#Jane Castor

[w0rldwanderlust]

Warnings Are Out About Florida

NAACP Issues Warning for Visitors to Florida

Warnings are going out from civil rights group to tourists: Don’t go to Florida. The NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Equality Florida are united in issuing travel advisories. They’re warning minority groups that Florida, a heavily tourist-centered state, is unsafe. The state of Florida “devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by…

[asmodeus-682]

10 facts about my Sams oc Jane Doe

1. She is trans, Monty remodelled her body for her after she came out to them

2. Despite her surname being Doe, she pronounces is as Dough. As a little baking pun

3. Used to have feelings for Moon, when he told her he's aroace she let go of her feelings towards him knowing he didn't reciprocate (she was chill with it)

4. Has hit Eclipse with a fish one time and almost did it to Solar, mistaking him for Eclipse at the time.

5. When she met Earth she was a bit skeptical of her but slowly warmed up to her

6. She can have her head attached to her body but prefers having it floating over her body because it makes kids laugh

7. Always carries a rolling pin just in case she has to beat someone up

8. Does not trust Gemini one bit, no matter how nice Lunar and Earth say the Gemini twins are

9. Her favourite animals are cows, especially highland cows. She has a small plushie of one she keeps in her apron pocket

10. She sometimes tries helping the celestial fam out with issues they have even when she doesn't understand the problem

[kevinvoncrastenburg]

Uberhood Pics (25) - Nova & Ramaswami

Wow you both try to keep your pants on with that glass of milk and orange juice. 😄

As you can see this post was sponsored by SimCity's Pizza Inc. 😅

Kabir Ramaswami: "Hey look over there 🤭"

[sammysundog]

Bustin' Outta This Place! The Sims 2 Strangeview R2 Ep47

Can these kids finally make it past the final exams??

[tudorblogger]

Monthly Reading Summary – September 2022

Monthly Reading Summary – September 2022

It’s been an up and down rocky month for me this month, and I’ve noticed I always seem to read less at the end of the month than the beginning! I’ve been gifted quite a few books by Pen and Sword this month, for which I am incredibly grateful! Our book club read for this month was ‘Northanger Abbey’ by Jane Austen. Books Read This Month: Helen Castor – Elizabeth I: A Study in Insecurity…

[folkorae]

I really hope that the next stephanie garber’s trilogy is about lala and castor.

[mo0nr1se]

Grief Process Poem

Death relaxes

beside him, a few

commercial breaks away.

It inches closer

as the heart fights

to complete each

beat. Propped up in

classic contrapposto

Daddy drew in

his final breaths

of musty, mothball scented

air, basketball

on yesteryear’s television set.

Fresh, snow white New

Balance sneakers wait

expectantly by the front door;

waiting for Daddy’s

feet. Time forever

ticks by, leaving none

for waiting. I felt compelled

to be clear, peppering

conversation with heartfelt

statements years in

the making. Weighted words

maturing alongside

years of lessons learned

at the highest price,

obviously marked by grace.

Grace nudged hurricane

Ian from the mouth ofTampa

Bay, causing Daddy to stay;

nursed back to the mirage

of health by the pilot

next door. Mike had secured

our lives, our home year

after year; all the while

dueling demons of

the past, no weapon

in hand. Officer Peterson

patrolled Tampa’s streets

with honor, dignity;

and determination.

Ears ringing with

Tinnitus, foot swollen,

“I don’t have much time left on this Earth,” Daddy said.

“Don’t say that, we’re still going to the zoo!!” I reassured him

Who am I kidding?

myself, that’s who.

Officer Daddy

was always right, after all.

Joy LeeAnn Peterson

[serinmatheson1]

Okay but follow me on this. Voyager has just been stranded in the delta quadrant. Crews still very tense. Janeway calls Chaktoay into her ready room with important business. And drops the bomb of "I'm pregnant". Chakotay being very caught off guard immediately responds with "its not mine."

Kathryn laughs very hard and goes on to explain that she and Mark did the horizontal tango several times before she left and while she was aware that she was pregnant, she was supposed to be back home and married by now.

So now the question is, what to do about the pregnancy. She knows that 40 isn't the end of child rearing years especially in this day and age. But this may be her last chance to have a natural born child given that they're stranded. Chakotay tells her hr thinks she'll manage being mother and captain just fine and he fully supports her.

So she has the baby and just adventures of the Voyager child. Also Mark sending the Dear Jane letter and Kathryn sending one back like "these are your twin boys Castor and Pollox"

Yes at some point they do call Chakotay dad

[saibug1022]

Are You Scared...?

Word Count: 4.7k Valen Ebony (ILITW MC) x Connor Green A/N: This is set in alternate universe outside of Val's "canon" where he didn't become the shadow and he's dating Connor.

TRIGGER WARNING: PTSD, dissociation, mentions of self harm

It started off completely innocent.

Connor was out getting some book Abel needed for his research from someone his mom knew, meaning he'd had to go alone which annoyed Val but it wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He'd been expecting everyone to go home or do their own thing, but instead they'd ordered pizza and migrated to the living room, actually spending time together and talking. It was a little bittersweet for Val. It reminded him of their friends who were all off doing their own things, but he enjoyed getting to know his new friends too. 

Then Castor brought up how fun it had been playing Never Have I Ever at the restaurant and it was all downhill from there. They played party game after party game, most of which Jocelyn and Lincoln had to be the ones to explain. Val didn't even remember the name of half of them, but what he did remember was that they were ridiculous, embarrassing, and absolutely fucking hilarious. He was having the time of his life. 

"Okay I'm out of shit to say," Lincoln put his hands up.

"Yeah I think that's it for two truths and a lie," Amalia agreed and Abel made an almost whiny groan but smiled when Castor patted his hand.

"Are there even any party games left?" Castor wondered and Val shrugged.

"I didn't go to college, and the only party I got invited to in high school was because the person holding it was blackmailed," Val admitted. "So I've got nothing."

"Actually, you know what, remember that party I went to in college?" Abel brought up. "I ended up too drunk to remember most of it but I do remember this one game we played. I think it was called Are You Scared?”

Abel may have kept talking for all Val knew. He probably did. But as soon as he said those words the whole world froze. They felt like they’d been grabbed by the throat and thrown back in time, back to that horrible night that felt too recent to be as long ago as it was. He couldn’t even see the cabin anymore, couldn’t hear his friends, couldn’t feel the couch under him. 

No, what he saw was that cavern, that cruel shadow of a once curious man who dug just a little too deep, his best friend disappearing into darkness only to fall and snap her neck at an unnatural angle. What he heard was a shadowy voice whispering in his ear that “Everyone plays together”, his friends hyperventilating and screaming and sobbing, the ghost of Jane screeching and hissing as she shot his friends into the darkness. What he felt was the point of a knife between his shoulder blades, the cold and hard rocks underneath him, Noah’s blood on his hands.

There was nothing there but his own memories, his own pain, his own fear. He hadn’t played that game since. After all, he’d lose. Yes, he was scared. He was always scared. That darkness in his mind was always lingering, just at the edge of his perception. It was what made him zone out in the middle of a conversation, what made him pick at his scabs, what made him hide from everyone including himself when he was upset, what made Val wake Connor up in the middle of the night with his screams. 

Something touched Val’s shoulder, a hand, and he reacted before he thought. He swung his fist and felt it collide, and he heard a grunt of pain. He blinked, hard, as he heard someone saying his name and the cavern was gone, he was back in the cabin. Castor was on the ground, hand held to their nose in a vain attempt to stop the blood leaking from it while Amalia and Abel hovered over them. Lincoln was looking between Cas and Val like he didn’t know where he wanted to be, and Jocelyn stormed right up to Val and shoved him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Jocelyn demanded, and Val just blinked like a deer in headlights. He looked down at his shaking hands and saw blood on his knuckles. Andy’s blood. Noah’s blood. No, no, this wasn’t Homecoming. It was 2021, homecoming was four years ago. This blood was Castor’s, still Val’s friend, only this time Val was the one who drew it. 

“Oh god, Castor, I-I, I’m sorry, I…” Val trailed off with a heavy breath and closed his eyes as they began to burn, warning him of the coming tears. “I-I need some air.”

Without another word Val turned and rushed out the door, walking in a random direction. He didn’t even know where he was going as he just went away, away from people, away from the cabin. He started stumbling around but his legs just kept taking him faster and faster, until he was sprinting through the woods, tears falling down his cheeks and sobs starting to force themselves from his throat. He never ran into anything, even without paying attention he knew these woods better than he knew himself. Although, he didn’t know himself all that well.

Finally, he tripped over something and fell to his knees, skidding a bit on the ground. He tried to take a deep breath as he examined his surroundings; he needed to know where he was, if he got lost and didn’t make it back to the cabin soon Connor would get worried. But when he saw what he tripped over he knew that wasn’t happening.

It was a tree stump. Not just any tree stump. It was a lone tree stump in the middle of a familiar clearing. The clearing in which they found an unconscious, comatose Dan. The clearing where they’d fought for their lives, most of them getting hurt in the process, trying to bind Redfield, only for it to be for nothing because it wasn’t Redfield in the first place. Where Val had gotten slammed into a tree and nearly strangled by one of his best friends, and probably would have died if he hadn’t gotten through to him.

And in that moment, Valen finally broke, alone in the woods, where his mind never really left.

**********

Connor knew he lived with a strange group of people (boyfriend included) and the rest of his friend group was even stranger. But after hours of dealing with some annoying politician he didn’t even want to talk to in the first place, he was not expecting to come home to all of his friends (boyfriend not included) panicking in his yard.

"Woah woah woah, what's going on?" Connor asked as he approached the group and they all turned to face him with matching looks of horror and guilt. "Castor, is your nose bleeding? And where's Val?"

"We don't know," Castor admitted.

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"Look, we were all hanging out and playing a bunch of party games," Amalia explained. "We were trying to pick a new one and Val just froze and didn't react to anyone talking to him until Castor touched him and he punched them in the nose, and ran off into the woods."

Connor frowned a little. Val wouldn't just freeze for no reason, and DEFINITELY wouldn't punch someone for no reason, especially a friend. Something must have happened, he just wasn't sure what.

"Okay explain to me what happened, exactly, in detail," Connor said, and Abel stepped up to continue the explanation.

"We had been playing two truths and a lie but we were running out of things to say so we were trying to think of another game," Abel elaborated. "I brought up a game I learned in college called Are You Scared? and-"

"You WHAT?!" Connor exclaimed and Abel's eyes widened in shock. "Oh shit. No wonder he freaked out and ran. We have to find him, now, being alone in the woods is not a good idea for him right now, especially if Noah finds him. Normally I’d say we should split up, but the woods are too dangerous for that at night. Lincoln, Amalia, Castor, you stay here though in case he comes back.”

“No way, I’m coming,” Castor shook their head.

“He just punched you, Cas,” Abel pointed out, and Castor just shook their head again. Connor sighed, too tired and too worried to argue.

“How are we supposed to search the entire woods for one guy in the middle of the night?” Jocelyn questioned, and Connor sighed. 

“Don’t worry, I have an idea of where to start,” Connor muttered before he turned in the direction he and Val both knew, even if they never traveled there. 

Castor, Abel, and Jocelyn followed Connor into the woods, through a route he wished he didn’t know in the first place. He didn’t really think Val would’ve gone there, but it was the first place he could think of to check. Val knew these woods too well to get lost in some random clearing in the middle of nowhere.

“So…” Castor prompted.

“So?” Connor looked at the Anchor over his shoulder.

“You seem like you know what happened,” Castor continued and Connor nodded.

“Of course I do,” Connor confirmed.

“You gonna tell us, Green?” Jocelyn pushed too. 

Connor hesitated, not sure it was really for him to tell. Val didn’t like to talk about what happened to them. The only reason the group knew was because of its relevance to the Power and Noah. But, well, they did already know. It was just this one detail and he felt like at least Castor deserved to know why they got punched.

“You guys know what happened to Val and their friends when they were kids,” Connor began. “How their friend and Noah’s sister, Jane, died because they made friends with Redfield and he killed Jane to make her take his place. Well they were really friends, like they played together in the woods and around the ruins, but they never went in the house until the night Jane died. They decided to play Are You Scared? And Jane became the new monster.”

“Brittney’s party,” Jocelyn realized. “That’s why Stacy and Noah didn’t play. And why Val freaked so badly when Cody got in his face.” 

“Yeah,” Connor sighed. He remembered that night, how terrified Val had been. “And it just gets worse from there. Jane becoming the monster during the game and them having the rule of everyone playing together made a new set of rules. The night of homecoming, when Noah became the monster, Jane forced them to play the game again.”

“God…” Abel muttered. “If I’d known I never would’ve suggested it.”

“It’s not your fault,” Castor quickly assured him, and Connor was pretty sure he took the taller man’s hand. “You didn’t know, none of us did.”

“Val isn’t going to blame you either,” Connor added and Abel nodded, though he didn’t look convinced. 

“Where are we going?” He asked instead, changing the subject.

“The ruins,” Connor answered. 

Just as he said it the trees thinned and they stepped out into the clearing holding the crumbling ruins. They fanned out and searched every rock, tree, and shadow for Valen but came up empty. Connor hadn’t really thought he’d be there, but he’d been hoping he was so they didn’t have to search the entire woods because he was getting more and more worried with each passing moment. 

Connor knew Val was hurting, and he knew Val was hiding it. Val hated the vulnerability that came with letting people help him, believing the only one that should take care of him was himself. Connor was lucky he was able to comfort Val after a nightmare, but even then it was only until Val could regain his bearings, and then he’d just shove it down with everything else and get ready for the day or go back to sleep or worse, throw himself into some monster hunt or research. He wasn’t surprised that all of that finally caught up with him.

It was hard, sometimes, the way Val shut him out. He sometimes had to remind himself that it wasn’t him, it was what they did to everyone, but it still sucked. It hurt to see the love of his life suffering, constantly, and not being able to help. Not because there was nothing he could do, but because Val just wouldn’t let him. He understood why they did it, with everything with their parents he’d be more surprised if they didn’t. But God it just, it fucking hurt.

“He’s not here,” Jocelyn said what they were all thinking and Connor sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“We could ask Noah?” Castor suggested. “If anyone can find Val he can.”

“No,” Connor shook his head. “Val is stuck in his past, having a shadow monster come at him will just make it worse, even if its Noah.”

“Val…sad?”

Connor turned around at the familiar whispery voice and saw Noah hovering there at the edge of the clearing uncertainly, like he was scared to get too close to the ruins. Connor sighed and approached the ghost.

“Yeah, Noah, Val’s sad,” Connor answered. “He’s out here in the woods somewhere but we’re gonna find him, don’t worry.”

“...I help…?” Noah offered with an earnestness Connor wasn’t used to seeing from him. Connor gave him a sad smile. 

“Not his time buddy, you might scare him,” Connor explained.

“Oh…” Noah deflated, his glowing blue eyes turning a grayish blue instead. “I say…hello?”

“I’ll tell him you said hi,” Connor confirmed and Noah nodded before fading into the shadows without any further ado. 

“Can you think of anywhere else he could have gone?” Abel asked and Connor stuffed his hands in his pockets as he thought about it. 

“I think he told me once he used to live right on the edge of the woods, could he have gone back to his old house?” Castor wondered and Connor shook his head immediately.

“No, he’d never go back there,” Connor answered. “The only other specific places I can think of out here are the cabin and, oh shit, the clearing.”

“There’s a lot of those in the woods,” Jocelyn pointed out. 

“No, the clearing where they found Dan,” Connor elaborated. “Come on.” 

Connor once again lead the way through the woods, just hoping he remembered the way to the clearing, hoping Val was there, hoping they were safe, hoping he was okay, just, hoping for so many things and worrying about the same amount, so much so that it took him a few minutes to hear the sobs, and when he did he stopped walking immediately.

“What-” Abel started and Connor shushed him.

The other three stopped and followed his order to keep quiet, all of them straining their ears to listen. And they heard it, a heavy sobbing, the kind that ripped itself from your chest and made your ribs and lungs ache as you forced more air out than you could inhale.

“Val,” Castor breathed and Connor swallowed.

“Stay here, please,” Connor pleaded. Not only would Val be overwhelmed with all these people but Connor knew Val wouldn’t want anyone seeing him like this. The others nodded their agreement, though reluctantly in Castor’s case, and Connor followed the sounds of the sobs until he could feel his heart break as he stepped into the clearing.

Val was next to the stump on the ground, on their knees but curled up into a ball so tightly his forehead nearly met the ground. He was gripping his own wrists against his chest and his whole body shook with his sobs, so much so Connor was surprised he hadn’t fallen over.

“Val?” Connor tried to get his attention so he didn’t scare him, but his boyfriend didn’t react, so he tried to get closer. He got a few feet away before Val let out a gasp and stumbled to his feet and backed away from Connor, arms raised as if to protect himself, eyes clenched shut.

“No no no, get back, leave me alone!” Val begged and Connor’s heart fell into his stomach. He’d never heard Val truly beg like this.

“It’s just me, baby,” Connor said gently and Val paused. “It’s just me.”

“Connor?” Val asked hesitantly and opened his eyes to look at him. He looked awful, eyes red and swollen from crying, face splotchy, hands shaking and sleeves rolled up and…oh no was that blood?

“Y-yeah,” Connor forced his eyes from Val’s wrists, swallowing down tears of his own. Damn it, he should’ve been here! He should’ve come here first, not the ruins. Hell, he shouldn’t have gone to get that book in the first place. Val relaxed ever so slightly and leaned against a tree, sliding down it to sit on the ground. Connor sat down in front of them as Val wiped their face.

“God, I look pathetic,” Val muttered and tugged down his sleeves. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Connor asked, more confused than anything.

“This,” Val gestured around vaguely only to wince and let his arm fall again.

“For getting upset?” Connor checked and Val’s eyes fell to his hands in his lap as he nodded. “Sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I punched Castor,” Val pointed out and Connor paused.

“Okay, yeah, try not to punch anyone anymore,” Connor admitted and Val snickered a little. “But you’re allowed to get upset and get triggered by shit.”

“Triggered?” Val tilted his head in confusion.

“Like when something triggers emotions and memories related to your trauma?” Connor replied and Val just stared at him blankly. “Do you ever listen to Dan?”

“I listen to Dan all the time!” Val protested. “When he’s not trying to give me therapy.”

“Of course,” Connor sighed and rolled his eyes. 

He put his hands out and Val hesitated but slowly put his hands in Connor’s. Connor immediately turned them over and tugged his sleeves back down. Val tried to yank his hands back but Connor gave him a look and he slumped his shoulders in defeat. It didn’t look like anything damaging, more like Val had scratched the skin just enough. Connor pulled a small cloth from his pocket that he always kept on hand for little injuries like this and dabbed at the blood. It looked like they weren’t actively bleeding anymore but Connor planned to patch them up fully when the two of them got back to the cabin. 

For a few minutes they just sat in silence while Connor took care of Val’s wrists, but there was a tension to it. Connor didn’t know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to take care of Val, to ask questions, to handle him with the love and care he deserved, even though he knew Val wouldn’t let him. And that fact made him want to snap, he wanted to scream and yell at Val to let him help damn it, in the hope that it would finally get it through their head that he needed to talk about this shit, to do something other than just ignore it until he drew blood. But none of those things would help right now. So he just sat in silence until Val spoke up.

“You can yell at me,” Val muttered. “I can tell you want to.”

“I’m not going to yell at you,” Connor sighed. He pulled Val’s sleeves back down to hopefully protect the wounds from any more dirt and then shifted his grip so he was holding Val’s hands in his. “I’m just frustrated, baby. You can’t just keep shutting this all down until it explodes out of you like this. It isn’t healthy, for you or for anyone around you.”

“I know,” Val squeezed their eyes shut and his grip tightened on Connor’s hands. “God, I know.”

“Then let me help you,” Connor pleaded. Yet Val still shook their head. “Why? Why do you keep shutting me out like this?! This isn’t fair Val! Every time something happens to me you’re right there to help me through it, but God forbid something happens to you and you’re as much of a ghost as Noah. Maybe more because at least Noah will actually fucking talk to me!”

“I know,” Val whispered again as a tear managed to escape his eyes and Connor froze. Val quickly wiped it away but Connor had already seen it. 

“I’m sorry, I just said I wouldn’t yell,” Connor sighed. “I’m just worried about you. I’m always worried about you because you don’t let me help you. I never know what’s going on with you because you don’t let me in. Is it something I did?”

“What?” Val looked up at him in shock., “No! No, no you didn’t do anything wrong. You, God, you’re perfect, Connor. Too perfect. After all of this shit you’re still kind and open and honest and loving and I’m just…I’m not. I’m not okay Connor. I haven’t been okay since I was six. I push you away because, because I don’t want you to see h-how broken I really am. I want you to see the man you fell in love with, not whatever twisted and shattered thing I really am.” 

Connor wasn’t proud of it, but he was silent for a few minutes too long. That caught him off guard. He knew Val didn’t have the highest opinion of himself. But the idea that he truly saw himself as some thing instead of the beautiful, good man Connor saw him as? It blew his mind, and it broke his heart. How could he look at himself and not see all the things Connor loved about him? In his lack of reaction Val must have assumed the worst as he took his hands from Connor and looked off to the side at the ground, jaw clenched. The movement pulled Connor from his thoughts and back to the man on his mind. He reached over but instead of taking his hands again he cupped Val’s cheek, gently tilting his head back to look at him. Val’s jaw slowly unclenched as he leaned into Connor’s palm and looked up at him with so much love and trust and hope. 

“Valen Ebony,” Connor began as he brought his other hand to cradle Val’s other cheek. “You are the man I love. Not some fantastical, perfect version of you. I fell in love with a kind, beautiful, smartass boy who became the strongest man I’ve ever met. I fell in love with a guy who holds me when I’m sad, who helps me with anything I need, who sits and watches my sitcoms even though he thinks the jokes are bad, who has no fucking idea what I’m talking about when I talk cars and shit but listens anyway, who refuses to admit that he loves stuffed animals despite the collection in our closet. But I also fell in love with a guy who’s too stubborn to budge in an argument, who will drive himself into the ground until I have to physically force him to eat and shower. A guy who steals all my pepperonis right off my pizza, who refuses to admit he’s a massive blanket hog, and never brings a jacket anywhere despite being cold all the damn time.”

Val chuckled and Connor gave him a small smile before continuing.

“I know you’re in pain,” Connor admitted. “I know you have more trauma than I can even fathom. And I know that’s going to come up no matter what we do. But you shutting me out like that doesn’t protect anyone, it just hurts us both.”

“I don’t know what else to do,” Val confessed, voice so quiet it could barely be considered a whisper. 

“Talk to me,” Connor answered. “Don’t hide from me when you feel like this. Let me hold you, or listen to you, or whatever it is you need. I want to help, sweetheart.”

“Okay,” Val took a deep breath and met his eyes. “I can’t promise anything. But I can try.”

“That’s all I ask, honey,” Connor grinned and kissed Val’s forehead which got him the most adorable giggle he’d ever heard. He stood up and offered Val his hand. “Let’s get you home, okay?”

Instead of taking his hand Val held both arms up and made grabby hands at him. Connor pretended to sigh but he laughed as he picked Val up by his waist. Val proceeded to wrap his arms around Connor’s shoulders and his legs around his waist like a koala. Connor wasn’t even surprised, just held him close as he headed back into the woods.

********

Val hid his face in Connor’s shoulder as the older man carried him out of the clearing and a few minutes into the woods. He felt him stop and he heard people talking, but he was nowhere near ready to face people or the outside world after what just happened. 

Connor’s words kept ringing in his head. He was right, Val knew he was right. And he felt awful for all of it. He felt even worse that he couldn’t just, fix it. Val may ignore a lot about himself, but he knew something he’d been doing since Jane’s death wasn’t something he could just fix overnight because Connor asked him to. It was going to be hard and it was probably going to suck. But maybe, maybe it would be good too.

It didn’t take them too long to get back to the cabin and Connor went to take Val right to their room, but Val leaned up.

“Wait,” Val muttered and Connor paused. “Put me down for a second.”

“You sure?” Connor checked quietly. “You don’t have to talk to anyone if you don’t want to.”

“Yes I do,” Val shook his head. He slid from Connor’s arms to the floor and approached Castor. “Cas, I’m so sorry. I was so stuck back in that damn cave I didn’t realize it was you. I thought I was being attacked or something, and I just reacted.”

“It’s okay, man,” Castor put their hands in their pockets and gave Val a shrug and a lopsided smile. “Trust me that is not the worst thing that’s happened to me trying to comfort someone in this cabin.”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!” Amalia protested from the living room and both Castor and Val laughed.

“Still,” Val insisted. “If it happens again, feel free to punch back.”

“Deal,” Castor laughed. “Now get out of here.”

“Okay Mom I’m going,” Val grumbled and turned around. 

Connor led him back to their room with an arm around his waist and the two of them ended up getting changed and ready for bed, Val held snugly against Connor’s chest. It was safe and warm, and something Val would have to ask for even more than he already got it. 

In the morning Val woke up first, though it was still almost ten in the morning. He considered just laying there until Connor woke up, or even going back to sleep but he stopped himself. He had things to do first.

He knew working on that and letting himself be vulnerable with someone was going to be hard, but he meant that promise to Connor. No matter how much it fucking sucked he was going to try as hard as human or inhumanly possible. Connor may have been the one to give his big speech, but God Val loved him with everything he had. There was nothing Val wouldn’t do for him.

So he slipped out of Connor’s arms and grabbed his phone off the charger before he snuck out to the kitchen where, thankfully, no one was. He was still in his pajamas as he leaned against the counter and stared at the button on his phone. Come on Val. Just press it. For Connor.

He pressed it, and the phone started ringing.

“Hey Dan. I know, I know, it’s been too long, I’m working on it. But in the meantime…what trauma counselors do you know nearby?”

[thefae-journal]

Request #1: can you write a fic about the pink ladies being suspicious because jane and olivia are acting weird and while they are at a soc party (that they crash) they see olivia and jane sneak off and then the pink ladies catch them making out in a hall closet (from anon)

Fandom: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Ship: Faccivinos pov: third person

word count: 1096 warnings: n/a

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies masterlist masterlist

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Another Soc party at Dot’s house, and the Pink Ladies heard word of it in the hallway after third period. Of course, just like last year, they are going to crash it. It was Olivia’s idea, and Jane, surprisingly, agreed before Olivia could finish her sentence. 

Last year, when Nancy brought it up that the Socs were having a party, Jane was uncertain. Hesitant. Then again, Jane is more confident now. Carefree. Different, thanks to the Pink Ladies. It has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with Olivia. Or how close the two have been getting since their senior year at Rydell started. 

The lingering glances. Their hands brushing for a brief moment, then retreating as if they remembered that they weren’t alone. Hazel, the most observant of the Pink Ladies, took notice and told Cynthia. Cynthia told Nancy. And now, theories spin among the three of what’s going on with Olivia and Jane.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Didn’t last year turn out horribly?” Hazel asks, walking beside Nancy and Cynthia on the street towards Dot’s house while Jane and Olivia stay in front of them. 

“For the Soc boys,” Jane chimes in. She tries to hold back her giggles, but lets them go, and Olivia’s own follows. The two lean into each other as their laughter echoes in the empty streets. 

“Poor boys were locked away in the study after we spiked their drinks with castor oil.” 

“You locking them in the study was genius, Olivia! Were you really a girl scout?” Jane asks, her fingertips reaching for Olivia’s, only achieving a light touch against her palm. 

A smirk tugs at Olivia’s lips. “You’re looking at troop twenty-seven’s girls scout cookie champion—selling the most girl scout cookies for five years straight.” 

That must explain Olivia’s determination during Jane’s student council president campaign and the desperate need to change Rydell, make Rydell fun for everyone and not just the Socs and populars and everyone else who didn’t feel like an outcast. 

Although Hazel can’t see it, she can certainly feel it—the awe in Jane’s eyes as she gazes at Olivia. The energy oozes from Jane as it always does, to any of Olivia’s actions that she might find inspiring.

“How charming,” Jane mumbles into Olivia’s ear.

Her determination could be a result of her unbreakable loyalty to Jane. The way that Olivia never left Jane’s side. She fought for Jane beyond what her body and mind could take, even though the world was stacked against them—the possibility of a girl president leading Rydell.

And despite the quarrel that could’ve torn apart the Pink Ladies permanently, they mended things, and it was like nothing ever happened. They were back to being arm-in-arm, telling each other secrets at Pink Ladies sleepovers through whispers in the dark of Jane’s bedroom. Except… closer. Much closer than any of the other Pink Ladies expected. Almost, closer than friends—like Cynthia and Lydia, Hazel thinks. 

When the two run off after arriving at Dot’s house, their hands clasped in each other’s, suspicion rises among the three Pinks. 

...

Jane has never been with a girl before. Neither has Olivia. Not when it’s not normal, when society frowns upon it—two girls being more than just friends. Two girls existing in the way that a girl and a boy might. 

Although Olivia and Jane often let their guards down just a little while around the other Pinks, mostly because of Cynthia, anywhere else, their interactions become more saturated. Olivia tries her best to keep her hands to herself and Jane tries not to gaze at Olivia like she’s a three-course meal at the finest five-star restaurant. 

Alone, well, they finally let go. Breathe.

In one of many Dot’s closets that she has in her house, Jane and Olivia hide out, dodging clothes and jackets and hat boxes as their hands find each other’s waists and lips meet like they have so many times before in the safety of Jane’s bedroom on the weekends or sometimes after school. Outside, the Socs and what’s left of the Pink Ladies play their own kissing game. There’s laughter and music and groans, and all of that is faded in Olivia and Jane’s ears; they’re drowning in each other. Their own pounding heart beats and heavy breaths. 

They forget, that even though they’re alone in this closet, they’re not alone in this house—this very giant house. And they forget the time that passes by. They forget that their kisses are forbidden despite how alive their collided lips make them feel. How Olivia’s lips stain Jane’s in red. 

They forget that the closet door can open and light can shine in on them. An unwanted spotlight. 

No longer shadowed in the safety of the dark, Olivia pulls back, and her hands fall from Jane’s waist. 

“What? Why did you stop?” Jane asks. 

Olivia clears her throat and gestures toward the now open closet door, Nancy, Hazel, and Cynthia standing on the other side stunned. Except for Hazel who’s smiling, her arms crossed. 

“O-oh.” Jane steps away from Olivia and brushes her hands on the skirt of her dress. “We can explain.” 

Hazel shakes her head. “You don’t need to. We made a bet the moment you two ran off. Cynthia and Nancy owe me milkshakes from Frosty’s now.” She says this with pride, a confidence that the Pinks rarely see in her. 

“But we’re happy for the both of you. Surprised—” Cynthia starts, until Hazel cuts her off with her giggling. 

“No, we’re not.” 

There’s a beat of silence, one that’s kind of awkward, as the pair stand still in the closet, their looks moving between Hazel, Nancy, and Cynthia like they’re waiting for one of them to say something. If any of them have something to say. Or the trio is waiting for Olivia and Jane to say something. Denial of their actions. Frantic explanations, even though Hazel said not to explain because they already know. It’s clear, like the night sky on their walk here, and the night sky when they go home. 

And when they do go home, they don’t have to hide it anymore. Not from the other Pinks. Relief settles in them at the thought. 

“Okay. Well… we will, um, leave you to it,” Nancy says, then turns to leave, back to the living room. Cynthia follows closely behind, and so does Hazel after she closes the closet door.

Olivia and Jane are back in the dark, and they can’t help but laugh. Yet those laughs soon die down and end with a kiss. 

[cursedvaultss]

HPMA OC Profile: Thalia Winger

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow."

Name: Thalia Avianna Winger

(I headcanon Talbott's mother's name to be Avianna)

Nicknames: Winger (by her Quidditch teammates)

Birthdate: April 29th, 1997

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Blood Status: Half-blood

Nationality: British

Sexuality: Lesbian

Physical Appearance

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5ft 9 (175.3 cm)

Skin Tone: Brown

Faceclaim: Sivan Alyra Rose

Background

Home: Raven Hall, a modest (by rich people standards) property owned by her mother

Family

Mother: Calliope Winger, née Black

Callie and Thalia have a good relationship, although Thalia often tests the limits of her mother's patience. Whereas Callie is intoverted and studious, Thalia is athletic, outgoing, and always on the move so their personalities sometimes clash.

Father: Talbott Winger

Talbott loves his daughter very much, though oftentimes struggles to understand her. She is an eagle animagus just like him though, so they have more in common than both of them think.

God-father: Murphy McNully

Other relations: Cressida and Castor Black (maternal grandparents, though Castor is deceased by the time Thalia is born), The Black Family, The Tonks Family, among others

Hogwarts

House: Gryffindor

Career

11-17: Hogwarts Student 

17->: tbd

Personality & Attitude

Thalia is out-going and cheerful. She is much more extroverted than both of her parents combined and loves a good party. She wants everyone to feel included, though sometimes she can talk over others and forget to be mindful that not everyone is as outspoken as she is.

Priorities: Friends, Quidditch, having fun

Strengths: Friendly, bold, witty, good sense of humour

Weaknesses: Can be thoughtless and brash, not very good at theoretical school subjects

Stressed: Exams, when writing long essays, before big Quidditch games

Calm/Comforted: With her friends or in animagus form

Favorites

Colors: Green and red

Weather: Clear skies (good for Quidditch)

Hobbies: Quidditch

Fashion: Athleisure but also loves to dress up fancy for events, loves black lipstick

Relationships

Significant Other/Love Interest: tentatively open!

Cassandra Vole (crush)

Cassandra and Thalia start out as rivals, even enemies but throughout their bickering and years at Hogwarts, Thalia develops a little crush on Cassandra.

Canon Friends:

Robyn Thistlethwaite

Kevin Farrell

Ivy Warrington

Daniel Page

Lottie Turner

MC Friends:

Jane Luther by @hphmmatthewluther

OPEN FOR INTERACTION!

Rivals:

Cassandra Vole

Colby and Fischer Frey

Trivia

Thalia is an animagus. Her animagus form is an eagle, just like her father's.

She is a Chaser in her house's Quidditch team

Her favourite subjects are Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creature

She has a kneazle called Roxie

[kevinvoncrastenburg]

Uberhood Pics (13) - University Part II

Vitamin C - Graduation starts playing...

As we go on, we remember...

All the times we had together...

And as our lives change...

come whatever...

We will still be friends forever...

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

[wallwriterstuff]

A Little Magic - Every Part of The Spell

TW for magical amensia drugs, angst, foul language, descriptions of violence, blood, and death. These go across the series and each part has individual warnings for that specific chapter.

Nature is power, power can be tamed, and those who know that crave it all the more, as Y/N, Demetri and Castor are about to find out.

Part 1: A Little Magic

Nature is power, power can be tamed, and those who know that crave it all the more. When your power is revealed to the wrong people, events seem to spiral out of control and beyond your comprehension. It quickly becomes apparent there is a much larger game being played, one in which you and Demetri are mere pawns, but how can you win when you don’t know the rules?

Part 2: A Game of Cat and Mouse

After being cast out by the Grand Magister a game of survival ensues, one pitting tracker against witch in a race to reach each other.

Part 3: A Book and A Bargain 

Demetri’s knowledge of you is woefully inadequate and he vows to change that. Though he strives to find out more about your world, it only makes him more uncertain about his place in his, and certain revelations lead him to strike a desperate bargain that will ultimately make or break you both.

 Part 4: A Moment Made For Us 

A month is a fleeting moment, a sliver of time that is inconsequential to a man who has forever. To Demetri, every precious moment of the month he’s spent with you is engraved in his head and heart. In other words, this is how the vampire and the witch fell in love.

 Part 5: A Spindle Prick 

After being separated for months becomes too much for either of them to handle, a supposedly simple visit takes a drastic turn for the worst. Y/N, Castor, and Demetri find themselves thrown into the first of many trials as unknown forces conspire against them.

 Part 6: A Witch’s Wrath 

Castor is unconscious, but his parting gift to Demetri has allowed him to track his mate. The tracker is desperate to bring justice to those who would dare harm his mate, but the events he sets in motion have lethal consequence that will refract throughout nature…

 Part 7: A Revelation 

While recovering from a barbaric attack carried out by Merida, an unexpected visit from the High Council puts everyone on edge.

 Part 8: A Message In A Bottle 

Elder Oili gave Y/N a message only she would understand, forcing her to lie to the Volturi in the process. With tensions rising, Y/N attempts an enlightening journey that will put her at the heart of everything, while knowing nothing.

Part 9: A Lesson In History

Y/N and Castor have finally found the red door, but behind it lies a web of lies so dense that to unravel them it means to unravel the very reality they have lived and believed for centuries...

Part 10: A Truth To Tell

After a night of passionate distraction, Y/N reveals the truth to a dumbstruck Demetri, resolves to make amends with a prideful familiar, and makes an unlikely ally.

Part 11: A War Cry

Desperate for a means to defeat Seren, the group travel to the Athenaeum, where the entire history of magic lies at their fingertips, and their enemies wait in the shadows.

Part 12: A Deluge of Discoveries

The Ancestors reveal a terrifying truth, and Y/N finds herself forced to take extreme measures to use the moonstone as needed.

Part 13: A Peacock’s Tale

Unlocking the secrets of the moonstone will take all of the wit and courage Y/N has. Can it truly reveal a way to stop Seren? 

Part 14: A Time For Everything 

With Merlin's aid, the trio have a moment to reflect on everything that's happened and everything yet to come.

Part 15: A Full Circle 

This story ends the way it begins, with you and Demetri in the middle of a massacre.

Part 16: A Soft Epilogue (Coming 4th December, maybe later depending on how messy my birthday is...)

The world must rebuild and time must move on, however much you wish you could stay in the moment.

[invisibleicewands]

Hello! You are so good at writing review, I really like it! What is your opinion about Good Omens S2? To be honest, I hadn't have any expectations, so I wasn't upset by the plot. But, to my mind, unfortunately, there was a lot of bad writing, unnecessary characters and primitive dialogues compare to the first season.

Hi, Anon!

Thank you for your trust, even if mine are more random thoughts. I have to tell you, I’m not a binge watcher (I prefer to taste the episodes one by one, slowly) but this time I chose to make an exception watching it all in three days, with the last ten final minutes seen immediatly the first day, just to avoid the spoilers online (like “away the tooth away the pain“). So, my view could be affected by this.

Over the last few months I've been making a certain idea about the 2nd series and now I can say it wasn’t completely wrong, even though the result is maybe a bit better than my first expectations.

I find GO2 being like a colorful circus, with a parade of artists doing their best numbers and where MS and DT were the best attraction, the trapeze artists.

The plot is a pretext, 100% fans service: to monetize again the success of the first season, following the dreams’ fans, using their fanfictions as inspiration for the script, then putting all together in a glossy package with a bow on top: some fireworks, a bit of special effects and the effort of two titans, MS and DT, who took the 80% of the weight of this mission on their shoulders.

As very 'serious' and professional actors, with a background of theatre, tv and cinema, they did a wonderful job, transforming with their talent every line in something precious, every scene unforgettable, with skilful expressions or little gestures, even during the boring moments. They put on the table all the tricks of their playbooks to play their characters. Sometimes I saw some of Bill Masters’ glances, sometimes there were Kenneth Williams or Aro or Castor’s vibes. And the episodes were rich of references to their previous works too (Bright Young Things, Dr.Who, etc.), like a showcase of their careers.

I particularly liked Crowley’s clever lines, his dry humour, his pragmatism, also his soft side. A bit less, I must say, Aziraphale character, who was sometimes too much unnecessarily stubborn or dull if compared with the first season, too much 'Wesley Snipes'. But the actors, as I said, were both excellent and a wonder for the eyes. A mention for Jon Hamm too: I thought the nice reviews for his performance were exaggerated, but his scenes were really funny (his hug to Aziraphale xD), maybe because of the contrast between the absurdity of the moments combined with his mono-expression-marble-face. Pity for his story, which had to be the core of the mistery but was revealed and explained in a superficial and hurried way just in the last few minutes.

And here we are, the story. I've found the first two episodes well written, with comic scenes and smart lines, good timing, but then something suddendly changed: the plot became plain, childish, predictable. IMHO a lot of time has been wasted to tell useless or not so interesting stories. The barely hinted relationship between Nina and Meggie, the mere rethoric of their speech to Crowley, all the chaos of the demons battle for nothing, the travel to the cemetary in Scotland and all the resurrectionist thing. Plus, a lot of stereotypical characters: the ridiculous zombies, the boring angels of the Paradise, all like clowns, dolls to fill the void. And Jane Austen. There was nothing really important about her, just her name to justify a ball in regency dresses. Not enough for me. Also, the la-la land love story between Gabriel and Beelzebub to give a meaning to the mistery (really?), was cold and too quick to be interesting.

The turning point at the end of the 6th episode and it was like suddendly watching Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in The Way We Were. MS and DT were simply amazing in giving to that scene such a depth and drama (nervous breakdown Aziraphale?), but the effect I felt was a bit alienating compared to what I'd seen just before. Like a leap too big, like watching two completely different and separate shows.

The final. Moving, exciting, wonderfully acted but... of course was not a final (like MoS ending in season 3). They should have called this Good Omens vol.2, like Kill Bill, since it’s obvious that was not a real end. Everything has been written for a third part since the beginning and you can see it, even if they tried to hide it somehow. Honestly I don't know if I wish to see another chapter, 'cause I'm worried about Michael's hair at this point... (I'm evil, I know)

Jokes apart, I think it was surely an entertaining, light, funny, moving, show with some brilliant moments and others less, and two great actors who covered the flaws with their skills. But I struggle to see it like a masterpiece or something worthing of an award (the special effects and the make up too, were a bit cheap). It needed of something more in the writing, for example, to reach The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel league, just saying.

But for sure it was a gold mine for fans and gif makers. ;)

A music video, to heal the heart of a demon: