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He had hoped she wasn't going to notice. She had been gone so often lately he figured that maybe he could get away with it - fix it before she noticed. But of course something like this wasn't going to go by unnoticed. She had been the one encouraging him to keep trying.

With a small sigh he shook his head a little at her question. It wasn't exactly alright, but it wasn't something he wanted to worry about right now.

"I can't -" he admits quietly, a flash of unease in his eyes, but then he gives her a small smile as she fixed his hair for him, and when she's done he leans into her just a little.

"-but let's...talk about that tomorrow-?"

Lucius && Christine

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Lucius gives Chris a seething glare. Dumbfounded by her attack, he doesn't immediately retaliate. Anger is replaced by a blank expression, eyes averting the moment her words fully sink in. He suddenly felt surprisingly sober.

- and become...this!

That part hurt more than the part where she held him accountable. The worst part is he can't quite argue with her. The way she said it confirmed every depressing thought running through his mind lately, and he didn't have the spirit to engage in a shouting match.

"I'm going to bed -" he eventually replies, though he doesn't make any brisk exits. Wouldn't be able to if he wanted to, and he wasn't going to make a fool of himself. If he had any other options, he would have left tonight. I'

you take that back! (from Lucius @contriite) -- angst???

"What, you don't like hearing the truth?" Christine practically yelled back. "Your choices put you in this situation! No one made you do anything, you chose to follow him, lose your family and become...this!" She gestured to him.

"You could have left when you were young. You didnt have to follow in your family's footsteps. You chose to stay and not break the mold."

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He hadn't expected to be so excited for this gathering. The old him would have considered something like this inconsequential, but he had struggled with being around people for years now. Up until this job, it had really only been him and Chris. He had missed people more than he realized.

Chris seemed to realize how important this was for him. Not in a patronizing way, but he noticed the effort she put in - and how she matched his energy. He didn't think he'd feel anywhere near as confident if she wasn't here with him.

"The pearls-" he replies, taking only a moment to consider.

Then he turned towards the mirror, running a brush through his hair. It wasn't quite agreeing with him - something he could easily have fixed if he could use his magic. But if at first he'd been certain that, at some point, it would return to him in full power, he was beginning to lose hope on that front. These past few months, even the simplest incantations failed. He knew he would be frustrated if he couldn't pull it off now, so he decided not to try. Instead, he turned back to Chris.

"Help me fix this?"

Cutting it to his shoulders a few weeks back had been a mistake.

Lucius && Christine

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Something akin to violence stirs inside Haymitch when she claps her hands, betrayed only by his clenched fists. If she didn't genuinely enjoy tormenting him him, Effie certainly knew how to put up a show. Surely, no one was that oblivious. Still, she had treated him more humane than most Capitol folk and once more proved that she, at the very least, wouldn't shy back before him. It was worth something.

❛I can brush my own hair- ❜ He was willing to fight her on that. They had tugged and pulled at him too many times before- and he would rather go out looking like... well...this - than that he would allow them to take such liberties again.

❛- and good luck finding a clean shirt in here.❜ He didn't bother to keep up with laundry - or housekeeping in general - and while old friends had taken it upon them for a few weeks after his return, it only rarely happened someone came to check on him these days. Especially given his by now infamous bad temper leading up to the reaping.

❛- but you probably got half a wardrobe with you don't you?❜

𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 & 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐄 @contriite

Effie shook her head, undeterred by Haymitch's cynicism. "They will care. They need you, Haymitch. Don't you remember how much Mags and Wiress helped you?" She meant well -no matter how misguided she could be. But Effie didn't know that Mags didn't have a stroke, that both of his mentors had been tortured because of him. She lived behind the perfect veneer of the Capitol, kind but blind.

She clapped her hands when Haymitch finally stood up. "I won't bother you long," she assured him. The prep team still didn't move a muscle, which was probably for the best. She could handle this.

"I'll just brush your hair a little bit, maybe spray some perfume, and I suppose we should at least change your shirt. Put on something clean." Something that didn't smell like sweat and white liquor -but she didn't say that.

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independent && selective Basil Hallward from The Picture of Dorian Gray. loved (&& ruined) by Alice (+25). book,, movie && headcanon based. follows back from @wcndxrlnd.

doc | memes | open starters

Every portrait that is painted with feeling

is a portrait of the artist - not of the sitter.

Alternative verses modern verse demon verse THG verse

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Lucius sudden turn inside had been an attempt to gain time. He hadn't planned beyond the confession and now Severus asked him what he wanted, the answer was nowhere near coherent in his mind. The problem was, of course, that he couldn't have what he really wanted. Not for any extended period of time anyway.

❛I'm not sure that what I want is realistic- ❜ he admits glancing at Severus as he pushes the door to the drawing room open. The kind of relationship he wanted with Severus would take years to foster - not a couple of months. Still, they already had a foundation of years of friendship, it wasn't like this really needed to change their dynamic significantly.

He strolls over to the couch, kicking his shoes off and sitting down with his legs up. Few people ever got to see him so casual - from the way he was seated to the way he was currently dressed. There is plenty of space for Severus to sit beside him - but his usual spot across from him was an equally logical choice.

❛-and of course I'm not the only one who gets a say.❜ he didn't think Severus was likely to take the lead, but a lot was going to depend on what he would allow. Judging by his first reaction, Lucius got the impression that he was expecting to be asked for more than he was willing to give.

What did Lucius want though?

He wanted a lot of things and - contrary to what might be expected - most of it was rather innocent. He wanted Severus to sit close to him, to put an arm around him, to sleep next to him. He wanted to know what it was like to kiss him and he wanted Severus to talk to him about anything and everything. But he doesn't say all that.

❛I suppose I want a lot of things - but it doesn't have to be anything more than you want it to be.❜ he assured.

❛ I know I am asking a lot - and that what I'm asking is selfish - but I am ...- ❜ his voice falters for a moment ❛sick and tired of pretending. I want something real. ❜

It wasn’t an answer but Severus had posed a question that couldn’t necessarily be answered because what would the answer be? The affection expressed was not something that had been built into either of their future’s, but certainly into Lucius’. His course had been laid out for him probably since the day he had been born and a romantic entanglement with a half blood, with a man to boot, had not been part of it at any point. 

“There is no easy way forward.” He murmured, more to himself than to Lucius. When Lucius stood up and stretched, announcing that they should go inside, Severus followed suit, minus the stretching, following as he had been doing for quite some time. “What do you see? What do you want?” He asked quietly, as he moved inside, retreating from the growing shadows, as though they had become a reflection of their conversation, stalking their feet. 

[contriite]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 3x16 "Doppelgangland"

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It would be more comfortable for the tributes if they weren't forced to an early grave, but Haymitch keeps his mouth shut, his eyes never leaving Effie. He wonders if she realises how absurd her statement is. He was never going to be a comfort to those tributes. If anything, he would serve as a warning that winning The Games was perhaps not the most favourable outcome.

"They won't give a shit whether I show up or not - you do." - and not a hair on his head believed she was voicing any sort of genuine concern.

With a sigh he moves to stand, and soon finds himself less steady on his legs than he had imagined to be. Leaning heavily on his chair he manages to keep upright, though not with his dignity fully intact. If the past year had learned him anything, it was that there was little use in resisting. Sooner or later - he would be on the stage in any case. Why bother?

"So what do you want?"

𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 & 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐄 @contriite

The prep team definitely did not want to try. They were huddled up by the door, staring at Haymitch like he was a dangerous animal ready to strike. Would he attack them? It would be such a mess if he did. The peacekeepers waiting outside would surely hurry in, and then what? She didn't even want to think about it.

"How about I get you ready, then?" she offered, clearly unafraid of the terrible victor that seemed to scare the prep team so much. "We'll skip the shower, I can just spray some perfume on you, pick your outfit, and we'll be out in a minute!"

Her eyes glanced at the door with a hint of worry. "I know this can't be easy," she whispered, "but it's something you have to do. Don't you want to look presentable? Think about the tributes. It'll be more comforting for them if you look clean and well-dressed. You're going to be their mentor, Haymitch."

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@manymagicalmuses

It had been years. More than that really, they hadn’t seen each other since they had gone different ways in life. Since their school years. They had been such different people than they were now. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Yet, she had never forgotten him. The one of the first people who had accepted her for who she was when she first came to the magical world from her destroyed life with her mother.

“Sev… please…” Was all she managed to croak out, holding her side with her other hand, her body hunched. The witch was quite the sight to see, hair more than a little mussed. It seemed it hadn’t been washed or brushed in days. Dirt and grime littered her skin. Her clothes were ripped and dirty. Along with that there were cuts and bruises that were exposed under her clothes.

His black t-shirt was wrinkled from sleeping in and his tousled hair was in his face. Once she steps inside, he moves behind her to lock the door, then he stops to take her in by the flickering light in the hallway. There were a million questions going through his head, but the state she was in erased most of them for the time being.

“Are you hurt?”

She looked like she’d been attacked && on the run for days. Her clothes were shredded && she was skin over bones. How she had ended up on his doorstep in this state was a mystery to him. Carrie had seen his house - she had come over once, after his father died, but he hadn’t imagined she would remember after all these years. Or that she would seek him out at all.

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Cheryl Chen, from "Cows in a Field"

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Good afternoon Spike.

"Bit formal don't you think?" he scoffs, glancing up at the stranger who is either brave or stupid enough to just waltz into his crypt.

"Who are you?"

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SuperMoon by pangea.

Cologne, Germany.

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“What can I tell you ? I’ve always been bad” and this was him with silly little poems and silly little glasses and a lot of love for his mother 🤏

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✱˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄, 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄, 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 .    (  a collection of  dialogue prompts centered around saying "please".   feel free to modify phrasing as desired.  )

please just be honest with me.

oh, please explain how this is my fault.

please don't look at me like that.

please, let's not do this here.

for once, could you please stop pretending?

please just kiss me, i can't stand it.

please don't walk away from this.

all you have to do is say please.

please, i dare you to try and stop me.

please don't tell anyone i said that.

i said please, so technically you have to say yes.

please tell me you brought snacks.

please don't take this the wrong way.

please, i've waited so long to hear you say it.

i said i'm fine, please just drop it.

please don't lie just to make me feel better.

please don't judge me for what i'm about to do.

please just let me help you.

if you love me, say it. please.

just stay here with me all day. pleaase?

please don't ruin this for me.

please just leave me out of it.

tell me you love me ... please.

can you please slow down?

please tell me there's still a chance.

can you please just get some sleep?

please, i don't want to lose you again.

i'm not asking– i'm begging you. please.

please don't make fun of me.

i want you to leave. please leave right now.

please, it's nothing.

i don't like to beg, but... please.

pleaase? i promise it'll be fun.

tell me it's a lie. please.

come on, please? just this once?

please don't jump to assumptions.

please, [ name ], just stay here.

you promised ... please.

please. i need you to trust me.

please don't go.

i know i don't deserve it, but please forgive me.

please, let me fix this.

did i hear a 'please' in there somewhere?

please. one more minute, that's all i'm asking.

oh please, as if you've never done it.

don't ask me to choose. please.

please don't tell them where i am.

saying 'please' over and over won't change my mind.

please? ... pretty please?

please don't make me beg.

please tell me i'm wrong.

can you please give me a hand with this?

[contriite]

a character who isn't used to being cared for or treated kindly being gently and tenderly cared for for the first time in years or maybe ever. save me

[contriite]

lilahemorgan

“Oh of course not.. heaven forbid you take a few days off..” She said. She of course fully realized how that sounded coming from her of all people, popular to belief she did occasionally take a day off herself, especially lately since they’d started this relationship. “You should really consider taking at least one day away from here.. we could both use a break..” she adds almost quietly.

"Where would we even go? - I'm hungover and I wasn't joking about that headache."

It's not giving in. It's also not not giving in. Lilah might have a point about getting out of this city. It might not solve everything - or anything - but it would be a tremendous r e l i e f to just...get out of here. Even if he doesn't have the heart to do so permanently.

"- besides, don't you have to go back to work to report your findings at some point? That is what you come here for, no?"

Pretty lies