#WHO SHOT THIS WHO TOLD JULIETTE TO DO THIS DID SHE CHOOSE THIS HERSELF

[wistfulwatcher]

Everyone's eager to meet you.

[tanjamikaelson]

LOVE FOR ETERNITY - PART 90

MASTERLIST

PART 90: | THINGS WE DO TO SURVIVE |

Rebekah was in her and Kol’s current apartment, she was sitting in the living room and drinking her wine when she heard yelling from the up stairs. Then she saw a girl walking down the stairs cursing Kol. Rebekah narrowed her eyes at her and saw that Kol was coming down right after her.

  - “Wait up, darling.” Kol tells her, but when she didn’t stop he vamp speeded in front of her.

  - “Let me go, I'm not going to help you.” A girl said.

  - “Why not?” Kol asked.

  - “I’m not helping a guy who cheats on his girlfriend in order to find her. Who in their right mind does that?” A girl questioned.

  - “She has a point, Kol.” Rebekah remarks.

  - “Shut up, Bex.” Kol tells her.

  - “Or maybe I should find her and tell her with whom she is in a relationship with..” A girl told him.

  - “She would probably just kill you.” Kol told her honestly.

  - A girl scoffs, “Then I just added one more reason not to help you to my list.” then she pushes Kol out of her way and heads towards the door, but just as she was about to open them Kol snapped her neck.

  - “Why did you do that?” Rebekah asked.

  - “Well you heard her she doesn’t want to help.” Kol replies.

  - “That was the fifth witch you killed in the past week. Are you going to kill everyone who doesn’t want to help you?” Rebekah asked.

  - “Yes, I will. Do you have a problem with that?” Kol asked.

  - “If other witches find out what you do to those who don’t want to help you they will hate you..” Rebekah began saying.

  - “Or they will fear me and they will be willing to help.” Kol corrected her, “And what did you do in the past two days? Sat there and did nothing.”

  - “Oh please Kol, I offered you help and you told me to stay away.” Rebekah told him, “What do you want from me?”

  - “Exactly that, to stay away and not bother me, but you’re still here.” Kol exclaimed, “You know what? I’ll stay away from you.” Then he ran off and Rebekah hasn't seen him since then.

⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡

  - “Of course you choose the biggest house in the city.” Kai remarks when he finds Natali.

  - “I actually lived in this house while Kol and I were in Mystic Falls, it was the house of his brother Klaus.” Natali tells him.

  - “Soo, do you have any idea how to get out of the prison world?” Kai asked while looking around.

  - “I don’t have an idea. You’re the one who was once trapped in the prison world, how did you escape?” Natali questioned.

  - “Well, twice actually.” Kai corrected her, “I had the ascendant, a celestial event and Bennett blood.”

  - “There is a full moon every night here. Is that enough?” Natali asked.

  - “That’s not enough to boost the power and we don’t have Bennett blood.” Kai tells her.

  - “I will find a way to get us out of here without Bennett blood, and as for boosting the power I’m sure we can find something else.” Natali told him.

  - “What else?” Kai asked.

  - “We will need to go to New Orleans, I have things that we need there.” Natali tells him.

When they arrived in New Orleans they went to Fangtasia where Natali still had things that they needed. 

  - “What is this, a strip club?” Kai asked, seeing a stage with a pole for dancing.

  - “Sort of.” Natali tells him, “I like to dance there.” she added pointing at the stage.

  - “So you are a vampire stripper.” Kai remarks.

  - “I’m not a stripper. It’s called pole dance.” Natali informed him, “But vampires come here and they can compel humans to do whatever they want for them.

  - “I wouldn’t mind either of those.” Kai tells her and smirks.

  - Natali smirks and rolls her eyes, “Anyway, let’s get back to why we came here. Follow me.” She then continued to walk towards the stairs and Kai followed her down to her secret room.

She cut her wrist open and poured blood on the door saying a spell to open them.

  - “So what exactly do we need from here?” Kai asked.

  - “Dark objects.” Natali tells him and points at the shelf's where they were placed, “Everything you see here is made thanks to dark magic.”

  - Kai took the cuffs that were hanging on the wall, “You think this will help? I know only one good way to use this for.”

  - Natali rolls her eyes, “Are you really going to think about that right now?” 

  - Kai shrugs, “Well what else? There is not enough dark magic for both of us.”

  - “We didn’t even try.” Natali tells him.

  - “I know it won’t work, we wasted our time.” Kai says.

  - “If you are so smart you wouldn’t end up locked here for the third time.” Natali told him.

  - “And what about you? You let Bonnie outsmart you.” Kai shot back, “You basically locked yourself here.”

  - Natali sighted and crossed her arms, “So do you have any better plan?”

  - “I say we don’t waste dark magic right now, we need to gather more information on how we can escape.” Kai tells her, “Do you have any books here?”

  - “I have a lot of ancient books, but they are all in my secret library in Saint Tropez.” Natali told him.

  - “Well, that’s just great. How are we gonna get to Saint Tropez?” Kai asked.

  - “Well lucky for you, you are trapped here with a girl who knows how to fly a helicopter.” Natali informed him.

  - Kai smiles, “Yeah, lucky me.”

⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡

  - “So you said that your coven trapped you here the first time because you were different?” Natali questioned.

  - “Well technically they trapped me here because I killed my siblings and because I was different.” Kai told her.

  - “Siblings? How many?” Natali asked.

  - “Four and failed to kill my twin sister and the other two. ” Kai told her, “But I killed them when I escaped the prison world.

  - “Well we have more things in common.” Natali says.

  - “Did you finish off your sister?” Kai asked.

  - Natali nods, “I did. Too bad I can’t torture her in hell right now.”

  - “What do you think happened to hell now when you’re here?” Kai questioned.

  - “I have no idea. I guess we’ll see when we get back.” Natali told him, “Anyway, did you say you had a twin sister?”

  - “Yes, why?” Kai asked.

  - “So your coven was actually a gemini coven, huh?” Natali said.

  - “Oh, you’ve heard of it?” Kai asked.

  - “Well, of course I did, that coven exists because of me.” Natali tells him.

  - “Really? How so?” Kai asked.

[SAINT TROPEZ, FRANCE: 1005.]

It’s been a week since Natali killed a woman she was staying with and people began to notice that she’s nowhere to be seen. One day Natali heard knocking at the front door and she heard a woman's voice calling out for someone to open the door. Natali walked towards the door and opened them.

  - “Where is she?” A woman asked, not taking her eyes off of Natali.

  - “Who?” Natali replied. 

  - “Helen, a woman you were staying with.” Woman told her.

  - “I don’t know, I haven’t seen her in a week.” Natali tells her.

  - A woman frowns for a moment, “And that didn’t concern you?”

  - “It did. I was looking for her, but I couldn’t find her.” Natali replies.

  - “Then you should've come to me.” A woman told her.

  - “And if I may know, who are you?” Natali asked.

  - “I’m Juliette.” A woman replied, “People were concerned that they haven’t seen Helen in days, and they told me that there’s some new girl living with her.”

  - When Natali heard her name, she realized that she was a sister of her mother, who was now a coven leader, so she introduced herself, “Oh, my name is Natali.”

  - “I’m glad we met, can I come in?” Juliette asked.

Then Natali let her inside of the house and they sat together in the living room.

  - “So, how do you know Helen?” Juliette asked.

  - “I was just passing through here when I met her, she told me that I can stay with her for a few days.” Natali said.

  - “But you've been here for a month, right?” Juliette asked.

  - “Yeah, I think it’s already been a month.” Natali replied.

  - “And you’re not scared to stay here alone? Close to the woods?” Juliette asked.

  - “Why would I be scared?” Natali asked back.

  - “I’ve heard that there’s some strange things happening around here. It’s not just Helen that is missing, a few other of my people are missing too. It started happening just after Helen disappeared.” Juliette informed her.

  - That was when Natali knew she wasn’t careful enough, “I didn’t know that. Maybe I should move somewhere else.” she says.

  - “Maybe if you move my coven will be a safe place again.” Juliette replied.

  - “A coven? What’s that supposed to mean?” Natali questioned.

  - “Let’s not pretend that you don’t know what coven is and I won’t pretend that I don’t know exactly who you are.” Juliette told her.

  - “And who am I?” Natali asked.

  - “Don’t you think I wouldn’t recognize my sister's daughter, you look so much like her.” Juliette tells her, “And that name Natali, that was the name she was planning on giving you.”

  - Natali smiles, “You got me.”

  - “I had a feeling that she lied when she told me that you died at birth.” Juliette told her.

  - “I mean I would die anyway, isn’t that right?” Natali questioned.

  - “That’s right. Your kind is not welcomed here.” Juliette replied.

  - Natali laughs, “My kind? I’m not so different than you.” 

  - “If you’re not different you wouldn't kill people. The same thing repeats itself.” Juliette says.

  - “What do you mean by that?” Natali asked.

  - “When I was young there was one boy who was born just like you, everyone treated him like he was human, but when he got older he realized that he could siphon powers from other witches and he didn’t stop until they were dead and he had all of their power in himself. And that was the day when this coven swore to kill anyone who wasn't born with their powers.” Juliette tells her, “That's exactly what you’re doing. That’s why Helen and others are dead.”

  - “Well, you see, you’re not quite right.” Natali tells her, “I draw my powers for something else.” 

Juliette could then see Natali’s eyes turning dark red, veins appeared under her eyes and a pair of big, sharp fangs aiming at her bare neck . Her blue eyes were staring at the beast in front of her in terror. She never saw anything like that.

  - “What kind of demonic creature are you?” Juliette asked.

  - “The kind you’ll regret messing with.” Natali tells her and takes a step closer.

Juliette reacted quickly and used her powers to push Natali and she hit a wall, but for her it was like nothing even happened. She was getting stronger by the day. She was getting more powerful when she fed on humans everyday.

Juliette tried to take advantage of the moment and escape but Natali used her powers to closer the door shut.

  - “See, I don’t need to siphon powers from you.” Natali tells her, “Doesn’t that make me just like you?”

  - Juliette turns towards Natali, “No, you are a monster.”

  - “Aren’t we all?” Natali says, “You’re a monster too, you kill innocent children just because you’re afraid of them and because we are different.” then she flashed just in front of her and grabbed her neck saying, “Now you’ll get what you deserve.”

⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡

  - “And that was how I killed my mother's sister and after that I took over the coven and threw out anyone who didn’t want to follow my rules.” Natali said to Kai, “The gemini coven was created at some point.”

  - “Well we are definitely the same.” Kai stated.

  - “We do what we need to survive.” Natali tells him and Kai couldn’t agree more.

⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡ ⚜ ✡

MASTERLIST

Tags: @mikaelsonsmagic   @p3nny4urth0ught5   @cute-freak27   @ias-born  @superhalsteads  @characterobsessed   @hinata7346   @luiza-4-ever  @huntress1428  @infiniteoblivion21 @watersenthusiast

[carewyncromwell]

Cue the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, people! ☠️

This is the next installment of the POTC AU -- if you’d like to read the previous part, you can find that here, or you can consult my “POTC AU” tag for the full thing as well as some other wonderful contributions my HPHM friends have made to this AU! Juliette “Jules” Farrier, who’s mentioned here as our sort-of-Elizabeth Swann, belongs to my sweet @cursebreakerfarrier. 💚

x~x~x~x

Now, normally, finding out that Orion had appeared out of nowhere to rescue her friend from drowning would’ve been more than enough reason for Carewyn to run over to both of them, check them for injuries, thank the stars that they were both okay and that Orion had been there, and finally ask Orion what the hell he was even doing there at all. Of course, Carewyn was not the only person who recognized Orion -- every single soldier who’d followed her out of the fort, as well as both Percy and Governor Farrier, were with her and had also recognized the pirate captain from his wanted posters. And so Carewyn had no choice but to immediately draw her sword and point it at Orion’s chest.

“Captain Orion Amari,” she said lowly, her blue eyes boring into his face.

Orion looked from Carewyn’s blade to the other swords held by her subordinates. Jules had already been snatched up the ground and pulled away by her father, but the dark-haired lady looked back at Orion, her eyes very wide. Orion’s eyes then returned to Carewyn.

“Captain Weasley,” the pirate greeted airily in return, as he slowly rose to his feet. “Oh -- yes, pardon me...you would be Commodore Weasley now...isn’t that right?”

"You know full well he’s a Commodore!” one of the regulars who’d been at the dock piped up angrily. He whirled on Carewyn with an almost huffy expression. “He said he’d come to ‘pay the Commodore a little visit’ -- ”

“Told you he was telling the truth,” the other regular muttered resentfully at him, before very quickly and dutifully adding to Carewyn, “These are his, sir!”

The young man turned over Orion’s belt and belongings. Reluctantly Carewyn parsed through them, turning his pistol over in her hand. She opened up another pocket and found a round gold framed object small enough to fit in her hand.

It was a portrait miniature of her, like the kind currently being sold on the docks of Port Royal.

Carewyn’s wide eyes darted from the portrait to down at Orion. His face was very placid, but there was a flicker with something almost sheepish in the creases of his eyes and lips.

“I suppose that’s how he found out you’re now Commodore,” said Percy, his brown eyes narrowing coldly upon Orion.

He picked up the little black box-like object that had fallen out of his belt pocket onto the deck and opened it. His nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Why -- his compass doesn’t even point north!” he said incredulously.

The other soldiers sniggered. Tucking the portrait miniature swiftly back into Orion’s belt, Carewyn turned and gave her troops a faintly reproachful look, and they all quieted.

“Dignity, men,” she said primly. “We’re soldiers of the crown. Let us act accordingly.”

Percy placed the compass in her waiting hand, shooting another dirty look at Orion as he did so.

Although Carewyn’s face was calm, her mind was working at a mile a minute. With the Governor, Percy, and so many of her men there, she knew there was no way she could simply get away with letting Orion off the hook, even if he had just saved Jules’s life. There was nothing she could do -- she would have to take Orion into custody.

“As flattered as I am for the...visit, Captain Amari,” she said as sardonically as she could, “you clearly had not the time to make living arrangements, for your stay. Fortunately there’s more than enough room in the local jail, where you can make yourself quite at home.”

“Ca -- Commodore,” Jules said quickly, “you don’t really intend to throw my rescuer in prison?”

Carewyn turned to her. She could see the concern in her eyes as she glanced from Carewyn to Orion and back, even as she tried to feign gentility.

‘She knows I don’t want to do it,’ thought Carewyn. ‘But I can’t pardon him, even if it’s supposedly for her sake -- her father would never be willing to look the other way...’

“I intend to throw a pirate in prison, Miss Farrier,” she murmured as calmly as she could.

Jules opened her mouth as if to protest, but her father spoke first.

“And then send him to the gallows, as is proper,” said Governor Farrier icily. His eyes turned to Carewyn. “Commodore, if Amari is here, the Artemis cannot be far behind -- we should make ready the Interceptor and take them down.”

Carewyn immediately looked at Orion’s face. Despite the level of cool he tried to put off, his shoulders had tensed noticeably.

“...I wonder about that,” said Carewyn very softly.

The Governor looked at her with narrowed, confused eyes. “What?”

Thinking quickly, she folded her arms behind her back and took three slow, plodding steps toward Orion, her eyes boring into his shoulder rather than his face. Her black boots clapped against the deck as she strolled leisurely but purposefully around him.

“You came to pay me a ‘visit,’ Captain Amari,” she said slowly, “and yet you came alone. Even though you must have known there’d be a fort full of soldiers attending the ceremony...”

When she was facing away from the Governor and her men, Carewyn shot Orion the quickest of gentle warning looks to tell him not to say anything.

“...It’s odd, isn’t it?”

“Orion Amari is known for being odd, Commodore,” Governor Farrier pointed out.

“Yes, but it’s odd to the point of being irrational, which he’s not known for. Pirates are sea rats first and foremost, Governor -- they’re not creatures of the land, by nature. A pirate choosing to fight a battle on dry land as opposed to the open sea can only signal one of two things: one, they think they can get away with it -- highly unlikely, in this circumstance...or two, they’re desperate.”

Carewyn’s blue eyes bore hard into Orion’s dark eyes.

‘Please -- please, play along,’ she thought desperately.

“You don’t have a ship anymore...do you, Captain?” she whispered.

Orion’s eyes widened. Then, understanding light flooding through his narrowing eyes, he made a sharp, almost violent movement toward her -- Carewyn grabbed his arm and in an instant had looped it around his back to restrain him.

“I would still, were it not for you,” Orion breathed as coldly as he could manage.

Carewyn put on the best smirk she could. “Mutiny and betrayal is par the course for pirates. I suppose your First Mate or Quartermaster is in charge now?”

Orion made a show of struggling against her grip, and Carewyn tightened her grip.

“Fetch some irons,” she ordered one of her subordinates.

Her and Orion’s eyes met again as the soldier ran off for the irons. Carewyn tried very hard not to show the anxiety she felt, but her face was very white. Orion’s dark eyes remained unreadable, but Carewyn could feel his arm in her grip twisting just enough that he could trail the pointer and middle fingers of his left hand along the inside of her forearm, almost as if to comfort her.

‘Oh, Orion, why did you have to come?’ Carewyn moaned internally to herself. ‘Why did you have to be so noble that you got yourself caught?!’

Fortunately once the irons arrived, Orion managed to seize his chance of escape. When Jules once again tried to protest him being imprisoned and hung, Orion was able to loop the iron chain connecting his manacles together around her neck and threaten Carewyn to give him his “effects” and let him loose, so that Jules wouldn’t come to harm. Although Carewyn knew that he would’ve never really hurt Jules, she could sense everyone else thought he was just off-balance enough to do it -- and fortunately Jules, in a incredible display of brilliance, was perfectly willing to play the part of the frightened damsel so as to help with the ruse. And so Orion Amari escaped captivity and went running off into the streets of Port Royal.

Carewyn’s men were sent after him, of course. She made sure that the soldiers fired off a lot of guns and made a good amount of noise in their pursuit, so as to hopefully alert any of Orion’s crewmates who might’ve stuck around to the trouble and make them retreat. Orion managed to evade capture for a good couple of hours -- he even managed to break the iron chain attaching his manacles. Eventually he ended up in a church not far away from the northern dock. When he went to hide out in there, however, the pirate captain collided with a priest about his age, with hair as ginger red as Carewyn’s.

The priest gave Orion a very penetrating look, his hands folded together inside the long white sleeves of his robes.

“You’d be who they’re looking for,” he said lowly. “Orion Amari.”

Orion’s dark eyes ran over the priest’s face for a moment. Then a trace of something almost like a smile touched his eyes.

“...You must be Bill Weasley.”

“That I am,” said Bill. His voice had hardened even further. “I suppose you’ve come to claim sanctuary?”

Orion’s smile left his eyes and he suddenly looked much more serious.

“...That would be rather helpful, Father,” he said.

His dark eyes flickered from the priest to the closed church doors over his shoulder.

Bill’s brown eyes narrowed upon the pirate’s face.

“Normally I’d be willing to give it -- but I’m afraid there’s a problem. You don’t fulfill the rules of sanctuary, for you’ve entered our church carrying weapons.”

Orion glanced down at his pistol and cutlass.

“...I see,” he granted. “Very well...I shall find refuge elsewhere, then.”

Orion made as if to turn on his heel and leave. Before he could take more than a step, though, he felt the tip of a blade poking him in the back.

“I’m afraid that’s not the only problem,” the eldest Weasley said, his voice very quiet and low in the back of his throat. “You see...you’ve threatened the lives of two of the most important people in my life.”

Orion glanced over his shoulder, very startled despite himself at the sight of a priest pointing a sword at him. Once he’d recovered, his face grew much more solemn.

“It was unavoidable, I’m afraid,” he said lowly.

Bill’s brown eyes flashed. “All the more reason for me to insure you don’t do it to anyone else.”

The sentiment was very much like Carewyn’s, when she’d first arrived on the Artemis -- it was little wonder this man and she had bonded so closely that he’d given her his name...

‘Carewyn said he’s in love with the Governor’s daughter,’ Orion quickly reminded himself when his heart clenched at the thought. ‘He gave Carewyn his name to protect her -- no other reason.’

Therefore Bill Weasley was someone Orion could only look upon with patience and gratitude, however misguided he now was...

“I don’t wish to fight you,” the pirate captain murmured.

“Then surrender to the Navy,” said Bill sharply. “Give yourself up quietly.”

Orion’s dark eyes narrowed. “That I’m afraid I cannot do.”

Bill made as if to lunge forward, his sword raised -- Orion immediately unsheathed his cutlass to block him.

“I do not wish to fight you,” Orion repeated. “Do you truly mean to fight in your own church?”

“Romans 13:4,” retorted Bill. “‘For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer!’”

CLANG! SHING! SWISH! Orion had to block twice more and duck, to avoid Bill’s blows.

Before long, Orion and Bill were hotly engaged in battle. At one point, they were even climbing over and balancing on the edges of the benches in the pews, Bill holding the advantage not just due to his superior swordmanship, but also his long legs giving him a wider reach. Throughout the fight, Orion consistently tried to talk Bill down, but the eldest Weasley was too righteously angry to heed Orion’s repeated attempts at pacifism.

At long last, Orion was forced to play things a bit underhandedly. With a hard kick, he knocked a pew bench on top of Bill’s chest, slamming him down into the floor, and propped a leg firmly on top of the bench so Bill couldn’t get up.

“You...you cheating -- !” swore Bill.

He struggled in vain to try to push the bench off, but the angle made it impossible to properly position his arms in a way that he could move it.

Keeping his foot firmly on the bench, Orion contorted awkwardly to snatch up Bill’s sword from the floor in his other hand.

“Forgive me,” he said, his voice both shakier than normal as he tried to catch his breath and harder as he fought to contain his temper, which had been thoroughly tested over the span of the last five minutes. “But you’re more bull-headed than a Minotaur, Bill Weasley. Perhaps from that angle you may be able to listen a bit better...”

“I don’t need to hear any fairy stories from the man who kidnapped Carey and used Miss Farrier’s life as a bargaining chip to save his own neck,” Bill spat.

“Neither of which I deny,” said Orion, and his voice betrayed an odd edge, “but I would never have harmed either lady -- neither yours nor mine.”

Bill stiffened sharply. His narrowed brown eyes bore into the pirate, before they widened little by little, filling with shock and horror. 

“Yes, I know she’s a girl,” said Orion very softly. “Her name is Carewyn. Carewyn Cromwell -- granddaughter of the pirate Captain Charles Cromwell. Her brother is Jacob Cromwell -- lost at sea years ago, disappearing under the name ‘Roberts.’ She’s worn a red ribbon in her hair since she was a child. She fought in the Navy, where you gave her the name ‘Weasley’ and adopted her into your family. She has a voice like a nightingale’s and a heart as large and deep as the ocean itself -- ”

“ENOUGH!” shouted Bill. His freckled face was flushed a deep scarlet and he tried to sound fierce, but his hands clutching the edges of the bench were shaking.

THUNK.

Orion abruptly stiffened. Then, his eyes rolling up into his head, he collapsed to the floor.

Charlie was standing overhead, holding the large, thick hilt of his own sword over where Orion’s head had been seconds previously. His face was just as flushed and upset as Bill’s as he rushed over to yank the bench off of his brother’s chest and help him to his feet.

“Bill -- are you okay?”

Bill gasped for air, clutching the front of his robes. “Ugh...yes...”

Charlie looked anxiously from Bill to the unconscious Orion. Before he could say anything else, the church doors were flung open. Red-uniformed soldiers poured into the room. At the front of the charge was Percy.

“Bill!” the youngest of the three Weasleys cried. “Charlie, thank goodness!” He shot over his shoulder at the other soldiers, “Swords -- out!”

He and the other red-uniformed soldiers surrounded the unconscious Orion, all pointing their swords at him. Carewyn entered the church at last as a rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. Her face was very pale as she surveyed the felled pirate. Her blue eyes darted to Bill and Charlie -- seeing that Charlie was supporting Bill, she immediately ran over to him.

“Bill -- ”

“I’m fine,” said Bill. His brown eyes rippled anxiously over her face, before they flickered down to Orion. “...I’m fine...”

His voice sounded oddly uncertain and shaky. Charlie glanced from him to Carewyn, his eyes narrowing with concern.

“Carey...before you arrived, Amari said -- ”

But Carewyn shot Charlie a subtle, but sharp shake of the head.

“Never mind what he said. He’s a pirate -- pirates lie.”

“But -- ” started Charlie, but Carewyn gave him a quelling look. She glanced over at the soldiers surrounding Orion over her shoulder, her blue eyes rippling with something almost like shame and remorse. Then she looked from Charlie to Bill with a pleading, almost desperate kind of look.

‘I’ll explain later.’

Then she turned on her heel and walked over to stand over Orion.

“It seems this is the day we’ll always remember as the day Captain Orion Amari almost escaped,” she said very coolly. “Take him to the brig. We’ll set his execution date once the weather improves.”

As the soldiers locked Orion up in chains and Carewyn followed along after them, however, both Bill and Charlie couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t happy about how things had gone down...

As night fell, there was a terrible chill in the air over the island of Port Royal, with clouds passing over the skull-white moon. No one could’ve known what that bizarrely cold wind from the East really meant...and who it was carrying closer to port.

[heavensenthearty]

7, 17, 38 for fic writer asks :) ❤️🧡💛

I'm so sorry for taking so long to answer!! But actually I've been thinking about your ask since yesterday and I went through all my writing folder to answer properly and I totally am not functioning without the enough amount of sleep since then 😅

So, let's go:

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

First of, I'm proud of all my writing. Even the bad one because it is the one that has helped me to get to the where I am now in terms of development. But given that you put me to choose between my children, I couldn't decide for just one (not limited to the Zutara fandom) and I decided to put the three I'm the most proud of:

She comes back to life with a dangerously profound inhalation. Her eyes are red, her nose bleeds severely fast, I think her ears do so as well. The blood flows down to her mouth and between her lips. She tastes it. A strange awareness awakens her eyes. She screams.

She screams, and screams, and screams, extendedly, pushing her power to the peak of its force and forcing it to gain more force. Breaking one wall after the other, shredding steel, piercing iron. It’s painful to even witness, terrifying and overwhelming.

It's something from a fic I finished recently about one of my favorite book couples, Aaron Warner and Juliette Ferrars from the Shatter Me series. It's a scene from Warner's POV where he's watching Juliette inflict her power to destroy on herself.

I'm very proud of it because there are only few Warner POVs in the books, and it's already difficult to write fantasy/sci-fi and first person POV separately, imagine them together! 😣 But despite everything, I've been told I did a pretty good job capturing his feelings, and that's the best compliment I've ever received as a writer! 🤩🤩🤩

And now:

Ty had gotten himself into a problem. It was a pretty obvious deduction considering he was being cornered by an entire herd of hellhounds in a lonely, dark street alley.

He hadn’t thought his investigation of the new anomalies on the convergence points and ley lines would lead him to this, to be honest; it was supposed to be harmless enough of a mission. Finding clues, as the very much. He hadn’t expected to see action.

But now he didn’t hesitate to withdraw his sable – the weapon he had chosen to commemorate the life of his sister Livvy. If I carry it, he said to her once, to her incorporeal ghost, it will be like you still battled by my side.

It's for a one-shot I wrote for another one of my favorite book semi-official couples, Ty Blackthorn and Kit Herondale from Shadowhunter Chronicles. This is a scene from Ty's POV and I'm very, very, very proud of all my writing of Ty!! ☺️☺️ He's the first neurodiverse character about who I've written and I always put lots of care in making his autism noticeable as respectfully as I can. Besides, I like the emotion in his memory of his sister Livvy. It evokes emotion in me, the writer, and that's very difficult to achieve!

And finally...

“When Barkha gave birth to Agni, the Elemental Fire Spirit, she was gravely injured and died. It was her death what unleashed death for humans alike, and Aroon’s grief for his wife what created sadness and despair. Agni and his fire were the catalyst for impurity and evilness to enter the human world.”

The wind is hard and silent. I extinguish the flame in my hand, turn to look at Katara in the eye.

“You should stop trying to get close to me.”

She merely gazes at me for a brief second; her eyes are now made of pure, flowing water. She takes a step closer to me then, nearly brushing my chin, her breath is hot, almost burning against it.

“Why not?”

It's the scene I always talk about when I mention my Avatar!Zuko/Zutara AU! 😍😍 I'm proud of it because it's one of my first attempts at parallelisms... and besides can you believe that sexual tension?!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

It's a bit of both: when I get a new idea for a story, I always write the beginning right away, but as I continue it, I think too much ahead for future chapters and start writing future scenes in disorder when I'm not even close to reach those points in the plot. Say, I could be writing a series and scenes for the third work when I haven't finished the first one 🤷🏽‍♀️😅

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

This one! This one right here!! I love giving long comments, but I'd never received one... until this one!!

I've to say that this is a comment that boosted my confidence as a writer in general. I never thought I would be able to inspire this level of enthusiasm, or that I'd be one of those writers for whom you overcome your reading pet peeves. And on top of everything, I've a strange sense of humor (have you noticed? 😅) so the fact that I made someone laugh with something I wrote makes me really happy 😁😁

These were all so fun to answer!! Thank you so much for the ask!! 🤗💋🤗💋

Ask about my fics!

[lebelletemps]

Chapter 4: The Revolt (Part 3)

T/W: Blood…lots of blood, use of the N-word, slavery themes, death, cursing, threats of death, themes of the occult, violence, revenge, abuse towards children and women… 

A/N: As promised, here is Chapter 4! If you enjoy this please let me know in a reblog. It would mean a whole lot to me, thank you!

The crowd murmured in agreement as Cyrille still glared at his sister with anger. “Because if you don’t join us you will die.” Delphine appeared from the shadows and gave a quick side eye to Cyrille as she walked up front next to Allix. “You blame her for her father’s death as if Dupreé didn’t bark the orders. The man is vile and without remorse for any of your lives. Even though we cannot go back to our true home of which we were stolen from, we can start a new life here free from French and Spaniard rule.” “Arm yourselves gentlemen and ladies, tonight we shall take The Dupreé.” The crowd got riled up and became motivated from Delphine’s words. She was always able to talk herself into and out of any situation, except with Mrs. Dupreé. Allix felt defeated at the fact that she couldn’t rally the people in the same manner as her, but she still proceeded with the mission.

Master Dupreé continued to crawl on his stomach in attempts to escape the mob of his slaves. He can hear the crowd roaring with excitement to storm the plantation. He would’ve made an attempt to save his wife and children, but in his mind they were already dead given his condition. His fine silk garments became permanently stained with what couldn’t be differentiated between mud and manure as he clawed through the backyard of his soon to be ransacked home. He struggled to breathe trying not to focus on the pain from his fall. “And just where do you think you’re going garçon?” Master Dupreé was then yanked up from the ground and slammed his body against the wall. “Rayan, what have they done to you?” Jacques’ eyes expanded in fear at the sight of his son.

“You took my mother away from me and killed my father!” “I… had… to…” Rayan’s grip on his father’s collar grew tighter, matching the clenching of his other fist. “You had to?! Why?”  “Because she wanted to kill her, she wanted you all dead.” Rayan held him up higher with both hands. “Josephine never liked your mother, I... I was in love with her and she loved me.” Rayan’s face softened and he released his grip on Jacques’ neck. “My wife, she wanted to kill her, kill you and your sister. I couldn’t let that happen. I-I had to sell her to save the both of you.” Jacques was gasping for breath with each passing word he spoke. “And how do you justify murdering her husband, my true father?” “Josephine was aiming for you two, as he ran, I pushed the gun so neither one of you would get shot. I didn’t want him to die, but I couldn’t stop her.” Rayan dropped his birth father onto the floor. He stood over him, perplexed at what his next move would be. Jacques was coughing and gasping for breath on the floor. “I named you after my father, you are meant for great things not... this.” Rayan still kept a stone look on his face, but he took in every word he was saying. 

“You and your sister are the next in line to carry our name.” “And your other daughters?” “They are not strong enough, they’re as wicked as their mother. I know you two will be alright as long as you have each oth-” A blade cut through the air and decapitated Jacques Dupreé. Rayan’s eyes widened as his father’s head rolled onto his feet. He looked up to see the shiny blood stained sword in the possession of Maudette Beaulieu. Her hair was uncovered and disheveled. Her long, dreaded hair was dyed red from the backsplash of his blood, her breathing was heavy and ragged with a sense of satisfaction in her eyes; she looked up at Rayan who was still processing what he had just witnessed. “Maudette, what have you done?” “He nearly killed my only son and murdered my husband. A life for a life.” Maudette pushed her hair away from her face. “He told me―He told me that him and my mother were in love and that he kept Josephine from killing me and my sister. And you… killed him.” A sudden lightning bolt broke through the sky and the harsh rain soon followed after the thunder crashed. “And you believe the words that come out of a man facing certain death?” Rayan stood silent. 

“You are young and naïve Rayan, you know nothing of the unspeakable evils that this man and his family has done to all of us.” she spoke calmly while gathering herself together as she continued. “He could never truly love your mother, she was enslaved. As am I, as are you and your sister.” “But it was my choice to decide his fate, not yours.” “As I said, you know nothing.” She picked up her sword and thrust it into the back of Jacques Dupreé’s headless corpse as she walked towards Rayan. “If he valued you so much as he claimed, you wouldn’t be working all day in the hot sun awaiting his next orders. You wouldn’t have such a desire to revolt against him and neither would your sister.” Rayan remained motionless. You and your sister’s birth was a product of his cruelty and self-indulgence, we are lower than cattle in his eyes and there are others just like him who see us the same way.” “We could have at least given him a chance.” 

“Given him a chance?! A chance for what?! To escape and bring more of them back here to kill us all? Are you that simple?! We’ve wasted enough time speaking on a dead man. Let’s head back to the front where Allix and your sister are. Maudette and Rayan walked off and he turned back one last time to see the corpse of his father and wiped the preemptive tear from his eye. Cyrille and a few of the others dragged Josephine and her daughters out onto the middle of the courtyard. Josephine's entire being was riddled with fear as her former slaves surrounded her and her daughters Charlotte, Juliette & Arielle Rose. She yelped as she tried to hold her children close and attempt to break the circle, failing each time. “The crowd dispersed thinly enough for Allix and Delphine to walk through and approach them. “What do you vermin want?!” Allix and Delphine looked at each other before Delphine spoke. “What we want?! You ask us what we want as if you are in a position to give us what we want.” “What we want is to be slaves no more. What we want is for you and your surviving kin to leave and never return here.”

“You expect us to leave the only home we’ve ever known, for what?! So you animals can ravage our home like the savage beasts that you all are?!” Josephine held her daughters close. “Even in the face of certain death, you are unfathomably arrogant.” Allix blinked twice and turned to face Delphine with a furrowed brow. “Delphine, may I have a quick word.” Delphine’s signature scowl was chiseled on her face as the two women commenced a private counsel. “I hope you’re not going to be foolish enough to even think about letting them live?!” “Look, Jacques and his men are dead and I couldn’t live with taking the life of innocent children, especially in front of their mother.” They looked at Josephine and her children, even in the face of certain death she carried an air of arrogance intermingling with her heightened sense of fear. It infuriated Delphine, but she kept her emotions withheld internally… she always did.

“That woman is no mother, she is just as wretched as her husband if not more. She is a part of those who have stolen our ancestors from our true home for over a hundred years. If we let any of them live, we will die. Simple as that.” As the women were speaking, Charlotte Dupreé inconspicuously slid her rosary from her wrist to her hand and tightly clenched it as she whispers in the youngest Dupreé’s ear. “There has to be another way Delphine.” “There is none, they brought this reckoning on themselves, Allix. I thought you of all people would understand.” Allix huffed in defeat as her and Delphine walked up to the huddled women on the floor of the main court. “End of the Dupreé bloodline begins with your deaths tonight.” Delphine’s fangs became exposed as she approached the terrified women. 

“YOU FILTHY, LOW BRED NIGGERS ARE NOTHING BUT GODLESS SAVAGES! YOU THINK KILLING US WILL BRING YOU FREEDOM, BUT YOU WILL ONLY BRING YOU ALL CLOSER TO DEATH! MUCH QUICKER IF YOU LET THAT HALF-BREED BASTARD WHORE LEAD YOU! YOU ALL ARE NOTHING MORE THAN CATTLE AND YOU WILL ALL DIE LIKE CATTL–” Delphine backhanded Josephine with such ferocity her cheek was painted with her own blood as it was dripping from her face and mouth onto the floor. The assault caused her to cough up blood as her defenseless daughters watched in horror. “Don’t tempt me to kill you before you witness your children die.” Delphine coldly remarked while crouched in front of her face. As she got up she looked to see which offspring she would expire first. “Pick your most admired child Josephine.” “Delphi- '' Before Rayan could even attempt to convince his twin sister to reconsider, she grabbed a hold of Rayan and covered his mouth. “This is beyond you now, I best advise you to hush and stay out of my way.” Delphine sped back to the traumatized mistress of the plantation who was now sobbing. “Choose or I will.” She looked down at her and was still crying. “Alright then.” The Dhampir walked over around the children who were tightly together whimpering. “Is it Juliette?” She pulled back the hair of the middle child . The vein protruding from her neck made Delphine’s fangs grew in anticipation of her bloodthirsty revenge. 

“Please Delphine, don’t.” Josephine murmured. “Or will it be young Arielle?” Arielle screamed attempting to back away into her mother’s arms as Delphine approached her. “PLEASE DON’T HURT MY FAMILY!!! PLEASE!!!” “The little one it is.” “NOOOOOO!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!” Delphine ripped the child away. Causing Josephine to fall back, and she quickly attempted to grab Delphine’s pant leg with the last bit of strength she had, but it was fruitless as she dragged her youngest from her arms as the child wailed in perpetual fear. “You made your point Delphine, let her go!” Allix sped forward, blocking off Delphine. “Allix, move!” “I can’t let you spill this child’s blood Delphine.” “But it was okay to spill blood when your father was killed?!” “That’s different and you know it. They are no threat to us remember?” “Which is why this has to happen, now move!” With her free arm Delphine struck Allix in her abdomen and sent her flying across the room, her back hitting the wall with such force it shook the entire foundation of the mansion. While she was temporarily distracted, the eldest daughter Charlotte bolted up and struck Delphine in the face with her rosary. “TO HELL WITH YOU, CHILD OF SATAN!” Her skin sizzled the moment it came into contact with her skin. Delphine’s screams of pain can only be described as an inhuman echo as she released the young child’s hand to violently remove the accursed religious totem from her cheek. The child looked back tearful as Delphine grabbed Charlotte by the hair, exposed her neck and her mouth became unhinged as she took a deep monstrous bite into her and ripped her skin clean off, making her blood gush out splashing onto her mother and Charlotte’s younger sister Juliette as she continued ripping her in half and dropping her torn corpse on the floor, completely covering Delphine’s face with blood as well as a few other terrified slaves that witnessed the horror, except for Cyrille who seemed to be quite amused by the graphic sight. In turn, he appeared to reveal a smirk as he licked the blood off his lips.

A young Arielle Rose was frozen with tears from her eyes as she watched the life completely drained from her oldest sister’s body. Delphine wiped the blood from her face to her mouth and growled. “Bring her to me!” “COURIR PETIT COURIR!” Arielle took off running, terrified and soaked with her own sister’s blood on her nightgown. She ran as fast as she could out of the house as a few slaves chased after her onto the front lawn in the rain. Arielle fought back her tears and fatigue as she tried to escape from the angry onslaught chasing after her into the woods with sticks and pistols. She tripped over a fallen branch and quickly got up and kept running. She was now covered with blood, mud and dead leaves as it was still raining. She ended up by a wide lake between her and the next patch of land. She cried as she felt that her fate was sealed, but then she remembered that her father taught her how to swim a few summers ago. She bravely eased into the water, when she heard the vengeful horde approaching she took a deep breath as she submerged herself into the water. “We seen her go this way!” one of the male slaves remarked. “No, the girl went that way!” the female slave rebutted. “You don’t know shit woman!” “Hush your mouth! She can’t have gone far.” The group moved away from the river and when she felt it was she thought the coast was clear she sprung up from the water gasping for air. The small child kept kicking her legs under the water to stay afloat while she looked around before she swam to the other side.

She swam to the other side of the river and when she got out she was cold, wet, frightened, & limping into the thick forest hoping to find help to save her mother and surviving sister. Back at the mansion, Josphine was sobbing on the ground looking at the final remnants of her last daughter Juliette being drained from her neck by Delphine & Rayan on both sides. Her daughter took her last breath on the cold hard floor, Josephine was overcome with inconsolable grief. She continued to sob loudly on the floor. As Delphine and her newly turned brother arose from the floor she replied. “Good, next time I’ll teach you how to feed and not fully drain.” Rayan nodded and wiped the young girl’s blood from his mouth. “So what now? What do we do with her?” He motioned toward a distraught and spirit broken Josephine. “Stand her up.” The few remaining male slaves lifted Josphine off the ground by her arms as she became hysterical and was screaming trying to get away. The female slaves dragged away the remains of Charlotte and Juliette from the floor with their blood smearing the floor. “Delphine?” The search group for Arielle returned. “What is it?” “The child has escaped.” “WHAT?! How hard is it to find one small child?! She’s the only non colored person for several miles!” “We searched all of the woods and couldn’t find her.” “THEN SEARCH HARDER!” Delphine launched the large man across the room and knocked him out.” Then Josephine started laughing, with each passing moment her laughing grew louder. Delphine furrowed her brow & walked closer to her as the bloodstained woman cackled an echo through the now emptied mansion. “Do I amuse you Josephine?” “Well quite frankly, you do.” she chuckled out a sentence as blood poured down her pale cheek. “How incompetent do you have to be, to not be able to find one six-year old girl?” she smiled and shook her head. “Y’know, I thought I was worried… I actually thought my whole family was going to die right in front of me, but then I realized you are all a bunch of dim-witted, Godless, vile, niggers, that are lower than the dirt beneath my feet!” her voice projected throughout the home. “And you Delphine… Oh you are the most pathetic and idiotic of them all! You had to sell your own soul in order to stand up to me. And Rayan, I thought you were the smart one. But following your sister into an oblivion of her own selfish making will ultimately be your undoing.” “You speak very boldly for a woman that’s about to die.” “At this point, I am speaking to the dead and soon to be dead. How long before you all go without food? Water? Clean clothes? You are nothing without us!” “On the contrary, we know everything we need to survive and protect ourselves, because our ancestors are always with us. And your death and soon enough Arielle’s death will only seal any loose ends in maintaining our freedom.” Josephine scoffed. 

“The only difference between where you all are now and your ‘freedom’ is from those run down shacks to this house. None of you have anywhere to go. If you leave, you’ll only end up captured and hanged by the local authorities, because when my daughter comes back with reinforcements and trust me she will; you all will be skinned alive, the men will be castrated and then you will all hang and be burned and you will pray to GOD that you die before the flames ignite! You’re nothing but an occult WHORE just like your wench of a moth-” With one violent strike Delphine thrust her entire arm into the womb of Josephine Dupreé, she started smiling as her life started fading away. Delphine felt something move inside of her hand so she took it out and saw that she had a small canine looking creature moving around. “What in the hell is this?!” “The end...of you all…” Josephine exhaled after she spoke her last words and then died as her blood continued to stain the white marble floor. Delphine looked at the small creature moving around and became quickly unnerved about its existence. Rayan placed his hand on her shoulder looking over her. “Can we eat it?” “What, no! We don’t know what it is or if it is safe to eat!” “Place it in the woods, the wild animals will help nature run its course.” “Good idea, help clean her up and we’ll look for the child again in the morning.” “What about the sun?” “I’ll help you two deal with that, now go.” Rayan sighed as Delphine left the plantation after the rain cleared with her clothes still soaked with Dupreé blood with the strange creature in her arms. It moved around and then bit Delphine’s arm. “Ow! You little bastard!” Delphine violently threw the creature into the thick of the woods where she heard it cry out and then several howls echoed from every wooded area around the plantation. A nervous Delphine, looked all around for any sign of a threat. “The wolves will have you.” She spoke under her breath, then quickly ran back to the plantation. A very large wolf stood in front of the crying animal-like creature, the wolf then turned into a human and picked up the injured creature and looked briefly at the plantation before he calmly walked off deep into the woods.

[abdicatedarchive]

Strip Truth or Dare

SETTING: the girls lobby had been vacant of chaperones all night. Nana knew the kids deserved to have some actual fun, and she convinced the other chaperones to either go to bed early or go to the bar in town with her to have some fun and stay out for the evening.

@kellyfitz @rileysteele @chrysolites @asherxblake @antoniologan @gabriellehale @jessekxller @hotmess-lex @drunkcn @kaiidaniels @heartbreakzack @kalidoscpe @theodore-kennedy @missrory @romeoxthowlett

ORDER: kelly riley chanel wren asher rose marina antonio stevie juliette gabrielle chase jonah jesse // lexi kelly riley chanel wren devyn asher rose marina kai antonio caleb zac olivia gabrielle chase theo jonah rory jesse romeo

Wren: "Nose goes" said Wren as everybody put their finger on their nose for who had to go first. "Kelly, sorry my dude. But you are going first" Wren said with a smile. He was glad it wasn't him, but he knew he'd be up before he knew it anyways. "So, truth or dare?"

Kelly: "Ah Damn it" Kelly said shaking his head. "Uh, Daree"

Chase: Chase was coming in clutch for Riley, "I dare you and Riley to switch shirts for the rest of the game" dared Chase, "or you can strip in general by not doing it" he teased.

Kelly and Riley: Kelly couldn't help but smile at the dare. He had a run in with riley the previous night and they really connected. "Sure, I'll switch, but I dunno if her blouse will fit me" Kelly pointed out as he took off his shirt. Riley didn't mind either, "It stretches." She said with a smile as she pulled her shirt off and swapped with Kelly. "So Riley, Truth or Dare?" The boy questioned. "Truth." She replied. "Ever have a crush on a professor?" Riley nodded. "Of course, The gym teacher back in freshman year. The young one." She said. "Nel, truth or dare?"

Chanel: "Dare." Chanel said with a big smile on her face, she always enjoyed a good game of truth or dare. "Make it good please." she said out to the group with a single nod.

Riley: Riley smiled, "Give the person sitting across the circle from you a hickey."

Chanel: Chanel looked across from her to see Stevie and Juliette and the choice was obvious. Chanel got up and sat next to Stevie, "Excuse me." she said to Juliette. She pushed Stevie's hair off her shoulder and began to suck on the girl's neck. Stevie was just trying to show no emotion because, ya know... Once she was finished, Chanel winked at Stevie and went back to her spot, "You're welcome, hun." Stevie looked over at Juliette for a quick second before looking around the room. "You're next, babe! Truth or dare?" she asked Wren

Juliette: Juliette showed no emotion, but on the inside she was a whole ass mess. She just sat there and smiled and woo'd and oohed with everybody else.

Wren: Wren didn't have to think about it, but he was definitely a big weenie and a truther through and through. "Uh" he said like he was actually thinking about choosing between the two. "Truth?"

Chanel: Chanel remembered Chase brining up how he already knew about the lil nutting incident, so she wondered what else they talked about in there, "You guys ever talk about me in your group chat?" she asked Wren with an innocent smile, looking over at the rest of simp nation.

Jesse: Jesse looked away from this intense moment

Wren: Wren quickly made eye contact with Stevie and then Jesse and then Jonah and then Chase, "... pretty often" said Wren looking over to her and giving her a dorky smile. "Only positive things, mostly advice" he added before quickly moving on. "Asher, truth or dare?"

Asher: Asher had a coy smile as Wren asked him. "Dare baby, and if you dare me to kiss you, I already accept." He said winking at wren

Wren: "Choose someone to draw a tattoo on your butt" said Wren with a laugh, he was not about to dare Asher to kiss the person he was most attracted to here. No matter what it would be a shit show.

Asher: Asher looked around the room, "Chanel." He said with a smile, maybe just to piss Wren off. "Tat my ass please."

Chanel: Chanel smiled at Asher, and grabbed the pen that Juliette brought. "With pleasure." she pulled down Asher's pants and wrote "Property of Thee Chanel Hampton" on his ass with a proud smile on her face. "Perfect"

Asher: Asher was loving this, "Thanks babe." He said tossing a wink at her. "Alrighty, Rosie, Truth or dare, princess."

Rose: Rose bit her lip and thought about it for a second, "Dare" she said confidently. She wasn't afraid of a challenge.

Asher: Asher shrugged. "Really thought you would strip." He said with a laugh, Antonios eyes went wide. "m-me?" He said before looking for at marina. He got up and sat in the chair

Marina: Marina stared at Asher for a second, she didn't care how pissed off she looked. You've just made an enemy for life, sir. she thought to herself.

Rose: Rose saw Marina's face and decided not to, she really didn't like being defeated. Her competitiveness had completely taken over. She sat down on Antonio's lap and didn't move at all and just took her shirt off and threw it at Asher, "happy?" she said to Asher, still annoyed. She got up quickly and sat back down. She did not like losing games at all, and now her fucking shirt was off.

Asher: Antonio and asher played football together at east wood and now white lake, so asher heard all about what Marina did to him, ghosting him out of the blue. "Lighten up babe, its just a game. And I though... I though you guys broke up months ago." he spoke to marina

Asher: Asher smiled before he passed her the bottle of fireball. "The queen deserves a shot." He said before leaning over. "Don't pout, you are stunting on all these bitches right now." Asher said to rose.

Antonio: Antonio sat back down on the floor rubbing his head.

Marina: Marina narrowed her eyes at Asher and didn't say a word.

Rose: Rose took a swig of fireball, "Don't call women bitches" said the girl taking another chug. "Rina, truth or dare?" she said using their sister intuition and some eyebrow movements. The mood was really: let's fucking go.

Marina: Marina nodded once Rose said not to call women bitches. That's her girlie. She gave her sister a look, she knew what the fuck was up. "Hmm," she acted like she was deep in thought. "Dare."

Rose: "Sister dearest, I dare you ... to slap Asher Blake" said Rose with a big smile on her face, giggling before sucking on her teeth. What a good day to be the two of them.

Marina: "Oh my god, Rosie! You're so crazy. Well a dare is a dare." Marina smiled back at her sister and walked up to Asher and warmed up her hand. "I'm so sorry about this." she said with a sarcastic frown before slapping him hard across the face.

Rose: "Aw baby, do you want your fireball?" said Rose taking another pull before passing it back to him.

Asher: When Asher heard Roses words he told himself to take it like a man. And up until she was pulling back thatse were his intentions, but habit kicked in. Asher flinched really hard and threw his hands up but she still go him. Now he was pretty embarrassed, why did he have to flinch. Although his mind was going to a milion dark places, he still managed to get out a smile. "Thanks babe." He said taking the bottle and chugging, because thats what you got to do, drink the pain away. "I'll be back in a few. Nature calls. Got to waz."

Marina: Marina sat back down, and looked over at Antonio, "Truth or dare?"

Antonio: Antonio nodded. "Okay." He said before getting up and headed out. After a minute or two he returned. "Where is the shot?"

Marina: Marina was not going to give him any kind of dare involving anyone else cause duh, but she also wasn't sure what kind of dare to actually give. She hated this game already. "Um, leave the room and we'll pour a mystery shot for you, you can guess after you take it."

Antonio: Antonio nodded. "Okay." He said before getting up and headed out. After a minute or two he returned. "Where is the shot?"

Everyone had pitched in a little bit of alcohol into a shot glass, who was to say what it had in it. But it would most definitely taste bad.

Juliette: Juliette was the last to have it, "Here you go" she said sweetly as she handed him the shot.

Antonio: "Thank you," Antonio said politely before he took the shot, a face of disgust appeared. "Is that... Jac-no. I don't know." Antonio looked at Stevie, "Truth or dare" He said with a smile

Stevie: Stevie thought about it and noticed no one had done truth in a while, so why not, "Truth for me."

Antonio: Antonio had a soft smile as he spoke. “What’s your biggest fear.” He said keeping it simple

Stevie: "Dude, that's deep." Stevie sighed and knew the answer, it was just sort of awkward to say out loud, "I guess not being good enough.. Stupid, I know." she looked over at Juliette and forced a smile. "Truth or dare, Hastings?"

Juliette: Juliette wanted to hold her hand so badly, it hurt her. "Truth too, but don't ask me what I'm scared of because it's everything" she joked, trying to take the attention off Stevie, something she had never done for anyone ever. She did not like attention.

Stevie: Stevie made sure to give Juliette a harmless question, "What's your guilty pleasure?" she asked with a friendly smile.

Juliette: "Snacks for sure" replied Juliette, what a nice harmless question. "Gabrielle, truth or dare?" she asked.

Gabrielle: Gabrielle wanted to take it easy this round, “truth.” She said with a smile

Juliette: "What talent do you have that's embarrassing to share?" asked Juliette, trying her best to be interesting.

Gabrielle: Gabrielle looked at her. “Um.. nothing I don’t think? Nothing embarrassing at least to be honest. At least I don’t think.. nothing comes to mind.” She said a bit stumped. “Chas truth or dare.”

Chase: "Dare" said Chase with a smile.

Gabrielle: “Dance for one minute with no music.” She said with a smile.

Chase: Chase absolutely danced, no music. Just a little routine. "Jonah" he said with a smile as he finished up and sat back down, "Truth or dare, my guy"

Jonah: Jonah didn't have to put much thought into this decision, "Truth, my guy."

Chase: "Do you think that Obi-wan had the hots for Padme?" asked Chase, he was not going to give him a hard hitting question right now, especially after his conversation with him earlier. He wasn't scouting for any information.

Jonah: Jonah was glad Chase gave him an easy question, "Dude, obviously. We all know there was something going on between them." he nodded before looking over at Jesse. "Alright, truth or dare bro?"

Jesse: “Give me a dare bro”

Jonah: "Awesome, I dare you to go vegan for the next week." Jonah gave his brother a thumbs up. "I believe in you."

Jesse: Jesse let out a fat laugh, almost hysterical. “Pass. Chicken nuggets and Mac and cheese is just to good.” He said with a smile. For his striping, he took off his shoes.

Jonah: "Weenie." Jonah sighed and shook his head.

Jesse: “Weenie, another name for hot dog which I enjoy eating.”

Jesse/Kelly/Riley: “Kelly truth or dare” kellly smiled. “Dare.” Jesse looked between Riley and kelly. “I dare you to kiss the person you are most attracted too in this room.” Kelly smiled before pulling Riley into a kiss. Riley blushed and kissed him back. “Riley truth or dare.” “Dare” kelly smirked. “I dare you to kiss me again.” Riley pulled him in close and gave him another kiss. “Chanel truth or dare.”

Chanel: "Truth this time, why not?" Chanel raised her shoulders as she smiled at Riley.

Riley: Riley smiled, “tell us something you really want to try in bed, something you haven’t done before.”

- Juliette and Stevie left - 

Chanel: Chanel was truly stumped with that one, "Something I haven't done before? Uhhhh, ooh! I'm down for someone else to take control. I'm always doing all the work, I don't mind getting my shit wrecked for once." she raised her eyebrows at Wren and smiled. "You know what I mean?" she asked before patting his shoulder, "Anywayyys, truth or dare?"

Wren: Wren was on a whirlwind of emotions, now she wanted him to be in charge? He never shoulda pushed her up against the lockers that one time, it changed her. "Dare" said Wren, not even thinking about it. Then he realized what he had said.

Chanel: Chanel thought about a dare for a second, "Ooh! I dare you to send me a nude, please!" she said with a smile. She wouldn't usually ask for that from him because of how he feels about his body, but maybe asking for it would show him that she take interest in his body.

Wren: Wren rolled his eyes playfully at her, "Oh I see how it is" said Wren getting up, luckily he was feeling a little loosey goosey from drinking and was more than willing to participate. Wren went to the bathroom and sent Chanel a great picture without his face in it. Wren came back and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Dare complete" he said with a smile. "Okay devyn, truth or dare?"

Devyn: devyn didn't know why she was playing this game, party games never really worked out in her favor but there she was, up at the next turn. her attention turned to wren, exhaling heavily. "um," she drew the word out, "truth, i guess."

Wren: Wren was kinda at a loss for a question, so he just went with the first intrusive thought in his head, "have you ever been in love?" he asked, the poor sentimental sap that he was.

Devyn: devyn couldn't help but laugh at his question but only because she was afraid it was going to be a lot worse than it was. it wasn't that bad though, it was something she could totally answer. "no," she shook her head, "i've never been in love." it was the truth to her, anyways. she looked over to rose, a smirk starting to form. "rose... truth or dare?"

Rose: Rose sadly already had her sweater off and just her bralette on, so she probably shouldn't choose dare again, but she liked being challenged. It was a horrible trait to have, "Dare" she replied confidently.

Devyn: 

Rose: Rose pulled up her phone, "Here are my last five photos everybody, they're all of me and Caleb ice skating, very cute" she said showing off the phone like a slideshow, "Sorry there's nothing spicy, can't say the same thing about Chanel's camera roll after that last dare" Rose joked. "Marinaaaa, truth or dare" she asked her sister.

Marina: Marina looked over at her sister and smiled, "Dare."

Rose: Rose was just giggling before she even spoke, "I dare you to give Antonio a wet willy in the ear"

Asher: asher returned to the circle and took a seat

Marina: Marina laughed along with Rose and scoots over to Antonio and gave him a wet willy. "Sorry." she spoke softly before sitting back down in her spot. "Okay Kai, truth or dare?"

Kai: Kai shrugged playing with his hair, he wasn't really the truth or dare type but he didn't see anything wrong with participating." Dare." he said proudly not going to truth which was his usual choice.

Marina: Marina looked around the room and back at Kai, "I dare you to makeout with the hottest person in the room." she said with a smile, there were a ton of good options. So many hot people.

Kai: Kai whole face turned red at the dare. He wasn't a virgin but he had only been with people preapproved by his parents.Kai stood up and walked over to Riley and bent down and kissed Riley. 

Riley: Riley blushed a bit as Kai had chosen her. She gave him a small kiss back.

Kai: “ok ant truth or dare”

Antonio: "I'll take a dare"

Kai: "Ok I dare you to go up to the person of your choice and give them a lap dance."

Antonio: Antonio scratched his head. If he didnt pick Marina she would prob be mad, but there was a chance she might be mad if he did. "I'll pass." He said as he took off his shirt. "Caleb, truth or dare?"

Caleb: caleb's face started turning bright red as he smiled wide, looking over to rosemary and then back to antonio. "uh- short skirts... neck kisses and... begging." he felt so embarrassed answering that but it was better than having to strip. "zac, truth or dare?"

Antonio: What are your top three turn-ons?" Antonio asked his friend

Caleb: caleb's face started turning bright red as he smiled wide, looking over to rosemary and then back to antonio. "uh- short skirts... neck kisses and... begging." he felt so embarrassed answering that but it was better than having to strip. "zac, truth or dare?"

Zac: Zac clapped at the others answer. "Thats what i'm talking about man." he said happily."Truth for me."

Caleb: knowing that zac was spending time with jada, the fact that caleb was jealous, he wanted to ask what zac's intentions were with her but he also knew that'd make him look bad in front of rosemary. he sighed heavily, going for something more cliche. "in your opinions, who is the hottest girl we go to school with?"

Zac: "Aww man that's hard." he sighed shaking his."I can't pick." It's not that he couldn't pick it's he didn't want the guys feeling a way of he picked their crush or girlfriend or whatever." I'm gonna say Sadie though."

Riley: Riley reached over and touched chanels are as she gave her a look, hoping chanel would think of her sadie and rileys halloween interaction. 

Zac: "Ok Olivia, truth or dare." he sat back

Chanel: Chanel pouted her lips, she couldn't act like she was offended that she wasn't picked but she was. She was a goddamn delight. She gave Riley a look when he said Sadie. "Yuck." she whispered

Olivia: as it was her turn, the blonde female bit her bottom lip & thought about it for a good second or so. "uhhhh," she glanced over at jesse and laughed, before she turned to look at zack with a grin on her lips. wanting to go easy at first, olivia decided to go with something considered more safe. " truth."

Zac: "Ok Fuck Marry Kill any three people here but you can't pick the same person for more than one." he looked at her and winked.

Olivia: "ohhhh, okay, good one. umm..." olivia bit her bottom lip as she thought about it and she rolled her eyes, "well, i'd fuck marina because she's hot, marry the love of my life jesse & kill kelly, because i don't know him. nothing against you bud!" olivia spoke and smiled softly at him. turning to look at gabrielle, the grin on her lips widened, " what about you, sweetheart? truth or dare?" 

Kelly: "Hey!" Kelly protested, though he laughed it off. "I'll take a truth." Shee said with a small smile

Marina: Marina gave a wink at Olivia, "Good choice. I'd gladly accept."

Olivia: "nothing against you, sweetcheeks!" she replied and laughed, before focusing on kelly again, " truth... what is the naughtiest you've done in public?" she asked and giggled as she took a sip of her drink.

Gabrielle: Gabrielle smiled. "Hooked up with Chase in a public bathroom a few weeks ago, but that aint the only time we done that."

Olivia: "well, well, well..." olivia said and grinned as she looked over at chase, " didn't know ya had that in ay," she said and grinned teasingly, sticking her tongue out at him. 

Gabrielle: "Well you were there." She said with a laugh. "Chase truth or dare?"

Chase: "Truth" said Chase, because he had already seen what Gabrielle's dares looked like.

Gabrielle: "Tell me something you lied to me about." She said as she looked at him.

Chase: "That is a great question" said Chase, trying to think of any time he had lied to Gabrielle, "Well there's the time Chanel and I told you that we slept together, but you already knew about that. So thank you everybody for your time". Chase turned to the person next to him, "Theo, truth or dare?" asked Chase. 

Theodore: Theodore looked around the room before deciding. "I think I'm going to go with truth this time." 

Chase: Chase threw him an easy one, "Are you trying to get back with your ex?" he asked, he was just curious. How was the guy going to date when he had a kid?

Gabrielle: Gabrielle gave him a look, she didn't want something she already knew about but she was fine with the answer

Theodore: Theodore scowled at the question he was asked. "God no! I only go to her place to see the kid. That relationship wasn't great. Who's next? Jonah! Truth or dare?"

Jonah: Jonah was nervous about either options, he wasn't even sure why he was playing this game. "Uh, dare please." he said since he already went with truth last time.

Gabrielle: GAbrielle raised a brow, "You have a kid?" She said nicely. "I give you props, that sounds really hard."

Theodore: Theodore didn't know what to pick so he went with something easy enough to do. "Alright! I dare you to kiss the person you like most in this room."

Jonah: Truth or dare was terrible, he looked around the room and quickly took off his shirt without thinking. "Sorry, gonna weenie out on this one." he forced an awkward laugh. Jonah then turned to Rory and hoped his face wasn't too red, "Uh, truth or dare?" he asked.

Jesse: "Dam Jo, you working out or something." Jesse said nudging his brother.

Rory: Rory looked at him with a raised brow, before rolling her eyes." Dare please." she said confidently.

Jonah: Jonah hit his Jesse's lightly, and crossed his arms, "Um. I dare you to read out the last text message on your phone." he said, hoping he didn't put her in too much of an uncomfortable position. 

Rory: Rory pulled out her phone and clicked on her messages, she remembered the last person on her phone and instantly regretted it. "It says : Just try to actually seduce him, like use actual sex appeal. I swear you twins have learned nothing living in this house. Flaunt it but don't get pregnant."

Wren: Wren started laughing and clapping, "God, I love Nana"

Rory: "Shut up." she rolled her eyes at her twin before going on."Jesse...Truth or dare?"

Jesse: Jesse looked at his brother before taking out his phone and sending a quick text to the simps. "I'll take a dare."

Rory: "I dare you to run down the hallway screaming I love Olivia twice>"

Jesse: Jesse stood up with a smile before he dashed down the hall way. "I love Olivia!" He said and he ran back repeating it. As he came back he slipped because he was in his socks and laughed. "Romeo, truth or dare?"

Olivia: the blonde laughed softly and shook her head as jesse ran down the hallway, screaming "i love olivia" before slipping as he came back, because he was in his socks. "what an idiot," she said lovingly.

Romeo: Romeo hadn’t played a game of truth or dare in ages so this was all new to him. “I’ll take a dare please.” 

Jesse: Jesse smiled, "impersonate someone of your choosing and keep it up till your next turn."

Romeo: “Gotta chose Asher then, right?”   Romeo said as he wrapped his arms around the next people next to him. He leaned from side to side to press a kiss to each of their cheeks. “Who’s next?”

Asher: Asher let out a laugh. "you ask lexi now"

Romeo: “Alright, Lexi. Truth or dare?”

Lexi: "I pick truth." the said pushing her ponytail over her shoulder.

Romeo: “Truth? Okay. What’s your worst sexual experience been like? You don’t have to add names if you don’t want too.”

Lexi: "I had someone cry like after we did it, it's a real humbling thing if i'm being honest." she shrugged."Kelly truth or dare?"

Gabrielle: Gabrielle thought about asking if it was indi the time she walked in on them, but she was still saving that for a rainy day. 

Kelly: Kelly smiled. "Dare please."

Wren: "Do you want to get out of here?" said Wren to Chanel, feeling a little confident. He was tired of sitting here and didn't want to do another round.

Chanel: Chanel smirked at Wren and nodded her head, "Mhm! I think we deserve some alone time." she grabbed his hand and got up to leave.

Lexi: "I dare you to text three girls you would hook up with your corniest pick up line."

Wren: Wren took Chanel's hand and helped her up and they headed on out.

Kelly: Kelly raised a brown, "Corniest? You want me ter send them corn?"

Lexi: "What are you serious? No not corn. Like lamest"

Kelly: "Oh." Kelly rolled his eyes at the girl before sending out three texts. 

[petrichara]

My favourite book recommendations!

These books have all impacted me for a certain reason, each in a different way. I cannot recommend them enough.

1- ‘Falling Into Place’ by Amy Zhang

Blurb:

‘One cold fall day, high school junior Liz Emerson steers her car into a tree. This haunting and heartbreaking story is told by a surprising and unexpected narrator and unfolds in nonlinear flashbacks even as Liz's friends, foes, and family gather at the hospital and Liz clings to life.’

Why this impacted me:

I cried. I cried for Liz, for myself, for everyone in the world. I cried and I cried and I cried. It’s such an unusual book- it’s written in a non-linear style, and told by a narrator with an unknown identity. For so long I refused to tell anyone about this book because it was ‘mine’, but it really is beautiful. The prose is stunning, the plot is incredible, and it definitely gives you a new perspective. It does deal with many sensitive topics so a content warning is in place, and it’s a mature book, but it’s done well. It gave me hope, and it has stuck with me for that reason ever since.

Quote that stayed:

‘I watched her carve her mistakes in stone, and they arranged themselves around her. They became a maze with walls that reached the sky. Because she learned from so few of them, she was lost. Because she didn’t have faith in anything, she didn’t try to find a way out. I watched her try to face her fears alone, too proud to ask for help, too stubborn to admit she was afraid, too small to fight them, too tired to fly away.’

2- ‘We Were Liars’ by E. Lockhart

Blurb:

‘We are the Liars.

We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.

We are cracked and broken.

A story of love and romance.

A tale of tragedy.

Which are lies?

Which is truth?’

Why this impacted me:

The goddam plot twist. I got to the last page, in tears, and had to go right back to the beginning and read it again. Beautifully written with an incredible, awakening plot with such an amazing message. ‘We Were Liars focuses on the theme of self-acceptance, family morals, and the possibly-deadly consequences of one's mistakes.’ The prose is exquisitely written and absolutely gorgeous- almost poetry. I love all of the main characters; they’re multidimensional, real, flawed and loveable. Easy to emphasise with and love. Just such a well-written book that I come back to time and time again.

Quote that stayed with me (one of dozens):

‘Now, he was free to go forth and make a name for himself in the wide, wide world.

And maybe,

just maybe,

he'd come back one day,

and burn that

fucking

palace

to the ground.’

3- ‘The sky is everywhere’ by Jandy Nelson

Blurb:

‘Beautiful, funny and heartfelt, The Sky Is Everywhere is about love and forgiveness. Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life – and suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two boys. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow; the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding...’

Why this impacted me:

It understood how I was feeling. The walls of Lennie’s life collapsed around her when her sister died, and she perfectly describes what it is like to be lying in the wreckage of the destruction of a life. So how do you rebuild yourself? This book describes it accurately. The poetry this book contains is also just remarkably astonishing. It grounded me when I felt like I was going to float off and join Icarus as he floated to the sun.

Quote that stayed:

‘How will I survive this missing? How do others do it? People die all the time. Every day. Every hour. There are families all over the world staring at beds that are no longer slept in, shoes that are no longer worn. Families that no longer have to buy a particular cereal, a kind of shampoo. There are people everywhere standing in line at the movies, buying curtains, walking dogs, while inside, their hearts are ripping to shreds. For years. For their whole lives. I don't believe time heals. I don't want it to. If I heal, doesn't that mean I've accepted the world without her?’

4- ‘Love Letters To The Dead’ by Ava Dellaira

Blurb:

‘It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person - any dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain - he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May - so maybe he'll understand a bit of what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people - Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart... it's like she can't stop. (..) But much as Laurel might find writing the letters cathartic, she can't keep real life out forever. The ghosts of her past won't be contained between the lines of a page, and she will have to come to terms with growing up, the agony of losing a beloved sister, and the realisation that only you can shape your destiny.’

Why this impacted me:

It made me feel something. Yes, I cried. And yes, it had me staring at a wall for over an hour after reading it because I was feeling too much. It’s very real about the struggles of grief, homophobia, growing up, loss, and finding who you are after your world is destroyed. It’s just very real. That’s all I need to say, it’s real. And I think everyone who is dealing with personal demons will relate to the story this book wonderfully told. (Again, content warning is needed.)

Quote that stayed:

‘What I told you about saving people isn't true. You might think it is, because you might want someone else to save you, or you might want to save someone so badly. But no one else can save you, not really. Not from yourself. [...] You fall asleep in the foothills, and the wolf comes down from the mountains. And you hope someone will wake you up. Or chase it off. Or shoot it dead. But when you realize that the wolf is inside you, that's when you know. You can't run from it. And no one who loves you can kill the wolf, because it's part of you. They see your face on it. And they won't fire the shot.’

5- ‘Shatter Me’ by Tahereh Mafi

Blurb:

‘I have a curse

I have a gift,

I am a monster

I'm more than human,

My touch is lethal

My touch is power,

I am their weapon

I will fight back.

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.’

Why this impacted me:

Guys. This is my favourite book series of all time. I have cried just talking about it because I love it so much. The prose? The plot? The characters? The dialogue? The description? The twists? The message? The diversity? The representation? Absolute perfection. My OTP is in this series. My whole life is this series let’s be honest. It’s such a refreshing read. A dystopian series and the best dystopian series I’ve read. Read it. Read it. Read it.

Quotes that stuck with me (three of too many to count because I can’t choose just one):

‘The truth is a painful reminder of why I prefer to live among lies.’

‘His smile is laced with dynamite. "Go to sleep"

"Go to hell."

He works his jaw. Walks to the door. "I'm working on it.”’

‘Hope in this world bleeds out of the barrel of a gun.’

[mandibierly]

'Nashville' Stars Charles Esten and Hayden Panettiere Talk Juliette's Recovery and Deacon's Sex Scenes

Last week’s return of Nashville revealed many things, including that Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) is partially paralyzed after the plane crash (there’s hope for her to walk again someday because of movement in a toe), and that Deacon (Charles Esten) and Rayna (Connie Britton) will be making a concept album together that tells the tale of their storied relationship.

Esten and Panettiere shared a few more details during a recent visit to Yahoo TV.

Panettiere told us she had no idea how Juliette would begin Season 5 — assuming there’d be a Season 5 — when she shot last May’s finale. Even after producers decided not to use the alternate “happy ending” that was filmed (“I arrive at the airport and Avery’s standing there with Cadence, the violins play, and I run into his arms,” Panettiere remembers), she still didn’t know Juliette would be in a wheelchair.

Related: ‘Nashville’ Season 5 Premiere Recap: Back in Business

How much will the experience of the crash and the road to recovery change Juliette now? “The direction she chooses to go in, I was shocked,” Panettiere says. “And I think the audience will be, too. It opens a door for her, and she discovers this part of herself that is completely undiscovered. … Something awakens inside of her that was never there before, that is so un-Juliette. But that being said, it’s so important to keep Juliette’s insanity present and in the show. I’m like, ‘I can’t be this character unless we have these moments that fluctuate, where she can be this insane person in one second and then this very humble, grounded inspirational person in the next.'”

We’ll let you watch the video interview above to hear Esten discuss Deacon and Rayna’s healthy sex life, which is befitting of newlyweds. He and Panettiere had fun debating who works harder to get ready for those kind of scenes. Their banter continued when we quizzed them on personal trivia to see which one of them knows the other better…

What they can both agree on is that they’re loving the new season of Nashville. It’s not just that we’ll be hearing more singing and maybe even longer portions of songs. (“Sometimes we would have to get in and get out. That’s a little tricky because a song is like a story,” Esten says. “If I was to tell you a third of a story right now, you’d be like, ‘Oh… that was interesting.’ You want to let it go to the end.”) It’s that conversations between characters on the show can breathe now, too.

“Our scenes are actually longer,” Panettiere says. “They breathe. We have time to actually feel like we’ve told the full story. You can really gauge where the characters are and what they’re feeling. You see the character’s wheels turning, and they’re not saying anything at all.”

“I’m reading the script [for the Season 5 premiere], and there’s a scene where Rayna and I are just talking,” Esten says. “Then the next scene comes, and it’s us in another room of the house and we’re still just being together! It’s like, ‘Oh, wow, we get to go there.’ All these little intricacies, along with what Hayden was saying about the unspoken moments, just the looks — that’s the stuff that drew everybody to our show in the first place. I thought the way that Rayna started the whole season — instead of flying home, she took the backroads where she rediscovers this old music — was a very symbolic way of showing what [new showrunners Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick] are saying they’re doing with the show. We are now not flying like we were; we’re taking that symbolic backroad, and rediscovering the old music.”

Related: Review: ‘Nashville’ Is Back, Slowed Down and Passionate

Now all these co-stars need is some more screentime together. Panettiere has been a fan of Esten’s since she admittedly stalked him during the audition process. “I’m doing my audition for the show,” he says. “I do a couple scenes and I sing a couple songs. I come out the door and there’s nobody in that waiting room but Hayden basically with her ear to the door and going [claps fast]. I said, ‘Can you come to all my auditions and do that?'”

“And then I did,” Panettiere says, laughing.

“That was how we met,” Esten says. “I said, ‘All right, I’ll see you on the set.’ Then I kind of laughed because I was just blowing smoke, I was nowhere near getting that role at that point. Then we saw each other at the test. Then she said, ‘See you on the set.’ Then we showed up and we were in Nashville.”

Nashville airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on CMT.