#when you see some of the same suiters coming year after year to what started off as a pretty small con (albeit a rapidly growing one)

[nattikay]

me at 4:52! Thank you OP for including me in your video :D

[engineering-my-mastermind]

Lemme Be Anne Frank With You (poem)

Lemme be Anne Frank with you

I said lemme be Anne Frank with you.

No really lemme be Anne Frank with you.

But for real though in such a weird future

Where people have faught for the betterment of a people?

Lemme be Anne Frank with you.

Put down by a nearby people too? Lemme be Anne Frank with you.

Been about enough, that you feel you've had to go through? Yeah,

Lemme be Anne Frank with you.

Let Me, be Anne Frank, with you.

To remember a people you think about just one.

To put someone down you don't need a gun.

Two memories of a douchebag are stronger than one.

Whatever you go through just try 'n' have fun.    

I don't need to smile when I have to bloody see you,

Got shit on my mind that proper don't feel true,

Got no reason to bother if I know you won't come through,

But got time for the fam, yeh, I know you do too.

In a world where we are all co-creators,

I suggest to that you would toss your governers,

Try to achieve something better, without falling short.

Then maybe when you sort yourself, aim for togetherness.

Make something out of nothin', accept nothin' less.

And when you get this, it'll be nothing but a lifetime of bliss.

Lemme try to explain with my words, though you call them lyrics.

I don't know, I too think I'm pretty shit.

But the prettiest of shit can fertilise a garden,

And the flowers that grow from it you'll end up guardin',

'Cause the plants and the trees give you paper for writin'...

And so I decided to write...

I can picture myself making the old look like fools,

And making the new order look so damned tall,

All in disguise, with respect, to the people looking down,

Who only see it as embezzlement of their so-called crown.

'Cause in a perfect world not one but all'd be kings.

Or sat in the dark together wanting for the same damn things.

Now I'm seein' a select few who put down in writings,

That they achieved it all and had time for rich boy tings.

What the fuck are they wearing; these suiters and booters,

Who seem so tired when everything appears in their favor?

Dreamin' of smiles of people who get what they're after,

But we can be as one, with noone the faster.

And no beautiful fucker lacking...

Leave no man behind. Yeah?

No chewing the rind.

Make the most of your time.

Leave no man behind.

No woman left behind.

Stop dancing with people who don't help your mind.

Take the reins and deliver 'em to somewhere more kind.

Watch 'em unfurl in ways sublime.

No woman left behind.

I guess I'm just some fucker who's talkin' 'bout me

But no other fucker got time to talk about me.

I see empty faces comin' towards me down every street,

Everybody I see and meet, other than those I can't reach.

When you pool a people as one it's hard to single any out

Unless something bad happens, then everyone starts to shout.

You swim upstream feelin' like some lonely salmon or trout

Knowing you rarely pull through unless someone high's fuckin' about.

Like walkin' down a Hall where you can't see the end,

Some motherfuckers out there just in need of a friend.

You can push, you won't break, but there's no need to bend,

Step through to change your vibe and you'll get what you send.

What you need to hear the most, it aint always true

And it's that there's one fucker out there who will not give up on you.

And the weirdest thing about this thinkin' I'm a hot lyricist,

Is that the fucker pullin' you out aint me it's you.

Decide it's you that leaves no beautiful fucker lacking...

Leave not this man behind.

No chewing on the rind.

Make the most of your time.

Leave no man behind.

No woman left behind.

Leave not unclear the ways of delving your mind.

There's plenty of others out there waiting for you to find.

Join the few who unfurling into sublime.

No woman left behind.

So this is one more thing I write while shittin'...

Myself while in front of the computer somehow anti-wishin'...

My shelf is empty of all but people in one place sittin'...

Delve'n into something so stale it could be a dead kitten...

Twelve years I've known what it feels to be smitten.

So why ask to be dragged, to drunk and shagged,

Lifted up to the heights, from "maybe I'll blag".

I got this from a scream, juggling shared thoughts.

Layering what's on my screen with summer's days in shorts.

So if you're that fucker who finds themselves slacking

Maybe it's time you induldge in some blackening.

Learn to thrive in the hive, without some kind of crap ting

That you can't vibe with, telling you that you're anything but THE king.

You've got on your back some warm fucking clothing

Got a meal in your belly so why are you loathing

There's another just like you fuckin' smilin' and joking

So stand up on your feet and together keep smilin'..

Decide for yourself: I will not leave my beautiful self lacking...

Leave not one man behind.

No chewing on the rind.

Make the most of your time.

Leave no man behind.

Leave no woman behind.

Be sure that you are the master of your mother flippin' mind.

Recognise no cuss and rememeber to smile feels kind.

Watch yourself unfurl into the sublime.

No woman left behind.

So in a world where we lose some, smile for those we don't.

In a world where some shoot guns, remember it's far from the front.

In a world where we forget fun, don't stop when you hear the toms.

In this world with our shining sun, remember to dance to where you're going from where you're from...

No matter where you're from, lift up those around you.

With a grin on that chin you've a smile that'll shine through.

Got nothin' wrong with anything and when people ask you're gonna prove...

That a smile in the heart is the one that you hear in every groove.

So when the 'tar strums loud and you hear him growl,

Remember that's the vibe he had while he was singin' proud.

Got an epic self persona infront of every crowd.

Or to you in your room, soon laughin' without sound.

So push up that smile hook it up like a bra,

If it helps to sink it then do so with a laugh.

Bring the waves on in a panic that you're going so far.

And keep it forever wherever you are.

You've chosen for yourself not to find yourself lacking...

Nah, fuck it... 

You've chosen for yourself to find yourself fucking spectacular,

And I want you to stay that way.

You've left not your man behind.

Now you're not chewing on the rind.

Doing whatever making the most of your time.

Leaving no man behind.

Leave no woman behind.

She's got your vibe and together you'll shine.

Do worthwhile for one another 'cause you've both got time.

Find togetherness now that you're in the sublime.

Leave no woman behind.

So now you've found yourself, filled the space with smiles on every shelf.

You'll stop , nah, stop what? You got this brah, you need noone else.

You carry with you everywhere you go the vibe of some christmas elf.

Delivering gifts to anywhere you've missed like some happy ass dog or some shit,

I dunno...

But you can't do nothin' but yelp. Joyfully.

So dip your petals in the sea, dance with a stranger, maybe wish it was me.

But I am inside of you, my words flowing without, 

My being entwined with words guiding where, no longer a need to shout, you know you want to be.

And suddenly you are outside of you, your thoughts almost bearing a pout.

You've got the moment you wanted and you're pushing on through to more.

Questions seem undaunted and youre becoming gosh darned sure.

Your ability to mindscape is unguided and you're off heading away from the shore.

Heading your ship away from what you knew before.

Bringing you ahead are beings of an angelic nature.

Lifting your ego like spirit was writing it on paper.

Your being becomes something more than anything possible to disgrace her.

And of course, it's here to stay, 'cause you're no longer a race runner.

You've shon through and will blast your way to beyond the spectacular.

And you're gonna stay that way.

Your being will never be a man behind.

You'll never have to chew on the rind.

Doing whatever you see as best with your time.

Leaving nothing but the old man behind.

Leave no woman behind.

She's reflecting your goodness and her bites are toothless.

Your connections'll spread through the pages and soon become seemless.

Rejoice in your entry and foothold in the sublime.

Leave no woman behind.

And remember when I wrote this I had some fucking demons,

Vampires, feastin', tryna get my feelings,

Nothing held me back and I kept on believing,

Moving forward, bereathing, concentrating on my own sins,

Looking up, never down, always ignoring the frown,

Putting myself on a pedestal without noone around.

And I mean that, I was lonesome, but at least I still felt wholesome.

Nothing pushing me back from where I had to g - and furthersome.

Forever tryna make something out of myself

Without a need of a grotto or santa's fuckin' help.

I pushed down every second and kept those bastards back,

Knowing I can stand for more than whispers through the cracks.

So if you're talking about war be it emotional or else,

Psychological shit always dusty on your shelf,

Remember that we've won two wars, we did it all ourselves,

And without no bitter feelings or next-generational cells,

We are still the same one people, always striving, reading Braile,

From an emotional wavelength inside the shadows of those frail,

To be a bigger person, that's why great grand daddy fell,

And what he had to do, well mentally I'm doin' it as well.

And speaking of warfare...

I'll remember that first one with football in the snow,

Looking back at eachother like "You're my fuckin' bros".

Brother from another mother that's how the saying goes.

And I'll let you finish this verse, you do not need to flow.

No man left behind.

[cantteachanoldguardnewquotes]

A "Scandal."

Read on AO3

Summary: A lady accuses Nicky of cheating on Joe and Joe thinks they're an idiot.

"Oh, hello." 

Joe grit his teeth just for a moment before turning around with a pleasant smile. "Hi there, Nora." 

"I didn't think you would still be here. Waiting for me?" She winked at him. 

"The boss just wanted me to finish filling out these papers for him, that's all."

"Hmmm, pity." She said trying to be coy.  "It's so late, let me get some dinner for us and we can finish our paper work together." 

It took a lot for Joe not to make a face. "That's alright. Nicky will have food warming for me when I get home." He emphasized the words Nicky and home just a bit. 

"Oh come on, it's my treat." 

He shrugged an apology. "Maybe another time." 

"Well, I hope your leftovers are... Satisfying." She turned on her heel and walked away quickly. 

Joe waited until she was gone and then turned around with an exaggerated eye roll that no one could see. This job had been going on for way to long, and he was sick of it. He went back to his "paperwork" that the boss had definitely not told him to do and continued scanning the files for anything incriminating. They had it on good authority that the head of this company had kidnapped a girl but they still couldn't prove it. He had broken into the bosses office cause he didn't think anyone was still here and brought the papers back to his cubicle. Of course Nora would still be here, she probably sensed his presence and came running. This job wouldn't be nearly as irksome if it wasn't for her. 

He finished looking through the files and then very carefully replaced them in his bosses office. They hadn't been any help but it was worth a shot. 

He texted Nicky he was on his way home, drove to the the little apartment they were renting, and trudged inside. 

Just like he knew he would, Nicky, had dinner warm and waiting, the predictability of it made Joe smile and instead of sitting at the table like Nicky directed him too, he made a bee line for Nicky. 

Nicky laughed at the bear hug Joe gave him, squeezing Joe just as tight as Joe was holding him.

"What's got you in such a clingy mood, hmm?" Nicky teased when Joe didn't let go of him when he usually would have. 

"You're cooking is so much better than takeout." 

Nicky pulled back enough to look at Joe in confusion. "Thank you?" 

"And I knew you would have something waiting for me." 

"Of course, I told you this morning I would make dinner and keep it warm for you." Nicky said still confused. 

"Thank you, my love. I really couldn't ask for more." He kissed Nicky, gently, moving his hands to cradle his neck. "I love you." He said when he pulled back.

"I love you too." Nicky said as he ran his hand through Joe's curls. "But you must be starving. Sit and we can eat." 

Joe glanced at the clock. "You haven't eaten? You didn't have to wait for me, it's late." 

Nicky smiled. "I wanted to." 

Nicky had made a chicken and rice dish and it smelled heavenly. It tasted just as heavenly Joe thought after taking his first bite. 

"What's on your mind?" Nicky asked after they had eaten in silence for a while. 

"That woman, Nora, asked me to eat with her after work again. I swear she has a sixth sense for when I'm by myself, she finds me every time. I don't think I've ever had to turn someone down this many times." 

Nicky smirked. "You're to charming for your own good." 

Joe absently rubbed his ring with his thumb. "I told her you would have food at home for me and she implied it would be terrible leftovers." 

Nicky chuckled "So, the first thing you did when you walked in was compliment it even before you ate any of it." 

"Your cooking is always good." Joe took a large bite, almost like he was trying to prove his words, making Nicky laugh.

"She's bothering you that much?" Nicky said his smile replaced with a look of concern. 

"She's just annoying. The first job in forever where I get to tell people I'm a married man and somehow I'm stuck with the most persistent suiter in years." 

None of this would bother Joe nearly as much if she hadn't met Nicky and still made advances. Joe couldn't decide if he was more insulted that she deemed Nicky an unfit partner or if she thought they weren't going to last. 

"I'm sure we'll be finished soon." Nicky said sympathetically, he'd had his own run ins with this woman since he and Joe were working in the same place. She had taken an instant disliking to him even before she knew they were together. It was certainly making everything harder but she was one of the higher ups and they both needed to be nice to her. 

Joe sighed. "You're right, of course, but it's frustrating." 

"Maybe this will help cheer you up." Nicky stood up and opened the freezer, pulling out Joe's favorite flavor of gelato. 

Joe's eyes lit up and he grinned ear to ear.

Nicky was predictable but he knew how to make a small surprise count. 

******

Joe was taking his lunch break outside on the grass, tucked behind some bushes so it would be difficult to spot him from the parking lot or main entrance. If he had to suffer another lunch break where Nora ate with him, saying anything to drag conversation out of him, he was going to lose it. He was very happily reading on his phone, when he heard someone approaching. 

"It's such a beautiful day I thought I'd eat outside too. I guess great minds think alike." Nora smiled down at him. She didn't even ask just sat down and made herself comfortable. 

"Hello, Nora." Joe said, trying to decide if he should just keep reading and ignore her or not. Ultimately politeness won and he put away his phone, but he started eating a little faster. 

"Why were you eating all alone? If you had asked I would have joined you sooner."

"I like the quiet sometimes." Joe said.

She pursed her lips. "How dreadfully boring." She tilted her head to the side just a bit. "Why doesn't that Nicky fellow ever eat with you? You said the two of you know each other didn't you? Why don't I ever see you together?"

Joe bristled at her tone, like she was dismissing Nicky, like he wasn't the most important person in Joe's world. "My husband." He emphasized the word just a bit. "Works in the warehouse part of the company and takes his lunches earlier because he gets here earlier."

"Oh you did say you two were married didn't you? Silly me, must have slipped my mind." She shook her head in an 'I'm such an airhead' kind of way. "How long have you been together?"

"Almost a millennia." Joe deadpans sarcastically.

She rolls her eyes. "Oh come on. I bet you can't even remember how long you two have been together. Guys never can."

If only she knew. "We've been married twelve years."

"You've been tied down for that long? What a tragedy to get married so young." 

Before Joe can respond she leans in far closer than Joe is comfortable with and places her hand on his knee. "If you ever want to have a little fun just let me know." She slowly walked her hand up his thigh. "Surely, you must want to change things up sometimes." 

Joe ground his teeth together, knocked her hand off of him, and stood quickly. "I would never be unfaithful to my husband." He started gathering up his things. "And I would ask you to not forget that." He quickly walked back into the building trying to hide his anger from the people he passed, wishing for the millionth time he could end this job and put the whole thing behind him.

******

A few days passed and it was Nicky who found the evidence they needed to incriminate the boss. He had broken into the guys house and was able to send Copley some files he'd had saved on his home computer. 

They were waiting for Copley to get back with them, keeping their covers and going about their lives like everything was normal, waiting for the all clear to pull out. 

"Joe, I need you to come with me to my office." Nora said, he hadn't heard her approach and her voice startled him a little. 

As he followed her there, he worried she might have discovered what he and Nicky were really there for, but knew it was more likely she's just using whatever she wants to tell him as an excuse to get them alone. 

Once inside Nora closed the door to her office and gestured for him to sit. Instead of sitting in her chair behind the desk she took the one next to him. 

Joe frowned ever so slightly. This wasn't going to be about work he found himself thinking. 

"Joe I... I hate to be the one to tell you this but... "She stammered out the words like she was about to tell him someone had died. "But I believe Nicky is having an affair."

Her eyes were filled with pity, as she said this, but Joe couldn't help but compare it to a child trying to get another kid in trouble. There was nothing sincere about the look, despite her best efforts to make him believe otherwise.

Joe didn't bother hiding the fact he didn't believe the nonsense she was saying. He crossed his arms and looked at her in an 'oh really' kind of way.

She raised her chin a little, indignant at his response. "I have proof." 

Joe had to swallow a laugh, but he couldn't quite keep all the amusement off his face. Whatever "proof" she had was gonna be good.

She pulled out her phone and brought up a picture for him to look at. 

He took the phone to get a better look.

When he saw who was in the picture, Joe really couldn't hold back and he barked out a laugh. It was a picture of Nicky, and he was giving Nile a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "That's your proof?" 

Andy and Nile had been working on locating the girl and they all had decided to keep their distance from each other for a while. They had located the girl and had gotten her out safely just a day before this was taken. Nicky had mentioned running into Nile yesterday and he couldn't resist a quick hello since they had pretty much everything they needed.

"I wouldn't know what else to call it." She told him, miffed at his response. 

Joe laughed again. "Nora, that's his sister. His adopted younger sister. He told me he ran into her yesterday and they talked for a while." 

Nora's face went red. "Well, then, I'm glad you have nothing to worry about." 

"No, I don't, not with Nicky, but what I am concerned about is, were you following my husband? Or did you hire someone to do it for you?" He quickly deleted the picture and swiped left and right to make sure there weren't more.

"I... of course not! I was just passing through when I saw the two of them and thought you'd want to know. Guess it's the last time I do you any favors." She looked angry and Joe knew she was mad he had turned the question of who was in the wrong on her so fast.

"Yeah ok. I think we're done here." He stood up to go, and he felt his phone buzz. He had a feeling he knew who it was and paused to check.

It was Nicky. All clear we're leaving now. Copley has everything he needed. The text said.

Joe paused his hand resting on the door knob. "You can consider this mine and Nicky's resignation. We won't be back tomorrow or any other day."

"You can't do that you didn't give the company a two weeks notice!" Nora spluttered in disbelief. "You wouldn't quit just because I tried to help you out would you?"

"I would and I am." He opened the door and started walking.

"Thanks for the terrible experience. It's been a displeasure." He said over his shoulder.

Joe walked out of there as fast as he could and didn't bother collecting his things, it wasn't anything important.

He texted back ok, where are we meeting? Once outside.

Nicky called him immediately.

"How far are you from fifth and elm?" Nicky asked.

"About a fifteen minute walk. I'm just leaving the office."

"Ok, Andy has a car. We'll pick you up at the corner of third and elm."

"Great see you soon."

He climbed into the backseat where Nicky was sitting and squeezed in close to him.

Nile was in the front and Andy was driving.

Joe busted out laughing once they were driving and settled. "Nile I'd appreciate it if you would stop flirting with my husband in public." He said, his voice light and teasing.

Nile looked back at him and couldn't help but return his smile even though she had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"

"This lady accused Nicky of having an affair and she showed me a picture of the two of you together, hugging and kissing." He laughed again at how ridiculous the whole thing was.

"Wait what? Nora was following me?" Nicky asked, surprised, he knew immediately that Joe couldn't be talking about anyone else.

"I think it was mostly coincidence. It doesn't matter she won't be bothering us again."

"Wow, Nicky, the two of us will have to be more careful in the future if we want to make this relationship work." Nile teased.

"Yeah, I didn't realize Joe has eyes and ears everywhere on me." Nicky gently tugged on one of Joe's curls.

"Oh, you know I'm always watching you babe." Joe leaned in and kissed him, his heart soared as Nicky tangled his hand in Joe's hair holding him close.

Andy gasped in fake shock. "Right in front of you Nile? How could he!" She said highly amused by the whole situation.

"You wound me Nicky." Nile put the back of her hand on her forehead and fell back in her seat, pretending to faint.

Nicky tisked his tongue at her. "So dramatic."

They all laughed and Nicky and Nile's "affair" became a new running joke between them.

[dacreshoney]

Medici Imagine - Y/N Maddalene de Pazzi

@magicalsaladnacho Lorenzo De medici request - where reader is a Pazzi but Lorenzo falls for her and they convince her to marry him instead of their proposed Giorlamo Riario. unknowingly she is marrying him for love and not for their greed.

Summary: you are Y/N Maddalena d Pazzi, sister of Francesco and Guglielmo, you have been friends with Bianca de medici since you were children, you were very fond of her and Guglielmo, often helping them sneak out to meet each other and hiding their secret for Jacopo. Your family are holding their famous ball in honour of their bank, in which they notice a certain someone has the eyes for you. The Pazzi family try to make it work inter favour, unknowingly to them that you feel the same as Lorenzo, what will this do to the future of The Pazzi family and Florence? 

Lorenzo x reader 

Fanfic: Medici 

Tonight was the infamous grand soiree that The Pazzi family held every few months after a great accomplishment in the bank, the family were achieving higher than they ever thought with Francesco back in the business. And you well, with your beauty and knowledge, you brought the family a lot of wealthy suiters and buyers, little you didn't liked being your families pawn in their games for money and power you knew this was your part in which you had to play. Bianca had come round to help you with your gown for the ball, you'd often meet each other in your homes, you had been friends since being little children, you were a little older then Bianca, by 2 years, at 19 years of age you were one of the most beautiful maidens in Florence. Everyone wanted you, but you didn't have eyes for any of them. There was only one person who'd ever made you feel like you weren't some stupid little girl in a world of power hungry men, who made you feel as if you only mattered. Lorenzo de medici was definitely a catch, but he had many women at his beck and call, the continuous flirting was just a friendly thing you had for years, you knew nothing would come of it. He was your best friends brother after all and older than you at the age of 23. 

“Y/N, hello, are you even listening to me, what are you thinking of?” Bianca said as she pulled at your corset,  tightening it, every inch of it hugging your curves, you may have only been 19 but you had the body of a goddess. You snapped out of your daydream, looking at yourself in the mirror, your raven dark hair and piercing eyes to match. “oh, nothing Bianca, just much to do before tonight that's all, my uncle has set me some tasks to do, in which I need to ask your brother Lorenzo a favour” 

Bianca giggled, as she turned you to face her, finishing off the last touches to your beautiful gown, “Lorenzo huh, you sure Jacopo asked you to speak to him or are you seeking him out for your own pleasures” Bianca grinned, you gently pushed at her shoulders, her mocking was a daily thing of hers, the idea of you and Lorenzo together made her happy, for whatever reason that was I do not know. “you Bianca are a sore tease, where would you ever get such a thought” you winked, turning to face the mirror on your mantlepiece, you had often looked at yourself in this same mirror, if only your mother could see you, would she be proud of you, the woman you are becoming. Your brothers Francesco and Guglielmo often spoke of how much you resembled her, your mother was just as beautiful and admired by many men. You stood there for a moment taking it all in, before Bianca hurried you to come downstairs, the guests were arriving. 

You made your way through to the courtyard of the Plaza, the air filled with the smell of strong cologne from all the old men gathering together, you made your way down the spiralling stairs, cradling the banister with your hands, your brothers smiling up at you and making their way towards you. Francesco reaching out to grab your hand, placing a gentle Kiss on your hand and spoke, “you look beautiful dear sister, we see we already have every man with their eyes on you, lucky for us..” Guglielmo interrupted as he took you in his arms, “she isn't a chess piece Francesco, she's our sister, treat her like it”. You smiled at him, Guglielmo never teated you like some part of the Pazzi game, you were his sister and you were very special to him, even with him being a year younger than you he tried his best to take care of you. “at least one of you treats me like a human, thank you Guglielmo” you all walked towards Jacopo, who just stared at you nodding, you knew he wanted the information on the leases of the medici bank in his hands, however this was not you plan, but Jacopo was a difficult man in which you had to try your best to please. “now dear sister, you know what you part in this is right” Francesco urged, Guglielmo dropping his head and looks at you with care. You pulled your arms away from them promptly, looking Francesco right in the eyes with anger, “yes Francesco, I know what I need to do, now please, just go”. 

The night went on, Lorenzo was no where to be seen, his brother however Guiliano and his mother Lucrezia stood by the fountains with Bianca, enjoying their wine as they raised a glass over to you. As you turn, you spot Lorenzo coming in through the double gated doors, his hair windswept, but still looking as good as ever. He always had a sparkle in his eye, as you turned, your hair curved your face just perfectly, your smile curved and locking your eyes straight with his, never losing focus. 

You tried to make your way over to him before a couple of men stand in your way, pushing themselves on you, you could smell the ale on their breaths, you did well not to gag at the smell, you pushed one man as far as you could before aiming for the knife in your sleeve, before you could, Lorenzo urged his way over to you, shoving all three men away and standing his ground right in front of you. “I suggest you men leave, Y/N maddalene de Pazzi already has a date for tonight” Lorenzo spoke, all three men hurried away from you, Lorenzo turned to you and placed his hand on your face, his palms cold from breeze outside. 

“date huh? I though Lorenzo de medici didn't date” you laughed, pulling yourself away from him, as to say goodbye but urging him to follow you to the balcony. You knew all of Lorenzo’s weak spots, your eyes were your biggest weakness for men, you were always told that your eyes were they key to mens hearts so use them wisely. 

Lorenzo POV: 

My god this woman, first I come to her aid and then she uses them eyes on me, she knows my every weakness but is this just a game to her, she is a Pazzi after all. But I couldn't help but feel the way I do for her, come on Lorenzo snap out of it, she is a Pazzi, you can't go there. No matter how hard I tried to tell myself this I couldn't bring myself to let these feelings go, but I am Lorenzo de medici and she is the purest soul I've ever met. Y/N oh how you've made me want to be a different man, all I do is for you, but I can't tell you now how I feel, that's even if she feels the same way. Surely not, she's got so much ahead of her, she is young, what would she want to do with a man like me. I watched her as she left, her raven locks falling at her shoulders, I could smell her scent as she pushed herself away, the lingering smell of roses entered my lungs. Lord Jesus Christ I had to have her. I need to tell her how I feel before it’s too late.

Y/N Maddalena POV: 

With that you knew you could feel Lorenzo’s eyes Burning in the back of your head, watching your every move. You made your way to the balcony, it was the most beautiful sight over Florence from there, you often would go there to think and be alone, you heard the footsteps from behind you. Lorenzo placed himself beside you, so close but neither of you touching, but the urge was there. You knew what your place was, you knew what you had to do but you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. Jacopo had told you to lead Lorenzo on to gain information in regards to the medici bank so they could use it against him to tarnish the medici family. The confidence in Jacopo that a man like Lorenzo would ever fall fo just a little girl like you, that man could dream, but this could mean you losing to safety of your family or losing the only man that ever made you feel good, even if it was only in your eyes. You knew you had to tell him what was about to happen but You start to tear up, Lorenzo placing his hands on your chin to turn you to face him, you sniffle as you tried to wipe away the tears, before you could Lorenzo spoke softly and in worry

“Y/N what's wrong, why are you crying my love” ... “tell me, what's wrong?” 

You held your head to Lorenzo’s chest, collapsing into his arms, he was shocked and happy you felt this comfortable around him, but more worried as to who or what had caused you this distress. 

“Lorenzo I need to tell you something...” you spoke, but Lorenzo immediately stopped you, “no not before me, I've been meaning to tell you for a while now Y/N..”  Lorenzo moved his hands up through your hair, moving it through every strand on your head, you held back with your words, intrigued by what Lorenzo had to say. 

“for a long time Y/N I have pushed off these feelings for you because I've known you ever since you were a child, a childhood romance some would say, we grow out of them my father used to say, but this, with you its something else, it isn't just those flirtatious passings we have, the teasings, its the fact you are always there for me and my family, you are there to pick up the pieces, to comfort us and I can never thank you enough for what you did for Bianca when our father died. I think I love you and deep down I know I always have” 

and that was it, he finally said it, those feelings rushed to your head and made your heart pound, those tears of sadness and regret were now happy ones, but before you could ease Lorenzo suffering your brother Francesco appeared from the curtains, he had been listening the whole time. He could use this to the families advantage, he grabbed you by the arm and escorted you to the courtyard where Jacopo was waiting with Riario, both smirking. 

“what is this Francesco, let me go” you spat, urging your bother to let go of his grip of you. Your brother took his place by Jacopo, but before he could whisper to tell him what he had witnessed, Jacopo was to make an announcement. Lorenzo moved pass the crowd of ladies and gentlemen to see you standing there with your uncle, distressed and confused. 

“today I am not only here to celebrate the business of The Pazzi bank, but to also congratulate my beautiful niece Y/N, who has gladly accepted Riario’s marriage proposal” Jacopo encouraged everyone to clap, you stood there in silence, knowing Lorenzo will have heard every word, eyes wide when you caught his, the pain you felt shattered you. 

before Francesco whispered to him. 

“Lorenzo has just confessed his love to Y/N uncle, we could use this to our advantage and reel him in, don't you think we should call off this arrangement and use Lorenzo instead” Francesco implied, jacapo smirked at the thought and spoke with such evil in his eyes, 

“no Francesco, we keep this little arrangement and Lorenzo can lose a good ally in the Rairio family by pursing our beautiful Y/N, until she breaks his weak little heart” jacapo raised his glass to Y/N, who was stood there distraught, catching Lorenzo standing there, broken. 

[katsstudykorner]

How To Write a University-Level Essay in 9 Steps

I use this every time I write an essay! It helps me a lot, and since I started using it I haven’t gotten lower than an A on any of my papers! (minus one lol)

First things first, every prof and every teacher expects a different thing. The essay I’m using as an example is from my first year class and was around 1600 words — so not very long. It’s also not a research essay. The prof called it an exegetical essay, but don’t get it mixed up with Bible Exegesis. We studied the Odyssey and the Iliad for the semester and had to write on them and explain them. Despite this! The form of an outline will help literally every kind of essay. 

SO this isn’t exactly a how-to-write-an-essay post, but instead its more like how to make sure your essay is bomb as fuck. My first year prof forced us to do an outline for all of our essays (yes forced, we automatically failed if we didn’t hand it in along with our essays). At first it was annoying, I’m not going to lie, but once you get used to it, this sort of outline literally saves your life. What I like to do is make sure it’s detailed enough that all I need to do is erase all the spaces between the points, and explain my ideas a little bit more. To give an idea of how much I actually write after this, this outline is 900 words, and my final essay was 1600. It makes writing your essay go by a LOT faster, and makes sure you can easily see all your points laid out in front of you.

1. Find out what your topic is and what you want your thesis to generally be. I never write my thesis out right away, because when I write outlines I tend to change my mind on things a lot as I discover new topics. So I start out general and get more detailed later on. 

2. Write out your main points. In this essay I was explaining how Odysseus’ encounter with the Cyclops was the first step in a many step process to make him a stronger and more intelligent man so that he would be able to fight off the suiters when he arrived in Ithaca. Each of my main points is the part in the book that has to do with this idea. My main points are: Odysseus tells Alcinous the story of him and a cyclops, after the Trojan war. // After escaping, they set sail again and reach the land of the Cyclops // Odysseus comes to the realization that the Cyclops is not human, and therefore he cannot reason with the Cyclops as a human. At first glance none of these points have Anything to do with my thesis, but I chose parts in the book that show Odysseus’ growth. I go on to explain my ideas within each of the points. Another thing to help you is to make sure each of these can read like a sentence. So you should be able to read Point 1 2 and 3 consecutively and have it flow well. It will help you when you write your good copy.

3. Once you have your main points, create what I call “sub-points” in each of the main points. The number varies, as you can see in my example, but use as many as you need to make your point clear.When I was writing essays about Homer I usually stuck to explaining Odysseus’ actions, or the actions of other characters in this section. This year when I was writing philosophy papers I used this part to fully explain each of the ideas in my own words. Also you may be noticing a (P) beside some of the points, this is what I’ve sectioned off to be a paragraph. As you may notice the “main point” doesn’t have a P beside it; it is its own paragraph, but I use those as transition paragraphs to help my paper flow and to show the reader what I’m going to be talking about. It’s a grounding point. I usually opted for shorter paragraphs when writing about Homer because I broke things up by event; when writing philosophy papers my paragraphs are usually much longer. These points should tie back into your main idea for you paper. Each point should tie back into the one above it to create a nice flow, this will help orientate your reader but also make it a lot easier for you to write. 

4.Now is the time to explain each sub point. Explain why the point was important enough to be in your paper; I often chose to explain how it changed Odysseus’ actions or actions that he chose to do. I usually use this section as an opportunity to clarify my points and to look back at the section I’ve put the sub-point in to make sure it fits. It around this time that I switch things around

5. Give any further explanation you may need. Sometimes I find that I need to explain things just a little bit more. Or if I’m not 100% sure on my point yet, I use this section to write down my explanation rather than waiting to write it when I write my good copy.

6.After this I write my thesis out. I know this may seem like a late point in the essay to write a thesis, but like I said I find waiting helps me really settle down with what I want to get across. I tend to have a hard time finding my thesis before I’ve written out all my points

7.Then I write my Introduction and Conclusion. I don’t write these in the broken down way that I do for the rest of my essay. I write them in full to help ground myself

8. Finally, I delete all of the points and spaces to create a solid paragraph. I do it point by point to make sure each sentence is a complete sentence, and then make sure I add on any explanation or detail that may be missing. Once thats done I usually have a solid essay with just some missing “gaps”. I.e. I need to further explain my point. So I go in and fill in the gaps, add my explanations to tie it back into the thesis completely, and then I move onto the next paragraph. The third picture shows my sentences in my actual essay that I directly pulled from my outline (highlighted to match the outline), while the sentences that aren’t highlighted were the sentences written to fill in the gaps.

9. Once that’s all done I send my essay to a friend and we face time while she edits mine. She reads it out loud to me and we stop when something sounds funny (and then we switch and I do the same for her). I high recommend peer-editing and making sure you read it out loud! Its how I catch 90% of my mistakes. 

And that’s it! Keep in mind that you should be gathering quotes, sources, or whatever BEFORE you write your outline, and it helps A LOT if you write in the sources in your outline so that you know where to put it in your essay!

[marthas-feral-cat]

The Miserables Month Days 14 and 16: Disguise and Intrepid (Jehanparnasse):

((Combined Days 14 and 16 of @themiserablesmonth it’s a little over 2K long enjoy!))

The Miserables Month Days 14 and 16: Disguise and Intrepid (Jehanparnasse):

The kingdom was in a state of pure excitement, the king had recently announced a masquerade ball in honor of his son Prince Jehan. The ball would take place on the prince’s birthday, and all potential suiters were to attend. This would be the evening that Jehan would select his spouse. His father had encouraged him to choose from his friends’ sons and daughters at the ball, and Jehan had reluctantly agreed. The peasants and lower ranking nobles were invited to make it seem like the prince could choose anyone he happened to feel a connection with, but Jehan knew he was trapped into choosing from a list of suiters of which his father pre-approved for him.

While Prince Jehan prepared himself for the ball, a group of thieves had gotten their hands on some invitations. The Patron Minette was going to infiltrate the palace, kidnap the young prince, and hold him for ransom for all the crown jewels in the kingdom. Claquesous had arranged for the disguises to be made, they would give the names of lords that no one had heard from in years and enter the ball. Two of them would distract the king and queen while the rest got the prince away quietly. No one was to stray from the plan, no one was to let the prince be lost to them.

On the day before the ball, Jehan went into the village to gather fabrics and materials for his costume. The prince spotted a dashing young man in the street, who bowed to him, “Good day to you your highness.”

“Good day…?” Jehan paused waiting for a name.

“Montparnasse at your service,” the charming young man bowed to him once more.

“Montparnasse, what a lovely name,” Jehan smiled sweetly at him, “A lovely name for a lovely man.”

“You flatter me, pretty little Bird,” Montparnasse grinned.

As the two conversed, Mont skillfully picked up a piece of jewelry and pocketed it with no one noticing, even the prince.

Jehan got butterflies talking to this man, “I hope to see you at the ball, Montparnasse.”

“I doubt you will, but I hope so too, Little Bird,” Montparnasse grinned, this was too easy, the prince already trusted him it seemed.

Jehan was quickly whisked away by a guard, warning him to stay away from the no-good thief Montparnasse and the rest of his crew, or the young prince might get hurt. Jehan looked back, slightly disappointed, but still interested in this man and hopeful that they would meet again.

The night of the masquerade came, and Jehan was dressed as the prince of the forest fae. He donned an elaborate crown of flowers and gold leaves, and a costume made of the finest silks the kingdom could provide. He greeted the guests, his numerous suiters, with polite smiles and pleasantries. He then looked up when Lord Jaques de Montemare was announced, he hadn’t heard of him before, but the second he looked up he was enamored by his looks, his costume, his everything.

Montparnasse walked down the steps as he was announced and immediately started towards the young prince. He donned a rather dashing maroon-colored cloak over a simpler black suit. His mask was that of a cat, intricate and gold that covered most of his face, leaving just his smirk for the prince to see as he approached.

“Bonsoir mon prince,” Montparnasse took Jehan’s hand and kissed it gently.

Jehan gazed upon him, blushing at the kiss to his hand, “Good evening to you, good sir,” he managed to remain regal as ever through his heart’s fluttering.

“May I have this dance, your highness?” Montparnasse asked him as the music swelled. He extended a hand to Jehan.

Jehan simply nodded and accepted the man’s hand. He was led to the center of the floor and elegantly pulled into hold as the waltz started.

“So, my prince, have any young men or women caught your attention tonight?” Mont asked, charming as ever.

“I believe one already has,” Jehan nodded as his cheeks darkened once more.

“Perhaps a walk in the garden once the waltz ends, if I may be so bold?” Montparnasse suggested smoothly.

“Nothing would please me more, sir,” Jehan smiled at him.

They talked through the dance, and Jehan told him of all his plans for the kingdom once it was his time to succeed to the throne. He smiled as he explained the reforms he would put through, the fact that no man would ever go hungry as long as he was in charge. No child would be without a loving home, no person would be unsafe in his kingdom, no more suffering, no more persecution, no one would need steal to survive ever again if the young prince had his way.

“Little Bird, your plan is too idealistic, it can never happen all at once,” Montparnasse smirked a little, “No one can fix everything.”

“I know it is idealistic, and I know it won’t be easy, change is rarely so, but I can do it. I have a plan, and I have people who have devoted themselves to helping me achieve it. My kingdom will be one of peace and prosperity for all,” Jehan smiled his optimistic soft smile and his eyes lit up with hope. His heart skipped a beat when he heard the nickname. It was Montparnasse, the thief from the village market place, he’d come to see him after all.

Oh no…that smile…his eyes through the mask…goddamn it I cannot go through with this. I’ve fallen for him. Montparnasse’s face fell slightly, he couldn’t hurt this man, and he would have to tell the others to abandon the plan.

“What’s wrong?” Jehan asked as the song ended, “Was it something I said?”

“Oh it’s nothing to concern yourself with, Little Bird, let’s take our walk,” Mont smiled easily. Inside he was torn; he couldn’t let the others go through with this, but if he refused they’d surely take their revenge on him and take the prince anyway, and then he couldn’t stop them from hurting him.

Jehan linked arms with him and the two strolled out to the garden. “Thank you for sneaking in here, Montparnasse,” he whispered once they were out of sight.

Mont’s eyes went wide, “How did you…?”

“No one else calls me Little Bird,” Jehan grinned, “Besides; I would recognize those eyes through any disguise. Don’t worry I won’t let the guards know you’re here. I trust you.”

Mont felt his heart break; he would betray his trust and the prince would never feel the same way for him again. “Thank you for that, Little Bird. I need you to trust me no matter what may happen tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Jehan asked, “What may happen?”

“I don’t know, but know this, I will protect you,” Montparnasse promised him. He kissed the prince deeply, cupping his cheek and pulling him in close.

Jehan kissed back, feeling his heart beat faster and his face darken, “Protect me from what? The monsters in the forest?” he asked with a breathy laugh.

Before Montparnasse could respond, Babet snuck up and covered Jehan’s mouth, “Hello, highness, mind if we take you for a little ride?”

Jehan tried to scream and struggled frantically in his grasp. This wasn’t happening. Why isn’t Montparnasse helping? He promised he would protect me! Then it dawned on him, this man he’d fallen I love with ten minutes prior was behind it.

Claquesous appeared and tied the prince’s hands behind his back, “Right this way highness.”

Babet pulled handkerchief from his pocket and tied it into Jehan’s mouth before drawing  a dagger out from his belt and pressing it to Jehan’s back, “Walk to the carriage nicely little prince.”

Montparnasse protested, “Put the damn dagger away, Babet, he won’t run.”

“Going soft, ‘Parnasse?” Babet teased him as he pushed the prince to the carriage. He opened a large wooden trunk and lifted him up locking him inside.

As the lid closed, Montparnasse mouthed an apology to him.

Jehan glared up at him and cursed him through the gag.

Babet just laughed, “Poor kid thought you really had feelings for him.”

Later at the safe house, Jehan was bound to a chair and refused to answer any questions, earning him a sharp slap to the face. Mont had had to bite his tongue and allow it while he thought of a plan to get Jehan home safely. Montparnasse was assigned to guard the prisoner while the gang sent the ransom letter to his parents. Babet had cut a lock of the prince’s hair and torn a flower from his costume.

Mont waited until they were alone and pulled the gag out of Jehan’s mouth, “I’m sorry Little Bird.”

“How could you? You promised me you’d protect me,” Jehan cried, “You’ll all hang for this, and to think I trusted you.”

“Jehan, listen to me,” Montparnasse whispered, “I promise I won’t let them hurt you. I wanted to protect you, but they’ll kill me if I go against them. I’ll get you out of here safely I swear it.”

“How can I trust you after you let them do this to me?” Jehan leaned away from him.

“Because I heard your ideas, your plans, for when you’re king, and I fell for you so hard, Little Bird,” Mont cupped his cheek, “I love you, my prince,” he kissed him softly.

Jehan kissed back, he couldn’t tell why, but he trusted this man, this man that he’d been warned about and told was no good. He trusted him completely, “I love you too, Montparnasse. Don’t let them kill me, please,” for the first time he let it show how terrified he was.

“I promise they’ll have to go through me to harm you in any way. When they leave to drop the letter off at midnight, we’ll wait ten minutes and I’ll get you home. I just ask that you give me enough time to escape so I have a chance of surviving.”

“You won’t need to escape, the ball was meant for me to choose who I marry, and I’m choosing you,” Jehan told him, “I want you to be my husband and rule by my side.”

Montparnasse fell silent and looked slightly confused, “But I’m a criminal. Surely a lord would be better suited to rule beside a prince?”

“I don’t want a lord, I want you, and I wish my hands were free so I could touch you,” Jehan pulled at the ropes and winced as they dug into his wrists.

Montparnasse moved closer to him and held his face in his hands kissing him once more, “I love you, Little Birdie, so much.”

Midnight soon arrived and true to his word, Montparnasse cut the ties off him, gently kissing his wrists. “Hurry, there’s not a moment to lose.”

Jehan threw his arms around him and held tight for a moment before letting go and nodding. “I’m ready, Monty.”

Montparnasse took his hand and held it tight, leading him through the back of the safe house. He stole a horse, well his horse, and that wasn’t really stealing in his book. He helped the prince up onto the horse and got on behind him, petting the horse’s mane, “Good girl,” he took the reins and snapped them.

The horse took off towards the castle, but little did they know Babet had stayed behind suspecting that this would happen. Arrows flew through the air towards them, but the horse skillfully avoided them all. Babet mounted his own horse and chased them.

They arrived at the palace steps; they were safe. Montparnasse dismounted and helped Jehan off the horse. As Jehan’s feet hit the ground, Montparnasse cried out in pain. An arrow had pierced his chest.

“NO!” Jehan leaped in front of him and grabbed Montparnasse’s sword from his belt. He readied himself to fight the assailant.

Babet hopped off his horse and drew his own sword, seemingly unthreatened by the young prince. He lunged at him with the sword, cutting his arm.

Jehan hissed in pain and managed to move away. He blocked the next swipe, the next, and the next after that. He swung furiously, his hair falling in front of his eyes, and disarmed Babet, “Stand down!” he yelled at the man.

The guards soon came and arrested Babet and sent for medics for the prince and Montparnasse.

Jehan knelt beside him, “It’s okay, you’re safe now my love, you’re going to make it, you saved my life. I’m going to protect you now. You’re going to be alright, I promise.”

Mont grunted in pain, “I-I think not…Please forgive me…before I go I need to know you forgive me for all this…please…Little Bird…”

Jehan cried, “No, no I won’t let you die. Not now, I’m going to marry you. Of course I forgive you, you saved my life.”

Mont smiled, “L-Love you…”

“I love you too,” Jehan put pressure around the wound as the medics rushed outside, “Please save him, he saved my life.”

Montparnasse’s world went dark.

The next morning he woke in the palace infirmary and looked around until he spotted Jehan asleep with his head on the bed by his own. He smiled, “Good morning, Little Bird,” he whispered.

Jehan woke and smiled brightly, “You’re awake, you’re okay!”

“Thanks to you,” Montparnasse smiled and kissed his cheek, “You were an intrepid hero, my darling Little Bird.”

“You have a week of bedrest from that wound, and then we have a wedding to plan, so get better that’s an order from your prince,” Jehan laid beside him and played with his hair, “I’ll be with you every moment.”

The king walked into the room, “Montparnasse?”

“Yes sire?” Mont bowed his head, “I apologize for putting the prince in danger, “I swear from this moment on I will protect him with my life.”

The king smiled, “I was reluctant to allow my son to marry outside of the nobility, but your devotion to him, and that you were willing to risk death to get him home safe has earned you my blessing. I know you two will be great rulers someday, and that you will care for him like no other. Welcome to the family. As for your friends, Jehan has alerted me to their financial distress, and we will grant them pardons, you two may deal with them as you please.”

“Thank you your majesty,” Montparnasse smiled and held onto Jehan’s hand, “You’re right, I love him as I have loved no other before him. I hope to be a suitable husband to him.”

“You will be Monty,” Jehan assured him.

The next month they were married and they lived happily ever after.

[sweetwritertanya]

Noble Heart

Author’s Note: Hello my darlings! So, after watching Little Women (the new 2019 adaptation, which I’ve been meaning to see for ages), I was more than a little inspired to write something. Although I’m not really well-versed in how things were at such a time and the costums, I am growing an interest for historical or period dramas. Hence, here’s my first attempt at writing something like this. It will be a 3 or 5 parts series with original characters. Also, I will still be using the second person narrative (“you”), but the reader will have a name. Hope you all don’t mind and tell me if you enjoy the story! Not the most creative, but I’ve been having fun writing it.

Summary: Your family has struggled to make ends meet and it was only due to the county’s Duke kindness that you were able to get by. When the old man suddenly passes away, it surprises you to know the title will pass on to his never-seen-before grandson. However, there is a strange condition for the inheritance of the title.

Warning: None. This is mostly exposition and character introduction, the start of the plot. I’m thinking only later parts will have a bit of smut, but those will be tagged later on!

Word Count: 2182

It was a cold summer morning when the news erupted across the county. The Duke of Welsham was struck with sudden illness and had perished overnight. The news of the death of the old widower wouldn’t have been so worrisome if not for the fact that he was the main provider of the town’s wealth, contributing with a lot of his expansive estate to finance growing businesses as well as maintain a controlled tax limit for the land owners and workers.

You read about it in the town’s newspaper, during your daily chore of getting the groceries for your family’s household. The maid accompanying you seemed about as panicked as you felt, as much as you tried not to show it. With a serious expression, frowned eyebrows wrinkling together at the top of the bridge of your nose, you walk back with a fervor in your step.

“Mother, Father, have you heard yet?” You call out as soon as you enter the two-story house, only stopping to take off your hat and continuing deeper into the house with the basket full of provisions against your plush hip. “Does this concern us, Father? The newspaper said the Duke has fall-”

Entering the living room situated before the kitchen, you came to a halt in your speech and step when you noticed everyone in your family sitting tensely around the unlit fireplace. They each raised their eyes at your entrance, apprehension and defeat behind them. You give the basket to the maid and move to sit on the vacant armchair with them, a nervous heart and pressing lips.

“What is it?” you ask in a whisper, knowing full well something must have happened or was about to happen.

“I see you already heard the news, dear” your father’s somber tone of voice declares soundly in the silent room.

“Yes, Father. I fear how it could affect us; we are barely getting by. The Duke’s kind heart was what kept us well fed for so long, Father. What will happen now? Who will carry on the title?” The mention of a successor makes your Mother breath in a heavy breath, your younger sisters looking nervously to the ground, the twitch on your Father’s left cheek. “Are we really in danger? Do you believe they will cut our supplies, let us starve?”

“I believe you do know of the Duke’s only son, don’t you?” Your mother asks of you.

“The one he disowned? It’s been over thirty years since anyone saw him.” You vaguely recalled hearing about it.

“He disowned his son, but not his grandson, sir Augustus. Apparently, he will be the new Duke of Welsham.” As your Mother told you this, with an angry stare away from you, directed at the window, something confused you.

“Mother… How do you know all this? No one in town seemed to have the slightest idea, it’s not even in the newspaper…”

You gulped at the silent stares they cast upon you.

Bad news. It meant really bad news, for you specifically. Which was why you were currently struggling against a corset that the maids were tightening up against your ribs, so much so you could barely breath. The fact that you were boiling furious didn’t help the matter at all either. Your voluptuous frame was being tucked in to the best the garment could, due to the demands of your mother, even if you couldn’t care less about hiding your lumps and rolls.

“Why? Why?! Why the bloody hell do I have to marry the new Duke?! I am not nobility!!” you scream out, holding on to the bed’s footboard as the strings of the corset kept being pulled.

“Your family’s last name carries nobility and therefore, so do you, my lady” the maid struggled to say as she kept tightening the abdominal article around your round frame.

“Why did the old man have to put in such a bizarre condition for his grandson to inherit the title?! And why did it have to be from our family??” you grunt back.

Corset done, the maid helps you slip into the silk dark green dress your mother had prepared for you, the best and most expensive article of clothing you owned.

“From what I heard, the late Duke resented his son for marrying out of nobility and wished for his grandson to do better. And your family, my lady, is the only one in town with nobility in their blood.”

“We are not nobility! My grandfather was an Earl, that’s all! My poor Father couldn’t work anymore because of his injuries, so he refused the title long before I was born!”

“I’m sorry, my lady. The grandson doesn’t seem to think so.”

The idea of marrying a complete stranger repulsed you to no end. The possibility of you escaping with the rest of your family was not completely out of question yet. You were almost certain you could talk your Mother into it. Your Father would be more difficult, he was loyal to the town and did not like any hint of cowardice when it came to our family’s actions. And there was no telling how such expenses could be paid… But surely, to prevent his older daughter to basically be sold out to a man she never met before with the sole purpose of obtaining a higher title, he would make an exception.

“Adela!” your Mother’s exasperated tone brought you back to reality just in time.

Absentminded, you had made it downstairs and were now standing in the living room among your family. Everyone was in their best clothes and composed hairdos. Your Mother twitched her head to the side, signaling for the strange men on the other side of the room.

Two males stood the few feet the room allowed in front of you. One was a person you recognized as a servant of the late Duke, a tall man in his forties or fifties, with a small dark mustache and side burns, skin wrinkling at the side of his grey eyes. You seemed to recall seeing him during the very few times you had gone into the Duke’s property, mainly for the annual party he hosted.

The other man stood tall in the room. With dark chocolate curls slicked back, his oblong face kept a neutral expression as he looked almost right through you with hooded honey colored eyes. A narrowed turned up nose, prominent cheeks, a slightly oversized bottom lip, tan healthy skin and fit body with two small beauty marks under his left eye, there was no denying the man was to be considered attractive. His demeanor, however, left a lot to polish.

“Adela! Courtesy!” you Mother angrily whispered under her breath next to you, one hand coming around to pinch you, but the layers of clothing making you unable to feel it.

Having the town’s next Duke standing in the same room as you, your entire family depending on you, made all of it so real. Your deep scorching anger suddenly turned into paralyzing fear at what was about to happen. Your eyes moved from your mother to the man in question and you saw this as your last opportunity before news spread around.

“My apologies, your Grace, but you must find another suiter for your marriage. I do not agree with any of this” you state as you finish the asked for bow.

Ignoring the interjections and exclamations from your family and the maids, you gather most of the dress you can in your hands and quickly step away into the house’s backyard, searching for some piece and quiet to calm your racing heart and jumbled mind.

You felt like your throat was constricted, making it so hard to breathe. Unable to stand it anymore, you do your best to undo the strings at your back, shaky hands raging against the corset as you take it out and start to pull your dress back up. You took several deep breaths once the awful garment was out, starting to feel better.

“Lady Adela.”

Gasping loudly, you suddenly turn around 180 degrees and come face to face with the cause of your anxiety. He now seemed to look at you properly, rather than just through you like before.

“Your Grace” you sigh as you try to remain calm.

“I believe the reasons surrounding this matrimony were explained to you, yes?” He inquires as he looks around the small backyard, where your family had a few plantations growing, with the intent of saving the cost of buying food you could grow yourself.

“They were, yes. But I must persist, I have no intention of marrying you, your Grace.” In hopes your family could find forgiveness despite your absolute refusal, you tried to maintain a civil relationship with the men. Maybe he had inherited his grandfather’s kind heart.

“I believe that would mean very bad news for your family, my lady. If I was correctly informed, your father is unable to work and he only had daughters.” Your hopes crashed to the ground at his cold words. But your fury burned.

“I will work myself, if I have to” you adamantly told him.

The man smirks as he returns his gaze to your stout person.

“Would you rather work, than become a Duchess?”

“If I must marry someone I don’t know and don’t love, then yes.” You fold your arms under your chest determinedly, frowning heavily at him.

You notice how his eyes squint just a bit at that and he returns his gaze to the horizon to your right, lips pressed together as you both stay silent for a moment. Cold wind blows and serves to cool down your anger for now. But not for long, not when the man decided to open his mouth again, not even caring to look at you as he does so.

“You must be a pretty selfish daughter and sister, putting your own happiness before that of your family members.”

“Sir, you do not know me at all to speak such a thing!” you bark at him with tight closed fists dropping to your sides.

“Prove me wrong, then. Marry me, if just on paper, and I will take the most upper care of you and your family.” He rotated his body back to you and his honey eyes are filled with challenge, as if daring you to deny him again.

“You must be pretty desperate for your grandfather’s title if you’re willing to marry a woman that not only have you never met, but who is also undeniably unwilling to wed you.” You reciprocate the feeling he had casted on you.

“I never stated otherwise.” He simply declares, seemingly not at the least offended.

Annoyed, you huff and cross your arms again, turning your back on him and stepping heavily around the floor.

“Why? Why me? Just go and marry a noble woman from the next town over! Why do you persist on marrying me?”

“It is the most advantageable marriage. Marrying someone of the town will give me the people’s favor and respect. I hear your family is all well liked around here.”

“I despise anyone who treats marriage as a business transaction, talking of advantages and disadvantages like you were only discussing a piece of land” you whisper tiredly, taking your hands to massage your temples as you felt a headache approaching. You wondered why you were still carrying on this conversation. All you wanted was to turn around, get back inside and close yourself in your room until it all went away.

“Most marriages are, indeed. Do you feel it would be different if you were to marry someone else? Would you feel better if you had known me for years, even if the marital contract is, in itself, exactly the same?”

“At least I would have known who I was swearing to spend the rest of my life with. There would be a courtship, there would be feelings involved.” You explain to the air, refusing to look at such a stubborn and insufferable men.

“Who says there won’t be in this case?”

You halt your feet and slowly turn back, suspicion behind your eyes as you raise them to his. The man then moves his feet and in three strides he is right in front of you, only maybe a feet away, bending down to level his stare with yours, even as you lean back, away from him. He was still uncomfortably close and you could smell the eucalypti musky scent emanating from him.  

“The courtship, getting to know each other, feelings… We would only be switching the order, marrying first and doing those later. So, Lady Adela, in light of your hesitance, I will give you two more days to think about it. Do come and tell me of your decision before the end of the week. I shall be awaiting you, then.”

And with that, he straightens up, bows his head slightly as a goodbye gesture and leaves back into the house, leaving you muddled and stunned in your own backyard.

[yandere-wishes]

Genie and the Savanclaw boys

So this was someting I wrote to get me out of my sour mood. Latly I haven’t been feeling to great. So I decided to wrote some platonic scenarios between my persona Genie and Jack, Ruggie and Leona, please let me know what you thought of this, I spent roughly six hours on it.

A quick recap of Genie's powers

Vision--  Genie can see small glimpses of a person's past. "Past Vision 2/4" occurs when Genie comes into direct contact with a person's possession (it could be inanimate or their darlings), this allows her to see a quick "video" of their past which can last up to 2 minutes. "Past Vision 4/4" is a longer version of the previous power. For her to be able to view an in detailed vision of a person's past, she must first have experienced a "Past Vision 2/4" of them and this power can only be unlocked while she's in her lamp. Think of it as downloading a video and only being able to watch the first two minutes until you're in "a room with a sort of significance to you." Due to this power also affecting her, Genie is sometimes forced to relive traumatizing events that have occurred to her in the past one thousand years.

Maniacal File-- Note that all of Genie's powers are based on manipulating the "yandere side" of people and or events. Maniacal file lets Genie create multiple scenarios or events for how a person under a yandere influence may act. Think of this as someone having a multitude of one-shots or stories about one particular "character". Now, these "files" allow her to do two different things. One being able to manipulate the person to commit various acts, such as murder, kidnapping amongst other macabre deeds. Two, she's able to mimic almost anything a that a person who's file she "owns" can do. Of course for this to work, the files first have to be shrunk to the size of a USB and inserted into her encephalon manually (or with the use of a bit of magic). The more files she has on someone the better she understands them and the better she can help them with their "wishes", there is also a sentimental viewpoint to these "files". Since Genie is very anti-social and withdrawn these fils are sorta like her "friends". For her to obtain a person "files" she will need to either see them perform a sort of "yandere like" act, stalk them to better understand them or/and have a very in-depth and detailed conversation with them.

Bloody Background-- Certain environments (like the entirety of the Savanclaw dormitory) trigger "bloody background" which always Genie to see multiple "escape routs" or "attack routs". These routes can be used for hiding, stalking and multiple other things.

Jack Howl

Genie’s eyes landed on the warn out beat up door. Scratch marks ranging in size, were left on the wooden entrance, each one a declaration of war. The purple-haired Jinn traced her long slender fingers over a random set of claw marks, debating whether or not to enter the Jackel’s den. For a split second her vision flashed, the ground morphed from marble to rough rock, bones of wild animals littered the ground, the door had disappeared and in its place was the mouth of a pitch-black cave. Screams of terror scorched the air followed by maniacal laughter… She'd seen this place before, stood on the very same flooring and heard the same disparate cries o despair.  “Ten more seconds and then the roar” she whispered. But the visions never last that long, it shattered into a thousand tiny shards and scattered away. Genie once again stood in front of the battered door. Inside she could hear the low grunts and huffed breaths of the ill-tempered first year that resided within. There was no reason for her to enter, she had no need nor business to invaded his privacy like this, her intentions boarded on plain rude…but the curiosity of the matter was eating her alive. She had to know!

Jack Howl first year Savanclaw student with a knack for getting into fights. He had no friends, never showed interest in a darling and the only words he ever spoke where curses and threats. Due to his harsh and brutish manner, Genie had never been able to receive a type three profile on him. Sure she knew all his attack moves and strategies by heart and could predict any action he would partake before he even knew it himself. But that left the biggest question unanswered...what kind of darling did he desire?

Based on pure analysis she could take an educated guess and say a darling whose temper was even shorter than his and who would beat up a defenseless person for kicks. But there were so many "what ifs.." maybe he liked a girl who was the opposite of him. Or maybe someone brave enough to stand in his way and tell him to stop his meaningless fits of rage. All these questions made the young girl's mind race with potential suiter for the boy.

Hesitantly the Jinn pushed on the door, it creaked as it was shoved out of her path. "Um...J-Jack", she counted her heartbeats a thing most Genii tend to do to pass the time. One heartbeat, two--

"GET OUT!" A water bottle flew in her direction, hitting the left side of her face. Ok so maybe she didn't know every move as confidentially as she had thought. "Ow!!" a court whine came after, followed by a stream of tears. Before Genie knew it she had fallen to the floor legs splayed to either side of her and loud sobs escaping from her mouth. The bruise on her head where to waterbottle had hit her pulsed with pain each time her heart beated. She frantically tried to dry the tears with her wrists to no avail. This was not what was suppose to happen, but then again had she expected anything better?

"Hey cut that out" Jack kneeled next to her frame, roughly grabbing both her wrists in one large callused hand. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp for a second debating wheater to kick or headbutt him. Slowly her white hair aggressor lifted his other hand to her face and wiped away her tears. "hey hey no more crying ok? You're going to be alright got it?" His voice was rough and demanding but it held a gentle undertone.

It took a while but eventually, Genie's tears stopped and her sobs died down. When the room had fallen into a semi-comfortable silence jack spoke again. "What the hell was up with barging into my room? Are you trying to get beat up?"

Genie casted her gaze downwards and took in a shack breath. 1 heartbeat, 2 heartbeats, 3 heartbeats...

"I wanted to...to-to talk to you..." Her voice shook with uncertainty and cracked from the strain the crying fit had left on her vocal cords.

"What for?" Jack glared at her, a snarl spread across his lips and his grip on her wrists tightened. "Don't tell me a useless pipsqueak like you want to pick a fight with me?"

In that second a strategy started to map out in her brain, Millian old gears turning and formulating words, tailoring them together to generate sentences. She swiftly lifted her eyes and locked her blood-red orbs with his golden ones.

"I-I've seen you fight, multiple times actually and I...I um came up with some strategies and suggestions for how you can improve...not that you're not tremendous I mean sorta good, already but...but um I can help you improve...if if you want that um that is."

Jack's eyes bore into her soul for a solid moment, he tossed her hands aside savagely. Getting up he stomped in the opposite direction, his bushy snow-white tail smacked her beauty in the face. He paused for when he reached his punch bag, grabbing the role of hand wrap, reapplying it to his bloody bruised knuckles. Finally, he barked out an answer "Meet me by the elephant skull at twelve am sharp, got it!"

feebly Genie stood up, using the wall as a support. "S-sure thing" she replied, surprise evident in her tone "You g-got" a large triumph smile graced her tanned face.

"Oh and bitch?"

Too happy to register the insult Genie cheerfully responded with a chirpy "yes".

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Ruggie Bucchi

Booted feet pounded on the rough uneven ground. Heavy breathing filled the air. Behind her, Genie could hear footsteps chasing after her. Panic crawled into her mind, stretching its self thinly over her mind. It's ok she mumbled to herself, just realize you've done this a billion of times before.

"Bloody Background" she whispered under her breath. Genie blinked, hundreds of tiny blue circles appeared in her red orbs. A full layout of the land before he appeared in the far left side of her sight, multiple little notes flashed in bright shades of blue and red. navigating through the notes and maps, Genie finally made heads and tails of the situation. Quickly mapping out the most deceitful rout.

--Run 10 meters then take a left, lean to the right there is a 16 cm deep pothole in the middle of the path.--

Accelerating her pace she took a sharp turn, behind her she heard the squeaky raw sound of shows scrapping rock. followed by a few curses. She kept running, watching as a blue circle highlighted the promised pothole. She aimed right, hissing as the rock wall bite into her skin. when she was a good few feet away she heard a scream and 'thump', her pursuer had hit the fallen that should give her a head start of approximately three minutes.

--with a three-minute head start run straight ahead, you'll come to a cliff jump and role down. The current calculations do not predict any major damages to be inflicted, fractures and momentary body shutdowns are not guaranteed to be avoidable.--

Her body was feeling numb, blood rushing to her fingertips. A warm dusty wind hit her face, small bits of sand sticking in her eyeballs. "Thank you Arabian desserts" she mumbled, there really were some benefits of being born in the 8th-century middle east. In front of her the earth seemed to disappear, she braced her self for the jump. Leaping into the air she curled her body into a semi-oval like shape. Upon impact, with the rugged ground, she curls her self further. She finally used the tip of her boot to dig a slow her down. Getting up again she started to run trying her best to ignore the immense pain in her right arms and the various bruises and blooding scratches over her body.

--The skull on an elephant in approaching, hid in the inside of its hollow cranium.--

No, no hiding Genie thought to herself. This whole chase -although exhilarating- was starting to get boring. She scanned the ground, reading the comments trying to find something that might help. The blue comments kept highlighting potentially useful objects and hideouts. Swiftly Genie picked up two rock shards. Holding them tight she switched her path and dashed for the elephant skull in the far right.

She entering through the mouth, quickly taking in her surroundings. Using the jagged bone matter, Genie pulled her self up climbing until she reached the window of the empty eye socket. Looking out she could see Jamil, so he'd been her mysterious stalker. Racking her brain for a second Genie tried to find a reason why Jamil of all people would be after her. Did he need something? Was he having trouble with his darling? Or did he need her for something else?

The second-year Scarabia student was only a few meters away from the skull, his back turned eyes darting every which way trying to find the Jinn girl. Swiftly Genie positioned her self, one foot resting on the opening of the eye, the other ready to push her forward. One arm held her still while the other gripped one of the shards.

One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats...

She leaped forward, crashing into Jamil's back. The third dorm's vice president landed face first in the dirt, Genie straddling his back. She raised her hand with the rock, balling it into a fist and slamming it down on Jamil's head.

"Ouch, cut that out you rouge Jinn!"

Genie didn't respond she struck him again and again. A sickly smile spreading on her face.

"Aw look at you little bunny, trying to beat a man to death."

Turning her head Genie glared at the source of the voice. Her eyes immediately widened. They're on top of an elephant spin sat the savage gluten of savanclaw Ruggi Buchi the vice dorm leader.

He leaned his head onto his hand and smirked down at the two. At that moment Genie noticed just how dark the sky had gotten and how many glowing eyes were watching her. She gulped and rolled off of the boy. Landing on the ground in a w sitting position. Jamil also got up, he placed a hand on the back of his head covering the bleeding wound. With his free hand, he grabbed Genie's wrist. "Listen here you useless genie.." Before he could finish Ruggie had landed next to him, claws leaving deep scratches in his arm. With a painful hiss, Jamil retracted his injured arm. Ruggie walked behind Genie placing a protective hand over her shoulder. "Get off our territory before Leona arrives."

Jamile sent one last glare towards the duo before returning from which he came.

"thanks" Genie mumbles

"Don't mention it, that's what a pack is for" Ruggie flashes her a predatory smirk

Leona Kingschalor

Genie leans over Leona's shoulder, arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders. A few centimeters in front of them a blue port screen is floating in the air. pictures of multiple girls rotating with their bios on the side.

"We really need to find you a darling big brother" Genie mutters as she nuzzles the crook of his neck. Leona simply takes another bite of the beef jerky in his hands, he chews slowly, relishing the feeling of his beloved "sister's" warm breath over his exposed skin. "Why are you in such a rush? Despreat to have me occupied with someone else so you're all alone and abandoned again?" He could feel her body tense, her breath hitch, and the nervous tick as she dug her long nails into his shoulder.

"N-no you're just getting older and we need to find the future king his queen. That-that's all"

Leona huffed and glared at the screen, there was something rather monotonous about these girls, they all lacked a certain "spunk" to them. Plus how did she expect him to concentrate when she was right there.

Leona didn't know when the entirety of Nightraven had decided that the naive little psycho jinn would become his "little sister" or even why for that matter. If it had been up to him he'd declare her as his darling the moment her lamp had been tossed through that magic mirror in the director's office. But something had happended, some choices, something! What that something was he did not know...only that it kept them apart.

Genie straightened and walked over to Leona plumping down on his lap and grabbing the screen, scrolling through some names and articles mindlessly. Automatically Leona's hands when to her head patting her softs then braiding a section of their hair to match his own. It was the brotherly thing to do, but when had it become so natural? "Look big brother.." Genie turned the screen and showed Leona the "file" of a round-faced hyena girl. She looked cute, maybe even try worthy...just not right now. "She's cute," he mutters turning his emerald eyes to Genie's face. No, he though her Genie's cheeks where come how rounder and puffier.

"I could set up a date if you--"

"NO!" Leona flinched he hadn't meant for it to come out so harsh. He cleared his throat and gently caressed the "young" girl's face, started pulling both her cheeks. "Why don't you give me her number and I'll give her a call after my nap...how's that?" The purple-haired girl tried to nod despite her flesh being pulled in opposite directions. "Good" Leona let go of her face and got up, lifting Genie up in the process. He walked over to the door of his room kicking it open and letting her fall on the bed, not a second later he plumped down on top of her. Genie let out a giggle and squirmed under him until she had some breathing room. "Get some rest  Ruggi tells me you haven't slept in a week." This was concern, it was how an "older brother was supposed to feel for his "little sister". "But I'm not sleepy-" she tried to protest. "Don't care, do that counting thing you do sometimes maybe that'll bore you enough to drift off."

She obeyed like the good little sister she was supposed to be. As sleep took over his sense Leona heard her tiny voice barely above a whisper.

one heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats, four heart--

[goldstonegolem64]

Side story This takes place during  the three years that Voltron went missing. This is also a way for me to put some ideas I had out into the world

“It has been about twenty months since the castle of loins disappeared along with Voltron, some of it’s paladin and princess Allure of Altea. In their Absence they left behind the Coalition and the new Galra empire on the verge of another massive galaxy war. But thank to the efforts of Empire Lotor, Commander Matt Holt and the remaining Paladins of Voltron peace was maintained” Jay stopped reading the news articles and tossed the table onto his desk . He then removed his Glasses, rubbed the bridge of his noise and placed his glasses down on his desk. “ God I need  to get going home ” Jay said as he grabbed his glasses and was ready to  leave his office. 

In the passed year and a half. Jay was put in charge of a coalition and imperial sponsored Mercenary company despite his protest   called the Volt troop.The troop was made up of two fleets of Coalition fighter pilot, Two warship that housed a crew of three hundred each with a near infinite supple of old mode Galra sentries , Fifteen Valkyrie type and five gladiator type robeasts.The troops main job were to protect shipping vessels, clearing planets of Pirates or Maverick Galra fleet commanders that had left the empire after Lotor’s rise to power and  the rare red queen hive world  that was found. It was a pain in the ass. But after two year of fighting a nearly endless battle and countless deaths an near crippling fear that he would not return from a mission . It was nice to finally to not have that fear nagging at the back of his mind 

As he made it to the door it opened suddenly to Reveal a tall purple skinned man with white hair. Jay was caught off guard by this sudden appearance of his friend and the emperor of the Galra empire. Lotor 

“ OH Joseph have I caught you at a bad time” Lotor asked as  

“ No No I was just on my way out. But what brings you here Sir “  Jay asked as he straighten his clothes and looked more dignified. 

“ Please don’t call me sir. Joseph were friends and I’m here to personally hand you this “  Lotor said as he handed Jay a table 

Jay grabbed the table “ First I’m at work so were not friend were  employee and in employer “  Jay watched Lotor rolled his eyes as he heard that “ And second what am I looking at here “Jay said as he looked at the data pad that showed him cargo Ship routes along with picture of what looked like an Altean ships that looked like the Castle of lions. Jay felt his heart skip a beat but something in the back of his told him that it wasn’t them “ I’m guessing that we’re either looking at we’ve professional photo shopped image or we’ve found are selves another Arc”. Jay said as he handed the table back to Lotor

“ Yes it seems like it” Lotor said 

“ Does The Coalition know About this?” Jay asked 

“ Yes Mr. Holt was the one that informed me about it they already sent a team to recover it and they would like some added protection ”  Lotor said 

“ Alright then I will send the twins to handle it ?’  Jay said

 “ Now that we have that out of the way How are the boy’s doing ?’ Lotor said as the two start walking down the hallway 

“Well their still kind of mad at me for being away from home for long periods of time. But they are enjoying school and having friends their own ages. Fitz is finally getting a hang on math and science. Bastion is getting into some trouble do to his habit of hiding and setting up trip wires during recess which as caused a domino effect where other kids are following suit and several teacher have called me to find him Which is getting annoying because Bastion is getting better at hiding when he doesn’t like the class. Usamu is getting better with his powers we’ve lost a few plates but hey he’s getting better he’s also getting better at painting which is nice the girls are loving school and learning about everything “ Jay’s cheek marks started to glow a little “ As well as Ezra’s as moved” 

“ That’s good to hear “ Lotor said smiling 

“ Now how are you holding up mister emperor of half of the know universe  and how are my favorite generals doing I haven’t had time to call them seeing as I’ve been jumping planet to planet ever other week “ Jay said 

“ Well Acxa has spent most of her free time looking for missing paladins on her off time. Ezor and Zethrid are stomping out any warlord or pirates that dare come in to are territory they have also started dating “ 

“ Weren’t they already dating ?” Jay asked confused

“ I don’t know to be honest. Maybe they were and I’m just noticing it now . But never mind that . As for Narti she’s still recovering from being released from my mother control the druids and doctors say she will be cleared to return to active duty in the next few months”  Lotor said smiling 

“ That’s good to hear I” 

“ As for me. I’m board out of my mind. I don’t know how my Father did it. All I do is still there on the throne reading and listening to people reports. I beardly every get to go out and pilot my pieces of the Ragnarok without being followed by three warships. I missed the old day where I could go where I wanted with out everyone freaking out that I might go missing”  Lotor said 

“ well your the last of the royal blood line so if you go missing there will be a power vacuum that will case a massive civil war that will have either never end or Sendek will show up and wage a one side war against the coalition and one wants that” Jay said 

“ Your not wrong but still I hate it” Lotor said 

“ I know but still you have to do it for the better meant for the universe. “  

“ I know “

“ Now have you gotten back into the dating gaming?” Jay asked 

Lotor froze up and looked towards Jay “ No I haven’t but I have had a fair share of suiters. But none of them have meet my standers” lotor said

“ What are your standers again “ Jay asked knowing something was up 

“ Well they need to be head strong, fun to be round , have to have the same interests as me. Acutely like me for who I am and not what I am” 

“ Allura your still after Allura aren’t you “ Jay said as he opened the building front door letting the Emperor out first “Ever after what she said and did to you” 

“ Ok she called me a  tyrant like my father  and slammed me into the ground. Not the worst thing I’ve been through”

“ That’s true also do you want to come by for dinner seeing as your here and the kids would love to see you again”  Jay said as the hanger door opened to revel the Valkyrie sitting there waiting 

“ Sadly I have to return home I have a meeting in the next two hour “ Lotor said annoyed 

“ That suck” Jay said 

“ It dose but like you said. If I’m not the one doing it some one might get it wrong. Did I say that right ?”  Lotor asked 

“ Yes you did bud “  Jay said laughing a little  

“  Is it time to go my Pilot “  VAl said as she walked toward jay.” Oh hello Emperor Lotor It is nice to see you “  

“ it is good to see you too Val. “ Lotor said 

“ It’s Good to see you as well Is Ragna with you I wish to speak to him about something important?” Val asked 

“Sadly no he is currently Help Acxe in looking for the missing paladins But when I see him again I will tell him that you wish to spoke with him.”  Lotor said as he started walking back towards the ship he came in 

“Thank you and have fun at your meeting “  Val said as jay disappear into her mouth 

“ I’ll try” Lotor said as the Valkyrie started to talk off

The flight home was always a beauty to watch as the twin suns of Hades-4 started to set behind the massive mountain range that surrounded the city of Persephone. It was nice to look at the city below him as they passed by the mountain range  . As they flow out of the city the sight of a massive forest came into view an as they flow over it the sky turned from a dark green to a dark blue starry sky. it was a beautiful sight to and was one  reason he choose this planet as his new home. But the main reason he choose this world was the fact that it was close to the milky way so just in case someone tried to invade it and the school system here was good  for the kid so it was a win/win.

A smile creeped across jays face as the sight of a familiar mountain with a small town in the make at the foot of it. The town didn’t look like much but it was a nice place to start fresh and raise a family. It really helped Jay coup when the others when missing. As the Valkyrie got closer to the town he saw people walking down the street. Some stopped to look up and wave to him. he continued to fly over the town until he go a two story house that was next to a small pond as well as a hanger as they landed near the hanger jay got off Val as she opened the door to her hanger. As Jay was walking back to his house hands in his pockets. He notices that some one was sitting on the front step of the porch. As he got closer to the house he saw Fitz Sitting there talking to someone on his phone 

“ Yeah next week it will be fun just you and me at the festival” Fitz had a smile on his face unaware that his Dad was standing there watching him just out side of the porch light’s reach  .” Yeah I just need to ask my dad “ 

“ Ask me what Fitzy “ Jay said as his cheek marks started to glow  along with his eyes as he stepped into the light 

Fitz screamed at the sudden appearance of his dad “   Hi Dad “

“ Hi Fitz how was your day at school and who are you talking too”  JAy asked as he sat down next to his son

“ It was alright I mean it’s school what is going to happen and i’m taking to Axton “ Fitz put his phone on speaker “ Say hi Axton “

{ Hello Mr. Sorin } a female voice said over the phone 

“ Hello Ms.Mercer exactly what are you and my son plan on doing at this on coming school festival ?” Jay asked looking at His son as their face started to turn a bright shade of green 

{ UUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH nothing we were just going to hang out and play some games right Fitz “  Axton said trying but failing to hide her  embarrassment 

“ Yeah we just going to play some games and ride some rides” Fitz said still blush

“ Alright if that’s all then yes Fitz you can go just be home before midnight “ Jay said as he got up from the stair he was sitting on  and walked to the front door and before opening it jay turned back to look at his son “ And no funny business “ Jay then opened the front door and walked into the house followed by jay yelling “ I’m home” Jay walked into the living room 

“ Hello father” Bastion 

“ Hi dad” Usamu said  

Jay turned to see his other two son both sitting on the couch  Bastion was watching something on the tv while Usamu was drawing in his sketch book

“ Hey kiddos how was school.?” Jay said 

“ Same old same old  “ Usamu  said not looking away from sketch book

“ I punched a guy in the throat because he was picking on some kid in a whee chair “ 

“ First off that not good don’t punch people second of did you get caught punching this guy “ Jay asked 

“ No I punched then ran into the car and then Ezra drove off before anyone could see me “

“ Good to know and good on you for punching him and standing up for that kid. Now don’t do that again . Because I don’t want to hear Mrs. Henbit yelling at the next pta meeting about how her precious baby watched two kids beating the shit out of each other or some other stupid shit she’ll bitch about.”  Jay said annoyed as in the back of his mind he could hear the screech of henbit “ Now what do you guys want for dinner tonight?” Jay asked 

“ Ezra order pizza and took Molly and Clay with them to get it” Bastion said 

“Alright then” Jay walked over to the couch “ what we watching today”  Jay said then he sat down between his two sons and final started to relax from along days work.

[chinatea]

Ian/BG ABO. A bunch of short introductory headcanons + two properly narrated parts.

It all started with this image . And this . And something along the lines of this .

Imagine BG wearing this kind of sexy garb to work. He's a star fashion designer at the Park’s Fashion House founded by his parents. He’s also his daddy's spoilt baby boy and a huge hoe for all things lacy that hug his omega curves just right.

Meanwhile, Ian is swiftly sweeping through the ranks of the company, rubbing shoulders with all the important people, and practically is a sneeze away from becoming Park Senior’s most trusted associate. Some even speculate that the old man is prepping Ian as future mate for his high-maintenance diva son.

BG is as talented as he’s notorious. Not a week goes by without making him the centerpiece of some juicy scandal concerning his private life. And his risque choice of wardrobe has been picked apart many times over by everyone and their uncle. Only BG apologizes for nothing. Especially for showing off his ass. He knows he’s more than that - he’s worked so damn hard to prove that, too. But here is the rub: he’s gotten so attached to his aggressive sexuality that he finds it hard to divorce from it in his private life. Hence a long spell of shallow flings with no strings attached.

In a way, Ian has fallen victim to BG’s image as well. He comes from a close-knit family with traditional views on romance and love which are dear to his heart. As much as he can’t deny his growing attraction to BG, he believes they want different things from life and as such, might never meant to be.

The question, however, is - can he stay away long enough?

~~~

Jiyeon shows up past midnight. As he often does.

“Got stood up,” he drops non-committal, shrugging off his coat into Ian's hands and brushing past him. “Again.”

Ian, in his pajamas, contemplates the coat with a blank stare. A whiff of citruses snags at his nostrils, snapping him back to reality. He yawns - it’s 2AM for god’s sake, on a weekday.

Jiyeon makes himself comfortable on a leather couch - one of Ian's recent upgrades in his condo - one leg bent under his tushie, while Ian busies himself with making them coffee. An espresso cup, tiny as a thimble, for Jiyeon and a hefty mug for himself.

He moves almost on autopilot, like it has become his routine.

“And it was only our second date,” Jiyeon supplies, cheek sinking into his palm, as he stirs his coffee perched precariously on his lap. He looks impossibly bored. “Am I'm growing old? Unattractive?”

Ian snorts. Makes no effort to hide it, too.

“You’re 25, Ji, not 50.”

Jiyeon glowers at him, lush lips pursed into a tight pout.

“Excuse me? Even at 50, I’m gonna be looking like a total snack,” Jiyeon huffs, taking a sip of his coffee, a silly pinkie to the side and everything.

“I won’t argue with that.”

“You better if you know what’s good for you, alpha,” Jiyeon drawls out the last word with a rasp and a cheeky grin. No trace of the pout from seconds ago.

Swallowed by the cast shadows and enveloped into the sensual lace, he looks like a creature from another realm. Years later, it still manages to throw Ian just a tiny bit off-kilter.

“They’re just intimidated by you, Ji,” he says after a moment. “You need to learn how to give your suiters a breather.”

“This again?” Jiyeon straightens up immediately, his coffee set aside, as he hooks one perfect knee over the other, arms hugging the back of the couch. Where other omegas cover and curl into themselves for protection, he expends his presence ever wider - to throttle.

“See?” he says. “You say that but I don’t get it. Honestly, I think it’s bullshit. Since then are alphas intimidated by sexy ass?”

“It’s not about ass, Ji-”

“Very fine ass,” the omega cuts in, petulant.

Ian sighs, eyes glancing skywards.

“It’s about the way you act. Like you need to trample them, bend them to your will before they do you - you know, not all alphas are self-centered jerks who only need one thing. Some of us do want meaningful relationship.”

He didn't mean to say us, turning it into something personal. Last thing he needs is for Jiyeon to sink his teeth into that, like many times before. Funny enough, like many times before, he does just that.

“Is that why you don’t want to sleep with me?” Jiyeon asks point-blank, eyes boring into Ian.

And that's the kind of discussion Ian has sworn to avoid having so late at night. When his brain is sleep-addled. Besides, there is a small window after his coffee intake during which he can still fall asleep like a baby and he intends to make use of that.

“I’m going back to bed, okay?” he says simply. “You can make use of the guest room, as always.”

If it looks like he's running away, he doesn't care. They've been through this so many times, he doesn't know what else to say without sounding very defensive. And just a touch bitter.

“Wait,” Jiyeon calls after him and there is something in his voice, a sliver of desperation that makes Ian holt, facing the omega warily.

“Just...tell me what I’m doing wrong. Please?”

Suddenly he's too close for comfort, looking up at Ian with his beautiful dark eyes that hold the whole world in them. Ian's world.

“For all the allure that you possess, you’re too brittle, Ji. Like you're going to crack when someone says how beautiful you're and genuinely means it. I understand that opening yourself up to someone could be daunting, but unless you take that risk...you might never find the one.”

“Maybe I’ve already found the one,” Jiyeon says. “Maybe I'm just really bad at telling him how I really feel.”

“You don't mean it, Ji,” Ian says. “You don’t even know what real intimacy is. When was the last time you allowed anyone to scent you?”

“I don’t know? When I was a kid?”

“Your dad doesn’t count.”

Jiyeon frowns, teeth sinking into his bottom lip, as he fails to come up with an answer.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Well, maybe I don’t like it? You let those knotheads scent you and next thing you know they think they own you or something,” Jiyeon says, a tiny scrunch wrinkling up his nose, as he shudders visibly to add to his point.

“Then, there you have it, Ji,” Ian says, resigned. What did he expect really. For Jiyeon to agree with him for a change? Right. “It’s really late, so...”

“I’m not done yet,” Jiyeon interrupts, voice rising in pitch before he trails off, eyes settled elsewhere. He heaves a breath. “I guess...it won’t be too bad if you do that to me.”

The words ring in Ian’s ears as he blinks at him, dumbfounded.

“You want me to scent you?” he asks, throat dry.

Jiyeon meets his eyes, nodding sheepishly. His scent bleeds thicker into the space between them - a clear sign that he’s nervous. Or afraid. Or aroused. It’s hard to tell sometimes with the omegas. It’s even harder with Jiyeon who keeps so many things locked tight and safe inside his gentle soul.

Ian couldn’t possibly turn him away. Even if it kills him a tiny bit to have him so close and out of reach all the same.

“Can we do that on the bed though?” Jiyeon asks and before Ian can object, quickly adds. “I just think that would be more comfortable. That’s all.”

(That’s all, he said.)

“Okay, but no sexy things,” Ian warns. If he is to survive this, some clear-cut boundaries need to be drawn here. “Just scenting.”

If Jiyeon is disappointed, he doesn’t show it. His tentative smile invites a dimple to appear to the side of his mouth.

“No sexy things, got it.”

Ian regrets caving to Jiyeon's will the moment the omega plops down on his bed, all pliant and domestic after a quick shower. Draped in a sweatshirt he borrowed from Ian. It slips prettily down his shoulder and Ian knows, this instant, he's in for a world of pain tonight.

(There is no scouring this image out of his mind now, either.)

“Ji,” Ian asks quietly, hand wrapped around the bend of his elbow. “Is this okay?”

“You don’t have to act like I’m going to break any second, you know?” Jiyeon assures him with a lazy smile, but Ian can sense how tense he is all over. How new this is to him.

A wave of protectiveness rises in him, his instincts urging him to reach out and comfort the omega he thinks of as special. And unlike other times, Ian does just that.

“I know how strong you are, Ji,” he starts, palm gliding down his forearm soothingly. His voice rumbles warmly. “You don't have to prove anything to me. I'm not here to fight you or hurt you. I just want to know you better, the most intimate part of you - your scent.”

Ian nuzzles the inner side of his wrist, where one of the scent glands is located. This is as far as scenting between close friends usually goes. And Ian is perfectly content to leave things there tonight, maintaining some distance between them and his sanity, too.

That is, until Jiyeon opens up his neck and, when Ian doesn't bite (metaphorically), pulls at him with a barely audible whine to hurry him along. Ian succumbs with a sigh, settling down to curl his body along Jiyeon's. His nose finds the smooth curve of his bared shoulder, scenting along it, skin as soft as velvet, before inching his way towards the real treat.

With the scent-enhancers washed off, the omega’s natural scent comes forth, seeping into Ian’s consciousness, rich and honeyed. In contrast to his overpowering persona, it’s gentle - a sweet tinge of citruses and underneath it, the soothing earthy fragrance that is inherently Jiyeon’s. Ian could spend his whole life enveloped in his scent that brings back the yearning that is larger than sexual desire. Like Jiyeon could really be the one for him.

Lost to his emotional state, Ian is slow to notice the slight shift in Jiyeon’s posture as he tilts his head, perhaps even subconscious, so their lips line up in invitation for a perfect kiss. He watches Ian, waiting for the alpha to take the first step - to take what is offered willingly. Ian feels his resolve waver, almost leaning in. Almost.

He closes his eyes, sucking in breath, and moves away.

“Don’t you want to kiss me?” Jiyeon asks quietly, rising on his elbow, the haze in his gaze slowly dissipating to reveal genuine sadness.

“More than anything,” Ian says, candid.  

“Then what’s stopping you?”

Ian has been asking himself this question ever since they met, really. Maybe it all boils down to his alpha pride. Deep down he hates the idea of becoming nothing more than one of Jiyeon's flings. That even he won't be able to make Jiyeon open up to him.

“I don't think both of us are ready for it yet.”

“Yet?”

“Let’s just sleep, okay?” Ian says. “You can stay here if you want.”

“Fine.”

Jiyeon lets out a little annoyed puff of breath, aggressively wiggling onto his side in a huff.

“Will you spoon me at least? Or is it too sexy for you, too?”

Ian cracks a smile against himself.

“Yeah, we can do that.”

After a few moments of kicking around and fitting their limbs into place, they settle finally, with Ian’s body curled along Jiyeon’s back. His nose is tucked into his neck and it’s pure bliss. Just this is enough, he thinks.

Jiyeon takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. Little by little, the tension in him dissipates, breath evening out as he falls asleep. And before long, Ian follows him, too.

---

Alphas and omegas have three main clusters of scent glands that are located around their hands, neck and groin. Wrist scenting and occasionally neck scenting is reserved for friends and family. And groin scenting is obviously done between lovers/mates only.

(The idea comes from doggos that smell each other's butts because there are scent glands there. Do with that mental image whatever you want now. Have fun.)

Part two picks up a year later, the day after they mate-marry and stuff. It’s already written, I just need some time to polish things up. Until then.

[psychnerd47]

Monster College Part 3

Rating PG, warnings mentions of underage drinking (not portrayed positively), and prescription medications (used as prescribed). 

Characters: Deuce Gorgon, Jackson Jekyll, Operetta, Cleo de Nile, Invisi-Billy, Frankie Stein, Robecca Steam, and Toralei Stripes

   After convincing Jackson to come out from hiding, Deuce decided to go back to his dorm room to meet his overly clingy girlfriend, Cleo de Nile. She insisted on spending every free moment with him.

The mummy princess laid sprawled on her back on Deuce’s bed. “We are totally going to Operetta’s party tonight, and then we need to have to throw one of our own,” Cleo told her boyfriend.

Deuce sighed, “Things are different now. I am going to have a lot of homework for my culinary arts degree. I also am going to have bi-weekly labs I need to be prepared for, and I still want to play basketball with Clawd and Heath sometimes, so I won’t always be able to be at your beck and call,” the gorgon boy explained.

“But Deuce,” the mummy princess cried, “we always do everything together.”

“Not everything,” Deuce countered.

“You know what I mean,” Cleo looked like she was about to throw one of her famous royal hissy fits.    

        Before Cleo could escalate, Jackson burst in through the door. Catching both Cleo and Deuce by surprise. Deuce turned towards Jackson and whispered, “Thanks, I owe you bro,”

The nerdy human boy shrugged his shoulders and sat down at his desk, he began to pull out the note books where he had written down all his homework.

“You’re just going to let him sit there, while we are in here?” Cleo asked Deuce with disgust.

“Well it’s his room too,” Deuce explained, “I’ve been thinking Cleo, it might be best if we have some space from each other.”

Cleo got a dumbfounded expression on her face. “I give you space,” Cleo was horrified that her boyfriend would make such a statement.  “I always give you space,”

 Deuce clicked his tongue, “No you don’t, when we were in high school you would barely let me leave to go to the men’s bathroom.” Deuce knew he wasn’t going to win this, but he could make it sound less bad. “I’m not breaking up with you, I’ll even go to Operetta’s party with you. I just can’t spend all my time with you,” the gorgon boy explained.  The look Cleo got on her face suggested that she might have actually understood him.    

                  *                                                 *                                          *

 “I didn’t realize you were throwing a party,” Invisi-Billy admitted.

 “Well, Johnny and I thought it would a clawsome way to start the school year before we hit the grind. You can invite Scarah, she’s still your huckleberry, ain’t she,” Operetta shot Billy a sassy glance.  

 “Um, yes. I just don’t know if this kind of party is really her thing.” The disappearing boy admitted.    

“You don’t have to worry. It’s not some crazy party, just some cool music played by Johnny and me and some pizza and soda pop. There absolutely will not be any booze, everyone but Johnny and Valentine are underage. I may not like rules, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my days doing the jail house rock.”  The Phantom’s daughter gave Billy a great big smile as she started to walk away she called out one more thing with a laugh, “Be there or be square,”

Back at the dorm Deuce and Cleo were helping Jackson decide what to wear to Operetta’s party in hopes of impressing Frankie. “Jackson, why are all your clothes almost the same,” the mummy princess said with disgust in her voice. Jackson awkwardly shrugged his shoulders. Cleo pulled a pair of blue plaid shorts and a yellow polo shirt from Jackson’s dresser, “These will be prefect.  Put them on a see how they look,” Cleo ordered the human boy.

“Just don’t look while I change,” Jackson snapped.

Jackson felt awkward in the clothes, “I look stupid,” he lamented.

“You look amazing,” Cleo gushed, “now we just need to slick back all your out of control hair.”  The mummy princess sprayed some sort of gel like substance in Jacksons black hair with yellow tips that were caused by a lab accident. She pulled hard with a comb until his hair finally slicked down. “Do you have any contacts?” she asked him,

Jackson sighed, “No, my eyes are to sensitive for that. But I do have prescription sunglasses,” the nerdy human boy offered.

“It’s at night and you don’t have Deuce’s petrifying ability, stick with the regular glasses. I’ll just put some of this magical acne cream invented by Great Uncle Tut. Then you will perfect. Frankie will be so impressed.”  

 Meanwhile, Invisi-Billy sat in his room. Heath was playing Graveyard Dash 5 on his x-box. Robecca Steam sat next to Billy on his bed. Robecca was a steampunk robot who had been built in Victorian England, though she was technically really old she was young at heart and  an amazing listener.

“I don’t know how to tell Scarah that I want to change my major?” the invisible boy asked his robotic friend, “She was so excited about me wanting to become a doctor. I don’t know how my parents will feel about it either.” A small tear rolled down Billy’s pale face.

 “If they truly love you, they will support you in whatever you choose to do educationally.” Robecca said in her in her charming British accent.  

“Thank you,” Billy said with a smile, “you are a great listener.”

                               *                                   *                                                   *

        Operetta’s party at the student union was up to an awesome start.  She was playing a gentle Rockabilly tune on her bass guitar, and Johnny Spirit accompanied her on his fiddle. The Rockabilly phantom and the ghostly greaser were taking care to not play there music too loud for Jackson’s sake. Cleo and Deuce, Lagoona and Gil were dancing in pairs to the music. Billy and Scarah were talking to each other by the food table, and Heath was trying to flirt awkwardly with Abbey Bominable.

  While all this was going on, Jackson sat by himself away from the stage. Frankie, the daughter of Frankenstein’s monster, spied him right away. She was wearing a blue plaid print party dress with a yellow sweater. Frankie’s black and white hair was styled in away that Jackson found beautiful. “What are you wearing?” she asked with a laugh.  

 Jackson gave a small chuckle, “Cleo chose this outfit.”

    “It shows. It looks a bit flashy for you,” the stitched together girl explained.

    “You don’t like it?” Jackson asked with a tone of concern in his voice.

     “I do like it, I love anything you wear, because I love you,” Frankie explained.

    “Have you been taking your anxiety medication? You’ve seen a bit more high-strung than normal.” The Frankenstein girl explained.  

 “I’ve been taking it as prescribed” Jackson explained, “I’m just having a difficult time adjusting to the changes of going away for college for the first time.”

      Frankie looked at Jackson sympathetically, she reached out and gently touched his hand, “We’ll get through this together”.

A young male vampire walked up to the stage. His was dressed in black dress coat, crimson waist coat, paired with a white ruffle shirt accented with gold jewelry, all trademarks of Valentine, a once suiter of Draculaura who had once liked to collect broken hearts. “I would like to request a song,” he called out in his Southern accent.

“Ok, sugar plum, but me and Johnny here have one more in our line up first,” Operetta called out.

The Rockabilly phantom and the ghostly greaser started to play an upbeat toon. “Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans, way back in the woods among the evergreens, There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood, And lived a country boy named Johnny B Goode,” Operetta and Johnny Spirit sang together, “ he never learned to read or write to well but he could play a guitar like ringing a bell, Go Johnny Go, Go Joh—” a loud noise interrupted the song.

It sounded almost like gunshots at first but then became it was terrible hip-hop music being blasted through a boombox. “You didn’t think you could have a party and not invite me,” Toralei the catty and conceited orange were-cat meowed.  

 Operetta grew mad, “I didn’t invite you because you remind me of a word that begins a “B” and rhymes with “hitch”, you are selfish and think it’s fun to ruin things that are important to other people.” The Rockabilly phantom was getting steamed, her light lilac color face started to turn red.

“But Operetta,” Toralei said coyishly, “ I don’t think only of myself. That’s why I had Manny bring the booze.”

A look of horror came over the faces of many of the monsters at the party. Before anyone could say anything, the large Minotaur burst in with a keg over each shoulder, followed by some fraternity goons carrying other cases of alcoholic beverages.

“Please take your booze and leave,” Robecca demanded. But unfortunately, her voice was drowned out by the goons yelling, and the booming hip-hop music.

“Please stop!!!” Jackson yelled out in panic as he tried to cover his ears, but it was no use. He had already started to transform. 

tags @queenofworry

[late2theshow]

Glimadora Fanfic: A Helping Wing

When Angella realizes Glimmer has a crush on Adora she attempts to aid her daughter in her courtship. 

Angella sat next to her daughter under the stars of the castle open ball room balcony.  The other members of the princess alliance were below them—The party was slowly coming to the close as many where leaving the castle.  Angella’s serious face began to make a warm smile as she watched a handsome young man from the Mermista’s castle give Glimmer a wave goodbye with a huge smile on his face.  Glimmer returned the wave goodbye but did not give the same enthusiastic smile.  With more and more alliance members co-existing in each other’s kingdoms it would not be too long before other nobles would ask for Glimmer’s affections.  It was the same for Angella many years ago.  She turned to her daughter and inquired.

“A nice young man, is he not?”

Glimmer shrugged “Yeah, he was nice.  I don’t remember his name though”

Angella let out a slight chuckle “I suppose he did not make too much of an impression, though did he?”

“Not really, none of them did” She sighed and rested her face into forearms over the balcony. This made the Queen’s eyes widen. Her daughter was disappointed that she didn’t connect with someone.  She figured it was good as time as any for a short story on how she met her father.

“You know, I met your father around your age.  We had seen each other many times prior at balls and other parties but never directly spoken to one another.  But when we did it was a slow start and we were very happy when we started to—”

“Mom! What are you talking about?!” Glimmer exclaimed.

Angella cleared her throat “I was just trying to tell you to be patient around these young men and you’ll find one who is a proper suiter”

Glimmer groaned and began to walk away “I don’t care about that mom!”

Angella looked at her daughter as she walked away and asked “I know you don’t want to tell me, but—I am here for you if you want to”

Glimmer looked back and met her mother’s eyes.  She frowned. She wasn’t going to like admitting this, but she needed to tell someone.  She turned back around to her and started with what had make her upset in the first place.

“When we were down there, Adora and I were being gushed over by every boy in all the Kingdoms, they all said we were heroes and were……. pretty” her cheeks started to heat up. Telling her mother this was not easy. “Then Adora started to get more attention by everyone and—”

Angella pulled her daughter into a hug for comfort.  She felt understood why she was upset.  Adora was a very pretty girl and it must have felt like a competition for affection from other people down there.  

Glimmer returned the hug. And then pulled away to not face her mother.  She looked almost sad.

“Glimmer, sweetheart You’re a very beautiful girl.  Adora may have received more attention tonight, but that doesn’t mean you wont in the future” Angella tried to assure her.   Glimmer sighed “Adora is beautiful, but that’s not why I am upset”

Angella gave her a confused look “Then what is?”

Glimmer didn’t want to tell her.  It was embarrassing to admit it and she hasn’t even told Bow how she feels, but she needed to say it.

Glimmer then said softly—almost in a whimper “I don’t want Adora to date anyone unless that person is—”

Before she could answer the clacking of heals coming from the doorway to the balcony was heard—Adora was only a few feet away and Glimmer immediately moved from her mother to and right to Adora.  “There you are! Bow wanted me to come me to get you, so we can—Oh, Good evening you Majesty” she bowed quickly as to show manners after rushing into – whatever they were just doing before she interrupted them.  Angella gave her a soft smile and nodded to her daughter who was happy to see Adora.  She was proud her kind hearted, and sensitive child; who was so loving and good towards her friends.  This felt like a good way to end the night bonding and being proud of Glimmer.

 The Next morning the three sat down for breakfast.  Angella had warmed up to Adora very well and the three now often made sure to spend some time together during the morning.  Breakfast was the easiest.  Not too much talking though.  Adora may have been at the castle for almost a year now—but her face stuffing eating habits from the hoard would still sometimes show.  Angella knew the young one didn’t know better and she wasn’t trying to offend.  In the corner of her eye she watched her daughter unable to take her eyes off Adora—almost in an infatuated way.  When a light pink cream puff pastry left a bit of jelly on Adora’s face, Glimmer was quick to over to wipe it off.  

Angella never paid the two girls’ affection any mind before.  They were both quite clingy – as it were.  Then Angela realized what Glimmer was going to say the night Prior.

Adora is beautiful and that went noticed by anyone, and it seems the princess has an eye on her in way that she found almost cute.  Her brash, stubborn daughter, now shy and timid around someone. She knew what Glimmer wanted.

Glimmer wanted Adora to herself—in a rather affectionate way.  Glimmer then had a bit of food on cheek which Adora then returned the favor to wipe it off her

“Hey, you give me grief when I do it and—you’re doing the same thing” Adora Teased.

Glimmer let out a giggle “At least I don’t—”

Her eyes caught her mother’s smile.  Angella gave her an “I know, what’s going on here” and she instantly blushed and accidentally teleported herself to the other side of the room but didn’t navigate to where and just ended up smacking into a wall and landing on her back.  Now—more embarrassed for making a scene.  She looked back to see Adora rushing to her.  

“Glimmer? Did your powers glitch? Did you want to teleport that far away?”  Adora questioned in worried tone.  

Angella came over to, adding further embarrassment.  “I’m sure it was a slipped reflect, Adora.  If you would be so kind and excuse us for a moment; I just want to make sure Glimmer is okay”  

Adora nodded and did as se was asked; leaving a blushing Glimmer standing next to her mother.  Angella made sure Glimmer was okay before she let out a soft chuckle.  “Your father was shy when we first started to talk.  He accidently teleported himself into any walls and a few fountains when we began our betrothal.  It was quite cute”

Glimmer groaned and covered her face with her hands.  “Great, dads to blame for my powers acting weird”

Angella smiled and kissed Glimmer’s forehead.  “Your smitten for Adora, is that right?”

Glimmer avoid her mother’s gaze and lied “N-no” she exclaimed, and her powers made her teleport back to her chair on the other side of the room.  

Angella made her way over and smiled.  “Adora is a very beautiful young lady.  It’s understandable”

Glimmer whined “But, she’s my friend.  I can’t like-like a friend”

Angella raised an eyebrow and remined Glimmer of her first crush.  “Remember, Bow? when you were 7? You said he was going to be a king when you’re the queen”  

Glimmer wished her mother didn’t remind of her of such an embarrassing childhood memory.

Glimmer took a quick sip of her drink on the table “That was when I was 7, I’m 16 now”

Angella let out a giggle as “You’ll find something out, dear”

Glimmer whined “Ugh, this is going to be so hard”

Angella nodded “It too your father time to admit his affection to me, he accidently teleported himself into your Aunt Casta’s fountain and took me with him”

Glimmer let out a small giggle.  Her mother patted her back in assurance.  

“You’ll figure this out, dear” Angella assured her.

Glimmer nodded and made her way to leave the dining hall.  Angella was happy to offer her daughter comfort but now her duty as a mother needed to figure out some things for herself.  

Does Adora return the same affections as Glimmer?

[the--blackdahlia]

Past Lives (Castiel x Reader)

Title: Past Lives 

Summary:  Over many lifetimes, in different vessels, Cas always found her.

Warnings: Language maybe?

AN: A request by @coralturtlenut for a song request thingy.

Sometimes the vessel Cas was using grew old, grew tired, became injured, or something else. Cas had been around since the planet was created, watching over the fragile ecosystem as it grew and flourished. But out of everything he saw, his favorite creation was a young maiden he met once in the early years of civilization, when cities were a new invention and sorcery was a punishable crime.

Her name was Rebecca and he fell in love with her while in the body of a herder. She would bring him vegetables from her father’s market, even if it was just an excuse to come talk to him.

When she died, it was hard on him. He hadn’t really been close to anyone who had died before, but she had stolen a piece of his heart and took it with her when she died. Gabriel tried to help him work through it, but he moved on to his next vessel, hoping that it would help with the pain.

It was several hundred years later when he saw her again. He knew it was her. She looked the same, but different at the same time. Her name was Ellyn this time. She was working as a handmaiden at a palace, tending to a princess. She acted like she knew Cas, even though he was in a different body. Some of his brothers and sisters had faced punishment for being with a human, and Cas wasn’t going to go down the same path.

“Just go for it.” Balthazar told him. “I’ll keep your secret.”

“I can’t.” Cas said. “I know her from her past. I loved her in the past. But I’ve seen what has happened to some of our brothers and sisters. I can’t.”

“Oh, just do it before you lose her again.” Balthazar said. Cas wanted to, he really did. But a plague swept through the country and Ellyn succumbed to it. Cas and Balthazar had done the best they could to help the people, but they were reassigned to someplace else and seperated.

Cas travelled to the New World in a new body many, many years later. He hadn’t seen her again. He doubted he would. Until he came across a young seamstress being courted by a soldier. Her name was Sarah, and though her hair was a different shade and her eyes fell on another, he knew it was her.

“Through several lifetimes, over several centuries, I always find her.” Cas admitted to Anael as he looked out the window of the house they were living in.

“Are we writing poetry now?” Anael asked as she brushed out her hair. “You spent too much time hanging out with Shakespeare in England.”

“It’s true.” Cas sighed. She shook her head.

“You know that talk like that is dangerous.” She pointed out. “I’d hate to see you get in trouble. You know what happened with Akobel.” Cas sighed and nodded. He got to spend time with Sarah though. Her young suiter was off, fighting for a cause.

But, yet again, he lost her again when an opposing army invaded her town. Him and Anael fought, but were forced to flee. They weren’t even supposed to fight. Looking back on it now, Cas should’ve seen that Anael would do what it took to look after herself.

Cas lived on, falling into line and watching as great wars broke out, as genocides happened, as good men were shot and evil men took their place. He was sure that she wasn’t coming back this time. It had been many, many years since he saw her living as Sarah. The last time he talked to her was then. Part of him wish he had just been greedy back then and rode off with her. He would have faced the consequences later on. But he was a good soldier and he saw what happened to all the other angels who had laid with a human, and what had happened to Lucifer.

In 1979, he was assigned to watch over a newborn baby boy, who was joined four years later by a brother. He watched over them as their house caught fire and their mom died, as their father became consumed by revenge, as they separated and joined back together. He had plenty to keep himself busy as he watched over these two boys, until one day their paths crossed with (Y/n). Cas knew her anywhere.

“Cas, this is (Y/n). She’s the daughter of one of dad’s friends.” Dean said, introducing her to him. When she stuck out her hand to shake his, there was a spark between the two of them. When Dean left to talk to Sam about something, (Y/n) smiled over at Cas.

“Castiel?” She asked softly. He looked at her. “You might wear a different face, but I know you anywhere.” He froze. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’ve had dreams of my past lives. And you are in every single one of them.”

“I…” Cas started to say. She was psychic. She could look into the past obviously. She could see herself then.

She could see him, no matter which body he was in.

“All I can say is, this time, you should make a move.” She smiled at him then went to help the Winchester’s with their current problem. Cas felt his cheeks turn red, but he would remember her advice.

He just really needed Dean to teach him about how to make a move on her.

Forever Tags: @newtospnfandom @walkingkhaleesi @kenzie-110101 @aiaranradnay @theas-bedtime-stories @secretlyshycomputer @bandobsession98 @crownedloki @cutie1365 @nanie5 @whatisauser @skeetskeetfucker @sammat97 @dslocum89 @af112992 @marvel-af @amheimb @dekahg

Castiel/Misha Tags: @lauuerodz

Supernatural Tags: @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @essie1876 @smoothdogsgirl @sabigmart @jadepc @winchestergeekfreak

[avonromance]

Get a Head Start on New Avon Titles Hitting the Shelves Next Week!

Alisha Rai returns with her third, and final, installment of her Forbidden Hearts Series with Hurts to Love You.

Evangeline Chandler is the youngest heiress to the Chandler fortune and has the money to buy anything she wants… but what she wants can’t be bought. Her older brother’s long-time friend Gabriel Hunter, who is also the son of the family’s housekeeper, temps her to break all of the rules regarding who may be a potential suiter. At the same time, as Eve has matured, Gabe hasn’t been able to restrict himself from wondering what it would be like to engage the primal urges he feels towards her. During a large Chandler wedding mishap, Gabe and Eve find themselves trapped together in an empty cabin toeing the line between right and wrong. 

Start reading to find out what happens between the tattooed bad-boy and the supposed well-behaved youngest Chandler today in Hurts to Love you!

Will a longtime friendship turn into something more following Ranger’s return to Cupid, Texas?  

Ember Alzate is a master matchmaker, however, she can’t seem to find love for herself. Throughout generations, the Alzate family relies on one simple qualification for finding “the one”, which is hearing a sweet-sounding humming in your head. Ember has put her own love life on pause until her longtime best friend, Ranger Lockhart, turns to her to help him settle down upon his return to Cupid, Texas. What Ranger has known, and what Ember will not admit to, is that they belong together. Ranger admires Ember for her curves, sass, and outrageousness… everything that the other men believed needed to be tamed.

Enjoy a sneak preview of Lori Wilde’s newest installment of her Cupid, Texas series…How the Cowboy was Won available next week!

Next week, Lenora Bell delivers historical romance fans another steamy installment of School for Dukes with What a Difference a Duke Makes!

Mari Perkins is as resourceful as they come. After falling victim to a theft of everything she owns, concurrently causing a damaging late arrival to the premier governess staffing agency, she believed that she had lost all chances to salvage a life for herself. However, when she overhears that the Duke of Banksford, Edgar Rochester, couldn’t hold down a governess due to his unruly children, she grasps the opportunity with both hands. Upon meeting the wickedly handsome Duke, Mari realizes that this position might pose more of a challenge than she previously thought.

Get a head start on whether the Mari is able to keep her hands off of her enticing employer in What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell!

Eva Leigh continues her newest series, The London Underground, with Counting on a Countess.

The scandalous ways of the newly minted Earl of Blakemere, Christopher “Kit” Ellingsworth, has nearly left his estate destitute, until a wealthy mentor leaves him a sizable fortune with his passing. Acquiring this wealth would solve all of Kit’s problems, if it didn’t come with one stipulation… the notorious bachelor must marry within one month. To Kit’s luck, the bold and beautiful Miss Tamsyn Pearce is in town at just the right time, and under potentially perfect circumstances.

Get a head start to see if Kit is able to woo the morally focused, yet illicitly criminal, Tamysn in Counting on a Countess…available next week!

Tess Diamond reappears with her third romantic thriller, Be a Good Girl. 

Fifteen years ago, in a small rural town, everyone thought a local woman was murdered by the nefarious serial killer Doctor X. Doctor X has been serving his dues to society for some time now, however, the deceased woman’s best friend, Abigail Winthrop, does not believe her town is safe from her friend’s true murderer. Abby tries to turn to the FBI, however, she is countlessly turned down as the case has long been closed. Thankfully, Abby remembers a previously close friend – and the boyfriend of the deceased at the time of the murder –  happens to be the head of an elite FBI unit, Special Agent Paul Harrison. Paul and Abby pair up together to solve the murder… and incidentally re-ignite their controversial attraction towards one another.

Start reading Be a Good Girl… available next week!

[areyoulookingforanintern]

WEAVING STORIES /Artefact Magazine

Originally published on Artefact Magazine, 

https://www.artefactmagazine.com/2020/01/29/weaving-stories/

Fate is a funny thing; the ancient Greeks believed it was the Moirai, who controlled fate through the art of spinning and weaving. One crone to hold the string, another to measure it out, and the final crone to decide when it is time to cut.

Penelope, the wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, was a weaver; it was said that she would weave a shroud by day and unravel it by night to keep potential suiters at bay while she waited for Odysseus to return.

The Roman poet, Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid), wrote about the story of Philomela: a Princess raped by the husband of her sister. The husband threatened her to keep silent, but she was defiant, and had her tongue cut out as punishment.

Unable to speak, she wove the story into a tapestry and sent it to her sister. The sisters killed the sons born to the husband and served them to him in a meal; praying to the gods for protection, Philomela and her sisters were turned into a nightingale and a swallow.

Weaving, one of the oldest skills, is intertwined in everything: from our myths to our clothes, and yet it is a medium that is under-acknowledged.

Premier Vision is one of the leading French companies responsible for organizing textile and fashion trade shows. Twice a year, they host trade shows that revolve around a changing concept. For the Feburary 2020 show the brief is the word ‘Revelry’, meaning lively and noisy festivities.

UAL weaving student Caitlin Hartmann will be attending the show with samples of her textile work and hopes that she will be able to sell her unique designs.

Caitlin has chosen to interoperate with the Premier Vision brief, ‘Revelry’, in a fantastical way, coincidentally in spirit with the myths and stories surrounding the actual skill. “I wanted to look at something much more frivolous essentially. The brief itself is called ‘Revelry’ so you want it to be something fun” Caitlin said. Drawing inspiration from the nature of Scotland, her own photography, and exhibitions she had seen recently, she emphasised a William Blake exhibition at the Tate Britain.

“He often looks at things about the supernatural and fairies. A few of them really drew themselves to me. I realised I kept going back to that way of thinking [about Revelry], so I thought I would look into something to do with fairies or mythologies, thinking about summer solstice and all the abbreviations of that [like] looking into Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

In connection to Scotland, where Caitlin spent her summer and visited right before Christmas, inspiration was found in poems about the Lady of the Lake, connected to the Scottish lake, Loch Arthur.

“When I looked down the pathway of the Lady of the Lake, a lot of the poems that were written about her were all based on lakes in a really Moor-y Scotland and by the lochs; so, it is really misty and blue, pale and magical in that sense”.

During her trips to Scotland, Caitlin’s photography is mainly based on different elements of water, mist, and fog. That kind of drew me down a pathway of looking at things from woodland to water”.

During her trips to Scotland, Caitlin’s photography is mainly based on different elements of water, mist, and fog. That kind of drew me down a pathway of looking at things from woodland to water”.

While on one of her trips to visit her dad in Scotland, they went to a new restaurant that opened in Newport-on-Tay. The restaurant has an amazing view over the river Tay, allowing guests to see two bridges that cross the river to Dundee.

“I photographed it whilst I was in the restaurant at lunchtime and it had the most beautiful foggy-misty scene, and different tones of blue”. Caitlin prints all her photographic research out on high-quality photography paper as the colour can change drastically from what is seen on a phone and what is seen in real life – this always helps with colour matching when shopping for yarn.

The main trio that provides the overarching colour inspiration for Caitlin’s piece for Premier Vison are blue; all three photos have a variant of grey and blue gradients going through the picture.

The pictures were all taken at different times of the day during the visit, which gives a much richer sense of tone to the area, as well as an understanding how a place can change so drastically.

The main blue collection can be compared, and aligned with this photo taken outside the restaurant. By then the day had turned into a much darker and moodier colour – just before nightfall.

The greys and blues tie well with the main blue collection seen above. However, the photo also has whites and pinks, offering further connection with the more moss and tree oriented pictures and their colour scheme.

The greys featured in the photo are also similar to the greys used in William Blake’s ‘Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing’, as well as the light peachy pink.

The winding for this photograph uses green, pink, and a light brown – corresponding well with the other earthy photos she has produced. The winding mimics the way that the colour travels through the photo, no matter what way the winding is rotated.

This colour palette stays coherent throughout all the natural and earthy research photos – it is important to note that black is never used in any of the windings as it is much too harsh.

This photo of a tree stump closely aligning with the imagery of William Blake’s Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing, in colour scheme but also in imagery: “This was the photo that was taken from the wood recycling place, it has connotations of fairy wings or moth wings inside bark of the tree. I thought it was really beautiful”.

Similar to the bark with fairy wings, this photo of a beached jellyfish carries the same colour palette but with almost more of a celestial feeling; again bringing in connotations to William Blake’s work, specifically the Angels Hovering over The Body of Christ in the Sepulchre.

The navy used in the natural windings is also keeps up with the main trio of blues taken at the Newport on Tay restaurant. “I didn’t want to make it too harsh, I wanted to make it like it bonded with the rest of the work.

I am using these navy colours in some of my other pieces I thought it translate easier into the blue sections”.

“The last vestiges of autumn, I really like the different shaping and how it travelled around. It is a much closer detail as opposed to looking at something as a whole, far away in the landscape”, offering contrast to looking at the leaf as whole object on its own, Caitlin also has a companion photo that offers the alternative perspective of the whole landscape.

The colour scheme of greens and delicate reds and oranges, the reminiscence of autumn before winter, stay the same but the context changes giving it new meaning and understanding.

The corresponding windings for the images featured more mossy tones that are less hard and cold than the bark and jellyfish windings.

The research that goes into developing one of Caitlin’s textile designs is not always necessarily imagery-based. “I often think it is quite hard to look into what other weavers might do; It’s amazing to see the history of weave before you, but to then translate that into your own work can often be seen as copying”.

Instead Caitlin would rather draw inspiration from fine artists and other textile designers, and then go off a do research through photography and drawings. “It is a process of looking at the world around you based on the influence of the theme that you are going for, and then translating that through paintings in my art book, that will form the basis.”

Alternatively, lots of inspirations or research for Caitlin’s projects comes from interviews with people that are relevant to the chosen theme. “I will start, quite unusually I think, from a word basis to then get colour depictions and ideas from”.

Her last project looked at alternating perspectives in contrast to her own; the project was based in and about Morocco. “I wanted to think about the way I see Morocco and the way someone the same age as me, who is at the same point in life as me, sees the country completely differently based on different perspectives”.

During a trip to Morocco, Caitlin met a boy, same age as her and in the same point of life, who’s perspective of Morocco became the ground research for the project.

Throughout the project, Caitlin kept in constant dialogue with the boy about how they each see colour differently. Asking him series of questions about how he saw Morocco.

“One of his answers that really caught me was when I asked him to summarize it through this colour perceptive, he said that he saw it as a mixture of dark colours with small drops of red that are filled with the love that his family have for him. That then formed the grounds for the majority of my weaving”.

Caitlin made her warp threads, the threads used to weave into, out of blue-black and green threads. An extra warp, which you can bring in and out of the weaving, of red thread was used to convey the red drops filled with familiar love. She conducted three formal interviews with her friend: one in the beginning, one in the middle, and one in the end, to keep a constant communication between research and researching – like live fact-checking.

After the first interview, Caitlin created a colour pallet purely based off of what she had been told, this helped her make colour studies surrounding the raw pallet.

She sent them to her friend and asked if this is what he meant when he was being interviewed the first time, “the colours had changed meaning; I showed him a colour of red, he said initially it meant happiness but I mixed it with a much darker tone and added some different bits of black to it, so he said no, this now represents more of a depression.

“I said it was still the same colour you [he] told me, he said when you have added these other components it has changed the meaning. It really shows how colour is such a fluid concept, and that it changes depending on perspective and position in the world”. His response to her first colour studies made her tweak and change it until eventually her final piece was created, this she sent to him too for a final interview.

The final piece was very different to the initial samplings that Caitlin has made and become attached too, but the end result was a harmonious mix between what she had seen in Morocco as a visitor and what he had experienced in Morocco as a native – further emphasising her original understanding of differing perspectives despite being that same age and at the same point of their lives.

Conducting interviews functions as a major part of project research makes the pieces have a much deeper meaning and connection, in contrast to only responding to imagery with no outside viewpoints or information – very different from the current Premier Vision project that is majorly based on reaction to imagery.

Research stemming from a word basis to create colour depiction was only a recent methodology that Caitlin experimented with during her foundation year – at the beginning of her fascination with textiles.

Her final major project, Connotations of Love, was based on paternal love. “I started looking at how different people all understood the same word that we have, that covers so many different things. I wanted to uncover how multi-faceted and fluid the word, and the nature of the word, is”.

Caitlin interviewed her twin sister about her relationship with their father, one that has always been very interesting, she also went ahead and interviewed her.

She also spoke to own father about his relationship to his fathers, “he has his biological one and his stepfather, both of who he has had really difficult relationships with at times… his biological father he did not speak to for 10 years for different reasons, he understood that having two [fathers] did not change the love”.

Caitlin also sought interviews from outside her own family, asking a friend who has never met her father her understanding of paternal love and how different it is for Caitlin and her sister’s understanding and perspective of paternal love. “Love is just a word, it is how you attribute it to your own life that gives it meaning; it is a neutral term, but how you experience can make it good or bad”.

The final piece became very 3D based and interactive for the audience, shown alongside snapshots of the various interviews that Caitlin had done. The main element in the final piece were three large pieces of wood that had been found at a wood recycling place near Caitlin’s house.

“There are these massive pieces of wood that they have, that people have donated or cut down from trees to help repurpose them. They have their own workshop and factory which they make handcrafted items from. I picked this one huge piece of tree with the bark still attached on the edges, which is really rough and natural. They cut it down for me into three pieces which formed the three pillars, where I discussed visually the interpretation of my research”.

Caitlin’s discussion included ceramics found at a workshop that had many old forgotten pieces of china that people did not want anymore; she smashed them against the patio of her home, stemming from her research-based on Ai Weiwei’s installation of a precious vase that had been broken, thought to be high in value.

Caitlin’s own china was repurposed to look like they were coming out of the wood itself – perhaps this can be interpreted as something to do with broken trust. Caitlin also cut out blocks of wood from the bottom of her three pillars, inserting rocks and roses trapped in resin, “trapped in a state of decay,” hanging from string in the now open space.

With the spare wood that she had cut out, she burned it in her garden and featured the ashes at the bottom of each pillar. Her final major project piece is much more multimedia oriented than what she is working on now, “but I would not ever limit myself to one form of medium, because there are so many different ways to express feelings and information that I get.”

In February 2020, after her trip to Paris for Premier Vison, Caitlin will be going to India for a sponsorship opportunity. The sponsorship itself will work as a placement for her final major Bachelors project focused on sustainability and is much more akin to the type of work and weaving that Caitlin aims to do after University.

She will be based in a rural village in north-east India, Nagaland, where she will be able to learn their indigenous techniques of weaving, using a back-strap loom, which is much different the weaving technique she has currently been doing – and not something available to her currently at University.

“It is pretty much the furthest region of India that you can go to, so it has a really interesting cross-cultural mix of its surrounding areas. It is a very tribal area, so it will be really interesting to learn about their culture and history,” she said.

“I am really excited to go and learn about how they do it, and get that real cultural sensitivity to what they are doing but understanding how it works in the wider context of the world”.

The prospect of being able to travel around the world learn how other cultures weave and what it means to them is a much more attractive thought of life after University for Caitlin.

Having a cross-cultural exchange of knowledge that would allow someone to find ways to improve businesses, work as a part of the community, “and not just take from them and what they give me, but also see how I can interact with them on a very holistic level.” Caitlin’s interviewing technique would come in handy in such a life – almost like a weave-specific anthropologist.

The interviews that Caitlin will conduct while in India will work as a ground basis for her final major project as well as the final major project essay. It is all about understanding who they are, who she is in relation to them, as well as understanding their interactions together and the connections she will undoubtedly make; similar to her work in Morocco.

“A lot of their weaving is very culturally rich in heritage and have very specific meanings, and they do not want to have that appropriated and sent out to the western world of fashion to have that extrapolated from them. I really want to understand their real sacred sense of weaving”.

You can follow Caitlin’s artwork on Instagram @caitlinannatextiles

[whoson1st]

Okay but seriously

I know everyone loves Hamilton and that’s great because it’s amazing but like, that intro song?  Does not even come close to covering what a fucking train wreck this guy’s life was before he even came to America.

His mom got an inheritance on St. Croix at 16 that gained her all sorts of suiters, and then, at her mother’s behest, she married this dude, Johann Michael Lavien, who was at least twelve years older than her.  He was kind of a douche but dressed pretty and made Mama happy despite the fact that she had a marriage so unhappy that she legally separated from Rachel’s father years before.  They had one kid and I’m assuming she never wanted to see dude naked again after that.

Anyway, after dwindling away her inheritance on pretty clothes and failed ventures, because of some obscure Dutch law (because it was the West Indies and basically any law you could find from any country dubiously in occupation could work), he got her thrown in jail for adultery (not refuted, but not actually substantiated, but WHATEVER, throw her in with murderers and runaway slaves because those are all the same sort of heathen anyway).  He thought her incarceration would make her a more godly and dutiful wife, til she got out and was basically just like LOL NAH and took off to St. Kitts.

After a while, our buddy Johann shacked up with another chick and decided he wanted to marry her.  He got a divorce decree that was Trump level of petty and nasty and gross, calling her a whore and demonizing her for leaving him to care for their son alone on his meager earnings, and managed to get it down that he could remarry, but she couldn’t.  Ever.

So over on St. Kitts, Rachel meets James Hamilton and they get together and have two sons and present themselves as James and Rachel Hamilton, but she has literally no ability to legitimize James Jr. and Alexander.  Fast forward about fifteen years, her boys are 12 and 10, and James brings them back to St. Croix where she has a Reputation and they can’t even fake that this is legitimate.  He’s involved in some legal action there, and when that’s over, he splits, probably because he couldn’t afford to take care of them anymore because he was ALSO kind of a giant loser.  Nice, but awful at trying to get rich quick and ending up in even more debt, time and time again.

So Rachel opens a mercantile in the first floor of their house...common practice as far as dwellings go, having a shop on the first floor, but unheard of for women.  Rachel gave no fucks, seriously.  Then obviously we know she got sick and Alexander got sick and they were given some weird treatments like enemas and bloodletting (????) and then his mom died in the same bed he was in.

So then Levine comes back, fights with the court and brandishes this divorce decree, and manages the get the sons who had no chance of being legitimate disinherited from whatever estate she DID have.  Instead it was all given to Peter, the son she hadn’t seen in 18 years, who showed up, collected what he was due, and left again, with nothing for his half brothers who, I’ll remind you, were 12 and 14.

They got sent to live with a cousin who was living with a mistress and their son...and then the cousin committed suicide, being found in a pool of blood in his bed.  Everything was given to the mistress and their kid, with nothing even mentioned about his orphan wards.  Their uncle shows up, trying to take care of things, and....dies a month later.  Again, no provisions for the boys, despite Uncle John having changed his will FIVE DAYS before he died.

At that point, James Jr. becomes a carpenter’s apprentice because he’s not super smart or super skilled at anything else (takes after his dad) and Alexander, in some weird Dickensian twist of fate, gets taken in by a trader who might or might not be his actual father but that’s for another time.  That’s when he started working as a clerk in a trading office and getting noticed, because he was smart, he could keep track of all the different currencies (there was a lot), was bilingual in French and English (even more so than Jefferson was in later years, and if you don’t think Hamilton taunted Jefferson in French because of that I don’t know what to tell you), he could chart ships, he read everything, he wrote poetry like the romantic hero weirdo he was.

And then there was a hurricane.  Because of course there was.  It was a letter to his father that he showed to the sometimes editor of the paper--well-written, intelligent, and full of melodramatic descriptions (something about distressed shrieks making angels weep or something???) that got him the attention of the whole island.  It was published anonymously, the editor even claiming that the youth who wrote it at first protested it being published, so it wouldn’t look like he was trying to capitalize on a tragedy.  Word still got out that he wrote it, and they did indeed take up a collection to send him to school in America, despite the devastation on the island.

So Alexander got a free ride to Boston and an allowance for his education, and boarded a ship with all sorts of new opportunities in front of him...and then the ship caught fire.  In the middle of the ocean.

I can only imagine that at that point, Alexander was just like...are you fucking kidding me???

tl;dr: Alexander Hamilton’s life was a shit show before he ever even came to America, but his mother’s intelligence and will and his father’s pride and a horror show history of violence and tragedy just made him more stubborn about surviving and rising above all of it.