cut ties with runaan. up until the moment he left her, rayla was trying to stall and convince him otherwise. she spent months thinking her parents abandoned her for a duty that they clearly didn’t care about only to find out they had died, painfully, at viren’s hands, and that rayla would have joined them without bait and callum’s intervention. so that’s two douses of survivor’s guilt on top of three levels of grief. her entire long term support system has shattered out from under her feet and all she currently has are ezran and callum, and that’s it.

soren, at most, is actively mourning and missing his sister, but again: claudia never comes up in the conversation. and soren brings up the events of 3x09 fully of his own accord. in this sense, he and rayla are grappling with the same sort of “failure” in killing viren, except, again - rayla already has trauma wrapped up in a past, previous experience with not killing marcos and having everyone in her troupe, as well as her father (figure) die because of it.

i will also say from experience and in real life that often times mentally ill people, when they’re in their worst patches (which rayla definitely is) most often steamroll over other mentally ill people. rayla is in a place where she snaps easily at callum, who is her partner and someone she has a lot more experience being emotional with. she’s known soren a significantly smaller amount of time and this is likely the first time they’ve ever talked about anything remotely emotional one-on-one. so yeah, rayla isn’t going to notice his cues, especially when she already has a stubborn personality. 

so she pushes him once about the loss of her family at his father’s hands. of which soren had very little to actually do with because unlike claudia, he wasn’t working in the dungeons. so yeah. soren’s hesitance is 99% due to guilt, not trauma, and not trauma induced guilt, either. rayla had every right to push.

[gellavonhamster]

journeys end in lovers’ meeting

Dark || Aleksander Tiedemann/Regina Tiedemann Boris Niewald/Regina Doppler || post-canon

ao3 link eng || ao3 link rus

There hasn’t been such a heavy thunderstorm in a long time – even the power went out for a while. As they raise their glasses to the world without Winden, the rain outside is beating down in slant lashes, and the black silhouettes of trees are bending menacingly against the evening sky. Regina doesn’t have the heart to let the guests out into the storm; driving in such weather and with such state of local roads is a suicide, and Peter and Bernadette even came by feet. So she offers everyone to stay over. No one is really discontented with such turn of events – everyone’s cracking jokes as they share out the places available for sleeping. It feels like they’re all kids again, and this is an adventure.        

Peter and Bernadette get the couch in the living room, and some armchairs put together make a quite comfortable improvised bed for Katharina. Wishing for her pregnant friend to have the most comfort for the night, Regina gives her own bedroom to Hannah and Torben, takes all the necessary things, and moves to her mother’s room. Claudia has retired early, having told “the young” that she’s going to bed, but when Regina steps quietly into her room with a heap of bedclothes in her arms, the light there is on, and her mother is working on her laptop – no doubt writing another post for her blog on the history of Winden or taking part in a meeting of the members of Anonymous or whatever else the seniors who are more tech-savvy than most twenty-somethings might do on their computers.    

“There’s a raincoat on the chair in the living room. A yellow one,” Regina says, settling her pillow on her mother’s wide bed. “Where did it come from?”

“A yellow one, you say?” Claudia echoes, her eyes glued to the screen. “I found it in the attic. I put it aside to think which neighbourhood kid to give it to, and forgot about it.”

“How come we have it? I don’t recall myself or Peter wearing it.”

“My dear, how long have we been living in this house? Do you remember thoroughly all the junk we have? Because I don’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if your father bought that raincoat forever ago to give it to you, then stuffed it somewhere and forgot.”    

“Maybe,” Regina muses. For some reason she’s dying to know where the raincoat came from. Or it might rather be the wine she has drunk that’s dying to know that.  

Later, when her mother is already asleep, when everyone in the house must already be asleep, Regina is standing by the window, listening to the cacophony of rain, staring at the pool of light that keeps dancing under the swinging lantern. It’s weird, about that raincoat, and she feels weird, too. Hannah’s words about the end of the world come to her mind, but that’s not it, not really – it is more like something is about to start, but there is no knowing what.    

When she’s already in bed, it suddenly dawns on her what this is reminding her of: she used to feel something of the kind in her youth when she sensed she was about to dream about that boy again.    

 ***

 The first time it happens, she’s fifteen, and the boy is not a boy at all – more like a young man, two or three years older than she in appearance. It’s her classmates that are boys, but this one looks almost an adult, almost a bad guy from a movie, wearing a leather jacket, dark hair falling on his face. That is what Regina thinks when she sees him in the woods that night. Not “What am I doing in the woods, actually?” of something like that, because you don’t ask yourself that kind of questions in a dream. If you are in the woods, then you are meant to be in the woods.  

“Hey,” Regina says gingerly. The young man, who was looking around, gives a start, turns around, and finally notices her.

“Hey,” he says. Anyone would expect such a guy to have a haughty smirk and a contemptuous look, but he just smiles at her when he sees her, calmly and friendly. “Where on earth am I?”      

“In Winden,” Regina approaches him. Again, it does not occur to her in a dream that talking to a stranger in the woods might be a bad idea. “Are you lost?”  

He shrugs. “I guess. I, uh, came here from the highway? Can’t remember clearly. I just left home and came here somehow.”    

“Sounds like you’ve hit your head,” Regina remarks, which is yet another proof that she’s dreaming: in waking life she would never get smart like that with a strange guy who looks older and stronger than she. It doesn’t look, however, like the strange guy in question has taken any offence, because he just grins in response.    

“Perhaps I have. And what are you doing here, robbing the lone travellers?”

“Perhaps I am,” Regina fires back, and smiles hastily to make it clear she actually isn’t. Heavens, she doesn’t know how to talk to boys at all. If Hannah and Katharina saw her now, they’d die on the spot – if not of shame, then of laughter. “If you don’t remember how you got here, then maybe you should go to the hospital? I can lead you there.”  

“What about taking a walk first, since I’m already here, and then hospital or whatever? It’s nice here. Back where I’m from they’ve chopped all the woods down.”

The latest in the series of proofs that this is a dream: in real life such words would only have persuaded Regina further that he has to go to the hospital.  

But all of this is not real, so she says, “Then let’s go, I’ll show you the caves.”

And they head for the caves, and Regina tells her new acquaintance about Winden – how dreary and dull it is, with mostly nothing to do and nowhere to go, but at least the air is fresh and the trees are tall and ancient. Then they talk about school and music and some other nonsense, until Regina finally realizes that she forgot to ask a very important question.

“Wait,” she stops at the very entrance to the cave and grabs the young man’s hand, and blushes at once, but doesn’t let go. “What is your name?”

He opens his mouth to reply – and she wakes up.

 ***

 The feeling is so similar that the next morning she is even a little disappointed that the night had passed without any dreams. That’s silly, of course – she hasn’t dreamed about him for what, thirty years? And there have been enough men of flesh and blood in her life for her not to worry about the one who never really existed.  

But the slight disappointment doesn’t disappear, and the feeling that something important is about to begin doesn’t go away either, and that Monday Regina brings them along to work.

Waldhotel Winden is facing hard times – frankly speaking, Regina cannot remember if there have ever been any other times. Father converted his estate into a hotel when his young new wife, Regina’s mother, refused to live there. Claudia has never elaborated why she rejected that elegant old building, but the older Regina gets, the more often it crosses her mind that deep down her mother didn’t want to live under the same roof with ghosts – not just Bernd Doppler’s late first wife, but also the memory of herself as a child coming there to tutor little Helge. Sweet shy Helge who, according to age, should have rather been Regina’s uncle not her half-brother; who also refused to live in that mansion that smelled of ancientness and dignity with his equally sweet shy wife. Memories had driven the former residents out of the house, leaving it fit only for the strangers who come and go without any trace other than the payment for the room. Unfortunately, there have always been few such strangers: the comparatively pristine nature and the caves steeped in legend are not enough to turn an otherwise ordinary underdeveloped small town like Winden into a popular tourist destination. Presently, for instance, the only guests at the hotel are an elderly couple who checked in three days ago.                                                                          

It makes no sense to keep a lot of personnel in such situation, so it is Regina herself who is at the reception, while looking through the depressing financial statement for the last half-year. The only guests have gone out, the maid is cleaning upstairs, and when the bell rings above the front door, Regina looks up in involuntary annoyance – she has grown so unaccustomed to visitors that she has almost forgotten their arrival is supposed to make her glad.  

“Hello,” she says, having quickly collected herself.

“Good afternoon,” says the newcomer, a man about her age, broad-shouldered and imposing, in an unbuttoned black coat. “I’d like a single room, please. Surely there are any available at the moment?”  

“Oh, more than enough,” Regina can’t help commenting, smiling unhappily. “Your name?”

“Boris Niewald.”

Regina cannot explain why, upon hearing this, she immediately thinks there must be some sort of mistake. It is a name like any other – why couldn’t he be called that? And it is not that she was expecting him to have some other particular name – yet still she cannot fight the feeling that he was supposed to be called differently. That would have been explainable if she had met this man before, but she is sure it is the first time she sees him.

…almost sure. Something in his features seems vaguely familiar. But that must be just déjà vu – nothing unusual for her and most of the people she knows. She remembers being extremely surprised back in the day that her friends from the university could not recall ever experiencing it. Maybe Winden has some special aura. Ley lines, geopathogenic zones, that sort of thing.  

Maybe it’s just some collective mental health issues.

“I can offer you several rooms to choose from,” she tells him. “You may leave your suitcase in the luggage room for now, so as not to carry it with you.”    

 ***

 “You know what I think?” Hannah begins in a sing-song voice. “I think,” she glances at Regina over the history notebook, while wearing her signature sly smile, “that our Regina has a crush.”  

“What?!” Regina frowns in confusion. That’s so unrelated to what they were just discussing, where did this even come from? “I think you’re thinking wrong.”

“And I think Hannah’s right,” Katharina declares. Great, now it’s two against one. It would have been an option to stand up pointedly and go to the kitchen to grab more cookies, but, firstly, then the girls would definitely decide they’re on the right track, and secondly, Katharina is currently painting Regina’s nails vibrant dark red – how would she leave with her nails not dried yet, and just with three of them to boot? “Spit it out, girl. Who is he?”  

Sometimes Regina cannot believe she’s really friends with these girls. They couldn’t be more different from her in their nature: the rebellious Katharina, quick-tempered and defiant, with bruises under the layers of face powder and sharp words for everyone who dares to look at her the wrong way; the elfin Hannah with her fox face, ambitious and perceptive, prone to imitating the older and more badass Katharina. And then there’s she – so… ordinary. The only remarkable thing about Regina is her good marks, but no one ever likes exemplary students, not even when in need of their help – especially when in need of their help. If it was not for her friends who are more adjusted for survival at school, it would have probably been tough for her, particularly in her childhood and early teenage years, when she used to wear thick-rimmed glasses.        

Regina loves her friends, but there are some things she prefers not to tell them.

“I don’t understand what makes you think I have a crush,” she tries to fight back weakly.  

“It’s just that every time I look at you at the lessons lately, you’re always up in the clouds with such cute zoned-out little face,” Katharina says, and tries to demonstrate at once just what kind of little face that is. Hannah giggles. “Come on, it’s not like it’s bad. On the contrary, we’re happy for you. Who is he? Does he know?”  

He must know, Regina thinks. We see each other once a month or two, go on walks, talk, hold hands, but all of this doesn’t matter because he disappears every time I try to ask him what his name is or tell him my own. Besides, there’s a tiny problem: I only dream about him, and he doesn’t actually exist.  

“There’s no one to know,” she tells them with an apologetic smile. Katharina and Hannah hang out with real guys after school, real guys who buy them ice cream and let them wear their jackets when it gets cold, so they don’t need to know that silly Regina (yes, it’s alright to be silly at sixteen, but not sillier than her peers, after all) is in love with someone who only exists in her head. “And I’m up in the clouds because… I keep thinking that school will be over soon, and I’ll be able to leave. We all will be able to leave. And there’ll be no more Winden for us.”    

“No more Winden for us,” Hannah repeats dreamily, and Katharina nods in agreement. It’s a perfect way to change the subject – the next instant they’re already sharing plans for the future, discussing where they’re going to enrol, where they want to go on holidays. Indeed, no crush looks as attractive as the prospect of leaving their native shithole for good.    

None of them will ever leave Winden for long, but at the time they do not know it yet.

 ***

 Boris Niewald has come to their town as a representative of the company that is building a new shopping centre in Winden. He stays in Waldhotel Winden for a week, and as he comes back every evening that week, he and Regina spend some time talking before the night porter arrives and she goes home. Regina is not in the habit of making close acquaintance with the guests, but when he returns on the evening of the first day, she cannot help asking what his first impressions of Winden are, and then it all happens as if by itself. On the third day, they switch from Sie to du. On the fourth day, she unlocks the liquor cabinet to take out a bottle of expensive brandy given a few years ago by her father’s friend, and offers him a glass on the house.    

On the seventh day, when he was supposed to check out, he asks her if it is possible to extend the reservation.  

“I still have some three days free,” he tells Regina. They’re sitting in the armchairs in the lobby; the elderly couple has already checked out, the maid has a day off, and it seems as if they’re not at the hotel at all, but at home. Her home or his; possibly theirs. “With all this construction I never got a chance to see the town.”  

“I’m afraid this town hardly has anything to offer you,” Regina laughs, toying with the glass in her hand. “We don’t even have a museum. Except the caves, perhaps.”

“The caves? I’ve heard something about them. The ones where someone is said to disappear every year?”

“Well, not every year, but there have been several cases. Usually these poor things get found after a day or two, however – dirty, hungry. Apparently there’s an entire labyrinth of natural origin, and the walls cave in sometimes. There are some weirdos who believe that there is the way to…”  

“The centre of the Earth?”

“More like the other dimensions. About ten years ago, some TV people even came to make a documentary, God. I don’t think it was ever released.”                

“That sounds appealing,” Boris chuckles. Regina likes his smile, his silver beard, his striking blue eyes. Perhaps she has a type, and her new acquaintance is the perfect match. Both of her husbands looked similarly – both the one who married her, as it quickly came to light, hoping to make a career at the publishing house of the only Winden newspaper, which was headed by her mother back then, and the one that cheated on her a year and a half after their wedding. In other words, both the one that she still never says hello to and the one she still exchanges birthday and Christmas greetings with. The latter and his wife had some kind of unprecedented abundance of currant in their garden last year, and they gave Regina two jars of currant jam; oh the small towns where everyone knows each other in many different senses.      

Perhaps her type was shaped by the fact that at the age of fifteen to approximately twenty she frequently dreamed about a handsome boy with precisely such beautiful blue eyes. What of it.                            

“You don’t hurry home lately, I see” Claudia observes in the morning while Regina is making breakfast. Her mother is reading a fresh newspaper – undoubtedly thinking that without her being editor-in-chief, that newspaper has gone to shit. “Is he trustworthy?”  

“He? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Regina replies flatly as she puts oatmeal and dried fruit into the bowls.

“What, a she? Didn’t think you’d take after your grandmother, but it’s never too late to get to know yourself, I guess.”

“There’s no one, Mama,” Regina says determinedly. In two days Boris returns to Marburg. There is no point in starting anything.  

There is no point in starting anything – yet when on her day off Boris asks her out for dinner, she says yes.

There is no point in starting anything – yet when he kisses her in the hotel corridor it takes her some time to make herself pull away.

“Forgive me,” Boris says when he sees her face. “I suppose I shouldn’t have done this.”

“That’s right,” Regina says and forces a smile. Tomorrow he’s leaving.

There is no point in starting anything – yet when he closes the door after himself and she takes a few steps down the corridor, she realizes suddenly that she doesn’t care. Then she turns around and goes back before letting herself change her mind and knocks on the door of his room. He opens at once.  

That night she feels madly young, young and loving and loved.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Boris promises her when he puts the key to the room in her hand the next morning.

There is no point in starting anything, yet she thinks: come back to me.  

And, for some reason: come home.

 ***

 At the high school graduation party, the girls from Regina’s class dance with their boyfriends or with the boys they hope to make their boyfriends, lay their heads on their partners’ shoulders, bodies pressed together, hearts full of excitement. As to Regina, she gets asked to a dance by Peter, her nephew-who-looks-rather-like-her-cousin, which is very nice of him. They keep stepping on each other’s feet and laughing about it, and then Take My Breath Away gives way to lively disco, and Regina dances with Katharina and Hannah and then with Peter again and then with some kids who she hasn’t exchanged a word with throughout the entire school year. There are no more couples, just a single happy crowd, and they spin and throw their hands up in the air, like a record, baby, right round, round round.

Officially alcohol at the graduation party is banned. Unofficially, part of the parents and teachers who are chaperoning them all in the festively decorated gym does not care and another part is sneakily sipping something from thermos bottles and flasks themselves. Regina drinks a couple of glasses of the wine that Katharina brought with her in a juice carton. She doesn’t drink often enough to know much about such things, but two glasses mustn’t be too much. It mustn’t be enough to explain why, when she steps out to the porch to take the air and raises her eyes up to the sky, she sees what she sees and stumbles and almost falls down, taken by surprise.      

“You all right?” she hears a voice behind her back. Charlotte Tannhaus approaches her, looking rather curious than worried. “Are you going to be sick?”  

“N-no,” Regina tells her, with something that should ideally pass for a reassuring smile. “It just seemed like…”  

“Like?”

She and Charlotte Tannhaus have never been close, but now both of them are drunk, and besides, Regina is going to leave for the university soon, and whether anyone in Winden thinks her crazy shall lose all importance.

“Like there were two moons in the sky,” she says. ‘Then they merged into one.”

Charlotte nods pensively, as if Regina has just said something extraordinarily deep.  

“Maybe that was a vision,” she points out. “Like… we’re all at the crossroads now, right? School is over, life is beginning? Maybe the two moons are like two different paths.”

“That merge into one because they’re actually one and the same?”

“Possible. Or it might even be the third path, another one. Maybe.”  

Yeah, Regina thinks, they’re definitely drunk.

“I thought I’d be just leaning up against the wall for half the evening, but it turned out quite great. I wish you were there,” she tells her stranger in a dream that night.

“Yeah, I’d love to go with you,” he says, and then adds something strange:

“It’s a shame you’re not real.”

 ***

 A month later – a month of phone calls and Skype calls, a month when Regina keeps reminding herself not to hope too much and still hopes more and more with each day – Boris comes back.

“I have to tell you something which will make you think that I’m not quite right in the head,” he tells her on the first evening after his arrival. This time he isn’t staying in Waldhotel – he’s staying at her place. “Or that I am lying and being incredibly bad at it.”

“Try me,” she suggests merrily.

“When I was young, I would often see the same dream. Or rather, different dreams about the same girl,” Boris comes up to her writing desk, picks up a framed photo – Regina with her mother and grandfather – and looks at it thoughtfully. In the picture, Regina is sixteen, she has voluminous curls and bright eye shadow in the true spirit of the eighties, and, in the opinion of adult Regina, she’s very small, funny, and good. Better than she thought herself back then, probably. “I wouldn’t say I used to be lonely at that time – I had friends, I had everything, basically – but every time I woke up hoping I’d see her again. I believe I was a little bit in love with her – as if with a singer or a teacher, you know, without any hope that my feelings might be returned. What kind of return might be there if she didn’t really exist, after all?”          

He puts the photo back on the desk, and turns to Regina.

“At least I was sure she didn’t exist. And now we’ve come to the part that will make you think me either a liar or crazy,” he smiles at her, but eyes her earnestly, clearly preparing to say something important, clearly wishing for it to be taken seriously despite all the jokes. “You look like her. Judging by this photo, you’re spitting images of each other.”

“What was her name?” Regina asks with bated breath. Boris frowns; he must have been expecting anything but such question.  

“I don’t know. I woke up each time I tried to ask her.”

Regina gets up off the bed and comes up to him.

“I think I also have something to tell you,” she says, “that will make you think me either a liar or crazy.”

Now, as luck would have it, it would be the time for the dream to end – but they are really there, really together, and what has started will not end at the crack of dawn, will not end if they let it go on, will not ever end.

[seven-oomen]

Yay, I’m glad you’re feeling better!  I’ve still got some time before work, so have a few more thoughts.  :D

First, re: Laura’s age, I’m pretty sure that if she was allowed to legally take Derek (16 at best at the time) with her to NY (which I assume she was or I’m sure it would have been mentioned by either Stiles or Noah), she would have had to be at least 18, possibly 21 at the time (I think that might vary state to state, I know 18 is CA legal age for sex) that they left (and she wouldn’t have been able to access their money if she was wanted for kidnapping - leather jackets and Camaros don’t grow on trees).  Also, if there’s approx. 6 years between Cora and Derek, there’s no reason there couldn’t have been as many between Laura and Derek.  And even if she was young when they left, to leave him there alone for SIX YEARS?  Yeah, she’s definitely got some explaining to do.

And maybe the wolf only physically manifests when he’s by himself?  Or later on, only with pack mates he fully trusts?

And, omg, I LOVE the idea of the other dad being Noah this time (as long as Claudia was okay with it, though lbr, she probably actively encouraged it), if only for the look on Jackson’s face when he finds out both who his other parent is and who his half-sibling is.  XD

Not sure how I feel about Theo as a lost Hale.  I haven’t really seen any episodes with him, so most of what I know is through tumblr and fanfic.  The general impression I got was that in some ways he was the most genuinely amoral NE type character on the show (most of the others skewed much more chaotic to me), which could make for some REAL interesting drama.

Oh man, I can just see them all meeting up at like a library or maybe an empty classroom because they’ve been down to the vault, and they start talking about the evidence they have so far, and Peter just starts going off on a rant explaining everything he’s learned, and in the middle of it he notices that there’s a fish tank in the room and just grabs a fish out of it and swallows it whole mid-explanation.  Everyone is mildly freaked out and doesn’t quite know how to react until finally Noah and/or Chris go over to stand in front of the tank before he passes by again to keep him from reaching in again.  XD

I think that was all for now, I need to get ready for work either way.  Enjoy your game whenever it arrives!  I hope you keep feeling better!  *Hugs!*

18 seems to be the legal age for sibling guardianship in the US from what I could find in a quick Google search. So she would have to be at least that. Which would still make her a teenager herself but she could also have been older. I’m also not saying I agree with what Laura did just that I can see why, even if I think it’s shitty and that it’s absolutely cause for what Peter did in S1.

I honestly think that the only Hale that was acting out of malicious/ less than good intent was Talia herself and that the rest of the Hales were just unfortunate results of their circumstances. Laura abandoned her uncle to protect her brother and take him away, which is inexcusable but understandable in her situation, Derek had to go along with her because he was a minor. They also just both lost most of their family including both parents and (as far as they knew) their sister. Laura’s biggest flaw in this case was not returning to Beacon Hills for her Uncle when the situation was safe for her to do so. Which could have prevented a lot of blood shed. And honestly, I feel like she should atone for that. She messed up big time on that one.

I like the idea of the wolf only physically manifesting when Peter is alone, or later only around the rest of the pack. Bonus points if no one can figure out WHY it is happening. Was it the fire? Is it Peter’s way of becoming evolved? No one knows.

Jackson has a fucking aneurysm when he finds out. There’s a lot of yelling and bitching and whining and snapping. But eventually, when months pass and threats rise, Jackson is also the first to defend Stiles, Liam, and Noah whenever they’re threatened. Malia is far more the type of person to sit back and watch what happens and doesn’t really mind her newfound family too much. She’s still adjusting to not being a coyote.

Claudia definitely knew, actually, I like to think she was the one who pushed Noah to go ask that hot piece of ass out. And although she and Peter had no romantic feelings for one another their relationship eventually evolved into a more best friends with benefits territory where they’d keep each other warm in bed before Noah got home and took care of Stiles together after Stiles was born but they never dated or felt romantic love to one another. 

For this scenario I’m keeping Stiles’s canon birth date as April 8th and putting Jackson’s birthdate as Malia’s on Nov 28th. Because that way Peter got pregnant when Claudia was 8 months pregnant. By the time Peter found out he was pregnant six weeks would have passed, Stiles would have been born and not long after Peter would have been kept away by Talia. (How she kept him away I’m not sure yet, but I’m sure she broke Peter, Claudia, and Noah’s hearts in one fell swoop.)

I do have to admit that was more like an after thought, and I don’t have much with Theo other than; I like his visuals as in looks. So I just also might not do that and just keep it at that.

Honestly I just like writing family dramas with surprise kids, ahhahaha, idk why, it’s just my thing I guess.

And that visual is honestly *cheff’s kiss* Yes XD

The pure chaotic energy lol.

Can you imagine Stiles’s face? Can you imagine Liam’s? Or Jackson’s? Lol.

Malia is just staring at it like ‘yeah, that makes sense’ when you’re hungry you’re hungry. And they have a  hard time explaining to her that NO, You are not supposed to eat random animals like that, Malia. NO matter what Peter does.. 

Yes, he is your father, yes he gave birth to you, but that does not mean you should follow his example blindly.

Hahhahaha and now I see Peter just trying to cuddle after eating a fish or a squirrel but the others are too disturbed by him to let him. XD

poor peter

[adangerousbond]

Seeing’s as we are finally nearly at season 5, I thought I would do my top ten favourite Rapata scenes from seasons 1-4 (in order of episode). I actually got into Blindspot in season 2 from seeing gif’s on here of Jeller, but it was the Reade/Zapata dynamic that made me really love the show.

The gif’s are longer than I like to do, but was struggling to keep to the 10 limit! Sorry guys, this is a long ramble, I did try and shorten it down – all just my take on things..

2x08 – from the moment Tasha found Reade over the body, whether or not she completely believed him when he said he didn’t do it, she was on his side, helping make sure regardless, he wouldn’t be done for the murder, even if she went a bit too far with it. There was a number of scenes I could have easily added in, but felt this one is a nice lighter one.

2x09 – the way Reade tells her he loves her, regardless of what it means in that moment, is something else, these two at their core are best friends who will do anything for each other, and that’s why he feels he needs to confess his guilt over Jones and lying to her. Tasha waiting at his bedside after the surgery only narrowly missed this list, as did him at her side when she got shot.

2x18 –  Reade is about to watch something that very well could change his life and his future forever, it’s such a big moment in his life and the fact he reached out to Tasha and wanted her to be by his side as he did, made it even more powerful. He knew she had his back whatever his decision with the tape had been, for someone who is usually pretty take charge about things, she spent the whole scene working off what he wanted, she was grateful he was leaning on her to get through it.

3x16 – although painful to do, at this point Tasha couldn’t not say anything to him, it killed her to agree to his best man and the further it went on, I think even though she wanted him to be happy, she couldn’t watch him marry someone else without saying anything. She is also feeling isolated from the team and on her path towards her Blake op, so it’s kind of a now or never type thing, probably a large reason that she is now prepared to take the massive risk that she might loose him that she wasn’t previously, but his response of ‘why now, not 2 years ago’ throws her.

3x21 – it couldn’t be a list of Rapata without this scene, I wanted to include the morning after one too but ran out of room sadly. This is another big risk for Tasha, she knows that she’s about to hurt him and sleeping with him will just make it worse, she also isn’t supposed to do anything that could be seen as a goodbye, but she still goes and tries to not think about it, because as she says later, she wasn’t sure she would see him ever again, she knew that the chance of death or a CIA blacksite was high, and I think she wanted one less regret.

4x05 – it’s clear it hurts Tasha when he asks if it was real, at this stage she doesn’t know Claudia is MI6 and is terrified of too much being said in front of her, which Reade is trying to use to his advantage. But the way she pauses and swallows before she tries to switch to her harsher answer, trying to play it off as real option, shows how much she hates herself for what she’s doing to him. I think she thinks at this point she has ruined any chance with him, but she’s not about to let him get killed because of her.

4x10 – the whole interrogation was so good, for most of the season up to here we saw Tasha stoic and trying to keep her head above water in a crazy deadly situation, with no team and not even Keaton to talk to for a while at this point, she has not been able to let anything slip near any of Madeline’s people, all while trying not to get any of them killed. But she breaks down facing him, facing the pain she has caused and worried if he doesn’t believe her, if she doesn’t finish her mission, then she threw away the one thing she values the most in her life – him, for nothing, even worse she hurt him more for it. At this point, she’s accepted that she’s more than likely lost him for good, which is why she so easily believes and accepts it when he says he’s not letting her go, but sending her in under him.

4x18 – This may actually be my favourite scene, at this point, Tasha has been spiralling more and more, ever since Madeline killed the board in front of her and she was suddenly so much more in over her head. She’s exhausted, terrified, thinks she has pushed away the team and she see’s Claudia’s ending as her own future, and Reade see’s all this, realises just how much she’s hurting too and tries to reel her back in. There’s a shift between them after this scene, like they both can start to see a way back to at the very least friends.

4x22 – I included this one, not only because it acts as a reminder of what happened in season 2, but also because though us viewers have seen from the start that Rapata have had their own little side team, I think it’s something that the team sometimes forgets/doesn’t always realise just how deep that goes. Tasha’s one line snapped back at Reade stop’s their fight straight away, remembering they are not alone, but also makes the rest of the team do a double take on them. For the most part, they all seem to have some understanding that Rapata are/have been more than friends and this reminds them there is more secrets there they don’t know.

4x22 – I loved this scene as a whole, the team just being together, joking around all while agreeing to being a family and going on the run. I didn’t add subtitles, because I felt it was great enough without them, just the feel and the smiles is needed. But in amongst all the decisions, Rapata are constantly looking to the other to make sure they’re in, that they agree, and then the way that Reade follows Tasha and sits beside her; showing they are back as their team. Then the way she reaches for his hand, it’s like she’s has a spike of confidence to do it, although she’s not completely sure he’s forgiven her enough not to pull away, is just a great way to end with them, like they are on a shaky path back to each other.

[brandossss]

( tommy martinez , 24 , cismale ) i  just  bumped  into  brando  esparza  the  other  day  while  walking  down  east  kingsboro , where  he  lives . i  hear  they  can  be  brave  and  impatient , but  when  i  think  of  them  i  immediately  think  of  ( venezuelan  pride , curly  hair , going  to  the  gym  literally  everyday ) 

tw : communism , corruption , poverty , violence , death  ( suicide )

full  name : brando  nicolas  estefano  esparza

nicknames : just  brando , if  he  really  fucks  with  you  you  can  get  away  with  teasingly  calling  him  brandy , but  not  even  lolol

gender : cismale

height :  6 ′ 2

age : 24

birthday : august  4 , 1996

zodiac : leo  ( aries  moon , capricorn  ascendant )

right  handed  or  left  handed : ambidextrous , but  basically  right  handed 

eye  color : light  brown

hair  color : dark  brown

piercings  &  tattoos : no  piercings , this  tattoo  of  venezuela  right  here , but  on  his  left  wrist 

languages  spoken : spanish ( native  tongue ) and  english

sexuality : pansexual / panromantic

place  of  birth : maracay , venezuela

last  3  songs  listened  to : llueve  sobre  la  ciudad  by  los  bunkers , yo  te  esperare  by  cali  y  el  dandee , soñe  ( unplugged )  by  zoé

so  brando  was  born  to  yessenia  olivares  and  bruno  esparza  in  maracay , venezuela . originally , he  wasn’t  supposed  to  be  named  brando . a  fun  fact  &  random  little  headcanon  is  that  his  mother  &  father  had  the  full  intention  of  naming  him  brandon , after  his  grandfather  ( or  father’s  father ) , who  passed  a  week  before  he  was  born . being  both  parents’  first  born , his  father  got  super  nervous  during  his  mother’s  labor  &  basically ? got  really  wasted  because  he  was  practically  crapping  his  pants  about  his  son  being  born . when  he  went  to  sign  his  birth  certificate , he  was  so  drunk , he  literally  forgot  to  write  the  ‘ n ’  in  brandon . once  they  realized  the  mistake  his  father  had  made , they  didn’t  want  to  go  through  the  annoyance  of  changing  his  name , so , they  went  with  brando , and  surprisingly ? it  really  stuck  &  everyone  loved  it  more  than  brandon  kdjvcndfkcmn

he  was  an  average  kid  tbh . his  family  was  middle  class  &  even  though  his  country  had  been  struggling  ( for  the  lack  of  a  better  word )  for  years  now , he  didn’t  fully  feel  the  economic  fall  at  first , of  course . now  fast  forward  a  few  years  &  shit  is  changing  right  before  his  eyes , and  he’s  really ? just  a  kid

pretty  much  communism  coming  to  it’s  finest  point  tbh . all  these  restaurants , stores , businesses , all  these  places  brando  used  to  go  to  when  he  was  younger ? done  with , or  just  government  owned  &  a  blink  away  from  breaking  completely . it’s  actually  really  sad  because  he’s  literally  watching  it  all  happen , watching  his  country  go  down  the  drain  &  there’s  really  nothing  he  can  do  to  stop  it

his  father  becomes  an  active  protester , along  with  many  other  angry  venezuelans , but  this  does  more  bad  than  good . eventually  his  father  gets  arrested  at  a  protest  when  brando  is  11  years  old . that  was  over  a  decade  ago  &  up  to  this  very  day , present  time , brando  has  no  idea  where  his  father  is , if  he’s  well , or  if  he’s  even  alive  tbh  ( talk  about  trauma ? ) . it’s  like  one  day  he’s  coming  home , giving  his  only  son  a  hug , &  the  next  day , he  completely  vanished  from  planet  earth , as  if  he’s  some  high  profile  serial  killer  when  really , he  was  just  protesting  the  shit  communist  government  they’re  living  in 

it’s  just  brando  &  his  mom  from  that  point  on . of  course , things  just  get  worse  with  time . i’m  not  gonna  get  into  details  but  basic  poverty  &  communism  tbh . they’re  hungry , they’re  broke , the  country  is  just  getting  worse  &  worse  with  each  passing  moment  ( hyper  inflation , food  scarcity , severe  corruption , government  abuse , do  i  even  need  to  go  on ? ) . all  these  things  anger  brando  to  no  extent  &  he  finds  himself  releasing  his  anger  with  his  fists . it’s  getting  into  random  fights  for  no  reason  &  screaming  at  anyone  who  even  looks  at  him  weirdly , pretty  much  becoming  an  angry  ass  kid 

TW : SUICIDE , READ  WITH  CAUTION !! things  are  bad  but  they  really  hit  rock  bottom  when  his  mother , surprisingly , commits  suicide . brando  finds  her  foaming  at  the  mouth , a  clear  overdose , but  by  the  time  they  make  it  to  the  hospital , she’s  pronounced  dead . literally  a  15  year  old  boy , alone , in  venezuela .... honestly  terrifying . brando  literally  doesn’t   know  where  to  go ? on  top  of  the  trauma  he’s  holding  he’s  worried  about  his  living  arrangements  as  well . luckily , a  friend  of  his  allows  him  to  stay  at  his  house  a  few  nights  but  this  is  just  temporary

he  just  really  wants  to  leave  his  country  but  he  feels  completely  stuck . he’s  depressed  &  angry  as  fuck  but  he’s  determined  to  get  out  somehow . brando  eventually  contacts  a  family  friend  on  facebook  ( aka  claudia’s  mom ? ) &  tells  them  his  situation . it  seems  to  touch  this  woman’s  heart  so  much , she , wait  for  it , brings  him  over  to  the  states . he  spends  his  16th  birthday  in  america , with  claudia  &  her  family . the  year  is  2012 

very  slowly , but  things  begin  getting  better  for  him . he’s  enrolled  into  school  &  pretty  much  gets  guided  through  everything  thanks  to  claudia . they  are  not  blood  related , but  their  families  were  so  close  at  one  point  that  they’re  pretty  much ? cousins  tbh ! literally  not  blood  related  but  still  family

with  his  dedication  &  ambition  he  pretty  much  catches  on  completely  in  less  than  3  years  ( learning  english  of  course ) , he  loses  his  accent  completely  after  4 . he  goes  through  a  whole  adoption  thing  with  claudia’s  family  until  he  thankfully  gains  american  residency  thanks  to  them , which  of  course , eventually  leads  him  to  citizenship . instead  of  picking  fights  with  people  for  no  reason , brando  takes  out  his  anger  with  physical  activity , becoming  very  much  involved  in  going  to  the  gym , or  even  just  exercising  by  himself . whether  it’s  leg  day , boxing , whatever  it  is , he  loves  any  type  of  physical  work , since  it  keeps  his  mind  distracted 

this  has  pretty  much  lead  him  to  have  quite  a  #body  tbh . like .... it’s  hella  obvious  he  works  out  kdndjndjvnfd

he  also  developed  a  hobby  for  piano , after  taking  piano  classes  in  high  school , beginning  of  freshman  year . he’s  been  playing  since  he  was  16 , eventually  buying  a  crap  keyboard  when  he  was  17 . he  does  piano  covers  on  youtube , but  again , this  is  really  just  a  hobby  of  his 

DEATH  TW !! after  the  passing  of  claudia’s  parents , her  &  brando  move  to  kingsboro  when  they’re  both  19 ! they  share  an  apartment  with  lemon

on  top  of  that , he’s  a  bartender  @  blue ! he’s  also  a  personal  trainer . literally  lifting  24/7  for  him .... bless

he  enjoys  drinking  on  weekends  &  letting  loose  every  once  in  a  while  but  i  don’t  think  he’s  crazy  about  weed  tbh . he  thinks  the  feeling  is  nice , but  he  hates  how  it  makes  you  hungry . would  never  go  out  of  his  way  to  buy  weed  &  basically  only  smokes  it  if  he’s  offered , preferring  alcohol , but  again , he  mostly  just  exercises  &  eats  right , not  really  having  any  addictions  of  any  kind , just  little  hobbies  every  one  in  a  while

brando  honestly ? considers  himself  lucky , despite  all  the  terrible  things  he’s  been  through . he  feels  lucky  that  he  left  before  things  got  really , really bad , even  though  they  were  already  pretty  awful  tbh . anyone  who  hears  his  story  would  think  he’s  anything  but  fortunate  but  the  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  he’s  one  of  the  lucky  ones . not  every  venezuelan  has  had  the  opportunity  to  leave  &  he  just  feels  very  fortunate  that  he  was  one  of  the  few  that  did 

he’s  not  the  type  to  take  anything  for  granted  tbh , very  much  the  type  of  person  who  appreciates  everything  he  has , no  matter  how  small . you  could  literally  get  him  a  present  from  the  dollar  store  for  christmas  &  he  would  still  be  super  happy  about  it . for  him , it’s  the  thought  &  time  put  into  something  that  counts , not  the  price , or  the  brand 

he  very  much  struggled  with  his  sexuality  for  years . not  because  he  was  in  denial  or  ashamed  or  anything , but  for  the  longest  time , he  kind  of  just  didn’t  know  what  he  was ? sometimes  he  thought  he  was  straight  but  undergoing  a  phase , other  times  he  wondered  if  he  was  gay , then  he  considered  himself  bi  for  a  really  long  time . the  truth  is  that  he  didn’t  fully  understand  his  sexuality  up  until  not  too  long  ago , when  he  began  hanging  with  an  lgbtq+  crowd . eventually , he  realizes  society  basically  labels  him  as  ‘ pansexual ’ , but  he  doesn’t  even  really  like  to  label  himself ? brando  just  falls  in  love  with  the  person , with  their  soul , &  he  doesn’t  care  what  they  have  underneath  tbh 

i  haven’t  fully  figured  him  out  yet  because  he’s  a  new  character  but  i  picture  he  can  be  such  a  stereotypical  leo  sometimes , but , his  whole  #capricorn  ascendant  really  does  take  place  for  him , in  the  sense  that  he  can  be  a  very  difficult  person  to  read  sometimes . like  is  he  happy ? is  he  upset ? is  that  just  his  face ? is  he  planning  something ? you  will  rarely  ever  know  tbh 

he’s  a  very  humble  person , probably  because  of  his  childhood . he  hates  show  offs  tbh , or  very  rich  people  with  no  consideration  for  anyone . literally .... miss  him  with  that  bullshit  lmfao . he  finds  the  entire  snobby  or  ‘ i’m  better  than  you ’ attitudes  to  be  so  unattractive  tbh ? you  could  be  the  hottest  person  on  the  planet  but  if  he  hates  your  attitude  you  really  just  don’t  matter  to  him  lolol

over  all  he’s  a  lot  calmer  than  he  was  before  tbh . he  still  has  his  moments  but  he’s  a  pretty  stable  guy  in  the  sense  that  he  no  longer  wants  to  beat  up  everything  or  anyone  he  see’s . he  still  has  a  ton  of  issues  to  work  on  but  basically  just  doesn’t  wanna  go  to  therapy  &  doesn’t  really  talk  about  his  past  at  all , preferring  to  ‘ live  in  the  present ’  even  though  talking  about  his  issues  &  sharing  his  pretty  shitty  story  would  definitely  help  him  clear  out  his  head  but  🥴 it  honestly  probably  won’t  happen  &  he’ll  probs  just  keep  burying  shit  LMFAOOOO

very  very  hard  working  guy , ambition  like  crazy , always  gives  his  all  in  anything  he  feels  strongly  about , he’s  very  good  at  persuading  people  tbh , usually  gets  told  he’d  make  a  ‘ great  lawyer ’  because  he  just  has  this  way  of  convincing  you  like ? he  would  never  become  a  lawyer  but  the  truth  is  that  he  would  make  a  great  one , persuasion  skills  like  a  MF 

this  is  all  i  can  think  of  now  but  i  did  his  birth  chart  ting  🖤 

[kitkatt0430]

Was not careful enough with my fanfiction-y thoughts while re-watching Primeval and had an old plot bunny resurface.

What if after Stephen’s death, Helen went back for one last hurrah with him in the past.  She’s got access to future tech, so probably something in there lets her look more like her younger self so that she can show up the night she was really headed to the Forest of Dean and her anomaly related destiny.  Or maybe it happens after Nick dies because when Nick ‘disappoints’ Helen, she always goes running to Stephen and it’s too ingrained a habit to break even now with both men dead.

Helen doesn’t think there will be consequences.  Even though she has consistently underestimated Nick and misjudged how far she can push Stephen, Helen still thinks she can get away with this without altering the timeline.

Except it does alter the timeline.  Because Helen disappears immediately after sleeping with Stephen, that makes him the last person to see her.  And he sees what Nick’s going through and he’s just so, so guilty about it.  More guilty than he felt about cheating with her in the original timeline because of the timing of it all.  Guilty enough to step forward, tell Nick the truth.

And Nick is pissed off of course.  He suspected Helen of cheating.  It’s probably not the first time she’s done it and he knows she does it for the thrill.  The challenge.  And he absolutely hates that she abused her position of power over a student.  But... he’s also impressed by Stephen.  Because as guilty as Stephen feels, Nick thinks it must’ve taken courage too to come forward like that.

It cements their friendship in a way it wasn’t in the other timeline.  (Or if I’m feeling like writing slash, it leads them to eventually hooking up once Stephen is no longer Nick’s student.) 

I’d probably want to work in the Claudia Brown/Jenny Lewis change in reverse somehow.  And season 2 plays out so differently because when Helen tries to use her sleeping with Stephen in the past as a wedge between Stephen and Nick in the present, it fails spectacularly.  Stephen never doubts Nick about the gun jamming during the raptor attack and all the little things that led to their falling out during season 2 actually leads them to figuring out that Helen is involved with whoever the traitor at the ARC is.

It winds up leading to Stephen not dying.  

They still get Sarah in season 3, and Danny too, who annoys Claudia as much as he annoyed Jenny.  I didn’t ship Nick/Jenny or Nick/Claudia particularly much (saw them as flirty friends, but never shipped them especially since Nick kept calling Jenny by Claudia’s name which was kind of awful of him), but I kind of had the impression Danny had a bit of a crush on Jenny?  So maybe Danny/Claudia would happen since by this point of story we’d have Claudia instead of Jenny.  

But there’s also the Nick clone and Nick’s death to contend with in season 3.  And Helen hedged her bets in this timeline, clones both Nick and Stephen.  But there’s too much of the originals in her clones.  The Nick clone won’t hurt Stephen.  Tells him to run like the clone told original Nick in the episode.  Stephen clone is still in the building after the explosion and saves original Nick when he goes back inside for the device Helen wanted to know about so badly.

Helen still gets away, but only the clones die.  But not before clone Stephen tells Nick when/where the cloning complex is hidden and asks Nick to stop her from creating more expendables.  Helen’s programming means they’re born brainwashed with no purpose but to obey her and die for her and it’s no life worth living.  He doesn’t want anymore clones like him and clone Nick and the Cleaner army.

So that’s what they do.  They’re still there, destroying the cloning facility, in fact, when Helen returns from her last night with Stephen, still thinking she’s in the timeline where they’re both dead.

She... freaks out when she learns they’re still alive.  Just completely looses it and winds up taken into custody because she cannot understand what’s happened.  She figures it out quickly enough once she’s calmed down and paced her new cell a few dozen times, but that just makes her wonder how many times she’s changed the timeline and never noticed.  And it unnerves her.

Has she contributed to the downfall of humanity and the rise of the unnatural predators of the future?  The very thing she’s accused ARC of facilitating... how much is she also responsible?

Helen makes for a fascinating villain in the show, in a large part because every gap between seasons is clearly longer for her than anyone else.  And every time she learns more about the end of humanity, she breaks a little more.  The woman from season one was a threat but not necessarily evil.  The Helen from season 2 is manipulative, using everyone and anyone to further her enigmatic goal of discovering specific information about the future.  Certainly her use of clones as disposable people pushed her across the moral event horizon for me.  By season 3 she’s unhinged, murdering even Nick in a desperate ploy to stop ARC and when that fails she attempts to prevent the rise of human evolution as we know it.  

But it’d be nice to see her get rehabilitated in prison.  Maybe she realizes the problem isn’t necessarily the ARC, but Christine Johnson and people like her who keep trying to use the ARC and the anomalies for nefarious purposes.  But she’s still convinced the ARC is ultimately responsible for the anomalies and eventually explains that reasoning, the evidence, when and where to find it.  And of course she’s still manipulating behind the scenes and she never truly admits to being wrong (because Helen’s obsessed with being the brightest, smartest, most knowledgable, and she could never live with herself if she admitted to truly being wrong), but we could have some very interesting enemy mine situations with her. 

At some point Helen probably would escape and get herself killed dramatically, maybe with some uncertainty surrounding her death and whether or not it was really her or she faked it somehow.  Because, honestly, the best villains never die but live on through the question marks they leave behind.  

I’m not really sure whether the season 4/5 elements would get included and I never have actually watched the spin off that ran for a season.  (Though I’ll be remedying that after I complete my rewatch.)  I did like the idea of there being more people like Helen who were displaced through time and learned how to navigate the anomalies to travel from time period to time period as they pleased.  And I liked that there was a faction from the future trying to avert the apocalypse by infiltrating ARC in the present... but I also felt like both story arcs (hehehe, sorry) were introduced way too late.  So if I were to use them, I’d start at least seeding the story lines earlier.  Especially the future faction.  (They did their audience no favors introducing that arc in the webisodes that aired before season 4.)

Dunno if I’ll get around to writing this one as I’ve got enough Flash related WIPs to worry about, but... every time I rewatch this show the same plot bunny hops out of hiding, so at least this time I’ve written down the gist of it.

[timetravelingheart]

Consequences Chapter One: A.M. Imagine

This is the official first chapter of my new story, Consequences. For anyone who is curious, this story will be loosely based on Camila Cabello’s song by the same name. For anyone interested in the Preview, it is reblogged below this post. I don’t know if Tumblr is still doing that thing where posts with links don’t show up in the search feed, but just in case I won’t be linking it here. 

Hope you enjoy this one! 

______________________________________

“What do you mean you said no?!”

Tessa sighed. This reaction was precisely why she hadn’t planned on telling anyone that Auston Matthews of all people had asked her out. But she had a hard time keeping anything from her best friend of 15 years, Lydia Steele. 

Lydia was a firecracker in more ways than one, from her fiery red hair to her sassy and flirtatious personality. They could not be more different if they tried, but at the core of it all, they had a similar heart, and that’s what had kept their friendship so strong over the years. 

“Of course I said no, Lyd,” Tessa moved easily into a downward dog pose as they were nearing the end of their yoga session. “You’ve heard the stories about him around town. God, do a quick search of his name on Twitter or Tumblr and I’m sure you’d find a play-by-play.” 

“Okay, so maybe he’s a bit of a fuckboy, but good lord - you’ve seen those thighs right?” Lydia whispered, catching the eye of their drill sergeant of a substitute yoga instructor, clearly displeased with their conversation disrupting the calm environment. 

“Lydia!” Tessa laughed in shock. “That’s the exact attitude he expects every girl he merely looks at to have, and that’s just one of the many reasons I said no.”

The girls moved into their final poses silently before packing up their equipment. 

“One of many? Okay, give me the list.” 

“Him being a fuckboy isn’t even really the first one. The first one is that we essentially work for the same company -”

“Yes, but there is nothing against you dating any of the players. You technically don’t even work with them unless it’s for special events, and even then it’s your staff that interacts with them the most.”

“But it’s still not a good look,” Tessa secured her gym bag over her shoulder and her yoga mat under her arm. “You know how many people asked me if I was going to try to meet or date one of the players once I was hired AND you know how many girls at school asked me to somehow get them connected with one of the players. I’m not going to be one of those girls and ruin my reputation at work.”

“Fair play, I guess. I still think you’re crazy for saying no to those thighs though,” she bumped Tessa’s hip teasingly as they walked into the cafe next to the gym for their usuals. “What else?”

“What else?”

“You said you had a whole list! Two reasons does not make a list, honey.”

“Maybe not, but they’re good enough reasons for me. Besides, he probably messaged the next girl within an hour of him asking me out. Trust me, Auston Matthews is not pining over some random girl he spent an hour with while chasing little kids around on the ice. So what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Change of subject - okay, I’ll bite. For now. Claudia has bottle service lined up and a table on the upper deck reserved. The girl’s going all out for her 23rd birthday,” Lydia laughed, thinking of one of their party-girl best friends. “She says that everyone always mocks 23 as an age that doesn’t matter - so you know she has to prove that wrong by overdoing it.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m hyped though. After the week I’ve had with papers and work, I could use a night out. Are you planning on hooking up with Miles tonight or are you coming back to our place?”

Before Lydia could answer, the door chimes behind them jingled, signaling more patrons. Lydia could barely believe her own eyes at the hilarity of the situation - walking into the same cafe as them was Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Kasperi Kapanen all in some sort of sweat attire, presumably coming from a work-out or practice, and hats that did very little to disguise their faces or the sheer size of their athletic bodies. As if they could go unnoticed in downtown Toronto. 

“Lydia, did you hear me? I thought everything was good with you and Miles?” Tessa turned from the barista who was preparing their drinks just in time to see what had, or rather who had caught Lydia’s attention. 

Before Tessa had time to think of a quick escape, the barista called her name for her order. Cringing, Tessa turned for their drinks and tried to make a quick break for a table near the back before anyone would put two and two together. 

No such luck. 

“Tessa?” Mitch called. “Hey, Tessa!” 

Tessa begrudgingly turned to face the man calling her name and his friends, only to catch the hint of a blush creep up the neck of one Auston Matthews. Hmm. Must still be feeling salty after her rejection, Tessa thought. 

“Mitch, hey,” she greeted slightly awkwardly. She knew Mitch, but not well. They were friendly but weren’t friends. 

“What a small world, running into you here,” Mitch said with obvious glee in his eye as he looked wiggled his eyebrows while looking between Tessa and Auston. “Will, Kas, this is Tessa. She’s the Program Coordinator for Launchpad. Matts and I hung out with her the other day.” 

Tessa watched as realization dawned on the two blonde boys’ faces, followed by matching grins and poor attempts to hide their laughter as they nudged Auston, who had remained quiet but turned a brighter shade of red as he shot daggers in their direction. Tessa caught Lydia’s eye and shrugged at her friend’s perfectly arched brow. Apparently hockey boys gossiped, too.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tessa,” William stepped forward to shake her hand, followed by Kasperi. “So you already know Auston then, eh?”

“And Mitch,” Tessa stated pointedly but politely. “This is Lydia.”

The boys all made their moves to shake Lydia’s hand and introduce themselves. 

"Do you ladies have any plans tonight?” Kasperi asked after they had all stood in the same spots awkwardly for what felt like five minutes but was probably less than one. 

“Actually, we do,” Lydia answered happily, ignoring Tessa’s glare of death. “We’re going to Club Nova tonight for a friend’s birthday. You?”

“We were thinking of a night out as well,” Mitch answered. “We haven’t been to Club Nova in a while, eh boys?” 

No no no, Tessa thought. 

“Would it be crashing if we ended up there tonight?” William asked as he winked at Auston, who had still yet to speak other than politely greeting Lydia. 

“Not at all!” Lydia answered enthusiastically, excited at the prospect of partying with these boys. She was certain they’d be a great time. 

“Well, we have to get going,” Tessa grabbed Lydia’s elbow and steered her towards the exit. “It was good seeing you again, and nice meeting you two,” she nodded politely at William and Kasperi. 

“We’ll see you ladies tonight!” Mitch called after them. 

Before the door could close behind the girls, Tessa was certain she could hear the cackling of three boys and the curses of another. 

Lydia, to her credit, saved her own laughter until the door was securely shut, pulling Tessa into a tight side hug. 

“This is going to be a night to remember, Tess. I can feel it!”

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @laumeidelfin!

I tried to incorporate as many of your likes as I could, and I hope I succeeded! Happy Holidays!

Read on AO3

*****

Catching little words (wouldn't know where to start)

Stiles is seven when he discovers that he has magic. His mother is equal parts delighted and terrified. Delighted, because she comes from a long line of Polish witches, secretly having hoped that some of her talent will show in her son, and terrified, because it means that her son is in danger. Emissaries are rare and thought after, she tells him. Any pack would be stronger with one, and an alpha taking an emissary as his mate is the easiest way to ensure that power stays with them. So Claudia warns him to be careful, to never reveal his secret, not wanting her son to be liked for only his ability and have his choice in partner taken away from him. She teaches him in secret, introducing him to spells and potions, and making sure he has the tools to hide himself. Sometimes, she talks of the Hale pack too, of how she has started a tentative friendship with Talia, and that maybe they can be trusted, and Stiles starts paying attention to them whenever he sees them, thinking that it might be nice to have friends he could share secrets with.

But then his mum gets sick, and the fire happens, and suddenly, Stiles is on his own. Of course, he still has his dad, and while he knows about his wife and son’s abilities, he is only human, and they never talk about the supernatural much. So Stiles practises alone, with the help of his mum’s books and an online community that he has found through his grandma in Poland, and though it is not the same as having someone by his side, he learns a lot and his magic gets stronger every day. Therefore, when Scott gets bitten, Stiles knows a lot more about it than he should, but of course he can’t let that on, and pretends to be clueless, gently steering Scott in the right direction, who is fortunately too preoccupied with his situation to notice anything.

And then Derek Hale is back in town and Stiles has a revelation: He is most definitely attracted to men too, and it seems that Derek is exactly his type, and isn’t that slightly worrying? He remembers his mum telling him about the Hales, and what a wonderful pack they are, hoping that one day they can trust them, and Stiles desperately wants too.

Of course, everything turns out to be a little more complicated, with Derek being accused of murder, and Stiles hiding him, and Scott falling in love with a hunter of all things. But the more he gets to know Derek, the more he realises that his mum has been right. He is a wonderful alpha, even under the circumstances that have made him one, and under his gruff exterior, he cares deeply, and he is thoughtful and smart and altogether amazing, and Stiles is aware that he is falling for him, not that he would ever admit that. They keep expanding the pack slowly, with Erica and Boyd and Isaac, even Lydia and Jackson belonging somehow, maybe more so than Scott these days, who only stops by occasionally, too busy mooning over Allison to notice much else. And Stiles never thought he’d say that, but it doesn’t feel like they’re best friends anymore. That title now goes to Erica, who is smart and fun and has so much in common with him, and he’s really glad they found her. He considers telling her, he really does, but then maybe she’d tell Derek, because he is her alpha after all, and Stiles really doesn’t want him to find out. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Derek, of course he does, he’s put his life in his hands more times than he can count, and saved Derek’s in turn, but that’s not what this is about. He knows that Derek would do just about anything for his pack, and having an emissary would severely strengthen theirs, but he cannot bear the thought of Derek choosing him just for his powers. And he can imagine that Derek would, sacrificing his happiness for the good of the pack, and Stiles cannot let him do that. As much as he wants to be with him, he does not want him like that, Derek only being with him because of his magic, and not because he actually wants him. And since that will never happen, Stiles knows that he hasn’t gotten much else going for him, why would Derek, strong, amazing, wonderful Derek, even look twice at him, he keeps quiet, keeps pretending to be just human, even when it’s hard sometimes. It’s not only that he feels like he’s betraying his friends more and more, it also gets more difficult to come up with excuses as to why he knows certain things, or why some research doesn’t take him much time at all, and saying “the internet” only gets him so far. Especially Lydia keeps looking at him thoughtfully, but fortunately, she hasn’t said anything yet.

Then Derek gets the message that Cora is in Mexico, and he goes to spend time with her, saying that the pack will be fine without him for a bit, that there’s no immediate threat, and that Stiles can take care of them. He actually winks at him when he says that, and Stiles thinks about it for days. Of course Erica teases him about it approximately two seconds after Derek has left. “So, you’re the pack mum now?”, she sing-songs, grinning widely, and Stiles flushes. He tries to pretend that he finds that idea embarrassing, but in truth, he’d of course like nothing more than to be Derek’s partner and take care of the pack at his side. He sighs. “That’s not what he meant.” Erica must hear his dejected tone, because she throws an arm around her shoulder and gets more serious. “Ah come on, we all think you’re awesome, and everyone knows you’re pretty much keeping the pack together!” If only. Stiles shrugs. “Would you let it go?” “But..” “Erica, please?” He really doesn’t want to talk about it. “Of course.” She hugs him a little closer and suggests to watch cartoons, but Stiles knows that she’s concerned, but he figures that as long as she doesn’t tell Derek, he can handle that.

When Derek gets back a few weeks later, he’s even more beautiful than before, not that Stiles thought that that was possible. It’s just that there’s a confidence about him now that wasn’t there before, and Stiles feels himself falling a little deeper. Cora has come with him, to see the pack, and Stiles finds himself liking her a lot. She fits with the pack seamlessly and brings out a playful side in Derek that they hadn’t seen before. Just when he thinks that Derek couldn’t get any more attractive, he discovers that he speaks Spanish. They’re in the kitchen, and Derek says something to Cora, and she grins and replies, and then Lydia chimes in, because genius that she is, of course she speaks the language, and Stiles is aware that he’s staring, but he can’t help himself, because how did he not know this, and why is it so hot? Derek turns to him, noticing that he’s quiet. “¿Pasa algo, cielo?“ „Huh?“ Stiles blinks, still too caught up in Derek speaking Spanish, and Derek actually blushes at that. “Oh sorry. I was just asking if something is wrong?”, he explains, and Cora smirks at that, while Lydia just looks smug, and Stiles feels like he’s missing something. He vows to learn Spanish after that.

He never gets to it, because they get news that another pack will be visiting. Apparently, they’re from Canada, on the way through, and want to meet. Everyone is understandably nervous, and Stiles tries his best to calm them down, without giving away that he has of course asked his magic community about any information they have, and confirmed that they’re a good pack, widely liked across the continent. When they arrive, everyone is introduced, because Derek insisted that they need to make a good impression, and Melinda, the alpha, seems slightly amused, but pleased, until Stiles is introduced as human. Her eyebrows shoot up and her nostrils flare, and he gets the impression that she knows, panicking instantly. She doesn’t say anything though, but the glances she keep shooting him do nothing to settle his fears. All in all, their stay goes over well, until it’s time for them to leave. “I have a proposition”, Melinda starts, and Derek nods for her to go ahead. “You need to strengthen your pack, that much is obvious. I’d be willing to give you Katarina, or Ben, or both even.” She pauses, and Stiles is entirely sure it’s for effect, and he sees Derek frowning, picking up on it aswell. “In exchange for Stiles”, she finishes then, and there’s an immediately flurry of activity. Erica and Boyd both throw their arms around him, Derek’s frown deepens considerably, Lydia and Isaac both step in front of Stiles, and even Jackson tenses next to them. Only Scott looks contemplative. “That’s not the worst idea”, he says then, and everyone stares at him. Stiles feels his heart drop. While it’s true that they’re not as close as they used to be, he would have never imagined something like that. “What?”, Derek manages, sounding furious, and Scott shrugs. “She’s right. We do need more power. And Stiles is just human.” Erica’s arm tightens around him, and Lydia looks like she wants to strangle Scott, but it’s Derek who finally addresses Melinda. “Thanks for your offer”, he starts, sounding anything but grateful. “But no. Firstly, I don’t understand how you can just offer up your pack members like that. Secondly, I don’t give mine away. Even if Stiles is just human, he’s important, and we need him. I need him.” Stiles’ heart flutters at that, and Erica shoots him a look, them nervously turns back to Melinda, afraid that they have ruined their good relations now. But the alpha is smiling. “Very good answer, Derek. You’ve confirmed that you’re a great alpha. Caring for all of your pack is important. We should stay in touch.” She looks directly at Stiles when she says that, and has the nerve to wink at him, and he’s positive now that she knows. And sure enough, she texts him a few days later. “They have no idea, do they?” “How did you?”, he replies, curious and terrified. “I can smell it. Magic makes you different”, is what he gets back, confirming his fears. Before he has chance to reply, another text comes through: “You should tell them. Derek at least. It’s obvious that you can trust him.” Stiles sighs. “I know. It’s more complicated than that, though.” “I see.” And Stiles has the feeling that she really does. “Let me know if I can help.” And just like that, Stiles has added another person in the know, and since at least the pack knows about her, he can pass off some of the information he gets from his community as having it from Melinda.

A few weeks later, they are, unsurprisingly with the way things are going, in a fight for their lives with a flock of very aggressive harpies. Stiles only knows a little about them, and there’s no time to research with how fast they attack. Him and Derek get separated from the others early into the fight, somewhere in the woods, and there are four harpies still advancing on them, and Stiles can see how exhausted Derek is, his healing not quite strong enough to keep up with his injuries, but he still firmly places himself in front of Stiles, and he knows that this is it. Derek has little chance of winning this on his own, and even if it does, it would cost him greatly, and Stiles does not want to see him hurt any more. Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and summons his magic. He has never used it in a fight before, but he knows that to protect Derek, he can do anything. When he opens his eyes, the air is charged with electricity, and Stiles focuses, striking the harpies with lightning. They fall to the ground, probably dead, but Stiles doesn’t go to check because Derek whirls around to face him, wide-eyed. “You have magic?”, he manages, sounding strangled, and Stiles really can’t blame him. “Surprise?”, he tries, going for light and missing by miles. Derek blinks, and slowly steps closer, and Stiles finally notices that his side is still bleeding, and rushes forward. He figures that since he’s already revealed himself, helping Derek is the least he can do. He gently channels his magic to support Derek’s healing powers, and he gasps at the feeling. “You’re… That’s why you smell different! I always thought it was...” He breaks off, and is he blushing? That can’t be right. Stiles withdraws his hands, now that Derek is no longer bleeding, and nods slowly, remembering what Melinda told him. Derek’s thoughts must have gone in the same direction, because he frowns. “Melinda knows?” Stiles nods again, and Derek’s frown deepens. “So that’s why she wanted you. You should have gone with her then.” “What?” Stiles is sure his heart is breaking at that. He always thought that if he ever revealed his magic, it would make Derek want to keep him, not send him away. “Since obviously you don’t trust me”, Derek elaborates, sounding hurt and a little angry, and as difficult as this conversation is going to be, Stiles can’t have him think that. “Of course I trust you”, he says firmly. “I didn’t tell you because, well, I didn’t want you to feel like you had to be with me because of my magic.” “What?” Derek is still frowning, and Stiles sighs. “We all know that that’s exactly the stupid, self-sacrificing thing you’d do. Emissaries strengthen the pack, even more so as mates to the alpha, and you’d do anything for the pack. I didn’t want to put you in that position.” He doesn’t say that the pain of knowing that Derek only wants him for his powers would kill him, because this is painful enough as it is. “You think I’d ask you to be my mate because you have magic?”, Derek asks, and Stiles didn’t think that his heart could break more, but it does. Derek sounds absolutely disgusted by the idea, and Stiles doesn’t know how to handle the pain. He knew that Derek could never want him, but having it confirmed like that is almost too much. Not wanting Derek to see the tears that are threatening to fall, he turns around, but Derek quickly grabs his wrist. “Stiles, cielo, wait! What I meant was, I’d be honoured to be your mate.” “What?” Stiles whips back around, sure that he can’t have heard that right. Derek looks a little sheepish, and he’s definitely blushing now, but his voice is firm when he says: “I don’t care about the magic. I mean, it’s fantastic and amazing and all that, but I always thought you are fantastic and amazing. You’re so smart and kind and funny, and you keep the pack together, and you make me want to be better, and could never hope for a better mate, a better partner, but obviously you don’t want that, and that’s okay. I just need you to know how amazing you are.” Stiles just stares at him for a moment, overwhelmed, is heart beating frantically, the tears now falling freely, then he shakes his head. “Derek, I’ve been in love with you for ages! Of course I want to be your mate. There’s nothing I want more.” Now it’s Derek’s turn to look overwhelmed, then he chuckles, stepping closer and lightly placing his hands on Stiles hips. “Guess we’re idiots?” “Yeah.” Stiles grins, then leans up to finally kiss Derek, who responds immediately, pulling him even closer, and it feels like fireworks, and rainbows, and coming home all at once. When Derek starts kissing down his neck and whispers “mi cielo”, Stiles pulls back though. “You’ve said that before. What does that mean?”, he questions, and that adorable blush spreads over Derek’s cheeks again. “It’s an endearment. Literally my sky. Because you’re my everything. And also...” He leans in again, a glint in his eyes that makes Stiles feel hot all over, and places a gentle kiss just behind his ear. “Because I would love to trace all your constellations.” Every word is punctuated with a kiss, and when Derek whispers “Te amo, mi cielo”, Stiles doesn’t need to know Spanish to understand what that means.

[the-cookie-of-doom]

You know, I love seeing your posts about your processes and your thoughts about your writing. Your mind amazes me because one can see how much you strive to make your writing creative and thought-out. I think it’s sweet about Stiles& Mitch being committed to each other for a year, pinning for each other but my next question is, does their familial tie make each other hesitant? Despite only being related thru Claudia. Also, it seems Stiles latched onto Mitch and considered him and the safety (1)

Of Mitch’s apartment home, entirely disregarding the home he grew up in with his father and mother. Beacon Hills no longer seems like a home to Stiles and it was refreshing to see him escape the darkness that ultimately harmed him as well. Mitch doesn’t seem to be a man of speaking his affections but it sounds like Stiles would be home to him too. If that makes sense? However you decided how this story takes place, over years or one, I really adore hearing from you and just reading. - Ursula 

Thank you!! I try to think things out before/while writing them, even if it occasionally leads to me overthinking the hell out of it...

One thing I don’t want to be misleading about is that they are very devoted to each other, but Mitch is lagging behind when it comes to commitment. Full disclosure, he’s totally sleeping around lol. But there is a reason for that! 

Stiles has some wicked dysmorphia due to the Nogitsune and the whole Body That Isn’t His, and the lowkey trauma from what happened with Malia, and his self loathing in general, so physical intimacy is very difficult for him. But by contrast, he’s very good at connecting with people! Stiles is in tune with his emotions, he feels things very deeply, so it’s easy (easier?) for him to be emotionally intimate with people. 

Mitch is the exact opposite. He’s lost everybody he loves, has had multiple girlfriends in high school/college use him for his father’s money, and because he can read the thoughts of everyone around him, doesn’t trust anyone. He knows no one has his best interests at heart. (Of course that’s not true; he’s got Felix, and Gio, and the Greys, and Sean... more people care about him than he realizes.) Mitch keeps people at a distance at all times, because he doesn't want to open himself to being hurt again. By contrast, sex is perfectly fine. But because it’s not very sexy to sleep with someone while all they’re thinking about is how to use you to their advantage, Mitch prefers to treat sex like a business transaction.... which means he has regular acquaintance with a few escorts. 

I’m actually going to include a scene in Mitch’s sequel where, to deal with his growing attraction to Stiles, he decides he just needs to get laid and so he calls one of the usual women he meets up with. “I’ll just get it out of my system,” he thinks. “Then I can act like a normal fucking person,” he incorrectly assumes. 

It was actually Sean that set Mitch up with the escort agency. That’s not how it started, but that’s where it ended up. Sean thought Mitch was lonely, and so tried to set him up with some of his friends, but Mitch kept turning down the offers. Then Sean... misappropriated... his phone and downloaded a bunch of dating apps and secretly set Mitch up with profiles. (”Grindr? Really?” “Just keeping your options open, boss!”) When that doesn’t pan out, Sean just emails Mitch a link to the website and neither of them bring it up. Mitch ends up scheduling a date because it’s not like Sean has to know, right... Now at this point in time, Mitch is a semi-regular client and almost friendly with three or for women, and he is perfectly content with that arrangement! 

The family connection is definitely a struggle, but I think more for Mitch than Stiles? Stiles has already pretty much accepted that he’s a bad person, and this is just one more fucked up thing to add onto everything else he’s done. But with Mitch, there’s also the age gap and the power dynamic between them. To him, it would feel like he’s taking advantage of Stiles, who’s clearly a messed up kid in a really bad place right now. And he feels that since he’s the adult, he should be the one to put an end to this. But obviously he can’t, because he’s got his own share of issues. 

Something I actually forgot to mention in my response to your last ask, is when Mitch meets John. I did have this part somewhat written out (idk how well it will fit into the story now) where Mitch flies back to California with Stiles once. Mitch is technically John’s step son, but he’s also old enough that that ship has sailed, but John doesn’t want Mitch thinking he was the one keeping him away; he never knew why Claudia did what she did, but John would never have intentionally separated Mitch from her. So now John is almost trying to make up for lost time, but it makes Mitch uncomfortable for a number of reasons; just in general, Mitch doesn’t know how to respond to be trying to Take Care of Him, the fact that John’s treating him like family while Mitch is sleeping with his son and the whole host of problems that presents, etc. It actually messes with his and Stiles’ relationship for the week or two that they’re there. Mitch can barely stand to touch him because it makes him feel guilty. 

The other version that may be more likely to work into the fic, was where John flies out to New York instead. At this point Mitch and Stiles have been a thing for a while, they don’t even pretend to keep up pretenses by having Stiles sleep in his own room. Which is something John notices; Stiles says John can have his room and Stiles will take the couch, but John thinks it’s weird that Stiles’ room seems almost unlived in; given that Stiles’ room back home was always a mess, that’s very Suspicious. But idk where it would go past that. He does catch them in a semi-intimate moment one morning, though. They aren’t doing anything incriminating, but at the same time John feels like it’s a private moment between them and he feels weird watching. It’s a whole complicated situation lol

New York has definitely become home to Stiles, which is something he will be forced to harshly realize in the next chapter. Home is where the heart is, as they say. And yes, Mitch absolutely feels that way too, but may not be able to say it. I haven’t even decided if he’s going to say “I love you”. Because he does love Stiles, but saying it makes it real, and if it’s real, he can lose it, and he can’t take losing yet another person he loves. But yes, Stiles is the first person Mitch truly feels at home with since his mom left him. 

[raayllum]

I just reread your meta on Callum and Rayla struggling with if they should trust eachother, and while it really showed how much they grew in their relationship in s1, one thing that really irked me about s2 was when Claudia and Soren show up, Callum seems to default back to “can’t/don’t trust Rayla” which was super frustrating. Am I reading it wrong? They both had seemed to move to better, more trusting place then BAM “you and I don’t have that”??? What???

In Books One, and early Book Two, Callum’s trust in Rayla depends on the situation. He trusts her to open up to her about his problems and what being a mage means to him in 1x04. He reaffirms that they’re “in this together,” in 1x05 after she’s spent the episode opening up to him in some major ways and actually being vulnerable around the boys by choice. Then, when Rayla gives an unconvincing reason about why she wears her binding, Callum reverts: “She’s not telling us everything. I can feel it.” Because he’s not wrong. By the end of S1, he knows Rayla is his friend and believes she is no longer keeping things from him.

He’s both right, and wrong. So Callum’s mistrust of Rayla by the end of S1 is gone, but her secrets are not. And how that plays into everything with Soren and Claudia, I’ll get to in a moment. 

Callum is typically rational until emotion — a moment of truth — causes him to choose, and he always follows his heart. Hence Callum listening to Rayla talk about the Egg, and seeing Ezran and Rayla run off, but Callum hesitates — he isn’t sure what to do — until Claudia makes a move, and that spurs him into action. 

He doesn’t trust Rayla with the Egg, until he’s in an intensely vulnerable position and offers it to her anyway, despite her not having given him any more convincing reasons to since their last debate about it.

So let’s run down the chain of events up until the “You and I don’t have that yet,” from his point of view, shall we? (Because again, the characters don’t always know what we know, and therefore have their own biases that we don’t.)

Callum hears fighting in the middle of the night. He sees Claudia and Soren fighting Rayla and runs over. He says stop, and Soren and Claudia do, even before he gets in between them and places himself in front of Rayla.

All three are irate, but give him a chance to explain. He says he doesn’t know what Soren and Claudia are doing here, but that he’s glad to see them. 

Rayla balks; she doesn’t know who these people are beyond her brief encounter with Claudia in the dungeon. Callum clarifies: “They’re two of my oldest friends, and I am glad to see them.”

Then, his smile falls as he looks from Rayla to Soren and Claudia: “But not glad to see you trying to murder my new friend, Rayla, who happens to be—”

Then he gives his conditions: “ If in the morning I can’t convince you that we’re all on the same side, you can fight each other then, agreed?” and both sides agree. Evidently whatever explanation (unseen) he gives in the morning is convincing enough, because they don’t fight.

Then, after a shared breakfast, Rayla says they can’t be trusted. Callum thinks he understands: “Look, I get it. You don’t like Claudia, she tried to kill you multiple times, but remember, until today she thought you were trying to hurt me and Ezran.”

It’s also important to note that before Soren lied about Harrow, Rayla didn’t like either of them, but she wasn’t mistrustful of them in the same way. She didn’t want Claudia around Zym for obvious reasons (“what about ‘it’s a powerful weapon?’”) but she wasn’t against them.

It was only when Soren and Claudia made it clear they wanted the boys to come back, and then Soren lied about their father’s death, that Rayla knew something was Wrong.

But she says she knows they’re lying (because she does), but doesn’t offer up any evidence. Callum at least seems willing to hear her out until Claudia interrupts and Rayla lets him go.

Then, after having a fun day with Claudia, Callum hears from Rayla that Soren built a zipline for Ezran and tightened a loose peg. She even admits it herself: “Callum, I know I’m not explaining it well.” 

Seriously, the only reason we can really follow Rayla’s argument in that scene is because we’ve watched the one she’s actually talking about. Rayla also accuses Soren of trying to hurt Ezran (possibly kill) in this scene. Callum doesn’t outright dismiss her, either. He’s trying to figure out what she’s saying even if he thinks it’s a misinterpretation… but I’m not surprised he doesn’t believe her accusation that Soren was trying to injure Ezran when Callum has known Soren his entire life and trusted Soren to look after the father he still thinks is alive. 

And still, Rayla won’t tell him about Harrow. Even then, Callum fulfils her request and looks her in the eye, and this is what he comes away with: “I can see you believe it.” He knows she isn’t lying, but he also doesn’t think she’s telling an objective truth, either. “But I’ve known Claudia and Soren for years. You and I… don’t have that yet.”

The sheer amount of history Callum has with Soren and Claudia — at least ten years’ worth, if not more — outweighs the relationship he has with Rayla, which has spanned all of eight days (nine max) now. He doesn’t think he and Rayla won’t be friends for that long, hence the “yet.” He’s clearly troubled by what she’s said and upset by having to turn away from her. 

Like in my S1 post, Callum and Rayla always want to trust each other. They just don’t always know whether they should, and this pits a very new relationship against a very, very old one. I’m not surprised that this is a scenario where Callum doesn’t want to trust her, because it would be painful to think his oldest friends besides his brother, would be willing to lie to him like that.

But then, he comes the kicker. He finds out that Soren lied, makes up with Rayla, and then the stakes rise.

While his relationship with Soren has been damaged, it has comparatively strengthened his relationship with Claudia in numerous ways. He and Claudia enjoy their day and their date; she seems to return his feelings for him. She told him the truth about Harrow, gave his father’s letter back to him, and then offered to come with to help on the mission. Claudia, up to this point, has given no reason as to why Callum shouldn’t trust her. In comparison, she’s given a plethora.

And yet Rayla makes one last plea:

R: Or it’s a trap. Callum, I know you trust them, but if we let them come with us, by the time we know the truth it’ll be too late. Do you understand? We’ll lose everything.

He doesn’t trust Rayla about Soren and Claudia, until the time to choose, once and for all comes. Until an ultimatum of sorts arrives, for what decision is going to define him. Does he run after Rayla and his brother? Does he give Rayla the Egg? Does he trust Rayla — who has revealed that she kept something from him, whereas Claudia has not — over the friends he’s known his whole life?

Callum is a young guy in a bunch of tough situations. He has to balance a lot of competing factors and thoughts, fears, and doubts. 

He emotionally stalls until he has to make a Choice, and in each final decision, Callum chooses Rayla. Every. Time. And after this last hurdle, I don’t think he’s ever going to doubt her again.

[starcourtscream]

STUDY    :   LYDIA   MARTIN.   TAGGED BY    :   @thatcertainnight​   (   thank  you  !!!   )

—    BASICS.

▸     IS    YOUR    MUSE    TALL    /    SHORT    /    AVERAGE ? 5′3″   of   pure   sass   &   intellectual   brilliance,   babey   !

▸      ARE    THEY    OKAY    WITH    THEIR    HEIGHT ? yes,   even  if   she   has   to   literally   get   up   on   boxes   to   kiss   people.  her   designer   heel   &   stiletto   collection   is   to   die   for   &   she   has   the   perfect   excuse   to   indulge   when   nordstrom   has   a   sale.

▸      WHAT’S    THEIR    HAIR    LIKE ?

lush,  flowing   rose   gilded   mermaid-esque   waves.  she's   got   some   long   layers   &   she   enjoys   various   elaborate   braided   styles   or   dramatic   side   parts   depending   on   her   mood.   some   may   think   it   holds   mystical   powers,   something   likely   to   be   whispered   about   her   in   the  school  hallways.

▸     DO    THEY    SPEND    A    LOT    OF    TIME    ON    THEIR    HAIR     /    GROOMING ? absolutely,   though   it   depends   on   what   she’s   doing   &   how   she’s   feeling.   on   more   casual   occasions,   she’ll   simply   use   a   root   lifting   spray   and   let   it   fall   naturally.   sometimes   she’ll   heat   style   it   for   waves   or   soft   curls,   or   try   assorted   braids   from   the   fishtail   to   romantic   side   braids   or   milkmaid   braids   when   she’s   feeling   fancy.   she  might   pull   it   back   halfway   with   an   elegant   pin.   her   long,   abundant   copper   hair   is   a   gift.

▸      DOES   YOUR   MUSE   CARE   ABOUT   THEIR   APPEARANCE   /   WHAT    OTHERS    THINK ? absolutely.   she   carries   herself   like   a   milan   supermodel,   seeing   beauty   &   fashion   as   an   expressive   art.   she   knows   she’s   pretty   and   she   doesn’t   keep   up   with   trends.  she’s   iconic   enough   to   create   them.   she’d   never   let   anyone   see   her  in   a   less   than   glamazon   goddess-like   state   ;   she  takes  pride  in  being   best   dressed   and   her   beauty  routine.   she   loves   her   lipstick,   it   boosts   her   confidence,   it’s   an  essential   part   of   her   charisma.   it   doesn’t   freak   her   out   as   much   now,   but   her  first   banshee   fugue   states   were   traumatic   because   the   whole   school   thought   she   was   insane.   she   isn’t   afraid   of   that   anymore,   though  ;  life   &   death   are   more   important   than   cliques   &  rumors.                                                                                   

—    PREFERENCES.

▸     INDOORS    OR    OUTDOORS ?    indoors. ▸     RAIN    OR    SUNSHINE ?    sunshine. ▸     FOREST    OR    BEACH ?    forest. ▸     PRECIOUS    METALS    OR    GEMS ?  gems. ▸     FLOWERS    OR    PERFUMES ?    flowers. ▸     PERSONALITY    OR    APPEARANCE ?    both. ▸ BEING    ALONE    OR    BEING    IN    A    CROWD ?     being  alone  or  an  intimate  social  circle. ▸ ORDER    OR    ANARCHY ?    somewhere   in   between. ▸     PAINFUL    TRUTHS    OR    WHITE    LIES ?   painful  truths. ▸ SCIENCE    OR    MAGIC ?     both. ▸ PEACE    OR    CONFLICT ?    peace. ▸     NIGHT    OR    DAY ?    both.. ▸     DUSK    OR    DAWN ?    dawn. ▸ WARMTH    OR    COLD ?    warmth. ▸     MANY   ACQUAINTANCES    OR    A    FEW    CLOSE    FRIENDS ?   a  few  close  friends. ▸     READING    OR    PLAYING    A    GAME ?  reading.

—    QUESTIONNAIRE.

▸      WHAT    ARE    SOME    OF    YOUR    MUSE’S    BAD    HABITS ? self   isolating  /  withdrawing,   repressing   her  emotions   &   pretending   she   doesn’t   have   any,   quite  critical  of  herself,   can   cross  the  line  from   sassy   to   snappy,   pretending   to   be   cold   &   indifferent   for   the   sake   of   being   poised   &   to   keep   herself   from   getting   hurt,  ending   up   in   morgues  /  the   woods  /   strange   places   at   midnight,   tuning   out   of   the   present   &   making   contact   with   other   dimensions   during   class

▸      HAS    YOUR    MUSE    LOST    ANYONE    CLOSE    TO    THEM ?      HOW    HAS    IT    AFFECTED    THEM ? her  best   friend,   ALLISON   ARGENT,   was   fatally   stabbed   by   an   oni.  lydia   sensed   death   that   night,   but   she   was   left   in   shock   &   losing   allison   took   the   color  out   of   lydia’s   world.  her  eyes   lost   their   sparkle,   her   smiles   were   scarce   and   she   was   a   lot   quieter   &   more   reserved.   she   felt   more   alone   than   ever.   her   grandmother,   LORRAINE   MARTIN   (   who   was   also   a   banshee   )   faked   her   death  for   many   years,   leaving   a   special   coded   message   for   lydia   to   find   &   put   it   together.   once   lydia   discovered   the   truth,   lorraine   was   murdered   and   lydia   was   tied   up   in   the   basement   of   eichen    house   &   forced   to   listen   to   the   cassette   tape   of   her   last   few   breaths.   the   love   of   her   life,   STILES   STILINSKI   was   taken   by   the   ghost   riders   in   the  wild   hunt   for   3   months.   lydia   was   absolutely   anguished   to   a   point   of   seemingly   neurotic   behavior   and   crying   more   easily   than   ever,   but   found  a  way   to   create   a   dimensional   rift   in   time   and   space   to   bring   him   back.   

▸      WHAT    ARE    SOME    FOND    MEMORIES    YOUR    MUSE    HAS ? shopping   and   coffee   with   allison,  dancing   with   stiles   at   the   winter   formal,   double   dates   with   scott   &   allison,   ice   skating   with   them,   the   photo   on   her   vanity   mirror  of   herself   &   allison   laughing,   the   time   stiles   had   drag   queens   come   to   her   birthday   party   when   nobody   from   school   showed   up,   hugs   from   the   pack,   reading   the   little   mermaid   with   lorraine,   kissing   stiles   for   the   first   time,  getting   prada   as   a   puppy,   helping   malia   improve    her   driving   skills 

▸     IS    IT    EASY    FOR    YOUR    MUSE    TO    KILL ? she’s   highly   compassionate   &   always   believes   there’s   another   solution   if   another   supernatural   being   is   involved,   if   she   can   make   a   deal   with  a   hunter   or   try    to   reason   with   a   misguided   human.   but   monster   or   not,   she   has   +   WILL   kill   anyone   who   attacks   the   people   she   loves   with   the   intention   to   kill   them   or   she   finds   them   attempting   to   do   so.   her   scream   is   fatal   and   the   sound   waves   emitted   can   rupture   brain   cells,   make   ears   bleed   or   even   shatter   skulls   (   see   valack,   ghost   rider   &   changeling / fake   claudia  ).

▸      WHAT’S    IT    LIKE    WHEN    YOUR    MUSE    BREAKS    DOWN ? her   composure  ebbs   away,   she   tears   up   &   cries   easily,   pays   no   mind   to   her   pretty   &   polished   image,   questions   her   supernatural   efficacy,   apocalyptic   outlook   on   the   future,   expressive   about   her   anxiety,   stops   trying   to   hide   her   feelings,   cries   a   lot,   stops   pretending   she’s   fine,   can’t   focus,   her   banshee    powers   go   haywire,  Everyone's   Gonna   Die™ 

▸      IS    YOUR    MUSE    CAPABLE    OF    TRUSTING    SOMEONE    WITH    THEIR    LIFE ? the   mccall   pack,  chris   argent,   noah   stilinski,   melissa   mccall,   alan   deaton.

▸      WHAT’S    YOUR    MUSE    LIKE    WHEN    THEY’RE    IN    LOVE ? she   smiles   more  easily,    she   shows   a   sweeter   side   along   with   constant   [ playful ]   banter.   slightly   less   dark   sense   of   humor,   she’s   less   melancholic   about   the   supernatural   world.   she   makes   excuses    just   to   be   around   them,   wants   to   go   everywhere   and   do   everything   with   them.   she   wears   more   colors   and   florals,   spends   extra   time   on   her   appearance,   holds   hands   for  absolutely   no   reason   &   the   situation   totally   doesn’t   call   for   it.   frequent   touch  /  contact.  it’s   written   all   over   her   face.   ACTUAL   HEART   EYES.   they’re   especially   on   her   psychic   wavelength.   she’d   tear   open   the   universe   for   them.      she’d   die   for   them.

TAGGING:   @vanishcd @girlcoyoted @brokenhaleclaws​ @boysarcasm​ @criedwxlf​ @runswithwolvesx​ @earthsheir​ @deadbrcther​ ( any ), @wolfpck​ ( allison ), @tragicher,  @cruciatustm​, @cultheir​, @turnedahero​,  @brbiegrl​,  @joneshead​  @hellsforbes​ ( any ),​, @c0kehead​ +   whoever   else   wants   to   !   say   i   tagged   you   xoxo

[seven-oomen]

Hi, Ben!  Probably just another short reply, because I have to be back at work in less than 10 hours (sigh…fuck capitalism).  The snippet was adorable, and omg, Jackson’s last line.  I could practically hear Noah turning back to Peter “Well, we definitely know he’s yours, at least."  XD  And when I went back to re-read the first one, I realized that even though it’s Noah’s POV he describes Allison as "their” daughter, and there may have been some more dolphin screeching.  Also, was reminded of another question, are Peter’s eyes staying red right now because his body is trying to heal (and his healing kinda got a bonus kickstart?)  Or is it connected to what happened to him?

And oh god I still don’t know if that makes it better or worse!  Because would Claudia have made the same choices if she’d known for sure?  Did Scott get the chance to know her at all?  He wasn’t terribly bothered by the ex-hunter thing, but this is a VERY different kind of secret, so I’m curious to see his reaction, as well (also if it impacts his relationship with Stiles and Malia in any way.)

Also, completely unrelated to any of the drama on the horizon, but it’s driving me slowly out of my mind that none of them have so much as kissed yet.  XD  Like, I know, shit’s complicated right now, and there are more important things happening, but also, you’ve barely hugged each other in at least 6 years, and some of you have possibly not kissed (to my knowledge) in close to 17 years.  Goddamn, sons.  Get it together.  XD  “tale as old as time, burn as slow as fuck” indeed.  XD

And I look forward to the rest of the pack whenever they show up.  :D

Omg, those booty shorts. XD  I am CRYING!  How terrible do you think the vengeance is when Peter buys his husbands a matched set?  Also, I don’t care if it doesn’t fit the timeline at all, I think that any time Chris dresses in all black again, especially if he’s got like a meeting or something and is clearly in Serious Mode, Noah will randomly start singing/humming “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” to try and make him laugh.

Fun fact: My dad is actually currently a driver for an HVAC company.  It makes him a very knowledgeable and experienced driver to ride with, but often a terrifying one, because he knows exactly the kinds of risks he can take- but his passengers often do not.  I myself enjoy the freedom of driving, but I hate traffic with a violent passion, so it’s sort of an even split most of the time.  My general rule is “as long as I trust you not to drive like an idiot, I don’t mind not driving."  I am very, very good at staring out the window and day dreaming for hours if need be.

So this is not as short as I’d thought it would be (sorry!), and I’m probably forgetting stuff again, but I need to go to bed soon if I want to have a hope of getting up on time.  I’m glad today was a pretty good day overall, and I hope tomorrow is, too!  Take care!  *Hugs to both of you!*

Oh man your work schedule sounds brutal at the moment and yeah, fuck capatilism. I hope you’re getting enough rest, stay hydrated and make sure you eat enough. Take care of yourself. (Jesus I sound like a dad.)

But yeah I’m really happy with the 2 K I’ve written so far. It’s super cute with just a little bit of drama (though mostly centered on Melissa & Claudia.) And yeah so far most of the chapter will be through Noah’s POV, though there’s some of Peter’s POV and some of Chris’s as well.

And yes, he does think of Allison as their daughter in that little scene. Though he hasn’t quite realized that yet. I have something really cute planned for that revelation and I’m very excited.

I feel like Scott would know Claudia, probably because he’s been Stiles’s best friend since forever and the two have known each other for a long time. So I definitely think that he got to know Claudia before she died, but did’t know who she really was to him.

This is definitely a story of tale as old as time, burn as slow as fuck. Because they’re not kissing in this chapter either. And I’m cackling. XD There will be lots of feelings though. And cute moments. And standing really close to one another while staring longingly into each others eyes while a wolf Peter whines at their feet and Melissa sips from her wine glass while wondering just how stupid these idiots are.

Oh I think their vengeance shall be very sweet indeed. You know those two shits will pair those shorts with fish net tights, booties and like a crop top to drive  Peter wild, proceed to lock him out of their make out session with some Mountain ash (I love you for that idea) and then see just how debauched they can get their wolf from sexual frustration alone.

And the witcher thing has me cackling and I’m kinda sad the Witcher didn’t come out earlier because it would be an awesome show for them. And Chris would break the second Noah either tosses a coin to him or bounces one off off him in a parody version called; Bounce a coin of your hunter.

Oh and this random post had me thinking of what these characters would do in these situations. And Allison is the girl in the second gif who puts the trash back into the black car, Chris and Noah walk by her hand in hand and just as the black car door opens, Chris stops it, closes it and starts to threatingly wash the guys windows as he scolds the man on his littering and threatening his daughter. Noah is watching the whole thing unfold while trying not to laugh but also ready to step in because he is still the sheriff. He writes the guy a ticket for littering anyway.

The third gif is Peter and Ben taking a walk with Mik & Addie in the stroller. Ben sees someone littering from their car and runs over to throw it back in through the window with a; “You dropped this!”

The woman tries to open her door to yell at Ben but Peter just donkey kicks the door shut, leaving a dent, without taking his hands off the stroller and growls at the lady in warning. And Ben just giggles in return and lets out a cheerful “Have a nice day!” Peter has never been more proud.

And that last gif is Melissa and Victoria with Julio while they’re out riding on some motorcycles. And someone litters. Melissa just fucking kicks that trash back into the trash’s car while Victoria fans herself and Julio laughs his ass off.

I kinda had to look up what a HVAC was but gotcha. And that sounds like a pretty cool job. Sorry, sorry, bad joke XD. but yeah I love driving. I would have been a truck driver if circumstances had been different and I still kinda want to have a second chance at that one day. I love the road and driving on it. I just don’t like the people that share it with me.

And I hope your day’s been going well at work. Mine’s been okay. I went to see a new therapist and do a general meeting appointment and I like these people. They’re good contenders but I also want to meet one more potential therapist too. I have that one Wednesday. So fingers crossed!

Hope work’s kind to you and I hope you’re having a good day. Lots of hugs from me and Mo! <3