#Exclusive yacht parties

[samparoy]

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[johnseb]

Want to Plan Your Engagement on a Yacht Rental in Dubai?

Imagine a romantic engagement taking place on a yacht rental in Dubai. Visualize a stunning skyline, serene waterways, and the ideal occasion to exchange vows of commitment. Elevate your engagement experience with luxurious surroundings and breathtaking vistas. You'll always treasure this time.

Check out this detailed guide to plan your engagement on a yacht rental in Dubai https://medium.com/@jseb133/a-guide-to-planning-your-engagement-on-a-yacht-rental-in-dubai-85e52cf85358

[rebeliz7]

Dress

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader 

Request: 90 sounds sexy and I want that with Wanda. 👀

90. “Please, remind me again why we’re having sex behind a tree?”

…

“Please, remind me again why we’re having sex behind a tree?” Wanda moans as you sneak your hand under her dress, and she wraps her arms tighter around you. 

“Do you really care why?” You ask against her ear, as your fingers slip down her slit and the lavender smell of her shampoo fills your senses. “Christ! You’re so wet.”

“Don’t tease.” She whines, making you smile at her growing desperation. 

Not that you aren’t desperate yourself, you are. It’s been such a long day, and undercover work is mostly fun but when your fiance wears the kind of dress that she’s wearing today, it becomes torture for you. 

You infiltrated an exclusive party in a fancy yacht, where you were surrounded by A list actors and producers and directors, that would have made you a bit excited to meet if you weren’t here to gather intel on one of the biggest mob bosses in modern history.

You both got in under the pretense of being the granddaughters of an acclaimed award winner director, who occasionally doubles as an informant for S.H.I.E.L.D. Now you are in the mansion of one of those actors, waiting till everyone else leaves so you can do your job and install a few cameras, so you can finally begin to build a substantial case against these people. 

With a swift movement of your wrist you slip one finger inside of her, making her gasp as she clings onto you for support. She’s so ridiculously wet that the thought of tasting her makes you feel so thirsty, and almost desperate to be back home. 

“I can’t believe we’re doing this here,” she says with a smile as you move to capture her lips in a messy kiss. 

“This dress is ridiculously nice,” you tell her before you drop to your knees and she smiles mischievously, her hands on your shoulders as she leans against the truck, her bottom lip caught between her lips as she gets ready. 

“Accessible too.” She laughs as you run your hands up her legs, and she spreads her legs a little wider for you. 

“Would you two please, please turn off your coms?” Natasha’s voice comes through and Wanda pushes your shoulders instinctively, as you stand up quickly, heart in your throat. 

“Jesus, Romanoff!” You huff as Wanda hides her blushing face in your chest, and you struggle to get air back into your lungs. 

“The dress is sinful, we all agree, but you two are on a mission.” She says and you can hear the amusement in her tone, and you’d laugh but - 

“We?” You ask softly, Wanda’s hands gripping your waist as you run your hands down her back to calm her down. 

“Sorry,” Natasha says and laughter booms in your ear, laughter from the boys back at base. “But what did you two expect?” Natasha laughs softly, and Wanda whines against your chest. 

“Not for you all to act like adults, for sure.” You tell them and Wanda finally looks up at you, she’s still blushing but there’s a smile on her face now. 

“I can always just erase this memory from your heads,” she says lightly and Natasha groans, loudly. 

“Did you notice the guests are leaving? It’s time to move.” 

“We’re on it.” You speak before you push the little button close to your ear, and Wanda does the same.

“We’re never gonna hear the end of it,” she says as you kiss her softly. 

“Screw them.” You shrug and she chuckles, she knows how little you care about the opinion of others. “Let’s do this fast.” You kiss her again. “I can’t wait to taste you and finally get this dress off of you.”

“Turn. Off. Your. Coms.” Natasha’s voice has you pulling back again, and true to her word, you totally missed the off button. 

… 

[newchangestf]

The world is big time stressful. Please make it simpler.

Simpler you say? Hmm, I could make you someone's pet, or maybe even a dumb himbo. Actually no, I have just the thing!

I'll put you in touch with Mr Stephenson, a good friend of mine. He'll look after you. We'll need to change a few things first though of course.

We'll start with the brains, you won't need much of those. The worries of world will be too difficult for your little brain to understand. Once you may have used your brain to make a living, now it'll be your body.

Speaking of your body. Let's make some... adjustments. Fat? That's only needed in one place. Let's move that down to your new plump peach. Perfect for a rich daddy to grip onto.

Bit of muscle here and there. Nothing too much just something to make you look good on a wealthy man's arm, or face down on his bed.

Oh yes, Mr Stephenson's a pimp. Not one that deals with cheap whores no. You'll be whored out to the wealthiest of men. Holidays on yachts, nights at exclusive parties, dinner at the fanciest restaurants and of course getting railed by various men. Life will be much easier for you now, all these real men will look after you now.

[theromanticscrooge]

The Shipping Corner: Voxman, A Balm for Capitalist-Induced Angst

Note: I'm sorry this took as long as it did. I've been in a pretty bad slump recently and am just now coming out of it.

Lord Boxman is the black sheep among his peers. This is first established with Professor Venomous' initial distaste towards him and the later reactions he gets when he unexpectedly shows up at Billiam Milliam's villain yacht party. The only kinds of relationships Boxman has with other villains amount to strictly business transactions to create their robot minions. The shareholders that directly fund Boxmore are especially skeptic of Boxman's destroy the Plaza side venture and see this as a misguided, Snidely Whiplash-esque escapade. He's just a Saturday morning cartoon villain and they're the respectable big leagues. When Boxman funnels so much time, effort, energy, and resources towards the Plaza attacks, it takes precious time away from robot production; the one thing he does they consider valuable or worthwhile. They threaten to cut off their support if Boxman's production doesn't increase and then gladly replace him with Darrell when the opportunity arises. Darrell fits the exact mold they need for a CEO: he focuses exclusively on production.

There's no respect. There's no interest in or concern for Lord Boxman as an individual. The dislike is mutual. Of course Boxman doesn't get along with other villains. Most of the known names and faces on screen hold the purse strings and by extension, the fate of Boxman's entire operation. He feels like he has to put on his best face and performance to keep his business afloat. Without Boxmore, he seemingly has nothing and loses everything material. After Boxman was fired by the shareholders, he becomes absolutely depressed and floats around for awhile until Venomous finds him in his trash can. As much as he hates answering to corporate interests, he's locked in as a "robot manufacturer" as much as an Average Joe is stuck at a 9-5 job because of bills, a mortgage; and most frustratingly, how easily someone can fall into the trappings of letting a job define their self-worth or sense of self.

--

When Professor Venomous gets introduced, he's partly in Boxman's mental bucket of shareholder/necessary business relationships. Boxman goes to great lengths to hide K.O., Rad, and Enid after accidentally booking his business dinner on the same night as an antagonize the Plaza event. He's scared that his 'hobby' would dissuade Venomous from buying any more of his robots and break their already tenuous business deal. Instead, Venomous starts to see Boxman through literal rose-tinted glasses and becomes interested in Boxman's ongoing Plaza rivalry but uses the robots as a continued excuse to check in again on this weird, intriguing man.

Another interesting precedent is that Boxman is more fond of Venomous from the jump. When interacting with other business partners, Boxman is over-the-top and eager to please in video calls and plays the oblivious idiot in casual settings, but behind closed doors, he's bitter towards them. Boxman won't hug his own children and scoffs at open displays of affection. Yet he wants to touch or hug Venomous as often as he can reasonably get away with. Part of his behavior is the same eager to please facade he gives other interested business parties, but the bigger part is a legitimate interest in developing a more personal relationship with Venomous.

The pink shoujo sparkles and elevator eyes Boxman has for Venomous are a blatant indicator he finds him attractive. That's a surprisingly huge part of what kicks off his interest. Look at how he reacts to Dr. Blight in the Captain Planet crossover. Boxman initially shows skepticism and disinterest towards her crazy plans, but the second she flirts with him, the flip switches. The promise of romantic interest grants her access to the full power and force of Boxmore. When she leaves at the end of the episode, Boxman is disappointed. He wanted to continue their partnership, especially their potential interpersonal one.

In Venomous' case, he gets extra points for joining in the fight after the Plaza brats interrupt dinner. He asks about the design and Lego brick-esque connectivity of the Boxbots. He's not above participating in the Saturday morning cartoon skirmish. Rather, he misses that kind of fight and yearns to experience more exploits like it. Venomous is the only on-screen character outside of Boxman's kids that shows a willingness to listen to, try to understand, and engage with Boxman in a more personable, intimate way.

--

Professor Venomous fell into villainy after he lost his powers and realized how overbearing he found the moral code heroes have. Being a villain comes naturally to him; he likes the fruits of his labor in the vast amounts of wealth, prestige, and material power that he could gain. Fast forward to present-day in the series and he's the picture of a successful villain. He figures out the easy button for amassing stupid amounts of money by threatening a Congresswoman with a death ray. He's sought out for deals involving his scientific prowess. He's respected and liked among other villains to the point he's invited to Billiam's parties. Though while he has a comfortable position, he's become jaded.

Enter Lord Boxman. Compared to the villains Venomous is used to, Boxman dances to the beat of his own drum. He's more interested in defeating the Plaza than an endless vie for prestige, wealth, or power. He says he doesn't care what the other villains think of him and how he does things. No matter what happens, he's going to carve out his own path as a villain and do what he wants to with his life. Somehow, Venomous got tied up in a new, different kind of bureaucratic process as a villain. As a hero, he felt like an outcast and a loser everybody looked down on without super powers. As a villain, he has everything he thought he wanted but it was more of a means to make up for what he lost. It was more compensating and filling in an existential hole vs actually taking meaningful control of his life. In stark contrast to that, Boxman knows exactly what he wants and puts his all into every pursuit, consequences and obstacles be damned.

Collaborating with Boxman is an epiphany. Dreaming up new schemes and plots to challenge the Plaza is fun. It's fulfilling and satisfying to Venomous in a way that heroics and solo villain ventures weren't. There's one scene in particular after Boxman and Venomous join forces for the first time and lose spectacularly. Both of them are smiling; it's joyous. Boxman was down and out without Boxmore, but building Fink's attack trike was a spark of hope that he can rebuild even if its from the ground-up. Venomous just lost his nice house and all of his current material possessions because Boxman blew everything up. But then Boxman turned around and presented the exact existential solution Venomous didn't know he needed by suggesting attacking the Plaza. It's the dinner party attack, but this time, Venomous was a full part of the planning phases. He gets to share in and fully experience the devil-may-care and more whimsical parts of being a villain he thought were long gone.

Venomous offers to buy out Boxmore and root out the shareholders. Finally, Boxman is free of one of the bigger obstacles between him and his all-time favorite venture. Not only does Boxman have free reign, but also the equal partner he so desperately desired; someone that's on his same wavelength and as invested in his kind of villainy as he is.

--

Another important dimension to Venomous' character is his destructive spiral as Shadowy Venomous. Finding that 'missing piece' in Boxman and Boxmore respectively isn't a magic solution. There's significant baggage in how much emphasis Venomous placed on his need for power. This was such a huge quest and chunk of his life that its difficult to give up on the idea entirely. Its similar to how some people spend so much time chasing after a specific job title or promotion that this elusive thing becomes an important part of what defines them or contributes to their sense of self worth. Venomous left Carol because of a gross misunderstanding that she saw him as weak. He was missing the value he assigned to super powers for so long that every new solution was always a band-aid or a stop gap.

Someone can find a thing or circumstances that significantly improves their life, but they need to see and recognize this psychologically too for it to be completely effective. In other words, Venomous needed to recognize the real-time changes and results from joining Boxmore, then figure out how to weigh those continued changes with his own self-discovery or improvement.

Boxman started improving on being a more proactive parent. Unfortunately, Venomous started getting lost in his own head and pulling away from his other responsibilities or general life. A change as big as a new partner, surroundings, and blended family would be enough to kickstart depression; especially because Venomous hadn't appropriately addressed why he needed this abstract concept of what it meant to be the 'most powerful being.' Success and self-actualization weren't included with the previous accolades he achieved as a villain. It wasn't obvious and forthcoming with Boxman either. The lack of introspection and vulnerable talks with Boxman or anyone else is exactly what led to the wind-up and eventual "I'll destroy everything if it means getting rid of the years of resentment and frustration."

--

Both Venomous and Boxman have some sort of adult trapped in the shitty corporate world element to their character writing. In a nutshell, Boxman struggles with the existential threat of losing who he is to one specific job he performs; Venomous finds villainy gratifying as more of a hobby or extracurricular activity vs a full-time job. He's successful at it but the version he's successful at is more of a distraction or a means to fill in a missing part of himself than true interest in his corporate role. Boxman's approach to villainy is considered juvenile and worthless. Venomous still loves villainy but he wants the freedom to have fun and go all-out without worrying about reputation or meeting the specific standards that comes with his current position.

In 2024, after the various rise of corporate buzzwords trying to guilt employees back to pre-pandemic work standards and inflation vs stagnant wages, there's new weight to the Boxman and Venomous character allegories respectively. These two are that success story of Boxman giving the middle finger to a crappy boss and Venomous making that leap of faith from an empty, soul-sucking job to the more wild, out of pocket thing. Venomous' ill-obtained funds becomes that treasured pile of "fuck you" money that so many people dream about having and using to take a risk on something personally, meaningfully valuable to them. Or just having a window of opportunity to enjoy life the way they want to without having to worry about bills and necessities.

More importantly though, while they describe themselves as business partners, it's two single, lonely men building a life and trying to healthfully blend their families together. Part of this life is making space for someone new that makes the other man want to work on becoming a better, more thoughtful person. Regardless of where a person sits in their job hunt or even at the height of personal achievement, the most important part is the support network they come home to or regularly interact with.

Thematically, Boxman and Venomous are the opposite side of the coin to the more straightforward found family K.O. builds and maintains. It's a reminder that no one has to be lonely. They can and will find someone that brings meaningful, valuable things to their life; someone that makes them want to change and grow. While this is about an explicitly romantic pair, the message applies whether that hypothetical person and relationship is romantic, platonic, or a new addition to a found family.

[eyeheartboobiez]

-> 𝗃𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝖽 𝗑 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽��𝗋

-> 𝗌𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺 𝖺𝗎!

-> 𝖺/𝗇: 𝗇𝗈 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝖺 ����𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌. 𝗂𝗍 𝗉𝗈𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖼𝗄 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾.. 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗂 𝗋𝖾𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗌 “𝖼𝖺𝗇’𝗍 𝗅𝖾𝗍 𝗀𝗈” 𝖻𝗒 𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾 <3

THIS JUST IN: Gotham’s resident bad boy Jason Todd-Wayne and award winning singer Y/N Y/LN were found together at Malibu Beach!

Just this past weekend, the two were spotted looking very comfortable with each other down in Malibu, California. While it’s no secret that the Waynes like to travel to their beach house once in a while, fans were surely surprised to find the second eldest of the Wayne children spending time at the Y/LN residence.

Jason Todd, notorious for his "you only live once" lifestyle, has yet to be seen in any serious relationship since he broke things off with his ex-girlfriend, Artemis Grace. The self proclaimed ‘Red Hood’ of Gotham was spending time with the rest of the Wayne family, when the singer made a surprise appearance at their annual yacht party hosted by the eldest son, Dick Grayson.

Although it’s no surprise for celebrities to be present at such an exclusive event, sources say that both Todd and Y/LN were seen leaving together!!!

Months earlier, however, fans were already speculating Y/N’s relationship status when she dropped her latest single Can't Let Go. With lyrics like "I never knew real love till you were mine" and "You make me feel so real", it was easy for dating rumors to begin surrounding the artist.

Neither of the two have released statements regarding the pictures, though fans are already making it known how happy they are for the both of them (regardless of whether they’re official or not)!

someone you follow just posted!

liked by cass.cain and 2,357,306 others

@y/nforeal: lmaoo today was fun.

View all 12,037 comments

user1: I KNOW YALL SEE THAT HAND!!

user2: ur literally glowing omg

user3: miss mam who’s hand is that in that third pic?🤨☝️

user4: am i trippin or is that second picture from the wayne’s boat🧍‍♂️

⤷ user1: PLS I DIDNT EVEN NOTICE

user5: yall are busy talking about the hand while im tryna figure out where she got that ice cream from😭😭shit look good asl

user6: love the new album queen <33

user7: Y/N I KNOW YOU SEE US🗣️🗣️

— creator has turned off comments —

that’s all i got for now. hope you enjoyed🫶🏿

[thebisexualdogdad]

Could you do a black cat x male reader? Like black cat sees someone flirting with him and gets jealous but they aren’t together yet so she brushes it off

Combining with the request: Felicia Hardy x gn! Reader? Where we catch her stealing a jewel or something

Danielle Rose Russell used as a fancast

Felicia Hardy x GN!Reader (masc leaning but no pronouns used)

Felicia Hardy always got what she wanted and what she wanted from you was your family's priceless jewels.

She knew this was going to be a long con, spending the better part of a year playing dress up pretending to be one of Manhattan's most coveted socialites while slowly getting closer and closer to her prize.

She clawed her way into your inner circle, joining you at exclusive wine tastings and days out on your yacht.

Everything was going to plan although somewhere along the way she ended up falling for you.

You weren't like the pretentious pricks she was used to, when you spoke to her you genuinely listened to what she had to say and you never once made any attempts at unwanted advances onto her.

Was she starting to regret her scheme?

She showed up to a party at your mansion in an extravagant black dress that had everyone's eyes on her, including yours.

"Felicia, so happy you made it," you smile, handing her a glass of wine, "and might I add you look absolutely beautiful."

Why did that give her butterflies in the pit of her stomach?

"Thank you Y/N, you look quite handsome tonight as well in that suit you're sporting," she replies quickly downing the glass of wine to calm her nerves.

"Bad day?" You chuckle.

"Something like that, how are you?" She says looking around for any server supplying alcohol.

"It's never a bad day when I'm with you," you state.

She was definitely going to need more wine.

The night goes on and while you would much rather be spending it with Felicia you do your due diligence talking with as many of your guests as you could.

Felicia is completely zoned out of her conversation with some creep stock broker terribly hitting on her with her attention solely on you… and the girl you're laughing with.

She thinks her name is Vanessa, she's seen her at some parties before, never spoken to her before she's noticed the way she looks at you.

This is a new feeling for her, is this what it feels like to be jealous?

Felicia huffs when you lean in close to whisper something in Vanessa's ear, the heist was now back on and in full swing.

She doesn't even bother exiting the conversation with the stock broker with some polite goodbye; she just walks away leaving him confused and his equally douchey friends laughing at him.

You see Felicia heading towards the set of stairs the guests are roped off from that lead up to the bedrooms and you excuse yourself from Vanessa to follow her.

Upstairs Felicia easily finds the safe behind a painting in your private study containing your family's jewels which she canvassed out multiple times on her previous visits to your residency.

She cracks the safe but is shocked to find nothing inside.

"Looking for something?"

Felicia turns around to see you standing in the doorway with a grin.

"Y/N I-" she starts.

"Am a world class thief? Yes I know," you say approaching her.

"How long have you known?" She asks.

"A while, I don't just let anyone into my inner circle, I do my research so I know exactly how all these rich assholes want to use me to make themselves richer," you explain.

"If you knew I wanted to steal from you, why did you let me in?"

"Because you're not like them Felicia, you're actually interesting and way smarter than any of those so called intellects down there. I put the jewels in a secure safety deposit box months ago, I've been waiting for the day I'd find you up here," you tell her.

"So you were playing the long con too I see," she says.

"And it was well worth the wait," you tease, getting closer to her, "did you finally snap because of Vanessa?"

Felicia gulps, your faces only inches from each other.

"She's just a family friend, we've known each other since we were three but I do enjoy knowing she made you jealous," you tease.

"This isn't how this was supposed to happen," Felicia mutters.

"Which part? The part where you steal my jewels or the part where I finally kiss you," you ask confidently which turns her on even more.

"Both."

You laugh and pin her to your desk, roughly kissing her.

She hops up onto your desk, wrapping her legs around your waist and pushing your suit jacket off of your shoulders.

You may have been busy exploring each other's bodies but Felicia was already thinking of a plan to find this safety deposit box you mentioned and you were already thinking of where to hide the jewels next.

This was a con the two of you were definitely in for the long run.

[firstelevens]

traveling on (and it won't be long)

sam/bucky | alternate universe (formula one au) | 2.6k words | rated g

The drivers from Team Stark get invited to the Met Gala and produce some content for their socials on the way. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

My beloved @sesamestreep texted me yesterday about the F1 AU boys attending the Met Gala, and naturally her wish is my command. Enjoy!

( also on AO3 )

Over the course of his career, Bucky has done no shortage of things that made him look stupid. There was his exclusively-cavorting-with-young-royals-on-yachts phase, the two years (pre-Alpine, of course) where his Instagram was exclusively thirst traps, that one summer when he decided to go blond…all terrible choices, in retrospect, and all things that he regrets. One thing he can say for all those phases, though, is that at least they were fun at the time.

He would give anything to be able to say that about today.

‘If one more person tells me to relax, I’m going to lie down on the floor and scream,’ he texts Steve, because Sam’s probably on lap twenty of a race right now, and Becca would probably just tell him to suck it up.

‘How are you still this bad at being on camera?’ Steve replies.

‘Peter used to just let me argue with Sam and hit record. These guys are making me read from CUE CARDS.’

Steve just sends him a laughing emoji in response, because he’s a traitor. (But then he follows up with a picture of Ellie and her baby brother playing with fingerpaint to cheer him up, because apparently siding with Steve in a fight against two boys twice their size was the right call when Bucky made it thirty years ago.)

It’s his own fault, maybe. If Bucky had spent less of his last year on the grid antagonizing the higher ups at Tuono, Rhodey and Nat would have had to spend considerably less time trying to placate them, and then they wouldn’t have had the leverage they needed to get Bucky to agree to this. 

The director calls for everyone to get set up for another take, and Bucky stands on his mark again, shaking out his shoulders and trying to reach for the charming version of him from the yacht parties and all those videos with Sam. When they call action, Bucky looks at the camera, pretends that it’s Sam, and lets the smile spread across his face as he reads from the cards: “I’m Bucky Barnes and today is the first Sunday in May. It’s time to get ready with me and Team Stark to go to the 2026 Met Gala.”

He doesn’t actually fall to the floor in relief when the director declares, after eighteen takes, that they’ve finally got it, but it’s a near thing.

After the cue cards, they film Olivia as she talks the viewers through Bucky and Sam and Joaquín’s outfits for the events, and Bucky just has to ask her questions and let her talk, which is a relief. Bucky gets about fifteen seconds after that to check the results of the race in Montreal and text Sam an emphatic, ‘CONGRATULATIONS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH’ immediately followed by an equally sincere, ‘they’re making me film my skincare routine you owe me so big after this.’

He knows that Sam won’t get around to checking his phone until much later, not until after the cooldown room and interviews and the presentation of the trophies, but still. If Bucky can’t pull him aside and kiss the hell out of him in a quiet corner the way did after all their races last year, the least he can do is be sure there’s a text waiting for whenever Sam gets to it.

Then he trudges to the bathroom vanity, where there’s a ring light and a camera set up by the mirror and a sound guy standing in the shower, reminds himself that he’s doing this because of how much he loves Sam, and launches into an explanation of the facial cleanser he uses and how important hydration is for race car drivers.

By the time the crew packs up for the night, they’ve filmed skincare, haircare (an overnight mask made by a New Orleans small business), and gotten footage of Bucky doing a Korean face mask (he looked ridiculous, but Olivia did one with him in solidarity, because she’s the best). As Bucky closes the door behind the last person to leave, he looks around the suite, now ringing in its emptiness, and falls into bed without even turning off the lights.

—

It’s not until morning that Bucky even remembers to check his phone. He’d plugged it in to charge far away from where they were filming, to avoid the temptation to check for replies from Sam every few minutes, and he’d been too tired to retrieve it at night. He swipes through his texts as he sits up in bed: selfies that he and Olivia took with the face masks on, pictures from Steve of Ellie and Jamie covered in paint after their art session, and then a stack of notifications from Sam. The earliest ones are from last night, a series of hearts and a ‘ thank you, baby’ in response to Bucky’s congratulations, then laughter at Bucky’s unwitting transformation into a skincare influencer, and a message that says, ‘guess I’ll have to think of some way to repay you for everything’ followed by that weird smirky emoji that shouldn’t make Bucky blush as hard as it does.

The rest are just updates: a good night text from when Sam went to bed, a message from around seven AM about a weird dream he’d had involving a tortoise, and then messages about heading for the airport and getting on the plane. Bucky replies to the very last one and then sets off in search of some kind of caffeine before the cameras come back in.

He doesn’t realize until much later that his ‘love you, see you soon’ text to Sam was only half true. They’re doing his makeup—eyeliner is involved, enough that he’s irrepressibly reminded of the era where his style icon was Pete Wentz—when Bucky notices that there’s only one camera in the room today instead of three. When he asks about it, the makeup artist tells him they had to split up the cameras between the three rooms, which she appreciated because she’d been worried that they would get in her way.

Bucky says something about how it must be hard to weave around all of that and do such delicate work, and she agrees, but really all that he’s thinking about is the fact that there are two other rooms. Some part of his brain had just assumed that Sam would be here getting ready alongside him, that they’d have at least gotten to see each other while being corralled into makeup and hair and wardrobe. He knows that Sam’s outfit has enough architectural detail that they can’t share a car there, but he’d hoped that they could at least swing a couple minutes with each other before he had to relinquish Sam to his adoring public. (And they are adoring, not that Bucky can blame them.) Something in Bucky’s chest sinks a little bit, but he swallows it and keeps chatting, very aware of the camera pointed directly at his face.

As it turns out, there’s a staggered schedule for Sam and Bucky and Joaquín to finish getting ready and head out, and Bucky’s up first. Olivia sweeps into his room right as they’re putting the finishing touches on his hair, one last tweak of the flowers tucked into the bun at the back of his head and a spritz of hairspray for the hair that’s down and brushing his shoulders as he turns his head.

“You look amazing,” she says, beaming at him. He grins and thanks her, then grins even wider when she takes a step forward and adjusts the lapels of his jacket, fussing with how the necklaces sit and adjusting the way his cape drapes over his shoulder.

He steps back for final approval when she’s done, turning to the side so she can get a better look at the cape. “Am I up to your standards? I won’t bring shame to your good name if people know you’re my stylist?”

“With your jacket collection? Never,” laughs Olivia. 

She gives his hand a squeeze before she shoos him out the door, and he calls over his shoulder, “Go get dressed already! How are you gonna upstage us if you’re not on time?”

“There’s one person here who’s gonna be doing the upstaging,” she says, “and it’s not me or you.”

As Bucky is ushered out towards the elevators, he sees Peter at the end of the hall, holding the door open for someone carrying an oversized garment bag. There’s a little bit of coral fabric peeking out, just like the material of Sam’s outfit, and for a second, Bucky thinks about making a break for the room. He’s an adult, he reasons. It’s not like they could stop him if he ran.

But then the elevator opens, and the camera operator gets in first, immediately turning to get a shot of Bucky at the doors, and he resigns himself to waiting a little bit longer as he steps in.

Bucky has attended exactly one other Met Gala before, when he was twenty-four and dating a British model who was maybe also some kind of duchess. He’d just been scenery back then, dressed all in black so as to avoid taking away from her outfit, which had involved so many ruffles in the skirt that she couldn’t even sit down in the car on the way over. As the door opens and he steps out of the car, Bucky finds himself wishing he was that invisible again, just for a second.

Then he remembers how hard Olivia has worked for months now, how excited the young designers had been when the team had gotten in touch about dressing the three of them. There simply isn’t a universe where Bucky allows himself to let them down, so takes a deep breath and straightens his back and steps out onto the red carpet.

Once he’s high up enough on the stairs, he undoes the tie that’s holding up the train of his cape, hopes that the damn thing works, and keeps walking. He only knows that the fabric unfolded properly when he hears the soft noise of silk flowers tumbling out in his wake, spreading out into a train as he goes. He tries not to look too pleased with himself and hopes to God that it was the right angle for photos. 

He’s just made it up to where people are being greeted and interviewed by a young woman who looks familiar. He’s seen her face on posters, and though he doesn’t know her name, she knows his. He tries not to feel too bad about it when she tells him how much she enjoyed this season of Need for Speed , and he opens his mouth to thank her when a ripple of gasps carry down the stairs, loud enough to be heard over shouting photographers and the ambient noise of so many people in one place.

“Did someone fall?” Bucky asks, looking ahead to where people are posing on the steps, but he doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary there.

“I’m pretty sure they’re looking that way,” says the interviewer, grinning as she points down at the very bottom of the stairs.

He turns to see what she’s pointing at and feels his breath catch in his chest, a second too late to join the chorus.

Bucky has only ever seen Sam’s outfit in parts: sketches on the wall of Olivia’s studio and individual pieces tried on during fittings, mockups shared on video calls and swatches of fabric pinned up next to a Botticelli painting. They were all too disjointed to form any kind of picture, and Bucky had trusted Olivia enough to know that the effect was worth waiting for.

Now, as he looks down towards Sam, he’s not sure that ‘worth waiting for’ does him any kind of justice.

His arms are bare, rings and bracelets glittering on his hands as a gold filigree cuff wraps around his bicep. The coral and gold fabric of his vest and pants must be tailored down to the millimeter for how they hug his body, and there’s a gold headpiece creating a halo around him like the one Bucky sometimes thinks he might have in real life.

And though Sam sometimes feels to Bucky larger than life—in his talent, in his kindness, in the vastness of his love—now he looks the part, too, the cape that’s settled on his shoulders arcing high up behind him in two curves like an enormous set of angel’s wings. It’s layer upon layer of soft, floaty fabric, coral giving way to pinks and purples and eventually a deep ocean blue that just sweeps the floor as Sam walks.

There are flashbulbs going off and people murmuring excitedly around him, but all Bucky can do is stare at Sam, watching as he jokes with a photographer and throws his head back in a delighted laugh. Bucky has taken his first step down before he even realizes it, then stops where he is.

He thinks again of the last time he was on this carpet, of how the greatest worry was that he would be a distraction and he was kept well clear of the pictures until it was decided that he could come back in. He couldn’t do that to Sam, not when he’s so utterly glorious a picture all on his own.

“He looks incredible,” says the interviewer, who Bucky really should apologize to. He’s about to do it, too, to say sorry and try to answer at least one of her questions before moving on, but his eyes are still on Sam, and he knows that he should tear them away except…except…

Except now it’s Sam who’s looking up at him , eyes wide. He would feel the weight of that gaze from a mile away, would know in an instant that it was Sam whose eyes were tracing the lines of his body. He would know the smile that spreads across Sam’s face, too:  slow and satisfied and with its own gravitational pull, for all that Bucky can’t turn away from it. 

The smile would be enough for Bucky, really. He’s well aware that he ought to be moving on, that people are looking impatiently at him from their various stations, but then Sam catches Bucky’s eye, raises a hand, and beckons him down.

There’s no way that people are supposed to be doing this, thinks Bucky, as he hurries down the stairs, but there’s no way that he’ll lose even a second of being at Sam’s side, not if he can help it.

He’s almost tempted to hover a few paces away, just so he’s out of shot, but Sam extends a hand to him before Bucky even makes it to the last step, interlacing their fingers as soon as Bucky’s hand lands in his.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he says, all warmth as he pulls Bucky towards him.

Bucky shrugs, not even bothering to hide his smile. “Well, you know, I didn’t have anything else planned tonight, so I thought I’d see what the fuss was about.”

Sam raises their joined hands and kisses Bucky’s knuckles, his eyes never leaving Bucky’s own. “You want to find out together?”

“Always.”

—

The next morning finds about five dozen texts from Becca and Steve on Bucky’s phone, every possible angle on Bucky’s awestruck face as he looked at Sam on the red carpet. None of them are particularly flattering, his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide in pure wonder.

Still, Bucky thinks, as Sam curls an arm around him and wordlessly grumbles about being woken up too early, this time, maybe he’s okay with looking a little bit stupid.

[itsgxsly]

THANKFUL

Summary: although they are annoying, Lando appreciates that the paparazzi capture a beautiful moment between the two of you while you celebrate your anniversary

Pairing: lando norris x reader

Warnings: mention of sex

Word Count: 962

A year ago your life had completely changed when you had met a certain British driver at a party in Monaco. Lando was DJing that night for Max's birthday and you were there since you were a mutual friend of Kelly and Max. You had flirted all night and now, a year later, you were thankful for that day, because you had met the one you thought was the love of your life.

Lando showed you day after day how much he loved you. But today was so much sweeter than you could even have imagined in your time together. Today was your anniversary and despite the time that had passed, the feelings you two had were still as intact as the first day. For Lando today was the perfect day to spoil you more than ever, since today he had an excuse for it.

You had spent part of the morning lying in bed, making love and enjoying the warmth that the other transmitted. After some rounds and a few cuddling sessions in between, you were up and ready to spend the rest of the morning on a yacht down the coast. You clearly knew the risk involved in dating someone famous like Lando who was admired by people and hounded by the press for every little detail of his private life. But even so, you still didn't get used to finding a camera photographing the private moments between you and your partner durong your time together. Even though it was exhausting and tiresome having to put up with the photos every time you and Lando did something in public, you didn't want to let it ruin your day, so you ignored anything related to the press. That day was reserved for Lando and you.

Now it was night and you were in the bathroom of the room getting ready for the date you had planned. You finished painting your lips and by the reflection in the mirror you saw Lando gawking at you with a lovesick smile. Turning towards him you placed your hands on his cheeks, kissing his lips tenderly.

"You look so beautiful, my love" Lando spoke as you separated.

"You look handsome too, baby" and it was true that the white shirt and light blue pants he was wearing made him look so hot that you almost considered not getting out of bed for the rest of the night.

"Thanks love. I think we're ready to go now, right?" And with both of you already prepared, you left home to go to the restaurant where you would have dinner.

Once you were both sitting at your respective table enjoying the delicious food on the menu while you were talking, you noticed a man a few tables away from you with a camera in his hand. Obviously, he was again a paparazzi who would want to get some exclusive photos of Lando Norris celebrating his anniversary with his girlfriend. You sighed louder than you should and Lando heard it. He turned his head to look in the same direction as you and then he noticed the camera taking pictures. He turned back to you with guilt filling his features.

“I'm so sorry about those things, my love. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't have to put up with the fact that they don't leave us privacy. But we can't even enjoy a simple dinner” Lando spoke quickly, apologizing for placing us knowing that it wasn't easy for you to carry these things. Since he had started dating you, his fear that you would leave him because he could not bear his way of life terrified him.

“You know it's not your fault, Lando. You can't do anything about it, baby, you shouldn't apologize” you reassured him.

“But I feel like I have to. I know it's not easy that they're always invading your personal life and it's partly my fault” Lando continued to blame himself. He was looking at his food plate almost sadly.

"Lando, look at me" you called him and waited for him to look at you to speak again. “Stop blaming yourself for this stupid thing. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to go out with you and I don't regret it, okay? I don't mind putting up with thousands of paparazzi every day, if that means I can be with you” you told him all that while you grabbed his hands on the table caressing his knuckles.

Hearing you say those words calmed Lando's bad feeling, who stood up and approached you to kiss you lovingly on the lips and then on the forehead.

"Come on, get up" he grabbed your hand, getting you to your feet.

"Where are we going?" You looked at him confused as he carefully dragged you out of the restaurant.

"We are going home. We haven't finished celebrating our anniversary yet. And I want to make it up to you properly” he turned to look at you with a mischievous smile on his face. You laughed at his words and kissed him again before you got in the car to go home together and celebrate your first year together properly. The next day, Lando woke up before you and after watching you sleep peacefully on his chest, he picked up his phone to check social media. The photo that he found as soon as he opened instagram brought a smile to his face. It was you and him during dinner last night and you looked so in love in the image that it almost seemed unreal. He liked the photo and turned off his phone, putting it aside to hug you. Maybe he should be thankful with that paparazzi for immortalizing that beautiful scene.

[johnseb]

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[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in May 2023

03/05 In preparation for her brothers, King Charles III coronation, Princess Anne carried out the following engagements in central London;

Unofficial HRH along with King Charles III, The Prince and Princess of Wales and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were at Westminster Abbey for coronation rehearsals 👑

As Colonel of The Blues and Royals, HRH met Officers and senior Non-Commissioned Officers of The Household Division during a visit to Wellington Barracks. 💂‍♂️🫡

As Patron of the SS Great Britain Trust, HRH visited SS GREAT BRITAIN in Bristol, where she toured the Future Brunels Showcase. ⛴️

04/05 The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim attended the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association Dinner at Fishmongers’ Hall in London 🍽️

05/05 On the eve of her brother, King Charles III’s coronation, Princess Anne, her husband Sir Tim, the King and Queen and all working royals (except Pss Alexandra) carried out the following engagements in central London;

Held a Luncheon at Buckingham Palace for Realm Governor-Generals and Prime Ministers. 🥪

Held a Reception at Buckingham Palace for visiting Heads of State and Overseas Guests. 🥂

Separately The Princess Royal as Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons), visited members of the Household Cavalry preparing for the Coronation of King Charles III at Hyde Park Barracks. 🐎

Unofficial Princess Anne, Sir Tim, other members of the BRF and other foreign royals went out for a pre coronation dinner at Oswalds, a private exclusive club near St James, London. 🥂

06/05 The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place in Westminster Abbey. 👑

Their Majesties left Buckingham Palace at 10.20 o’clock and proceeded in State to the Abbey. Princess Anne, Sir Tim, working royals and other members of the british royal family, foreign royals, leaders, dignitaries and other guests were all in attendance. 👸🤴

Their Majesties returned back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, closely followed by the Princess Royal, on horseback, in her role as Gold-Stick-in-Waiting. 🐴

Order of the following coaches;

Australian State Coach - The Prince & Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis 🇦🇺

Irish State Coach - The Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh, Earl of Wessex and The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor 🇮🇪

Scottish State Coach - Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

State Car - Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra 🚘

Combined Guards of Honour of the three Services (Army, Navy, RAF) were mounted outside the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace and took the salute, Princess Anne joined. 🫡

Their Majesties and working members of the royal family stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and witnessed a fly-past by aircraft of the Royal Air Force. ✈️

07/05 The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim visited a Big Lunch Community Street Party at Belmont Crescent in Swindon. 🥪

Prior to the BBC Coronation concert The King and Queen held a reception at Windsor Castle. The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended. 🍾

08/05 The Princess Royal attended a Big Help Out Service and Reception in Gloucester Cathedral. ⛪️

09/05 The Prince and Princess of Wales held an Afternoon Party in the garden of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Coronation of The King and Queen. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were present. 🍰

10/05 As President of the Royal Yachting Association, HRH visited Budworth Sailing Club on their 75th Anniversary. 🛥️

Attended the Young Enterprise UK Start-Up National Final at the University of Salford Business School. 💼

As Patron of Woolf Institute, HRH held a Twenty Fifth Anniversary Dinner at St James’s Palace. 🍝

11/05 As Patron of the Butler Trust, Princess Anne visited HM Prison Pentonville in London where she met rehabilitated ex-offenders who have found employment through the Trust and later attended a reception held by City and Guilds at the Prison👮

12/05 Visited St Hilaire Avenue, Coleford, to mark the town’s twinning with Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez in France. 🇬🇧🇫🇷

HRH later visited AccXel Construction Skills Accelerator Centre, Whimsey Industrial Estate in Cinderford. 🔨

15/05 As Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, HRH attended the Annual City Food and Drink Lecture at Guildhall. 🥗

16/05 As Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Carmen, HRH opened the new Carmen Hall and then attended a Service of Dedication. ⛪️

In her role of President at the Royal British Legion Women’s Section, Princess Anne attended a Service to mark the 60th Anniversary of the end of National Service at the National Memorial Arboretum. 🌷

17/05 As Patron of the (WRNS) Women’s Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust, attended the Annual General Meeting and a Reception onboard HMS Excellent, docked in Portsmouth.

As Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, visited Gosport Station in Hampshire and later attended a Reception. 🛟

As Commandant-in-Chief of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps), HRH attended a Recruits’ Passing Out Parade at Wellington Barracks. 🫡

18/05 Princess Anne departed from Heathrow Airport for Canada and later arrived at Fredericton International Airport in New Brunswick 🇨🇦

19/05 Princess Anne carried out the following engagements in New Brunswick, Canada. 🇨🇦

As Honorary Deputy Commissioner of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, visited their “J” Division Headquarters and after attended a Reception on the occasion of their 150th Anniversary. 🎂

Laid a wreath at The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Memorial. 👮‍♂️

Attended a Civic Reception at Moncton City Hall. 🏫

Visited Vitalité Health Network’s Veterans’ Health Centre. ⛑️

As Colonel-in-Chief of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s), HRH attended the 175th Anniversary Concert at Wesleyan Celebration Centre. 🎺

20/05 Princess Anne, as Colonel-in-Chief of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) carried out the following engagements in New Brunswick, Canada. 🇨🇦

Attended and took the salute at the Freedom of the City of Moncton Parade. 🫡

Visited Moncton Garrison. 💂‍♀️

Attended a Reception for the occasion of the 120th Anniversary for the Canadian Forces Communications and Electronics Branch. 🍾

Princess Anne was invested with the Canadian Order of Military Merit (Commander) by the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, on behalf of the Governor General and after attended a Reception and Gala dinner for the 175th Anniversary of the 8th Canadian Hussars. 🎖️

21/05 Princess Anne, as Colonel-in-Chief of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s), carried out the following engagements in Sussex, Canada. 🇨🇦

Attended a Service at Trinity Anglican Church, 853 Main Street, Sussex, to mark the 175th Anniversary of the Regiment. ✝️

Attended a Freedom of the Town of Sussex Parade. 🫡

Visited the Regimental Museum in Sussex. 🪖

Visited Sussex (Milton Gregg) Armouries. ⚔️

Departed Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Quebec, for Heathrow Airport, UK arriving on 22/05. 🇬🇧

23/05 The Princess Royal held an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

24/05 As Royal Colonel of the 1st Battalion The Ranger Regiment, HRH visited the Battalion near Dublin, Northern Ireland 🇮🇪

26/05 As Patron of Battle of the Atlantic Memorial, the Princess Royal and Sir Tim attended a Service and unveiled the Garden of Reflection Memorial at Liverpool Parish Church, opened an Exhibition at the Western Approaches Museum and attended a Reception at Liverpool Town Hall. 🏅

Total official engagements for Anne in May: 51

2023 total so far: 222

Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in May: 9

2023 total so far: 50

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors 

Chap 5 The Search Begins 

Book: The Royal Romance Finale AU 

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and of friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.’ 

Catch up: Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’ 

2nd Pairings:   Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except Delaney Leigh and Officer Alex Cossoy 

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings: NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 1971, Read: 10 minutes 

Chap 5: The Search Begins 

Chapter Summary: The search for Lena begins in Monterisso.  

Music Inspiration: Like I’m Gonna Lose You – Meghan Trainor/John Legend 

A/N1: @choicesflashfics Week #23, Prompt #1 - “If there was ever anybody meant for me, it’s you.” 

A/N2: Not beta’d - please excuse all errors 

A/N3: This is my submission for Choices March Challenge, Prompt: “Forehead kisses”, @choicesmonthlychallenge @lovealexhunt 

Catch up Here... Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist 

Monterisso Royal Palace 

As the Royal SUV passed through the entry gates of the palace grounds, Ellie excitedly bounced in her car seat next to Riley. 

“Look mommy, Micaela’s palace!”  

“Yes, princess, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Princesses Eleanor and Micaela were spending the week together while the search for Lena begins. Riley was looking forward to spending some one on one time with Queen Amalas, as well as, learning more about ‘Lena Rys’. 

Unbeknownst to Riley at the time of planning, however, her husband had arranged for her to stay exclusively at the Monterissan palace for the week. Liam wanted his pregnant wife to stay out of the active search and be sheltered at the palace with guards while being away from him physically. He had made the arrangements ahead of time and without her prior consultation; which irritated her. 

Riley wanted to take part in the search, but after hearing Liam’s concerns earlier in the morning, she realized that his concerns were justified. 

Earlier that morning, inside the royal chambers aboard the royal yacht... 

Riley was livid. She didn't want to be forced to stay behind in the Monterissan palace, under any circumstances. Her anger was focused on Liam, because he wasn't willing to come to a compromise with her on this issue.  

“Why did you not tell me this before?” 

“...because I knew that you would fight me on this. I needed to have the arrangements in place before we entered this country.” 

Liam knew his wife. He knew that if she could, she would lead the search party with guns blazing.  

“Let Interpol take the lead on this. The sooner we find this woman, the better. I will keep you informed with every detail as it happens. I promise, love.” 

Riley glared at Liam and then looked out the window. He was right, but she still felt annoyed that being pregnant meant ‘sitting on the sidelines’ and not being productive.  

The royal yacht had anchored, and she watched as Drake and Delaney were stepping into an SUV on the dock. 

“Love, remember our wedding night?” Liam interrupted her thoughts and continued. 

“One minute we were dancing in the ballroom, and then in the next moment, I was being told you were taken. 

I had let my guard down...” 

Riley turned to Liam, taking his hands in hers. “Liam, how could you have known that was going to happen? We cannot let the past dictate our future.” 

“Yes, but only a fool doesn’t learn from his mistakes. Last night, I dreamt we were dancing, Riley, and I was holding you in my arms. Just like our wedding night. Then, just like that night, Bastien informed me that you were taken. The man I had entrusted with our safety. The man who is now incarcerated for treason. 

I woke up in a panic.  

The anxiety was back.  

I could not breathe. 

When I finally realized that you were lying next to me, sleeping peacefully; the relief was palpable. I think I had this dream as a reminder, to not take your safety for granted again. Ever.” 

‘In the blink of an eye, just a whisper of smoke, you could lose everything, the truth is you never know.’ 

“Riley, I know that you are early into the pregnancy, but you need to take care of yourself.” Placing his hand on her baby bump, “and our babies.” 

“After that dream, I knew what I had to do. We are not promised a tomorrow, Riley. If something was to happen to you, if I made the wrong decision for your safety, and you were harmed in any way; it would destroy me.” 

Riley lovingly cupped Liam’s face and reached up to give him a lingering kiss. “If there was ever anybody meant for me, it’s you.”  

Overcome with emotion, she hung her head. “I’m so sorry Liam, I am acting like a child.” 

Liam looked down to her face and lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. Gazing into her chocolate brown eyes, he gently wiped the tears that were falling on her cheeks. 

Kissing her again, “my queen, when this issue is resolved, I think we will go on a vacation. Just you and me, Ellie, and these two little ones.” 

“You have my attention, Liam.” Riley smiled, pulling his body close to hers. 

“Mommy, Daddy, I am ready.” Ellie announced as she stood beside her nanny at the door.  

Liam dropped his forehead to his wife’s forehead and whispered, “stay safe, my queen. I love you.”  

“I love you too, my king, so much!” 

“Oh, and love....I will take you anywhere you choose.” Liam winked and placed his hand on the small of her back, to guide her towards Ellie. 

Riley turned to her daughter, taking her hand, as Liam reached for Ellie’s other hand. They walked together to the dock to the other waiting SUV. The royal guard opened the door for Riley, while Liam walked with Ellie to the other side of the@ SUV. 

“Ok, Daddy, I will,” her blue sparkled as she looked up to her father. 

After ensuring his daughter was secured in her car seat, Liam kissed Ellie’s forehead. “Take good care of your mommy, princess.” 

After closing the door, Liam sighed as he watched his family drive off towards the Capital. He then turned to walk towards the other SUV to join Drake and Delaney. 

*** 

The driver slowed to a stop; the security detail of the Monterissian palace moved into position surrounding the SUV carrying Riley and Ellie. 

Amalas was waiting outside the palace doors, as the royal guard stepped up to open the door for Riley, as Ellie and her nanny followed. 

*** 

Royal Monterisso Hotel 

Walking into the opulent hotel lobby, Drake and Delaney were shown to the concierge desk for the check-in while Liam was ushered to a secure meeting room by the Interpol operatives. 

“Your Majesty,” Officer Alex Cossoy, along with the detectives bowed. 

“Gentlemen, ladies,” Liam answered in response. 

Leo and Olivia were already seated at the conference table, when Drake also entered and sat down. 

“Let’s get started.” Officer Cossoy began with a briefing on the current 

situation and confirmed that the search party had narrowed the search area down to a five mile radius. 

“A five mile radius from what point?” Leo asked, sitting forward to view the map of the area that was laid out on the table. 

“That would be here,” the detective pointed to the map. “Five miles north of the city center, according to the last reported location,” the detective replied pointing to the map. On the screen the detective typed in the coordinates that they had received earlier from the local authorities. 

Leo pointed to the harbor on the map. “Can you zoom in, here?” 

“Yes, sir.” The detective moved a curser over the map, and a magnified 

image appeared. Liam pointed to a large boat docked at the pier. 

“Get the team down there now.” 

*** 

Monterisso Royal Palace 

In the garden, Ellie and Micaela and a bevy of stuffed animals sat at the table at their afternoon garden tea party.  

Amalas went all out for the girls’ party, having the kitchens prepare finger sandwiches, petit fours with iced tea. 

Both girls were wearing frilly party dresses with white knee high socks and Mary Jane shoes. 

Ellie and Mikaela were giggling as they played with each other's hair, and then laughing as they ran around the table chasing after the same doll. 

Riley and Amalas sat on lounge chairs on the terrace overlooking the gardens. 

Amalas patted Riley’s leg comfortingly. 

“How have you been feeling with the pregnancy?” 

Riley smiled, “It’s going well so far. I’ve been a little emotional lately though.” 

Amalas raised an eyebrow, looking at her friend. 

“Oh, is anything in particular bothering you?”  

Riley shook her head, “no, it's just these damn hormones.” 

“Well, you are having twins. That means everything is doubled.” 

Giving Amalas a smirk, “Liam and I are finding out the sex of the babies next week.” 

“That's so exciting! Have you and Liam picked out names yet?” 

“We started the day we found out we were having twins! Liam is beyond excited! For girls, we were thinking ‘Eliana’ and ‘Elise’. For boys. ‘William’ and ‘Stefan’.” 

Riley continued, “Elise and Stefan were the names of my parents.” 

“Oh, my goodness, those names are perfect,” Amalas smiled. 

*** 

The team of operatives, dressed in black tactical gear were all armed with automatic weapons and bullet proof vests, and they were also equipped with GPS tracking devices. 

However, Lena continued to evade the authorities. 

Frustrated, Officer Cossoy kicked a storage container, sending its contents pouring onto the deck of the boat. 

“Take it easy, Officer, Lena isn't in there.” Olivia cheekily called out to the annoyed Interpol officer. 

“Damn it, I should have known this was another false lead!” 

Olivia, who was walking with Leo behind the officer, overheard the comment. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, intelligence reports suggested that the palace would be the most likely target area. I should have followed my gut.” 

“Officer Cossoy,” as Olivia began to speak, he interrupted, “Alex, please call me Alex.” 

“Alex, what is your gut telling you?” 

“Duchess Olivia, I am positive that she has a connection in the royal guard in Monterisso through Bastien Lykel.” 

As Liam overheard the words of the Interpol officer, the anxiety he felt last night returned. He needed to find Riley and get her and Ellie out of Monterisso now! 

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

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[onsunnyside]

:deep breath:

college football player!Ari and cheerleader!reader can have so many hurt/comfort tropes alongside the shmut, in this essay i-

ok but for realsies, injuries!! reader could get dropped during a halftime routine 🥺 ari getting asked out by sorority girls right in front of her 😖 quiet moments where everything's overwhelming but they try to comfort each other even though they get on each other's nerves for days

oh yes !! (drabble below)

your arrangement was exclusive to an extent. both of you were too proud to admit your feelings, which led to some jealous fits (on his part) and tantrums (on your part). you're constantly chased by some lovesick people, and he just has to sit back and watch, and you have to do the same too, especially when he's asked out by the sorority girls.

ari notices the littlest things: aka you limping off the field, trying to hide it with your loud cheers and gleaming smile. since there's a game going on, he can't just drop everything to see if you're alright, but he does keep his eye on you for the rest of the night. he even asks the water boy, jake to get you something to drink.

and after the game when you bring up his act of kindness, well, he just rolls his eyes bc "I'm just saving you the embarrassment and myself from the distraction—even though everyone already knows you can barely take care of yourself, miss spoiled little princess."

he says that as if you didn't grow up the same.

(bc i love frat!ari) he's in a fraternity on campus and lives with the rest of his frat bros while you’re at home with your parents in one of those rich and fancy neighbourhoods. oh, and his family lives next door to you, so you see him over the weekend and holidays, and when he invites his friends for winter/spring break.

it's even worse bc your parents are friends with his, and they constantly have barbecues and brunch, those days you just have to grit your teeth and pretend to tolerate their son, the disgustingly hot, selfish and irritating football captain.

being neighbours leads to several midnight talks, with his window right across from yours, you can see him doing homework at his desk or lying on his bed. perhaps it's because you've known each other for years, but he can read you like an open book.

"Are they fighting again?" He asks, referencing your visiting grandparents downstairs, stirring up arguments with your parents. It was the same every visit, and this winter break wasn't any different.

"Is it that loud?"

"Well, you're in your sulking t-shirt and fuzzy socks." He leans over the railing, the midnight breeze flowing through his balcony doors. "The last time you wore that, you and Andy broke up."

You cross your arms, "We were never together."

"Right, you were just going on dates and fucking in his car."

"And his family's boat." You wince as a loud slam echoes downstairs, followed by several other incoherent shouts. Embarrassment floods your body, all families fight, but you just hated Ari being a witness to your dysfunctionality. Who knows if he’d stoop that low and use it against you?

You've always held your own, and this stupid fratboy isn't an exception.

"No yacht or fancy summer lodge? You're downgrading, princess."

You stare at him for a moment, a wicked smile crawling onto your lips. "You know that one night after you won the home game, and you guys threw a party?"

"And I made you come seven times."

"Yeah, he broke that record."

Ari's smirk falls, a deep furrow settling between his brows. "That prim and proper asshole made you come even once?"

"He did, eight times to be exact. And I couldn't even walk, I had to stay in his big, comfy bed until the afternoon the next day."

"You think being a liar is gonna make me jealous?"

“I’m not lying, but you do seem awfully jealous.”

He clenches his jaw, his unbuttoned flannel flutters open, exposing his hairy, muscular chest. "We’re going for a drive."

“Excuse me?”

"It's either a drive or I hop in through your window again." He leans closer, his voice deep. “Or, you come over and I keep you until your horrid grandparents leave. Your choice, princess.”

[joshxmorgan]

( JACOB ELORDI, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ) JOSHUA MORGAN the THIRTY year old is said to remind people of BRUISED AND BLOODY KNUCKLES & EXPENSIVE CARS LINED UP IN A GARAGE THAT ARE NEVER DRIVEN. they are known to be FLIRTATIOUS and IMPULSIVE which makes sense when you think about how they were an BOYFRIEND to Violet. their darkest secret is BOUGHT DRUGS THAT HE GAVE TO A FRIEND WHICH CAUSED AN OVERDOSE but i guess we’ll find out for ourselves. { DANI 28, GMT, SHE/HER. }

Full Name: Joshua James Morgan

Nickname: Josh

Age: 30

DOB: October 23rd 1993

Parents: James & Amanda Morgan

Siblings: n/a

Hair colour: Brown

Eye colour: Brown

Piercings & Tattoos: here

Sexuality: Heterosexual

LINKS

character playlist

pinterest

connections

BIOGRAPHY

tw: n/a

Joshua hails from an exceedingly wealthy family with old money stretching back several generations. Born into luxury, he grew up in a sprawling estate in Vinewood Valley, California. His father, James Morgan, is a powerful real estate mogul, and his mother, Amanda Morgan, is a renowned interior designer.

In school Josh didn't care for his grades or to learn much at all. He was into sports and that's where he excelled and enjoyed his time. His journey through school was more about maintaining the family name and enjoying the privileges of elite society than actual learning or personal growth. He knew his name held some power.

He enjoys activities that bolster his image of power and opulence. He is an avid yachtsman, often hosting decadent parties on his luxury yacht. He also has a penchant for high-end cars and is frequently seen at exclusive events, flaunting his latest acquisition.

Following in his father's footsteps, Josh holds a high-ranking position in the family business. However, his role is more of a figurehead, with the real work done by a team of competent professionals who cover for his inadequacies. He uses his position to indulge in lavish parties and extravagant vacations.

Josh is known for his abrasive and entitled demeanour. He's unapologetically rude, often belittling those he deems beneath him. His arrogance is matched only by his sense of superiority, making him a difficult person to be around. He has a reputation for being a cheater. He also believes that rules and ethics are for those who cannot afford to bend them.

In his personal life, Josh is notorious for his infidelity. His relationships are superficial, marked by a series of short-term flings and broken engagements. His charm and good looks draw people in, but his true colours quickly show and if they don't drive them away they eventually get burned.

His latest ex being Violet who he had been dating for nine months before she turned up dead. Unfortunately much like the others he had continuously cheated on her. It wasn't a secret to anyone what he was up to and of course it was no surprise. For whatever reason she chose to ignore the rumours, deny that it was happening and continued on happily dating him.

HEADCANONS

is a lover of gaming and enjoys bullying kids online

leonardo dicaprio attended one of his yacht parties and discussed why he doesn't date older than 25 but josh promised to never spill

helped kendall jenner write her famous line in lil dicky's 'freaky friday' song

insists he turned down the role of matt brody in the baywatch reboot so that zac efron could have work because he was going broke.........

he is a swiftie

proposed to miley cyrus when he found out that she was engaged to liam in hopes that she switched to him

started a twitch account randomly, became one of the highest followed people within a week and then ditched the account because he was bored of talking to people while gaming

was banned from a gta rp server permanently for saying and I quote "fuck you, you're all a bunch if bitches and I don't have to follow the rules because I am Josh Morgan. If you look at me one more time you ugly big backed bitch I will VDM you so hard you land in a whole new server.. and don't even get me started on you Amy you are the worst cop in a server I have ever met, do you even know how to hold a gun? Fuck you, fuck you and seriously fuck you. What the fuck did I say big backed bitch? Look the other way." Then proceeded to hit everyone with his car.

one time she adopted 5 dogs from the shelter with his parents money at 19 and his parents threw a fit but they kept the dogs

threw her drink on logan paul once at a club because he could

often pretends he doesn't remember peoples names or them just for fun

told ashley tisdale that if she wanted he could be the next baby daddy

[gregoftom]

alright so, same anon as before since this is kind of following that same thread, and this makes sense in my head but i’m not sure if i’ll be to convey it over text in the most concise way so please bear with me if this comes out an unintelligible mess

i’ve been wondering for awhile just what was the catalyst for greg’s sudden need to ask out a woman, and then in turn try to get with any tenable woman within reason. we know he’s overcompensating with his comphet, but just what triggered it? when in the past two and half seasons greg has never been shy about displaying or announcing his disinterest in (hetero)sexual discussion or activities (asking if there’s a non sexual corner for him at tom’s bachelor party, his disgust at tom’s confession later, other examples i’m probably forgetting)

then it suddenly occurred to me. starting from 2x07 and up to 3x07 greg and tom have their “going to jail is a very real possibility and we’re terrified” arc. they both have reasonable anxieties, although greg’s is almost immediately honed in on the likelihood of him being assaulted (“yeah you’d like that pretty boy like you” “because of my physical length i could be a target for all kinds of misadventure”). tom definitely has that concern too, but included is also the worry of his entire life crumbling around him, the end of his marriage and lack of creature comforts. since the greg sprinkles line on the yacht, everyone has been aware of the possibility of tom and by extension greg serving time, and of course nobody else is sympathetic to it. when they view either of them with that in mind the possibility of them being abused in prison isn’t a reality to them, it’s a punchline. and tom and greg are aware of that

cue 3x07. tom has relieved greg of that outcome, prison is off the table. greg is thrilled, but it probably soon comes crashing down on him now that for the past few months the possibility of him being involved in (non consensual) homosexual activities has been a joke to his entire social circle. through no action of his own he is aware that the people around him have thought of him in sexual situations involving other men, even as a fleeting thought. (the soyboy insult from 3x06 can’t be far from mind either)

whether subconsciously or not, that is when he decides to make his (up until now, nonexistent) interest and desire for women known. suddenly he can’t ask comfry out fast enough. and he wants people to know. he seeks out kendall’s approval, he tries to get tom in on it and later brags when he secures a date. at caroline’s wedding when he’s no longer content with comfry, he basically steals the contessa out from roman, and makes sure tom and shiv know. he has two women on each arm at the ceremony. he basically puts up a giant flashing billboard, as if to say, look everybody! cousin greg who everyone thought was doomed to be a prison wife is actually a playboy, and not only does he exclusively like women, he can’t get enough of them.

(there is also something to be said about how when tom breaks the news of their freedom to greg, he is the most outwardly physically affectionate to greg he has been so far with the kiss, and how that also could have triggered a gay panic, leading greg to want to overcompensate and not deal with the feelings brought on by that action and their ever building tension. also how his demand for proof at the red sequoia line was an at that time uncharacteristically aggressive response regarding tom’s consistent sexual teasing, when he felt his masculinity was being challenged, but i digress)

on GOD your brain is absolutely massive anon i. OOGH! all i can say is YEAH this is completely sound and makes so much seeense ugh. the pain and torment and it fits very well in with jesse's usual sort of. display of masculinity and sexuality and all that.

but the LAST paragraph. oogh. this especially makes me LOSE it because of something i've discussed with a mutual about the way greg brings his hands up when he gets kissed by tom, almost like... he's expecting a kiss at the last moment and might reciprocate? i always thought he was bringing up his hands in self defence but surely they'd be more like. palm up? like when he pushed against tom at the recny ball [i think that's right, basically the episode where we found out he snitched to gerri] if that was the case right...? so. like. yeah. but then he thinks better of it. that would also fall in line with what you're saying here.

MUCH TO THINK ABOUT....

[terrence-silver]

What are some scenarios that could lead old man Terry to meeting his future beloved? Like where would that era of Terry most likely meet his beloved?

---

The most obvious answers could be something like; at the Country Club! Some exclusive Gala! A high-end garden party! A Synagogue! An art exhibition! An elite charity event! A corporate meeting! An auction! A Yacht! An invite-only gentleman's joint! An Opera, for all we know. Anywhere from Korea, Tahiti, Japan and back again! Anywhere in the world, globetrotter that he is. Wherever the rich and the famous might mingle --- a crowd where Terry very much belongs and finds himself at home with. But, I think that answer only covers a small percentage of the actual truth.

Why?

Because I think Terry Silver, unbeknownst to most anyone, mingles everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Yes, often times dressed as a common, unassuming bypasser just minding his own business; now you see him and now you don't. Sometimes, he's driving a run-down blue Ford truck posing himself as a hard-done-by Dojo owner downtown and other times, decades later, clearly not having changed all that much from his old ways, he might just be some smartly dressed, not at all shabby looking old man at the local Mini-Mart, intimidating Daniel Larusso between the produce aisles and leaving without buying a single thing. That's just a casual Wednesday for him. Nobody suspecting this is one of the wealthiest men on the West Coast, if not much, much further.

I think Terry Silver likes to scope out ordinary people, just for the sake of it.

He likes to scope out ordinary places too.

I think he enjoys the sport of getting down there with your commonplace Joe-Schmoe, and just observe, like one observes a Safari of animals. He likes to feel the pulse of everyone around him. Seek out opportunity, even if that opportunity rears its head in the form of some kid he bribes at a random club in 1985 to tactically hit on some girl so he can agitate Daniel into violence, right before making his quick escape into a back-alley in the dead of night, having caused a ruckus on the dance-floor. Yes, why not. It is fun, and Terry Silver seeks fun. It is also an investment and he seeks that doubly so. He seeks chance. Out on the street, in unexpected nooks and crannies or at a parking lot at midnight, while the very next day, he might be on the cover of Forbes as the most, ehm, Charitable Man of the Decade, and an incidental pedestrian would be none the wiser. Or they might just see his face on front page and think that that looks awfully familiar to that one guy, borderline thinking they've gone mad and are imagining things. That can't be same person, right? That might amuse Terry, in the most perverse and chaotic sense. Give him a sort of power --- over his environment and everyone around him, even mere strangers he has no intention of seeing ever again, except for what research and amusement they provided in the moment. The gleeful satisfaction that he's so big and so important and yet nobody knows. Not unless he wants them to, being entirely in control of the narrative and his identity --- and how it is perceived. That his ability to camouflage, disguise and hide himself with just a few cleverly chosen fashion choices and a difference in bearing is that great that it can trick people. The world is a sort of playground for him, and day-to-day people tend to be hilariously prone to being bribed, threatened, influenced, swayed, talked into things and used. Their lives are raw and interesting in ways that are hard to describe and it is a special type of voyeurism Terry Silver has undoubtedly indulged in in one form or another all his life.

Didn't Roman Emperors occasionally disguise themselves to mingle with the plebian rabble too? Terry fancies himself similar. In fact, he knows he is.

He also might be something of an adrenaline junkie; where just minding his own business stripped down from the strappings of his wealth might be genuinely engaging and good sport for him because he gets to know exactly how he will be viewed when nobody knows he's a Billionaire. His fascination almost experimental in nature, bearing a mischievous, childlike curiosity, if not an off-shoot of his tendency to pathologically lie and fabricate whole entire personalities, changing himself and his colors like a chameleon. Almost like he's goading people to show him exactly who they are. What they're like. What they're true nature is when faced with just some guy they've nothing to gain from out there.

So, beloved? Beloved might meet their King Cobra anywhere.

Anywhere at all.

A prospect both exciting and in equal measure daunting.

Because one never knows...

---

(I write more about this topic in my fanfic right here x)