#four string

[suonorah]

welcome to jurassic park headass

[styxxsyringe]

first attack on @marnielovesyouu !!!

[invisiblestringmm]

chapter four

i’ll tell you the truth but never goodbye

a/n: i hope this chapter makes you cry 😂

tw: there’s a bit of angst, and definitely lots of fluff. y/n struggling with being a single mum. mason being a gorgeous mf. lily being the cutest human, lots of lily appreciation too.

3.100k words

It didn’t come as a surprise to see Jaz keeping her promise to support you as best as she could - you got daily FaceTime calls, texts, and Instagram DMs. You got post-ballet dinners and ice cream, the four of you becoming closer each day - Lily and Summer were inseparable now, and you had Jaz not getting tired of telling you she felt like you’d become the sister she never had.

Not being able to control where your thoughts went, your mind made you question a few times how it would’ve been having this extra support when you were pregnant, and you asked yourself if you’d ever stop being hunted by the countless what-ifs of yours and Lily’s life. You had to stop and take a deep breath and just force yourself to focus on all the wonderful things that were happening now, and how much you wanted them to still be this way when it was time to tell Mason, and everyone else.

Despite having Jaz reassure you that things would end up well, Mason was pretty much unknown territory to you, emotionally speaking - yes, you gave birth to his “mini-me”, but that was no guarantee that you were able to predict him. Not knowing what to expect should’ve made you stay as far away as possible from him, but after you had a text message from Jaz sharing the big news that Mason would be at the ballet recital, while you watched your daughter roll her eyes in the delight as she devoured the pancakes and strawberries on her plate, you decided to reply to that message he had sent you weeks ago.

What you didn’t expect was for him to reply within less than a minute.

“Mummy, are you okay?” Lily had her eyebrows frowned at you, she curiously scanned your probably pale face as your heart pounded against your chest. A simple nod was enough for her to focus back on the pancakes, but also give you occasional and quick glares as your shaky hands tightly held the phone.

You barely had any appetite left as you felt your stomach dropping when Mason texted that - so, he wanted to see you. It wasn’t time yet, at least, it didn’t feel like it. But should the ballet recital be the best place to meet him? Would you be able to act surprised and sustain casualty at that meeting that’d be sort of arranged by his sister?

So many questions and insecurity surrounded you whenever Mason was on your mind, and having to look into Lily’s hazel eyes, her smile, and everything else on her that was his copy only made it worse for you - it was nearly suffocating, and you just needed a mother and daughter moment to focus on anyone but Lilian.

“Peanut,” you poked her tummy, making her giggle. “Why don’t we have a girl's afternoon today, huh? Museum, whatever you want for lunch and we can wrap it with skincare and Moana!”

Lily stood on the chair - your instinct making you hold her arm - and made her little celebration dance, still chewing the pancake, her dark brown soft curls bouncing. That vision completely took your breath away, you often couldn’t believe such a precious girl was your daughter.

Not that all of your days weren’t already hers, but dedicating a whole day off to Lily was your favourite thing to do. When she was just a baby, you often imagined how these days would be, with your little best friend and soulmate, on coffee dates and nights where you’d light up a scented candle and read her a book. The way your voice soothed her was Lily’s favourite thing, combined with your smell. It made her feel safe like nothing could ever harm her. In her dreams, her daddy joined the two of you - she couldn’t see his face but could feel the warmth of his hand holding hers and his laugh was the best sound in the world. Lily wondered if she’d ever meet him, the only thing she knew and was happy about was the fact that she looked like him, as you’ve told her countless times.

Careful not to lose Lily from your sight as she walked three steps in front of you, her eyes not sure what she wanted to focus her attention on at the museum, your mind went back to Mason’s last words to you that morning. So, he wanted to apologise for the way he treated you. Part of you felt good about it, that he had finally recognised what a complete twat he had been, but the other part of you just thought how that made no difference now - it was in the past. Not buried, since your past with him had taken the most angelic human form, but it wouldn’t change things. It was all about the future now.

For lunch, Lily insisted on spaghetti, her all-time favourite food. You had to persuade her a bit to eat a bit of protein too because pasta would make her feel hungry again by the afternoon, and you knew how much she hated being hungry right before taking a nap - your persuasion included the word dessert, so not much time was wasted trying to convince her to accept some chicken with her pasta.

Your phone buzzed with a real-time picture of Jaz and Summer by the time you had just bought a gorgeous bouquet of yellow roses, Lily’s favourite. She insisted that a good girls’ night would only be complete if you had fresh roses, that she wanted to carry herself. You quickly snapped a picture of her and sent it to Jaz, asking why they’d have to grow up so fast and that her niece was insufferable.

“Can you please behave like a child and not like an adult, Lilian Maisie?” like a little kid, you pouted, suddenly emotional to see so much wit and wisdom in your tiny human.

Lily giggled, “Mummy!” she held your hand, placing a soft kiss against it and walking according to your pace. “Can we go home now?” You nodded, quickly fetching an Uber to drive you home.

By the time you got there, she was already heavily sleeping in your arms as you clumsily also carried your purse and the flowers, and tried to open the door without troubling her sleep - if it was up to you, you’d find a way for mums to have an extra pair of arms, they’d definitely be useful in times like these.

You knew Lily wouldn’t sleep that much, so the sofa was where you put her before putting the roses in the water and getting rid of your coat. It was almost dark outside, so you also started to prepare the apartment for movie night. Your little girl woke up with a loud yawn that was followed by a wide smile when she noticed the blankets and pillows on the floor, some candies in a bowl, and fruits too, which were her favourite snacks.

“Matching pyjamas?” you winked at her and giggled as Lily nodded repeatedly, stretching her arms at you so you’d carry her to the bedroom.

A few minutes later you were cuddling under the blankets and watching Moana for the millionth time. You fell asleep shortly before the film ended and were quickly followed by Lily as she hummed an “I love you, mummy” and kissed the tip of your nose.

Despite not being the most comfortable place for your back to spend the night, there was no other place you’d rather be right now, holding your daughter's warm and small body - the smell of her strawberry shampoo and the pace of her calm breathing taking you to a place where no nightmares, no worries, would catch you in your sleep. You woke up in the middle of the night when she moved a bit and, after watching her sleep for a few minutes, finally turned off the TV and quickly texted Mason before going back to sleep.

When you woke up, there was a message from Jaz saying that they’d all go out for dinner after the ballet recital, and as hard as it was, you had to politely decline for you’d have a little celebration with your own family in a pre-Christmas party since a few members wouldn’t be joining at Foxwoods this year. And that you wouldn’t be able to be around Mason before telling him all the truth, which led to you telling her that he had reached you and you agreed to talk. She went from upset to hopeful in the blink of an eye.

As you prepared for the recital, you had to deal with an impatient and bossy Lily - combined with stress from work, that you had to forcefully turn into home office for the Holidays, the exhaustion that took over your body grew by the minute. It resulted in calling your mum for help, who showed up with your dad on her side by your door.

“You know she’d ask for me anyway, kid!” Your always cheerful father rubbed his hands together as he went straight for his granddaughter, who waited for him with her arms up, waiting to be spun around like a doll. You loved how your dad, a serious and famous lawyer, turned so soft whenever Lily was around - and now, how he’d cope with having to eventually “share” her with her other grandfather.

“Where do you need me to begin, amor?” Your mother’s heavy Colombian accent woke you up, and a sigh of relief parted your lips as you pulled her into a hug. “What is wrong, bebe? Tell your mamá,” Her hands softly stroked your back as you just closed your eyes and enjoyed being the daughter instead of being the mum.

“It’s nothing, I’m just exhausted. I thought that being one of the bosses would give me more free time but it’s just more work, and Lily is insufferable with this recital thing,” you sniffed. “I’m so glad it’s finally tomorrow.”

But you also weren’t, because it meant you’d see Mason after five years.

-

If anyone told you that your daughter’s ballet recital would be the place you’d almost certainly meet her father again, especially without him being the father of another kid there, you’d just roll your eyes and leave - as you stood in front of your closet, not sure about what to wear, your mind played tricks on you creating different scenarios on how that meeting would go. There was so much expectation from you, so much anxiety to see how Mason would react. He thought you’d meet for coffee sometime soon, not at a ballet recital where you were the mother of one of the kids.

Much to your relief, Willow arrived at your place right on time to save you from a breakdown over “what to wear to meet the father of my daughter after five years without looking like an exhausted mother, but also drop-dead gorgeous, and respectful”.

“Lord, that’s specific!” Willow screeched, not really helping you, in the end. “Why do you want to impress him anyway?”

“Willie, I know you’re smarter than this,” you replied as she just shrugged, still waiting for an answer. You got a positive reaction when you picked a knit burgundy dress, so you tried it on and what you saw in the mirror made you satisfied. “The next time I see him it’ll be to tell him the truth, so he needs a good first second impression.”

“His first impression of you was good enough,” she teased, watching your cheeks blush as she helped to remove the dress tag. “But you’re wearing a brand new dress for him tonight, so I’m sure the second impression will be just as good.”

“Stop it, silly. You know it’s not like this, and he doesn’t know it’s a new dress.”

Willow kept teasing you with her glares and smirks as the five of you drove to the small theatre rented for the night by the ballet studio, it was already a bit crowded when you got there and you rushed to take Lily to the backstage, where all her ballet friends greeted her in excitement. It truly was the cutest thing in the world, those little humans in their tutus, giggling and chatting like they were grown-ups.

With a quick and wet kiss on your daughter’s cheek - that made her adorably embarrassed - and a hug on Summer, you told the girls how wonderful they were and left to find your family. You quickly spotted Willow and Jaz laughing about something that made you curious, and although you were happy to see Jasmine, you also hoped it’d take a little longer to meet her and, potentially, the rest of her family. And Mason, to be more specific.

“He’s not here yet,” like she could read your mind, Jaz’s words caused you to sigh in relief. “You look gorgeous, by the way!”

Smiling at her, you softly stroked her bump. “You too, pretty mumma.”

As the lights dimmed down, announcing that the recital would begin soon, you and Willow parted ways from Jaz to meet your family. Your dad held your hand and gently squeezed it, his eyes already sparkling with tears - the truth was you couldn’t have done it without your parents, but your dad was something else. It was expected that being showered with affection would be something you’d get from your mum, who was a Latina, but you got it all from your dad because, according to him, you were the result of how much he adored your mum and Lily was an extension of that. His legacy, as he’d say. He never questioned your choices, the way you raised your daughter, nor why you never talked about who Lily’s father was. The respect your parents had for you was overwhelming, and that’s why you’d tell the whole truth tonight as soon as Lily was peacefully asleep.

When the five-year-olds act began, you were the one ready to let some tears roll down your cheeks. There she was, your Lilian Maisie, as beautiful as ever on her first ballet performance - something you never truly expected, since she had always been the adventurous type of kid. But you watched her balance it so perfectly that you often questioned if she was just five years old, and also how she’d be as a grown woman. As she danced, you had a clear vision of Lily in her early twenties. She was tall, her hair was a bit darker now but the soft curls were still there and so was the natural flush on her cheeks. She was beautiful and finally looked a bit more like you, but Mason’s smile was still there. She was kind, full of hope, funny, gracious and so smart. She was loved by everyone around her and made their lives better by simply existing.

When her act ended, you proudly stood up and clapped your hands as if your life relied on it. Her eyes scanned the audience, looking for you, and when she finally found you her face lit up and that smile you loved so much was there, making your heart melt. “I love you,” you mumbled, and she just winked at you.

Gosh, there was no way Mason wouldn’t love this girl to the point his heart would nearly explode. You wanted him to have it too.

Excusing yourself as the older girls got on stage, you went to the bathroom to fix your makeup. As you looked at yourself in the mirror, you searched for your phone and, with a courage you hadn’t felt in the longest time, you typed a quick message to Mason asking if he’d be willing to meet the next day, in the afternoon.

What you didn’t expect was to find him right outside, holding his phone with a wide smile on his lips.

Mason Mount looked as gorgeous as he’d ever been - you could smell his cologne even if you were at least ten steps away from him. Wearing black jeans, and a Dior sweater that made him look breathtakingly gorgeous, Mason ended the distance between you as you felt your heart beating faster each second. He was still holding his phone when he stopped in front of you.

“I literally just texted you back saying yes,” he ran his fingers through his hair and that was as sexy as you remembered. Mason had a beard now, and although he was still young, the wrinkles on the corners of his eyes were more evident now. “You’re the last person I thought I’d meet here.”

You nodded, forcing your brain to put some words together. “You too.” Lie. But you had to make it look like it was just a coincidence.

“You look incredible, Y/n,” Mason said under his breath, his eyes shamelessly scanning your outfit. That same pair of eyes was your favourite thing to look at every morning. Now you knew what Willow meant when she said that Lily and Mason were identical - how could he not notice when they met? “There’s so much I wanna say to you,” he continued.

“Save it for tomorrow.” You interrupted, not wanting to sound rude, and Mason nodded in agreement.

“Can I pick you up around 3?”

“I think we should meet there.” You said, thinking of how suffocating and awkward it’d be being inside a car with him after all these years. “There’s a nice place I usually go with my dau-,” you coughed, watching his brows frown. “With my best friend. I’ll text you the address and we’ll meet there.”

Then, all of a sudden, Mason pulled you into a hug. His warmth against your body melted your heart, and you could feel how his breath deepened as his arms tightened around your figure. “I’ll meet you there, so I can decently apologise for being a complete idiot to someone incredible like you.”

His words were all you needed to know for sure that this wouldn’t be easy.

Was he being genuine, or was he just trying to get into your pants like he did back then? Either way, things were immensely different now, for this wasn’t just about you and Mason anymore.

This was about her - Lily. It was about her future, her happiness, how his presence in her life would have a tremendous impact on how she’d develop and what kind of adult she’d be. Nothing would ever be the same, and there was nowhere to run.

This was going to be tough.

————

BONUS - SOCIAL MEDIA

next chapter

[sourscratched]

some sid snapshots from the fantanimaland eps

[songvs]

the empress and death for the rook asks!

Death: What part of Rook do they need to kill to become the best version of themselves? —

Ivy’s obsession with the past in name of nostalgia…. some of their memories of their clan and others are so misconstrued that its not full truths but they cling to it since its all they got 😔

The Empress: What does family mean for Rook? —

All I could think of were words and felt possessed to draw them out with the companions that stood out most for Ivy in terms of character.

Rook Tarot Card Ask!

[slashdementia7734]

[yuviur]

And then, Henry is holding them really tight, more for his security than theirs, and he walks out of the dungeon (ep 42)

I cannot be the only one who cried when the twins climbed Henry and sat on his shoulders like two loving pauldrons 🥺

[youphoriaot7]

You know, it's so crazy to me. Because Cellbit is going on this...murderous rampage, and he practically (flat-out?) told Bagi he doesn't really care who's with him, just who's against him. The evidence is starting to stack up against him. His absence is being noted across the server. People are investigating on their own and coming to conclusions.

And yet...

And yet island residents keep on putting themselves in the way.

Cellbit and Foolish have such a strong relationship regardless of their differences that Foolish is willing to throw Bad—Bad!—under the bus to try and cover up Cellbit's involvement.

Cellbit and Bagi had such a strong connection during their childhood that it has carried across 15 years of absence, to the point that Bagi lied to Cucuruchito's face, taking the fall in order to protect him.

Cellbit and Bad's background runs so deep and so closely that Bad is even considering sacrificing (or at the very least, altering) a plan that has clearly taken months of work to put together just to try and help him get back to normal.

Cellbit and Roier's relationship is strong, and everyone knows that, but it's to the point where Roier is willing to throw himself down this rabbit hole with Cellbit, consequences be damned.

Hell, even Pac—the man that he tortured, hurt, tried to kill back in prison all those years ago. Even he promised to help Bagi try to help Cellbit.

Cellbit continues to try and sacrifice everything for those he loves, over and over again. We saw it with Felps and the Federation, we saw it with Roier and Abueloier (sort of), we saw it with Richas and those investigations that threatened his life, and we're seeing it again here with Bagi and his wider family.

He keeps trying to sacrifice himself. To cut his losses, fly away, leap off the edge. But his connections, his friends—his family ties are so strong that they will consistently yank him back down to the solid, firm ground.

[sickofthistoxicshit]

This was such a waste of episode,

Like seriously, all this hype for nothing.

Athena took the show again. After she took both seasons premiere, I hoped we would get more firefighters' storylines (maybe, I dont know, a fire???) than copaganda.

It was in really bad form.

There were some light points in this episode, not related to development, more like cute and funny, like Eddie, Hen and Chimney all trying to save Buck from backsliding.

And Jee!! Omg!! That was the cutest thing ever!!

I want more of that!!

Gotta say that with one episode left to the mid season finale it was a poor choice for an episode.

Did I laugh at crack Brad and crack Gerrard and Bobby's misfortune? absolutely.

Did I love the holy trinity of Eddie, Hen, and Chimney looking out for Buck? yes, I did.

Did Maddie and Chimney giving Eddie vibes by dropping Jee at Buck to get him out of his funk gave me feels? Hell yeah it did.

But the rest? Mostly just a waste of perfectly good minutes that could have been devoted to some actual firefighting and maybe God forbid some characters development, AND NOT THAT OF THE GUEST STAR'S!!

Athena is at the end of her story, signs for retirement could have waited until the middle of next season, and to be honest I don't see her retiring, looks like she's saddling to take on rookies as a TO.

Which is great, not what we need seconds before the fall finale.

And what's with all the callbacks being converted into a joke? Like will we get any emotional payout this season out of these horrible disasters, or is this TM's fucked up version of exposure therapy?

Because no one seems affected, at all, there is no meaning beyond the screen time.

Seriously? Get a grip and get the characters where they need to be 8 seasons in.

If these douchebags get canceled with nothing to show for it in the terms of development of the two lead males who are somehow still single and not together, it will be the most wasted show in history.

Tim put your big boy panties on and for fuck sake reach a point where we can all say, okay, now we're getting somewhere.

If only for Buck to know that being attracted to both genders means THERE IS NO POND TO CHOOSE FROM, IT'S JUST ONE BIG LAKE!

Damn this is exhausting.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

finally getting around to hbomberguy's plagarism* video and DAMN it's the confidence some people have risking public humiliation that hits me like a wall of bricks. I would live and wake and sleep in terror knowing there is a stolen video essay out there under my name, just waiting to be found.

*spelling plaguerism wrong so you know how much I disapprove

[glassofoj-twitter]

The Fab Four

[otaku553]

My brother recently got into Demon Slayer so I wanted to make a kny oc for him since I did it before with both me and my sister and never got around to my brother :)

But I started by refreshing my own design because wow?? It’s been 4 years since I first made my kny insert character and a lot of things are now outdated! Not to mention my art has improved a lot, I hope. More details under the cut!

Meet Ebisu Koharu: youngest of the Ebisu family and physically the weakest. They only barely passed Final Selection by hiding for the entire week and surviving off tips from their older siblings. Nonetheless, they still want to contribute, which is why they hold onto a thick, leather bound book that records every demon they’ve ever met in precise detail, with labeled diagrams and scribbled calculations in the margins of different strengths and weaknesses.

After spending a few years on the job, and properly seeing their data contribute to the successes of other demon slayers, they’ve come a bit more into their own as a competent researcher and fighter, though they still do tend to request paired missions with friends and family to act more as a support role rather than a fighter.

The Ebisu family is one of scholars. The eldest daughter Kaoru is a doctor, and the eldest son Shougen is a chemist. By nature, fighting is not necessarily their strong suit, which is why their family breathing style and techniques are all poison-assisted. Of the three, Koharu is the weakest and most averse to combat— they wield a short half-length blade, with more of a smooth ceremonial hilt and sheath than any practical weapon.

[arodykeism]

always draw ur favs dressed as ur other favs

[tired-reader-writer]

Happy (VERY, VERY, EXTREMELY LATE) birthday to my friend @concernedbrownbread who is also beta-ing Winds of Wolfsong for me! I'm so sorry that this is uhhhhh exactly a month and a week late, shit has been getting in my way, the device I use to draw constantly breaking down, etc etc but I did my best. This is the first time I'm trying such dramatic lighting but y'know what, I'm pretty happy with it! I wanted to reference her name Himiko, aka “child/daughter of the sun”, and how she was described in the first chapter of The Weaver:

“And as the shadows lengthen and the light of the dying sun cast on Uchiha Himiko, Hiruzen saw her for what she was.”

×

“The light from the world outside cast a circle around Himiko's head, bright and brilliant. Himiko. Child of the sun.”

×

“And as sunlight crowned Himiko, the world continued to be at war. The Shinobi world, for the children born into it, was always at war.”

I also decided to add little peony clasps for her coat because Himiko was born in June, and the flower representing her birth month in hanafuda is the peony. Peonies symbolize great fortune, bravery, and honor— they also depict that getting great rewards is only possible by taking great risks, it is also often used in tattoos to signify a devil-may-care attitude which I think fits the image that Himiko projected towards the world and to her family, like she isn't taking things seriously, she doesn't care, even though she's really working on one thing or another on the sly, and I thought that fit Himiko quite well.

Here's a close-up to her face for funsies:

Anyways, I hope you like this late gift, happy birthday again, and here's to hoping for a good year ahead of you!

[shipstorms]

(more sentences wednesday)

tagged by @ableseamen, whose WIP i'm salivating for

"That -- yes. Harder, Gale, please," she says, renewed, not quite knowing what it is she needs and hoping that harder will be description enough. Gale croaks, "Jesus."

He turns her further onto her stomach, knee jamming into the mattress on her other side for leverage, hand still cupped and insistent. The weight of him is a satisfying pressure. She grabs for more of it, twisting her arm around to hold him closer, and it's this craving that must be responsible for what happens next. How she conjures up an image of John, less as articulated thought and more as awareness of an incontrovertible fact mixed with fantasy: that John would be heavier. That John would be uncontrolled and feverish. John would take what Marge is trying to give, and give what she's trying to take. 

The idea pulls like a magnet. Gets her ever closer to Gale's attempts at making her climax with a terrible, intoxicating buzz, all the more thrilling for how wrong it is. She hitches tiny hiccups into the wall of her sealed lips, unwilling to allow them admission to anywhere else other than the vessel of her own body, and lies like that with John in her head and Gale moving inside her.

gale: what's a clit

john: go get your wife, i'll show you

tagging @pinenutpbj @soliloquy-dawn @astronomical-light!

[slashdementia7734]