#zara just had an experience bear with her

[zaratheystra]

the knight receiving guided masturbation from the princess who’ll hang her for treason if she doesn’t insert another finger

[slothquisitor]

What Doesn't Break

Summary: Set about a year before the events of Veilguard, Lucanis makes a deal and Rook makes a choice and both of them are determined not to break. TW: child abuse (pulled from Bioware's canon). Eventual Rook/Lucanis, 3k.

Read on AO3.

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Lucanis has long since memorized the walls of his prison. At first, the magic of this underwater pit had given him splitting headaches, but now the pain recedes to a low buzz of the magic keeping the water from bursting in. Some days he wishes for the barriers to fail, for this whole place to flood, for all of them to meet their watery grave. In his worst moments, it is the only escape he can fathom now. 

In the quiet and the dark, he holds onto the only thing he has to keep him going, to keep him alive. It is a thin thread, something to keep his back straight, his will from breaking. Whatever they have done to him, it will fail. He will make sure of it. He will not give them the satisfaction of twisting him into something else. It isn’t survival, not really, but it is all he can do to spite them now. 

They call this place The Ossuary. It’s fitting. An ossuary is a final resting place, a small box, supposed to be something like peace. Like quiet, like sinking into a chair in the soft morning light. He wishes this wasn’t going to be his. 

He is Zara’s Orlesian dancing bear. She parades him around in chains, shows him the atrocities she’s committed with the gall to call them experiments, and gloats over how she sent a body back to Treviso wearing his face. He has been reduced to a symbol, the great Demon of Vyrantium brought to heel by the Venatori witch. 

Think nothing. Feel nothing. Pay attention, seek only what is needed to escape. It has been his motto for how long now? It’s hard to say, impossible to track the days in a pit like this. He has guesses alone based on bits and pieces of information, overheard conversations he picks up from his jailors. They feed him things, shove acrid substances down his throat, and hold him down, using their magic to open the fade, to fill him with it until all he can hear are the screams. He is something new. They have made him something new, something that shouldn’t exist, shouldn’t be here. 

I do not want this . 

He knows what is happening here, has heard the screams, sensed Zara’s frustration at the failures. He knows that his days are limited, that sooner rather than later a demon will burst out of him, leaving his body behind like some broken chrysalis. He is but the host now. But he will not go quietly. The world tilts as the magic convulses his body, and he is drifting, wading knee-deep through half-forgotten memory. 

“Again,” Caterina’s unyielding voice says, her cane coming down on the stone as a staccato tap. He flinches at the sound but continues through the movements they have been drilling. 

He is eleven. Not quite a boy, not yet a man, but already honed into something sharp. Something built to kill. He will be a Crow, and not just any Crow but one of House Dellamorte, grandson of the First Talon. He has never been asked if this is what he wants. If this is the future he envisions for himself. It is expected, like the perfection of his footwork. His focus slips, and he stumbles. Again. 

He knows it, knows even as he glances at his grandmother what is coming. He is already turning away from her, already pulling up his shirt to expose his back. Once he had cried, had begged for mercy, but there is never mercy in her eyes. 

“I will beat you hard so that the world will not beat you harder,” she says, like a litany or a prayer. He swallows his screams as each strike hits with a white-hot heat. Love and hate twist and writhe within him, but he does not scream. He does not cry out. He already knows it wouldn’t save him anyway. 

The prison lurches back into focus and he knows he has lost some time, but how much? Who could say? His back aches as though the beating is fresh, but he has not felt her cane on his skin in years. And though the memory is not a good one, he finds that there is some deep ache in his chest. He longs to be back in that garden with his grandmother again, longs to hear her scold him for his stupidity, for being so careless as to be set up and captured by the Venatori. He wants to hear Illario complain about something , anything. More than anything, he wants his family, all that he has left of it anyway. He is almost sure he’ll never see them again.

There is something wrong with his limbs. He cannot move from where he lays on the cold sandy floor of his cell. His head aches and his thoughts swim. Everything hurts. 

But he will not break. He will not give that Venatori witch the satisfaction. If it is the last thing he does, he will make sure that no demon bursts forth from him. He knows that is one way this ends, he’s heard them talking about the failures. It is not how he wanted to go, but if it is the only stand he can make, he will. 

Illario always used to say that he didn’t know when to quit. Well, he was probably right. The pain bursts bright and sharp as a dagger to the ribs. His thoughts scatter as his stomach roils. 

“You know, there was coffee back at The Diamond,” Illario says, leaning back in his chair. 

Treviso glows in the darkness, the picturesque canals reflecting the stars. There is plenty wrong in the world, but right now, everything is perfect because he has a cup of coffee before him. He sips it from his cup and grins at his cousin. “If you can even call it that.”

“Snob,” Illario glowers, but it’s not menacing. This is their way. Old and practiced. 

He swirls his coffee, taking in the bitter aroma. “Rich coming from you. I didn’t think you’d be the one to complain about escaping from Caterina’s ire.”

Illario sighs bitterly. “How is it that I can finish out a contract perfectly, and still there is always something I should have done differently?”

Because their grandmother’s expectations have always been impossibly high. Because she is First Talon and she will not be seen as going easier on them simply because of the relation of their blood. No, instead she is harsher, crueler. It has always been that way. He used to resent it, resent her. But now he sees that she had prepared them to survive in this life in the only way she knew how. 

“She’s hard on you because she needs you to be perfect when you are First Talon,” Lucanis says before taking another sip of coffee. 

This too is a familiar refrain. And it used to be enough to banish the anger from Illario’s gaze, but even in this remnant of memory it is not enough. 

“Sure, cousin.” 

He will never fail to provide reassurance to Illario again, but now it will not matter. It is a relief to be free of that at least, the pressure of expectation, the anxiety of watching his cousin try and fail to quell the slow-building resentment between them. Should it not be enough that Lucanis never wanted the job?

The backs of his eyes itch and suddenly he knows he is not alone. The demon they have bound to him, the one they ripped from the Fade and stuffed inside him is here. He clenches his jaw so hard he’s sure the bones creak, but he will not give in. He will not break. 

He will not. He will not give in. This demon will not have him. 

“Not broken. Not breaking. Determined.” The demon’s voice stretches and scratches, angry and harsh. No mortal thing sounds like this. 

He forces his eyes open and sees the grotesque purple mass. It is a tangle of limbs of too long fingers, a twisted face. It cowers in the corner like a feral street cat, tired and hurt, but hissing at whatever might come near. He should be afraid, he knows that, but he has been trapped here for too long. He has nothing left to feel except exhaustion.

“What do you want?” he manages to spit out around the chattering of his teeth. When did he become so cold? His body still hurts, still aches with every movement, but he sits up, pushes through the burn of the pain. If he hurts, he’s still alive at least. 

“Trapped. Can’t leave.” Each word scrapes out of the demon as if it is an effort to make any sound at all. 

“Welcome to the club,” he replies grimly. Great, not even the demons want to be here. 

“Escape?” 

He sighs. “If there was a way, I would have found it by now.” Of that much he is sure. Zara is a lot of things, but careless is not one of them. Without outside interference, death is his only way out of here. Probably. 

“Want to leave! Want OUT.” 

“Then go back to the Fade,” he replies with annoyance. The last thing he wants is to comfort this demon. 

“Can’t. Tied to YOU.” On the last word, the demon jumps from the corner and brings itself within a breath of Lucanis’s face. Two enormous wings have sprouted from its back. It is a lifetime of training that keeps him from flinching away. This close, everything about the demon is horrifying, from the open maw to the too-sharp features, and finally to the skeletal wings aimed in sharp points. 

“So what? I get out? You get out?” Lucanis asks.

The demon pulls back just a bit. “Yes. OUT. Freedom.”

It’s a bad idea. A terrible idea really, but if this demon is already tied to him, what else could go wrong? “We work together then? Wait for the right opportunity and then strike?” He is practiced at this, at waiting for the exactly right moment. He can be patient. 

“Offering a deal?” the demon asks, voice scraping and screeching. Is this how it happens? Were these the final moments of those who had demons burst from their ribcages? Is this the final moment of being himself? It doesn’t feel that way, it feels like survival. 

“Yes, a deal.”

“A deeeeaaallll,” the voice hisses, but now the demon is wearing his face. 

***

Camina Ingellvar shouldn’t have ever been in charge of anyone or anything. Case in point: she currently sits in the hallway outside Myrna’s office. Like much of the Grand Necropolis, there is a sort of faded opulence to the place, muted almost. She’s never sure if it’s an actual decor choice, or if that’s just what happens when one lives so close to the dead. 

She’s still in her battle robes, still covered in grave dust, and somehow still awake. Maker, she needs a nap. And a bath. She’s tired enough not to be picky about the order. She’s not even sure when she last slept. As deep as they were in the Necropolis, it’s not surprising that time got away from her. 

Camina can’t make out the exact words being said, but she can hear the yelling coming from the office. It’s mostly one-sided, and it doesn’t seem to be going well. 

She’s not really sure what happens to disgraced Watchers. Will she be demoted? Forced to supervise the incoming initiates? Or maybe they’ll put her on urn cleaning duty again. The order is too old, too steeped in tradition to simply discard her after all of the effort they’ve put into her abilities and training. It doesn’t mean that they won’t find some way for her to regret this particular choice.

She leans forward, resting her forearms on her knees, and tries to care. The civil war amongst the restless dead is over, and she’s not sorry about how it ended. There’s several violations of her Watcher Oath that had happened in the ending of the whole thing, but she knew that when she disobeyed the order to retreat. All she can do now is face the consequences of her actions. 

“LORD AMUNBERG IS VERY LOUD.” She doesn’t need to look up to know that the speaker is Vorgoth, she’d recognize that death rattle anywhere. Vorgoth is…well, Camina isn’t quite sure what Vorgoth is. Isn’t sure anyone really knows. But she’s known it for the whole of her life. 

“He’s had a lot to say,” she replies. The Amunbergs are one of the wealthiest families in Nevarra and give heavily to the Mourn Watch. Unfortunately for her, Amunberg’s relatives were amongst the undead she’d destroyed earlier today. 

Vorgoth gently floats beside her, not so much taking a seat as sinking down near her. “IT IS NOT GOING WELL.”

Camina folds her arms. “Nope.”

They sit in uneasy silence while the shouting continues…until it abruptly ends. The door to Myrna’s office opens, and she stands at the door with a frown. “Watcher Ingellvar, if you would, please?”

Camina stands rather stiffly and follows, noting that Vorgoth floats in her wake. Yeah…this feels pretty serious. She’s always liked Myrna. She’s only a few years older than Camina, but she holds a lot of power and influence within the Watchers despite her age. 

Inside Myrna’s office, Lord Amunberg stands rather red in the face. His gold-adorned jacket is also red, and the effect is that he looks rather like an overripe tomato. But it’s the presence of one of the Lich Lords that catches her attention. Her stomach sinks. 

The Lich Lord turns its green-flame gaze to the Duke. “This is Watcher business and will be handled accordingly.” That’s a dismissal if she’s ever heard one.

Amunberg looks like he wants to argue, but also looks like he’s a bit scared of the Lich Lord, so he doesn’t. Instead, he looks down his nose at her. “I’ll trust the Watchers to deal with this traitor appropriately.”

Amunberg is angry, but too polite to say what he really means. But it goes unspoken. She is an elf among the ranks of the Watchers, and she is here mostly by colossal accident. The reminder is unnecessary, she loves the Watchers and they’re more open-minded than most, but still, she never forgets. 

Amunberg leaves and Myrna sinks into her chair behind her desk, gesturing for the other three occupants in the room to do the same. Myrna sighs, looking utterly spent. “Would you like some tea?”

It is not the beginning she is expecting, and Camina is too shocked for a moment to respond. “Uh….sure.” 

With a wave of her hand, a skeletal attendant emerges from a side-door, a tea tray carried in its bony arms. It pours the tea and then hands them each a cup in jilted, stuttery movements. Camina desperately wants to fill the silence, but doesn’t dare. Several long minutes pass. 

Finally, Myrna begins. “Watcher Ingellvar, you disobeyed a direct order from a superior necromancer. Leading your team straight into danger.”

Camina has explanations ready, but Myrna holds up her hand. 

“While you destroyed a legion of undead, you saved countless other lives of Watchers and undead alike. You may have saved us all.”

Oh shit. Well, that’s…unexpected. “Oh…well…I mean, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“THE WAR IS OVER AND THE UNDEAD REST THANKS TO YOU,” Vorgoth says, voice rasping out of its hood. 

“But as you have clearly seen, the upper nobility of Nevarra, those we depend upon for funding and support…well. They are unhappy.”

Camina takes a steadying sip of her tea; it’s warm and tastes faintly of vanilla. “Will you need me to draft an apology? I’m not necessarily sorry, but I could say I am…”

Myrna’s answering smile is tight. “No, that will not be necessary.” She looks between Vorgoth and the Lich Lord before turning her attention back to her. “It has been decided that it is time you take a sabbatical. You have worked in the Grand Necropolis non-stop since you took your vows. It is time.”

And then the bottom falls out from under her. Oh, this is bad. The Grand Necropolis is her home . She has no other. She has no family, no connections. She was found here as a baby, drawn here as a child, but only invited back once her magic manifested. And she has spent every day since trying to prove that she deserves to be here. 

“But I have nowhere to go,” she says. She hates how small her voice sounds, how her fear is clear. 

Myrna nods as though she understands, but Camina knows she doesn’t. Myrna has the backing of a powerful Nevarran family in addition to her magic. She will never know what it means to scrape and claw and fight for every scrap of legitimacy. “We’ve received a request from a former contact with ties to the Inquisition. He is in need of a necromancer. You’ll meet him at The Watcher House in the city. We’ve arranged a carriage to take you there tonight. It leaves in an hour.”

“An Inquisition agent? Wasn’t the Inquisition disbanded? What does he need with a necromancer?”

Myrna’s smile never fades. “We’re unsure. It is likely that your work will take you away from Nevarra for some time.”

“But Mourn Watchers rarely leave Nevarra.”

“But you will,” the Lich Lord says. And there is enough authority that there is no sense in fighting it. 

And that’s what this is, isn’t it? An excuse to discard her. She has spent years working hard, keeping her head down, trying to be twice as good, to make this investment in her worthwhile. And all it took to undo it all was one choice, the right one, she still believes. But for all it cost her? Her home, her work, her friends, her life . 

She will not give this council the satisfaction of her tears. Still, she feels the weight of Vorgoth’s bony hand rest on her shoulder, as if it can sense her emotions. “I’ll go pack.”

Myrna does her the favor of at least looking sorry. “Camina, no one ever really leaves the Watchers. ‘A home in life, a berth in death’.”

A house of many mansions , but she can’t seem to get the words past her throat. She stands and leaves, aware with every step that it might well be the last she takes in these halls, in the only home she’s ever really known. 

It is only in the cramped space of her tiny quarters as she packs up her sparse belongings that she allows the tears to fall. Allows the grief to move through her. Forty-five minutes later her bags are packed and she climbs into the waiting carriage pulled by two skeletal steeds without an ounce of hesitation.

“Back straight, Watcher,” she whispers to herself as the Necropolis slips away behind her and she rides on toward an uncertain future.

[song-of-the-sunrise]

All of the listed characters/muses are open for various asks of a variety!! 💖

DnD Characters-

Cal - Changeling (Rougelock, eventual God of Cats and Fair Fighting War)

He/Him

Ekon - Halfling (Barbarian, Ekon "Doorkicker" Zara, she who has killed a dragon and lain with a bugbear)

She/Her

Wrath - Longtooth Shifter (Wizard, lighting go brrrrr!)

He/Him

Mirage - Longtooth Shifter (Ranger, she very tired and very anxious, please buy her wares and continue your day)

She/Her

Weanhel - Tiefling (Monk mama! She'll verbally kick your bullies ass but only as a demonstration for your later use, however anyone touches you or abuses you the gloves are off)

She/Her

Ecstasy - Tiefling (Cleric, a burlesque owner with a soothing touch and soothing words, get this poor boy a French to English he has lived in town for 16 years and he purely chalks it up to the voice being nice for guests to hear but words are hard guys 😔)

He/Him

Artemis - Tiefling (Cleric, knowledge is the greatest thing to reach and achieve! Please don't tell dad I set the curtains on fire again 😰 it's the 7th time)

He/Him

Morgan - Human (Bard, that beautiful head is so full of bird songs, weed and melodies that by the gods you'd love to visit)

He/Him

Calvin - Human (Rouge, eventual glorified messenger of the gods, he's a tired 32 year old mom who has to keep everyone tied to a leash so don't make him bring out the sandals)

He/Him

Novel - Tiefling (Paladin, best girl go brrrrrr 💖🌟💖 fun fact, she's in a polycule with a person on this list... can you guess who?)

She/Her

Vula - Goliath (Barbarian, very patient and very tall. She helps keep the halfling in check especially when they get married 💖💖💖)

She/Her

Loki - Half Elf (Bard, eventual God of Music, he's so fine guys, there's nothing wrong! (Wrong, it's depression!))

He/Him

Nyx - Changeling (Bard/Rouge, I play a mean saxophone and fix you up with a cool new outfit!!!)

They/Them

Nyxxus/Nyxx - Changeling/Doppelganger (Bloodhunter/Blood Cleric, I'm hot and I'm so cool and there is nothing wrong with me! (Screams of traumatic experiences in the background)

They/Them

Zandria - Aasimir (Cleric, sweetest person you'll ever meet, and she'll be open that she's had a little bit of trauma. Big Tiddy Goth Gf with a side of she looks like a Milf)

She/Her

Brennan - Weretiger/Tiefling(Half-devil) (Druid/Sorcerer, he's wonderful to bring to meet the family, loves his momma and wish she would dump his father’s ass! Likes architecture 🌟😌🌟)

He/Him

No Name - Swiftstride Shifter (Bloodhunter, doesn't speak and just broke out of science experiment jail, he's doing his best)

He/Him

Mistle - Tiefling (Druid, "hey have you ever been on a adventure before?" No!! How hard can it be!? 😁😁😁 *Thunderwaves the whole party*)

He/They

Bjorn - Human/Werebear (Fighter, we like to call him BBB- Bare Bear Bear(man), he's trying to find his husband who isn't taking things very well.)

He/Him

Malik - Half Elf/Werejackal (Rouge, hi, the one not taking the changes very well. Twink in comparison to his husband.)

He/Him

Lazgar - Orc (Fighter, she'll take your wallet... along with you. She has perpetual "Don't Fuck With Me" face.)

She/Her

Merostife - Rakshasa (Sorcerer, he's just a little guy when he wants to be, but otherwise he's a manipulative dickhead.)

He/Him

Nathaniel - Human (Warlock. Under no circumstances, if you want to stay alive, do you ever touch his stuff.... including his husband.)

He/Him

Kavanoth - Goliath (Barbarian, in the good timelines he's a great man and a wonderful father!!! In others.... 😒😒😒)

He/Him

Monolith - Lower Pact Deity (rat, little bastard, his shrunken form looks like a hairless Sphinx cat with an extra couple of legs, and three very tentacle-like tails.... oh and if that's not worse he's got the feet like an otter despite the fact that water is his enemy)

It/They

Other Characters From Other Things-

Homestuck:

Kemvis Frulaz (Homestuck OC/Fantroll)

They/Them & He/Him

https://www.tumblr.com/song-of-the-sunrise/736736702805229568/kemvis-frulaz-ask-and-answered

Shantz (Homestuck OC/Fantroll)

They/Them, He/Him, She/Her, It/It's

Hospaa Ezlive (Homestuck OC/Fantroll)

He/Him

Stri'ya Tatreu (Homestuck OC/Fantroll)

She/Her

Fun Writing/Comfort Characters/Fursonas:

Stormy Stargazer - Tiefling (Comfort OC/ OC Story)

They/Them

Belladonna Lapridosha - Tiefling (Comfort OC/ OC Story)

She/Her

Kai Cleary (Furry OC)

They/Them

Piper Rosemund (Furry OC)

They/Them & She/Her

Rayis Embryn - Changeling (Furry OC/ OC Story)

He/Him

Alexander (Xander) Debohdare - Human (OC Story)

He/Him

Harker Windrow - Tiefling (OC Story)

He/Him

Leslie Mirrorwood - Human (OC Story)

She/Her

[swedeandsour]

Daniella Binyamin - Toothpaste Kisses

Though “Toothpaste Kisses” is only the second single to date for Lund’s Daniella Binyamin, the fledgling Swedish-Israeli singer is probably somebody you’ve heard of in another capacity. Mingling with Scandinavian pop talents such as Lukas Graham and Zara Larsson, Daniella has already made a name for herself providing back-up vocals and working as a topliner. With her sophomore single, Binyamin bears the marks of an experienced songwriter, where vivid instrumentals and billowy vocals build into a grandiose ballad. Building on a slow and gradual crescendo, the track is first and foremost a vocal performance. Minimal in its architecture, muted percussion and lush strings allow Daniella’s voice to flow unimpededly on her sophomore single. A song written to highlight Binyamin’s tender vulnerability in the aftermath of a break-up, Daniella speaks of her songwriting experience putting her feelings to words on “Toothpaste Kisses”: 

“The day I wrote ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ I remember feeling everything and nothing all at once. The afterglow of the break-up and the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with it was washing over me, and I went back and forth between feeling free and like I’d lost everything. Me and my co-producer and writer Oskar Nyman had booked a session to write for another artist, but when we met I just felt like I needed to write something else; something real. I needed to get all those feelings off my chest (and) those feelings turned into ‘Toothpaste Kisses’”.

You can check out “Toothpaste Kisses” among the childlike glee and playful tone of debut single “Grand Hotel”:

"Grand Hotel"

Dani Binyamin · Grand Hotel

"Toothpaste Kisses"

Dani Binyamin · Toothpaste Kisses

[inmyarmswrappedin]

I just got done watching a shared ig live with Ramiaschannel (a well-known hijabi figure in Spain) and Hajar. It’s saved on Ramia’s IGTV tab if anyone wants to check it out too.

It dealt with the criticisms Hajar has received from Muslims about the Powerpuff Girls campaign the Skam España girls did for Bershka. 

Hajar has been criticized for two reasons, mainly:

1) The clothes she modeled are not suitable for hijabi.

2) Hijabi are regularly not hired in Spanish Inditex stores (as cashiers, etc), or told not to wear their hijab. Inditex owns Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Uterquë, so it is one of the biggest retail employers in Spain.

(I have read that hijabi are more likely to be employed in other European countries, particularly the United Kingdom. Not sure if anyone will want to chime in with their own experience?)

Essentially, she has been accused of willingly and happily whitewashing Inditex’s reputation by lending her body to the brand.

Hajar shared that the process wasn’t as simple as, Bershka offers something and Hajar happily takes the money. A few months ago, Bershka approached four of the Skam España girls to do a Powerpuff Girls campaign. Four, because they invited all of them, except for Hajar. (Nicole wasn’t available and declined.) There are pictures of this first campaign in Irene’s, Alba’s and Celia’s ig profiles, posted in February.

Hajar’s team asked why she had not been invited, explained Hajar was available to participate in such a campaign if her work conditions were met, and generally sought to create an opportunity for her where there was none. A few months later, Bershka was going to come out with another Powerpuff Girls campaign, this time including the character Bliss, which according to Wikipedia has been interpreted as being black and Latina. Since the campaign now included a character of color, this time Bershka did offer Hajar to participate, along with everyone else. (Nicole was again unavailable lmao.)

One thing I noticed about the pictures, that Hajar also commented positively on, is that she didn’t “play” the Bliss character in the pics. She wore Blossom and Buttercup clothes instead. I thought it was cool that Bershka didn’t give her Bliss clothes, like some kind of Power Rangers casting situation, seeing as how the others weren’t given clothes according to their hair color or public persona, either.

The conversation was super interesting (as all things involving my wife Hajar are), and it dealt with nuances such as Hajar being reticent because of the conditions Inditex’s clothes are made in, or for Ramia, not knowing how her appearance on a talk show is going to be edited or aired, but also feeling like you have to accept the offer to help break barriers on TV, etc. If there’s interest, I’ll try to post a summary.

It has been enlightening to hear about the backlash from the Muslim community, because some of the issues raised were things I had thought about (e.g. I noticed Hajar posed and was shot in specific ways so that her midriff wasn’t exposed, unlike Celia, Alba and Irene), while others I hadn’t anticipated (like she wasn’t even asked the first time around). When the pictures came out, I actually was grateful to Movistar because I thought they had been the ones to negotiate the campaign, and therefore include Hajar, in order to promote Skam España.

I was actually going to make a post praising Movistar (lmao I dodged that bullet). To a certain extent I still will a little. I know the different remake teams have been advised not to promote the cast, and this was Movistar’s strategy for s1. Which is all well and good to protect the cast and maintain the illusion of realism. But the thing is, it’s because Movistar changed strategies and started really promoting the cast in s2, that companies like Bershka have taken notice of the Skam España brand values of sorority, friendship, feminism, wlw, etc. and want to profit off them. Without Movistar promoting the cast and the brand, Hajar’s team might not have been powerful enough to successfully negotiate her participation. And that would’ve been a shame, because Hajar being included in a Bershka campaign for Spain is a first (and hopefully not the last).    

I don’t want to sound like I’m such a great Hajar fan for supporting her for doing this campaign while her Muslim fans are trash! but rather try to give insight to English speakers about how complex the negotiations leading to and response to the campaign has been, because I just found out myself. Like Hajar explained, she has supporters and detractors in the non Muslim community, and supporters and detractors in the Muslim community, and she said herself she gives more weight to responses from the Muslim community, because she wants to do well by them. I wanted to add my response because I had actually been thinking of posting about how happy I was that Hajar was in this campaign, but I actually was ignorant of the response from the Muslim community. 

As a non Muslim, it was also interesting to listen to two hijabi talk about intra community issues. One thing that got my attention, and perhaps Muslims would like to weigh in (please do), is that there’s this impression among Muslims that hijabi are a bit full of themselves? Like they put on the hijab because they’re such good Muslims and perfect and feel personally deserving of the hijab. They mentioned that this pressure has caused many hijabi personalities around Europe to give up and go back to their own personal lives. If this is true, it would add another layer of context to the Sana seasons, esp those Sanas who are treated as holier than thou by other Muslim characters (such as Amira M by Erva in Druck).   

If you’ve read all of that, then you also deserve to know that Hajar briefly mentioned the team themselves are still waiting on Movistar to give them a release date for Amira’s season, so it’s not just fandom being left in the dark. She’s also really happy with how Amira’s season came out, which in the context of the larger conversation about doing things for visibility or to break barriers, and doing things because you’re happy and eager to support a project, is a relief to hear. 

[choicesfanaf]

Crazy Kiya Re

Ethan x MC (Dr. Arundhati Kulkarni)

Note: This is my first fanfic! I don’t know how it will turn out, but please bear with me. Likes, comments and reblogs are much appreciated!

The lyrics of the song are in italics and bold, while the translation is in bold. Warning: A little bit of swearing.

Tags: @wildvitamin, @missmiimiie, @queencarb, @tsrookie 

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

The song I have used in the fic and title inspiration from : Crazy Kiya Re

I would recommend you to listen to it while reading the fic.

Arundhati put on the radio as she was getting ready to reach Edenbrook. A song was playing, which reminded her of her relationship with Dr. Ethan Ramsey. Chori yeh chori kiya re, Dil yeh dil liya re — You have stolen my heart. She remembered when she first developed feelings for Ethan since she saw him looking after Ethan Hudson after the death of Dolores and noticed how tender and cautious he was with the newborn. Jaadu aisa kiya, kiya re— You have cast such a spell on me. Soyi soyi rahun, khoi khoi rahun, uski yaado mein, uski khwabo mein jhumein jiya re — I cannot stop thinking about you. Your thoughts and memories make me go crazy. It was funny how the song mirrored her crush on Ethan. She would experience some weird sensation whenever she thought about their kiss. That's how strong her feelings were for him. The thing that hurt her the most were his words and actions of denial of his attachment to her. Crazy kiya re — You drive me crazy Truly, he did make her go crazy. Every time she saw him, her heart would start beating as if it were in a race and wanted to win. Crazy kiya re — You drive me crazy Oh crazy, crazy kiya re — You drive me crazy Na usko pata, na uski khata Main uspe mar gayi, zara usko bata —He does not know that I have fallen for him, someone please tell him that. This was the line that she was happy to disprove. She knew that Ethan knew about her infatuation with him and she was glad to know that he had similar feelings for her. Dheere dheere ikraar mein, kabhi kabhi intezaar mein, uske hi pyaar mein, jhoomein jiya re— I go crazy whenever I think about my love for you. All she could think about was her love for him and how desperately she wanted to be with him. She had promised herself that she would wait for Ethan till he accepts his feelings towards her and acts on it. Crazy kiya re —He made me go crazy Give it to me, give it to me Give it to me baby With the rhythm of the night, baby, baby Moving out through the night, crazy, crazy Main yaha bhi gayi, main wahan bhi gayi Socha pal pal use, main jahan bhi gayi — I thought of him wherever I went. Arundhati could not stop thinking about him ever since Miami. Hell, she could not get rid of him even in her dreams. Din ho ya raat ho, woh mere saath ho Jab uski baat ho, jhumein jiya re—He is with me no matter the ltime of the day. Oh, how much she longed and craved for Ethan's affection. Crazy.. Suddenly, her phone rang which brought her out of her trance. She looked at the time and made a rush for the door. She knew that she would be late if she wasted even a single minute reminiscing about him. Arundhati desperately waited for the day she could receive any type of affection from him. But for now, she had to maintain professionalism and not give in to her feelings, just like Ethan.

[gaymergoose]

Favourite food for everyone - or if that gets asked before me, favourite article of clothing!

you are the first to ask, so I will do both! warning: i went off a bit oops this is long

Malika - her dwarf mom’s famous (in Malika's eyes, at least) dumplings, which are literally just bits of dough boiled and then sauteed with some butter, onion, and a pinch of salt. thats it. they are bland as all heck but Malika loves them more than any fancy food she's had on her adventures. / her prized set of Adamantine full-plate armour, which has seen her through so many near death experiences (and a few actual deaths) and have become synonymous with her sense of self as the group's shield, literally and otherwise. now that it's been enchanted to always be comfortable to wear no matter what, she never takes it off if she can help it, even sleeping in it!

Thalia - sweets!! especially those lil sponge/jam cakes they have at parties that are just tiny cubes cut from big cakes. most of her life spent as a member of a noble family and being forced to attend boring parties was spent squirreling away these little treats to her own hiding nook where she would spend the whole party out of sight munching in a less-than-ladylike fashion / speaking of fashion, her favourite item of clothing is her favourite pair of boots! comfy enough to adventure in, but still nice enough to justify wearing them during her everyday affairs as baroness of Irinia. she hates being made to wear high heels, the most she'll tolerate for formalwear is a low stable 1-inch heel

Zeegs - m....mm.......m e a t s............ (as much as they're reluctant to admit to anyone, human flesh is by far the tastiest thing they've ever been able to snack on. probably dont wanna to ask for elaboration on that) / they don't say it, but it's easy to tell that they love their new cloak of resistance, this white cloak is by far the nicest article they own, it's soft and warm and more than once has been used as a blanket in a pinch and by morning Zeegs was cuddled up with it like a child with their blanket (don't tell them that though - they'll likely bite your arm off)

River - grilled or smoked fish, the good shit. they're not hard to please, clearly / if they could have it their way, they wouldnt even wear clothes at all, but public decency n all that jazz, so they stick to a minimal unobtrusive wetsuit-like shorts and throw their armour on over their bare chest, or over some mesh fishing net that they don when they get the "no shirt, no shoes, no service" talk

Soleil - beer-BBQ sauce-slathered pheasant wings, and other pub food most often found at her favourite temples of Cayden Cailean, and of course, her own signature brewed beer and spirits that are disgusting to anyone but herself, though she won't turn her nose up to any alcoholic drink (its the alcoholism babe) / a nice long, flowy skirt is comfortable and mobile, and whoever says pants are better is a damn fool

(keeping the rest shorter since I ranted far too much on those first ones)

Azure - food from her homeland of Qadira always brightens her day / anything that's light and breezy and twirls so she can dance in it!

Fern - used to be she only liked her own home-cooked druidic recipes passed down from her parents' extended druid clan, but she's developed a sweet tooth for her gf Seren's baking ;3 / she used to treasure the silver pendant bearing the holy symbol of Gozreh that her parents gifted her when she moved away to Absalom, but for the last year ever since her brother came to live with her, she hasn't been seen wearing it once.

Tallis - only the most expensive and luxurious seafood dishes can truly satisfy this discerning palette! (aka anything with shrimp) / only the finest finery and glamourous gaudiments are fit to be tailored on the finest of forms! (aka anything with excessive amounts of glitter)

Rienna - she likes spicy things, the hotter the better, especially if it hurts / black leather and lace. that's all you need to know.

Zara - prefers her food cold, and raw. you don't want to know any more than that / a sensible set of laboratory-safe apparel suitable for performing unethical experiments in the name of scientific discovery

Ritu - anything her lovely gf Marie makes!! also spinach pizza, and sprite with lots of ice / anything with lots of rainbows or bright colours, the world needs to know that this superhero is gay!

[aion-rsa]

How Camp Cretaceous Connects to the Jurassic World Canon

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The following contains spoilers for Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.

At first glance, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous doesn’t seem to fit in with the violent PG-13 dinosaur rampage thrillers we’ve come to expect from the Jurassic Park franchise. Its comical and lighthearted approach to storytelling and character development, not to mention the fact that it is (rather beautifully) animated, makes it seem as though this was meant to be a spinoff franchise similar to Lego Jurassic World. But as the story of six teenagers beta testing Jurassic World’s new adventure camp attraction unfolds, it becomes clear that Camp Cretaceous is not only canon, but could introduce elements that may influence future plotlines.

Camp Cretaceous begins a few days before the events of Jurassic World, but even before the Indominus rex escapes and the timelines officially converge, there are tons of references to the movies. (I love that Mr. DNA makes an appearance in the video game Darius is playing.) Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant, played by Laura Dern and Sam Neill in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III are mentioned as having written articles lately, both on the subject of fossils, rather than real live dinosaurs. 

And it is revealed that Bryce Dallas Howard’s Jurassic World character Claire Dearing’s nephews were never going to spend much time with their aunt that day, as she had intended for them to go to Camp Cretaceous rather than with her assistant Zara. But the campers’ shenanigans (namely ending up in the raptor pen and being involved in a stampede) overwhelm counselors Dave and Roxie; they need more staff, especially if more children are going to join them.

Though this change of plan may have turned out well for Claire, as her nephews would not have been present to give her that much needed moment of inspiration to release the Tyrannosaurus at the end of Jurassic World, it had rather disastrous consequences for Zara, who probably wouldn’t have been eaten by the park’s Mosasaurus if she wasn’t playing babysitter.

But the established Jurassic characters are not limited to mere references and unheard voices on the other end of a phone call, because our old friend/enemy Dr. Henry Wu (played by B.D. Wong in the movies but voiced by Greg Chun in Camp Cretaceous) makes an appearance when the kids visit the genetics lab. He’s in a hurry, getting ready for Simon Masrani’s visit to view the new exhibit. But of course he has time to show off for all of camper Brooklynn’s Internet followers.

The genetics lab is also where we get to meet Bumpy, the most precious little asymmetrical Ankylosaurus the world has ever seen. Not that he stays little for long; Wu tells the teens that the baby dinosaurs are designed for accelerated growth. This is a known fact in the books written by Michael Crichton, but is only mentioned in the movies in regards to the Indominus rex.

Also of note in the lab: a mysterious eyeball specimen that is never really explained, and a frozen mammoth specimen. Woolly mammoths, along with other extinct non-dinosaur creatures such as Dimetrodon and Smilodon, are featured in some of the Jurassic Park games, so perhaps this is a nod to that. Or, you know, foreshadowing that it’s possible to clone things that aren’t dinosaurs…things like little girls named Maisie, as seen in Fallen Kingdom. 

A lab worker named Eddie hints that he worked for “the other guys” but never explains what he means by this. Combined with the revelation that Sammy, one of the teenagers, was sent to the island as a spy for Masrani’s rival bioengineering company Mantah Corp, this would seem to suggest that there might be another company out there trying to clone dinosaurs. It will be interesting to see if that has any bearing on the events of Jurassic World: Dominion.

Despite a few misadventures and near-death experiences with a Carnotaurus (possibly the same one from Fallen Kingdom seen outside the Lockwood Manor, the one with the scars on his face), everything is going pretty good with the first group of Camp Cretaceous campers. But this is Jurassic World, and we all know that the good times were not going to last.

The children are never the center of the action that we see in Jurassic World, but they are often on the periphery. After her escape, it would seem that our girl Indominus rex might have caused a little more–all right, a lot more–death and destruction than we realized, terrorizing the kids and eating some park personnel before going back to terrorize Claire and Owen and eating… other park personnel.

But it’s not just the kids getting to experience the fun (sure, let’s call it fun) that is the Jurassic World incident. During the beginning of Indominus’s rampage, when Owen is watching the team’s heart monitors blink off to indicate each death, counselors Dave and Roxie have a similar moment of horror as walkie-talkie after walkie-talkie turn from screaming to static. When Simon Masrani’s helicopter crashes, we realize just how close the six main characters have been to the events we see in the movie. It’s almost identical to the live action version as the copter tumbles through the air and smashes into the aviary.

Though events occur at the same time and on the same island, Camp Cretaceous is not telling the same story as Jurassic World. The campers are trying to survive a different set of catastrophes than Owen and Claire, and they have their own stories to tell. After the first incident at Jurassic Park, and especially after the whole San Diego fiasco, the world was introduced to dinosaurs as something more than fossils. Darius, Ben, Sammy, Kenji, Yasmina, and Brooklynn have literally never known life without cloned dinosaurs in it. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Does that give them a different perspective than the adults? Does it give them a better chance of survival? Let’s hope so, because with the way season one ends, it looks like Isla Nublar isn’t done with our campers.

The post How Camp Cretaceous Connects to the Jurassic World Canon appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2FPhe1E

[mintsugacandy]

“Shh. It’s okay.”

Request: Hii, can you make a Jimin, Taehyung or Yoongi scenario? Them getting mobbed off paparazzi and fans at the airport with you and his child accompany him and the rest of BTS and they get protective (or you are pregnant and the child isn´t born yet you decide) the situation begins to get worse to the point that all of them become furious because everyone was scaring his child.

I’m afraid this isn’t like what you want, but it’s all I got lol.

Pairing- Park Jimin x Reader 

Genre- Angst

It was here. The time of the journey you were dreading. You didn’t want to step off the plane, everyone could see your reluctance. They were worried for you. And Ara, your daughter, of course. It was the first time you were doing something like this, coming on tour with them.

Jimin never let you both come on any of his tours. It was obvious. You’d both be overwhelmed with the public, and god only knows if you’d be able to handle it. 

“You and Ara are coming with us for our next tour,” He came home and declared.

“What happened to you all of a sudden?” You asked, confused.

He put his head down in sudden despair and continued, “I’ve hardly been spending any time with you both, with comebacks and promotions and all... As a father, I feel so ashamed to not be there with Ara much... I don’t want her to grow up without me being able to witness it.” He said.

“But it’s something you don’t want to do, and you don’t have to..” You replied.

“I have! I’ve always wanted you to come with me when I tour! I want to experience it all with my family.”

But there was that unsaid conversation. You both knew how hard it’d be. It had almost made him want to cancel your and Ara’s tickets. And a few days later, he was going to, and you had stopped him.

“Hey, we can do it. It won’t be all that bad. It won’t last for long, anyways, right?” You comforted him. “And if I could date you for so long and even marry you, this doesn’t seem like much.” You added jokingly. He looked unsure but he convinced himself like you did.

And now you were back in the plane, remembering all this to remind yourself. Come on, Y/N, how bad can it be, really? , you thought.

Holding Ara’s hand tightly, with Jimin in front of you, and the rest of BTS behind you, you stepped off the plane. You were all surrounded by bodyguards, of course, so you were somewhat safe, after all.

It all seems fine, you thought. Maybe it was nothing much in the first place. Ara was looking around in wonder, at the glass windows, the signs everywhere, the eeriness of your surroundings. She was only barely five, after all, and didn’t remember much about airports from before.

The quiet didn’t last for long. You could hear screams from near the building’s exit. Damn you, Y/N, for thinking it was fine so early on.

You all continued walking, the others seeming used to it. Still, you could see how they suddenly turned a bit stiff, adjusting their masks, and not looking around much anymore. Really, who could be used to this sort of commotion?

Jimin paused for a moment, turning back to look at you and her. “Just look down and keep walking, okay? Don’t respond to the fans, and don’t react to them no matter what. You’re not used to it.” He spoke in a low voice. “And I think you should carry Ara in your arms now.” He added.

He was right. She was too small for the crowd you were going to face. “What’s all this noise, mumma?” She asked. 

“It’s nothing. Just don’t look around too much, okay? It won’t last for long” You told her, lifting her up.

No matter how much you braced yourself up, you really weren’t ready for this, after all. You knew you never would be, in the future.

Just when the crowd saw your huddled group approach, it’s like there was this frenzy which just escalated more at your group’s arrival. 

There were screams all around. “Saranghae oppa!” And all the members’ names being called, over and over again. 

Sure, there was a path cleared out for you all, but it didn’t seem like it’d last long once you began to cross it. 

And of course, it did not.

The people closed in on you like a wall from all sides, pushing and groping at whatever piece they thought they could steal. 

It terrified you to death, these people, who “loved” your husband and his bandmates, and the lengths they could go to. Your vision was dotted with sudden flashes from all sides as people clicked pictures, bringing their cameras right in front of your face.

Ara buried her face into your neck, and stifled a sob. And then it struck you, just how much she would be scared. All you could do was tell her it was okay and smooth her hair comfortingly. 

And then, in front of you, Jimin tripped on a foot. “Jimin!” You exclaimed, moving forward to catch him. But the guards were quick and caught him before you. Of course, they were used to this too. 

“Daddy!” Ara jumped from your hold to run towards Jimin. “Ara, no!” You screamed, but it was too late. She tried to run past the guard holding him and hold his hand, but of course, she too, tripped. 

That made Jimin turn around. He quickly bent and picked her up. And turn to look at the crowd. And he didn’t look pleased.

Did that matter to the cameras though? It was probably a better opportunity for them to take more pictures. 

And then you felt a sharp pain on your right side. Somebody had found their way to you and elbowed you, hard. You turned to see who it was, and the girl and the few more behind her looked at you accusingly. “You don’t deserve Jimin! He’s mine!” One screamed. “I hope you die!” You heard someone else say. “You’re not even pretty!” Said someone from the back. Many people shouted in agreement.

Your eyes were filled with tears, which almost made you fall. A hand caught on to your arm to steady you. You looked up to see Jin, who gently motioned you to move forward. That expression actually said, don’t listen to it all, don’t let it bother you.

Behind you both, Jungkook and Yoongi were fighting their own battle. Your heart went out to them. Hoseok and Namjoon were probably nearing the exit by now, along with Taehyung. You wondered if they were okay, too.

Somehow, in god knows how many minutes(which felt like hours), you all managed to reach the glass doors. Damn it. There were people outside too. You didn’t have it in you to face another crowd.

It was the same episode again, this crowd. Finally, when you all somehow reached the car, you felt like you could breathe. 

Ara was now sitting on Jimin’s lap. And she was crying. The whole car ride was quiet, with her sniffles, and Jimin comforting her, till she slept on his lap. Nobody spoke for as long as it took to reach the hotel.

The hotel door shut behind you. You headed for the bed and placed your sleeping daughter, and sat next to her, pushing her hair back from her tired face. You would never forget how she cried the whole time. Maybe she won’t, either.

Jimin dragged the suitcases to one corner, and sat down beside you on the bed. “Y/N, I’m sorry-” He began.

“Shh. It’s okay.” You replied, taking his hand in yours.

“It’s just that...I’ve never been so angry at them. Our fans.”

“Hey, they didn’t mean anything bad.”

“I know, of course I know. They love us, they love our music, they have faith in us. But some of them are... just too scary. I shouldn’t say that, but that’s how it is. And no, not all of them mean well. Well, at least not to you. I heard them screaming for you to die. Why would someone wish for that, whoever it is? I can’t believe they’d tell my Y/N to die li-” He spoke, his voice shaking at the end, before you placed your hand on his mouth.

“It’s okay. They were just repulsive. They love you, you know? Can’t bear to see you married to another woman. It’s fine...they can’t do anything about it anyways, right?” You laughed softly, patting his back.

“But Ara...” He began to cry softly.

“Shh. It’s okay.” You repeated. You put his head on your lap and patted his head till he fell asleep. Only when your face felt cold all of a sudden, you realised you had been crying, too.

Hope you have a beautiful day✨

Masterlist in bio~

-zara xx

[eclecticminded]

Valentines

So I’m on my lonesome for valentines as every year before, and decided to write something really short about how different characters would react to you never having a valentine if you were dating them.

Olivia Benson: Would find out last minute she doesn’t have to work all night and quickly scramble together a good home cooked meal to share with you and Noah. Noah would have made you both cute cards in art class. After Noah was in bed you’d cuddle on the sofa with a cheesy movie and wine, discussing romantic future plans to make up for lost time.

Alex Cabot: Would take you to the little restaurant you had your first date at. The restraunt didn’t do anything special for Valentine’s Day, so she went before hand and set up the table herself with flowers and candles. She even made sure to get the table you first sat at together, that you always sit at.

Melinda Warner: Would take you somewhere nice, somewhere you can both dress up. You’d both wear nice clothes and eat over priced but tasty foods. Afterwards you’d still be hungry and go on a late night run to a diner, still dressed up.

Casey Novak: Would keep it low key, she’s not one for anything too showy. The day of, because it’s during the week, she’d order in your favorites. But that weekend, the second she was out of court, you two would leave on a no work calls weekend in a cabin.

Carmen: Would be genuinely heartwarmed at the flowers you sent to her asking her to be your first valentine. She’d get her work done and take off a little early. There’d be a good home cooked meal waiting for you at home. The whole room illuminated with candles and Christmas lights, romantic songs playing softly in the background.

Nick Amaro: Would go all out, wanting to always spoil you in every way. Maria has Zara so hes free. He took off the day after Valentine’s Day to make it a two day affair. He’d rent a nice room at a hotel and put rose petals and fake candles everywhere. The two of you would go on a big romantic dinner in a rented car and come back to champagne and strawberries. You’d forgive him for working so much overtime, because now it made sense.

Rafael Barba: Would be sure to get off work on time no matter what, in fact he left shortly after Carmen did for her date. He’d bring you home flowers and chocolates. You didn’t think he’d plan anything so you’d be relaxing and planning on ordering in. But he surprises you with tickets to the broadway show you wanted to see and reservations at a new restaurant.

Sonny Carisi: Would have to work of course, but he’d manage to get home at a decent time and cook you the perfect dinner. That weekend he’d take you somewhere you could be just the two of you, and wine and dine you until your heart overflowed with love.

Fin Tutuola: Would want to stay in, but he’d make it special. He’d order in steak and baked potatoes to be delivered, but the small cake he made himself with guidance from Sonny. You two would curl up on the sofa and play video games, trading wins for kisses.

Amanda Rollins: Would have her hands full with two kiddos, but between the two of you there would still be a nice meal. Jessie would have made cards for you two and signed for Billie. After wrangling the kids to bed, you’d relax with some wine and snuggles. Decompressing from the day.

Mike Dodds: Would be godsmacked that you’d never had a valentine. You’re everything to him and he can’t believe it! The whole week would be a romantic affair; dinners, movies, flowers and edible arrangements. On a warmer night he’d take you on a carriage ride. The actual day of you two stay at home taking a long bubble bath together and slow dancing.

John Munch: Would keep it low key, candy and some flowers. He’d complain it was a corporate holiday for money purposes only, he didn’t need a special day to show you how he felt but by god that night he cooked you dinner and pampered you hand and foot, deciding maybe he should take care of you the way you do for him.

Nevada Ramirez: Would go all out like Nick, fancy dinner at the best place he could find. Roses and jewelry and candy. He’d pick you up directly from work and spoil you to no end. No work tonight, it’s all about you. He’d of course deny it if anyone asked, but he had a soft spot for you.

Jonas Nightingale: Would have no real means or desire to do anything. But seeing you get teary eyed, he’d sneak out and steal flowers from a nearby yard. He’d scrounge some money together for a cheap fast food meal and candles. It isn’t much, but it still makes you melt that he put forth effort.

Edit: I can’t believe I forgot Peter Stone. It’s cause he’s still in timeout. Lol

Peter Stone: Would almost forget. He’s had a big night planned for weeks but gets his days all confused. At the last second he comes rushing home, roses in one hand and wine for later in the other. He takes you to a quiet dinner at a small diner he knows you love. Afterwards, he takes you to an indoor batting cage and teaches you how to play, using it as an excuse to be be close. Once home in cozy pajamas, you cuddle with wine and ice cream.

Edit: Frederick Chilton. Haven’t watched Hannibal yet but I tried.

Frederick Chilton: Would go all out, finally something he doesn’t have to live up to others memories of. You’d never had a valentine and he could blow it out of the water. You’re not sure how he did it, but he not only woke you up with breakfast in bed, but also had roses all over your bedroom when he woke you with a kiss. At work he had an Edible Arrangement and balloons delivered. He took you to lunch, and you came back a little tipsy but no one noticed. After work he met you with roses, jewelry, and a teddy bear, he took you to the most upscale place he could afford, it was a private dining experience like no other. Back at home he melted at the dessert you’d secretly made and the present you’d bought him. His only competition was out doing himself, and you made use she knew that.

If you want to see anyone else, just ask. Any fandom I’m in. 😇

[folktaylor]

wonderland // modern setting, beach town love story.

if you asked emma westbrook and zara iravani what they had in common, they would say only one thing: quinn mansfield and that’s it. it’s been that way for years. since emma moved to the bay when the girls were 12, it’s been common knowledge that emma and zara don’t get along. they tolerate each other for quinn’s sake but that’s never stopped the biting comments or ice cold glares. after high school, the girls go their separate ways - quinn to the ivy league they always knew she’d get into, emma on a gap year program traveling the world, and well - zara stays in the bay. after all, her older sister needs her, what with the diner and her niece and incoming nephew. quinn stays in touch with both of them but they don’t speak to each other. not until the summer after freshman year. quinn leaves for school earlier than any of them planned, leaving emma and zara, both of whom are in extremely vulnerable positions, high and dry and without a port in the storm. quinn leaves them both with one piece of advice: take care of each other and they both just might be desperate enough to take it. featuring enemies to friends to lovers, pining, commitment issues, two girls been goofballs, lots of complicated family dynamics, and friendship.

main characters:

emma westbrook, 19, bisexual disaster child. just back from a gap year experience that changed her life and left her feeling like the bay leaves a lot to be desired for her future.

zara iravani, 19, lesbian with a green thumb, bleeding heart baby who puts everybody else’s needs before her own who loves her family more than words.

davina iravani, 31, momma bear, mother of two and guardian of zara, free spirit who got shackled with a lot of responsibility before she was ready but loves her family and wouldn’t trade them except for, you know, when she would.

maeve mackenzie, 22, worst waitress ever, emma’s first friend other than quinn who doesn’t expect anything from her besides for her to be her disaster child self.

quinn mansfield, 19, smart cookie, away at probably harvard being a genius but loves her friends and wants them to get along but like not as well as they do end up getting along.

gus petersson, 35, man who always kinda smells like fish, davina’s baby daddy but not her boyfriend because she won’t call him that. lumberjack daddy who’s soft as hell and is the best father figure zara could ever ask for.

ayda petersson, 5, tiny tiny diva child, davina’s daughter, zara’s niece and best friend besides quinn. angel.

navid petersson, newborn, infant angel baby.

sebastian, rescued puppy, soul number TOO MANY living in the iravani household.

[dramallamadingdang]

Replies!

I feel like I haven’t done a reply post in YEARS! :D So, I figured I’d do one now. These are for @tamtam-go92, @lilleputtu, @princesspiratecat, @jennamaxon, @ellupelluellu, @penig, @ajaysims, @taylors-simblr, @skyburned, @kayleigh-83, @nimitwinklesims, @immerso-sims, and @pensblr. Mostly, about alpacas with a few other things thrown in. Like...haggis? :)

tamtam-go92 replied to your photoset “Sienna Leatherdale, Spring 2, Part 6/7 MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  :D”

Finally some love for sienna!

I hope so! But honestly? She’s just as likely to do something dumb and violent to piss off Hattie, who can be just as jerky as Sienna is. So we’ll just have to see. :)

lilleputtu replied to your photoset “Sienna Leatherdale, Spring 2, Part 4/7 And a few days later…FOUR...”

So many pups! Excitement!

I’m totally excited to see what they’ll look like -- hopefully not all the same! -- when they grow up! If they DO all look alike, then I bet there’s something wrong with wolf genetics... :P

princesspiratecat replied to your photoset “Gabrielle Thompson, Spring 2, Part 5/6 And then it was birthin’...”

That's tough!

Single parenthood is at least a LITTLE easier in this neighborhood, since no one has a job. So, no need to arrange for childcare, at least. But since there’s also no school (yet), that also means the parents can’t get the kids out of their hair for a little while, either.

jennamaxon replied to your photoset “Gabrielle Thompson, Spring 2, Part 3/6 Child labor FTW!”

Crack that whip! Love those PJs

They are cute, aren’t they? My version of them are defaults, but the originals are Fakepeeps’s on MTS. But you’re probably aware of that. :) And yep, since the little bastards don’t go to school in this neighborhood (yet), they gotta earn their keep! *whipcrack*

ellupelluellu replied to your photoset “The last residential lot for the queer hood. It’s a beach lot,...”

Okay, I volunteer to be the idiot who keeps asking "are we there yet? .. are we there yet????" (Quote from: Mummy returns)

Heh. I’ve still got some community lots to build, but I’m hoping to start playing the neighborhood in a couple of weeks, if I can discipline myself to get ‘em built. But I think before I build those lots I’m going to get the playables installed and moved in and all that. So pictures of them will probably be the next thing I post regarding that neighborhood.

penig replied to your photoset “Arthur & Zara Stowe, Spring 2, Part 3/7 Eldest child Cohen is kind...”

There's lots of dick nerds out there.

Yeah, some, but they’re USUALLY not as common as non-dick nerds. :) Of course, I suppose it depends on the type of nerd. Sci-fi nerds are usually pretty inoffensive, and those are the kind I’ve always hung with, but gamer nerds can be real dicks sometimes.

ajaysims replied to your photo “Happy Rabbie Burns Night to all the Scots out there! :) If only I had...”

I had a really nice vegan haggis once. I'm not vegan, but I enjoyed it. I bought stuff to make scotch broth, but today and yesterday been too sick to cook. sad times.

Aside from the mashed-up sheep guts, haggis is mostly oatmeal + seasonings, and those are already vegan. (Similar to scrapple, which is mashed-up pig guts + cornmeal and seasonings, fried in patties.) So it’s really just a matter of finding something that can convincingly stand in for the mashed-up sheep guts. Maybe minced seitan? Or maybe even TVP would do.... Time to experiment! :D

taylors-simblr replied to your link “ModTheSims - nymph leaf clothing”

Oh my gosh, tumblr never gave me any notice of you replying sorry :C I'll get on with messing this mesh up right away :D

Yeah, I hardly ever get those notifications, either. :\ I have to go and look at the posts I replied to...and I rarely remember which ones that was, or even if I do, I don’t want to scroll for an hour to find them. :P Tumblr really needs some better communication tools. But they’re too busy screwing around with color schemes, I guess! :P

ANYWAY! There’s no rush at all. I’d like to makes some Plantsim outfit defaults because I’ve not found ones I really like, and I’d like to not always dress them in regular clothes. But, yeah, no rush at all. :)

skyburned replied to your photoset “I needed a break from makin’ stuffs and had a little time to kill...”

Love the monochrome blue and special love for that kinda different painting in the dining room. The garage door would have caught on those flowers all the time

Sometimes monochrome color is fun. Sometimes it makes me want to poke out my eyeballs because sometimes the shades don’t QUITE look right together. :) I kinda liked that dining room, though. 

kayleigh-83 replied to your photo “I was just outside with the critters, and bearing in mind the anon who...”

So adorable!! Looks like they know where to get the good stuff from!

Oh, yeah. They’re totally spoiled rotten. God forbid you DON’T show up bearing treats. They won’t leave you alone! :)

nimitwinklesims replied to your photo “I was just outside with the critters, and bearing in mind the anon who...”

Cuteness overload!!! Also, snow! It's fun to see a pic from your real life :)

*laugh* Yeah, we’ve gotten quite a bit of snow this year so far. I’m hoping we’ll get a nice, long ski season out of it! And, hopefully, no avalanches because they’re such a pain in the ass. :p

immerso-sims replied to your photo “I was just outside with the critters, and bearing in mind the anon who...”

Awwww. I love the white one who's just standing and smiling there lol

:D That’s Blanca! She’s currently my favorite of the herd. She’s 3. Her mother rejected her when she was a baby, so for a while she lived in the house and we bottle-fed her. So, kinda got attached. The cats would sleep cuddled up with her, once she stopped freaking them out, and it was adorable! She’s going to have her first cria this spring. Hopefully she won’t be like her own mother....

pensblr replied to your photo “I was just outside with the critters, and bearing in mind the anon who...”

Too cute! I love how there appears to be a line forming in anticipation of receiving said treats.

*laugh* Yeah, they totally know the drill. Too well, I’m afraid! *laugh*

[ninaahelvar]

Paw Prints

Summary: Owen owns the local animal shelter and trains service dogs. Claire volunteers there for a nice line on her resume. Everyone teases Owen about his obvious attraction towards her. The thing he doesn’t realise - the feelings aren’t one sided.

AO3

A/N: This was a prompt from an anon! I adored it so much! thank you to whoever sent it in! hope i did it justice! xx

“She’s hot, right?”

“What?” Owen said, realising he was staring. Claire sat at the front desk, her pen between two fingers as she balanced it back and forth, some lawyer talking to her with his fancy suit and perfect grin. Owen rolled his eyes when the guy laughed and Claire forced a smile. Lowery nudged Owen again.

“You know, the love of your life? Claire?”

“Shut up,” Owen shoved Lowery, who laughed and took Echo to the next room to go for outdoor training. She was a calm blue heeler who followed her commands, but liked to play a lot. Rex barked as she followed Lowery and Echo, her head held high as she walked briskly towards the sliding backdoor.

Claire worked the front desk occasionally, something about how she needed volunteer work on her resume. She was a young hotshot lawyer straight out of law school and said she liked what they were doing for veterans. Her father served once, and had required a service dog on his return. It seemed to be close to her heart, and Owen agreed to let her on - though he had tried to pay her for her work, she requested that it all be put on as volunteer stuff. He had a few paychecks to give her when she decided she no longer needed the position.

Without fail, however, every day lawyers from her classes or ones that she knew came by to give her coffee or talk to her for longer than Owen liked. They had one thing in common. God he hated pretty boys. He knew he was jealous - of their easy grins and floofy hair and the way they seemed to talk so effortlessly with her. But comparing himself was a new low. Maybe she liked pretty boys, like the ones that always came to visit. Instead, Owen was sitting there with his ex-marine status and ptsd to match the war wounds, and hairy as bigfoot.

He was training Charlie that day and, the beautiful black labrador came trotting up behind Owen as he guided her to her spot. As the other dogs got to relax and unwind outside, Owen had his own pup - Blue - sitting nearby as Lowery and Barry came to the training exercise. For some vets, crowded or tight spaces were triggers; and admittedly it was one of Owen’s, but it allowed them a unique opportunity to help the dogs understand a real event. As they walked the length of the animal shelter, Lowery and Barry came up beside Owen, their shoulders touching and pushing him into an uncomfortable position. Owen could feel his heart rate increasing, and as Charlie saw, she immediately got in between Owen and Lowery, and the same to Barry, giving Owen as much space as he needed.

The two other trainers looked cautiously at Owen before nodding and giving a treat to Charlie for her good behaviour. But Owen’s mind hadn’t kicked out of gear, reeling and charged with energy he wasn’t able to omit. And then, his head raced with flashes of memories, the realness of it all making his hands shake and he was having a full fledged attack that he couldn’t control.

Bomb. Drop.

Explosion.

Fire.

Flash.

Screaming.

Calls of his name.

Flash.

Crushing.

Legs feeling numb.

Flash.

Owen felt Blue jumping up at him and he collapsed down to his knees, the two dogs whimpering as he settled him against the wall, guiding him down and licking at his face. Charlie had already been trained in this exercise, but had never truly achieved what Blue had. Blue rested her head in Owen’s lap as he began breathing in long deep breaths. Charlie occasionally licked Owen’s hand, staying as close as she could on Owen’s other side.

It was calm, having Blue by his side. After his final deployment, he was exhausted and he knew the dreams he was having were signs of ptsd. The moment he could, he got therapy, he had his service dog - Blue - and he was having less attacks because of her around. The attacks less severe and less frequent, but he still had them bearing down on him. When he heard the owner of the local veteran animal shelter was selling, he knew he had to get in on it.

Although he knew very little of taking care of a business like this, he was good at training animals from his time abroad and when his friends all heard, they wanted to jump on board too. Zara and Zia were two vets who volunteered at the clinic for check ups on the service dogs, whilst Lowery trained animals for a living, Barry was just a lucky break when he had no job after serving and was great with training the dogs for stealth units. Franklin kept their business together - though he was terrible around the dogs, he managed to work with Claire on the books and keep away from the animals for most of the time. When they housed cats for a short time, Franklin would steal away to their section before leaving in sneezing fits.

Hated dogs, and was allergic to cats.

“Are you okay?” A voice asked and Owen looked up - his mind racing and in his own world.

“Huh?” He asked before realising Claire was bending down to his level, hand cautiously touching his knee.

“You’ve been in the corner for a little while with Blue and Charlie,” she said, and Owen felt his heart rate had definitely gone down and the dogs had calmed down along with him.

“Oh, uh…” Owen said, shifting to make the dogs get a little excited. Owen cleared his throat. “The exercise is a hard one for me. We usually do it to trigger for the dogs to see how they react. Blue is usually close by in case they can’t,” he explained, realising the mistakes of his exercise - and although it wasn’t always like this, it could be a possibility.

“You shouldn’t purposely trigger yourself,” Claire said, patting his knee gently.

“Yeah, we know, but it’s good that they experience what a real attack is like,” he said, feeling his heart rate go a little haywire. Charlie soon began licking his face, leaning her head on his thigh to indicate to him to calm down.

“Do you want me to bring you anything?” she asked.

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said, patting at the dogs’ heads. “Thanks anyway,” he smiled.

“Shout if you need me,” Claire said, rising from her crouching position to walk back to her desk, turning and smiling at him as he let his head rest against the wall. It was only a few minutes later when Owen stood and went back to work, maintaining a level head throughout the day.

It was a well known fact around the shelter that Owen was completely in love with Claire. He couldn’t help it - she was strong, smart, and never let anyone get to her. The minute she was hired, everyone made fun of Owen, how he listened to her and the way he watched her walk away all the time. He was a mess and the whole shelter had begged Owen to ask her out. Something that Owen was still struggling with…

It was hard; trying to get the courage to approach her. He’d tried - so many times he’d called her name, only to be dazed by her perfume. Or he’d walk up to her desk, plans for coffee already flying off his tongue, and she’d smile up at him and he’d choke on the sentence at the back of his throat. Finding the words was always difficult around her - in a way it had never been with anyone else. He could charm just about any woman to come home with him, take them to bed and show them a good time - and the one time he needed his charm to work, he became a bumbling mess of a man, unable to find his limbs and the giddiness erupting like a teenage boy.

Which was why, when he ran into her on a sunny Thursday, he found himself with a barking dog, a coffee stained dress shirt, and a vow to never even bother asking again. Claire had done a girlish laugh, patted his shoulder, and the courage that he could have had was now deeper than the dogshit he had to pick up later that same day.

From that day on, it became pining looks that were never inconspicuous, and daydreams that were lost to the mess of his ptsd mind.

*~*~*

Rex was a largest dog he’d ever trained, a giant caucasian ovcharka. When her owner had passed away, she had no real home to go to, so she acted as the shelters carer - but went home with Blue and Owen at the end of the day. Blue had recently had a bath, and was running around outside in the sun, as Rex relaxed inside with Owen underneath the air conditioning, following the airflow. Rex barked at Owen when he got in her way, but she wagged her tail anyway.

Claire walked in with one of the regular douchebag lawyers on her heels - Eli Mills. He wore his suits like he was the richest man in the world, but they were cheap and tacky - just like Eli, it seemed. Claire, on the other hand, wasn’t going into her firm just yet; she was only a researcher, so didn’t have cases to work. Graceful as ever, Claire wore the pastel blue summer dress, wrapped around her like she was a gift, and her hair pulled up off of her neck.

So yeah, Owen was staring.

Very obviously staring.

Rex barked, but Owen just patted her head, pretending to guide her in a circle as he still watched as Claire went over her notes and tried to hold a conversation with a wooden door.

“Yes, Owen, I do love you. None of the other men matter, only you,” Lowery whispered in Owen’s ear, and Owen shoved the shortstack aside, even though Lowery’s fits of laughter made Owen smile.

“Come here, asshat,” Owen cursed, chasing Lowery around, Rex racing after them and bellowing out howls, tailing going nuts as she jumped around. She was a dominant force, pushing them around and they both chuckled as it became a battle between the men and the beast.

“It’s a little unprofessional to just beat up an employee, don’t you think?” Eli called out and the pair looked at each and scoffed, Rex still jumping around.

“Rex, down,” Owen whistled sharply, and Rex stopped barking and stood her ground, staring at Owen as he made full eye contact with Eli, “heal,” he said, Rex meeting at Owen’s side. “Beg,” he ordered, “assert,” he said, Rex moving around Owen, barking before standing in front of him and giving three barks, equal distance apart as she sat in front of him. Owen smiled, kneeling down and patting Rex’s head, handing over a treat, which she gladly took. “Good girl,” he praised. “I’m a good trainer. If I’m good at my job, I get to fuck around,” Owen said,

“You should be concerned that veterans come here and get shitty dogs,” Eli commented, just as an old army buddy came through the front doors and Owen beamed, hollering to him.

“Sempa Fi!” Reaper called. Owen saluted the man.

“Hey Reaper! I have Charlie ready for some training,” Owen said, hugging Michael - nicknamed Reaper - arm over his shoulder as he took him to the back rooms with the other dogs.

“Owen is a veteran. I think respect should be shown to a guy that’s seen more shit than you have,” Claire replied, and Eli said something in a hushed voice to Claire. Owen smiled to Claire as he continued on.

“Rex,” Owen called, whistling again and the giant dog walked quickly behind Owen as he showed the fellow veteran Charlie and guided him through commands.

*~*~*

Owen was watching Barry as he guided Delta, an eager German Shepherd, through her basic runs as a seeing eye dog. She was very talented and could be very focused on her job. The two trainers made some remarks to one another, noting some small things she could improve on, getting her to go through the exercise a few more times with praise coming from every successful run. It wasn’t long before Owen became a little distracted by the redhead by the door.

It was the staring.

The staring always made him a little fumbly.

Because when Claire looked up at him, Owen’s attention went down to his shoes when he should have refocused on Barry and Delta.

Owen had no game whatsoever.

He crossed his arms, and felt his palms get sweaty as she walked over, the outfit of the day was a suit that made Owen’s mouth a little dry.

“I have to grab coffee today, I was wondering if you wanted to join me?” she explained, and all Owen’s mind did was focus on the word - I have to - because she was meeting Eli. She was meeting with Eli again and Owen would have to watch him try and flirt with her yet again, and his jealousy was a raging creature. He lost to it every time. Owen cleared his throat.

“Oh, I don’t want to get in the way, you go on,” he said, noticing the slight shock on her face - an unexpected response?

“Oh, okay, uh, see you later?” she asked and Owen nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling at her weakly before she moved towards the doors. Owen watched as she left, mentally beating the shit out of himself for being the absolute worst

“Owen,” Barry said, meeting Owen at his side.

“Yeah?”

“You’re a dumbass,” Barry said, and Owen looked over at his friend.

“Why?”

“She was asking you out, you complete idiot,” he said, smacking at Owen’s shoulder. Owen’s eyes narrowed - she wasn’t asking him out, that’d be stupid. She didn’t like guys like him; he wasn’t like the guys she was surrounded by. He was different and rough and serly compared to the lawyers that fawn at her feet.

“I can fire you, you know?” Owen snapped, and Barry clicked his tongue.

“Do it, I dare you,” he replied.

“Rex, chase,” Owen called, Rex bounding from her sitting position and springing up to Barry who tried to control Rex and Delta, as the two dogs set each other off - overstimulation was bad for service dogs.

“Hey!” Barry called out in a laugh and Owen whistled.

“Okay, Rex, heel,” he called, and Rex came back to him, waiting for her next task and he gave a small clicking sound before she circled to her spot and sat down.

*~*~*

Owen had Rex staying at the shelter as he did some errands with Blue. He had bangs hanging from his wrists, wandering around corners trying to find a cafe that may be service dog friendly when a voice called out in the crowd. “Hey you!” Owen looked forward, finding Claire waving at him delicately. Blue barked, wagging her tail and moving eagerly next to Owen.

“Oh, hi!” he replied, smiling to Claire. Though, his smile shifted when he saw Eli.

“Claire, we have to -” he tried to say before she waved him off.

“You go on ahead,” she said. Owen looked between the pair before trying to whisper to Claire.

“I don’t want to hold you up,” he said, but Claire ignored the question, bending down to Blue who sat patiently by Owen’s side. She didn’t interact with Blue, just waving and smiling.

“Are you going for a coffee?” she asked, and there was a small dart of her hand that was clear that she wanted to pat Blue more than she’d care to admit. Owen hid his smile.

“Ah, yeah, but -”

“Come on, I’ll buy,” she said, seemingly ignoring his efforts to stop interrupting her day. She willingly became a part of his day, it seemed.

“You don’t have to d-”

“Claire!” Eli called out, but Claire just waved over her shoulder.

“Go ahead, Eli! I’ll be right there!” she said, arm still hooked with Owen’s as she walked them to a cafe nearby.

Owen was always nervous about taking Blue to cafes or restaurants - many didn’t accommodate an animal inside, or they didn’t known if they had a certain policy against animals. Instead, it seemed, Owen was willing to follow Claire, trusting her instincts rather than his own. Walking inside, people eyed the dog with the vest on the minute they walked in. Blue stayed focused on Owen’s side as the pair walked up the counter.

The barista looked at Owen and Blue, their brow furrowing as they stammered for words.  “We don’t -”

“Service dog,” Claire interrupted, “can I grab regular caramel latte,” she ordered quickly with no hesitation. Owen was still unsure but she soon looked at him with a curious tilt of her head, “you?”

“Large black coffee,” he said back, not wanting to take up anymore of her time for that day.

“And a large black coffee,” she repeated for the barista, “oh, and some whipped cream for the dog, please?” she said, handing her card over for payment.

“Sure,” The barista smiled at the request and it was all put through.

“You know you don’t -”

“No arguing,” Claire said, taking the card back and smiling at him. Owen gave over a defeated chuckle, giving her a weak salute.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied and Claire laughed.

They sat outside the cafe for a little while as Blue laid down on the ground, licking the small cup of whipped cream before the pair decided to set off. Blue was still concerned with licking the remnants of the cream from her nose when there was a soft and breathable moment that Owen took in droves. It was a courage he was lacking, but he wanted to make it last.

“You look nice today,” he said, and Claire smiled, looking down at her outfit. She wore a flowy white skirt that went just past her knees and matched with a long sleeve pastel blue blouse. It was slightly see through, a white tank top underneath, but she looked amazing.

“Thank you,” she replied, a giddiness in her reply. “I’m meeting with the partners of the firm today and get to talk about becoming an actual lawyer instead of a researcher,” she said, holding her coffee a little tighter.

“That’s amazing,” Owen nodded, trying to follow her words as much as he could - though he had very little knowledge on what it all meant.

“It’s a little nerve wracking if I have to be honest,” she laughed.

“Yeah, Blue can tell,” Owen chuckled and Claire turned to him.

“What?”

“She’s whining,” Owen said, and the pause between their words let the dogs soft whines be heard. “It’s not because of me,” he said and Claire huffed, crouching down to Blue’s level once more.

“Hey, girl,” she greeted, “I’ll be okay,” she winked before standing. Owen gave soft pats to the border collie’s head.

“You’re gonna be just amazing, Claire,” Owen said, and there was a sigh that left Claire - a breath of relief.

“Thank you,” she said, moving into his space and kissing his cheek. She pulled back as her phone started to ring and she cursed under her breath. “I’ve gotta run! I’ll see you later!” she said, hurrying off and Owen watched as she ran as fast as she could around a corner, heading towards whatever destination she needed to go. Regardless of how many times he had watched her leave - he could do it a thousand times over.

*~*~*

Blue was being calm that day - he felt the pressure from his shoulders lifting with her by his side, and even as he paced about some business with the shelter, she still kept him calm. The forms he was reading were simple and didn’t mean anything bad, but he needed to go over them as owner of the business - it just confused the shit out of him.

Taking another lap, Owen heard the doors of the shelter open and he rolled his eyes when he saw Eli walking into the room, cocky attitude following him like a bad stink. He leaned on the front desk as Claire’s attention was on her own that she was trying to get off her desk. “Claire, you know your starting at the firm soon,” Eli said and Owen’s pace slowed, listening into the conversation that he really didn’t want to pay attention to, but he wanted to make sure Claire was okay.

“I’m very much aware of that,” she replied, voice quick and uninterested.

“Before then, I want to take you on a nice date,” Eli said, his tone seductive yet condescending at the same time. Claire looked up at Eli. It made Owen feel sick and his heart felt like it was burning - racing to erupt into something that would finally -

“Blue, hey, stop it,” Owen said, feeling Blue push herself against Owen.

“You know, wear a dress that would put any other woman to shame, get the best bottle of wine,” Eli continued and Owen clenched his fist around the paper. Blue began jumping up and down, trying to gain his attention as she whined.

“I’m calm, stop jumping,” he replied, trying to get the dog to calm down.

“Dinner, movie, walk in the park, back to my plac-”

“Woah!” Owen said as Blue jumped up and basically tackled Owen to the ground. She laid straight down on top of him, wagging her tail and keeping him pinned. Owen resigned to this feeling. It helped. And he knew why.

“Owen, are you -” Claire tried before Eli’s laugh echoed in the shelter.

“That guy really is nuts,” he said. Owen covered his eyes, patting at Blue’s head as he regained a better breathing pattern.

“You can go, Eli,” Claire said to Owen’s surprise.

“What?” To Eli’s surprise too apparently.

“I know you don’t get this job, but I’ve liked it here,” she said, and he gave over a reluctant sigh.

“Just call me about the date okay? I’ll pick you up wherever you wanna go,” he said, just before the doors shut. Owen was watching the inside of his palm, trying to remember when his life wasn’t a mess. It was never clear. Maybe the womb was his only non-chaotic place.

“You okay?” Claire said and Owen turned to her.

“Fine, I think Blue misread a sign, and pounced,” he lied, and Claire laughed as she sat down next to them.

“She looks very comfy,” she said, nodding and hiding a smile.

“I’m her favourite bed,” he said, scratching behind the dog’s ear.

“Lucky her,” Claire said, teeth nipping at her bottom lip. Owen’s heart ached.

“You’ve only got a couple more weeks with us, huh?” he said, sitting up next to.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said, tucking hair behind her ear. Owen became unexpectedly nervous, the obvious indication was the whine from Blue. “Did you want to -”

“I’ve got a few paychecks for you,” he interrupted. Claire’s brow furrowed.

“What?”

“I didn’t want you going unpaid for this, at least part of it wasn’t volunteer work, but you should be paid for the overtime you did,” he said, shifting his position underneath Blue and managing to stand.

Claire followed him up. “Owen, that isn’t wh-”

“I’ll get that for you before you leave,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Can we talk about this, please?” she asked, and Owen stepped back from her.

“I gotta go train some of the dogs,” he said, turning on his heels and feeling his hands shake. God he was bad at...he didn’t even know what this was - but he certainly fucking sucked at it.

*~*~*

It was quiet that night; a shaking breath of a coming night that made Owen nervous. He was closing up the shelter for the night, making sure everything was off - almost about to close up the veterinary rooms when he felt the lack of something by his side. “Blue?” he called, and when she didn’t come, he whistled. Owen switched on the lights, wandering the shelter as he became more panicked. Outside, he called her name. “Blue?!” he yelled, and the reply was silence. Until he heard laughed and thuds that sounded too familiar for Owen not to notice.

Racing over to the back gate, he looked at the lock on the wooden fence and saw the lock was snapped off. He opened the door to the back alley to see something that made his stomach sink. His little partner in crime - the thing that kept him sane was struggling to breath and the only sound she was making was a pathetic whimper. The two guys saw Owen and dashed. Owen picked up a nearby rock throwing it at one before dashing after the other. The rock landed and hit the guy square in the back. Owen caught up to the guy and snatched him up by the collar, pulling him back to his friend and before keeping the guy on the ground with his foot. Owen held the guy by his collar, fuming with a rage only Blue could control and shook the guy.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he asked, the two men struggled, one trying to move his foot as the other clawed at Owen’s defiant hands.

“Get your hands off of me!” the guys

“You just beat the shit out of my dog? For fun, right?” he said and the man laughed, “I’m an ex-marine, asshole,” Owen threatened and the guy stopped laughing. “Whatever you did to my dog, I’m going to you, ten times over,”

“Owen?” he heard the soft voice of Claire and he turned. She finally saw the scene and covered her mouth in shock.

“Call the police,” he yelled, pushing the guy to the fence, pinning the two guys in place, “if you know what’s good for you, you stay here,” he warned. And out of fear, neither of them moved until the police got there.

Owen’s hands hadn’t stopped shaking. He worried about his dog. He was having an anxiety attack. And he needed his dog. That was on the brink of death probably. He didn’t have time to talk about this shit. He wanted it all over.

“Yeah, thanks officer,” Owen nodded, turning to find Claire by the doors of the shelter, opening them up for him. “What’s goin-”

“I got Zara, she’s treating Blue now, but...she’s operating,” she explained, and Owen’s hand went to his forehead. He was barely registering anything, he felt everything and nothing all at once, but there was a definite tremor in his limbs.

“O-operating?” his voice shook.

“She thought you’d want to as soon as possible, we didn’t want to wait,” Claire said, holding onto his arm.

“Okay, okay,” he said, his breathing getting ragged as he stumbled forward on legs that could barely hold his weight.  

“Rex!” Claire called and the giant dog came racing, guiding him to a safe spot and settling him down on the ground, head resting near him and licking at his skin whenever she could.

“Okay, I got to get in -” Owen said, almost standing, but Claire pulled him back down, keeping him in place. He looked at her with a shaking bottom lip and his hands bound so tight, his knuckles turned as white as the bones underneath.

“Slow down, big guy, sit down,” she said.

“Blue...is-” he choked.

“It’s going to be ok,” she said, her hand rubbing up and down on his shoulder. Owen’s hands went over his face, the shake in his limbs still present as he tried to keep himself together.

“I always tell people with service dogs that they do need to understand that their dogs aren’t forever. They’re a temporary part of your life,” he said, the tears slipping past his eyes and he sniffed. “I hate that I can’t follow my own advice,” he whimpered.

“I may not be able to lower your blood pressure, or slow down your heart rate,” Claire said softly, and her hand came to his, taking the tremor-filled fingers and wrapping her fingers around his, “but I can hold your hand until Zara is done,” she said and Owen looked at her with a heart that couldn’t calm down. He nodded to her, the tears still in his eyes, and Claire rested her head against his shoulder. He kept still with her there, Rex allowing him to breathe.

It felt like a lifetime before Zara came out, her forehead broken into a sweat and she looked exhausted. Owen sprung to life and Claire followed with Rex on her heels. They came to his side and Claire hooked her hand with his again. Zara sighed before smiling to the pair.

“She’s a little banged up right now, but she’s going to be fine, Owen,” she said, and Claire sighed in relief.

“Thanks for coming in, Zara,” she said.

“Anything for you guys,” she replied, “I’ve got an early shift at the -”

“Yeah, yeah, you can go,” Owen said, clearing his throat.

“She’s on a drip, but I’d still like to monitor her,” Zara said, and Owen shook his head.

“I can do it,” he replied and Zara nodded. She picked up her things and waved goodbye to them. Claire tugged on his hand briefly.

“I’ll get us something to eat,” she said.

“Claire, you don’t have to stay,” he said, but the scowl she had told him he should have swallowed his words.

“Don’t you dare argue with me right now,” she told him, “go see Blue, and I’ll bring us back something,” she nodded, her hand still gripping tightly to his. “Rex, you stay right there with him, okay?” she said to the dog, who was pinned to his side regardless. Owen laughed as her hand let go and went outside.

Owen went to sleeping area, Blue’s pen had the drip attached to it and the dog slept soundly. She looked so broken - bandaged covering her legs, stitches piecing together wounds and blood stains in her fur that was once a polished coat. He sat down next to it, pulling blankets next to him, and on top of him as Rex came and sat by his side.

Claire came back with a meal for the three of them - though she did prepare Rex’s when she came back with their take away. They managed to finish their dinner quickly and stayed up for most of the night to make sure Blue was doing alright. There seemed to be no problems, but Rex still occasionally whined when Owen became anxious.

Claire drifted in and out of sleep. It wasn’t until Owen’s attention came to her, did he realise that Claire was in sweatpants and a large t-shirt. She had been wearing it since he saw her - which meant she only caught them there when she was going out to the grocery story or something. They had completely interrupted her night, but she didn’t seem to mind. Owen tapped his foot to hers. Her eyes opened weakly.

“Thanks for staying here with me,” he whispered and she smiled.

“Anytime,” she murmured her reply before sleep finally took her. Owen managed little sleep, but when the next day came, the entire staff was there to take their place, allowing them both to go home and rest. Owen worried the whole time - but he was lucky that he had Rex by his side.

*~*~*

A week or so had passed, Owen’s anxiety was maintained by Rex. But Blue was healing well and he liked seeing her with her panting smiles. Owen sat down next to the two dogs, keeping them calm. Lowery was training Echo, the shelter was quiet save for the entire staff being in attendance. Owen asked them why they were all there, but they had things to do that day, with Zia having an early appointment with an old dog they had trained. Zara came for a check up on Blue. Franklin was there to see the books, as this was one of the last chances to see Claire before she left. And the other two were training their dogs that day.

The doors opened and Claire came through, a very casual look of jeans and a t-shirt with a faded print on it. Her hair was tied back and somehow she looked like a moviestar.

“Hey girl!” Claire called and went racing over to Blue. The dog wagged her tail quickly, and Claire scratched the dog behind the ear. “She looks great,” Claire said looking up at Owen. He tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Thanks for helping us,” he said.

“Always,” Claire shrugged, as though what she had done for him was nothing. He took a deep breath.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck briefly before tucking it away again.

“I did too,” Claire said, taking her own breath. He had no idea what she was going to say, but he breath made him curious.

“Do you want to go out with me?” The words that came out of both their mouths echoed, cheers and high fives exchanged between their staff behind them. They both laughed, Owen’s cheeks burning, and he saw the same redness emerging in Claire’s cheeks.

“What?” Claire muttered.

“Sorry?” Owen choked.

“No, you -” Claire cut herself short.

“You -” he tried.

Claire sighed, letting out a nervous chuckle before she straightened her shoulders and looked at him. “Owen, do you want to go out with me?” Claire said, a slow smile coming to her lips.

“Yes, a lot actually,” he nodded. Another cheer from the staff before they both looked at them and they shut their mouths but laughed amongst themselves. Looking back at each other, they both rolled their eyes, smiling anyway.

“Okay then,” Claire nodded, moving towards the back of the room where Franklin had been waiting and talked to him for a bit. Owen excused himself, going back to rooms for the dogs, and when he knew he was alone, he pumped his fists into the air.

“Yes!” Owen cheered silently to himself, Blue dancing around his feet and Rex jumping up and almost knocking him to the ground.

He couldn’t believe this life was falling into place.

[chocolatecarstairs]

qoaad theories

 i’ve had these theories for so long but i never got around to sharing them. talk about doing stuff at the last minute! (minor spoilers if you haven’t read the leaked first 3 chapters of queen/tmi spoilers) 

also a disclaimer: i know that some people have gotten their copies early and might be able to confirm/deny these rumors, but i am not one of those people. these are all theories i’ve had written down and dated in a notebook for varying amounts of time. if you are one of the people who got their copies early (you lucky, lucky bastards) please, please, please don’t confirm or deny any of these theories or correct them or spoil anything about the book for me and everyone else who is still waiting for their copy. (at the end of this post i’ll explain how i’ll tag spoilers for those of you who wish to not see them to be able to block and avoid)

the parabatai curse has something to do with heavenly fire: basically jules and emma have both described burning sensations and extreme heat so many times in the series. (ex; emma always notes that julians skin feels hot to the touch, in lm the day after emma heals jules from the posion arrow he applies runes to her and she notices that they burn and sting which is the opposite of what is supposed to happen when your parabatai gives you runes) and in the leaked first three chapters after julian and emma almost frick-frack julian rushes off and looks at his parabatai rune in the mirror and its like glowing and has flecks in it? which is exactly how jace’s eye are describe in cohf when he still doesn’t have the heavenly fire under control and he loses control kissing clary in the alley. we’ve actually never really seen what the heavenly fire does longterm. clary traps the heavenly fire in the morgernstern sword just days after jace got it so it could reason that the heavenly fire drives people insane after a while because they’re not equipped to handle something so divine and powerful. it also could do it quicker to people who don’t have extra angel blood. i also think that this could have something to do with the snippet cassie released about emma’s marks (we all assumed it meant her marks disappeared but i have a feeling that’s not the case.). the snippet was entirely out of context and i think cassie posted it that way on purpose. she wanted us to believe that emma’s marks had disappeared but maybe they were actually glowing like julian’s parabatai mark had been (which could be one of the physical changes cassie mentioned.) and this is how the curse and the heavenly fire will take affect.

diego is going to die: i hate to even type this one out bc over the course of the series i’ve actually grown to like diego as a character, but i think he’s going to die in qooad. jaime will (presumably) be living in la for twp as he is an important character in that series, and i don’t think he’d leave the mexico institute if he hadn’t experienced some great tragedy that made it too painful for him to stay. i know that’s a stretch, but it isn’t my only reason for thinking perfect diego is kicking the bucket. he is currently in a marriage contract w zara and i don’t see the dearborns letting him out of it that easily. even if he can’t give them the heirloom i could see zara and horace forcing him to marry into the family as punishment and as security that if the heirloom ever does turn up zara will be able to use it to invade faerie. not to mention, he is harboring kieran at the sholomance which at the very least would be frowned upon by the clave and considered abominable by the cohort, but it also quite probably illegal. with horace as the new inquisitor and the mortal sword out of commision the cohort will probably spin a tale of treason and faerie-sympathizing on the part of diego and his friends that helped him hide away kieran. this will probably make him a target for everyone in the cohort. not to mention i feel like his storyline will wrap up at some point in qoaad and i could even see him dying in some way to save cristina and repay this debt he feels he owes her for breaking her heart (not to mention he is obviously still in love with her.).

we’re not going to see too much of ty actually mourning, but what we do see is gonna be heart-wrenching: we all know ty is going to try to use necromancy to bring livvy back from the dead (which was one of my earlier theories about qooad) and that the only reason ty isn’t a mess over her death is because he thinks she’ll be back with him soon enough. obviously, almost none of us believe this is going to work and we’re fully prepared for livvy to stay dead. i don’t think ty is going to realize that there is no way to bring her back until way later if not the very end of the book and watching him come to that realization is going to be an incredibly emotional experience for not just us as readers, but for kit and dru, and especially for ty himself. livvy and ty had a bond that i think was even closer than the parabatai bond and so watching him go through the stages of grief and finally accept the fact that his twin and partner and best friend (who as it had been mentioned before he has literally never gone without her a day in his life and has never been in a world she wasn’t in) is dead is going to be one of the most tragic losses/parts of not just the dark artifices but the entire shadowhunter chronicles.

zara dies, horace lives: kind of a simple theory but i’m 50/50 about zara making it out of this series alive. i have nothing to base this on but a gut feeling. i just really feel like one of the dearborns is going to die and think it would be a better death if it was zara. it’s kind of dark and twisted but zara dying would be an amazing cosmic punishment for horace. he would be going on in a world where the only person he had in life (it’s been mentioned his wife is dead and so far they haven’t mentioned any other family) is gone. 

the cohort isn’t going anywhere just yet: in fact, i think whatever happens in qoaad will just give them more power. livia’s watch will (hopefully) give them a run for their money, but at the end of the day i don’t see them being disbanded or falling apart. cassie has even said that at the end of the book things will be “not great for a lot of people”. i think she meant downworlders and non-racist nephilim. people like alec, jocelyn, and aline (and presumably cristina and diana) who have fallen in love with and been involved in serious relationships with downworlders or part downworlders. people like helen, mark, and kit who have downworlder/faerie blood. and finally for allies to the nephilim like maia, lily, magnus, luke, kieran, gwyn and so on who will likely bear the brunt of whatever the cohort has planned.

ragnor fell is shade: not a very original or well thought out theory. just the only person i can think of that we’ve seen before who is green and could possibly have a relationship with church. (he was very good friends with magnus in basically every series of tsc. church was taken care of by magnus for some time after jem became a silent brother which could explain how he and ragnor would know each other.)

kieran is heading back to faerie: i wanna see the hot faerie threesome last just as much if not more than everyone else out there but i have a feeling it’ll be a one and done type of thing. i see kieran either heading back to the unseelie court as king or a prince (hopefully the unseelie king dies) or being reclaimed into the wild hunt. if adaon takes the kings place i think he would welcome kieran back into the court as a prince and kieran would have some sort of gentry responsibility. if kieran is king then as it's been stated before “a king of faerie can have no human consort.” cassie even replied with that quote to a since-deleted tweet that i believe was about keirark or kieraktina. if kieran isn’t brought back to the unseelie court and the unseelie king dies gwyn will probably take kieran back into the hunt. the only reason kieran isn’t with them right now is bc the unseelie king wants him dead, so it stands to reason that, if the king is dead and the courts don’t claim kieran, gwyn will take him back to the wild hunt.

julian will sever the parabatai bonds (parabatai theory #1): we already know that the parabatai curse will be resolved “one way or the other” and right now the only substantial and viable option we’ve been given (besides jules or emma dying which is a fat NOPE) is the severing of all parabatai bonds using the black volume. it’s been heavily hinted at, if not flat-out stated, that julian is more than willing to sever the bonds if it means keeping emma and his family safe. julian and emma will be sent on a quest to faerie seemingly to retrieve the black volume and return it to horace/ the clave. according to one of the snippets, they apparently bring it to the seelie queen and she will only tell julian how to break the bonds. i personally don’t think cassie would have done it this way if julian was just going to tell emma right after. either she won't want to know or he’ll refuse to tell her, so i don't think she’ll even be able to break the parabatai bond. (unless they have to do it together which would be super cool) and i’ve mentioned it before, but cassie has said that the shadowhunter world will be changed forever in and leading up to twp and that the storyline would deal with how the protagonists and other characters adapt to those changes. i really feel like one of those changes could be the breaking of the parabatai bonds.

cortana is the key to breaking emma and julian’s parabatai bond (parabatai theory #2):  throughout the series, there have been multiple references made to the fact that cortana can cut through anything (ex; using cortana emma killed a rider of manaan which was previously thought to be impossible, emma also destroyed the mortal sword in combat using cortana). if cortana can truly cut anything then surely it should be able to cut the bond between emma and julian. i don’t know exactly how that would work, but this could also tie in with the severing of all parabatai bonds. maybe you need a blade made by wayland the smith to severe them. anything is possible.

that’s basically it on my theories for qoaad. i don’t know if any of them will come true, but i had a lot of fun theorizing over the past year and a half while i waited for queen. in the past couple weeks i’ve reread cohf, lady midnight, and lord of shadows in preparation for queen of air and darkness, so i only posted the theories i thought were relevant or most likely based on the proof i had from those previous books. maybe once i’m done with queen i’ll make a separate post of all the theories i had that were correct or partially correct.

since queen comes out tomorrow (technically today since it’s 5 AM) i wanted to make this long overdue announcement. i know i don't have a ton of followers (100 as of just recently!! thank you guys sm!), but many of you guys are tda or shadowhunter fans, so from now until sometime in january (likely january 4, but possibly later as i know some people will be getting the book for christmas) i will be tagging nearly all queen of air and darkness posts with the tags #qoaadspoilers, #qoaad spoilers, #queen of air and darkness spoilers (with the exception of things we already know like stuff from snippets or non-spoilery pictures). if you don’t wish to see any spoilers from me you can block these tags. that way posts tagged as such won’t show up on your news feed. i know a lot of other blogs are doing the same, so it’s a pretty great way to block spoilers all across the board (even cassie recommended it)! if any of you want to know anything specific about the book feel free to pm me, i've literally been talking about this book for weeks so once i know what its actually about i’ll be more than happy to rant about it with any of you!

[wyattjohnston]

Okay so please bear with me while I try to be coherent about this (which will be hard because aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

“You could bring someone to the wedding to pretend to be your boyfriend,” yes, yes you could Zara. His name is Andrei.

“Okay, big boy, how’s that feeling?” NO BUT YES BIG BOY

“I could be your fake boyfriend.” LETS GO HE IS NOT TOO YOUNG THAT’S A LIE HAVE SOME FUN ZARA

This was definitely going to be a bad idea. Wrong, it’s the best idea

Tulum is so pretty

Zara sometimes forgot how big he really was but he’s a big boy

“And when did we first fuck?” svech asking the important questions

Her heart panged in her chest as she realized that maybe Andrei wasn’t so much childish but finally getting to experience the childhood he never had. Oh my god, you’re a genius

Mr and Mrs Svechnikov where do I sign up

THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED

“Because I hurt my shoulder and…” dude is already so in love with her I’m in so much pain

“So maybe we should practice?” what kind of idiot says no to this opportunity smh

The volleyball scene is a work of art

The poolside Bridgerton scene is also a work of art

HE LOVES HER

He was just Svech. What a goddamn lie

Zara waxing poetic about Andrei’s ass is phenomenal

He’s so fucking in love with her I am going to SCREAM Nat like full on scream

Them dancing and them in the photobooth and them everything I am so unwell

My brain totally just short circuits from here on out hahah how dare you do this to me how DARE

This was absoulteuy incredible, Nat. I cannot thank you enough for writing this for me and it was so worth the wait. This will definitely be entering the re-reading rotation (which truthfully was basically only when it gets crisp in the fall anyway)

p.s. Every mention of big boy hurt me on a physical and emotional level

Author: Nat / @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69​

Tagging: @ryanpulock​ @texanstarslove​ @charlie-theangelwrites​ @suitandtys​

Relationship: Pre-Established; Andrei Svechnikov x Fem!OC

Summary: Zara’s sister is getting married in Tulum and her lie about having a boyfriend ends up being more than she bargained for.

Word Count: 36k

Warnings: Alcohol. Smut. Public sexual activities. Questionable family dynamics.

Comments: This is my fic for Demi ( @antoineroussel​ ) for her Summer 2k22 Fic Exchange! I’m SO sorry that this is so late and thank you so much for being patient!!! I really hope you like it!!! I know how much you liked Kat and Andrei so… I decided to go in that direction. I hope you enjoy!!! xx

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[elegant-phff]

Prologue

Summer of 2012

Alexandra Larsson

"Your Dad is invited to the Buckingham Palace this weekend along with the family for the state dinner,so make sure that you take some time out to attend it.Remember darling,it's important.We are meeting the Queen,"Alexandra's mom,Shailene Larsson spoke from the other side of the telephone.Sighing,Alexandra replied,"Sure mum,I won't forget I know how important it is for dad."

This year was the last service year of her father,Air Commodore Samuel Larsson.As a tradition the Queen hosts a State Dinner for the senior retiring Officers of the military every year.

Alexandra was beyond proud of her father and knew how much hard work her father went through all these years.The thing she despised the most about her father's profession is the parties.All the wife's of the officers were just stuck up witches.Gossiping about other's lives and spitting venom out of their mouths.Fake smile,heavy make up,pearly white teeth and their 'branded' clothings are all that mattered to them.

Another reason why she despised the parties were the,"When are you getting married?"Ladies trying to set her up with their egoistic sons was not a part of her weekend plans.As much as hardworking all the officers were,their wives were even more stuck up.The children...let's not start with them.Flaunting their parents money as if it grew from the trees and not caring a bit about it.

Alexandra was pretty anti social when it came to making friends in these parties.Although she grew up around most of these people,she couldn't connect with them.They were not the type of people she'd be friends with.Her older sister,Summer having a little more experience in this field is a bit more okay with this whole ordeal.

"I have been dreading this day since the beginning of the month UGH"Alexa said,throwing her phone on her bed."Calm down,it's gonna be fine and I'll be there as well so don't worry,"Her sister,Summer said trying to calm her down."You are chill because no one is gonna ask you why you are an actress because you aren't,"Alexa exclaimed dropping herself on the love bag.

Rolling her eyes,Summer plopped herself beside her sister."Trust me,it's going to be okay and you are famous now so instead they'll be praising you there."

"Huh,I wish."

__________________________

The Day of The State Dinner

5:38 pm

Alexandra made sure that she locked the door before walking through the hallway of her apartment complex.She wore a off shoulder Oscar De La Renta dress hoping it would be enough for the ladies to stay shush.She wasn't nervous about meeting the Queen,she has met her before.Not to brag obviously.It wasn't like the Queen knows her name.She had attended these Dinners before.All she has to do is curtsy to Her Majesty and shake her hands.Its the same everytime.

She flashes a smile to the guy at the reception and enters the garage.After she entered her car she texted her mom saying she is leaving her apartment and will be at their house within 15minutes.

Turning on the car radio she murmurs to herself here goes nothing.She smiles when her friend,Taylor Swift's song is on the radio.

Fifteen minutes later she is honking her car in front of her parents' house.When she sees her sister Summer come out,she parks her car and gets out.

"When did you get here?"asked Alexandra."Half an hour ago,I finished early from work today so I thought that I would just change at their house,"Summer replied standing beside her younger sister."Hmm,how's dad's mood today?"Alexandra asked again,worried that her father would be a little upset today,seeing it's his last State Dinner as a serving officer of the RAF.

"A bit emotional but better than I expected,"Summer said."Mum's worse for some reason,"she added."I guess she realised they are getting old,"Alexa said trying to lighten up the mood."Shush,if mum hears you she will have a fit."Summer playfully smacked her sister's chest.

"Sorry girls we are late,"Their father exclaimed while their mother was locking the door.Their father was proudly wearing this RAF uniform while her mother wore a gorgeous off white dress.The couple walked to the front porch hand in hand,waiting for their service car.The service car bearing a small flag of the United Kingdom and a star in the centre of the trunk arrived and all four of them settled in.

Buckingham Palace

They passed through the gates of the magnificent palace and both the sisters admired the centuries old palace.No matter how many times they came here,it never gets old.When the car came to a stop,they were greeting by a few footmen and Major Abraham Smith,who worked in the royal household.The women offered him a kind smile while her father shook his hands.They were led into the ballroom of the palace.

When they entered the ballroom,Alexa met with the faces of all the fake bitches that she could not stand."Be nice,"Shailene warned before walking off to say hi to some people.Her father went off to greet his fellow colleagues,leaving Alexa and Summer."It's going to be fine,"Summer said squeezing her hand in a reassuring way.Alexa offered a kind smile.Just when she mentally told her anxiety to shut up,she was greeted with the face of Mrs.Stevenson,her ultimate hater.That woman could not stand Alexa.Everytime they met,her question would be,"Dear,did you get a proper job this time?'That lady could not understand how acting could be a career and was "extremely worried" about her future.

"Hello Mrs.Stevenson it's so good to see you,"Alexa exclaimed flashing her a fake smile.Although the older lady did not notice the fake smile,thanks to Alexandra's bachelors degree in acting.

"Oh Alexandra! dear how are you?"

You could sense the fakeness in her voice from miles away."I am doing amazing,you look wonderful tonight."Alexa lied.She could clearly see her cakey make up and a badly done hairdo."You are too kind,I love your dress,is it from Zara?" Mrs.Stevenson exclaimed.Bitch I spent £8,700 on this dress shut the fuck up.

"Oh no, it's Oscar De La Renta"Alexa offered her a smirk.Seeing the smile disappear from Mrs.Stevenson's face,Alexa mentally high fived herself."Excuse me please."Alexa left the woman and dashed for the wine table."Red wine please."Sensing it's gonna be a long night she needed alcohol's company.Quietly she thanked the waiter and sipped her wine.She eyed the room,her eyes fixing on her sister socialising.She rolled her eyes and continued scanning the room.They settled on the main door being opened by a a footman and everyone quiet down."Her Majesty,The Queen,Their Royal Highnessses Duke of Edinburgh,Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall."

Everyone stepped aside,the men bowed their heads while the women curtsied.After a few moments Alexa quietly stood beside her father.The action quickly being followed by her mum and sister.The Queen greeted everyone one by one followed by the other royals.When the Queen walked towards the Larsson family,the women again curtsied and Air Cdre Samuel Larsson bowed his head.This gesture being repeated for the other royals."Air Cdre Larsson such a pleasure having you here today."Prince Philip exclaimed shaking her father's hand.The Prince and his son admired her father very much.They were seen hanging out outside of their duties sometimes,although not quiet often."Mrs.Larsson,your daughters have grown up so much since the last time we met!"We smiled."Ahh yes,I seems like it was yesterday that they graduated college and now they are doing amazing in their respective careers"Her mum exclaimed politely.Her Majesty smiled."Your Majesty how are you now,I heard you weren't feeling well awhile back."Alexa said in concern."Feeling better now,it was just the weather change."

"We are glad."Summer said.The Queen smiled,"I will see you around."After  the Queen left they chatted among ourselves.Alexa dragged Summer to a nearby table.A glass of wine on both of their hands."Oh gosh is it Alexandra?!"A voice exclaimed from behind.Alexandra smiled noticing that it was one of the only few people she liked,her friend Ashley.She wasn't sure if Ashley would be there that they but alas someone thankfully saved her day."Ashley!come on sit with us,"Alexa said patting the chair beside her."How have you been?its been a while,"Summer asked.Ashley was Alexandra's classmate in school and although she was a bit younger than Summer they were good friends."Fine,life has been pretty boring honestly."They hummed in response."Anyways how have you guys been?"Ashley asked."I start filming Sherlock Season 3 in two months."Alexa shrugged.Ashley's mouth shaped into an 'o' and she turned to Summer."The same old Computer Scientist stuff."

"Seems like only Alexa's life has been interesting."

"So any boyfriends?"Ashley asked."Meh,"Alexa replied uninterested but kept her eyes on her sister.She saw how Summer became quiet all of a sudden and blush begun to creep up her neck to her face.Alexa smiled,happy for her sister.Ashley also noticed Summer's change in demeanour."OMG WHO IS IT?!"Ashley almost screamed but calmed herself.

"It's Nick."Summer whispered.It was almost inaudible but loud enough for Ashley to hear."Nick as in Nick Jonas?!"Ashley asked.Summer only nodded slowly."You're welcome"Alexa teased.Nick and Alexa were co-stars in a movie and she had introduced them.She quickly noticed the spark between them and set them up.Luckily it seemed to be going well."Shut up you!"Summer smacked Alexa's arm.She only smiled in response."Anyways did you guys hear?the duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are also gonna be here today."Ashley said changing the subject.She had the attention spam of a goldfish."Really?That's cool."The sisters said not really interested but Alexa was a bit excited to meet the Duchess.

A few moments later,the footman opened the door again."Your Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry of Wales."Everyone once again bowed and curtsied then quickly emerging into conversations.Summer asked the girls if they could meet up anytime soon and while the girls were making plans,they heard a voice behind them."Red wine please."Alexa turned around to see who it was and realised that it's Prince Harry.She subtly turned around again,not wanting to attract the prince."I am gonna go get a drink,"Ashley exclaimed realising her glass was empty."I'm gonna go to the restroom,"Summer said.With both the ladies leaving Alexa was alone.A voice cleared their throat,resulting in her seeing who it was.It was the young prince.

"What's a pretty girl doing here alone?" Alexa restrained herself from rolling her eyes."I am not alone,"She sassed.Crossing her legs she took a sip of her wine.Harry took a seat beside her."So then who are you here with?"Harry inquired,a little too eager."My family."Alexa replied.

"You know,all the girls,they are always very eager to talk to me.They'd be throwing themselves at me by now.But you here are not even looking at me."Harry noted looking at her.Alexandra smiled."You see,your Royal Highness,"she mocked."I am not others,I am not interested in you.I am merely here due to my father's sake."she added.Harry seemed shocked by her confession."You intrigue me,"Harry said."It's my honour,"Alexa winked playfully."I would love to get to know you more my dear but I have to go,"and just like that,the prince left confused as to how the girl remained unfazed from his charm.She simply chuckled.Just then Ashley returned to their table.

"Dude,you have no idea who just hit on me!"Ashley exclaimed."Prince Harry?"Alexa replied,not unknown to the royal's flirty nature."I wish,but it was Richard."Richard was Ashley's longtime crush."Oh my gosh!really?"Alexa exclaimed,happy for her friend."Yes!He was asking if we could hang out next weekend."Ashley grinned."I am so happy for you!Give me all the details after your date."Ashley blushed at the word 'date'.

Summer finally returned to their table."Sorry,Nick called and I lost track of time."Summer blushed."Anyways its time to have dinner."All of them made their way to the dinner room.Throughout the dinner Alexa would notice Harry looking at her but she decided to ignore it.

When it was time for the Larssons to leave,they bid their goodbyes separately.Just when Alexa was about to leave she heard someone go,"Wait,can I...maybe have your number?"Harry hesitated.Alexa's eyes widened at his boldness but she quickly recovered."I don't know can you?"Harry have a pleading look."Okay here is the deal,if we ever see each other again,I will give you my number."Alexa winked."What's the guarantee that I will see you again?"Harry asked."Oh trust me,if you are gonna need that number,we'll see each other."Alexa said flirtously.And just like that she left.Leaving the party prince hazed.

Little did they know.Their next meeting was three years later.

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Hope you guys liked prologue its their first meeting and the first chapter will be a time jump and their story will continue.I made social media posts for this story...you will be able to find them at the end of the chapters.Also Alexandra's outfit :

Social media accounts:

Alexa's post of the chapter: