#yeah that’s right I’m outing myself as a Jane kind

[ashley-is-tired-af]

[trendywaifus]

Can I request Zhu yuan and Jane doe (separately) confessing their feelings to gn reader

hmmmm. i think i seen you around somewhere with this request but okay! | cw: non. gn! reader

↳ from the start

“ so, are you not going to ask them out for dinner before this shift ends, ZHU YUAN? “ qingyi queries, sipping from her hot cup of tea. the aforementioned woman fiddles with the vase of roses in her hands, leaning on the edge of the table with a nervous expression on her face. “ i-i will. i-it’s just. .will they reject me? o-or is it even the right time to ask—“

qingyi sighs, shaking her head. “ clear your mind. it isn’t good to overthink. perhaps it’s best to ask them now so you won’t have to worry about it later. besides, it’s a very low chance they’ll reject you because of how they act around you. “

zhu yuan gives her senior officer a puzzled look. “ b-because of how they act? what do you mean? “

the android finishes her cup of tea. “ you can’t see it? they act considerably kinder to you than others. they smile more when they talk to you, the way they look at you with such warmth is admittedly adorable. “ zhu yuan’s cheeks turn a darker red as she thinks about the times you and her interact with each other during break periods and patrol hours. honestly, she thought you were naturally like that to everyone; a caring and kind person. your words—your voice leave her heart a beating mess. the way you’d check up on her during and after busy days with a gentle smile on your face inspires her to do better; to be better. gosh, she always thought your smiles were breathtaking, the way your eyes would crinkle and sparkle as your lips spread never fails to make her knees weak.

unbeknownst to zhu yuan, qingyi had already left the break room while she was in deep thought and you walked in through the door. “ oh captain zhu yuan! you’re still here? “

she jumps upon hearing your voice, snapping out of her trance. “ y-yes, i was just waiting for you. “ zhu yuan stutters, facing you as you walk over to her with that patient smile of yours. you glance down at the vase full of red and white roses in her hands and back up at her.

“ oh? did someone give those to you? how—“

“ a-actually, these are for you! “ zhu yuan shyly hands you the vase, cheeks flushed red. you blink several times at the roses held in front of you before taking them. “ captain zhu yuan, th-thank you. but what’s the occasion? “

zhu yuan shifts her weight on the other foot as she nervously fiddles around. she takes a deep breath, clasps her hands around her back.

“ i-i like you—a-a lot actually. i-i really admire how wonderful you are as a person. pl-please, grant me permission t-to t-take you out to dinner tomorrow at 8:00pm! “ she stammers, the tips of her ears red and eyes squeezed shut. if you do reject her, she doesn’t want to see your face or she might burst out from anxiety.

“ i would love to go out to dinner with you captain zhu yuan. i’m interested in you myself, haha! “ you laughed shyly, rubbing the back of your neck. those ruby eyes of hers snaps open and an adorable, surprised expression sinks into her face.

“ r-really? “

“ yeah, captain. you’re wonderful yourself, and gorgeous too. “

a embarrassed noise leaves zhu yuan’s throat. her flustered gaze flickers to somewhere else before back at you. she clears her throat with a happy smile on her face. “ th-thank you, but please—it’s just zhu yuan. i don’t want any formalities between us. “

you reciprocate her smile with a bright one, causing her heart to skip several beats. “ you got it, zuzu. make sure to tell me more about where you’re thinking about taking us. “

“ z-zuzu? “

“ what, you don’t like the nickname? “

“ i d-do! it’s just— i have never been called that before. b-but it’s fitting coming from you. “

you let out a soft laugh, reaching your hand out to affectionately poke her nose. “ that’s good to hear. well, i’ll see you later zuzu. text me tonight, yeah? “

she shyly waves as you walk out of the break room with the gifted vase of roses. “ i-i will! a-also, adding sugar water to the roses will make them last longer and fresher! pl-please return home safe, a-and look both ways before crossing the street! “

“ i drive, but thanks! “

of courseee.

zhu yuan mentally facepalms herself but is nonetheless happy with the outcome of her confession. her phone rings in her pocket and she’s quick to answer it.

“ hi mom, i’m coming home now! do you need anything from the store? “ she asks, her voice an octave higher than usual.

“ i-i sound happy? y-yeah, it went well, mom. .” zhu yuan mutters, smiling stupidly to herself as she ambles out of the break room and her way out of the building.

“ m-meet them? n-not yet! it’s way too soon and i’m just taking them out for dinner tomorrow night too. .”

JANE DOE walks down sixth street, her fingers loosely hooked around her hanging straps. the chilly wispy night air kisses her sensitive ears, provoking occasional twitches from them. although she’s only walking through sixth street to get back home, her ears perk up at a familiar voice in the distance.

“ mr. chop, let me order a bowl of green pepper chicken noodles—the regular! i need something to warm me up since the fall air is kicking in! “

she subconsciously smile softly at the sound of your voice. her sharp teal eyes skim over to the waterfall soup shop not too far ahead of her. jane can make out your figure sitting on one of the chairs. her gaze softens; she’s very lucky to catch you around here this time of night. the way you talk to the owner makes it seem like you’re a regular around here. interesting note to pin in the back of her mind. jane saunters over to the shop, your figure becomes clearer and clearer as she approaches.

“ i didn’t think i’d get to see you around this neighborhood, (name). “ jane speaks up as she slides onto a empty chair beside you.

“ oh, jane! “ you offer her a sweet smile she oh so adores. “ i didn’t think i’d get to see you here either! how did everything go with the informant? “

the rat thiren sighs, running a thumb over her red nails as she examined them briefly. “ it went alright. i’m suppose to meet back with them tomorrow for more information about the case. what a hassle. “

you laugh bubbly, “ that certainly is a hassle having to meet with them twice. since you’re here, you have time to eat noodles with me, right? “

her gaze softens even more at the hopeful tone in your voice and the tender look marinating in those brilliant (e/c) eyes of yours. how could she refuse you? you’re just what she needed after a tedious day of running around prepping for an upcoming operation.

“ of course. i was on my way back to my home, and i was just about hungry anyways. “

you nodded, “ so what do you want to order, janey? “

her tail swish with delight from the cute nickname you’ve given her. it’s a shame that she hasn’t given you her real name yet but that’ll change soon in the future. you’re aware that jane has a secret identity, but you don’t seem to care at all and treat her as if she’s a close friend. your guard is always down around her—your body language is relaxed, there’s no skeptical look in your eyes, none of that at all. you’re so genuine with her that she can’t help but fall for you. you’re her first real friend she’s had in years but she grew to wanting something more than that with you. she knows what she likes so there’s no point in denying her feelings for you, right?

jane hums thoughtfully, “ hm, that’s a good question. what do you recommend? “

“ vegetable noodles for you. i’m sure you’ll love it. “

she chuckles, “ oh, really? i’ll take that then. “

you ordered it for her and a soft comforting silence settles in between you and jane as you wait for the food. jane’s observant gaze wanders off to you every now and then, admiring the softness of your face, the way the light perfectly bounces off your skin—do you know that you look memorizing like this right now? she feels like a little lovesick high school girl around her crush. how embarrassing.

“ sorry to break the silence, but, can i ask you a question, (name)? “

“ mhm? “

“ do you trust me as a person? “

you look at your colleague like she has two heads. “ huh, what’s that about? “

“ because you don’t really know much about me or my actual identity, yet you act like we’ve knew each other longer than we actually have. for all you know, i could just be a weirdo waiting for the perfect strike to tear you down. “ as if she would ever hurt you. no matter what disguise she’s in, she wouldn’t dare to lay a finger on you.

you still have that weird, adorable look on your face. “ oh please jane, don’t call yourself a weirdo. but you’re right, i don’t know much about you. however, you have your reasons for keeping your identity secret which is understandable, you’re a criminology specialist. if i was that, i would want to keep my identity secret too to avoid any mishaps with going undercover— thank you, “ you give mr. chop quick smile as he places the ordered bowls down in front of you and jane.

“ anyways, just because you have excellent skills of messing with people and deceiving them for the sake of your job doesn’t translate to how you actually are as a person. i seen how you care and worry for other people in your own little ways. seth told me about all the odd things you did throughout his time being a hostage and how it all added up once he realized you were one of us. when i saw you during that ambush and found out that the mountain lions took him and the hostages. i wasn’t really worried because you were there. I’m starting to ramble so to cut things short, no matter what type of person you are, i’ll always put my trust in you. you’re a good person and i find your presence welcoming. “ you smiled warmly at her before starting on your bowl of noodles.

jane’s utterly taken back by your answer. butterflies flutter around in her stomach like the first week of spring. she expected you to answer kindly to her question but not sentimental like that. her tail sways a little faster than usual and her pupils would resemble heart shapes right now if such a thing was possible. cheeks unusually red, she quietly focuses her attention on eating her noodles. just as you figured earlier, the noodles tastes appetizing.it’s smooth and well done. the chicken broth isn’t really salty and has a rich taste to it. the liquid is warm and easy as it goes down her throat, heating up her cool body temperature. the veggies were nice and crisp. her sore bones softens, the weight of today’s labor eases off of her.

“ this is really what i needed, right janey? “ you giggled, looking over at the woman beside you who’s a little too quiet while she eats.

“ mhm, thank you for recommending this to me. “

after you and jane finished your noodles, you paid for the meals and stood outside of the shop. “ wow, i feel full and tired. i’m definitely going to be sleeping good tonight. thank you for eating with me, i really appreciate it. “ you shove your hands in your pockets, smiling tenderly at her. the love-stricken woman nods her head, tenderness evident on her face as she looks at you. “ no need to thank me, i would of stayed whether you asked me or not. but before we part ways for the night, let me tell you what i’ve been meaning to get off my chest. i may not act like it but, i’m not really good with telling others how i feel so i’ll try to convey them as simple as i can. “ she says awkwardly, her hooked fingers playing around with her hanging straps.

her teal eyes glimmer with devotion as she takes a step closer to you, unhooking one of her fingers to place a delicate hand on your shoulder. “ although we started off as simple colleagues, our connection grew stronger the more i learned about you. the way you don’t hide your emotions is admirable, your eyes doesn’t hold an ounce of darkness behind them; they’re clear as a sunny day and i can’t help but feel drawn to them. .i feel at ease and warm. your presence is the same way. you’re so honest, thoughtful—your genuine nature pulled me in like a magnet. i love you and i wish for us to grow even closer. i promise i’ll tell you everything that you want to know about me if you’ll have me, of course. “ like that, jane leans in and softly kissed the corner of your parted lips.

she retracts away, peering at you patiently as you thoroughly process her confession. your face increasingly turns red every second until you resemble a bright red apple. once jane sees the awe in your eyes and the jubilant smile dancing across your pretty lips, she’s the happiest she’s ever been in a while. you wrap your arms around her and pull her tall frame against yours.

“ of course, i’ll have you. i love you too after all. “ you mutter softly, burying your face into her grey bomber jacket. she laughs breathily, circling her arms around your body, and perched her chin on your shoulder. her ears jiggles in response to your pleasant confession. her long tail curls around your leg as you continue to hug each other under the soft glows of sixth street.

a noisy bangboo in the distance: “ ehaa nu tha! ( i wish i had something like that in my life! )“

[luveline]

jade!! if your reqs are still open… would you write emily and mom!r? kind of like you’ve been doing with hotch or steve (with noah). i feel like she’d be one of those people who speaks to kids like they’re tiny adults

Emily presses the flat of her wooden spoon into a blueberry and watches the skin of it burst open. It sinks into the oatmeal beneath, a soft beige turning lilac. 

She flicks off the heat. She can’t cook like you can, but oatmeal makes itself. The mushy blueberries means the oats are soft enough for eating, usually. She dips a spoon in to check, adds a big pinch of salt, wonders if that’s stupid and eats another mouthful that burns her lips. 

“Ouch,” she mumbles. Slowly, she tips her head from one side to the other. “But yummy.” 

“Em-wy?” 

“What?” She turns on the spot. There in the doorway stands your little girl, an ever-present smile on her face as she lifts her hand for a wave. “Hello,” Emily says 

“Hi.” 

“What do you want?” 

“Water, please.”

Emily turns the handle of her pot before she bends down with her arms out, a gentle invitation. Sometimes Jane wants to be held, but usually she’s just hanging around. To Emily’s surprise, Jane skips and stumbles her way into Emily’s legs, where Emily takes her under the arms and pulls her up against her chest. 

She smiles at Jane’s little face. She looks so much like you, and she’s such a sweet girl. “Hi, baby,” she says, not quite slipping into baby talk, but softer than she’d spoken to her before. “Where’s your mommy?” 

Jane points down at the stove. “Breakfast?” 

“You bet. Is mommy still getting dressed?” 

“Maybe.” 

Emily shifts Jane on her hip and turns to the cabinet for a sippy cup. “Okie dokie. Let’s make you your water, ‘cos you asked me so nicely. You want some apple juice too?” 

Jane rubs her face against Emily’s shoulder with a yawn but doesn’t answer. 

“Babe?” Emily calls. “Can I give her some apple juice?” 

You swing around the corner. Emily’s apartment is big, sound carries, and yet she’d had no idea you were so close. You’ve changed your shirt but your pyjama bottoms remain, your hair out of your face —her heart gives a jump. To love someone and to know you’re lucky to have them simultaneously can often inspire tachycardia. 

“Sure,” you say. 

You’re wearing her socks, your pyjama pant legs pooled around your feet, and your shirt baggy but short at the arms. You have the most lovely arms. It’s stupid, but Emily knows it’s true. She could kiss every inch of each one without getting bored. Not that you need to know that about her. 

You slide across the kitchen tile to give Jane a light peck. Smiling, you turn Emily’s face with your pinky finger and give her an even softer one, careful of her makeup. “Good morning.” 

“Yeah, good morning,” Emily says, bouncing Jane higher up her side. “You look ready for another day in bed.” 

“Do you really have to go?” 

“You know I do, it’s Monday.” 

“We should petition for longer weekends. Don’t you think so, bubby? Shouldn’t Emily stay home and make us all our meals? Mommy’s still tired.” 

Jane hears your sweetened voice and holds her arms out to be held. You take her from Emily’s arms, and you lean against the counter as your smile fades. “I really wish you could stay,” you say more earnestly. “I miss you when you’re not here.” 

“I’ll be home tonight, I promise. They know you’re not feeling well, nobody expects me to leave you here with the baby all by yourself.” Not feeling well is an understatement that neither of you comment on. Emily just wants to rub the tension right out of your shoulders. She doesn’t have the time. 

“I used to be by myself before,” you point out. 

“I know. But now we’re together, and I love you, and I’ll be back tonight.” She hates the crestfallen set to your brow. “I’m sorry.” 

“No, I’m sorry. I’m being silly.” 

Emily thinks about it, her finger creeping up to rub Jane’s soft cheek. “Mommy’s not silly, is she?” she asks in a murmur. “She’s beautiful.” 

Jane nods her head clumsily. “Yes.” 

“See? If Janie thinks so, it must be true.” She smiles until you smile back. “I’ll be home by six. Cross my heart.” 

“Can I have another kiss before you go? Won’t mess up your lips, I promise.” 

Emily could never say no to you. She didn't want to, but she couldn’t. She leans in careful not to crush your little clinger and lets her eyes shutter closed, her breath held as you tip your chin down and your noses press together. You might be cautious of her makeup, but Emily isn’t. Her kiss is a promise that she’s gonna come home tonight. She can’t always keep them, but right now she’s determined. 

She pulls away. Your lips are red with transferred lipstick that moves with your smile. 

“Kiss me?” Jane asks. 

“Who, me?” Emily asks. 

Jane nod. Emily presses a chaste kiss to Jane’s chubby cheek, and rubs the lipstick away with similar tenderness. “Let me get you your juice, bub, and then I really gotta go.” 

[aziraphalalala]

Hey :)

Ask you anything? Okay :D

If you would fall into the back of the bookshop right now and Crowley would be there, staring you down, unblinking, what would you do?

This poured out of me. Thanks, @nerdypixel

--

Aziraphale was gone.

Well, good riddance. Better to have the ugly truth of him come out now, rather than later.

He gave it his all, but it was in vain.

The “I forgive you” still trembled in him, like a wild, hungry thing. It ate at him. It carved him out, left him brittle and broken.

Aziraphale was gone. The fucking Supreme Archangel Aziraphale had fucked off to fucking Heaven and left Crowley alone.

From the backroom sofa, Crowley extended his hand petulantly. Another bottle of Château-neuf-du-Pape 1921 floated unsteadily to him. He uncorked it with a vicious gesture (which was considered rude in the extreme in several cultures, including this one), and drank deeply.

He didn’t need that fucking angel—

“Excuse me?”

“Wot?”

There was a lady. A lady had entered the bookshop. Hadn’t he closed the door? Crowley couldn’t remember.

“Excuse me. Are you Mr. Fell?”

“WOT?”

“The door was open, and it started pouring like the end of the world out there, and me with no umbrella, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I drop in that delightful bookshop in the corner, I’ve always wanted to see it’, and—“

“Do I look like I run a bookshop?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I ssssaid, do I look like I run a bookshop?”

“Um, well. Don’t you? It kinda looks like you do.”

Crowley heaved a heavy sigh, and wobbled up to his feet.

“Nggyyeeeaaaah. I suppose I must do.” He picked up a stray book off the table. Jane Austen. Of course it bloody was. “Umm, so, what was it you said you wanted, exactly?”

She squinted, looking suspicious, and asked: “Are you drunk?”

“No. Yes! A little. What of it?” stammered Crowley.

“Nothing! I don’t mind a tipple myself, now and then.”

She looked half-intrigued, half-ready to escape back into the safety and predictability of English weather. Having been raised with three brothers and a mother with a penchant for bra-burning, she wasn’t easily intimidated. She could deal with a moody bloke. She resolutely stood her ground. 

“Lost someone, did you?”

Crowley’s head snapped up. His mouth was opening and closing, like a fish on dry land, struggling for breath.

Any other day, he would have snapped his fingers, and slung this nosy, too-curious-for-her-own-good insolent woman straight into a vat of acid.

This was not any other day.

This was this day, and he was a post-heartbreak demon, attempting discorporation through tears and extraordinary amounts of alcohol.

“Yeah,” He sighed with visible exhaustion.

“Was he the blond one?”

“Coulda been a she,” he retorted, cheekily.

She levelled a gaze at him, utterly unimpressed.

Crowley stared back, mutely.

“Yeaaahh, the blond one.”

“Was it your fault?”

“Was it my fault?!” he blurted, like spitting out food that tasted rotten.

“He wants to save the world. I think he can’t, and shouldn’t try. I wanted to run away. He wanted to stay. End of story.”

He sat back, indicating he was done arguing, and that he was undeniably right.

She stepped closer, understanding in her eyes. “So, he left you… for a job opportunity?”

“Nngggghhhyyeeaaaah, you could say that.”

“Well, good riddance. If he didn’t choose you, he doesn’t deserve you.”

“He kind of does, you know.”

“Rubbish. I’ve been there, you know, it’s absolutely not worth it. If he’s got an ounce of sense in him—“

“He really kind of doesn’t.”

“—then he’ll come to realise his mistake soon enough, and come crawling back.”

Crowley slumped even deeper into the sofa. Staring at his shoes, he poured himself another generous helping of wine.

“I… hope so.”

“He will, or damn him.”

“He’s just, he’s an angel, you know?”

“He’s really not, if this is how he treats you.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” he paused. ”And, if he does come back, I’m gonna make him do the apology dance for a century.”

“Do what now?”

“He will watch the entirety of Golden Girls with me from start to finish. Twisssce,” he hissed.

She looked a little confused, but decided to show support. “Attaboy.”

“Not a boy, but thank you.”

Crowley stoop up abruptly, wobbling a bit, and went to pick up another glass from the tray on the side table.

“He’ssss going to hate it, and he’s going to remember he misses m— sushi, and Shostakovich, and the bloody Sound of music!”

She stepped closer again, pleased that this strange, dark not-a-boy before her was emerging from the worst of his gloom. The rain had stopped.

Crowley wielded the bottle of wine at her like a sword.

“Care for a tipple?”

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #37 - Twenty-Minute Tuesday #5

Brain Curds are lightly edited flash fiction - practically first drafts - posted daily and sometimes written with the express intention of being terrible… but, you know, in an endearing way. Please enjoy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to The Frank Program.” Frank took a pull from his vape and blew it out onto the microphone. “You hear that? That’s the sound of freedom. But the government doesn’t want you to have access to Sticky Maple Peanut Butter THC/CBD/NCT/CBT E-Juice! Right, Daryl?”

Daryl nodded. He had patchy burned splotches on his skin.

“That’s right. They’re banning all the good flavors because it ‘encourages children to vape more.�� Ridiculous.” He took another pull from his vape and started coughing. “God damn that tastes delicious. I couldn’t enjoy myself so much if I had to vape that smoke-flavored crap. So that’s why Daryl and me cooked up something special, and I’m happy to share our recipe with ya, America, because that’s what a good radio host does.”

“Podcast…” Daryl said with a small voice.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘podcast host,’ whatever. Same difference. The point is, we got a big cauldron from some kinda forest witch at the Home Depot parking lot, and we loaded it up with ingredients. Make sure you listen close, because if you don’t, you might have some problems.” He glared at Daryl, who cowered on his wooden stool in the corner. “First, get a jar of peanut butter. Smooth kind, not lumpy or crunchy or chunky or what-have-you, just smooth or you’ll clog your atomizer. Put a whole jar in there. Then, a bottle of your finest grade B maple syrup.”

“They don’t have grade B anymore, it’s all grade A with different levels of -”

“Goddamn it, Daryl, you know that don’t make no goddamn sense! There has to be another grade or grades ain’t even a thing!”

“But they changed -”

“Don’t argue with me, boy!” Frank took another puff to relax. “Right, you pour the syrup on in. Next step is you get one of those tea infusers with the metal basket and fill it with tobacco and Mary Jane. Chuck that in too. Next step, a gallon of propylene glycol. And after that, the most important step, which you do not want to get wrong! It’s a gallon of vegetable glycerin. VEGETABLE, Daryl!”

“I thought nitro meant it would go faster.”

“It did go faster, it went faster enough to burn through yer damn left eyebrow, ya idiot!”

“I’m sorry, Pa.”

“Hey man, it’s your fuckup. I don’t care. But to the listeners out there, uh… listening: the recipe is fantastic.” He took one more puff and choked on a chunk of peanut. Between coughs, he managed to say, “this has been… The Frank Program… Thank you for letting me be Frank with you!” He collapsed to the floor, wheezing.

[lyon-amore]

The half of me Chapter 10

Chapter 9

I want to apologize in advance for the change in narrative. I know we are already at chapter 10, but the truth is that I still don't like it in the third person and it makes me a little angry to see that I don't like it when I describe some things well (all this from my point of view), like this which I will change to first starting in this chapter. I really like writing from the character's point of view. My apologies again 🙏 🙏 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I decide to focus on finding an online store some glass for the store that I destroyed. I hadn't thought about the store since the first day in Daliah's apartment, packing up her things. I had to at least set it up so we could sell some things we could use before customers wanted to sell things they didn't want or have value. But I have to wait for Mom to be in the right mood. She was the valuables expert.

Mom…

I haven't spoken to her since I went home with my friends. I didn't even talk to her at the funeral. She was so absent that… It was as if she had forgotten that she had another daughter. But I can't blame her. Maybe she thinks I'm old enough not to need my mother trailing behind me like a little girl… Wondering how I am… If I'm okay… If something hurts…    "Don't be mad, MC…" I sigh, shaking my head to focus "You know how things are lately."     I get a notification on my phone. Someone has added me. It's Carter. I smile relieved. At least he's someone I know who knows Jane perfectly well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carter Good morning MC I wanted to apologize for what happened with Jane yesterday As I said, she is somewhat upset with what happened 😔

MC No, don’t worry I’m also a bit bad with everything that is happening.

Carter While I was making dinner for my brothers, I began to think about what you said In which she received a toy of a horse

MC Do you know anything about it?

Carter Unfortunately, no But I've been thinking that it could be any of us... And I don't want to point anyone out, but Seo-ah is good at crafts

MC Crafts?  I don't think I said what kind of toy it was...

Carter Oh! No! Don't think wrong! Grace told me this morning before going into classes And right now, I can't concentrate while I'm trying to find information about the best film directors

MC Oh right You wanted to be a director

Carter Yeah Now it was my turn to direct and Mason to handle the camera Although he was not very happy about it  🙄

MC Huh huh… It must be pretty tough then

Carter Mason likes to be the boss And more when it comes to impressing Seo-ah But don't tell anyone that I told you 😋

MC And why did you say about Seo-ah and crafts? Do you suspect that it could be her?

Carter Hmm… I don't believe it Well, at least, not that she’s a prankster But it was out of curiosity

MC You won't say it so I don't suspect Jane?

Carter I know, I know that Jane is a little difficult sometimes But when you know her well, she's a good girl It's just that both Jane and Daliah had their differences.

MC What kind of differences? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After that question, Carter fell silent. I wait for his answer, starting to get nervous.

I take out the lipstick balm I had bought yesterday before I got home and put it on my lips. I lately made myself more nervous than usual and my lips couldn't stand so much dryness.

I finally get a text from Carter, but my hopes are dashed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carter Sorry MC, I was talking to a teacher We have to meet about the movie Since after Daliah, there are many things that we need to change in the short

MC Yes of course I understand We'll talk later

Carter Okay Well bye 🙂

----Carter has disconnected---- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I put the phone aside, raising my hands to my head.

That damn movie… I'm sure Daliah didn't even really want to be involved, but by dedicating herself to studying everything related to film, she had to cover all the subjects she could. I smile when I remember the first time she had to shoot a short while handling a camera. She hated having to handle it herself, complaining that she didn't like carrying something so heavy. But that was the situation, if you wanted to be in those film classes, you had to practice each and every one of the subjects that they covered.

I hear the song Lavender Haze in the background and I remember that I had not put Spotify on. I look at my phone remembering that it was the melody I had on. Sometimes I forget when I'm concentrating.    "Hi Dan." I answered, not taking my eyes off the computer.    "Hello, MC" he greets me, encouraged ", we were wondering if you wanted to meet us before we go to Duskwood."    "Yeah, sure" I replied, finishing ordering from the window shop. It's going to be more expensive than my apartment ", the truth is that I have something important to tell you."    "Uh, that sounds like a good deal and it sounds really weird about you" he laughs and I join him ". We will be in a restaurant called ‘In the Paradise’-"    "Oh yeah, I know which one it is, we used to go there as a family every Saturday." I replied, turning off the computer.    "Then I shouldn't give you directions" he jokes, knowing I'm from here ". We'll be waiting for you."    "Okay, I'll try not to be late."    "Later, MC."     I hang up and tap my phone. I should tell them the truth about everything I'm doing, but I know that if I mention Jake, Dan will be upset that I'm getting back in touch with him after everything that happened.

I get out of bed and go to the closet for something decent to wear. I see Daliah's clothes and for a second I think about putting them on. I back off grabbing a shirt and jeans like always, then head straight for the bathroom. I'm not ready to go out in her clothes yet.

As soon as I get ready after my shower, I see that I have a new message from Ralph. He has added me at the time when I was busy. It seems that little by little they want to have contact with me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ralph Hey Uh This… I guess you didn't expect me to add you, did you? 😅

MC No, the truth is that no But I guess it's to help me, right?

Ralph Yeah I'm sure what happened in the chat has left you a little confused.

MC Well… You are quite a peculiar group

Ralph Yeah It's not that we have the same tastes and things like that The truth is, we're only together because we're good at what we do. We are better together Or that's what they say in TV dramas, right?

MC Haha, I guess By the way Ralph Thanks for making Daliah's funeral video It turned out very nice 🙂

Ralph You are welcome Um… Well, actually I wanted to tell you something It's about Jane

MC That she and Daliah didn't get along?

Ralph That they did not get along is not enough Let's just say you never agreed with each other. And then there is Carter

MC What does Carter have to do with it?

Ralph Except that he was Daliah's friend and Jane's boyfriend? He was always between the two of them, trying to calm them down. But Jane was always making her usual little speech And Daliah with her sarcastic laugh They were both like... How would you say it?

MC Queen bees?

Ralph Something like that If you want to know my opinion, I think there was something else behind their rivalry And precisely, it is Carter

MC You mean Jane was jealous of Daliah because they got along?

Ralph I think that… There was some kind of love triangle between them. Once we had to separate them because they almost reached each other's hands

MC Excuse me?! Daliah has never told me that!

Ralph Because maybe she didn't want to worry you You were her sister after all I think that's all I have to say about Jane. If it serves you as information

MC Thanks Ralph It's interesting to know this

Ralph You're welcome MC Hopefully soon we know who it was. I don't want to say directly that it was Jane, but… Who knows? This town hides too many crazy people And Jane is one of them.

MC Hmm… Well, I wouldn't call her crazy

Ralph Because you still don't know her Give her time to show her true nature Anyway… We’ll talk about it

MC Yes of course

Ralph And… I didn't expect you to be such an awesome girl Investigating your sister's death and all that. After so many rumors and you never talk to anyone, I thought you were really a psychopath

MC Well, you see that no I'm totally normal

Ralph Yes, I see it well 😆 Until we meet again, MC

----Ralph has disconnected---- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I keep my gaze straight ahead, thinking about this information about Jane. The conversation they had must have been something strong enough to reach the extremes of fighting and almost coming to blows.    "Jane and Seo-ah…" I murmur, given the information I've been given "But Carter has reason to divert Jane's attention and focus on someone else…"    <<And I still have nothing against Seo-ah, her crafting means nothing. On the other hand, that Jane and Daliah had a fight is something very positive for the investigation. >>     I put my phone in my bag and put on my sneakers, ready to go. I look forward to discussing this new information with Jake later.    "Let's hope everything goes well."

When I get to the restaurant I adjust my bag and let out a heavy sigh, hoping they won't get mad at me for what I'm doing. When I enter I see them animated at a table. Who was going to tell me that I was going to have a group of friends? I smile to see them and approach.    "Hello." I greet, placing things on an empty chair.    "Hello MC." Cleo greets me with a hug "What happened yesterday? You didn't contact us."    "That's exactly why I agreed to come here." I sit up and watch her face change expression.     Dan crosses his arms, waiting for me to speak. Jessy frowns at me, confused. Cleo places her hands on the table. Phil is kind of relaxed in the chair. I took a breath, closing my eyes trying to sort the words out of my head.    "It's about…" I look at them a little afraid of their opinions "I'm investigating Daliah's murder, along with the help of 'him' " I whisper at the table, so that no one else outside the group would hear.     I watch Dan start to change his face, rubbing his hand together in annoyance.    "But what are you saying?" Jessy asks me nervously "MC! It's not a kidnapping! They murdered your sister!"    "And that's not the case either." Dan leans against the table and points his finger at me "What's he doing back? Didn't he give you enough trouble to put you in danger again?"    “Who is Dan talking about?” Phil asks Cleo.    “Nobody you should know about.” she answers, looking at me angrily.     I shrugged into the chair, uncomfortable with the situation. I knew that was going to happen.    "I know" I answered, in a calm voice ", but I worried him because he thought it was me who died-"    “Sure! Let him try to fix it now!" Dan exclaims, furious.   ��“Dan, calm down.” Jessy says, holding him back.     He calms down and leans back in his chair. Then Jessy looks at me, concerned.    “You understand how we feel about all of this,” my friend tells me, releasing Dan slowly “, but he put you in the FBI's crosshairs for a while, what if it happens again?"     I start tugging at my shirt sleeve nervously. I don't think it's going to happen thanks to the Nymos chat, I think that's the only thing they haven't been able to detect, besides when they saw it, I told them it was some kind of note-keeping app.

Curious that in the end it turned into something real.

I try to calm down, not because I feel like I'm doing something wrong by being in contact with Jake again.    "You see it?" Daliah appears between Dan and Jessy, leaning on the table with her hands under her chin "If you didn't listen to me, why don't you listen to them? Stay away from him."    "I won't." I reply, looking at her.    "MC?" Cleo looks at me and I look surprised "Are you okay?"    "Yes, sorry..."     I try to hide my face with my hair. I hear Phil snort, then look around the group.    "I don't know exactly what you're talking about" he begins to say ", but I don't think this person has anything to do with whether or not this person is helping her, it's just that she's getting into another fucking mess again."    "We know that, Mister Aurora" answers Dan, looking at him furiously ", that's why we don't want him to get into trouble again either."    "Nothing will happen to me" I answered, trying to remain calm ". I understand you don't like the idea-"    "Zero, true, exact, unconditionally." they all say at the same time.     I shake my head. I fully understand how everyone feels, but I need support on this.    “The police are always watching me” I say slowly, so they understand there's no problem “and he's just passing me clues we found in Daliah's journal."    "Stop right there." Dan raises his hand, confused "Daliah had a journal and this guy has it?"    "Yes" I nod slowly ". Daliah's computer was locked with a virus and all the files in that diary are affected, that's why I need his help."    "MC..." Cleo shakes her head, disappointed "You should have told us before."    "That's why I'm telling you now" I look at them decisively ", believe in me when I tell you that everything is going to be alright."     They look at me with doubt, fear and concern. I wait for their response, but they just stay silent.

Finally, Dan sighs, looking at me concerned.    "If something happens, you come to Duskwood immediately" he tells me as if he were a father or a brother ", no staying here with a murderer, do you understand me?"    "Yes."    “We don't want to lose you after all you've done for us. To be clear."     I smiled at him and Jessy gave him a kiss on the cheek with pride in his words. Phil rolls his eyes at the sight of them.    “Great, looks like I'm the only one sane that this isn't a good idea.” he says as he pinches the bridge of his nose.    "Well, you didn't to come with us." Cleo answers, annoyed with him.    "Please, it's our last day together" I say, looking at them ", a truce just for today?"     Cleo and Phil look at each other in disgust, but in the end they shake hands, although they don't look at each other's faces. I giggle and Cleo wipes her hand on a napkin. Phil mumbles "exaggerated."    <<I don't think they'll ever get along, do they? >>

After the meal, they go to the hostel and together with their suitcases, we go to the train station. One by one I say goodbye to them, even Jessy still talks to me worried.    "Please keep us informed of everything you discover, okay?" She tells me a little sad.    "Yes, I will" I nod, looking at them "See you soon guys."    “By the way” Phil points to me, along with a smile “, I've been told you can play the guitar and sing, so you have a special slot at the Aurora when you want to perform."     I look at Jessy who shrugs. They knew I sing for the night of the bonfire in the hut, because out of nowhere a lyric popped into my head and I couldn't help but sing. It was instant. The guitar thing came later, when we all started hanging out and Thomas lent me his guitar. After Jake, they were the ones that I showed them my love for music. Along with Daliah.    "Thanks Phil, I'll see if I can one day." I lie a little, I still don't dare to show the rest of the world my songs.    "You're welcome, cute." he winks at me, but I know he's not doing it to flirt.     The train arrives and they slowly approach. Cleo waves her hand goodbye and the rest of her follow.    "Be careful, okay?" She tells me before they close the door "And no putting herself in danger."    “I'll have it!” I exclaimed, as the doors closed.     The train starts to leave and I keep waving. I sigh putting a hand to my chest, melancholic.

I have been completely alone.

I take a walk through the town while I go in the direction of my house. I want to take things to clean the store. I should do it before they bring in the glass and ask me too many questions.    “Which reminds me… I need a new lamp and bookshelves” I say with a sigh ". Great MC… You did great."     The ringtone rings. I can notice a shy smile when seeing the name of Nymos on it.    "Hello?"    "Are you busy?" I hear Jake on the other end of the line.    "I'm in the street" I answered, while I looked around me ", I want to be careful with what I say."    "Understood" he replies, his voice calm ". I have read the chats."    "And what do you think?"    “Pretty interesting” He makes a throaty noise and I swallow hard at the sound of him. The sound of his voice always keeps me distracted from my thoughts ". I think Carter wants to divert Jane's suspicions with Seo-ah."    "I've thought about it too" I stop for a moment and lean against a wall, to concentrate on the conversation ", and the information I've gotten afterwards has been much better than I expected."    “So, Ralph saw Jane and Daliah fighting."    "And quite a strong fight" I reply, remembering the conversation ". They almost hit each other."    "If we find out why, surely we can expand the theory that Jane might be guilty."     I look at the undercover police car. Elliot is still my watchman. I wonder when he sleeps. I know that he knows that I have noticed him, because he gives me a signal to see if everything is okay. I nod slowly, so it doesn't show.    "MC" I hear Jake call me "Is everything alright?"    "Yes, excuse me" I resume walking ", I was looking at the police car that was following me."    "Is Elliot still the one protecting you?"    "Yes, why?"    "For nothing."     I look at my phone for a moment when I hear him upset, why is he like this? He always seems upset when it comes to other guys. Is he…. I shake my head. No. To think that he is jealous is nonsense, why would he be?    "MC, a conversation now." he tells me quickly.     I stop for a moment and watch the spy chat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mason Seo-ah

----Seo-ah has connected----

Seo-ah ? Yes, whats up?

Mason What do you think about yesterday's chat? 🤔

Seo-ah Hmm… I think Jane went a bit too far... I don't know… But I don't want to talk bad about her either 🙁

Mason Yeah, me the same I understand the rivalry that she and Daliah had but… My goodness! Jane cross the line! 😩

Seo-ah I know I still remember when Daliah confronted her because she convinced a group to choose Jane They both really loved to stand out 😓

Mason But that was always so The worst was when they got into a serious fight Do you remember what Jane yelled at her?

Seo-ah Yeah… I like to think that she told her because she was really angry…

Mason ''The murderer should have taken you! You are a real bitch!’’ It was scary! I don't think I've ever seen them so confronted

Seo-ah And do you know why?

Mason No idea Luckily Carter separated them in time Because the rest of the class was recording the video

Seo-ah Oh right What happened to that video?

Mason Hmm… I don't know if they managed to upload it to social networks 🤔 Hey, I have a couple of things recorder and I'd like to get someone's opinion Where are you?

Seo-ah I'm at the academy I can help you if you want 😊

Mason Perfect then! 😁 And where are you? Seo-ah?

Seo-ah Sorry, I just saw Grace and Jane argue.

Mason What?

Seo-ah Oh, oh… Jane is in a rage

Mason 😲 And so?

Seo-ah I don't know…. Aah! She look at me! We'll talk later 😨

Mason Sure, see you later then

----Seo-ah has disconnected---- ----Mason has disconnected----

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I finish reading the chat and get back on the call with Jake.    "Are you there?" I ask nervously.    "Yes, I am still on the call" I hear him say ". It seems that it touches something more than a simple rivalry between actresses."    "Yeah" I sigh, wondering what Daliah could be into "What do you think Grace and Jane were arguing about?"    “Hmm… Maybe since Grace is on your side, maybe she will tell you at some point."    " 'The murderer should have taken you’ " I repeat Mason's words, which Jane said.    “It sounds almost like a death declaration."    "Yeah..."    "I am so sorry" I hear him sigh, with a sad voice ", that you have to see all this-"    "We're doing it for Daliah" I answered, reaching my apartment "I have to stand my ground and be objective."    "But I do not like that you have to be like this" he says quickly ". You do not… You must be like that, MC… Not in relation to her death…"     I smiled sadly listening to his words. His concern for me makes my heart race.    "I'm fine Jake" I reply calmly ". Don't worry so much about me, really."     He stays silent. Breathing slowly. I go into my apartment and go for the broom and dustpan, along with a couple of garbage bags. I put my speakerphone on as I do it, but Jake still hasn't said anything.    “What’s going on?" I ask worried. I feel like we're reversing roles.    "Nothing, do not worry" he answers seriously "I am trying to find the video that Mason has commented on. It may cost me a bit."     I grip the broomstick tightly, worrying about him now me.    "I'm giving you a lot of work, aren't I?" I ask with a trembling voice.    "I keep busy and not looking at the wall, really" I hear him laugh ". And also speaking to you."    "I don't give you interesting topics, do I?"    "I do not care as long as I can hear your voice."     I start to tremble when I hear how he says it. It's like a whisper that penetrates me and remains stuck in my brain. I sigh as I bite my lip. A strange feeling in the stomach appears. I see Daliah shaking her head, moving her lips at the word 'FBI'. I blink awake from my thoughts.    “Hey Jake, I have to leave you” I say quickly ". I have to go to the store to clean it up."    "Alright" I hear her exhale heavily ". So I continue with the search for that video."    “Okay, we'll talk as soon as I have more information."     I hang up and gasp for air, nervous. I feel my cheeks burning right now.

Walking into the store, I try to see everything from a negative side. There are so many crystals that it overwhelmed me to see them.    "Okay, here we go." I roll up my sleeves and start cleaning.

I'm careful not to cut myself trying to pick up the big pieces of glass and put them against the wall. I take the last one and carefully, I put it slowly with the rest.    "Oh! Here you were!" I hear yelling from the door. A female voice.     Out of fright, I cut myself with the glass. I turn and see Jane striding toward me.    "Can you tell what you're doing by asking about me?!” she asks me, cornering me against the wall.     In fear, I pushed the glass and ended up knocking it to the ground. I look at Jane fearfully and lean against the wall.    "I don't know what you're talking about." I say nervously, avoiding even looking at her.    "Whoa! We are brave by message, but when it comes to talking you don't dare to look me in the face and tell me that you are accusing me out there!" she starts hitting me, as if she were pushing me.    I swallow nervously, beginning to tremble in fear at seeing her furious expression.    "What's happening?! Why don’t you answer?!"    "Jane! Stop!" I hear a man's voice, but because I'm focused on Jane not attacking me, I don't start thinking about who she is.     Elliot separates us and stands between us.    "Get out! Now!" he yells at her, pointing to the door.    "Not before she tells me what she's doing investigating me!" Jane yells louder "I got rid of bitch number one but bitch number two is more annoying!"     Elliot approaches her, standing up to her. I stare at them while I grab my injured hand.    "If you don't want me to arrest you for attacking a person, then walk away." Elliot's voice sounds cold. Jane looks at him and then back at me. She twists her mouth and lets out a cry before walking away.

I hear Elliot let out a long breath and he turns to face me.    “Are you okay?” he asks me, placing his hands on his hips.    "I think so-"    "Wow..." he approaches me and looks at my hand "Look what you've done to yourself."    "It's nothing" I watch as he takes my hand to look at the wound ". It's just a cut-"    "We'd better heal it for you" he looks at me worriedly ". Come on, we'll go to the health center to have stitches done."     I nod and he places his hand on my back, leading me to walk out of the store. I hand him the keys so he can lock everything and then we go to my car.

Great, now Jane knows what I'm doing…

But how did she find out?

*Jake POV*

I try to stay focused on the search, but everything ends as always thinking about MC. I worry about her. Something happens.

I remember moments talking when she seemed to show interest in me, making me talk so she would not feel uncomfortable talking to a stranger. Then there were those moments when she would pull herself away. I want to be able to ask her what was going on before and now, but I feel like it's an awkward question and that I would be bringing up a topic that I should not.

I run a hand through my hair, trying to focus. Now she need me to find that video of Jane and Daliah in that fight.    "Exactly when it was?" I wonder, looking at Mason's social network “Knowing that he named it, it must have it somewhere…"

    There are too many videos, I even put keywords. It is as if they have deleted it from social networks, have they deleted it from social networks?

I hear the notification sound that a file has been decrypted and look at the other computer for the new entry.

My eyes widen in surprise at its content. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----#####----

I have gone back to the “Two Candles” to meet Mike. After so long, I've gotten what I wanted.

I think that the guy has become fond of me, because he has asked me when we would see each other. The truth is that I don't even know myself. I have only used him, as always.

But I have promised him that if everything goes well, maybe I will pay him a visit like every Friday at nine. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   "Mike?" I ask reading the content "Who is this man now?"     I rub my chin thinking, I do not remember MC saying this name, it is new to us.

Friday at nine... It's Friday… So maybe he is at that place waiting for Daliah if he does not already know she is dead.

I pass the document through PDF and send it to MC. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nym-0s [Entry number ####.PDF] MC, I have a new entry. It is pretty interesting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wait for her to connect but she does not.

I miss knowing it's important. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nym-0s I have been looking for the video on social networks, but I cannot find it. I suspect it has been erased, but do not worry, I will find it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again, I am still waiting for her to come online.

Nothing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nym-0s MC? I am sorry if you do not want to talk because of earlier. I know I am being too direct right now, but I cannot help it. I do not want to make you uncomfortable with my words. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I read my messages, thinking that with them she can connect if I apologize.

Seeing that she does not connect with those words either, I put the computer aside and start to walk nervously. Will she be okay? Could the murderer have caught her?

The police are with her, so she must be safe, I should not worry.   "Please answer when you see my messages…" I sigh, going back to work looking for the video.     But while I do it, I cannot stop looking at my phone. Waiting for a signal to answer me.

Chapter 11

[sl-newsie]

Spelled (Carlos de Vil x Sanderson Daughter) Descendants 2- Ch. 12: Trust

Thankfully,  there are very few girls in the hall since they’re all busy getting ready for cotillion. The only one I allow to see me is Lonnie, who is looking very pleased with herself.

“Jay made me the fencing team captain!” Lonnie squeals.

My heartbreak from Carlos fades a tad and I offer my congratulations. “That’s wonderful, Lonnie! I wish you the best of luck.”

She smirks. “Thanks. I get to mess with Chad! Are you coming to cotillion?”

“Yes, for a small time. I’m going to keep my cloak on so people won’t see me. I’m not here for socializing, only to bring support for Mal and Ben.”

“Sounds like a plan! See you tonight!”

Before I go to get ready, I decide to pass by Carlos’ room to see how things went with Jane-

“Audrey! Audrey!”

Only to find Chad sprawled on the floor clutching his phone. After I pull on my cloak, I feel Carlos come up behind me and see him give me a blank stare. I just tilt my head and point to Chad.

“Again? This is my room, Chad!”

“Shh! Audrey? Yeah. That’s great!” He turns to us. “Audrey got a flat tire in Sherwood Forest and wants me to go fix it!” He unwillingly gives Carlos his printed crown before zooming off down the hallway.

I give an unsatisfied grunt. “Visit the Dark Woods, while you’re at it.”

“What’s that?” Carlos whispers.

“Cursed evil part of the forest. He won’t be back for a week,” I whisper back. When we’re alone, I slip off my cloak and dare to ask. “How’d things go with Jane?”

Carlos’ eyes light up. “Fantastic! She said yes! Jane said she’d love to be my girlfriend! And hang out after the dance and-” He stops, probably sensing this is not the best subject to be speaking of in great detail. “I’m sorry. This is probably awkward, isn’t it?”

He’s right. Every time he talks so highly of Jane and how excited he is to have her as- his girlfriend, I feel my heart being squeezed with every sentence. I should support my friend and not be so jealous, but why is this so hard?! 

I shake my head, trying to convince both Carlos and myself. “No, no… It’s alright. I’m happy that you’ve found a nice girl like Jane. She’s very kind, and I’m sure you’ll both have a good time tonight. I’ve gotta go find Evie now, but I’ll see you later.”

I flip my cloak back on and stride out the door, before Carlos can respond and my heart snaps in two. Conceal it… I’m here for Mal and Ben. I cannot show any fragile emotion.

When I get to Evie’s room I find both her and Doug, who greets me with a high-five.

“Ready for your big surprise dress? Evie’s been ranting about it all week.”

I smile and shake my head. “You guys, I don’t need a dress.”

But Evie just waves me off and rushes over to her closet. “Nonsense! I expect everyone to look their best! Now close your eyes!”

I comply, and when I hear her say to open my eyes I still argue. “I still don’t see why- Oh my, oh Evie…”

She holds up an elegant Victorian-style dress sewn with a beautiful violet fabric with black patterns. One might say it’s a gown worthy of royalty and not meant for a witch.

“And I added a hood for you to wear, since you’re so keen on keeping a low profile. Though by wearing this I don’t think it’ll help keep eyes off you.”

I reach out to touch the gorgeous fabric. “Evie, it’s magnificent. You’re so talented… But this seems like it should be for someone a more high-ranking royal of the court. Not an outcast witch.”

“No, Magica.” Doug walks up and puts a hand on my shoulder. “You need to wear this, so you can show everyone just how wrong they are about you. That you’re not an evil witch.”

“I want you to walk into that party with your head held high and no regrets,” Evie says proudly. 

I start to feel excited, even overjoyed! But then…

I sigh. “Yes, I can show them. But Carlos will still be there, a reminder of my pain.”

Evie looks confused. “What do you mean? Did he hurt you?”

In a way, yes.

“He is my true love, and he has given his heart to someone else. I know partially it’s my fault for being so isolated, but I do still love him. And- And-” I start to tear up, but push through it. “And even if I can never find a happy ending, he deserves every amount of happiness. And if Jane can give that to him and I can’t, then fate has spoken.”

My words send Evie into a spiraling rambling about how ‘I should have told him’ and ‘this isn’t right,’ and it just makes it worse. I no longer wish to burden Evie with my problems, so I quickly thank her again for the dress and go to change in her bathroom. At first I think it’s too much, but after doing a twirl the dress makes me feel powerful. Not too flamboyant, yet still something to be proud of.

When I step back out, Evie’s jaw drops. “Magica, you look stunning! People are going to love you!”

I huff. “Not before they form a mob. I’m only here for Mal and Ben, and then I will go back to the Enchanted Forest. If I do not have the courage to tell Carlos, please let him know that deep down a part of me truly is happy for him, and that I will not bother him.”

He doesn’t deserve to keep having me fawning over him.

“But Magica, if you still love him maybe he-”

“No. He’s already moved on. And if you ever mention this, I will spell your mouth shut,” I warn. I hate to do this, but I’ve had enough of having my emotions manipulated and gossiped.

After leaving Evie’s room, I decide to chat with Ben before heading off to the cotillion. When I get to his room I see he’s wearing a spiffy blue tux, almost like every other guy I’ve seen so far.

“Why do the girls get to wear different dresses, but all the guys have to look the same?”

He sees me come in and shrugs. “It’s always been like that. So… You’re still coming? I see Evie’s been busy.”

I smile and give him a twirl to show off the elegant dress. “Yes, I am most grateful. I just wish I could be present at this event under different circumstances.”

Ben nods. “Trust me, Sparks. I’ll do what I can to clear your name. If that’s what you want?”

I nod eagerly. “Yes, please! I wanted to be isolated, but… never this much. I’m so tired of having to hide.” Now I change the subject. “You’re still going to work on bringing over more VKs, right?”

“Yeah. After what Uma showed me, I now see that the Isle’s much worse than I thought. If only she weren’t so evil, she wouldn’t feel she needed to steal the wand in order to escape. I tried to talk her out of it,” Ben tries to explain as he fixes his tie. “I said she could come with us if she let me go.”

His words send specks of betrayal leaking into my brain. “Ben… Do you know how shallow and insensitive that sounds? You’re using the chance of leaving Isle as a bargaining chip! It’s as if- as if… you’re just like Uma.”

My words have the equivalent of venom and leave Ben shocked.

“Magica, how- Why would you even think that?”

“Because you’re manipulating her, Ben! Just like everyone who hates me and the other VKs, every student or politician of the court, you’re manipulating people with promises you might not be able to keep. And for what? To prove that you’re a good king?”

“I will keep my promise!” Ben argues. “Why don’t you trust me?”

I sigh and bring a hand to my head, starting to feel overwhelmed. “I do trust you, Ben. But if you keep trying to appeal to people through bribes of gratification then that is something I do not agree with. Trust is done through actions, not promises. And I intend to keep mine.” I turn and start for the door. “I will be at cotillion tonight for you and Mal, no one else. Afterwards I will return to the Enchanted Forest, and you will be hearing from me about sending over more VKs. Do not let me down, Brother Ben.”

When I shut the door I lean against it and hold back the urge to scream. First Carlos, now this? My instincts to trust keep being tested, and I’m starting to question trusting anyone at all. It feels like my emotions have been dilated, each one tipping the scale and threatening to spill over. Anger, jealousy, selfishness, hostility… Each poisoning my true intentions of being good.

“Goodness gracious, is that Magica?” A voice calls from behind and all of a sudden I’m pulled into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you again, sugar!”

“Hi, Tiffany- can- can I breathe?” I gasp.

“Oh, right!” She lets me go and giggles. “I see you’re all gussied up for the dance tonight!”

“Yeah, I just hope for a halfway-decent welcome. I love your dress.”

It’s a mint green, one that (of course) was also designed by Evie. 

“Thank you, sugar! Oh- do you think you could do me a small favor and help me carry the lemon tarts to the ship? Mal had me do the catering.”

“Of course, Tiffany.” I allow a kind smile and start to follow her to the kitchen. At least one person in Auradon still holds friendship towards me.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Quilts, knits, and the art of letting go of those who only see an idealized version of you

The dangerous thing about fiber arts is that when you get into one thing, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll want to try another, then another, and another. Some things you really like, others, you’ve tried it and thought maybe this isn’t your thing. Depending on how much you plan to get out of a certain craft, it can end up being sort of costly, not in terms of $$, but in terms of materials. I’ve seen people with a huge yarn stash that there’s even a saying about how they’ll never get through all their yarn in their lifetime!

This event involves two crafts, knitting and quilting. It’s also a collaboration between Daisy Jane and Jamila for a special fall/winter collection. Almost exactly one year ago, Jamila opened up her shop, Patchwork Knits, which for now mostly sells knit and quilting patterns. In the near future though, Jamila hopes to expand with things like hand-dyed yarn, fabric, and various notions for sewing and knitting.

So far, Jamila really been killing it with her knitting patterns. I fell in love with her Cozy Cardi as soon as I saw the pics she posted on her socials and just had to make it. It’s one of those patterns where I want to make a lot of them in different colors because the style is so classic and can go with a lot of different outfits.

Never have I been so proud of a project like this one. The construction’s the kind where you start with the neckband and then pick up for the body. Since the button band’s worked on as you go in smaller needles than the body, it can get a little fiddly to work with, especially in the beginning. It took me some time to get used to, but in the end. It wasn’t so bad. And I think it kept things a bit interesting when I got to the body.

And instead of stockinette, it’s in half-Fisherman’s rib, a stitch that I’ve grown to like. Sure, it can be slow growing since your rows are basically in half. And it’s ribbing, which can get tedious sometimes. But, at least for me, half-Fisherman’s engaging enough that it doesn’t feel like a drag. Plus, I really like how the fabric turns out. I definitely don’t mind doing more projects with half-Fisherman’s rib.

As for full Fisherman’s rib or brioche, I don’t know if I’m ready to tackle those yet. I’ve heard that they’re real yarn eaters, which means they’re even slower growing. Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I do want to tackle them in the future, but maybe not for something like a sweater or cardigan, at least not anytime soon. I have seen some patterns with brioche that caught my eye, but with the fact that they use fingering yarn - meaning tiny stitches that’ll take even longer to make progress on - I think I need to slowly build my courage. The last thing I want is to become discouraged in the middle of a project, especially one that I put so much time and effort into.

Right now, I’m working on a Cozy Cardi for my mom, as well as another one of Jamila’s patterns, the Warm Spring Days cardigan for myself. Since my mom’s birthday is coming up in two months, this project will take priority. Plus, Warm Spring Days is meant for the warmer season, so it’ll be a while before I get to wear it. So far, both are going well. I just separated the sleeves and body for my mom’s cardigan, and am slowly making my way shaping the back of Warm Spring Days.

The thing about Jamila’s knitting patterns is that they look simple and classic, the kinds of things that most people would consider staples in their wardrobe. What makes her stand out is the construction of her patterns and the techniques she uses to shape her garments. It’s also a plus that she’s size inclusive and seriously takes the time to make sure that her patterns work for all different kinds of body types. Although she’s a new designer, she’s already seriously making waves in the community!

Based on my personal experiences with Jamila’s patterns, her designs are engaging enough that it sort of challenges you to step out of your comfort zone while being straightforward enough that once you get the hang of what’s going out, it’s easy to turn into a mindless, meditative knit. Though most of her garments look simple, it’s the little details that make her designs stand out and makes the process of making them more fun. Simple, timeless, and basic can be good.

Edie’s mainly working as sort of an assistant with things like tech editing, proofreading, and doing occasional admin stuff. She says she doesn’t mind being an official one when the business really takes off as it would be nice to have something consistent on the side. While she can support herself on music and writing alone, it’s nice to have something else to fall back on if she can’t do either for whatever reason.

Although I’ve been mostly talking about knitting, Jamila’s quilt designs aren’t meant to be slept on. It’s just that I don’t know too much about quilting as the hobby seems kinda intimidating to me. I’ve always liked the idea of using leftover material to make something like a patchwork quit, which is really probably the only reason I would get into quilting.

It’s just that there’s a lot of bits and pieces and steps when it comes to quilting, so I’m afraid of my project looking wonky or off. With sewing in general, there’s a lot more stuff and equipment you have to handle, as well as measurements not behind as forgiving. Especially when it comes to garments, sewing them takes more work than knitting.

So far, quilting isn’t as intimidating as I thought. Though, I’m sticking to small and simple projects where if I make mistakes, it won’t ruin the whole thing. I don’t think it’s something I’ll pick up often, but it is fun and satisfying to put these fabric scraps to good use.

However, I am working on making a patchwork quilt. It’s just that I want it to be strictly fabric scraps rather than going out and getting material specifically for that. It’s gonna be a long term project, just like my granny square blanket. With all the fabric I’ve accumulated over the years, I’m hoping it’ll be kinda like a scrapbook but in quilt form. I think my fabric scraps will be able to make something cohesive looking. I mean, I had all kinds of yarn for my granny square blanket and it ended up looking nice and colorful. So it’ll be something that I’ll work on occasionally whenever I feel like it and I’m excited to see how it turns out.

The event kinda also serves as a test run for some future patterns Jamila’s working on, as well as give her an idea on what to include when she starts putting together kits. We also did some experimenting with dying fibers - nothing much, but just to get an idea of it. She hasn’t gotten the materials yet, which makes sense because dyeing seems expensive and takes quite a bit of work, so it’s a good opportunity to do some tests to see if that’s something she wants to do in the future.

So far, I’d say it’s been going well. Jamila’s not entirely sold on the yarn she used as a sample, though the results came out good. She has other samples to test out and we have plenty of time. At least she knows now that hand dyed yarn is definitely something she wants to dive deeper into. Nothing set in stone yet, but it’s something to look forward to when the time comes.

Edie’s been in better spirits now that a weight has been lifted off her family’s shoulders. Although her father hasn’t been really a part of her adult life, he was always hanging over her and her siblings. The way she put it, he’s not a bad guy, just someone who’s expects too much and only sees you as potential instead of who you actually are. Those kinds of people can be conflicting.

A couple months ago he died unexpectedly and left a will to his kids. Basically, the will he left behind says a lot about how he sees his family. At least, how he thinks they should be. It’s no wonder that Edie and her siblings can’t rely on him. Truth is, they’re actually relieved that he’s gone.

According to Edie, her mother says that her father struggled with dissatisfaction. He was an intelligent, hard working person who was forced to grow up quickly, so he kinda became resentful that his siblings were given opportunities he was never able to get for himself. That was part of the reason why he placed such high expectations on his kids.

Sure, a lot of parents are like that. Well, maybe most of them aren’t as resentful as he was, but it’s understandable that they only want what’s best for their kids. But the issue is, how do they really know what’s best for their kids? Is it based on the kids themselves, or is it self projection? Even with parents who mean well, the line between what they want and what their kids want can be blurred.

At least most parents try to communicate with their kids and know how to admit when they’re wrong. Mistakes happen and we get blinded by our own wishes and aspirations. Sometimes we just have to take a step back and admit that we don’t always know what’s best - for ourselves and for others. We may not see eye to eye on some things - and maybe we never will - but at least we could try to make an effort to communicate and understand each other.

Unfortunately, some people refuse to be understanding. They see you struggling and find something to blame it on instead of addressing the real problem, which is usually more complicated than “X is bad, and it’s you’re fault, and that’s why you’re having this problem.” They shut you down whenever they feel like it, and then complain that you don’t know how to stand up for yourself. You do something that you’re proud of and they respond with indifference, even outright dismissing or insulting you because they’re just not interested.

Being the third born, Edie knew that she was gonna disappoint her father no matter what. He insisted that no one was interested in her music and her writing, dismissing everything just like he did to her older sisters. He made her second guess all her decisions and question whether she deserved to have good things happen to her. At least with her younger siblings, he was kinda like fuck it, like he expected them to disappoint him too.

The biggest thing about him though is that he just blatantly lies about his kids. Like with Edie’s second oldest sister, he told people that she wasn’t married because she has a wife instead of a husband. He told people that Edie’s music wasn’t worth checking out due to her lack of talent, sort of implying that Edie bought her views to make herself look good, which obviously isn’t true. And him sort of implying that Clanwing had ulterior motives to have Rolly and Easton become friends, which is completely baseless and pretty insulting.

I mean, it’s fine if you don’t approve of how your kids are living their lives, but don’t go around spreading misinformation and then shut others down when they call you out on your bullshit. That’s just on a whole different level of low.

No wonder Clanwing doesn’t like the guy. Edie said her father had very high expectations for Easton since he was the only son. But when it turned out that Easton was born missing a limb, he seemed ashamed. Well, that’s shitty of him. At least by the time Easton came around he had distanced himself as a parent to the point that Easton honestly sees him as more of a distant relative who you kinda stay out of their way rather than a father. I’d say it’s a good thing.

Then Easton befriended Rolly, and suddenly his father was a bit more interested in him. By that, he was really only interested in Kent Clanwing. The Clanwing head might have his own glaring issues on the high expectations he sets for his family and the pressure he puts on them for not being like him, but at least he’s not as two faced and dismissive as Edie and Easton’s father.

As for him being two faced, the way he treated Anissa after her stroke is a good example of that. Anissa was one of the few friends who he approved of, though he didn’t like it when she talked back. Meaning, whenever he said something rude about one of his kids in front of her and Jamila, Anissa will respond by saying something nice about them. She was one of the few who didn’t hesitate to call him out on his bullshit, and maybe he kinda respected that as he still would compare her favorably against his own kids. But then she had the stroke and he didn’t hesitate to make fun of her behind her back. So that pretty much says a lot about him.

As for the will he left behind, the terms he set are pretty ridiculous. He didn’t have much to leave behind, but it is pretty significant - as in the amount of money, not so much the real value of it. He really told one of his daughters that she can only get her share of his inheritance if she break up with her wife and marry a respectable gentleman. Uh, not gonna happen. For Edie and a couple of her sisters, he basically told them to give up the lives they have now and follow his instructions or else they won’t get anything. And for the younger ones, it’s pretty much the same - give up what makes you you, and be the person I wanted you to be, even if it contradicts everything about you. Yikes.

Obviously, they’re not following these terms. It’s not like they need the money, so that’s not the issue. Yeah, it’s…I don’t know how to put it…disrespectful? This guy really thought he could control his kids from the dead because he’s their father and they have to do what he says. Except most of them are grown now and are living their own lives with no input from him whatsoever. He was never involved to begin with, so why did he think he could take control now?

Edie wrote about the whole thing on her blog as it was unfolding, mainly just to look back on how ridiculous the whole thing was. Again, she wasn’t mindlessly hating on her father, more like trying to figure out what kind of a person he was. Maybe he had good intentions but he was too blinded by the idea of potential that he failed to see what was in front of him. Either way, she’s long accepted that she can’t change who he is, the same way he couldn’t change who she is.

The way people are is often a mystery. But I guess in most cases, we’ll never really know or understand. I think it makes sense, seeing that we don’t always understand ourselves.

Read on AO3

[starjane312]

Kit Tanthalos x OC

Big Masterlist

Masterlist

Chapter 21

He turns around. I see Kit.

K: Jane.

J: Kit. 

I quickly walk to her and pull her into my Arms.

J: Are you ok ?

She nods in my shoulder. She looks at me and gives me a Kiss. I look and see Boorman fighting another guy.

J: Who’s that ?

K: Allagash. An Old friend of my Father.

W: Where is the wand ?

E: Look I may or may not have, well, kind of , like ,dropped it.

W: What.

Ja: She only dropped because she was saving …

W: Shhh

He points his finger at Jade.

W: And the staff ? What, you drop that too ?

E: No graydon has that.

W: And where’s Graydon ?

E: Supervising a spill on Triton level Probably.

J: And very Happy he’s still alive.

I look at Kit.

J: Nearly got himself killed.

K: Again ?

I nod

W: You are in serious trouble, young lady.

E: Yeah, I know.

Allagash and Boorman are still fighting.

B: Not the Hair.

E: I Kinda missed you.

A: Who cares about your Hair ?

W: Yeah ?

E: Yeah.

W: Missed you too … in a way.

B: Stop it ! Stop it ! You puckered old bergencoif !

A: You spineless little zudcudder.

W: Come on guys. Language.

A: Sorry.

B: Sorry.

A: Sorry Ladies.

I raise my eyebrows.

B: I’d prayed you’d still be alive so I would have the pleasure of killing you myself.

A: I’m right here. Buffets open. Beanpole. Grab a Tray.

Kit walks to them and since I’m not letting her go she pulls me with her.

B: Beanpole ? Yeah well I’v actually put on quite a lotta bulk.

A: You know what, you have. You’ve gotten bigger, you look good.

B: Well, thanks. It’s Diet mainly actually a little bit of Torture endurance …

Allagsh tries to attack him. Boorman pushes him away, grabs his Sword and crosses it with Kit who's holding a Hammer with spikes. I hold my Dagger under his Chin.

J: Step away from my Wife.

He lowers his sword. Then he looks at Kit.

B: Whatever he told you,it’s a lie

K: You stole the Lux arcana.

B: Back from him. He got Blaylock and Mookie killed. He betrayed us, he … He betrayed Madmartigan.

A: Oh come on this guy will say anything. That was you huh ? That was him.

He steps a little bit too close to Kit. I give him a sharp look and he steps a step away from her.

A: You think I’ve been down here for ten years ‘cause I like it balmy, huh ? 

K: You were his squire and you left him to die.

B: I know.

Kit lowers her weapon. I grab her hand.

B: I would’ve stayed with him till the end. I should’ve. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

E: I think there is someone coming.

W: Trolls.

A: This is were they caught me last time. They must#ve known I ‘d come back here. They’re so smart. Damn it.

Ja: What’s the quickest way out of here ? 

Allagash walks to a wall.

K: The doorway.

A: Yeah.

He grabs into a wall and pulls out an Arm.

A: Put your arm in here.

He points at Kit.

J: Definitely not. 

I go to him and push my arm into the Hole.

J: And now ?

A: Pull the lever.

J: If I lose my arm I will kill you.

A: Understood. But you will not.

I take a breath and pull on it. Something rattles.

A: Good, stay put.

He starts running.

A: Herewe go, solving elaborate booby traps. 

He sticks his hand in another one. Something sounds like it’s opening. But nothing appears.

Ja: Yeah I don’t see a secret door.

A: That’s because you don’t know how to look.

We follow him. It’s a Giant stone head.

J: What the hell ?

B: Ah big head. Great, where's the treasure ?

Some weird music starts playing.

Wiggleheim: Through the Ages and remember I have tested those who entered. Seeking fortune, fame and Glory. Hoping those might change their story. But the greatest Treasure I ever found was the Love and laughter all around.

A: Ah, what a lovely sentiment, huh ?

Wiggleheim: Though should Riches be your heart's desire, the answers I shall now Require. And If by chance you don’t reply in my tomb you all shall die. 

E: Wait hang on did he just say we all would ie.

B: He did.

The secret Door closes.

J: Wait what ?!

Wiggleheim: So I pass for sire to heir and each of brothers takes his share. A gift or curse I may be, used by others more than thee.

A: Anybody ?

W: It’s a riddle, I’m good at these.

A: Good, you got the answer ?

W: Wait, wait, wait.

Ja: A name.

A: What ?

Ja: That’s the answer.

A: We’re going with “A name ?”

Wiggleheim: Congratulations. 

A: We’re in. We did it !

Wiggleheim: If Once more you do succeed, my vault of treasures is yours indeed.

A: Oh.

Wiggleheim: Where whatever by your hearts appeal, awaits you beyond it’s seal.

I look at Kit.

J: Didn’t know you were in there.

She pushes her elbow in my ribs.

J: Sorry.

A: Come on, Come on. Team Allagash. We got this. all right Wiggleheim, give us your best shot.

Wiggleheim: Beggars have what wise men crave. But both shall take it to their grave.

Noone has a clue. 

Wiggleheim: Seems perhaps you need more Time, Or if you wish, I’ll repeat my Rhyme.

We are stuck here. And he continues repeating the same words over and over again. It feels like we’ve been here for hours.

J: This leads us to nothing, we're all going to die. Great. Just what I want. You know. Growing up, meeting the love of my life, marrying her and then dying with her locked in a cave, not even a day after. Fairytale ending.

Ja: Can you stop being sarcastic ?

J: In a situation like this ? No.

She gals at me.

E: Wait, say that again.

I look at her.

J: No ?

E: The first thing you said. 

J: This all leads to nothing ?

E: That’s it. The answer is Nothing.

The doors open again. Boorman and Allagash run in. They search everything. Allagash finds it in the end and runs out with it. Kit walks inside the vault. Everything starts to Rumble. 

J: My Love ?

I walk to her.

[anthrofreshtodeath]

Do you remember what the first smut you ever wrote was? And how did you get so confident in writing it (or was it always easier for you?) I am dabbling in some writing for the first time in my fandom life and I find a lot of it flows right out of me, but the smut?? Good christ I’m all over the place with it and don’t think I’m succeeding in what I’m actually trying to convey 😂😭 Do you have any tips?

Hmm… I think the first smut I wrote was when I was 19 for Alucard and Integra of Hellsing (the anime). I never posted it. It was bad.

And I hope I’m not bursting your bubble, but for me, the smut writing never really got easier 😂. I don’t really think my smut is all that good, so I may be the wrong person to ask. But like you, I struggle because it is very… choreographed. It’s like playing Tetris with your writing. The end result is supposed to be sexy, but the process is so technical as to be dry (at least for me).

But, with that said, I guess I have a few tips:

1) unless you’re writing PWP, try to give your smut a purpose. I’ll use CMWHS chapter 14 as an example - Jane and Maura are fucking, but Maura is using the fucking to punish Jane in a very particular kind of way that she knows will hurt Jane because Jane hurt her. So, successfully or not, it serves the plot. Once I know what I want the sex scene to do, then I plan out the acrobatics, LOL. Meaning what positions, what do they say to each other, etc.

2) just get the skeleton on the page. If you’re not sure of all the above, put a barebones placeholder down, like a sketch of how you want the scene to go, then return to it later after you’ve had time to think about it. Wow, lots of bones talk here, but I do this one all the time.

3) listen to music to get you in the right headspace! This doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. Listen to sex music. Get a feel for what is sexy to you and to other people and draw inspiration from that. Notice I am not recommending a certain genre because sex music can mean different things to different people. Send an ask or a DM if you want to know specific artists or songs I listen to in order to get in the smut writing zone.

4) read other people’s work! This is so important for all types of writing, smut included. Well-rounded readers are better writers. Don’t copy, but draw inspiration.

5) Last one - don’t try to be too sexy. This is hard to explain and I’m not even sure I can articulate what I mean by it very well, but I’m going to try. Avoid porny language, the “oh yeah right there baby” stuff. The over the top, “her orgasm ripped through her” type of stuff. I think we’re all guilty of going there from time to time, myself totally included, but sex is a thing that real people do. Real people say real things and crack real jokes and express real emotions during sex. They say silly things, they say sexy things that you wouldn’t necessarily find conventionally sexy, but oh boy does it work for their partner(s). Write about what you find sexy, or what people have told you they find sexy, independent of what media tells us what we should think is sexy. Queer spaces are great for this. One thing I think is hot? When Jane Rizzoli crosses her arms and nods while Maura Isles is talking, all while she looks down at her, in a completely nonsexual context or conversation. I can take that body language and transpose it onto a sex scene, alter it a bit, and it works. It’s not, you know, them making out or moaning or getting bent over or whatever (those things can be hot too), but it feels more real because it’s true to character. I hope that made even the tiniest bit of sense 😂. Long story short I think the hottest smut is the smut that is unique to those characters, not just the smut that ticks all the kink boxes or gets all the conventional positions right. Though getting those boxes ticked can be fun too! When people combine the character development and the kinky boxes? God tier smut.

Like I said - probably not the right person to ask given my complicated relationship with my smut writing, but I hope this helped! If it wasn’t so awkward I’d do a “my favorite sex scenes and what I find successful about them” series of posts or something.

[pesterloglog]

Roxy Lalonde, John Egbert, Harry Anderson Egbert

Candy, page 38

ROXY: sup john

ROXY: long time no see

ROXY: well alright then pal

ROXY: i do believe u know the way to the living room

JOHN: yeah, yep.

JOHN: thanks.

JOHN: sorry for staring like an idiot.

JOHN: it’s...

JOHN: i just got done with a whole week of feeling weird about hanging out in my dad’s old house again.

JOHN: I kind of forgot to think about how it would be surreal coming back here, too.

JOHN: some kind of nostalgia whiplash, i guess.

ROXY: fair enough yo

ROXY: harry andersons out if u were wonderin

ROXY: hell scoot back home later so if you make it thru round 1 of awkward ex-family convos im happy to say you can be rewarded with another

JOHN: oh, cool.

JOHN: i’d like to see him, if…

JOHN: if it’s okay with both of you.

ROXY: ya we chatted bout it

ROXY: but like i said

ROXY: one thing at a time

ROXY: lets me n u tear this ol egbert/lalonde estrangement band-aid right the fuck off n see what we got goin on underneath it

JOHN: sounds like a plan.

JOHN: so, uh.

JOHN: i’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently.

JOHN: and i’ve realized some things.

JOHN: some stuff that involves you and some that doesn’t, but all things i think you deserve to know.

JOHN: whew.

JOHN: ok lemme think where to start...

JOHN: you know how jake left jane?

JOHN: i mean, i assume you know.

JOHN: though, uh, no offense, but jane’s version might be...

JOHN: skewed.

ROXY: oh lmao nah i didnt hear it from janey

ROXY: harry anderson filled me in on wat he got thru the teen grapevine

JOHN: oh!

JOHN: are you guys not...

JOHN: nevermind.

JOHN: i’m sorry, i came to apologize for my shit, not pry into your business.

JOHN: we don’t have to talk about jane if you don’t want to.

ROXY: janey n me havent been super tight of late

JOHN: ah.

JOHN: what about politics not coming between friends and all that?

ROXY: lmao well turns out sometimes someones politics make it p clear what kind of friends they value

ROXY: or dont

ROXY: and idk sometimes people you used to like when you were a teen grow up to be assholes or w/e!!

ROXY: i think i was clingin to somethin just to prove to myself that i was doin stuff right

ROXY: ol rolal

ROXY: hella normal

ROXY: v good at sticking with friends

ROXY: the more i thought abt it the more i figured holdin on to that one thing made me lose out on some other shit

ROXY: u might relate

JOHN: haha, you got me there i guess.

ROXY: anyways

ROXY: im not tryna take up all ur big speech time w/ my stuff

ROXY: you were tellin me about how jake n janey finally went splitsways and how it gave you some kind of epiphany

JOHN: no, it’s cool!

JOHN: i’m glad to hear it.

JOHN: we can come back to your shit after my shit, maybe.

JOHN: but yeah, jake, he uh...

JOHN: he and tavros are living with me now.

JOHN: i think for the foreseeable future. we were expecting jane to have kind of a fit about it, but all we’ve gotten so far are some divorce papers.

JOHN: if she knows where jake is and she hasn’t had a drone fleet dispatched to nuke my house off the planet i think that’s a good sign she’s actually just letting them go?

JOHN: which is kind of surprising, but, uh. good, i guess.

ROXY: ok ill b the first 2 admit that janes turned into kind of a jerk lately but u no shes not actually like

ROXY: literally evil

ROXY: lol

JOHN: that’s debatable!

ROXY: sry to disappoint but janes just a person and you cant actually blame her for everything that went wrong in our marriage like i was her helpless thrall or somethin

JOHN: that’s not what i was saying...

ROXY: ok neither of us came here to argue about janey did we

JOHN: you’re right. let’s just not talk about her.

ROXY: yea

JOHN: anyway...

JOHN: i’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how things got to be like they are.

JOHN: i guess i’ll just come out and say it.

JOHN: i completed fucked up your entire life.

JOHN: i’m not going to pretend like there are two sides here. it’s my bad, totally.

JOHN: like, not just what happened to our marriage, though it’s also true that that’s completely my fault.

JOHN: but even before that...

JOHN: i think i fucked up on just this massive, fundamental level, and it’s what i did—

JOHN: or, well, what i didn’t do—

JOHN: that caused every stupid bullshit thing about the way this world is.

JOHN: none of this was supposed to be this way.

JOHN: honestly, it doesn’t feel right that we got married at all, does it?

JOHN: your life was heading in this whole other direction with callie, and i just...

JOHN: i dunno. i just kind of took that from you.

JOHN: i think i ended up taking a lot of decisions from a lot of people.

JOHN: everything took a backseat to what i wanted.

JOHN: whatever cosmic significance the lives here do or don’t have, all the pointless suffering i’ve created is... inhumane. and—

ROXY: oh nah ill stop u rite there my man

ROXY: im sorry john ilu but this is some hot steamin horseshit

JOHN: what?!

ROXY: its some real jerkoff emoji stuff is all im sayin!!

ROXY: you think you choice mattered so much that no one elses could measure up?

ROXY: n then what

ROXY: did u get what u wanted?

ROXY: did your life end and the points got tallied and you came out on top or like what?

ROXY: still p much seems like were movin to me

ROXY: and you sure dont seem like ur winnin so wheres all this good shit you got that you gotta go around handin out apologies for?

ROXY: also damn dude while were at it!!

ROXY: u forgot to actually say sorry in that apology!

JOHN: no, i didn’t — i just meant...

JOHN: i’m sorry for fucking up your life, or making it not—

ROXY: i like my life!!!

ROXY: i mean it aint perf and i got my share of fuckups n mistakes in there but you dont get to tell me its fucked up

ROXY: or that it isnt real or somethin

ROXY: its mine!

ROXY: i mean i felt... somethin i guess

ROXY: but its not just you

ROXY: youve never been the only player in this game u kno

ROXY: do u not remember who all was there when this all kicked off?

ROXY: me n callie wouldna told u u had a choice if it was all just some meaningless bs

ROXY: its not like i was ever some master seer of all that ever was or will be but i do know a lil bit abt what coulda gone down if things were different

ROXY: and u know what

ROXY: i like the way things turned out just fuckin fine

ROXY: so maybe u could stop wastin precious eternity thinkin ur so special that its ur fault everyones not perfectly happy

JOHN: i just kept wanting to find ways to make everything make sense, you know?

JOHN: but maybe it just fucking doesn’t.

ROXY: i know we became grownups in a world built specifically n cosmically for us

ROXY: so i get wanting to find a pattern in everything

ROXY: but not everything has 2 b that deep

ROXY: n when u think abt it

ROXY: lookin at it that way, like evrythin has to be this elaborately purposeful heroic design to be worthwhile

ROXY: is actually p shallow

JOHN: oh.

JOHN: yeah, i guess.

JOHN: i’m sorry. it’s just so hard to not feel like a total asshole.

JOHN: maybe i’m not some grand vizier of destroying time and space or whatever.

JOHN: but we KNOW that there’s a canon timeline out there.

JOHN: and it seems really obvious to me that we aren’t in it anymore.

ROXY: so what

JOHN: “so what”???

ROXY: yea

ROXY: so what

ROXY: tf do i care that theres some other reality out there some1 arbitrarily decided was the “real” one

ROXY: whats that have to do with the life i have now

ROXY: what is there actually that makes this one mean less than that one to the ppl who r actually in it

JOHN: you never feel like it would’ve been better if things had gone a different way?

JOHN: magic or no, i could have done a lot differently, for you especially.

JOHN: stuck around, or... fuck.

JOHN: stayed out of your way to begin with.

JOHN: let you and callie do your thing, or do whatever it was you seemed to be headed off to do.

JOHN: i just didn’t expect it to be me, after...

ROXY: nah dont say that

ROXY: i mean i accept ur apology this time but

ROXY: theres obvs all kinds of ways shit coulda gone

ROXY: and tbh back then

ROXY: with her...

ROXY: mostly i think i just wanted to do stuff right

ROXY: not that i knew wtf that even meant lmao

ROXY: which was prob the problem lmao lmao lmao

ROXY: just like

ROXY: we had this big fresh as hell start at bein people!

ROXY: i had all these conflictin thoughts abt how to be me in the first place

ROXY: like what it meant to date a beautiful skull alien

ROXY: sexualitywise and genderwise and person in generalwise

ROXY: for a while there i didnt know if i wanted ppl to think of me as a woman at all

JOHN: ah, i didn’t know.

JOHN: well, i guess maybe i wondered?

JOHN: but the way young idiot me would have wondered, so not that deeply.

JOHN: and it seemed like you’d forgotten all about it when we got together.

ROXY: i hadnt forgotten about it

JOHN: do you want to talk about it...?

ROXY: i coulda told you then but i kinda felt embarrassed abt flip floppin with my identity i think

ROXY: mean it isnt like i grew up with big airquotes society tellin me what was right n wrong like u did

ROXY: so it wasnt any kind of shamefest

ROXY: just a lot of abstract hypotheticals wed only just started talking about and never got very far into

ROXY: just idk i thought i might do things one way but then i stopped hangin out with callie as much

ROXY: its not like i stopped thinkin abt it

ROXY: or her

ROXY: but it never rly came up with anyone else and i didnt rly feel like i could talk abt it with you so i never brought it up again

JOHN: i’m really sorry you felt that way, roxy.

ROXY: its ok its not ur fault

JOHN: but you don’t regret it?

JOHN: not going for that stuff, and instead just... marrying me?

JOHN: i’m not asking so you can absolve me, i’m just impressed.

JOHN: how do you not second guess every choice you make?

ROXY: i havent stuck my head in the timeline vortex like u have so i dunno what its like to see other options

ROXY: i just do things the best way i think to do em and then shrug n hope it works out?

ROXY: i dont think i can regret anything

ROXY: theres not only one right way to be me imo

ROXY: i like the me i am

ROXY: its not like i went n decided “actually hell ya love to be a woman n do all the shit on the woman checklist”

ROXY: i get that thats prob what it looks like outside of my own self but i dont care abt that

ROXY: sorry lol im not good at this whole explainin what transpires in my brain thing

ROXY: idk this life ive been livin gave me harry anderson

ROXY: that kinda outweighs anything else just for me personally

ROXY: n its not like i ever totally quit thinkin abt that gender stuff

ROXY: i just found a different way to work it out than maybe i was originally gonna

ROXY: i...

ROXY: but lmao john were just adults

ROXY: were not dead!

ROXY: idk i mean were only what... barely middle aged in regular human years?

ROXY: we got all kinds of hypothetical but still prolly finite eternity to work our shit out

ROXY: who tf knows

ROXY: its not like you figure out who you are when youre 23 and then the rest of ur whole life is just sittin back watchin ur shit fall apart or not

ROXY: i mean maybe thats been it for u so far

JOHN: haha. ouch.

ROXY: i just dont think im anywhere near done buildin those roxy self actualization train stops

ROXY: who the fuck can say how many more i got lined up

ROXY: same goes for u

ROXY: if youre willing to look at this life as more than a cosmically pointless dead end failure that is

JOHN: i guess...

JOHN: there’s literally nothing to do but keep moving forward.

JOHN: i may as well not be a big fucking downer about it if i don’t have to be.

ROXY: thats the spirit

ROXY: weve got a million billion lifetimes ahead of us john

ROXY: u dont even KNOW all the ways u got left to fuck up in!!

ROXY: hows that for some inspiration??!

JOHN: it’s...

JOHN: it’s pretty fucking inspirational, roxy.

JOHN: thank you for trusting me with this personal stuff.

JOHN: i know partly you were telling me all that to kick my sadsack ass, but i know you don’t talk about this kind of thing every day.

ROXY: to be real i hadnt even let myself think abt it every day

ROXY: so thanks for lettin me ramble at u out loud instead of just almost thinkin abt it once every few years

JOHN: i guess sometimes it takes hearing the same shit over and over until it sticks.

JOHN: that’s mostly an own on myself by the way.

ROXY: lmao were just rippin off those bandaids left n right over here

ROXY: a coupla professional issue discussers

JOHN: yeah, i’m frankly baffled by how fucking good we are at this?

JOHN: where was this when we sucked so hard at being married?

ROXY: buried under a shocking number of issues is my guess

JOHN: well, it’s nice to throw a few off, for once.

ROXY: feel free to communicate with me instead of spendin the next 300 years in a silent prison of your own making if u so desire

JOHN: hey harry anderson.

JOHN: it’s really, really good to see you.

JOHN: do you wanna go for a drive?

HARRY ANDERSON: yeah, dad.

HARRY ANDERSON: that could be cool.

[toomanysurveys9]

Think back to yesterday, what were you doing around this time? Just getting home or on the way home from Jacob’s mom’s house.

What was the last thing you watched on the TV? I don’t remember. Probably Jane the Virgin.

Do you think pets can get annoying easily? No, it takes a lot to annoy me generally. At least for my pets to.

Did you know that pickles have no calories? I didn’t know that.

Do you enjoy family get togethers? I do.

In a group of three, do you often feel like the third wheel? Yup.

What color are your pants? Blue jeans.

Is there snow on the ground where you are? No. It’s almost officially summer.

What is keeping you warm right now?

It’s warm outside right now. But Nora is also sleeping on me with a blanket and she’s a little heater.

Has anyone bought you a piece of jewelry? Yeah.

How far away is your next birthday? Three-ish months.

Do you have plans for that birthday yet? No plans.

When did you last take a shower? It’s been a few days.

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? I have not.

Have you ever flown somewhere alone? Nope.

Are you more serious or funny? Definitely more serious.

Is there someone that annoys you but you haven’t told them? There are a lot of people that fall into this category.

When is garbage day in your area? Friday.

Who/What was the last thing to really irritate you? All the kids yelling and screaming and fighting.

Do you think people either love or hate spongebob? I mean, I feel like there’s probably people somewhere in the middle too.

Have you seen that new “Lie To Me” show? It’s not new, but yes. I watched a couple seasons, but never finished the series.

What is something you’d rather be doing right now? I’m ready to go to sleep.

Do you find that people are too hard on you? They can be but I’m hardest on myself.

Do you take surveys often? Not as often as I used to or would like to. But I’m hoping to be able to get back into it.

Do you tend to slam things around when you’re mad? Not usually.

Do you know anyone who hates/dislikes chocolate? Probably but they’re not coming to mind right now.

Could you vote in this last election? Yup.

Have you taken a shower today? Nope.

How much sleep did you get last night? Not nearly enough.

Do you have more girl friends or guy friends? Neither. Lol.

What is your current mood? Super sleepy.

Is there anything on your mind at the moment? Just stressing out about everything I need to do and buy and take care of before the trip next week.

Are there any movies out that you’d like to see? I want to see the new Little Mermaid movie!

Have you ever been on a website called Stickam? I don’t think so.

Have you ever hated yourself? All the time.

Are you hungry? Nope.

Did your parents ever ground you? Alll the time.

Where was the last place you went out to eat? Hacienda with Nora on Saturday. Panera was the drive thru.

Have you ever felt like you needed a better life than the one you have? I guess so.

Do you own an MP3 player of some kind? I do but I don’t use it.

Do you have a moment in your life you wish you could replay over again? A few.

Have you ever been in a play? If so, did you like it? I was in a musical once.

What is one musical artist you wish wasn’t making music? I don’t care for Cardi B much. But I know there are others that like her.

When was the last time you cleaned something? I swept the floor not too long ago.

Have you ever been so sick you had to be taken to the hospital? Yup. Several times at various ages for various things.

Do you like your smile? I hate it actually. My gums and teeth are shit because I never expected to live this long and my parents never taught us proper dental hygiene.

Do you have someone that you think truly understands you? Not really.

When was the last time you doubted yourself? Anytime I think about my upcoming internship. And I was also worried about my signature assignment for this class but ended up with a perfect score.

Is there anything currently bothering you? I have too much on my plate before next week.

Would you say that you’ve got something ‘special’ about you? Nope.

Who was the last person to cheer you up when you were down? My kids.

Are you scared of what you do not know? Sometimes, yes.

Is there anything in the next six months that you’re looking forward to? Florida. And hopefully going to Louisiana for Leslie’s wedding. And starting my internship.

Were you/are you popular in high school? Not even a little.

Do you really care what people think about you? Not really.

Do you find yourself treating others like you’d want to be treated? I try.

Are you constantly envious of others? Not really.

Are you more of a whiner with things or a do’er of things? Definitely a mix of both.

List three of your favorite TV shows: Supernatural, Criminal Minds, and Hart of Dixie tend to be my comfort shows.

Would your friends say you’re a relaxed person or stressed? Stressed for sure.

What do you find yourself worrying most about these days? Finances. My babies.

Would you say it’s hard to earn your trust? No. It’s too easy and I always get hurt.

Who was the last person to compliment you? Eliana I think. :) She’s a sweetie.

Anything interesting happen this past week? This week just started.

When was the last time you felt scared? Yesterday when Michelle and Jacob let Nora on the trampoline.

What’s on your mind this very second? I need to get to bed.

Do you know the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’? I do.

Do you correct other people’s grammar/spelling when talking to them online? Nope.

Is bacon one of your favorite foods? I enjoy it on occasion, but it’s definitely not one of my favorite foods by any means.

Are you one of those people who like to sleep in on the weekends? Yes but my kids say no. Lol.

Do you like things Vampire related? I do. Although I’m super into fairies right now. :p

Have you ever cussed at a parent or teacher? Not that I can remember.

When was the last time you saw snow? Whenever it snowed last, which wasn’t as long ago as it should have been. Lol.

Have you ever felt stupid after saying something? All the time.

Do you find yourself cold at the moment? Nope.

Are your nails currently long? Longer than I like them to be. Especially with my job being with kids.

Are you the kind of person who does not like talking about their past? I talk about it too much sometimes. Especially on here.

Do you have long slender fingers or short chunky ones? Chunky. :( 

Do you think your foot size fits your body type? No. They’re too big for as short as I am.

Are you the competitive type? Noo.

Are you more of a mommy’s person or a daddy’s person? Momma’s.

[akastartatthebeginning]

asgcrdianprince

It was awful timing. Having to leave for Asgard not long after. Thor had only said that one of their father’s ravens had told them they needed to come home. He didn’t question it, not knowing the truth behind why they were going. He was happy for his brother, he really was. He knew this was what Thor always wanted. But as happy as he was for his brother, the whole time he was back at home, he wore that perfect, princely smile that he’d perfected over the last few centuries. He was pretty sure it was done in vain. Frigga could see right through it.

Loki quietly walked down the stairs when they got back, Thor immediately going to find Jane. If it wasn’t for Jane, he was pretty sure Jessica wouldn’t even be there, so he was glad, at least, for that. He let out a breath when he found her, not doing much else to alert her of his presence other than sit down beside her. He didn’t say anything for a moment, wanting to see if she would first. When she didn’t, Loki said, “Thor told me about Jane. I put two and two together and I know why you didn’t tell me the truth.” Loki turned his head towards her, just looking at her for a moment, before continuing. “I’m sorry I responded like that. That’s not what I meant. It’s just....” Loki sighed and shook his head. “I always forced myself to think that could never happen because they would be like me. They could be like me,” he added, leaning back a little at the admission. “But it wasn’t right for me to project that on you like that.”

She acted like an asshole for most of the time he was gone. Staying out late on 'cases,' that somehow always led to the same dive bar, barely eating or sleeping, snapping at everyone that looked at her wong. But she managed to keep her shit enough together to be sort of there for Jane. Enough to hold her hair back and keep the ginger ale stocked. They both heard the bifrost land (or whatever the hell it did). Jessica waited until Thor came into the room, taking her spot next to Jane seamlessly despite being about ten times bigger. She nodded once and slipped out, wandering until she found herself in the library. That's where he caught up to her.

She was sitting on a dark-green couch, situated right in front of an unlit fireplace. Her legs curled beneath her, her knee slightly raised to support her elbow as she chewed on her thumbnail. She heard him enter, barely turned her head. Enough that he'd see it and know that she wasn't immediately bolting at his presence. A part of her sort of wanted to. But she didn't. She didn't look at him while he spoke, but she listened. Finally she sighed, dropped her free hand and stretched it through the space between them. Searching for his hand, hoping to feel it. "Yeah, well," she murmured. Her voice felt thick, husky. "You weren't the only one projecting some shit into that fight." She stopped chewing on her nail and reached for the bottle beside her. Took a swig, contemplated another, but decided no.

Then she turned to him. "I'm on birth control. I -- we didn't talk about it or anything, but I've been on it a long time. I didn't trust the male population of this city to be responsible enough to carry condoms. I'm... half a functional person at best, and you don't need to be a Jotun to say 'holy shit I hope I never have kids because they'll be really fucked up.'" She gave him an almost-playful, knowing kind of look. But she could only hold it for a second before she had to tear her gaze away. "The point is... I really don't want to be pregnant again."

[skittlesfics]

hii i wanted to request a argyle x byers!reader where he’s like obsessed with her and he’s all nervous when she’s around and she’s shy but she also likes him

so will, jonathan and eleven try to get them together and its all fluff (sorry for my bad english btw)

i love your writing!!!

Thanks for the request, and patience! I was writing this as a drabble/series of drabbles but this one really got away from me. Hope you enjoy! name: bewitched pairing: Argyle x Byers!Reader word count: 2951 content/warnings: she pronouns. silliness. fluff. some egregious pov switching near the end -

“No way, man. I can’t drive her alone. She’ll cast a hex on me or something.” Argyle said, throwing both hands up defensively. Jonathan raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“A hex.” He challenged. He knew that Argyle hit the bong a bit hard sometimes, but this was by far the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard from the other boy’s mouth, especially considering he didn’t even know about El’s powers.

“Yeah, man, another one! Your sister has some witchy shit going on.” Argyle wiggled his fingers to demonstrate his meaning, waving them around for emphasis. Jonathan watched him with pursed lips, still skeptical.

“Dude. Argyle. What are you talking about? Another hex? Witchy shit? She’s my sister, and she needs a ride to work later.” Jonathan wasn’t normally the type to get pushy when asking for a favor, but his best friend was truly not making any sense this time. Sure, you sometimes wore your eyeliner a little on the thick side, but that didn’t make you witchy.

“No, man, I’m serious. Like, dead serious. She did something to me last time I drove her alone. She like… whispered something right as she was getting around the van and BOOM!” He clapped his hands together for emphasis, the sudden noise making Jonathan jump, “I can’t stop thinking about her! At first I thought it was just because the van still smelled like her perfume, but nope. Someone ordered her favorite pizza toppings and I caught myself arranging them the way she likes them before I remembered it wasn’t for her.”

When Jonathan didn’t say anything, he continued, “Then I saw her favorite flowers in this neighborhood I was delivering to, and I started slowing down to pick them! I see her everywhere dude, in everything. I’m telling you, she cursed me.”

Jonathan stared as his friend, slack-jawed as he tried to deflect his painfully obvious curse into some sort of magical phenomenon. If Argyle wasn’t staring at him so earnestly, he would have laughed. He wanted to laugh anyway, but in a disbelieving sort of way. In a, am I really going to convince you that you’re in love with my baby sister kind of way.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not a curse, Argyle.”

“Dude, are you listening? I can’t even talk around her anymore, man. I get all tongue tied, like, I just don’t know what to say. Or I know what I want to say but it never comes out right and she just gets this sweet look on her face and laughs. Doesn’t say anything, just laughs.”

Oh, he had it bad. Of course, Jonathan and the rest of the population of Lenora Hills, California already knew that Argyle had a crush on the Byers sister, but Jonathan had just laughed it off until now because it was Argyle and you were you and it was nothing serious. This was sounding serious.

“What if Jane rides with you?” Jonathan offered, glancing back at the house. He couldn’t miss his scheduled phone call with Nancy again, and his car had been giving him too many problems to reliably get you to work anyway.

Argyle hummed, considering.

“Come on, dude, please? She wouldn’t dare do anything in front of Jane, you know. She’s way too protective.” Jonathan knew he shouldn’t feed into it, but he needed this favor.

Argyle sighed but acquiesced, finally.

“Fine, but only if Jane rides with us. And no witchy shit!”

-

You drummed your fingers nervously on your lap as Argyle drove, something inoffensive playing quietly over the radio. He was uncharacteristically quiet, and you weren’t sure if you had done or said something to upset him. Under normal circumstances, you probably wouldn’t have asked, and with El being oddly insistent on riding with the two of you today, you certainly had nothing to say.

“Your hair looks good today; did you do something different?” El called from the back, surprisingly chipper. You turned your head to raise an eyebrow at her, but she just smiled at you, “Don’t you think it looks good, Argyle?”

You turned to look at Argyle, and caught his gaze when he glanced over at you. You offered him a confused smile, but he quickly turned his eyes back to the road.

“Uhhh, yeah, dude. It looks good. Looks great. Pretty.” He offered, his grip tightening slightly on the wheel as he rambled, “Pretty… hairy?”  You giggled; you couldn’t help it. Argyle was always so adorable when he was tripping over words. Somehow, it made whatever he settled on even sweeter. Pretty. Hairy. You shook your head fondly.

“Thanks, but it’s really nothing different. Just showered.” You shrugged, teeth immediately finding your bottom lip. Listening to Argyle was easy, but talking to him was something else entirely. He was always just so calm, so self-assured. You were so in your head about everything that you worried it would scare him away if he caught onto that.

You could feel his eyes on you, briefly, but neither of you said anything else. You thought you heard a quiet sigh from the back seat, but when you looked back, El was just staring out the window. You weren’t sure why she had wanted to come along anyway.

The drive to your job was nothing special, just flat desert for miles. Sometimes you would be daring and try to pull a rant out of Argyle, but with El as an audience, you didn’t dare. You would usually quietly remark on something innocuous and he would latch on, turning it into a full on rant or story that would leave you in stitches. Without that, this was just… awkward.

Your salvation came in the form of the small diner you had been waitressing at appearing on the horizon. The drive to work had never felt so long.

Argyle pulled into the ‘No Parking’ zone and you gathered your belongings quickly, flashing a smile as you hurried to exit the van.

“Thanks for the ride, drive safe!” You waved your goodbye and hurried inside, glad to be free of the lingering awkwardness.

You found yourself thinking of Argyle for the entire first half of your shift. The way he said pretty before amending his statement. The brief eye contact you had made, his pretty brown eyes meeting yours. The way he hummed softly along with whatever was on the radio, even when he clearly didn’t know the song. You were glad that you could at least be friends with someone like him, since you'd never been able to work up the nerve to say something that might change that into something more. 

-

Back at the Byers house, Will swung his legs as he sat on the edge of his bed, listening intently to El and Jonathan as they each filled him in on their side of the story. Internally, his brain was whirring. If only Dustin and Mike were here, this would be easy. They were good at meddling. Even Lucas would’ve known how to drop the right hints in the right places. Without those three, though, they would need a friend. But first, Will needed answers.

“Let me get this straight. You want to hook your best friend up with our sister?”

That was exactly what Jonathan wanted, it turns out.

-

You knew from the very beginning that your siblings were planning something.

Will had always been terrible at lying to you, and Jonathan always got this weird look on his face when he was planning something he didn’t want you to ask him about. Still, it was El that provided the final nail in the coffin. When she suddenly became very interested in what you were wearing to the drive-in that evening, you knew for sure.

“El, it’s just the drive-in. No one will even see me!” You protested, putting away the miniskirt your mother had bought for you during one of her rare “you’re young, go be young! Take advantage of it!” phases. You had never managed to convince yourself to wear it out of the house, not wanting the extra attention it would bring.

El snatched the skirt back from the top of the drawer and dropped it back onto your bed.

“Exactly, wear it.” She insisted stubbornly.

The two of you glared at each other over the clothes. You thought to call her out, the words ‘Friends don’t lie’ just at the tip of your tongue, but you simply huffed and gathered the clothes instead.

First Jonathan had announced a last-minute plan to take you to movie, and then Will was suddenly super excited about a movie he had never mentioned before, as if Will was even capable of being excited about something without talking your ear off about it. Now, El was being weird about your clothes, and of course your mother was all for whatever would get the lot of you out of the house, so long as Jonathan was there to keep a keen eye on everyone. If the four of them had aligned against you, you had never had a chance in the first place.

“Fine, I’ll wear the skirt, just let me get dressed.”

El flashed you a smile on her way out of your room that did nothing to make you feel reassured.

They were clearly planning something, but what? It wasn’t their style to embarrass you in public, despite the way you felt as you tugged on the miniskirt. (The top, thankfully, was full length.) There wasn’t much they could even do at a drive-in. Certainly nothing that involved you. It didn’t make any sense.

At least, it didn’t make any sense until you walked downstairs to see Argyle standing next to Jonathan at the door, talking animatedly about something that had happened on the last stop of his pizza delivery route.

“…And that was it. I told her that Surfer Boy Pizza only accepts cash payments and she slammed the door. Didn’t even come back for her pizza, so I figured we could add a fresh pie to our snacks instead of letting it go to waste. It was your sister's favorite toppings, too. ”

You couldn’t help but to smile at the sound of his voice even as you tugged at the bottom of your skirt, struggling to force it to cover any more skin.

“Oh, you’re coming, Argyle?” You asked, finally swiping your purse off a chair to hold in front of your legs.

You missed the look Argyle gave you, eyes wide, mouth half open, scanning the length of your bare legs. No one else missed it, though, and they shared a knowing look before Jonathan broke the silence.

“We figured both cars would be more comfortable. I’m taking these two, so I figured you could ride with Argyle.”

It was so heavy handed that you couldn’t even think of a legitimate reason to protest. You couldn’t say that you didn’t want to spend time alone with Argyle. Not when it wasn’t true, anyway, and certainly not when Argyle was still trying his best not to look at you all mystified.  You could already see their plan playing out before their eyes, so you just smiled and went along with it, pretending not to notice the looks they shared over your shoulder.

-

What you didn’t expect was for the three of them not to show up at all. The two of you had found a good spot at the drive-in and laid out all the snacks, but the movie was starting and Jonathan’s car still hadn’t pulled up. Sure, he had car troubles sometimes, but this felt too convenient. Too intentional.

Being alone with Argyle wasn’t anything new to you, but the tension tonight was. He had always been a little nervous around you. He would talk a little too fast, laugh a little too loud, stare a little too long, but this was different.

He idly spun the spark wheel on his lighter back and forth, eyes focusing somewhere in the middle distance despite the movie playing on the screen up ahead. You tried your best to focus on From Beyond instead of the boy sitting across from you, but the repetitive rrrrrrrrrt sound drew you out of the movie enough times that you gave up, your eyes falling instead to an imaginary loose thread on your skirt. Anything to stop yourself from staring.

You wondered if he knew this was a setup. And if he did know, what did he think about it? Was he embarrassed, angry, uncomfortable? You supposed it would be too much for the boy you had been crushing on to feel the same way, especially when he was your big brother’s best friend. Especially when most interactions with him involved him doing favors for said big brother. The insecurity bloomed in your chest and you grit your teeth to keep it at bay. Maybe your siblings had read the whole situation wrong, maybe you had read the situation wrong.

“I’m not sure they’re coming.” You said quietly, picking at the hem of your skirt in a way that drew Argyle’s eyes back to your legs again.

He forced his gaze away, lighting his lighter proper to watch the flame dance in his hand before extinguishing it. When he didn’t respond, you frowned.

“Argyle, are you upset with me?” You asked, instead.

That got his attention. He looked up urgently from the lighter, eyes meeting yours across the spread of snacks in the van. He had the audacity to look like he was the one hurt, eyebrows high with concern.

“What? Dude, no!”

You frowned, unconvinced. He hadn’t even bothered to light the joint tucked behind his ear, and if that didn’t mean something, nothing did. His eyes lingered on the curve of your lips and you scooted forward, pushing the pizza further into the van so that you could get closer to him. He tensed, not quite freezing, but not relaxing either. You chewed your bottom lip, unsure of how to proceed now that you were next to him. How could you confront him when he was looking at you like that?

“It just, like, worked too well. You can stop now.” Argyle said after a moment. Your gaze snapped to him, but he was looking off again, still fidgeting with his lighter.

“It worked?” You asked, voice soft, unsure. He shook his head, long hair spilling messily around his shoulders.

“Dude, the curse. The hex. You know what I mean! You can stop it now, I already liked you before. You barely say anything, but all I can think about is you. Some guy ordered your pizza toppings and I started spreading them out the way you like. I see your favorite flowers and I want to pick them. I don’t know what you did to me, but…”

He sighed, trailing off as he realized you were staring, a smile playing across your plush lips. He didn’t explain the rest, you should be aware of your own curse. Still, your face was flushed a pretty pink and he had to force himself to look away. To fight the urge to reach out and touch you – to kiss you. He had never felt this way, and certainly wouldn’t without you doing whatever it was that you had done to him, right?

For weeks, his thoughts had been nothing but you and now that you were sitting all pretty in front of him with rosy cheeks and that impossible skirt on, he was confronted with the full force of whatever it was that he was feeling, had been feeling for a while. Maybe even before the curse.

“Argyle…” When you said his name this time, it was like music, and he could feel himself sinking further under your spell. You could have asked him anything, could have asked him to do anything, and when he opened his eyes and found you beaming at him he felt something clench in his chest and knew that he was lost. Everything he had done to avoid this had failed. He was utterly and completely at your whim.

He didn’t realize that he was leaning in until you were already kissing him. It was the slightest brush of lips, but it sent electricity down his spine and Argyle knew that he could never go back. You started to pull away, an excuse already falling, stuttered, from your lips, but he pulled you back in, lips seeking yours eagerly.

His lips were chapped, and he tasted vaguely of burnt weed and pineapples, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to mind when your hand was bunching up the bottom of his shirt, finally getting what you had wanted but had never dared to ask for. All the car rides spent yearning, all the diary entries with his name scribbled over, all the things that you had been too shy to say out loud; crystallized right now before you in the form of the boy with his lips on yours, smiling into your kiss, holding you close even when you had to pull away for air.

"If you're under a spell, what's my excuse?" 

And then he was laughing, everything that he had been bottling up for the past few weeks bubbling out as he crushed you to his chest, words failing him as you took the chance to press kisses against his cheeks, his nose, his forehead. 

He still wasn't convinced that you hadn't done something, changed something, but he couldn't find it in himself to care when you were this close, fighting a smile as you leaned in to kiss him once again. A guy could get used to being bewitched.

[why-what-no]

Dating Bella Swan Would Include

Pairing: Bella Swan x Reader

Warnings: Wuthering Heights. God, why did I make this so long.

Notes: Yes, I’m outing myself as a Twilight fan and a Bella simp, fight me. I could treat her right. (And no, I don’t support a lot of what SMeyer wrote in those books).

When you first heard of Bella Swan, you didn’t really care. She was more of a conversation topic for the guys or the school gossips.

Even when she first arrived, snatched up by Jessica and her friends, you didn’t care at first.

She was just some classmate

Sure, she was cute. But definitely the shy type, clearly uncomfortable with the level of awe she was receiving from the guys in your classes.

You guys first spoke a few days after she arrived. She was in the parking lot, leaning against her car. A book in her hand with a title you recognized.

“Wuthering Heights, huh?” You tilted your head to get a better look at the book title.

She was surprised for a second, not used to people asking her about books. People asking her about anything she liked, actually. “Um, yeah, have you read it?”

“Yep.”

Bella sat up a bit. “Oh, what did you think?”

“Meh.” You shrugged, being honest. “Not great. Everyone kinda sucks. It’s cool that you like it though.”

“But that’s the point.” You were a little caught off guard by her sudden investment in your conversation of your dislike of the book. But also glad to see her animated about something. “The best thing about them is their love.”

“Obsession isn’t love.”

“It’s not obsession.” The pretty brunette argued, mildly stuttering-ly. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” The halfway triumphant face Bella made when she quoted the book was kind of cute if you were honest.

You chuckled. “Fair enough, I’ll give that book one thing, it had a few good quotes. Although I prefer that heaven quote, personally. You know… I said his heaven would be only half alive; and he said mine would be drunk: I said I’d fall asleep in his; and he said he couldn’t breathe in mine”

You grinned at her, waving goodbye as the bell rang.

Bella just stared after you. Other people in Forks were interested in her, but none except you actually talked to her about things she liked. Even if you didn’t like them as well.

She started to pay attention to you the next day, curiosity about Edward Cullen being replaced by curiosity about you.

Fighting through her anxiety, she approached you in the library the next day.

“What do you think of Jane Austin?” Bella immediate winced at her bluntness as you turned to her in suprise.

But, thankfully, you didn’t comment on that. “Umm, I only got halfway through Sense & Sensibility. So I can’t really say.”

She was a little crestfallen. “You didn’t like that one either?”

“No, I liked it. But I got really busy, and it was a library book. So I had to hand it in before it got due.

“Oh.” Bella had no idea why she was relieved that you liked that book. “You can borrow mine, if you want? I can… drop it off at your place. Tomorrow, maybe?”

While you didn’t quite know why she cared so much about it, you agreed. It was the weekend, and your parents were busy. So there was no problem about Bella stopping by.

Well, no problems except the rain. But for some reason she turned up anyway.

“You could have stayed home. I would’ve understood.” You chuckled helping her out of her jacket.

“I know.” She gratefully took the towel you handed her, giving you the book she had been hiding from the rain under her jacket. “I just… It’s a bit of rain.”

You knew she was lying, it was obvious from the way she looked outside that she wasn’t happy about the storm. You supposed there wasn’t much rain in Arizona. “Okay, well. How about you hang out here until the weather gets a bit better. I can turn on the movie?”

“The movie?”

“You know.” You held up her copy of Sense & Sensibility, obviously meaning that.

“Oh… sure.” She blushed a little. “Can I just call my dad first? Let him know I’m at a friend’s place?”

When Bella returned from the phone, the two of you curled up on the couch. Her eyes were focused on the movie, giving you a chance to look at her properly.

The two of you got much closer after that. When Cullen returned to bio class from wherever he had been, he saw that Bella had already moved to a back table with you

That family moved away soon after that, not telling anyone about it. You weren’t surprised, they had always been weirdos.

When you finally admitted your feeling for her, it was definitely awkward. And for a long moment, you were sure that she didn’t feel the same.

But to your relief, she did. She kissed you gently, like she was afraid of hurting you. Or of you disappearing on her.

So many things in her life were uncertain, with Bella always being the one to make other people lives easier.

But she didn’t have to do that with you.

Most dates included movie nights are your house, cuddling under a blanket.

You’d listen to her talk about the books and songs she liked, just like she would do for you. Bella usually wasn’t comfortable with questions and attention. But she liked knowing you were interested in what she had to say.

Charlie took it pretty well when Bella told him, as you had already been around their house a lot. He was a little surprised, but already liked you. He knew you cared about his daughter.

She normally liked to avoid school dances and stuff, but if you wanted to do it she would go just for you. Letting you pick her outfit, watching you dance with your friends while looking all nice.

When it came to Jacob, he was a little defensive around you at first. Still having a crush on Bella.

And at one point you had to shut that down, telling him that if he really cared about her he would grow up and let them just be friends.

He accepted your relationship after that, becoming your friend as well. In fact, once he got over Bella and found a girlfriend of his own, you four would do double dates sometimes.

You and Bella were a steady couple. You knew she had a hard time letting people look after her or letting herself be happy. But you reassured her that you were on her side.

She was so grateful that you had spoken to her all those months ago.

You guys planned your future. Neither of you wanted to get married too early, letting things happen naturally. But you guys went to Arizona for university, with Bella wanting to be an English teacher

Her mother loved you, just like her dad did. Both of them seeing how much happier Bella was now that you two were together.

Your future apartment was cozy. Filled with her books, maybe a pet, and all of your love for each other.

[alexskarsgardnet]

New Alex Interview & Photoshoot with Interview Magazine (March 2022) + a BTS pic!

Alexander Skarsgård Talks to Kirsten Dunst About the Pleasure and the Pain

By

Kirsten Dunst

(February 15, 2022)

Photographed by

Juergen Teller

Styled by Harry Lambert

Alexander Skarsgård has excelled at playing a manipulative vampire, an abusive husband, and the literal harbinger of disease and destruction in a pandemic-ravaged world. And yet, he’s still good for a laugh. You don’t grow up the model-handsome scion of a legendary Swedish acting family without having a sense of humor about yourself. Think about his crack-up cameos as a vacant male model in Zoolander, an overgrown college grad in Eastbound & Down, and a mulletted schlub in On Becoming a God in Central Florida. But despite his reputation for just going for it, at 45 years old, he continues to surprise. Last year, he stole scenes on Succession as Lukas Mattson, a tech bro so unlikable you couldn’t help but love him. And now, six years after he tamed the jungle in The Legend of Tarzan, Skarsgård is returning to the shirtless-action-hero genre in the Robert Eggers-directed viking saga The Northman, a grueling production that, as he tells his Melancholia costar Kirsten Dunst, was no laughing matter.

KIRSTEN DUNST: Where are you in life right now?

ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD: I’m in Copenhagen.

DUNST: With your family?

ALEX: Yeah. Well, I’m heading back to Stockholm next week. I was actually working with our dear friend Lars [von Trier] again

DUNST: Really? On what?

ALEX: He’s doing another season of The Kingdom. Do you remember that? The old TV show he did for Danish television like 15 or 20 years ago?

DUNST: I never watched it, but I’ve heard it’s incredible.

ALEX: It’s a lot of fun. It takes place at the main hospital here in Copenhagen. Dad [Stellan Skarsgård] played an attorney on The Kingdom whenever they shot it, but he couldn’t do this. They kind of rewrote the part, so it’s now the Swedish attorney’s son. I actually replaced my father. Step aside, old man.

DUNST: I was talking about him recently, and I said that making Melancholia felt like I was on a European vacation. I had so much fun.

ALEX: It’s pretty much the same team from Melancholia. It was a lovely reunion.

DUNST: I’m jealous.

ALEX: You were missed. We talked about you a lot.

DUNST: You know what? Lars and I have the same birthday. So funny. And so does Jane Campion, which is really weird. It’s like I only want to work with Tauruses or something. I love that actor-family lifestyle you guys have. How many of the Skarsgårds are actors?

ALEX: Twenty-five, basically.

DUNST: Twenty-five?

ALEX: Not quite. There’s four. If you need a Skarsgård for a movie and one of us isn’t available, it’s like, “How about this one?”

DUNST: My one son is so dramatic. I can see him becoming an actor. There’s something romantic about having it be a family business.

ALEX: Well, you started out super early, right?

DUNST: Yeah. How old were you when you started?

ALEX: I was seven, but it wasn’t intentional. My dad’s friend was a director and needed a 7-year-old kid, and he was over at our house, drinking wine with dad and talking. And then he saw this 7-year-old kid run through the room, and was like, “What about that kid?”

DUNST: I feel like I’d do that with my kid, too, if it was a director I knew and it felt like a family event. “Sure, put him in a movie.” I like that stuff.

ALEX:  It might sound odd, but it wasn’t even something I wanted to do. I did it, but my memories have more to do with free Cinnabons at the craft service table than the actual craft.

DUNST: Not the craft, the craft service! I think the first thing I ever saw you in was Zoolander. I thought to myself, “How is this very good-looking person so hilarious?” I want you to be in more comedies. I want a weird Skarsgård family comedy.

ALEX: We should plan something together because my dad would love to do the family thing.

DUNST: Let’s talk about The Northman. You play a prince? A Swedish god? What are you?

ALEX: It’s based on an old saga called “Prince Amleth of Jutland,” which inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet. It’s about a man avenging the death of his father. It starts on an island in the north Atlantic. My character is the young prince of that kingdom. When his father gets murdered by his uncle, he manages to escape the island. And the uncle believes that the young prince is dead.

DUNST: It’s like The Lion King. That’s where my brain goes right now.

ALEX: The Lion King is basically Hamlet. But the saga is as old as Viking culture.

DUNST: Fun?

ALEX: It was the most fun. I’ve been wanting to tell a Viking story in a way that felt entertaining and big. Working with Robert Eggers, every single detail has to be 100 percent perfect. Every single stitch on a tunic. That’s obviously difficult when you tell a story that takes place a thousand years ago. You have to take some creative liberties.

DUNST: This will make my mom very happy because she loves everything about Vikings.

ALEX: She’s Swedish, right?

DUNST: Our family’s from Minnesota. So it’s Minnesota Swedes. I’m going to ask you fun questions now. What are you reading?

ALEX: A book called In the Distance by Hernan Diaz. It’s set in the 19th century and a man crosses the United States from the West Coast to the East Coast in search of his brother. I highly recommend it.

DUNST: I know you love music. Anything you’re listening to?

ALEX: I have a tendency to go down a rabbit hole for a period of time, and then I move on. I recently came out of a Roxy Music phase.

DUNST: I love Roxy Music. Sometimes I listen to a lot of a certain thing because it gets me in the zone for a part or on set. I’ll make myself a playlist for the character.

ALEX: I often use music to get out of character. To get away from it.

DUNST: On set, you’re really present. You’re fun to work with because you’re alive in the scenes. You’re willing to play around. How do you go about creating a role?

ALEX: It’s quite square and structured. I read the script once a day for however many weeks or months I have before the shoot.

DUNST: Really? Once a day? Interesting. I totally don’t do that.

ALEX: It helps me get into the headspace of a character. I discover new things with each read. I come up with a thousand different ideas and then I eliminate them. Once we get into production, it’s about finding that sweet spot between being prepared but also open to whatever happens when you meet the other actors. It’s being alive and playful and open to discovering things in front of the camera. If I’m not prepared at all, it makes me nervous. The most rewarding days were when I came prepared with a vague idea of how I wanted to play the scene, but I was still open enough to be surprised. And together with the director and the other actors, we discovered something that wasn’t planned and was surprising and exciting for all of us. Rob works in the diametrically opposite way of Lars. Everything is meticulously planned. It’s mostly one single camera, one shot.

DUNST: He likes long shots? There’s an energy within that. If you want everything in one shot, you’re living that life. You feel more taken into something when things are in one shot.

ALEX: In The Northman, there are long, intense fight scenes with 40 stuntmen and horses and 200 extras. To shoot it all in one shot means you do this four-minute take, and then a horse deep in the background looks the wrong way and you have to do it all again.

DUNST: That sounds like my worst nightmare.

ALEX: You’re so exhausted that you want to cry. You feel like you finally got all the choreography of the fight worked out, but then you have to go again and again and again. There’s always something in the background that wasn’t quite right. The flip side of that is when you finally get it, it feels like winning gold at the Olympics.

DUNST: He sounds like a perfectionist.

ALEX: He absolutely is. But he’s also a genius. The Northman was the first time I worked on something that was so meticulously stylized, and you almost had to see it as a dance between the camera and the actors, because the camera was constantly moving, and so were we. If the timing was slightly off, then we’d have to go again. I’ve never been more tired than after those six months.

DUNST: Where’d you shoot it?

ALEX: Most of it takes place in Iceland. We locked down and stayed in Belfast and shot almost all of it up in the mountains and on the seaside. Then we went with a skeleton crew to Iceland to get some of the epic Icelandic landscapes.

DUNST: I’ve always wanted to go to Reykjavík.

ALEX: I’m there every summer. It’s the most extraordinary place. The people are beautiful and open. You’re hanging out with a carpenter who’s also a poet, and then you meet a cab driver who is Iceland’s biggest rap singer.

DUNST: I haven’t watched you in Succession yet because I have two small children. These days, all I watch are cartoons.

ALEX: How old are they now?

DUNST: One is nine months. The other one’s three-and-a-half. Two boys. They’re a handful. When they can really play together, I will have my life back, but right now I can’t wait to go back to work.

ALEX: When did you shoot The Power of the Dog?

DUNST: Like two years ago. It was during Covid, and then I got pregnant.

ALEX: Are you back home?

DUNST: We’re in Austin, Texas, right now because Jesse [Plemons, Dunst’s partner] is making a miniseries here for HBO, with David Kelley and Nicole [Kidman] producing. I haven’t even been to the set. I’ll tell Jesse to say hi to the gang from you.

ALEX: Do you guys try to travel together as much as possible? If you work, Jesse tries to take some time off, and then when he works, you take some time off ? How do you guys navigate that?

DUNST: Honestly, he got the opportunity to work with Scorsese, and I just had a baby and he tore his ACL. No one can not work with Scorsese. Right now, our schedule just overlaps. So far, we’ve really lucked out. We might do another project with some friends where we work together again. It’s nice that as a couple, we’ve been embraced as people who can act together.

ALEX: You were so wonderful together in The Power of the Dog.

DUNST: It’s nice to have that together.

ALEX: It’s very obvious how much you guys enjoyed that.

DUNST: You guys would like working together.

ALEX: We almost did, didn’t we? Many, many years ago.

DUNST: Really?

ALEX: Yeah.

DUNST: Wait, wait. Time out. Weren’t you in Battleship?

ALEX: Yeah.

DUNST: So was he.

ALEX: Yeah, I know, but we didn’t really have any scenes together. I think we had some crowd scenes. He should join us on our Skarsgård family adventure.

DUNST: That would make me so happy. The people deserve you all in one film. Okay, I’m going to ask you some quick-fire questions. What’s your guilty pleasure?

ALEX: ��Czech beers.

DUNST: What do Swedes shoot all the time? Fernet something, right?

ALEX: Fernet-Branca.

DUNST: Why do Swedes like to shoot that?

ALEX: I don’t know!

DUNST: It’s very medicinal.

ALEX: It feels medicinal and it feels like lubrication for your cardiovascular system.

DUNST: While you’re getting wasted! What makes you angry?

ALEX: I’m so even-tempered, it’s pathetic. I get angry with myself because I’m too OCD. Sometimes I need to stop being so square and let loose a bit.

DUNST: What makes you happy? Czech beer?

ALEX: Czech beer, again.

DUNST: [To her son] Want to ask Alex what’s his favorite candy? I’ll ask him. What’s your favorite candy?

ALEX: That’s a great question. I like salt licorice.

DUNST: Most people reading this probably think that is so disgusting, but I love it, too.

ALEX: It’s an acquired, sophisticated taste for people like us, Kirst.

DUNST: Who scares you, Alex?

ALEX: I have a tendency to scare myself sometimes.

DUNST: What scares me sometimes is the vastness of the universe. We’re just floating in space and just dying and being born. If I get too caught up in that, it starts to freak me out

ALEX: I’m scared of the vastness of my own ego.

DUNST: [Laughs] What relaxes you?

ALEX: Going out to the archipelago outside of Stockholm. My mom lives on an island in the Baltic. We’ve been winter bathing out there.

DUNST: You jump into freezing cold water? I understand the concept of that, but I’m also like, no thank you. Let me be in the warm hot tub watching you all, drinking my Fernet.

ALEX: You jump in the water and it’s freezing cold, but then you go inside and sit by the fireplace. I’m in for basically 1.58 seconds.

DUNST: I’ve jumped in a freezing cold lake and jumped immediately out. It awakens you in a way that nothing else does. No one can predict the future, but what would you like for your future?

ALEX: I just hung up on you, that’s my future.

DUNST: You’re like, “Fuck that question.” Do you want to have kids one day? Would you want to direct? Where do you live, by the way?

ALEX: I divide my time between New York and Stockholm because my family is in Stockholm. I just hope that I continue to be curious as I get older. I have some colleagues and friends where, as they get older, it feels like the curiosity fades away.

DUNST: As we get older, hopefully we’ll just get more eccentric and awesome. I think surrounding yourself with young people is important as you get older.

ALEX: My grandma was like that, my favorite human being. She didn’t give a fuck about what people thought about her. She would say anything. Until her dying day, she had this incredible curiosity. She wanted to learn, try new things, meet new people, and not just wither away.

DUNST: I haven’t left the house much at all, and I do everything over Zoom. I feel a little bit stifled in that way, a little Groundhog Day. It’s great that The Power of the Dog has come out and everyone loves it, but you don’t get any feedback on it.

ALEX: Does it feel surreal in a way? Almost as if it didn’t happen?

DUNST: A little. I’m doing hair and makeup for Zooms, and doing interviews and things like that, and then I’m with my children in sweatpants all day. I’m either making a snack or getting hair and makeup done. It doesn’t go together. Let me get back to these questions. Who do you feel closest to? Who’s your crazy Swedish friend again? What’s his name?

ALEX: Dada?

DUNST: Dada, yeah. Are you still in touch with Dada?

ALEX: He lives in my apartment in Stockholm.

DUNST: Of course he does. I love that dude. When I think back on making Melancholia, that was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had on a movie, and it’s literally about the most depressing thing.

ALEX: When I watch that movie, all I think about is how much fun we had. Maybe the only way to get through such a depressing movie was by having fun.

DUNST: It felt like acting camp. We were in Sweden during the summer and there were music festivals. I haven’t gone dancing in forever. I think you’ve done a lot more than me, because I’ve had to obviously be safe for my children, too. I didn’t want to work right after having another kid, because I’m not going to have another child. I wanted to enjoy the beginning stages of that again and not go straight back to work. There wasn’t anything I was dying to do anyway. Now I’m very ready. Okay, Alex, what is the best thing about being a Swede?

ALEX: When people are screaming at each other and it’s polarized, you can always be like, “Hey, I’m Swedish, I don’t know. I’m in the middle, I’m right here.” You don’t have to take a stand. It’s perfect.

DUNST: Who was your first movie crush?

ALEX: My first love was Jessica Lange when I was a kid and I watched Tootsie. I felt butterflies.

DUNST: Listen, that’s some good taste.

ALEX: I had no idea what it was. I just knew that I wanted that girl to come back on screen.

DUNST: My son really likes Daisy Duck. It’s the eyelashes.

ALEX: She’s got amazing eyelashes. Also, the fact that she doesn’t wear any pants.

DUNST: Oh my gosh. She has bloomers on in whatever we’re watching. She’s more modest now. Do you want to say anything else? It’s awesome you’re on the cover. I love Interview magazine.

ALEX: I’m going to get to work on our next project with the whole Skarsgård clan, and you and Jesse.

DUNST: That would be my dream.

ALEX: Likewise.

Hair: Kei Terada Using Balmain Hair Couture at Julian Watson Agency

Creative Partner: Dovile Drizyte

Digital Operator: Tom Ortiz

Photography Assistant: Tarek Cassim

Fashion Assistants: Naomi Phillips and Ryan Wohlgemut

Post- Production: Catalin Plesa at Quickfix Retouch

Sources:  Article/Interview:  Kirsten Dunst for Interview Magazine (x), Images, Our edits, Originals:  Photographer:  Juergen Teller for InterviewMagazine.com (x) & InterviewMag instagram (x), Behind-the-scenes pic:  Original:  The February 15, 2022 insta story of Keiterada (x, x)