#throw a party at a church what could go wrong

[queencvbra]

⚡ ❰❰ @queenkarate // s.c. ❱❱

ㅤㅤㅤ❝ THE BASEMENT CAN'T BE HAUNTED. Isn't it like, sanctified or whatever? Or did we ruin that when we threw that rager last summer? Because there was definitely some activity going on down there, but it wasn't paranormal. ❞

[emchant3d]

modern au, exes to lovers, transfem stevie harrington

Stevie Harrington is not having a good day.

By all accounts, she should be. Robin woke her right on time by pressing a perfectly made brown sugar shaken espresso into her hand. Nancy and Chrissy got to the venue earlier than expected. The hair and makeup people were on schedule. Their boozy charcuterie brunch during their prep time was perfectly served, the mimosas delicious and the food fresh and light enough to put on her nervous stomach. 

Everything’s gone off without a hitch. She looks gorgeous. She’s got her something old, her something new, her something borrowed, and even her something blue. Her hair’s done in a soft blowout, framing her face but out of the way, ready for the combs of her veil to slip into. Her makeup is elegant, not too showy and not too dramatic, neutral and warm and sweet. And her dress. It’s what she always dreamed of, clingy and silky with a dramatic leg slit and a long train, off the shoulders, perfectly white. She’s staring at herself in the mirror knowing that in forty-five minutes, she’s going to hold the world’s most beautiful wedding bouquet and walk down the most perfectly decorated aisle in the quaintest, sweetest church she could find, and she’ll stand across from her fiancé and take his hands and say “I do” and all of her dreams will come true.

So she should be having a good day.

Because it’s her wedding day, and Stevie Harrington is about to become Stefania Hagan.

Maybe that brunch wasn’t so perfect after all, because she thinks she’s about to puke.

“I can’t do this,” she says, but her voice is so soft it’s barely a whisper and the girls don’t even glance at her. “I can’t do this,” she repeats, and Robin - bless her, her favorite person in the world, her soulmate, her other half, her maid of honor - glances up. 

“What’s that, Evie?” she asks, and the others look over at her, and Stevie stands there beneath their gazes and knows if she just says it again, says I can’t do this, don’t make me marry him, get me out of here, all three of them would drag her to an exit and get her the fuck out.

They don’t even like Tommy. Robin actively hates him, actually, and that should have been enough for Stevie to never look at him twice.

But it wasn’t. It wasn’t enough.

She thinks back to a few days ago, drunk in a bar with a white sash wrapped around her torso, a tiara on her head, and mascara running down her face as she desperately sobbed on Robin’s shoulder during her bachelorette party. That little meltdown wasn’t enough. And she thinks back further, to when Tommy proposed - in public, at a fucking baseball game, on the goddamn jumbotron. Dread had settled in her chest at the sight of the ring (huge, gaudy, she hated it on sight) even as she pasted on a smile and said yes. That hadn’t been enough.

But somehow standing here done up head to toe, about to walk down the aisle in her absolute dream wedding - that’s enough. Because everything about today is right. Everything’s in place. Everything’s gorgeous and going to plan and she should be so, so happy - but it’s the wrong man waiting for her at the end of all of it.

She can’t do this. 

She looks up and meets Robin’s eyes and forces a smile. “I said I need to get my veil,” she lies, and she slips into her shoes (red bottoms, a gift from Tommy’s mother, perfectly white and pointed and it’s her dream day, how can she be throwing this away?) and walks into the other room where her garment bag is hanging, and her veil is there with its delicate detail and it’s scalloped edges and it’s all so fucking perfect she’s going to scream, she wants to rip it to pieces and she wants to tear this dress off and she wants to sob, she doesn’t want to do this, she doesn’t want to get married - not to him. Not to Tommy. 

She could ask for help. Robin would have her out of here in five minutes flat, Nancy would craft an excuse to tell everyone, and Chrissy would cause a distraction. But even that’s too long of a wait. Even that’s too much attention, too much suspicion. She needs to move faster than that. She needs out now.

She quickens her pace as she crosses the room, dress dragging along the carpet, and she snags her phone where it’s sitting on the end table next to an overstuffed love seat, and in three long strides she’s out the door and in the hall and the church has been busy and packed all day but somehow, miraculously, there’s no one here.

No one sees Stevie as she gathers up the fabric of her dress in her hands and starts to walk towards the exit. No one sees as her walk speeds to a jog, and then a run, and then she slams out of a side door and she’s on the sidewalk and she’s sprinting, her heels are going to get scuffed by the pavement but she can’t care, she’s running as fast as she can and dodging people on the sidewalk as they turn and gawk at her and she cannot give them a thought, cannot focus on them even a little bit because she has to get away, escape is the only thought on her mind as she gasps for air, her dress is so heavy and it’s not made for running that’s for goddamn sure, and the last few years with Tommy flash through her mind - every time he’s undermined her or given her a backhanded compliment or policed her, told her she wasn’t feminine enough, told her she wasn’t trying hard enough to pass, told her to just keep it all to herself so no one would know she wasn’t cis, wouldn’t embarrass him by making a scene, all the times that come together to a glaringly obvious conclusion that he doesn’t really love her and she kind of hates him a little actually, and obviously she can’t fucking marry him and–

There. 

A beat-up four-door with an Uber sticker in the window. 

That’ll do, she thinks, and she changes course, shoulder-checking a man and not apologizing for it as she makes a beeline for the car. She pops off an acrylic wrenching the door open and tossing herself into the backseat, and she yells “DRIVE!” at the top of her lungs and somehow, through some miracle, they listen, swerving into traffic with a loud curse and a myriad of honking horns and a quaint, sweet little church growing smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

She’s gasping for breath, chest heaving, staring out the back window like she’s waiting for someone to follow her - and maybe she is, maybe Tommy is hot on her trail, or maybe Robin is coming to kill her for not including her in her mad dash to freedom and instead jumping in a stranger’s car going God knows where.

“So uh,” a voice says, and she whips around, staring wide-eyed at the brown eyes fixed on her in the mirror, and no, no fucking way– “where to, ma’am?” 

“Um,” she says, and her voice is shaky, cracking a little, she brushes her hair out of her face and stares and– wait.

There’s a beat. The driver’s eyes widen. Recognition flashes over his face at the same time it registers for Stevie. 

“Stevie?” Eddie Munson, her ex-boyfriend of several years, the man she hasn’t spoken to since that fateful night they went their separate ways, is staring at her in shock, not even looking at the road, and the only thing she can think is how he’s just as averse to road safety now as he’d been way back when.

“Eddie,” she croaks out. 

Too many emotions are overwhelming her at once and it feels like the biggest cliché in the world, but honestly, Stevie feels like she’s entitled to some dramatics. It’s her goddamn wedding day, after all.

Her failed wedding day.

Where she just left her fiancé at the altar.

“Oh god,” she manages. Her lower lip wobbles. Her vision blurs.

“Stevie,” Eddie says again, like a warning, and that’s enough to push her over.

She bursts into tears in his backseat.

“Hey hey hey!” he says like she’s a fucking spooked horse or something, which only makes her cry more, ugly sobs that shake her shoulders and drip tear drops onto her dress. “Stevie, honey–”

“Do NOT call me honey right now!” she manages, and he raises a hand in surrender before flipping on a turn signal and finding a parking lot to pull over in. 

“Okay, okay! No comforting pet names, you got it,” he agrees, and he shuts the car off, turning in his seat to look at her, concern painted all over his face and that’s just really not fair, she thinks, that he still looks so earnest and sweet and fucking worried about her.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, urgent and serious, and she shakes her head quickly.

“No! No, I’m - I’m fine, really,” she insists and he proves that he is a gentleman after all, because he doesn’t call her out on the blatant lie.

“Okay,” he says, level, his hand hovering in the space between them like he wants to touch her. “What do you need?” he asks, and she wipes at her face with her hands, swallowing down yet another sob.

“Get me out of here,” she pleads, and he searches her face for - something, she doesn’t know what, because she’s sure all she’s showing him is how much of a fucking mess she is, but he must find whatever he’s looking for.

He gives her a sharp nod. “Anywhere in particular, sweetheart?” he asks, turning to start the car again. She doesn’t call him out on the pet name this time.

“Anywhere but here,” she says, and he puts the car in reverse, pulling back onto the road.

“You got it,” he says, and some of that old charm must kick in - he winks at her in the rearview. She resolutely ignores the spike of emotion it gives her. 

Then she takes a deep, shuddery breath, and opens the group chat to break the news to her wedding party.

part 2

[libraryofolive]

party time!

featuring: CEO!Satoru Gojo x trophy wife!reader

genre: fluff, drabble

word count: 1.2k

synopsis: You, the trophy wife of the infamous Satoru Gojo, decide to spend your October planning a no expenses spared party to celebrate the holiday. What could go wrong?

part one of spooky section, my 2024 Halloween event!

“We’re throwing a party.” You declared over dinner on a dreary mid-September day. Your husband, the notorious CEO Satoru Gojo looked up from his meal (made from scratch, by you) at the sound of your voice.

“Hm?” He asked, cocking his head to one side, blue eyes as bright as ever.

“We’re throwing a party. For Halloween.” You continued, “I want something to do whilst you’re at the office all day. So, I’m throwing a Halloween party. It’ll be the talk of the town.”

“I’d expect nothing less from my darling wife.”

“I’ll handle everything - down to your costume. We’ll be doing a couple’s costume-”

“I would hope so-”

“I want it to be extravagant. The type of party that ends up like an urban legend.”

“You know I love when you have a passion project, baby. Why are you asking mee for my permission on this?”

“Oh, I’m not asking for permission.” You grinned at your husband, “I’m asking for a budget.”

By the time All Hallows Eve fell, everything had miraculously fallen into place. It had taken you the full month and a half to plan everything, but seeing it all pull together had made it all worth it. You had decided to throw it at your multi-story penthouse, deciding it made the party feel more personal, more exclusive. But gone was the chic home you and Satoru were used to, and instead, when Satoru returned home from a half day at the office (to leave plenty of time to get ready, by your demand) it was like walking into a whole new universe. Candelabras lined the walls, the melted wax dripping red against the white exterior of the candles, giving a blood-like effect. Cobwebs were strung from the ceiling, littered with faux bats and fairy lights. You had turned one of your corridors into the iconic tunnel from Coraline, your kitchen into a witches’ lair, full of ‘potions’ to drink and ‘charms’ to eat. Even your windows were decorated - full of decals that made them look like the stained glass one would find in an ancient church. There were pumpkins everywhere, some carved, some warty - in any placed you looked there was something seasonal.

“Baby?” He had called out once his awe had worn off.

“In the bedroom! Get your ass in here!” You yelled back. He let out a chuckle at that, before heading up the stairs two at a time. To say he was excited to finally found out what he would be dressed as this evening would be an understatement - if he was being perfectly honest, he would say it had been at the forefront of his mind since he slid you that black card after you had asked for a budget, telling you to go crazy. He had been stalking your various Pinterest boards dedicated to this party, to no avail (you knew he would do this, so purposefully made a private board for costume ideas, it was a surprise, after all).

He burst into your bedroom, giving the poor woman currently doing your make up a fright. “Blue? You’re being painted blue… please don’t tell me you’re making me be Papa Smurf all night.” His eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that would tip him off as to what you had planned. You giggled at his antics, forcing yourself not to shake your head at him so you didn’t disturb your make-up artists.

“And parade around as Smurfette all night? No, it’s something much better.” You couldn’t help the grin that overtook your face. “Your costume is hanging up in the white bag in my closet - bring it in here before you open it. I want to see your reaction.” Satoru all but sprinted to your closet. Halloween had always been one of his favourite times of year, so when you had told him you had wanted to throw a kick-ass party for the holiday, he wanted to jump with joy.

He found the bag immediately and raced back to your side, shaking in anticipation.

“Go ahead, Toru, open it.” He was like a child at Christmas with how quickly he tore the zip of the garment bag open, his glee lighting up the room. He took the costume in - a pinstripe suit. Was he Gomez Addams? But you were being painted blue, so you certainly weren’t in the middle of a transformation into Morticia. The tails of the suit jacket were thin and pointy, and there was five of them instead of the usual two. It wasn’t until he set his eyes on the iconic, large bowtie, or rather bat-tie that it all clicked into place.

“Jack Skellington!” He gasped. “Right? And you’re blue because you’re going to be my Sally?”

“Bingo.” You smiled fondly at him.

“Babe, this is- this is amazing. Your decorations are like - oh my God, they’re brilliant, and this is such a good costume idea-” Your face warmed as he sung your praises, glad he approved.

A few hours later and the party was in full swing. Everyone you had invited showed up, all dressed to the nines in their various costumes. Drinks flowed, the band you hired kept the vibe up and the dance floor full practically all night. At points, that included you and Satoru, who couldn’t resist a dance (or two or three) with his lovely wife.

In the wee hours of the morning, as people filtered out, after thanking you for a brilliant night, some even enquiring if you’d do the whole thing again a year later, Satoru forced you onto the dance floor one last time. This one much slower, much more intimate, as he held you close, tucked against his chest and under his chin, one of his hands around your waist and the other holding yours against him.

“You’ve done amazing.” He whispered into your hair, deciding that speaking at a normal volume would ruin the moment. “I mean, I knew you would, especially after seeing you plan our wedding.”

“Oh shush.” Your words implied annoyance, but your tone said something else entirely as you hid your face in his chest.

“I’m serious - you’re brilliant at this kind of stuff.” He kissed the top of your head, “did you have fun?”

“I did, actually. It kept me nice and busy.”

“Is it too early to ask you for a Christmas one?” You pulled back slightly, looking at him with your brow furrowed.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously! I can see it now - the living room a Santa’s grotto, you in a sexy Mrs Claus costume.” You scoffed at that.

“I’ll think about it.” You answered him, tucking yourself back under his chin. Truly, you didn’t want the moment to end. Sure, you loved organising an event like this or your wedding. But really, your favourite thing about the entire ordeal was this - the moment with your lover after a success, calming down after a vivacious evening, ready to climb into bed and spent the rest of the night cuddled tightly in each other’s arms.

Like this? You can find my smaus here and my drabbles and other fiics here!

Do you have a request? You can find my rules for requesting here!

[bitchinbarzal]

Runaway Groom | N Hischier

summary: Nico’s getting married and he thinks he’s got the wrong bride.

-

“He wants you there schatzi” Katya mumbled, sipping her coffee across from you.

You shook your head “Yes but she doesn’t… I’m ok just seeing the pictures after”

You watched her eyes drop and her mouth pull into a tight line “Y/N, we thought it would be you”

Your stomach sinks and you smile softly “Yeah… but it’s not and I’m ok with that. I want Nico to be happy”

His mom wanted to reply, tell you he’d be happy with you. That his smile isn’t as wide with her as it is with you.

But she didn’t. She just squeezed your hand.

Their wedding is all anyone was talking about the week before; the welcome drinks, the rehearsal dinner, the church, the party.

You were tired of hearing about them. They could go back to New Jersey now for your liking.

The night of the rehearsal dinner had you getting ready for the gym when your front door opened and you heard the familiar voice shouting

“Hallo?”

“Timo?” You yelled back, puzzled

“I’m here to pick you up!”

Your head pokes out of your bedroom “for what? Why are you wearing a suit?”

He looks puzzled “Nico and Rosie’s welcome dinner?”

You laughed “I’m not going to that”

“Why not?”

“Because i don’t want to? I’m sorry did everyone just forget that me and Nico are ex’s?”

Timo rolls his eyes, entering your bedroom and beginning to rake through your wardrobe, pulling out a dress.

You stumbled for a moment seeing it again, the dress you wore to Nico’s captain’s dinner. The team had thrown him a fancy dinner in the city to celebrate him becoming captain and you wore that red dress.

“Put this on, you’ve got five minutes” he informed, shoving the dress into your hands and walking out.

Before you walked out the house you looked at yourself in the mirror and huffed “It’s only two hours… two hours you got this!”

Nico’s family were elated to see you walk in the door, diverting their attention all to you.

You didn’t see him but Nico also diverted his attention to you, his grip on his soon to be wife’s hand slipping as he spotted you in that dress.

The last time he saw that dress it was on the floor of your bedroom.

Your eyes scanned the room, finally falling on him. You gave him a soft smile and he reciprocated until he noticed your hand placed firmly in Timo’s.

There was nothing there but he couldn’t help but feel his gut twist. He was getting married and thinking about you.

Throughout the night you were stopped by various teammates and their partners all expressing just how much they missed you.

“I always thought this would be you” Klara, Jonas’ wife comments and you can only give a tight smile

“Rosie is lovely, no?”

“She doesn’t know him like you… he’s not the same”

“Nico decided I wasn’t what he wanted” is all you could say before venturing off somewhere else.

You wanted to go home. You were tired of hearing about how it should be you.

That night when you arrived home, you checked your phone which you’d subsequently left on the nightstand after being rushed out the house.

Only one notification stood out. A text from Nico.

it meant a lot to see you tonight, take care of yourself schatzi.

Your thumb hovered over the text pad, considering a reply. You stared at the words so long you didn’t notice the tears starting to gather in your eyes.

“Fuck, Neeks” you cursed, throwing your phone onto the bed and gripping at your hair in frustration before you picked the phone back up again and dialled his number.

“Hel-“

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare call me names, I’m not yours anymore Nico! You remember? You broke up with me!” You sobbed, so angry and frustrated. You were overwhelmed.

“Schatzi… don’t cry”

“Nico” you mumbled, the exhausted tone of your voice evident on your words.

He sighs “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have text you… it was a lot to see you tonight”

You scrunched your eyes closed in an attempt to stop the tears falling.

“Will you be at the wedding tomorrow?” He mumbles, somewhat hopeful.

You paused, silent so much so he asked “Can you hear me?”

You nodded, not that he could see you “I can hear you Neeks”

“Neeks” you chuckled “It’s been so long since I heard that”

“I’m not coming, this is probably the last time we can ever speak again…”

Nico bit his lip on the other side of the phone, tears now in his waterline. The weight of this on his shoulders.

“I can’t lose you Y/N”

“You lost me the day you broke up with me… you don’t get the best of both worlds. Goodbye Nico, good luck at the wedding” you mumbled, pulling the phone away and hanging up.

You threw your head back and cried out a strangled cry “Fucking Hischier!”

The next morning you lay in bed, the longer you were in your bed the less you had to face the real world.

It wasn’t until twelve you rolled onto the side of your bed, where your phone was charging. Your notifications were crazy.

Multiple missed calls. Texts. Voicemails.

Before you could read them, Nina was calling you.

“Hello? Ni what’s going-“

“Where is Nico?!”

You frowned “at his wedding? Aren’t you-“

“He’s not here! They’re all panicking he’s just disappeared and we can’t find him” she cried out, you could hear other panicked voices in the background specifically Rosie’s

“I’ll call him” is all you said, hanging up and staring at your reflection in the black screen “Hischier… where are you?”

You had tried calling him with no answer, leaving multiple voicemails. You grabbed your keys to head out the door when you spotted him, sitting out on your porch.

You opened the door, making your way to the porch swing and sitting next to him. Nico didn’t speak, just looking out at the mountains.

Your head dropped to his shoulder “Neeks she’s waiting for you”

He sniffled “This was supposed to be us”

You nod, grabbing his hand in yours “But it’s not, it’s you and Rosie. Nico you gotta go back to her”

He finally looked at you, his eyes rimmed red “What if I don’t? What if I just stay here? Would you have me?”

You swallowed loudly “Nico, I love you so much and if you ever came to me before I’d say yes but you don’t want me you’re just confused”

He shook his head “I love you! I’m not confused… I want this, I want you! This, this house! This life!”

The house was bought by Nico, at your request your Switzerland home had to be in the countryside. He let you have it after the breakup.

The two of you were inches apart, tears streaming down both of your faces “Neeks…”

“Kiss me” he mumbled, holding the back of your head waiting for your move. You did. You leaned up to capture his lips in yours, his tongue slipped past your bottom lip into your mouth.

You moaned into the kiss before pulling away and pecking his lips once more “Hell of a last kiss”

“No, not a last kiss” he says and you look sadly

“Nico, let’s go…”

“Where?”

“To your wedding”

He wanted to argue, tell you he was going to stay but you looked at him with an expression that told him he didn’t get a say.

At the church you stood outside the doors, just enough time to spare. He’d got changed at your house, trying to fix his red and splotchy face as much as you could.

Outside the church entrance you stood hand in hand, Nico staring at you sadly “I don’t want to lose you”

You shook your head softly, leaning up on your tiptoes to kiss him softly and mumble

“You’ll always be mine even if I’m not yours”

He couldn’t answer before his family came out, shouting at him where he was. You smiled softly and whispered something about leaving before you turned around and walked away.

He watched you walk back to the car, watching you walk away from him for the last time.

[ohmotherwhereartthou-if]

ROS reaction of mc giving them the mother treatment? Loving them for a decade and leaving out of nowhere

Ouch!

Cassandra: If you left a letter like mother did, Cass is hunting your ass down, hell hath absolutely no fury. MC is going to be living always looking over their solder because that woman would be relentless and beyond pissed when she finds them. As for her intentions and deeper feelings, I think all that is on her mind is to find MC and just grab them. Mostly coming from a place of desperation to hold them close and never let them leave again, but after all the yelling and possible punching; Cass would ask them, 'why'? If she feels as if MC just doesn't want to be with her anymore then she would curse them but let them go, if it was something deeper. Like a bigger threat they were trying to protect her from, then she might be able to forgive them. But all that comes after she goes full terminator.

Valeria: Would be heartbroken and would seek help from passing missionaries and the church, she would always ask the passing travelers if they have seen MC or if they can keep an eye out for her. She would even travel church-to-church to expand the amount of people she could ask, most in the church after a while would tell her to stop and accept what MC has done. She would never remarry or find someone else and would dedicate her life to the church. And I think after a few years she would eventually make peace with it but never fully forgive MC for how they hurt her, especially when she knows that MC should know better than anyone just how much this type of disappearance hurts.

Tomas: Owwwwwwww. My poor boy. He would feel as if someone directly tore his chest open and ripped out his heart, and ran away with it. Because that's essentially what MC has done, he had put his guard down for the first time and let them in; and they repaid that by stealing away his happiness and pride. I want to say he would look desperately for MC for a few years, he would spare no expense and leave everything he has behind in order to track MC down and try to bring them back. He would both curse their name and quietly beg to God to bring them back to him every night, I think if he ever found MC he would forgive them pretty quickly as long as he knows MC still loves him. But if he never found them he would give up after a couple of years of searching due to either age or injury, he would go back home defeated and beyond bitter. Still hoping maybe one day MC would come back to him,

-

Ludovica: Ughhhhh, also my poor baby! Sweetie would have a full mental breakdown, my darling girl would not be able to go out and find MC but by God she will spend her whole fortune paying bounty hunters and trackers to bring them back. MC would have to be a legendary sneak to avoid the sheer amount of heat this woman will put on their back, every bounty hunter would know about the legendary runaway lover. Even years after the initial bounty is placed to bring MC back alive and unharmed, everyone still keeps an eye out for them in hopes to win that huge payout. Ludovica would be even more distraught as more years pass, always blaming herself for their disappearance and wondering what it was exactly she did wrong. She would pray they come back or be found (which is kinda a big deal since she doesn't believe in a God) out of sheer desperation. If MC is gone for more than 4 years I don't think she would last...

Aurelio: He would tell himself that he shouldn't be too surprised. Of course having someone like MC in his life was too good to be true, at the end of the day, for him; everyone eventually leaves. He won't look for MC, he's respect their decision to leave him; although that goes to say he isn't completely unfazed by this. He'd deal with his sorrow by throwing himself deeper into his work, parties, and wine. He'd be a bit more melancholic and less energetic than he was before. He would have relations with other people every now and then but he would never date, much less ever fall in love, with anyone ever again. MC is very much 'the one who got away' for him.

Elio: He would laugh. MC is adorable if they think they can teach him how to love and live with him happily for all these years then just up and leave him. He rejects the idea completely, I think I have said this somewhere before but he never will fully accept a break up if MC had taught him how nice it feels to love someone first. He is a lazy ass but when it comes to someone or something he desperately wants he is like a whole different person. Hear me now, he will spend the rest of his life tracking MC down. He will never stop and believe me, he will never get tired of looking either. The way he sees it, the world is only so big and it's only a matter of time before he finds them.

[faroreswinds]

is GW's direction really that crazy when you think about it? feels more like people are just salty that Claude didn't team up with their faves on his route because people look at Claude as a third party that validates their side. But what I saw in Hopes fit what I thought about Claude from Houses Claude does whatever he feels most benefits his goals at the moment regardless of morals. He teams up with Faerghus when he feels it benefits him most, he teams up with the Church when he feels it benefits him most, he teams up with the Empire when he feels it benefits him most and he throws his allies to the dogs when he feels it benefits him most. Like in Houses, Claude tells Dimi before leaving in Azure Moon that this is how he operates and that he only makes moves that he thinks benefit him. That's the story trying to communicate how Claude and Dimi are different. Do fans think he's just trying to be cute or that his words mean nothing? Claude's not a man of rigid principles, he's an opportunist. He, the other characters and supplementary material repeat that same message about him over and over again too. like Claude's not supposed to be a uniformly kind person, he's friendly and pleasant to talk to but someone that can be amoral or moral depending on the circumstances. And in GW, an alliance with Edelgard was more personally beneficial to him than trying to team up with Faerghus. They have the bigger force, they're paying Leicester significant reparations, they're getting stability at his southern border and they want to eliminate the same threat.

I mean.... It kinda is a crazy direction.

The issue isn't just the differences between Hopes!Claude and Houses!Claude. That could be a whole other explanation on its own, but since you have framed it as in-character, let's go over the other reason why it is a poor direction on its own.

The biggest issue, anon, is that Hopes!Claude... is an idiot.

Nothing he does or says makes much sense when you add up all the worldbuilding elements together into one big pile.

For example, he decides to side with Edelgard and wipe out the Church. He believes this will end the war quicker, and remove Edelgard's justification for war. And if that justification is gone, then Edelgard will have no choice but to cease her aggressions, or else the war is no longer justified.

However, this logic ignores sooooo many things. The first is that Edelgard publicly declares that the Kingdom and Alliance are false nations that only exist due to meddling forces. That should be a red flag right there and then. Not only that, but Edelgard invaded his nation and beelined for the capital. That should have been another red flag. If Edelgard didn't wish to take over the Alliance, she would have had no need to go for the throat.

Claude even admits that Edelgard might not stop her war. He should know that someone may not stop a war just because it is no longer "justified". And yet, he continues to side with her.

Here is another one. Claude puts a lot of blame on the Church for... basically everything wrong with Foldan. Forced marriages. Fierce border protections. The existence of nobility. The lack of freedom for nobles. I mean, just everything and anything you can think of, in his eyes it is the fault of Rhea and her Church.

But how can he come to that conclusion? Does he live under a rock? Is he not the leader of the Alliance? Does he not know that Edmund, within his own Alliance territory, makes trades with other nations outside of Foldan? When he went to school, did he not see how people of Duscur, Brigid, and Almyra got places in the classroom? How a woman from overseas got to be a Knight of Seiros? Even if he only spent two weeks there, surely he saw something, no?

He is also a prince of another nation. A nation with no Church, and no Crests. And they still have a King and nobility of their own. So why is he blaming the Church for such things? He literally is from another nation.

Hopes!Claude feels like he was written by a young author who is just starting out. There is no logic to his thinking. He just hates the Church because the writers needed him to.

And what makes it worse is that Claude is supposed to be the smart one. He is lauded as the brilliant tactician. The guy who thinks 5 steps ahead in every chess match. But he comes across as the most ignorant of the three lords, who cannot see past his own nose.

So yes, this is why is it a crazy direction. It's not just because of any misalignment of his character from Houses. It's because within Hopes itself, Claude is just a moron that it is hard to take him and his thought processes seriously.

[ellekhen]

Hand, Hearth, and Home

Chapter 39 - To Be Born Anew

Chapter Summary: A harrowing situation leads to another complicated revelation for Church. The scouting party makes their way back to camp… and Church finds someone waiting for him.

Pairing(s): Astarion x Male Tav (Main); Past OC x Male Tav Rating: Explicit Length: 177K+ words; Chapters 39/54

Excerpt below:

“What did you all get up to while we were gone?” Church asks conversationally, working out some blood matted in his hair with a grimace. 

“Oh, you know,” Astarion drawls, reaching over to help him with a disapproving hum. “Wyll got eaten by a dragon, Karlach went to finishing school, Shadowheart converted to a Selûnite, and I got betrothed to an Amnian merchant prince.”

“Knew I’d be missing all the fun,” Church grins at him, wading over to rinse underneath the waterfall. “…think that prince could use a concubine?”

Astarion throws his head back in a laugh, and when he looks at Church again it’s with an odd expression — something fond, soft…

…and curious. 

“Hang on,” Astarion frowns as the tiefling returns. “You’ve got a little something on your…” 

He reaches over to brush his thumb against the stinging skin of the tiefling’s forehead, and Church flinches away abruptly, self-consciously shielding his face. 

“What’s wrong?” Astarion asks, taken aback. 

Well, it wasn’t like he was going to be able to hide it, Church reminds himself. He lowers his hands sheepishly.

“Sorry, it’s just… I’m still getting used to it,” he laughs nervously. “Come take a closer look?”

He beckons Astarion towards him, his heart fluttering as the elf leans quite close to his face, scrutinizing him as those cool hands gently tilt his head to catch the burgeoning sunlight. 

“Scales?” Astarion utters in surprise. “Those are new.” 

“Yes, they are. So things got… dicey on the road,” Church wheedles. 

This moment is so nice — the last thing he wants to do is trouble Astarion with the dramatic details. He doesn’t know how much he should share anyway with the rest of the crew. After all, there are things he hasn’t even disclosed to the companions that witnessed most of it to begin with. 

And so, he lies. 

“I had to call upon my mo — my patron. And, through a series of, er, events, I guess my body decided to go through second puberty and let the latent draconic bloodline awaken? That’s how she described it, anyway.”

Astarion looks at him, intrigued. “Draconic? Really?”

“I mean, you don’t see the family resemblance?” Church says dryly, gesturing at his horns. “But yes, here I am, a distant descendant of both a devil and a dragon.”

“Sounds like your ancestors had one hell of a night,” the elf smirks.

“Most likely,” Church grins at that. “Anyway, I was born with magic. My patron just taught me how to use it — hone it into something to help me survive pitchforks and diabolists. So it seems I’m somewhat of a latent sorcerer.” 

He demonstrates with a little cantrip of dancing lights around his fingers. 

“I feel more in tune with my magic than ever before,” he continues to reassure his companion with a half-lie. “I never realized that my head had been so… foggy before now.”

That part, at least, is true. 

“The scales were an unfortunate side effect. They itch like hell, and…” he stammers, still feeling the elf’s hypnotic gaze penetrating into him. “They’re a little odd. I’m not sure how I feel—”

Astarion cradles Church’s jaw, pressing a lingering kiss to his sensitive temple. 

“You’re beautiful,” the elf murmurs, pulling away. 

Church feels his face heat as he looks slowly, fully up at the elf. 

That felt different from Astarion’s typical indulgent flattery. This close, his eyes seem earnest. His breath catches a little — as if in quiet awe. They both wade close, naked, and vulnerable together in the spring — no airs of anything left between them. 

No, you’re the beautiful one, Church thinks dully. Maybe he can blame the parasites for apparently turning his brain to sludge… 

“You’re different, somehow,” he mutters instead after a moment. “What changed?”

He watches in amazement as Astarion slowly places his hand fully over the tiefling’s racing heart, long-lashed eyes closing for just a moment. 

“I missed you,” Astarion confesses, voice breaking. 

Read from the beginning!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 22, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

The Alabama Supreme Court on February 16, 2024, decided that cells awaiting implantation for in vitro fertilization are children and that the accidental destruction of such an embryo falls under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. In an opinion concurring with the ruling, Chief Justice Tom Parker declared that the people of Alabama have adopted the “theologically based view of the sanctity of life” and said that “human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God.”

Payton Armstrong of media watchdog Media Matters for America reported today that on the same day the Alabama decision came down, an interview Parker did on the program of a self-proclaimed “prophet” and Q-Anon conspiracy theorist appeared. In it, Parker claimed that “God created government” and called it “heartbreaking” that “we have let it go into the possession of others.” 

Parker referred to the “Seven Mountain Mandate,” a theory that appeared in 1975, which claims that Christians must take over the “seven mountains” of U.S. life: religion, family, education, media, entertainment, business…and government. He told his interviewer that “we’ve abandoned those Seven Mountains and they’ve been occupied by the other side.” God “is calling and equipping people to step back into these mountains right now,” he said. 

While Republicans are split on the decision about embryos after a number of hospitals have ended their popular IVF programs out of fear of prosecution, others, like Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley agreed that “embryos, to me, are babies.” 

House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) identifies himself as a Christian, has argued that the United States is a Christian nation, and has called for “biblically sanctioned government.” At a retreat of Republican leaders this weekend, as the country is grappling with both the need to support Ukraine and the need to fund the government, he tried to rally the attendees with what some called a “sermon” arguing that the Republican Party needed to save the country from its lack of morality.

As Charles Blow of the New York Times put it: “If you don’t think this country is sliding toward theocracy, you’re not paying attention.”

In the United States, theocracy and authoritarianism go hand in hand. 

The framers of the Constitution quite deliberately excluded religion from the U.S. Constitution. As a young man, James Madison, the key thinker behind the Constitution, had seen his home state of Virginia arrest itinerant preachers for undermining the established church in the state. He came to believe that men had a right to the free exercise of religion. 

In 1785, in a “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments,” he explained that what was at stake was not just religion, but also representative government itself. The establishment of one religion over others attacked a fundamental human right—an unalienable right—of conscience. If lawmakers could destroy the right of freedom of conscience, they could destroy all other unalienable rights. Those in charge of government could throw representative government out the window and make themselves tyrants.

In order to make sure men had the right of conscience, the framers added the First Amendment to the Constitution. It read: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” 

Madison was right to link religion and representative government. In the early years of the nation, Americans zealously guarded the wall between the two. They strictly limited the power of the federal government to reflect religion, refusing even to permit the government to stop delivery of the U.S. mails on Sunday out of concern that Jews and Christians did not share the same Sabbath, and the government could not choose one over the other. The Constitution, a congressional report noted, gave Congress no authority “to inquire and determine what part of time, or whether any has been set apart by the Almighty for religious exercises.”   

But the Civil War marked a change. As early as the 1830s, southern white enslavers relied on religious justification for their hierarchical system that rested on white supremacy. God, they argued, had made Black Americans for enslavement and women for marriage, and society must recognize those facts.

A character in an 1836 novel written by a Virginia gentleman explained to a younger man that God had given everyone a place in society. Women and Black people were at the bottom, “subordinate” to white men by design. “All women live by marriage,” he said. “It is their only duty.” Trying to make them equal was a cruelty. “For my part,” the older man said, “I am well pleased with the established order of the universe. I see…subordination everywhere. And when I find the subordinate content…and recognizing his place…as that to which he properly belongs, I am content to leave him there.” 

The Confederacy rejected the idea of popular government, maintaining instead that a few Americans should make the rules for the majority. As historian Gaines Foster explained in his 2002 book Moral Reconstruction, which explores the nineteenth-century relationship between government and morality, it was the Confederacy, not the U.S. government, that sought to align the state with God. A nation was more than the “aggregation of individuals,” one Presbyterian minister preached, it was “a sort of person before God,” and the government must purge that nation of sins.

Confederates not only invoked “the favor and guidance of Almighty God” in their Constitution, they established as their motto “Deo vindice,” or “God will vindicate.”

The United States, in contrast, was recentering democracy during the war, and it rejected the alignment of the federal government with a religious vision. When reformers in the United States tried to change the preamble of the U.S. Constitution to read, “We, the people of the United States, humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the sources of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Ruler among nations, and His revealed will as of supreme authority, in order to constitute a Christian government, and in order to form a more perfect union,” the House Committee on the Judiciary concluded that “the Constitution of the United States does not recognize a Supreme Being.” 

That defense of democracy—the will of the majority—continued to hold religious extremists at bay. 

Reformers continued to try to add a Christian amendment to the Constitution, Foster explains, and in March 1896 once again got so far as the House Committee on the Judiciary. One reformer stressed that turning the Constitution into a Christian document would provide a source of authority for the government that, he implied, it lacked when it simply relied on a voting majority. A religious amendment “asks the Bible to decide moral issues in political life; not all moral questions, but simply those that have become political questions.” 

Opponents recognized this attempt as a revolutionary attack that would dissolve the separation of church and state, and hand power to a religious minority. One reformer said that Congress had no right to enact laws that were not in “harmony with the justice of God” and that the voice of the people should prevail only when it was “right.” Congressmen then asked who would decide what was right, and what would happen if the majority was wrong. Would the Supreme Court turn into an interpreter of the Bible?

The committee set the proposal aside. 

Now, once again, we are watching a minority trying to impose its will on the majority, with leaders like House speaker Johnson noting that “I try to do every day what my constituents want. But sometimes what your constituents want does not line up with the principles God gave us for government. And you have to have conviction enough to stand [up] to your own people….”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[writer-in-theory]

the 'they said speak now' collection

Summary: 17 oneshots, each based on songs from 'speak now' in anticipation of Speak Now (Taylor's Version). Pairing: harringrove, steddie, harringroveson Category: fluff, angst, hurt/comfort A/N: We're back at it again! For Red (Taylor's Version) I counted down the days to the album release by writing a fic based on every song. Now, we're back for Speak Now (Taylor's Version) set to be released on July 7th. Beginning June 15, I will be posting daily on weekdays until release night!

stranger things masterlist

➼ The Best Thing (That’s Ever Been Mine) (Harringrove, Hurt/Comfort, 4k) “I was a flight risk, with a fear of fallin'..."

When Steve and Billy run away from Hawkins together, they find out the story doesn't end at happily ever after.

➼ Sparks Fly (Steddie, Fluff, Smut) “My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea..."

When Steve asks Eddie to be friends with benefits, Eddie knows it's a bad idea. Still, he's willing to take the risk.

➼ Back To December (Steddie, Angst with a Happy Ending) “It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you..."

When Eddie leaves Hawkins without a trace, Steve tries to move on the best he can. He never expected to see Eddie standing on his doorstep just a year later.

➼ Speak Now (Steddie, Hurt/Comfort) "Don't say yes, run away now. I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door..."

Robin's not the type to disrupt a wedding ceremony, but she's willing to when her best friend is about to marry the wrong person.

➼ Dear Billy (Mungrove, Hurt/Comfort) "I see it all now that you're gone..."

When Billy finds out Neil died, he never expected to feel so devastated.

➼ Mean (Steddie, Angst) “You, with your switching sides and your wildfire lies..."

Eddie knew better than to secretly date the king of Hawkins High.

➼ The Story of Us (Harringrove, Past Stommy, Angst) “I used to know my place was a spot next to you..."

Tommy never expected he'd lose his best friend. He never thought seeing Steve so happy would hurt him this badly.

➼ Never Grow Up (Steddilly, Hurt/Comfort) “I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart..."

Billy never thought he'd be a single father, but he knows he wouldn't give his daughters up for anything.

➼ Enchanted (Steddie, Fluff) “My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again..."

Parties like these had long since grown boring for famous actor Steve Harrington. Tonight, however, everything changes when someone new walks through the doors.

➼ Better Than Revenge (Stommy, Hurt/Comfort) “She took him faster than you could say sabotage..."

It shouldn't have hurt when Steve started dating Nancy. Still, Tommy was willing to do whatever it took to break them up.

➼ Innocent (Harringrove, Hurt/Comfort) “Who you are is not what you did, you're still an innocent..."

Some nights the memories catch up to Billy.

➼ Haunted (Harringrove, Angst with a Happy Ending) “Something's made your eyes go cold..."

What if Steve and Billy had been dating when the Mind Flayer attacked?

➼ Last Kiss (Harringrove, Angst) “You told me you loved me, so why did you go away?"

Steve was the one who was supposed to make it. They successfully defeated the Upside Down for good, but Billy couldn't celebrate.

➼ Ours (Steddie, Hurt/Comfort) “People throw rocks at things that shine..."

The whole town looks down on Steve for being with Eddie, but Steve is determined to prove to Eddie that he's the only one for him.

➼ Superman (Steddie, Hurt/Comfort) “Something in his deep brown eyes has me singing 'He's not all bad like his reputation'..."

Steve Harrington was a jerk. At least, that's what Eddie's always known. That is, until he watches Steve save the day.

➼ Long Live (Steve & The Party) “I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you..."

Steve always knew this day would come. The world was saved, everyone was grown, and there was nothing left to do but move on from Hawkins.

[i-arch-my-backula]

Billy Lenz Holiday headcannons

So I'm not a Christian or really religious for that matter. But I do still celebrate the commercial Christmas with my family and I love winter in general. And what better way to start off the holiday season then with my favorite short king, Billy Lenz. Black Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie and I have to write this or I am going to explode. Also If I write about Christmas in the future then know it's about the commercial, gift giving, family celebrating kind and not the Christian kind unless I explicitly say it is. Like I said I'm not religious and I want everyone to be able to enjoy my holiday works but I'm still including some mentions of Hanukkah and a religious Christmas for fun. Also one last thing because this is getting long, if I ever mess up or get something wrong about Hanukkah please tell me so I can correct it.

Warnings: Billy being Billy, dead animal mentions

So let's assume that you've been dating Billy for awhile now. He loves the Holidays and he's so excited to spend them with you because he has no family to spend it with.

Now Billy's love languages are physical touch and quality time so he might not be the best at gift giving. You'll also have to explain that, no Billy a dead raccoon is not a gift anyone wants.

Now he's probably going to steal you or make you something for the holidays. It might be something simple like a little drawing of the two of you or a pair of stolen earrings from the attic.

He'll want to help you decorate around the house. Keep him away from glass and you're good. He loves putting ornaments on the tree and wrapping ribbons around things.

Speaking of Ribbons Billy is great with tying bows and just using his hands in general. So he'll happily help you tie ribbons on gifts if you need the help. Just let him know he can't open the gifts.

With enough "practice" I feel like Billy can go to a holiday party with you. He's not a fan of drinking and hates the smell of cigarette smoke so that's a bit of an issue but otherwise he'll be well behaved at the party.

If you're cooking something for a party he'll want to help. But I can also see him taking bites of random ingredients like videos of those cats doing the same thing. Don't be shocked if you find a chunk of butter being bitten out of the stick.

But he will also eat anything you make. Billy is a bit of a thinner man but I think he can eat anything under the sun if he tries hard enough. I'm also pretty sure that he could eat an entire turkey or ham by himself in one sitting if he hasn't eaten anything else that day.

I don't know a lot about Hanukkah because I'm not Jewish but I'm pretty sure that eating more greasy foods is apart of the celebration and Billy is all for that. He'll ask you to make an ungodly amount of food so he can eat most of it. He's in no way a picky eater.

I also feel like Billy isn't religious but if you invite or want him to celebrate any form of religious winter holiday with him he's happy to join you. He'll ask a ton of questions about everything and if you want to take him to a temple or a church please take the time to make sure that he understands the rules.

If family comes over Billy will be polite unless they start to be assholes. If someone comments "Save some for the rest of us", "You're really filling out", "You're really eating all of that?" or anything along those lines he's going to have to be let outside or else he's going to yell at them for insulting you.

If it snows where you live expect Billy to ask if he can borrow a coat and gloves so he can play in the snow. He'll be happy to play by himself but he won't complain if you want to join him.

He'll make a snowman with you, eat ice ciclles and snow too. Probably won't throw the first snowball but if you do then he's going to get super competative with throwing snowballs at you.

He's also a chronic cold hand haver so expect for him to shove his hands on your warm skin if you're close enough. I can also see him being the kind of person to shove snow down your shirt if he thinks you deserve it.

Billy also loves old Christmas cartoons, like the stop motion ones and other classics. Please sit with him on the couch and watch one of those movies with him.

[shipskicksandgiggles]

Under the Protection of Heaven also on ao3

When Steve was young, his parents had a habit of dropping him off at his nonna’s house.

His father’s mother, someone who had seen too much in her life, who disapproved of how much her son traveled, but loved her only grandchild more than anything.

Steve loved going over to her apartment as a child. It was small, their family could have afforded to put her in a larger place, but it was what she wanted. After her husband died, she found she didn’t need much space.

She had her small TV, a couple shelves full of her favorite books, and cabinets full of photos. Photos she loved to show Steve when he asked.

Photos of his father when he was young, his grandfather. Her wedding photos along with his parent’s. Memories frozen on film, looked upon with laughter and tears.

Richard Harrington hadn’t been a religious man since Steve couldn’t remember when, another thing his nonna disapproved of. She was a devout Catholic, something she made Steve aware of even if he wouldn’t step foot in a church until a week after she died.

She told him Bible stories about a man who forgave no matter what, about miracles performed for those who listened, about angels who delivered messages to those who needed to hear them.

There were also the angels who were protectors.

“You are loved by heaven, Steffi,” she said to him once. “Do you know how I know?”

“How?” he asked.

“Do you see this?” She poked at a mole on his arm. “Or these?” His hand, his ankle, his nose.

He was giggling. “They’re moles, nonna.”

“They’re angel kisses, bambino. Someone in heaven is watching over you, keeping you safe.”

She died when was twelve years old. Steve was old enough to not forget her words, but not old enough to understand what her loss would mean just yet.

He thought about her all the time.

There were a few years where, when he thought about her, it was in the context of how much he missed her and her photo albums that his father insisted on putting in storage rather than displaying them.

At least he didn’t throw them away.

Then came the Upside Down. There came heartbreak and fire and monsters, and Steve thought about her more and more.

About what she said about angels protecting him.

Steve had moles all over his body. His favorites were the ones on his nose, cheek, and ankle, but then there were some along his shoulders and near the bottom of his back. A cluster at the base of this neck. Two in a line under his jaw. Even scattered across his torso, arms, legs, and hands.

Someone really wanted him to survive all of this.

He never mentioned it to anyone else. Most of the party would have brushed it off as superstition anyways, always needing to have a scientific explanation for things, so he kept it to himself.

Until one day, he didn’t.

Nancy, Robin, and Dustin stood at his side in the Upside Down during a fateful spring break in 1986.

There had been three mysterious deaths, with a fourth on the way if their suspicions were correct.

The kids were on the run since their D&D club was suspected of the killings. Three of the older members were already behind bars.

This was it. Their last chance to prove it wasn’t their fault.

Steve sent the girls ahead to kill Vecna, shotguns and Molotov cocktails loaded and primed. He stayed behind with Dustin, a distraction, the bait, to make sure they could get the job done.

With his nail bat at the ready, he was prepared for anything to go wrong.

And of course, something did go wrong.

The trailer they set up camp at, the location of the first murder, had been overrun by demonic bats. Steve had jumped into the fray, pushing Dustin back to the other side of the gate and took off running. He got the attention of the bats by banging his bat against the lid of a trash can, effectively drawing them out.

He’d be surrounded at any second, but needed Dustin to be safe, needed Nancy and Robin to kill the bastard once and for all.

If he needed to die for them? So be it.

Steve accepted his fate, turning to fight with what little energy he had left. He swung his bat left and right, taking down dozens of bats, but it didn’t seem to be making a dent in the swarm.

There was no way out. He prayed for the first time in years.

He prayed that his friends would make it out alive. He prayed that Max would be okay. He prayed that this would all be over soon, and everyone could go back to living their lives without the Upside Down and its monsters interfering.

Hopefully his own end would be quick, his angel kisses having been spent on keeping the people he loved safe until the end.

Suddenly, there was a flash of silver.

It was in stark contrast to the black wall of bats all around him. He almost thought he imagined it until he felt someone pressed up against his back.

There seemed to be a light holding the bats at bay.

Had he died? Was this Death come to escort him away from this plane of existence?

No, that couldn’t be it. He would have remembered dying.

He turned to see the figure, and was met with large, black wings.

Wings that were attached to a man, roughly his size, with long, curly hair and dark eyes.

An angel, Steve thought wildly.

“Stefano Harrington?” the angel asked.

Steve nodded, unable to produce a sound.

“I’m your guardian angel. My name is Eden, but you can call me Eddie. Carlotta Harrington sends her love.”

“It’s true,” he whispered. “Angels-”

“You are deeply loved by heaven, Stevie,” the angel, Eddie, assured him. “And you are under my protection.”

The flutter of wings became a comfort rather than the source of nightmares as Eddie wrapped his wings around the both of them. He pulled him close, and kissed him, long and hard on the lips.

The bats fell dead around them, but Steve hardly noticed. He was being kept safe for something larger than himself, and Eddie made sure of it.

[allthewriteplaces]

A Magnolia In May ~ Chapter Nineteen

Author's note: Plot? Where? Consistency? What's that?

Chapter summary: Party planning stuff I guess???

Chapter Warning(s): None

Word Count: 3155

Chapter Nineteen

Growing up, the families of the more privileged girls I went to school and church with threw unbelievably lavish affairs for their birthday parties. Now and then, I’d be walking home with some of my friends and we’d hear them and talk about the possibility of having a horse-drawn carriage, pony rides, circus performers, or having front-row seats to see a play.

Envy is a painful emotion that is difficult to stifle, and though my more practical side told me that there was nothing wrong with the parties my aunt and uncle had thrown us — We’d host a small gathering of close friends and sit at a picnic table or sitting indoors depending on the weather while we ate the birthday girl or boy’s favourite meal and then open presents — deep down, I wished I could have pony rides or dance with a prince at my birthday party.

To which Django would reply that he may not have the fancy clothes or the good looks that most of the other boys had, but he would be happy to dance with me nonetheless, and of course I couldn’t say ‘no.’

He was my best friend.

While it was true that he wasn’t what people would call ‘conventionally attractive’ he was classically handsome, sweet and charming and always knew how to make me smile, and to me, those qualities were much more valuable than being good-looking.

Still, it got to the point where despite the fact that those girls were downright horrid to the lot of us, I’d be darned if I didn’t get invited to at least one of those parties, so I did what any young woman who just wants to be accepted did in order to get into their good graces and that was to mimic, to act like them.

The trouble was, I stuck out like a sore thumb, so I was going to have to ditch my old clothes, tame my hair and borrow some of my aunt’s makeup and jewellery.

Aunt Eliza was a practical woman who preferred to mind her own business and not meddle in the affairs of others, but when I occasionally came home from school crying because I didn’t get an invitation to the birthday party and because when I asked if I might be invited, they laughed and made fun of my underwhelming appearance, I could tell she was this close to going over to those girls’ houses and shaping them up — whatever that meant, I prayed I’d never have to find out.

But like I said, she was practical and instead, she shook her head and as she put the dishes away in the cabinet, she muttered about how foolish it was to recklessly spend money on such impracticalities.

“Pony rides! Ha! You can ride them at the fair for a decent price, and I trust clowns more than I can throw them, which isn’t far.”

Contrariwise, Uncle Albert wanted nothing more than for me to be happy, even if it was impractical, and the next morning, he went into town just before I woke up and found a beautiful dress at a shop and bargained with the owner to give it to him for a reasonable price, and despite my aunt’s initial disapproval, saying it would turn me vain and selfish, she allowed me to wear it.

And I did.

I wore it everywhere and I felt like a princess while wearing it. All of my friends loved it, and surprisingly, so did the rich girls. One of them even said that they didn’t even recognise me when I came into the school and hearing them say that, finally being accepted into the group, I was elated!

Admittedly, acting like them was just as mentally draining as envying them and eventually, I came to realise that fitting in wasn’t all that it was made out to be.

Embarrassment hurts worse than envy when it comes to feeling the effects, when everyone is looking at you, pointing and laughing and whispering about you as if you’re not there, when the idea of crawling under a rock and hiding there for the rest of your life sounds more and more appealing. The embarrassing things I did and said, dear reader, are simply too foolish to be written down on paper.

Birthday parties for Thomas and his family were very similar to mine in a lot of ways, according to Ada, and their experiences with wanting to be invited to them were as well, except they suffered a lot more ridicule and name-calling and I’m certain by now you know the reason and what those names were.

They were the sort of things that only those with ill manners would say to another person to make them feel like they were nothing more than a piece of dirt under their boot.

She sensed that every mean thing they said cut him, much like they did her, and when she’d ask if he was alright, he’d reply that he was proud of who he was, who his family was, and he didn’t care what others thought, even though nothing could be further from the truth.

He did care what people thought.

He didn’t like it when someone disrespected his family, especially Polly Gray, who had been nothing but kind and loving to him. She was the closest thing to a mother he’d ever had following his birth mother’s untimely death and had he been as strong a person as he was now, he would have taught them a lesson and made sure they didn’t utter another ill word.

Long story short, we were both grown up now and secure of ourselves that we were past the point of being envious of other people and their materialistic and financial possessions, and though Thomas would do anything in his power to make his children happy, he wasn’t one to spend more money than he thought was appropriate for his children’s birthdays.

Gifts didn’t matter to them. They loved books and toys, yes, and they appreciated anything someone got for them, but the idea of spending time with their father and with the rest of their family meant a whole lot more.

Our first handful of guests arrived at two forty-five and three o’clock respectively; the party wouldn’t start until five o’clock, but as some of you may know, planning a party takes a lot of time and cannot be rushed. Ruby and Charlie wrapped their own gifts and helped Lizzie with some of the decorating earlier that morning while Thomas was still sleeping, so all that was left to do now was get started on the cooking.

Fortunately for us, Miss Carleton had invited him to tea to catch up, so we had plenty of time.

“It’s been a while since you’ve seen your cousins, eh?” asked Ada. She was the next guest to arrive after Lizzie. “You must be excited to see them again, and I’ll bet they’re excited to see you and meet my brother. Wait, they met him before, haven’t they? You mentioned the day he hired you that he’d exchanged a few words with him?”

“They did,” I said while we walked into the living room. “Alice practically fell in love with him the second she saw him. As I was packing my things before I left, she turns to me and goes, ‘he’s rather handsome, isn’t he? You should marry him,’ and I said, ‘Maybe I should.’”

This piqued her interest. “And would you? Marry my brother if he asks you to?”

“In a heartbeat,” I answered.

Miss Gray, who had accompanied Ada on the drive, nodded. “Good. We need more sensible women like us in the family, and Tommy needs someone who makes him happy. I’ve never seen anyone smile as much as he does when he’s around you.”

“See? When Aunt Polly sees it, then it must be true,” Ada whispered.

Polly overheard this, and with a gleam in her eyes, she said, “Anyone with a good pair of eyes can see that. You can’t keep your eyes off each other, and Heaven only knows that if little Ruby and Charlie weren’t around, you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of each other, either.”

“Oh, like the two of you behave any better,” Ada joked, gesturing to her and Aberama. “Jessie, if you are ever fortunate enough to ride in a car with those two lovebirds, be prepared to hear them whispering sweet nothings the whole way there.”

I watched them as he pulled her in and kissed her cheek.

It’s a lot better than sitting in silence, I thought, but didn’t say.

Ada shrugged. “Anyway, Ben’s bringing Karl and Lizzie over shortly. He took the kids out to get some ingredients for the cake, seeing as how you’ve run out of flour and sugar and chocolate powder, which as you might assume, we can’t make cake without.”

Just then, two pairs of footsteps could be heard running down the stairs and when they reached the bottom, they practically engulfed her in a warm hug.

“There you two are. I was wondering where you were.”

“We were playing a game,” said Ruby, “We played Prince and Princess.”

“Were you now?” she asked. “And I’m guessing Charlie was the prince?”

“Yes,” answered Charlie, “and Dad was the dragon, but he had to leave early because he needed to see Miss Carleton.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Did he? Did she say what she wanted to see him about?”

“She wanted to catch up with him, whatever that means.”

“Actually, I told her to keep him busy while we got things ready here,” I said, and they all turned their heads at once. “She phoned a few days before and asked when he’d be available to talk, said she wanted to smooth things over after their last interaction had gone sour, so I told her that he’d be able to meet with her today.”

“Who’s meeting with who?”

We turned our heads just in time to see Arthur glancing between us. He was helping Linda with her coat like the gentleman he was, Billy was shaking off his boots and Ada shut the door behind them.

“Your brother is discussing things with Miss Carleton,” I said.

“Eh? Which one is she again?” asked Linda.

“She’s the horse trainer,” Arthur responded.

“She wasn’t the one with the sapphire necklace, was she?”

“No, that was Tatiana.”

“Tatiana,” Polly muttered and gritted her teeth, as though the name itself was venom on her tongue. “I never trusted her or any of her family. Not a fan of that Carleton woman, either, but given the choice between the two, I’d choose the latter.”

Charlie pointed to the basket Polly held in one hand. “What’s in there?”

“Peppers. We need to wash them and dice them.”

“Can we help?” Ruby asked.

“Sure, but first let’s go into the kitchen and wash our hands.”

By the time four o’clock rolled around, almost all of the guests had arrived. The guest list was limited to close friends and family only, but as the rooms started filling with more people, it started to feel more busy and crowded.

“Good Lord! It’s pouring out there,” said Ben, unbuttoning his coat before helping Elizabeth with hers. I still found it amusing that whenever he said the name Lizzie, both the child and Lizzie (Ruby’s Mum) looked over at the same time.

“And here I thought the weather was supposed to let up,” Esme answered. “But no, I should have known better having lived in England.”

“If you think it’s rainy and cloudy there, try living in Small Heath,” said Ada.

“No thank you. Too much city for a country girl like me to handle.”

“I’ve much preferred the country myself,” I said.

One more knock on the door signalled the arrival of my family and when I opened it and I saw them all standing there, smiling despite the rain pouring down on all of them and soaking through their clothes, I couldn’t help throwing myself into their arms.

“You’re all here!” I said, leaning my head on my uncle’s shoulders.

“We promised we would, remember?” he said, bringing a hand up to stroke the top of my head and brush his fingers through my hair, the same way he would do it whenever I had a nightmare or if he was having one of his night terrors.

“You look so happy,” said Aunt Eliza, stroking my cheek with one of her hands.

“Happy to see all of you, yes,” I answered.

“Jessie, look! I’m almost taller than you now,” said William. He came to stand in front of me and his head almost came up to my shoulders.

“Well, I’ll be darned!” I exclaimed. “You have gotten taller.”

“They’ve been through a growth spurt,” said Uncle Albert.

“I can see that.” Just then, little Violet reached her arms out and uttered an exclamation of her own, which roughly translated to ‘I’m here, too, you know.’ “Oh, what? Did you think I forgot about you?”

Eliza handed the baby to me and I held her on my hip.

“Look at me, Jessie! I’m taller, too,” said Marie.

“Only a little bit,” said Henry, placing his hand just above her head. “You were this tall when we saw Jessie before, and now you’re this tall.”

“Come here, Marie,” I said, “let me see how tall you are.”

Marie proudly stepped past Eliza and stood beside me. She hadn’t grown too much since we last saw each other, but I didn’t want to crush her spirits. For all I knew, maybe she had grown and maybe I just didn’t notice it.

“Would you look at that! You’re almost taller than me!”

She grinned and then took Uncle Albert’s hand.

“Come on inside,” I said, “We don’t want to catch our death of cold.”

I stepped off to the side and held the door open so they could come in and take off their coats and boots.

“Is Mister Shelby here yet?” asked Alice.

“You may have to be more specific, there’s more than one Mister Shelby here.”

“You know who I mean. The handsome one who showed up at our house.”

“Oh, you mean Thomas?” I asked, and she nodded. “He’ll be here soon, he just has to take care of a few things.”

“Like what?” asked Henry.

“Grown up stuff,” I answered.

There wasn’t much room left on the hooks. I decided to make a nice neat pile near the umbrellas.

“Why don’t you go into the living room? Everyone’s been waiting to meet you.”

“Don’t tell me there’s a family gathering going on without me.”

Hearing Thomas’ voice, they all left my side, save for Aunt Eliza and Violet, and walked over to him.

“Still as handsome as ever,” she remarked in a tone which only I could hear. I could already tell that she and Miss Gray would get along exceptionally well, and like I’ve said before, the Shelby matriarch was not a woman who was so easily swayed, to get into her circle was considered a great accomplishment.

Same as when we first met, the children surrounded Thomas, as he went inside the house, all of them talking to him at once. He may have had a difficult time keeping up with who was saying what, and I may have heard him try to tell them to slow down once or twice, but he made a valiant effort to acknowledge them all.

“They’re just excited to see you,” said Eliza, taking off her coat.

He smiled and dismissed her comment with a polite wave of his hand.

“It’s alright, being in a large family, you get used to those sorts of things.”

After chatting for a few more minutes with my aunt and uncle and the children, and after they’d gone into the living room — I could hear all of Thomas’ family welcoming them — he returned to my side.

“How did your meeting with Miss Carleton go?” I asked, looping my arm through his as we went to join them.

“About as well as you’d expect,” he answered. He stroked the top of my hand with his own in a comforting gesture. “Business is thriving and she started seeing one of her new colleagues. What was his name? Joseph. Yeah, I think she said his name was Joseph.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said.

“Good for us,” he replied with a wink.

“Oh, so the only reason you’re happy is because she won’t be flirting with you?”

My tone was teasing and so were my words. Miss Carleton and I may not have been that well acquainted with one another, and she may not have appealed to me at first, however, there was never any bad blood between us, we never wished ill will upon each other.

“Why else?” he asked, his playful mood returning once again.

In the last few weeks that I’d come to know him, Thomas Shelby had two sides to him, one that was more guarded and serious, and one that was more playful and light-hearted. The latter, he only showed around people he cared about, which included the children and I, and only when he felt like he could let down his guard, lower his defences.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway and took my hands.

“But also because she deserves to be just as happy as we are.”

“Daddy!” Ruby cried, running over to him.

Immediately, he scooped her up in his arms. “There’s my sweet girl.”

“Hey, I thought I was your sweet girl.”

“Not anymore,” Ruby giggled and I pretended to pout, folding my arms across my chest and turning my head a little ways away from them. Of course they knew I wasn’t being serious, which made it all the more amusing.

Thomas kissed the top of her head, then mine.

“You’re both my sweet girls.”

“Dad, there are so many people here,” Charlie said.

“Lots of kids for you to play with, eh?” he answered.

He nodded. “Henry and William like playing soldiers just like I do.”

Charlie looked over his dad’s shoulder, gave me a look and I nodded.

“Wanna come and see their soldiers?” he asked.

“You and Ruby go on in, I’ll be right there,” Thomas answered, setting Ruby down on the ground and then watching them go in. He dusted his hands off on his shirt and turned to look my way. “Are you coming?”

“Actually, I should probably go and see if the girls need any help in the kitchen.”

“Alright. If you need me, give me a shout,” he said.

From here, as he walked into the living room, I could hear him remark about what a wonderful job we’d done setting up the decorations.

Yep, this year’s birthday would be one to remember. To Be Continued. Taglist: @zablife @sherbitdibdab @cillmequick @izabesworld

[sorenrobertson]

INTRODUCING…Soren Robertson.

STATS:

Nicknames: N/A. She likes her name.

Character Age:  28

Neighborhood: South Hills

Occupation: Recently graduated Lawyer

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Birthday: December 25th, 1995

Faceclaim: Zendaya Coleman

Hometown: Wilmington, NC

Years of Residence: She lived here until she was 23 and is just now moving back to town.

Pinterest Board /

Character Inspiration: Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl), Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill), Olivia Pope (Scandal), Monica Geller (Friends), Buffy Summers (BTVS).

tldr;

– SOREN ROBERTSON was born and raised in Wilmington, into a couple that should have divorced way before they did. When her mother left, it was just her and her father, later it was mostly just her. It was easier to ignore the emptiness than to deal with it. After dealing with some bad company, Soren turned her life around in high school and became everything she wanted to be, she also found love in her best friend, Jayden. But when Jayden disappeared the night before graduation, a heartbroken Soren fell into her school work and volunteering for a political campaign that she believed in. At 23, she packed up her life and moved to Tennesse to attend Vanderbilt Law School. After graduating Vanderbilt and with the excuse of being there for her mentor as he was now the mayor of Wilmington, Soren decided to return back home.

READ BELOW for fun facts, biography, possible connections.

random facts

Although very goal oriented, Soren loves to help people. You will see her volunteering all around town on her days off.

A cheerleader in high school, she loves working out and plays volleyball at the beach every weekend

Does not go anywhere without her Yeti water bottle

Is incredibly meticulous about her music playlists, they're all curated and have to be perfect

A tall girl tm

Will do anything for the aesthetic

A self-made woman that refuses to pay her student debt (lol)

She just started working as a crime lawyer, but her aspirations are very political and hopes to switch careers at some point

Can be very blunt, but will do her best to be subtle

Claims if she doesn't meal prep on Sunday and has some frozen yogurt before bedtime, her entire week will go to hell

biography

When Soren was born, her parents were already at the end of the road as a married couple, or so she’s always believed. It took ten years for them to divorce and when they did, Soren expected it. This was her father’s second marriage, so naturally, he took it harder than anyone else, but at least he stayed, which was more than what he’d done for his older kids, and more than what Soren’s mother did for her. 

When her mother left, Soren and her father found a way to deal with the empty home; having their own lives and just breezing through things without necessarily working through them. Soren found solace in her friends, her father found it in his job where he was supposed to travel for weeks sometimes.

Luckily for her, despite the empty house, Soren had people that she could lean on with her cousin Sloane, her half-siblings Lenny and Teddy and eventually her best friend, Jayden. The last one would eventually become the love of her life, but before then, he was family.

As a teen, Soren learned to do a lot by herself, but she also struggled to find a moral compass for a long time. She wasn’t really sure of who she was and had no trouble trying to find herself. The thing was that she did it with the wrong crowd; a group of rich girls that only wanted her around to throw parties at her empty house, to take blame for whatever wrong thing they did at the mall. 

When she reached high school though, Soren dropped them all together and decided to change herself completely. She went from failing most of her classes, summer school and detention for a cheerleader uniform, honor roll grades and UN model clubs. 

Weirdly enough, Soren thrived in environments where she could help other people; volunteering at the shelter, helping out at local churches, offering a place to stay for kids that needed it.

She also found out what real love is when she and her best friend realized they were irrevocably in love. For a while, Soren’s life was perfect and made sense. It didn’t matter that she’d struggled for so long, things finally made sense. 

Until the day that she woke up and Jayden wasn’t there anymore. No call, no text, no goodbye. He was gone and out of her life as if he was never there. Soren was destroyed. 

But she stayed in Wilmington, managed to get a scholarship for the university in town and worked half-time as a waitress. She refused to let heartbreak get the best of her, dated a few men but nothing serious, nothing noteworthy. If you asked her what kept her in Wilmington, it was being able to help out with Irza Ozer’s campaign, because it felt like he was the change that Wilmington needed. 

When she got offered a scholarship to attend Venderbilt’s law school, Soren knew that she needed a new start, that she had to let go of her past in a lot of ways so she moved to Tennessee at twenty-three and considered staying there. 

But when her mentor, Irza won the mayor elections in Wilmington in 2022, Soren knew she had to come back to town to celebrate his success and to see him thrive. Soren graduated from Vanderbilt a year later and since then has been coming back to town every few months to find a new place for herself and transferring to a law office in town at the same time.

Now that she is finally ready to move back into town, Soren is working at Tanner and Son’s Law and is moving into a newly-built house in South Hills, wanting to stay close to her roots and her father’s house and is ready to help out the town as much as she used to do before she moved.

possible connections

friends, childhood friends, past flings, enemies, rivals, drinking buddies, partners in crime, clients, anything you can think of that your character can fit into her life!

[high-voltage-rat]

Welp, with the encouragement of my dear sweet enablers, I've done it. I posted what I had sitting in my docs of the RvB university AU onto AO3.

The basic gist: Blood Gulch Hall is a student residence of the local university. It has a red hall of students, a blue hall of students, and a purple hall meant for the Residence Assistants. Sarge, of course, is one RA- convinced the two halls of students are separate and rivals- and so he's moved himself in amongst the students there. Flowers was the other RA until he suddenly died, leaving the blue hall with no real oversight.

After a prank gone wrong, the university decides a new RA needs to be assigned. Wash, a student who's distinguished himself to the school through the Project Freelancer student research placements, is given the job- much to his relief, as it's a sweet deal that saves him from his crushing student debt. Naturally, the local residents do not take kindly to his attempts at enforcing rules, and tomfoolery ensues.

Church is a history major finishing his final year of undergrad. As the member of Blood Gulch Hall that's been there the longest, he's especially tired of everyone's shit, but knows exactly how everyone seems to operate. He's also the son of the Director of the university, and has one of the biggest grudges against him and the school. In general, he's jaded and cynical, but likes fucking with the other residents and shooting the shit with Tucker.

Tucker is a political science major- after going on a student exchange program in high school with the intent of just getting away for a while so he could slack off and "pick up chicks who think foreigners are hot", he ended up accidentally adopting a role as an unofficial ambassador of his home country-and decided to try and pursue it as a career. He also minors in human sexuality- which he thought was going to teach him about how to be a sex god, but actually ended up making him re-evaluate himself and realize his constant talking about chicks was covering up his insecurity about his bisexuality.

Caboose is a mechanical engineering student in his third year. Though no one knows it, he's actually only been at the school for two years- he overloaded courses and passed them with surprisingly strong grades. He doesn't spell very well, which is mostly me leaning into the classic "engineers can't spell" joke, but he's extremely gifted in math and robotics, thinking in numbers and spacial reasoning- baffling his professors and classmates alike. Caboose is accustomed to a large family, which naturally comes with a lot of bickering. He views the group at Blood Gulch Hall like a surrogate family that way- and is happy to just smile and nod when they argue amongst themselves, more concerned with his latest robotics projects.

Kai is a business major- she's been running side hustles most of her life, it seemed natural for her to take it to the next level using the savings she'd made. She knows people don't typically view her as smart, that they look at her as a bimbo- and doesn't care. She sometimes even leans into the role if it means she can turn people underestimating her to her advantage. She throws awesome parties, knows all the cool people on campus, and has all the best self-care tips and tricks. She also delights in embarrassing her older brother at every opportunity.

Grif is a chemical engineering student- at the time, it seemed like a good idea. He had a dream, you see, to develop a banana flavouring that actually tasted like bananas, a grape flavouring that actually tasted like grapes. By the time he realized it would be a lot more complicated than that, it was too late- he was committed. He now spends his time suffering through and scraping by in all the core engineering classes, learning about motors and thermodynamics and waiting for the light in the tunnel. He passes his free time by developing a tier list of all the pizza joints across campus, and perfecting his own brownie recipe (with and without weed).

Simmons is an electrical and computer engineering student. He was always a nerd, but until he gained a bionic arm, he'd been leaning more towards the theoretical side of the sciences. After that, though, he was constantly studying in his own time, learning how to tinker with it and improve its performance- which naturally brought him to engineering. He's the kind of keener who does all the readings well in advance, visits every office hour even when he doesn't need help just in case there's interesting discussion, and stays after class to chat with professors. He pretends to be tired of Grif leaning on his to study for the things he doesn't find interesting, but he secretly enjoys being the smart one who can lecture his friend on a topic.

Donut is a vet sciences student- he grew up on a farm, surrounded by and caring for a myriad of animals, and kept the passion for it throughout his whole life. He plans on specializing in bovine and equine medicine, which means he doesn't get grossed out by much anymore. It throws people off when he cheerfully discusses sticking his arm inside a cow's ass- but he's so desensitized he doesn't even consider it, much to the dismay of Grif and Simmons. He and Kai are the residence's biggest supporters of self-care regimens, regularly getting together to discuss skin care while they give each other manipedis. He also enjoys wearing novelty themed earrings... when there isn't a concern of a patient biting them.

Sarge is the RA for the red team... and while very few people know it, that's actually the umbrella term over his true role as Faculty in Residence. He's a member of the engineering faculty, specializing in combustion modelling. After developing the Stagnation And Radiation Generalizing Equations method of computation and modelling (SARGE method for short), he was granted tenure and celebrated as a pioneer in his field. However, over time, he was left in the dust as the field was largely dropped in favour of more environmentally friendly things like electric vehicles. Very few people remember his contributions to the field now, and he's never really asked to teach classes, so he was appointed RA so the pay wasn't going to waste... and he's thrown himself quite cheerfully and passionately into his work.

Wash is a walking disaster- and by that, I mean he's in his third year, has no declared major, and is still trying to figure out what he wants to do with himself. Formerly part of the university's Project Freelancer, a research placement that recruits undergrads into a high-pressure work environment for very little pay, he's found himself burnt-out and exhausted. Being given a work-study position as the peer mentor RA of Blood Gulch Hall is a relief- it doesn't pay, but it's free housing and a waived tuition fee for the year that gives him time to figure his shit out. Unfortunately, his reliance on the job ends up becoming another source of stress... and it's a while before he learns the motions of living and working with his fellow residents.

...Obviously there's way more to it, more characters, more lore tidbits that I've yet to sprinkle in, et cetera. But this post is already long enough, so if there's interest, I'll probably post that another time.

[sethshead]

"February 22, 2024 (Thursday)

"The Alabama Supreme Court on February 16, 2024, decided that cells awaiting implantation for in vitro fertilization are children and that the accidental destruction of such an embryo falls under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. In an opinion concurring with the ruling, Chief Justice Tom Parker declared that the people of Alabama have adopted the 'theologically based view of the sanctity of life' and said that 'human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God.'

"Payton Armstrong of media watchdog Media Matters for America reported today that on the same day the Alabama decision came down, an interview Parker did on the program of a self-proclaimed 'prophet' and Q-Anon conspiracy theorist appeared. In it, Parker claimed that 'God created government' and called it 'heartbreaking' that 'we have let it go into the possession of others.'

"Parker referred to the 'Seven Mountain Mandate,' a theory that appeared in 1975, which claims that Christians must take over the 'seven mountains' of U.S. life: religion, family, education, media, entertainment, business…and government. He told his interviewer that 'we’ve abandoned those Seven Mountains and they’ve been occupied by the other side.' God 'is calling and equipping people to step back into these mountains right now,' he said.

"While Republicans are split on the decision about embryos after a number of hospitals have ended their popular IVF programs out of fear of prosecution, others, like Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley agreed that 'embryos, to me, are babies.'

"House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) identifies himself as a Christian, has argued that the United States is a Christian nation, and has called for 'biblically sanctioned government.' At a retreat of Republican leaders this weekend, as the country is grappling with both the need to support Ukraine and the need to fund the government, he tried to rally the attendees with what some called a 'sermon' arguing that the Republican Party needed to save the country from its lack of morality.

"As Charles Blow of the New York Times put it: 'If you don’t think this country is sliding toward theocracy, you’re not paying attention.'

"In the United States, theocracy and authoritarianism go hand in hand.

"The framers of the Constitution quite deliberately excluded religion from the U.S. Constitution. As a young man, James Madison, the key thinker behind the Constitution, had seen his home state of Virginia arrest itinerant preachers for undermining the established church in the state. He came to believe that men had a right to the free exercise of religion.

"In 1785, in a 'Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments,' he explained that what was at stake was not just religion, but also representative government itself. The establishment of one religion over others attacked a fundamental human right—an unalienable right—of conscience. If lawmakers could destroy the right of freedom of conscience, they could destroy all other unalienable rights. Those in charge of government could throw representative government out the window and make themselves tyrants.

"In order to make sure men had the right of conscience, the framers added the First Amendment to the Constitution. It read: 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….'

"Madison was right to link religion and representative government. In the early years of the nation, Americans zealously guarded the wall between the two. They strictly limited the power of the federal government to reflect religion, refusing even to permit the government to stop delivery of the U.S. mails on Sunday out of concern that Jews and Christians did not share the same Sabbath, and the government could not choose one over the other. The Constitution, a congressional report noted, gave Congress no authority 'to inquire and determine what part of time, or whether any has been set apart by the Almighty for religious exercises.'

"But the Civil War marked a change. As early as the 1830s, southern white enslavers relied on religious justification for their hierarchical system that rested on white supremacy. God, they argued, had made Black Americans for enslavement and women for marriage, and society must recognize those facts.

"A character in an 1836 novel written by a Virginia gentleman explained to a younger man that God had given everyone a place in society. Women and Black people were at the bottom, 'subordinate' to white men by design. 'All women live by marriage,' he said. 'It is their only duty.' Trying to make them equal was a cruelty. 'For my part,' the older man said, 'I am well pleased with the established order of the universe. I see…subordination everywhere. And when I find the subordinate content…and recognizing his place…as that to which he properly belongs, I am content to leave him there.'

"The Confederacy rejected the idea of popular government, maintaining instead that a few Americans should make the rules for the majority. As historian Gaines Foster explained in his 2002 book Moral Reconstruction, which explores the nineteenth-century relationship between government and morality, it was the Confederacy, not the U.S. government, that sought to align the state with God. A nation was more than the 'aggregation of individuals,' one Presbyterian minister preached, it was 'a sort of person before God,' and the government must purge that nation of sins.

"Confederates not only invoked 'the favor and guidance of Almighty God' in their Constitution, they established as their motto 'Deo vindice,' or 'God will vindicate.'

"The United States, in contrast, was recentering democracy during the war, and it rejected the alignment of the federal government with a religious vision. When reformers in the United States tried to change the preamble of the U.S. Constitution to read, 'We, the people of the United States, humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the sources of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Ruler among nations, and His revealed will as of supreme authority, in order to constitute a Christian government, and in order to form a more perfect union,' the House Committee on the Judiciary concluded that 'the Constitution of the United States does not recognize a Supreme Being.'

"That defense of democracy—the will of the majority—continued to hold religious extremists at bay.

"Reformers continued to try to add a Christian amendment to the Constitution, Foster explains, and in March 1896 once again got so far as the House Committee on the Judiciary. One reformer stressed that turning the Constitution into a Christian document would provide a source of authority for the government that, he implied, it lacked when it simply relied on a voting majority. A religious amendment 'asks the Bible to decide moral issues in political life; not all moral questions, but simply those that have become political questions.'

"Opponents recognized this attempt as a revolutionary attack that would dissolve the separation of church and state, and hand power to a religious minority. One reformer said that Congress had no right to enact laws that were not in 'harmony with the justice of God' and that the voice of the people should prevail only when it was 'right.' Congressmen then asked who would decide what was right, and what would happen if the majority was wrong. Would the Supreme Court turn into an interpreter of the Bible?

"The committee set the proposal aside.

"Now, once again, we are watching a minority trying to impose its will on the majority, with leaders like House speaker Johnson noting that 'I try to do every day what my constituents want. But sometimes what your constituents want does not line up with the principles God gave us for government. And you have to have conviction enough to stand [up] to your own people….'”

-- Heather Cox Richardson

[toa-arania]

I'm currently rotating Val in my brain's michael wave thanks to the @homemadegirlbossbattle so y'all are getting the story of Val's eleven step plan to kick the Queen Bee's reputation out from under her in One Week.

To begin with, some context. Val had recently come to a new school after some ~shenaniganery~ (she killed a guy with a poisoned drink) at her old school and almost as soon as she arrives it's announced that there's going to be a party that Friday. All good things, right? Wrong! Neurotoxin! (I promise that's relevant.) Over the week leading up to the party, Val heard from various sources that the school's Queen Bee, Heather, was trying to get rid of something. Val was pretty convinced it was something super suspicious, since there was some supernatural bullshit going on, so she did the obvious thing and started spreading the rumour that Heather was getting rid of a picture of her in a bunny suit (as one does). You can imagine her dismay when it turned out that what Heather was trying to get rid of was Val. In a delightful twist of dramatic irony, every single other player character found this out before Val did, and only Val's paranoia about getting spiked saved her from accepting a poisoned drink. This is of course when the guy who tried to spike her collapsed to the ground and Val had to save his life by making him throw up (as one does). She found out pretty quickly that Heather had orchestrated all of this, activating Val's Lust For Revenge. After having one weekend to recover, it was time to enact a plot.

When enacting revenge you need to know two things. 1: What your target's weaknesses are. 2: What weaknesses of yours they can exploit. Step one was to begin taking care of these in one fell swoop, by beginning to spread the rumour that her devoted clique is involved in cult things at her behest, and Church-Going Heather Chase has a genuine belief in pagan supernatural magics. Damage her credibility, make people scared of her clique, and shield Val from attacks. Heather can't expose Val as a witch if people believe Heather's going insane, after all. The next steps, therefore, are to make it seem more like she's going insane.

Step two is setup: Steal some of Heather's shit. Breaking into her locker didn't help, nor did going through her bag during PE. Going into her classroom to go through her unattended bag while faking illness (as one does) would have worked, but possession things got in the way. Fortunately, step three (break into her house and steal shit) was made very easy by the recent acquisition of another kleptomaniac friend. Val was now armed with four (4) things she could use to target Heather with spells, and oh boy would she use them.

Steps four and five: Begin cursing. At this point Val had taught herself a lovely new hex, with which she can make people hallucinate. The order would go like this: after school, while Heather is in a student council meeting, make her start seeing occult signs and supernatural activity so she would think someone had infiltrated the council, and then the following day make her hear people whispering about her so she would think one of them had betrayed her. Heather's power comes from her clique, and if she can't trust her lieutenants then who can she trust? More importantly, maybe Val could convince her lieutenants to not trust her, enabling steps six and seven.

This was the plan.

What Val did not plan for was her first hallucination spell not just affecting Heather, but the entire clique. The entire clique that Darcy, another player character and more importantly an ex-infernalist, is technically part of. Suddenly seeing demonic visions was understandably terrifying for her, and the player (@bubbleteaacadamia my beloved) decided to go completely over the top with the visions and Darcy's horribly traumatised responses to them. Needless to say, Val found the entire incident absolutely hilarious, especially considering how much more effective it made the spell. She is yet to apologise for this, but she has offered to allow Darcy to punch her for it (as one does).

At this point steps six and seven got a little bit waylaid by the Psychic Doublebird Reacharound, so we're skipping straight ahead to step eight: The Migraine Spell. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Migraine Spell is what Val calls a fun little hex that causes a painful ringing in the ears of its target whenever they try to lie. It can range from irritating for small lies to passing out or permanent brain damage for reeeally big ones. Using the setup from steps one to five, Val planned to use the Migraine Spell as the last thing supplementing step nine: publicly confront Heather at lunch, in front of the entire school, about her weird behaviour, her supernatural beliefs, and her attempt to have Val killed. Without the ability to lie about any of it, Heather could be baited into admitting that the rumours are true. She does believe in the supernatural. She has been seeing demonic visions. She even thinks people in this school are supernatural creatures and that deranged belief is why she tried to have Val killed.

You can imagine Val's dismay when the spell failed. Step ten (try to bait Heather into lashing out so she could be branded a psychopath) was out, but step nine and hopefully step eleven (watch the fireworks as Heather's pedestal crumbles beneath her) were still salvageable. With a public confrontation and some really fun rp between me and the gm, Val may not have been able to entirely collapse Heather's reputation but she was able to do more damage in a single week than anyone else has managed at all, and it has all been motivated by pure revenge. All she has to do now is make another plan that builds on the aftermath of this one and that can weave between dealing with an elder god, trying not to incur the wrath of a half-angel, and a promise she was forced to make to a fae that she would focus on other things for a bit. As one does.