#whilelmina

[skirino]

asiente cuando escucha a la contraria mencionar el nombre de la tercera. ahora que lo pensaba, no sabría si tenían algún tipo de relación, sea para bien o para mal. tampoco eran vástagos de un clan donde se fomentara el compañerismo... ¿estaría exagerando al preocuparse por ella? ' dice que nos tienen acá para hacernos lo mismo que a wilhelmina, por eso no nos están alimentando bien. o que... no deberíamos vivir bajo la opresión de nadie. ' repite los retazos que va recordando, aunque no son muchos pues la mujer hablaba demasiado rápido y en un deje frenético que de vez en cuando le impedía entender todo lo que le decía. ' eh... habló sobre tratos. sobre comprar otros clanes y luego... acabar con quienes se opusieran. también mencionó el deshacerse de cuantos chiquillos fuera posible porque eso detendría la llegada del gehena y... no sé, sinceramente, sonaba peor que una anarquista cualquiera. ' y claro, su duda no era que pudiera concretar los planes que tanto parloteaba sino el que no pudiera contener alguno de los impulsos y terminara haciendo algo de lo que terminaría arrepentida. ' yo-- no, no, no digas eso, no es necesario, ' sus dedos se detienen de inmediato, llegando incluso a ocultarlos debajo de las mangas para no volverse a ver tentada con nuevos impulsos. ni siquiera había puesto pensamiento alguno a la acción. ' me iré mañana. aprovecharé las últimas dosis de medicina y cazaré por mi cuenta. ' promete con asentimientos suaves. lo último que deseaba era convertirse en una carga para otros, especialmente una compañera de clan. ' belle... ¿cuánto tiempo llevas en japón? hace unos veinte años que no viajo. ' confiesa, obviando aquel pensamiento que había aflorado en las últimas horas. ' las cosas no se habían sentido tan intranquilas los últimos años. o quizá era más fácil ignorarlas. ' @hkyeon

permaneció de pie frente a compañera de clan por un par de segundos antes de imitar su actuar y tomar asiento a su lado, su mirada divagando por el tranquilo paisaje que les ofreció el jardín bajo una noche que distaba en demasía al caos que se había presentado tan pronto como presencia de lupinos se había hecho conocida para ellos en el hotel. ' mai. ' repitió en un tono de voz más bajo, no se había tenido conversación alguna con ella, mas era consciente de que compartían clan. sus labios se fruncieron levemente y atención se centrara en quien tenía a su lado ' es lo que le ocurre a algunes cuando hemos pasado mucho tiempo sin vitae. ' era una escena un tanto lamentable de presenciar si es que era honesta ' ¿mencionó qué tipo de conspiraciones o venganzas? ' tal vez se trataban de ideas ocultas que habían salido a la luz una vez que la bestia había comenzado a acechar de una manera más presente o, tal vez, sólo se trataba de simples delirios. ' es posible que esté relacionado. ' aunque era imposible saberlo con seguridad. obligó a que un suspiro a que un suspiro escapara por entre sus labios, para luego posar una de sus manos sobre la impropia con tal de impedir que continuara con ese movimiento en particular que comenzaba a distraerle ' vas a hacerte daño. ' advirtió, dejando una suave presión en contra de su muñeca antes de retirar su mano ' podría ir a cazar algún animal si es que eso te puede ayudar. ' desagrado por la idea no fue algo que quiso ocultar, sin embargo ofrecimiento fue genuino ' ah, sí, estaban hablando de eso, así que supongo que el ataque fue planeado por alguna razón que todavía desconozco. ' @skirino

[january31st]

In tune (Venable x reader): Chapter one

Summary: you arrive at the outpost and try to be the one to lighten the mood by making dumb jokes and playing the piano/singing, and accidentally get Ms. Venable’s attention.

A/N: this whole fic started because i saw the piano hidden away near the door in the music room in one of the first episodes, and then when Stevie Nicks sang later on i actually was so happy to confirm that it was in fact, a piano.

This has been sitting in my drafts for too long, maybe if i publish the first chapter i might feel forced to write the rest? 

Warnings: Nothing too interesting happens in this chapter when it comes to Venable, i really got carried away with context and writing bullshit? Other than that if you think i should add other warnings please do feel free to say it

|| Masterlist || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 ||

~2200 words

 Ever since you were a kid you managed to get yourself into the strangest situations, and they always seemed to outdo each other. About now you were starting to think you reached the peak of life experiences, after the apocalypse what else was there for you to see?

When the end came you weren’t too phased. You just watched things happen to you and accepted them, not that there was anything else you could do. But you didn’t panic. You didn’t cry for your lost life. There wasn’t much to lose either way. 

You met Timothy eventually. You had time to think about all of these questions he kept asking you, but you didn’t really. For the most part you were numb. You knew he was trying to get to know you, given that you were in this situation together for a reason, and sure, you talked to him, you cracked a few jokes to ease the tension. You told him a bit about your life in the past year or so, and listened to his and to his plans for the future studying at UCLA. 

After some time you came to understand that you two were supposed to be some sort of modern Adam and Eve, the new beginning to humanity. The both of you were told about your perfect DNA, and that just magnified the voice inside you saying that this was a big mistake. You didn’t say anything about it because this was the only reason you were alive, but deep down you knew this was wrong. You were sitting in someone else’s spot. 

Sometimes you would look at Timothy and feel like there was a rock sitting in your stomach. He was good looking, sure, for a guy. But that was just the problem. You never had any actual relationships, you always distanced yourself from people. You did feel attractions, you did feel love, but not for men. You didn’t hate kids, but also didn’t want to have any. Especially not now with this guy you were stuck to. You also didn’t hate him. None of this was his fault, so you pushed the thought aside for the most part.

Two weeks later you were sent to Outpost 3, and soon enough you met the person in charge. Wilhemina Venable and her perfect everything. She showed you to your rooms and explained the purple-gray hierarchy, and at that you heard that voice again, telling you this was wrong, surviving And also being part of “the elite”?

Timothy asked a few questions, and you almost shivered at the tone in her voice. Very determined and void of emotions. You understood the sureness of everything she said and it didn’t leave any space for you to answer or question. You didn’t have anything to say really. You weren’t that interested in the logistics of this whole thing. If you started thinking about it you knew it would be hard to stop.

“The house rules are simple. You will refer to me only as Ms. Venable.” she said, looking straight into your eyes. She also said something about not leaving the building, not that you were planning on running away any time soon. The ice in her demeanour was impressive, you wondered for a second if her makeup and hair had looked this perfect when the bombs fell. If her outfit looked as crisp and if the grip on her cane was as strong, or if she was holding the cane at all. You could have assumed it was just an accessory, it didn’t look out of place on the hand of someone as elegant as her, but something told you otherwise.

You must have looked spaced out because Timothy was staring at you. She raised her voice just a bit, adding  “No unauthorised copulation of any kind, under any circumstances.” And at that you felt that rock get a bit less heavy, relieved you wouldn’t be forced into it at least for now.

“The two grays you saw on the way in should work as a reminder” 

Sure you were happy with the rule, but not everyone would, and it made you a bit uneasy to think about the tension that would form after a while. Killing people for it felt unnecessary and if there were other purples you knew there would be complaining to be heard. Just something else to look forward to!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the first week there you mostly listened to the other purples blabber on about their lives, and all the things they didn’t get to do and all the money they didn’t get to spend on all these useless things. There was arguing all the time, no one seemed to agree on anything except all of what they lost, and pitying themselves for the situation they were in. You appreciated Dinah’s attempts at motivating everyone and keeping a positive mindset, but all of those empty words fell flat. 

One day (or night? Or afternoon? You weren’t sure) everyone was sitting in the music room, purples in the couches, Mallory sitting on the floor next to Coco, some grays standing around and Venable at the farthest table seat from you, reading a book. You could sense the silence wouldn’t last long. It was only a matter of time until Mr. Gallant started complaining about the song playing on repeat, but before he could, you tried something.

“Let’s say we had a cat at the outpost”

Everyone looked at you curiously, a cat? Why would there be a cat?

“What would you guys name it?”

Coco looked at you as if you had just offended her family name “I don’t know why or how you plan to get a cat in here. Have you lost your mind Y/N?”

You chuckled at that “I don’t want a cat, it’s just a question, to get our heads away from the whole apocalypse thing”

She made a face at the stupidity of your question “I don’t know, probably Oscar or Felix or something”

“Ugh Coco don’t be basic. You know, I would name it Rip Taylor, or Larry Kramer. Or any of the great gay radicals of the 70’s and 80’s” Gallant said gettig more exited about the question.

Andre said “Judas, or Alejandro. Cats are traitors”

Gallant smirked “I see what you did there” 

Evie leaned forward, cup swaying in her hand “I don’t know about cats but I quite like poodles. Maybe even a greyhound. I would name him Mr. Chandon. After the champagne of course”

“My grandma had a cat, she was called Pumpkin.” said Timothy.

Coco scoffed “Let me guess, was she orange? How original”

“Actually she was white” he answered with a malicious smile.

Coco tried to change the attention from that interaction “Alright, Y/N you asked the question and you haven’t answered it yet. What would you name it?” 

You gathered everything in you to make a serious face. You waited for a bit until everyone had their eyes on you and answered “Fish.”

At that the room erupted with laughter, after a minute or so you wiped your eyes so that your makeup wouldn’t get ruined, your cheeks already hurting. You managed to straighten up a bit and looked across the room to Venable. You’d imagine she would call you all dumb and set a new rule that kept everyone from laughing, but instead she just looked at you with her eyes slighly narrowed, the rest of her face covered by the book.

“How about puppy?” Mallory said. Everyone laughed even harder.

Your voice was now high pitched, you struggled to get the words out all at once "You see… that's a great one, but i think Bark is even better" 

"Come here Bark" said Andre, laughing harder still and slapping his knee.

You knew this would make you look stupid, because it was. But still you welcomed a laugh after all this time, and only something this dumb would work. 

After that you took it upon yourself to keep people entertained. You wouldn't let your fears show in front of all these fancy people, especially not Venable. It would be much better if they thought you were funny and light hearted than to find out about the monsters you kept sitting in your room.

You knew she could crush you with a finger anytime, and you found yourself thinking about her way more than you should. Was it her looks? Was it the attitude? You had always been one to look in wonder at the strong confident women you met throughout your life. But you also convinced yourself you didn't need anyone. 

The things you had lived through were more than enough to confirm it. You always managed to figure things out on your own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the third week you understood Mr. Gallant’s annoyance at the song constantly playing, even though you only had to assemble in the music room for the “Cocktails” once a day. Everyone was thankful about how oddly soundproof that room was, you couldn’t hear a thing down the corridor, and for that reason it would be mostly empty for the rest of the day. 

Despite that annoyance about the song, you still spent quite some time there. Ever since you stepped into the room for the first time, the shelves completely lined with books called out to you. For a while, the free time you didn’t spend reading, you spent hovering about the shelves, registering the titles and reading the synopsis for the ones you didn’t recognise.

The other thing about the room that called out to you was the piano, just sitting abandoned. It would probably get very dusty if not for the greys who had to keep the outpost spotless. You were surprised no one had played anything yet, after all, you were stuck with a bunch of rich people, and in your head every rich person had piano classes when they were little. At least that was the type of rich person you always wanted to be.

You had been anything but rich before the apocalypse, but you did know some music theory. You were a band kid and played classical guitar since you were little, and you found yourself thinking about how lucky you were that your mom put you in those classes. Music did become a very important aspect of your life very fast, always the thing you could use to escape, to soothe whatever mood you found yourself in. The end of the world, of course, couldn’t come without irony, and the one thing that used to keep you sane was starting to have the opposite effect.

Piano was most definitely not your instrument. You loved to listen to it, but to play anything you needed a lot of practise. Still, by now you wanted anything to drown out the voice calling the occupants of interplanetary craft, so every now and then you would try to go by ear on the chords for a pop song you remembered, and mess around with it until some other purple entered the room.

One evening during the Cocktail hour Coco asked you to play something. “We all know you can play, just please, I’m so sick of this song” She said looking at the radio with a disgusted look on her face.

“Ehrm, I don’t actually know any piece all the way through. Piano isn’t really my instrument so most of the music I remember would also not sound right.”

“You don’t know it all the way through, but that means you know at least a little something. Go on darling don't be shy” Evie said, and you couldn’t help but feel uneasy playing in front of these fancy people. 

You sat down on it’s large bench, you wanted to at least try something classical, to try and show them that you weren’t absolutely uncultured. Choosing Moonlight Sonata might have been predictable, but at least it wasn’t Fur Elise. The first movement was all you could remember, but it was the piece you knew the best. In the end you were met with applause, to your surprise.

“Ah splendid! I had no idea poor people even knew about Beethoven!” Evie was certainly one for theatrics, the way she overreacted made you giggle, almost letting you forget the shakiness in your hands.

“Play something you can sing to, I heard you sing before, you have a lovely voice” Timothy said with a big smile, and you realised just then how that sounded. When did he even hear you sing? By the way Coco and Gallant looked at eachother you could tell they had gossiped about you before, and the thought that the whole outpost might be thinking about it too made you want to puke. 

To hide your discomfort you started playing the first song you could think of, and while you played the only thought on your mind was Ms. Venable. What if she thought you and Timothy had a thing? Would she kill you both without even hearing you out? Somehow that wasn’t the part that disturbed you the most, though you couldn’t quite understand what was. She didn’t hang around the music room much during the day, and when she did she would either hide behind a book or have an argument with someone and leave. Right now you hoped she wasn’t even looking at you and didn’t hear the tone of what he said.

if you want to be added to a taglist for this series, feel free to reach out in whatever way you prefer :)

[jonkortajarenaofficial]

Jon and Stella for Numero Russia By Rowan Papier ✳️ #JonKortajarena #StellaMaxwell #RowanPapier #IlariaNiccolini #ViewManagement #FTLModa #NumeroRussia #VincentTran #BrentLawler #CarolinaGonzalez #Whilelmina #GiorgioAmmirabile #TheLionsNYC #Armani #Chanel #Versace #ErmannoScervino #Zegna https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ekY2FIvKy/?igshid=1e67l4y46gmbc

[caramelboucle-art]

Inktober 2019: Magical Girls x Fashion.

Day 4: Will Vandom x Del Pozo

[everybody-wants-2-rule-the-world]

Royals S4E10 - “I Do”

[books0977]

Whilelmina Cooper posing with “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” (1884, 1884/86) at the Chicago Art Institute, 1960. Photograph by Kennett Heilbron.

In his best-known and largest painting, Georges Seurat depicted people relaxing in a suburban park on an island in the Seine River called La Grande Jatte. The artist began in 1884 with a layer of small horizontal brushstrokes of complementary colors. He later added small dots, also in complementary colors, that appear as solid and luminous forms when seen from a distance.

[interact-if]

do you guys have any recs inspired by books? Like where you can play a main character or character in famous books (like Whilelmina)

We do have some recs that fit that, here you go! Some are inspired by plays and some of these games are complete. 

If you have suggestions for any IF inspired by books (and/or plays!), please feel free to let us know and we’ll add it to the list!

A Midsummer Night’s Choice (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) by Kreg Segall

Bastard of Camelot (King Arthur) by @llamagirl28

Elsinore: After Hamlet by @lapinlunaire-games

Guenevere (King Arthur) by @newarcana

More things in Heaven and Earth (Hamlet) by morethingsgame

My Dear Handel (Great Expectations) by Anamika

Northanger Abbey (VN, Northanger Abbey) by @spiralatlas

Orpheus: A Tragicomedy in Six Parts by @spectrumtacular

Return to Never, Never Land by @never-never-land

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - An Affair of the Heart (Sherlock Holmes) by @doriana-gray-games

The Courting of Miss Bennett (Pride & Prejudice) by Michael Gray

The Frog Prince and the Iron Heart (The Frog Prince) by Celia

The Unquiet Grave (Wuthering Heights) by @ombresart

The Whisperer in the Darkness (VN, HP Lovecraft) by Nat Quayle Nelson

What the Children Made (The Veldt) by Bri Williams

Wilhelmina (Dracula) by Faith K.

Up & Coming (no demo yet!) 

Royal Flush (Alice in Wonderlands) by @royalflush-if

Unmourned (Frankenstein) by @unmourned

Wilhelmina (Dracula) by @wilhelmina-if (hiatus)

[ilarywilson]

Madama Waleystock, l'esame è superato.

Asbjörn Loke Andersson, 09-15-2073

[iwantitiwriteit]

Love Lockdown - Part 2

Big Girl With a Brave Face

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Summary: You brace yourself for your FaceTime with Chris.

Warnings: Angst, Pandemic backdrop, Profanity

Notes: More heart strumming feels! Read the previous part! Gonna try and put these up on Monday’s starting next week 8/10, along with In My Feelings Monday™, when my asks will be open for all your romantic musings! Let’s get sweet and sappy y’all! I know you wanna 🥰 

The sun shines down, a crisp wind whisking by you every so often; applause for your hard work in the garden. You found a circadian rhythm. Grasp, pull, dump. Grasp, pull, dump. It afforded you an opportunity to get lost in thought… and memory. 

You just don’t get it, do you?

Baby, I want to!

Why didn’t you say anything?

Would it have mattered?

I think we can both agree we need the space…

We need to talk…

I love you.

I love you too.

“Are you okay Aunty?” Iris’ innocent voice drifts into your trance but doesn’t break it completely.

You absentmindedly respond. “Uh huh. Why do you ask?”

“Probably ‘cos you're pulling at those weeds so ferociously I think you might’ve got a few good plants,” Ines answers for her younger sister, the teenage ‘tude snapping you to reality.

You assess your handiwork and sure enough, in your pile of weeds, some good plants lie there with them, undeservedly plucked from the earth. “Oh, my bad,” you sheepishly apologize.

“It’s okay. The only difference between a weed and a flower is judgment. Here,” Ines shuffles over to your spot. 

“Ines, you’re wise beyond your years, you know that?” You stand up, placing your palms on your lower back, arching and stretching in a moment of respite. Looking over your nieces tending to the greenery you botched, their youthful vigor bring a genuine smile to your face. Those have been few and far in between these days. 

“I know, right? Could you tell my mom for me?” she kids, making you laugh. “It couldn’t have been that long since it was you and Mama doing this,” Ines smirks at you briefly before refocusing on rerooting.

You chuckle, “Ha! Feels like a lifetime ago. But, yeah, it really hasn’t been that long. Guess I just kinda lost touch.”

“Do you miss it? Do you miss being here?” Iris asks. 

“Umm… honestly?” The both of them look up at you, eyes wide and expectant. “I thought I didn’t. L.A. can be blinding in that way. But now that I’m here, I feel a little more… myself. Not to mention that I’ve missed you girls soo much! C’mere!”

A niece under each arm, hugging your middle tightly, you can feel how much they’ve missed you as well. You want to be a better aunt to them. Your love for your family is as expansive as the family farm you marvel at in front of you. Acres of green going beyond the quaint garden near the house, with the barn just behind the rustic office and rec building where the farmers are currently gathered for lunch just a few feet away. But your feelings were much like half your sister’s employees as of late; they didn’t show, especially in crisis.

Through one of the windows, you catch sight of a familiar profile; hand to his temple pressing deep into his smooth, mahogany skin, thick, dark brows knitted together in concentration, plump lips puckered as he writes furiously, occasionally taking a bite of his sandwich. He must feel your eyes because he looks up to meet them, breaking focus from his working lunch. The hand that was to his temple is now raised for a tentative wave, just as the corner of his mouth is raised for a beautiful, sweet smile. 

Your shoulders tense, your wave is curt, and your smile is barely there. You avert your eyes not wanting to see the effect of your abrupt actions. 

“I know Keith is glad you’re back, too.” You look down to see Iris looking up at you, her 10 year old face contorted into her best suggestive look. 

Ines rolls her eyes at her sister’s antics, “Oh, stop it! She’s already got the most perfect, dreamy boyfriend, remember?”

“Well, I’ve never met him. Have you? How do we know if he’s even real?”

“She’s got a point. Why haven’t we met him yet?”

“If he thinks he's too good to come down south, meet your family, let me tell you something Aunty, that’s not the kind of man you should be with.”

“I don’t think Aunty had ‘take dating advice from a child’ on her quarantine to-do list. Maybe he’s just busy; he is a movie star— correction— a superhero! Superhero equals stable income, stable income means husband material. Simple math.”

“Well, Keith has a stable and would never be too busy for her!”

“Keith runs a stable… a horse stable. Not exactly a selling point, right Aunty?”

“Aunty, tell her she’s wrong!”

The girls get to bickering and you wipe your forehead, not too sure if it’s from the heat or the interrogation you’re enduring. You check your watch. 1:39 pm.

“Shit!” Your exclamation silences your nieces as they whip their heads towards you. “Sorry ladies,” you offer an apologetic smile for the obscenity. “I, uh, gotta get ready for a call. Let’s turn it in early, yeah?” They race in the house without a second thought, and you trail behind them.

You remove your shoes in the mud room, then stalk down the hall toward the main part of the house. You wave to your sister as you pass her home office where she’s pacing, busy on the phone, swamped in paperwork. She waves you over with a confused face and shrugs as she sees her girls buzzing around.

You go to lean in the door jamb of her office as she asks, “What brings y’all inside so early? Wasn’t expecting you to be back in for another couple hours.”

“I have that FaceTime call at 2 I gotta get ready for, remember?”

“Right, right… remind me again. It’s for a writing gig?” she asks, sifting through her mountain of papers, as distracted as she was this morning when you told her your afternoon plans.

“Uh, no. It’s um, with… Chris,” your voice trails off with each word.

Your sister whips her head around, interest now piqued. “Really? That’s good, right?”

You shrug and sigh, indifference in your expression, “It’s, y'know… whatever, Mina.”

Wilhelmina furrows her brows, “What’s wrong?” Before you could contemplate an excuse, she puts a finger up to you, “Yes, thank you, I’m trying to get in touch with…” she answers to the person on the other line.

Your watch buzzes with your 15 minute reminder for your FaceTime with Chris. “I gotta go,” you tell your sister, before turning to head upstairs. The ascension to the second level feels like a death march, the impending doom of your relationship finally setting in. Each step feels increasingly weighted. Once at the top of the staircase, you pinch the bridge of your nose as if that will alleviate your anxieties. 

“Let’s get you ready,” Wilhelmina’s maternal voice drifts to you as she comes up the stairs, melting your nerves a little. She shoots you a pity smile before ushering you into your guest room, where you make a B-line for the bathroom.

You take your time and delicately wash away the grime and sweat from your face. It’s like a Neutrogena commercial, the way you come up from the sink, staring yourself in the mirror. You take note of the creases in your forehead caused by your tense brows, the pain in your eyes, your overall sullen expression. And this feeling. This feeling is like being suspended mid-air, knowing the dreadful drop was any minute now.

You know very well who is in control of the drop. You just don’t know when you gave up that control to him. The only thing you can do now is go with grace. In an effort to have some sense of control, you did what anyone in your situation would do: You turned to Google.

“what to do when your boyfriend is about to break up with you” is what you typed into the search engine this morning. You felt like a teenager. Young and dumb. Like you’d never been in a relationship before. Like you’d never been broken up with before. None of this is new. And yet, it is. You hadn’t been here before. You hadn’t known this feeling before.

The feeling of knowing the one to make the dreadful drop happen is the same one that you love more than you knew was even possible, and damn did it hurt like hell. But could it have hurt more than knowing you’re the one that brought him to this point? Especially when you know these deep feelings are requited? The love is requited.

Who knows. You just file these feelings away for later in the hopes that it’ll inspire your pen. Right now it’s time to put on a brave face. You’ve gotten so good at it.

“So, what brought this on?” Wilhelmina inquiries after a few minutes of you lollygagging in front of the bathroom mirror.

“Oh, umm… well, he called last night. It was the first time we talked since—”

“You got here.” 

“Yeah, but who’s counting,” your deadpan earns you a disapproving look from your sister. You’ve learned to ignore it. You check the time. 5 til. “Ugh, I don’t have time to pretty myself up. Breakups are ugly anyways; guess I’ll have to be, too,” you joke, leaving Whilelmina bewildered.

“Wait, what? You’re dumping him? I know it’s tough, trust me, I get it, but—”

“No... he’s gonna dump me,” you correct her.

“What would make you think that?”

“I don’t know, maybe cos he said ‘we need to talk… for real’,” you mock his deep voice; it’s how you read his text last night in your head, “and we all know what that means…”

“Hold up, it doesn’t necessarily mean that!”

“C’mon Mina! It’s textbook breakup prep!”

“Maybe for a teenager, but he’s a grown ass man. If he says he wants to talk, he probably just wants to talk.”

“Yeah, about dumping you…” Ines mumbles under her breath from the doorway. Wilhelmina stares daggers into her mouthy daughter, and she shrinks away to mind her business.

You continue to get ready, mainly focusing on laying your edges before finding a new shirt. “So, why would he suggest we quarantine separately knowing we had issues we were working on?” you debate your sister.

“Because like he said: you need some space. Totally normal for maintaining a healthy relationship.”

“Is it though? Cos when I say “I need space”, I’m thinking about making an exit. And that’s on a good, non-pandemic day. Hell, our issues alone would make me bow out. Now you add this stressful shit on top?”

“Then why haven’t you?”

Her simple question makes you stop in tracks, your brave face wavering for just a moment. “B-Because— it doesn’t matter. He’s ending things with me, in,” you check the time, “3 minutes. And I don’t blame him! I’ve been a mess lately! An emotional wreck lately! You should’ve heard me last night, it was gross!”

Wilhelmina starts to chuckle at your dramatics, but you can tell she’s laughing at you, not with you. “What’s so funny?”

“Sweetheart, you’d have to show emotions to be an emotional wreck. I think you skipped a few steps.”

“Whatever,” you roll your eyes as you peel off your sweaty shirt and toss it in the laundry basket. You take your wash cloth to dab your underarms before putting on a nicer top. A proper shower will have to wait til later.

“I’ll have you know that I do, in fact, have emotions. I just channel them into my writing, to avoid sapping them all over any- and everyone… like some people I know,” you quirk your brow and tilt your head in Wilhelmina‘s direction.

“Girl, whatever! From what you told me, Chris is as much a romantic as I am, maybe even more so. You don’t hate it as much as you let on. Just admit it.”

You slowly turn away from Wilhelmina to primp yourself in the full length mirror. She follows you, glaring at you in hopes she will break you down. You decide to throw her a bone.

“Last night, I told him how we should’ve been together right now. There was even a quiver in my voice because I do really, really miss him. It was all so, so...” Your sister’s hands are clutching her chest, eyes glazed like she was watching a romcom. She’d finally gotten through to you. “… so pathetic.” Or so she’d thought. The sound of frustration that came from her amused you greatly, your eyes now glazed from crying of laughter. 

“See, that’s what the hell I'm talking about! If he brings emotion— vulnerability— out of you, why do you resist? He’s worth keeping around, sis. I would think you: an artist, a writer for god’s sakes, would find some value in that.”

You stare straight ahead, fixing imaginary stray curls in your hair, and avoiding eye contact with Wilhelmina. She awaits your response, brows raised, neck craned toward you, hands below her chest with palms up, as if to say ‘Sooo...???’. You wondered how long she’d stay like that before you said something. “Are you done?”

Your sister sighs, and it’s quickly followed by ringing from your laptop. You both look in its direction, then at each other. The moment you’d been bracing for all day is here. You hesitantly move towards the chair at your desk where your laptop is sat. 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Wilhelmina says before excusing herself. You almost didn’t want her to go. But you’ve got to be a big girl with a brave face.

“One last thing?” you twist in your chair to look at her in your doorway, “I know who made you believe that big girls don’t cry, but it’s bullshit. It’s good to feel. It’s okay to show it sometimes, too. Especially with the ones who showed and proved they won’t judge you for it,” she motions to your still ringing computer before closing your door.

You turn back to your desk, swallowing thickly. Here goes. You answer the call and Chris’ smiling face fills your screen. That beautiful face that’s worth doing right by.

“Hey baby! For a second there, I thought you wouldn’t answer,” he nervously chuckles. 

You smile at him but it doesn’t reach your eyes. He senses your apprehension. Even through a screen, he’s perceptive. Chris starts to small talk, rambling about work and the weather, intending to ease your guard down before getting to the tough stuff. But it’s absolutely painful pretending to be strangers. 

“Chris?”

“Yes honey?”

“I don’t wanna do this with you.”

Part 3

[maigawa]

no era fanática de primero dar nota de sus propios pensamientos, ya que elegía analizar qué podría brindarle el otro a modo de intercambio. si poseía una fracción nueva de información, era útil para su mente archivando conexiones entre sí. descifrar cada aspecto de lo que había pasado la noche anterior parecía ser una prioridad a su perspectiva porque no encaja realmente la personalidad de whilelmina con dicha acción. si recuerda interés/desinterés en la eternidad porque lo habían hablado, sin embargo ¿una muerte tan épica en manos del príncipe? no parecía propio. quizás se equivocaba a haberla leído y era en realidad lo que ella deseaba, el castigo finito de la muerte final/eterno descanso. "algo" contesta por fin después de pensarlo unos segundos "en realidad, me gusta escuchar opiniones ajenas" admite en un soplo de sus labios "mi investigación no es fuerte si no se le suma también lo que piensan los demás" concede entonces que de nada servía su perspectiva si el mundo a los ojos de un hije de haqim era diferente. "lo que puedo decirte es lo mismo que quiero preguntarte ¿sabes algo de la gehena?" y da cuenta que no sabe nombre ajeno "soy mai" explica esperando que el opuesto se diera a conocer. @daeulj

@maigawa — dedica algunos segundos a hacer un repaso mental de todos los sucesos más recientes, con intención de dar con cualquiera sea el que resulta de interés de acompañante. ‘ ah, eso ’ no sería exagerado decir que ha dejado de pensar en ello desde el momento en que abandonó edificio en el que le tenían prisionero. ‘ hm, ¿qué piensas tú? ’ le parece más interesante escuchar opinión contraria que revelarle que, en realidad, él no ha formado opinión alguna al respecto. y es que si a alguien se le ocurría acabar con su condena eterna, lo único que podría decir al respecto, si pudiera decir algo en realidad, sería "al fin". ‘ ¿lograste algún avance en tu investigación? ’

[louisedebelgique]

A Day of Hope Begins with National Day Celebrations

Wednesday, 21 July 2020, 13:00

Amidst the tumultuous climate in other regions of Belgium, Brussels is brimming with festivities and joyous spirits as National Day commences! July 21 commemorates the instating of Belgium as a formal monarchy. 

Queen mother Wilhelmina, her daughter princess Geneviève, her nephew Frederik de Liedekerke, and her grand-daughters princesses Louise, Eloïse and Araya are all smiles for that day of hope. 

The royal family attended the traditional « Te Deum » mass at Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral at 10 am. Dignitaries from all over the world were invited. Notably,  Korean, German, Swedish and Luxembourguish representatives were seated with the Belgian royal family in their reserved section. 

Korean crown prince San YI and German crown prince Aurel Hohenzollern might have been absent from the cathedral but they are expected to stay in Brussels for the whole day. They already spent the morning with soldiers from their countries, trying to boost the troops morale. 

Following the church service, the royal family served lunch for an hour in front of the Royal Palace in Brussels. In villages all around Belgium, meals were provided to the citizens thanks to humanitarian relief funds and the de Saxe Cobourgh et Gotha’s private fortune. Citizens from the fight zones also received a coupon book.

The National Ball concert will soon begin in the park while refreshments, displays by Belgium’s public and emergency services, charities and civic associations will be set up for the masses in the nearby Place Royale, Rue de la Régence and Place Poelart.

Unlike former years, this National Day will forgo the parade usually presented by the Belgian Royal Family. Instead, the Royal Family has opened up the gardens and greenhouses of Laeken Castle to the public. A musical performance by Princess Louise, Araya and Éloïse is to be televised later this afternoon at around 4pm. The crown princess and her cousin will be playing the violin and the youngest princess will play the piano. They will perform the Belgian national anthem and one other song that is not yet revealed to our journalist. With Korean crown prince San  and German crown prince Aurel in attendance, some are speculating that the princesses might have picked a song to honour their esteemed allies and guests. 

Finally Queen mother Whilelmina is scheduled to address the nation in a televised speech at 8 pm.

The usual firework displays are cancelled but some concerts will still take place in the evening.

[eziovarrassi]

Cinque nuove tartarughe sono state ricoverate nel CRTM di Pescara nelle ultime settimane

[january31st]

I show up to the party just to leave (Venable x reader)

Summary: After a long time of not seeing each other, your brother invites you to his birthday party.

A/N: Title from Amoeba by Clairo. Her new album is like salt on an open wound, but in the softest way possible, and I love it :'). This has been in the drafts for a month and it was supposed to be a quick one to get me out of a slump :/ oops i guess (also i have no idea what this is or how we got here)

The reader doesn’t know about the whole selling their souls to the devil thing

Warnings: Drug addiction, overdose and hospital mentions. 

Masterlist

~1800 words

The brightness inside Kineros was somehow even worse than outside in the California heat. Its whiteness and clean, modern look took you by surprise, given that your brother’s room back home used to be a mountain of unwashed dishes and dirty clothes, his PC setup the only thing you could look at without getting a headache. 

“This.... is insane Jeff” you said as you took your sunglasses off, squinting very hard.

“I told you! I don’t know what’s so hard to believe about it. The whole multi-million company thing wasn’t convincing enough to make you believe this place is nice?” He said as he led you around to his office.

“Well, I’m just saying that coming from you I expected more of a nerd bunker than a sci-fi spaceship”

“Are your standards really that low Y/N?” he said with his hand on his chest, pretending to be deeply offended.

“Yeah, in the beginning you bragged for months about your Van”

“Oh but you can’t say that a company on the move isn’t cool”

“Sure” you said, shifting your attention to the woman in purple sitting behind the desk.

“Hi, you must be Ms.Venable! I’m Y/N, Jeff’s sister.” You said with your hand stretched out in front of you.

She looked from you to Jeff, and then at your hand, considering whether she should take it or not. Slowly, with the help of her cane, she stood up and shook it.

“And I hear you would be joining us to prepare for tomorrow, although I’ve told Mr. Pfister I have it handled.” She said, shooting your brother a menacing look, but you were too distracted by the feeling of her gloved hand still in yours. Had someone turned off the AC?

“I know Ms. Venable, I just had to show her the place before the party so she would believe it is nice. And by having her help get things ready she would know we didn’t mess things around to make it look better than it is” He said, and when you managed to shift your gaze away from her you noticed how Jeff looked. Someone finally taught him respect?

“If I had met Ms.Venable before, maybe I wouldn’t doubt how nice it is.”

“If you hadn’t left home for so long, maybe you would know more about the company”

“If you didn’t have so much blow up your nose all the time back then, maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to run away!” 

“Awww family reunions are so cute” You turned to the circle door on the left side of the room to see your brother’s work partner leaning against it and looking at you two with a pout.

“Oh… hey Mutt” 

“How is my favourite Pfister doing? I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve seen you bro!” He said giving you a hug you did not expect.

“Hey! What the hell? Your favourite Pfister? Really? Stop flirting with my sister, asshole” said Jeff.

“I’m not! But it’s true, your sister is the best. Back then before we even dreamt of Kineros, the three of us would have so much fun!” Mutt answered, his arm still around your shoulders.

“Yeah I guess, before you two started your bullshit in between the lines” you said, scratching at your nose.

“Oh, speaking of flirting, how is that girlfriend of yours doing?” Jeff asked.

“Girlfriend? What… Ah. Yeah, well- she..” You laughed “ I swear I can’t make this shit up. Has it been that long since we spoke really?” The topic was making you even more uncomfortable, and you noticed that Ms. Venable was looking at you with an almost curious look? Was it? She was hard to read.

“Well, would you believe it, she fell in love with your dear coke instead.” Jeff looked at you as if he had just broken your favourite toy.

“Yea she just dumped me a while back and hit the streets. I tried to look for her, but she was just gone. I have no clue if she’s even alive.”

“Shit Y/N I’m sorry” Jeff said.

“Are you? Or are you still sniffing lines like a mad man?” 

“Technically not lines no.” He said, smiling at Mutt knowingly.

You took his arm from your shoulders. “So you’re telling me that if I punch your ass right now it wouldn’t be snowing in here?”

When he didn’t answer with anything other than laughter you went on “It’s not funny! None of this is funny Jeff! Not now, and not that time I had to take your ODing ass to the ER! And not on all those times you were in withdrawal!”

He only laughed more, and said “It would be hell if that happened again!”

“Jeff! Have you-”

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but the last of the decorations for tomorrow are just arriving.” said Ms. Venable. And despite her low voice, all three of you went silent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You worry too much”

“What?” You asked through the pen you were chewing at, with your back still turned to her from the top of the chair, as you exchanged the regular lightbulb with a colorful one from the box you were holding.

She didn’t repeat herself for a while, as if she regretted saying anything in the first place. The past hour or so you had barely exchanged more than a couple words, her impassive looks making you assume she just didn’t like you.

“You worry too much about him.” She said, her voice loud and clear this time.

You stepped down from the chair placing the white bulb on the box she was holding with one hand. Thinking about your brother now made something clench on your stomach. To hide how hard it was to find an answer for her, you went to write a check on the lighting part of your to-do list.

“How could I not?” You asked.

“I must admit his lifestyle is… interesting. But it seems to have worked to bring this company to where it is today.” She said.

“I know he’s your boss, but you don’t have to doll-up how things are around here. And don’t give him more credit than he deserves, he is cocky enough about it.” after a pause you added “I know that if it were up to him, he would still be assembling robots amidst his dirty socks. It doesn’t take much to realise who’s behind everything that isn’t necessarily robots here.”

You reached for the box she was holding to go put it away, and noticed she was standing as still as a statue. Grabbing it from her with the ghost of a friendly smile on your face you went on, since she didn’t seem to know how to answer you this time.

“He used to say it helped him think and work better. And maybe it does but as his sister I can’t just ignore it and pretend I’m okay with it. He never takes things that matter seriously.”

“Before we got here I- for some stupid reason- actually thought he stopped it. He isn’t like he was before. Something has changed about him.”

“It has.” She said. “I think his dedication to the job put him in his tracks somewhat. Whatever his tracks are” She added with a smirk.

Giggling at that, you said, holding the checklist for her to see “Now that we´re done, how about we go get a snack and talk about something that doesn’t involve dumb and dumber or their tragic hairstyles?”

Fighting back a smile, she guided you somewhere you could eat, and said “I’m glad you don’t have a bowl cut too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the first hour or so Jeff introduced you to random people at the party, none of them getting much of your attention at all. Fancy and famous people, and though it was hard to believe seeing your brother around them- their nice suits next to his striped shirt, jeans and hoodie- you didn’t feel astonished at all. You felt crushed by everyone around you and took every opportunity to avoid dull conversation.

Some of them were surprised to meet you, to see how his casualty wasn’t a trait you shared, and given that you knew this would be a somewhat big party you did, in fact, dress up to the occasion. You decided to wear a nice blazer over a silk lingerie type shirt, straight legged pants and heels, hair slicked back and makeup dark and bold. Anywhere else you would look out of place, but here you managed to melt into the rest of the well dressed crowd. Thankfully that worked to your advantage so you could be away from the center of attention.

On the quick calls you did have, your brother never failed to gloat about his life and how great things were, and a part of you hoped blindlessly that it would mean he left his bad habits behind. Though now as you stood under the coloured lights it was more than obvious that he wouldn’t change, and all the bad memories from his addiction came back to you at once. Overwhelmed by your thoughts and the ambient itself, you made your way to the outside of the building unaware of the tic-toc of a cane following you.

“Where are you going?” her voice pulled you back to reality.

“I don’t know. Just away from this” you said, hand waving in the air. Then you took a second to look at her, as formally dressed as the day before, lilac suit and all, only her expression had changed. Though you knew she would never admit it, her face was contorted in a plea, almost begging for you to stay.

“I thought he changed. I really did. Like a foolish fucking child.”You blurted out.

“You don’t have to leave like this.” She stated, sounding disinterested despite herself.

“I do. I really do.”

“I never come to these events… I hate these people just as much as you do.” You narrowed your eyes at her, waiting for the rest of it, and when it didn’t come you asked “What made you come this time?”

After a long pause she said “I was surprised to meet you. I would never believe your brother had someone as… prudent and sensible in his life.” Another pause. “I’m trying to say don’t leave m-” She stopped herself.

“Then take me somewhere” You said without thinking, looking straight into those brown eyes as they seemed to soften. And for the first time her face twisted into what was definitely, unmistakably, a smile, and all you could do was smile right back.

“Come along then”

[aannaira]

quick, someone make a gif-set with the parallel between drummond saying "i have never seen anything so splendid" in the pbs extended scene and alfred saying "heavenly" when whilelmina asks him about the scenery in 2x07.

[everybody-wants-2-rule-the-world]

The Royals - S4E10

[chiefbasementcreator]

Jack, Overwatch needs a nude calendar, who should be seen in the different months?

“January: Ana and GabriellaFebrary: SatyaMarch: Hana and LucianaApril: SombraMay: FareehaJune: TracerJuly: AmélieAugust: AngelaSeptember: Hanza and JessieOctober: Whilelmina and RoadhogNovember: Genji and ZenyattaDecember: Mei and Junkrat

We change every year.”