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bbrandy2002 · 4 years

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Fearless

Chapter 2: Take My Hand And Drag Me Headfirst

Book: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairing: Prince/King Liam x MC (Riley Brooks), Drake Walker x OC (Alyssa Devereaux)

Series Premise: Riley Brooks and Alyssa Devereaux became best friends as freshmen at Syracuse University, a borderline-sisterhood that lasts forever after. When Riley meets a handsome prince and is asked to compete for his hand in a mysterious faraway kingdom, she invites Alyssa along for moral support.

What the girls think will be a crazy temporary adventure becomes two sets of happily ever afters … with twice the shenanigans to show for it.

A/N: This series is written in loving collaboration between @bbrandy2002 and @burnsoslow.

Series Warnings: Smut 🍋🍋, language, canon violence (gun violence, bombing, terrorism), drug use, probably more stuff as we think of it. By reading this series, you agree that you are at least 18 years old and are prepared to deal with adult themes.

Thank you @burnsoslow for the beta and putting some of your magical finishing touches where needed.

Chapter 3 will be written by @burnsoslow , I’m so excited for that!!

___________________________

Propped against the railing of the rear deck of a small tugboat in the middle of the Hudson River, the warmth of Liam’s arms wrapped around her from behind, Riley thought back to the words Daniel spoke to her earlier about fairytales and happy endings. Maybe it was the hope in his voice she needed to hear during a vulnerable moment to lift her spirits, but she was really starting to believe them herself.

The newly fired, down-on-her-luck Riley Brooks had left the Tapped Out Bar with a mysterious man that she plowed over during an escape from rats while taking out the garbage. A little while later, she accidentally attacked him again in the alleyway of her former employment with her sad little stick. They struck up a conversation, and through some awkward stalling on his part, he finally worked up the nerve to ask her out for a drink.

Riley wasn’t someone who normally took off with random guys she just met to flit about the city, but there was just something about Liam that was different -- that was special.

Call it intuition. An inclination. Instinct or inkling. Whatever it was, was a possibility. Of what? That remained to be seen.

After talking to his friends about his plans, and at her behest, the pair headed west on foot until they reached a busy late-night cafe that overlooked the choppy waters of the New York harbor. Sitting on the open deck, moonlight cascading off the ripples of the sea, a light jazz tune playing through the outdoor speakers, they talked for over an hour about everything and nothing, while sipping coffee and plucking at a large cinnamon roll they shared. It was the most Riley had spoken in a long time. When you live with and are friends with the more outgoing Alyssa, you learn to appreciate the fine art of listening. She spoke about her dads, her friends, places she traveled to and what not. All very light, casual conversation. Liam mentioned he had family, his country of origin, how much he was enjoying New York, but never revealed too much.

Not wanting to sound too whiny and pathetic, she stuck with the positive things in her life; she surprised even herself that there were a lot more than she realized. But he captivated her in a real way that made it so easy. Liam laughed with her and made her feel interesting and personable; maybe even desired.

And as the night carried on and the patrons of the cafe dwindled down, a Miles Davis tune began to play: “Blue and Green.” A bright smile tugged on the corner of Liam’s lips as he pushed his chair back and rose from the table to offer his hand. “My lady.”

Riley looked around the deck to see if anyone else was dancing -- they weren’t -- but how could she say no?

She didn’t want to say no.

Beside their little round table and under a string of hanging white pearly lights and garland, they slowly swayed together like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was chemistry in motion with every soft blare of the trumpet, rhythmic taps on the snare drum, and light pitter pats on a piano played in G major. The tempo was leisurely and elegant, creating the perfect ambience for the feelings that were stirring within them.

With her head resting snugly against his firm chest, the thrumming of his steadily-beating heart reverberating in her ear, Liam revealed, “I’m the Crown Prince of Cordonia, Riley.”

Never breaking their stride, Liam lifted one of her tiny arms in the air and twirled her around gracefully. Riley smiled up at him as they returned to formation; their hands intertwined between them. “And I’m one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

Liam laughed as they continued their gentle side-to-side movements. “I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not lying to you. Perhaps I should have been a little more upfront with you from the beginning, but I’m normally not allowed to go out without the Royal Guard.” He paused for a moment to lower her into a deep dip, sensually inhaling the perfumed scent around her decolletage, before pulling her back into his arms. “And I was only allowed out on the condition that I kept my identity a secret. But, just for one day … I wanted to be free.”

It was one of the most romantic nights Riley had ever experienced in her life, but as the music continued to play, their steps gliding in sync, she nuzzled her cheek against his firm body and responded, “You’re so full of shit.”

Liam pulled away, amused by her choice of words and disbelief. “After I told you all of that, you still think I’m lying?”

Riley shrugged. “I dunno.” She casually pulled out her chair under his watchful eye and sat down, crossing her legs. Lifting a coffee mug to her lips, she winced at its cold temperature, and the fact that she hated coffee. “So, I’m not really into the whole role-playing thing, but if you’re gonna be this ... Prince of Condomania, how about if I play the sultry villainess spy who comes to steal the treasures from your castle and you catch me in the act?” She batted her eyelashes and splayed her hands across her chest. “I will neva surrenda, Prince Liam. If you wont me, you’ll haf to take me right heya.” Riley animatedly flung her arms out and arched back over her chair.

Liam knit his brow. “What the hell kind of accent is that?”

Riley sat up and smiled proudly. “It’s Cajun. I have this friend and I really like how he talks; it’s so sexy. Do you think it sounded convincing at all? Maybe a little too nasally? You want me to try to do your accent next?”

With a grin, Liam shook his head and took the seat across from her. “You’re something else, you know that?”

She sighed. “That’s what they tell me.”

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Riley watched curiously as Liam pulled out his phone and began typing something on it. He held it out to her. “I want you to look at this, Cajun Villainess Spy. Tell me what you think?”

“Oh God, you’re gonna show me a dick pic, aren’t you?” Riley slammed her eyes shut as she reluctantly reached for his cell, but sort of peeked out one eye.

“Eh, no. That’s never really been my style.” He gestured insistently for her to look at the screen as he sat back and crossed his arms. “I think you’ll find everything you want to know about me right there.”

It only took her a second to study the images and gloss over the text he pulled up, but a satisfied smirk formed on Liam’s charmed features while watching her eyes grow larger. Riley jumped up from her chair, the momentum causing it to tip over. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a real prince?”

Liam guffawed, “I did!”

“No, you didn’t! You had I’m joking written all over your face. How was I supposed to know your serious face and your joke face look the same?” She tossed the phone back to him like it was molten iron scorching her palm. “I’d rather have the dick pic.”

After picking up her tipped-over chair and getting settled again, she took a moment to just process the identity of the man she had spent the last couple of hours talking and dancing with. Her real-life Prince Charming. This incredibly sweet, hot guy sipping coffee in front of her was part of a royal family, and she was an unemployed everything. What on earth possessed him to want to spend time with the likes of her?

She looked up from her fidgeting fingers that were picking at the green fabric covering her thighs and smiled softly at him. “I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just …”

“A lot to learn about someone? No, no, I get it. I probably would have had the same reaction if I were you.”

“So ... what happens now?”

What happened next was what led them to the boat they were on for an impromptu midnight ride to see the Statue of Liberty.

Liam laid out the details of his situation: He was a prince visiting New York City with his friends who were throwing him a last-minute bachelor party. Riley listened attentively while he explained his upcoming social season: not knowing yet who he was going to marry, but that duty required him to take a wife by the end of the year. He had hoped while he was in the city to visit its most famous statue; however, his friends hadn’t planned for it. Riley heard the disappointment in his voice and it tugged at her heart.

It was definitely too late to catch one of the many tours that traveled to Ellis Island during the day, but Riley was determined to do what she could to make it happen for him. Part of her was motivated by the fact that she liked him a lot and enjoyed his company; he was charming and refined, different from anyone she’d ever met. The longer she got to spend with Liam and got to know him, the better. But there was also this other part that felt sorry for him. Riley could see the struggle in his eyes and the weight on his shoulders between what he wanted to do, and what his position forced his hand to do. In her mind it was clear that Liam was the kind of guy who got everything -- except what he wanted.

In some ways, she knew the feeling.

To Liam’s surprise, Riley assured him she would find a way for him to see that statue. So, while he paid the tab, her mind raced with how the hell she was going to pull this off. And just before the actual possibility of having to hijack a vessel began to fully take shape in her mind, she pulled out her phone in one last-ditch effort to not break the law. Riley knew no one who owned a boat, but there was one person in her life that seemingly had a connection to everyone in the damn city.

Riley bit at her fingernails as the phone rang, glancing over her shoulder once to watch Liam paying the cashier. “Come on, come on. Pick up. Pick up.”

“Heyyyy!”

“Alyssa,” Riley whispered in an urgent tone into the phone, unclear whether her friend would even hear her over the party music and raucous chatter that was blaring in the background. “I need your help with something.”

“Riiiiley!” she slurred. “My bestie. My sister from another parents. I love you soooo much. More than everyone in the whole wide ... something. Hey, guys! Riley’s on the phone; say hi to her!”

“Wait, Lyss! No.”

A loud chorus of drunken greetings could be heard through the receiver as Alyssa held it up in the air.

“Alyssa!” Riley repeated in frustration while listening to her best friend start another conversation with a partygoer about the perfect symmetrical shape of the cheese cube she just ate. Apparently, it looked like a “tiny little house, for teeny, tiny little cheese people.”

Riley smacked her forehead. “Alyssa!”

Liam returned from paying the bill, his hands stuffed in his pockets and bouncing on his heels. He raised his eyebrows at Riley as if asking eagerly whether she was ready to head out on this adventure she told him she would make possible. Riley smiled back and raised a finger, indicating she’d be ready in a moment. Panic started to set in as she cursed under her breath and continued to try to get her friend back on the call. “Lyss.”

“Riley,” Alyssa laughed. “You’re still on the phone? No way! Hey, guys! Riley’s still on the phone. Say ‘hey’ to her!”

“NOO! Please, Alyssa, I need your help.”

“Whatcha need, Ri? You know I’ll do aaaanything for you.”

“Ok, do you remember when you caught our dorm room on fire senior year cooking ramen noodles in the microwave, and all my stuff burned up?”

“That checks. Sure.”

“Well, it’s time to pay up on that favor you said you’d owe me.”

Somehow, the planets must have been aligned just right, because a very inebriated Alyssa comprehended Riley’s request enough to talk to Damien about it and have it actually make sense. Luckily, the private detective knew a guy who drove a tugboat for the Port Authority working the night shift and was more than willing to see what he could do for Alyssa’s best friend.

-----------

Riley felt Liam’s arms tighten around her waist as the Statue of Liberty came into view. She had seen the landmark more times than she could remember in her life; perhaps she had become so accustomed to it being there that she took for granted how it would affect someone seeing it for the first time. It wasn’t until she twisted around in his arms to view his reaction, to see this beacon of freedom reflecting in his mesmerized eyes, that it all made sense. Liam was a beautiful man with a beautiful soul; if anyone deserved this moment to reflect on what it truly meant to embrace the freedom he longed for, it was him.

“What are you thinking, Liam?” She broke the silence.

He shook his head in wonderment. “It’s magnificent, Riley. I’ve heard art has meaning because of what it makes the viewer feel. Whether it’s ink splatters on a canvas or on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it only matters if it moves you.”

“And?”

Liam let out a sigh of contentment and lowered his gaze to her. “And right now, looking at this view with you … I feel like … anything is possible.”

“I feel that way too.” She slowly nodded, finding herself lost in his eyes, his voice, his embrace. Nothing in this moment mattered to her anymore: the long stream of bad luck, the crappy job she just lost, her epic failures at relationships. They all seemed to just wistfully fly out into the ocean and bury themselves below its sandy bottom.

Wrapped in each other's arms, surrounded by the salty sea air and a skyline full of hopes and dreams, Liam pulled her as close to himself as she would go, his other hand moving up to caress the side of her face. Both searched longingly into each other's eyes, waiting for the other to make that next big move.

Feeling an awakening of courage and fire in the depths of her fluttering stomach, she threw all fears and caution to the wind. Riley grasped on to the lapels of Liam’s jacket and gently lowered him to her eagerly awaiting lips.

The kiss was tender and brief, but magical; it left her spellbound. Riley could swear she floated out of her body and traveled into the clouds that blanketed above them and enveloped her wholly.

Liam rested his forehead on Riley’s; his hands reached down to grasp hers and swing freely alongside them. “You’re full of surprises tonight, Riley.”

“Is that before or after I knocked you out earlier?”

He chucked, rubbing the bump on the back of his head. “Both times. I’m certainly not sorry about either, though. I’ll never forget this night … or you.”

If you have a concussion, you might. She smiled up at him, “Me either.”

As their boat rounded the island, Riley took one last glance back at the statue that now represented so much more in her mind. Her gaze traveled across the expanse of the gleaming torch, down the long arm of the statue, over to the dim lights shining through the glass within the crown. Something caught her attention -- an odd movement -- and she couldn’t help but squint real hard to make out the image that was quite small from her vantage point. She tilted her head, trying to figure out what the hell she was seeing before it finally became clearer to her. She let out a loud gasp. “Oh my God!”

From behind, Liam leaned down next to her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked curiously, trying to match his view with her line of sight. “What are you seeing?”

Riley pointed up. “I see ass cheeks!” she replied in disgust. “And not just any ass cheeks … big, gigantic ones smooshed right up against the window. There’s two people up there just going at it and … oh, no wait, she just got turned around. Yep, yep, those look like boobies now. Who does that kind of thing, having sex where anyone could just see? And in the Statue of Liberty, of all places?”

Letting out a forced cough then clearing his throat, Liam squeezed Riley’s shoulders several times and laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, I know. Sick freaks, huh?”

The pair watched the display for a second longer than they should have before turning to look at one another, blushing and smiling sheepishly. Riley only hoped she played off her disgust well enough that he didn’t realize she was a sick freak too.

Liam looked away, hoping the same.

---------

It was well past midnight.The Brooklyn streets were mostly bare, with only the occasional late-night dweller cruising the sidewalks or a yellow cab making its weekend rounds. Just a stone's throw across the bridge, the city that never slept, with its flashing lights and bustling tourist, lay in deep contrast to this quiet residential district that was only lit up at that hour by street lamps and halogen headlights.

Riley considered where she lived to be a fairly safe neighborhood. Crime and lawlessness weren’t unheard of, but it was rare for that area. Like many women of her young age, walking alone in the dark wasn’t something she usually set out to do unless she had no other choice. That’s why when Liam insisted he accompany her the few blocks from where they finished their excursion to see her home safely, she was more than willing to oblige him.

“This is my stop. Home sweet home.” Riley stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led to the entrance of her building and turned to Liam. She looked more gleeful than she actually was.

He glanced up at the plain red brick building. It was nothing special, but he made a mental note of the address numbers over its clear glass entryway. He knew it was unlikely he’d ever see her again, but on the off-chance, maybe someday if he was ever in the neighborhood … no, he thought … there’s no point in going there. “I see that ...it’s nice.”

Riley looked at him with a hopeful expression. “I know you said you had an early flight in the morning, but … if you’d like to come up …”

“I wish I could, Riley. Trust me, I want to more than you know; however, the limo will be here soon with my friends, and ...” he swept a strand of blowing hair from her face, memorizing her every feature. “... I don’t want to make this harder on either one of us.”

Nodding, Riley gave a half-smile. “I understand.”

They stared at one another for a moment, hoping to prolong the inevitable. “Come here, you.” Liam pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. ”I can never thank you enough for everything tonight, Riley. I’m so glad I ran into you. Well ... actually you ran into me.” Riley let out a soft laugh that made his heart skip a beat. “You were the best part of my trip, Riley. I mean it.”

Before they knew it, the limo pulled up alongside the sidewalk in front of Riley’s apartment. Both felt a sinking feeling, knowing this was the end, and embraced a little tighter as the squeak of the limo’s brakes dulled and the awaiting engine ran in the silent backdrop.

Riley drew in a breath, the heels of her shoes tapping one another. “I guess this is goodbye?”

Frowning, Liam’s palms moved up to her face and rested along her jawline. “I’m afraid it looks that way.” He leaned down and kissed her gently, her arms winding around the back of his neck to hold him there for as long as she possibly could.

Knowing if he didn’t end it there, it never would, Liam broke their kiss, stroking his hand through her hair and said, “Take care, Riley.”

She smiled back. “You too, Liam.”

Not wanting to leave until he was sure she made it inside safely, Liam watched from the sidewalk while Riley slowly made her way up the concrete steps, scouring through her bag as she did so. When she reached the top, she stepped in front of the locked door, frantically digging and shaking her bag in search of the keys to get in.

“Everything okay up there?” Liam called up to her as she knelt down and started frantically tossing items from her purse, slamming them down next to her feet: wallet, cell phone, lip gloss, ink pens, breath mints, hand sanitizer, a half-eaten bag of skittles, a box cutter she didn’t know she had, a marshmallow bunny from Easter, Midol, tampons …

“Mother fuck,” she grumbled in frustration to herself before yelling back cheerfully, “Yes, just looking for my keys. They’re always at the bottom,” she laughed, trying to make light of it.

“They’re in your hand, Riley,” she heard him point out when she finally gazed down into her hand and slowly opened her palm. Liam let out a laugh when he saw her face twist up, realizing she had them the entire time.

“Get out of here. You said you didn’t want to make this harder.” Riley began stuffing everything back into her bag.

He continued to laugh as he threw his hands up and stepped away. “I’m going.”

As soon as she unlocked the door and walked inside to the lit-up entryway, she heard the limo pull away. Everything in her wanted to look back in hopes he’d stayed behind by some chance and was walking up those steps, approaching the door, wanting her to let him in. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; the greatest guy she’d ever met was gone, and the only way to see him again would require a Google search.

In her mind, though, she had made a prince’s dream come true. Maybe she wasn’t half bad after all.

In a huge way, Liam did the same for her. Too bad he would never know it.

___________

Riley opened the door and stepped inside her dark apartment, closing it behind her. After such a long day, feeling a little disheartened, all she wanted to do was slip into some comfy night clothes, wash her face, brush her teeth and crash until next week. Taking two steps away from the door, her foot caught on something and she went flying forward, landing with a hard thud to the floor.

It felt like the wind had been knocked right out of her chest when she hit the ground. “Son-of-a--?” She pushed herself up on her knees, shook out her sore hands, then reached over to flip the light switch on.

“Alyssa?” Riley whispered.

Lying on the ground, curled into a peaceful little ball, was her roommate, still in the same clothes she last saw her in, hands pressed together and tucked under her cheek like a sleeping cherub. Riley crawled over to Alyssa, swept her hair out of her face, and checked for breathing. The strong smell of alcohol emanated from her tiny sighs -- Alyssa wasn’t a heavy drinker.

Concerned, Riley jiggled her arm. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

An angelic murmur was the only answer to her question.

Not wanting to leave her on the floor, Riley stood up and bent down, her hands grasping both of Alyssa’s wrists before she pulled her down their hallway as gently as she could and stepped into her best friend's bedroom.

Huffing out of breath, she made it next to Alyssa’s bed. Riley crouched down and tried to lift her onto the mattress, but Alyssa was dead weight. Maybe she had no other choice but to leave her there.

Riley pulled a blanket and pillow from the bed, rolled Alyssa to her side, and got her as comfortable as she could. After placing a wastebasket next to her friend and leaving a bottled water on the night table, she patted her back. “I have so many things to tell you in the morning, Lyss. You’d be so proud of me.” Riley swallowed down the emotions that had threatened to escape since she realized Liam had left for good. Her voice broken and feeble, she continued, “I took that risk. I was fearless, just like you told me to be. It didn’t work out the way I had hoped, but …” she sniffled through a small smile, blinking back tears. “... I have no regrets.”

Riley rose to her feet and headed for the door when she heard a faint voice call out from behind that stopped her in her tracks. “Ri?”

She turned her head. “Hmm?”

“I’m always proud of you.”

Switching the light off, Riley smiled back at her friend, who still appeared to be resting in a calm slumber. “I know. Good night, bestie.”

---------------

The next morning, just as the sun had peeked from behind the clouds and the air was fresh with newness and warmth, Riley woke. Today would differ from every day before. She didn’t want to lie in bed all day and dwell on what-might-have-beens or how her life was a dead end to nowhere. She was determined she wanted something more out of it -- whatever that may be.

Slipping on a pair of trainers, running tights and a long sleeve shirt, she pulled her hair up in a high ponytail and headed out.

She made it two blocks before collapsing on a bench, gasping for air, and flipping off a kid on a bike who was laughing and taunting her.

After five more blocks of running and taking a break at nearly every bench or stoop along the way -- that same jerky kid still deriding her as he circled around each block -- Riley made her way back to her building, hunched over and sweaty. She didn’t jog as far as she’d liked to, but she made the effort, for which she was pleased with herself.

It also didn’t hurt that there was a mouthy kid out there somewhere with two flat bicycle tires, crying to his mom, that was giving her a new boost of life.

Reaching for the door of her building, she chuckled to herself thinking about his pouty little face -- haha, sucks to be you, kid -- when someone yelled out her name.

“Shit,” she panicked, thinking the boy’s parents had found her and had come to beat her ass. Riley fumbled with her keys, trying to make a quick getaway inside.

“Hey, Riley! Stop.” The voice sounded oddly familiar, and curiosity couldn’t stop her from whipping her head around to take a quick peek. She instantly recognized the man who was racing up the stairs towards her, from the bar. He was one of the guys from Liam’s party last night who helped after the collision.

Pulling the keys from the lock and gripping the pepper spray attached to them, she jumped back when he suddenly hopped up next to her like a fireball of energy.

“Riley. I’m so glad I caught up with you. I’m Maxwell -- we met last night -- and this is Rashad.” He pointed over his shoulder. The man gave a simple nod in return. “He was there, too.”

Her brows knit in confusion. “Oookay. You both aren’t here by chance upset over a couple of slashed bike tires, are you? Because that wasn’t me. I saw who did it, though, if you need a witness statement.” Riley’s eyes shifted around, looking for a person to match her fake would-be description.

Maxwell shook his head with a chuckle and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, her gaze falling to it. “Nah, I came to talk to you about Liam. You’re all he could talk about when he got back to the hotel last night. He went on and on about the cafe, and the trip to the Statue of Liberty, and how beautiful you are ...”

“He -- he did?” She was pleasantly surprised, her heart bursting at his words.

“Yeah. We’re heading back to Cordonia so Liam can find someone to marry and all that jazz. But before I go, I wanted to officially extend to you an invitation to join us for the festivities in Cordonia. Sooo … is there somewhere we can talk?”

----------------

“You want me to do what?” Riley jumped up from the sofa, her eyes wide and mouth gaping as she gawked back at Maxwell, who was sitting at the far end. Her trembling hand shot to her forehead before she paced back and forth. “Let me get this straight. You want to sponsor me to compete to marry a man I just met last night? And not just any man, a prince. You’re going to fly me halfway across the world -- You could be the Official Royal Serial Killer, for all I know -- then prance me around like some beauty pageant contestant? And all I have to do is say ‘yes to the dress’ that you can’t afford? Just hop right on a plane with two strange men, huh? How naïve do I look to you?” Riley paused for a second. “Don’t answer that.”

“I’m not doing it for you. I saw how Liam looked at you last night at the bar, and later when he returned from your date. I’ve never seen him that happy before. Honestly, I don’t want him to lose that. We’re kinda crunched for time, though. I’ve got a plane leaving in an hour.”

“An hour?” Riley questioned as she plopped down on the coffee table, her back to Maxwell and the guy in the chair across the room who hadn’t said a word the whole time. It was a once-in-a-lifetime offer to travel somewhere new and exciting and literally rub elbows with royalty. To live out that fairytale that most girls could only dream of. But more importantly, it was a way to see Liam again, and she wanted to so badly … if Maxwell was indeed telling the truth.

Even if nothing came of it, there was no job tying her down anymore. Her dad had just gotten married to her stepfather and stayed busy as a chef for Beyonce and Jay-Z, so he would be fine, and she had enough money in savings to pay her portion of the rent while she was gone and expenses for her travels. There was just one thing she would insist on.

Riley spun around on the table, her eyes flashing between the two men. “I will do this -- on one condition.”

Maxwell clapped his hands excitedly. “Yes! Just name it and it’s yours.”

“Max.” Rashad leaned forward in his chair, his elbows pressed into his knees. “You don’t even know what she wants yet.”

“I’m getting to that.” Maxwell turned to her with an arched brow. “Okay, Riley. What is your condition?”

She hadn’t even asked Alyssa yet, but Riley steepled her fingers and volunteered her, anyway. “My roommate has to go with me.”

“No problemo.”

“What -- Really?”

“Sure. She can ride the jet back with us and I’ll even help her find a good hotel room nearby so you two can visit … if you’re able to find time in between all the competitions, balls, traveling, lessons, and what not. It’ll be great!”

Riley shook her head adamantly, not willing to budge on the issue. “No! I want Alyssa there for all of those things. If I even have the slightest chance of being a serious contender and a fully functioning human being, I need someone there to make sure I don’t do anything stupid … and I will … a lot. Plus, she’s my best friend, and I’m not doing this without her.”

Feeling the pressure to relent and the seconds ticking away until takeoff, Maxwell’s shoulders slumped, taking in Riley’s pleading expression. “I -- I don’t know what to do. Your friend would have to be sponsored also in order to stay with you. She would have to be a suitor and compete for Liam’s hand just like you and all the other ladies, and there can only be one sponsee for each noble house. If you’re our pick, then she would need to have someone of nobility who doesn’t have a suitor yet and knows it’s all a ... ruse …” he trailed off, grinning impishly, as an idea suddenly popped into his head. Maxwell’s gaze swept across the room and landed on his friend, Rashad, who had a deer-in-the-headlights look, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

“Oh no. Leave me out of this,” he insisted while waving his hands back and forth. “This is all on you, Maxwell.”

“No, don’t say that yet.” Riley sprang to her feet and grabbed a picture frame from a nearby table, falling to her knees in front of Rashad to beg. “This is Alyssa.” She cheerfully pointed her friend out in the picture, delighted when the Lord of Domvallier’s eyes grew and seemed more than intrigued. “She’s not only beautiful, charming, and supportive, but she’s the smartest person I know. Everyone just loves her. And even though she won’t want to win because of me, she’ll represent your house with the greatest of integrity and propriety. I swear it.”

“It’s for Liam,” Maxwell interjected, wagging his brows. “Imagine how grateful he’ll be when he finds out your part in making this happen for him.”`

Rashad let out a heavy groan. “Max, you know I would do anything for a friend -- especially Liam -- but it’s not that simple. There’s a reason why Domvallier opted not to have a suitor join this season: I have business dealings in California that coincide with some of the competitions. And with Mother’s and Father’s health in decline, I couldn’t possibly burden them with traveling and overseeing a suitor. It just wouldn’t work.”

Riley turned to Maxwell. “Well … couldn’t she just hang out with us most of the time? It’s not like she’d be in it to win it, anyway.”

“I don’t see why not.” Maxwell shrugged. “We all travel and stay together for the most part anyway.” He glanced over at Rashad, who could do nothing but stare at the two of them bouncing like eager children with big cheshire grins, while he literally decided the fate of a woman who had no idea she had just been volunteered to “pretend” compete for the hand of a prince the entire summer, in another country, and had to board a plane in just under an hour.

Rashad sighed and took the photo from Riley’s hand, giving it a quick glance. He was definitely smitten by the bright, blue-eyed woman with the big dimpled smile and wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, particularly if she was everything described to him. “I should have gone with Drake back to the plane.” He shook his head and handed the photo back to Riley. “Can’t believe I’m doing this, but --”

Before he even finished his thought, Maxwell and Riley leaped to their feet to celebrate, whooping and howling around him, ruffling his jet black hair, hugging, and clapping him several times on the chest.

“What’s going on?”

The three of them whipped their heads around at the raspy-sounding voice that caught their attentions.

“Lyss!” Riley’s eyes lit up at the sight of her best friend standing there; she couldn’t wait to share all the good news with her. Maxwell, and particularly Rashad’s, jaws dropped at the sight before them. They both did a double take of the picture in the frame and then back to the petite brunette who wore a rumpled party dress, was missing one flat shoe, and sported smudged mascara under her sunken eyes and hair flying in every direction.

Riley moved over to Alyssa, placing a gentle hand on her arm with a smile. “Alyssa. These gentlemen are from Cordonia -- It’s somewhere you need a plane ride for. This is Lord Maxwell Beaumont.” She gestured and received a wave back. “And this is Lord Rashad of Doberman Pinscher,” she stated in a posh accent.

“Domvallier,” he corrected, stunned and still unable to take his eyes off his new suitor.

“Lords?” she questioned in a feeble tone; Riley nodded back at her.

Alyssa smiled at the two strangers, then lowered her head and curtsied like she was wearing a ball gown before them. “How do you do? Welcome to House Devereaux-Brooks. It’s so kind of you to stop by and make our acquaintances. Please do make yourselves at home.” She straightened back up and immediately turned to Riley. “I’m dying. Where’s the Advil?”

Riley insisted Alyssa have a seat while she retrieved the Advil and a glass of water for her. Feeling that was a fair deal, Alyssa stumbled over to the couch, accidentally stepping on Maxwell, who held onto her arms and helped her the rest of the way. When she was seated, she leaned forward, rubbing soothing circles around her temples, willing the room to stop spinning. Riley shuffled back with two pills and a cool bottle of water, and handed them to Alyssa, who hastily threw back and chugged nearly the entire thing. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt so thirsty.

No one knew really how to respond just yet. Rashad conferred in hushed tones with Maxwell, as Alyssa kept her eyes closed for a moment, taking in slow, deep breaths. Everything from head to toe ached and throbbed.

Finally, she smacked her still-dry mouth and announced, “Okay, I’m going back to bed. Goodnight, everyone. It was so nice to meet you all.” She moved to the edge of the sofa when Riley pressed lightly on her shoulders, holding her back.

“Wait a minute, Lyss. I have something I want to talk to you about.”

Lowering the shades in the living room to block the sun from Alyssa’s sensitive eyes, Riley began to explain how she met Liam at the bar last night and was asked to go out for a drink with him. Alyssa nodded her head slowly as she followed along, somewhat remembering their phone conversation about the date, how he was a prince, and the Statue of Liberty -- Lyss was proud of herself for being a part of making that happen. The next of their conversation continued on to Liam returning to his country for the social season in which he was expected to find someone to marry by the end of the summer. “I’m so sorry he had to leave, but what does any of this have to do with you, Ri?”

Riley glanced over her shoulder. “That’s where these two guys come in.”

Alyssa followed her friend’s gaze then shook her head. “I’m not following.”

“Maxwell wants to sponsor me to travel to Cordonia to compete for Liam. And we leave in an hour. Yay!” She raised her arms in a V, trying to garner excitement from her roommate, knowing she’d probably freak out.

And she did. “YOU CAN’T GO TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY! FOR ALL YOU KNOW THESE GUYS ARE SERIAL KILLERS OR SEX TRAFFICKERS!” Alyssa looked at Rashad and smiled shyly. “Not you, of course.” She then eyed Maxwell. “Probably him.”

“I know, I know. But that’s kinda, sorta where you come in.” Riley’s eyes danced around the room while tugging on the hem of her shirt.

“What do you mean?”

Maxwell checked the time on his phone as Riley laid out the details, point by point, to her friend, who guzzled the last bit of her water as she found out she had basically been enlisted into becoming a suitor as well. Alyssa spit out her water. “WHAT?”

Rashad sighed and looked for paper towels to dry off his lap.

Taking in Alyssa’s bug-eyed stare, Riley scrambled to make the whole situation sound more appealing to her.

“There’s skiing --”

“You know I can’t ski.”

“There’s ice skating --”

“Are you trying to break both of my ankles at the same time?”

“There’s horseback riding --”

“Oh, God, horses?”

“And beaches.”

Alyssa started to complain before stopping herself. “Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad. But still, Ri --”

“Please, Alyssa,” Riley pleaded, her still-small voice just above a whisper. She sat down on the coffee table again, across from her friend, eyes glassy. “I would never ask you to do something so big for me. But, I want you there … I need you there. This … this is the guy, Lyss. He’s the one.”

Seeing the hopeful expression staring back at her, Alyssa’s heart sank. She set aside the empty bottle and leaned forward, placing a compassionate hand on Riley’s. “First of all, you don’t need me. You’re more than capable of doing this on your own. I mean, give yourself a little credit … you landed a prince.” They both let out soft laughs before she continued. “But, secondly, you know I’m a hopeless romantic. So if this is the only way you’ll go … count me in.”

As the two of them hugged and Riley expressed her fervent thanks, Maxwell cleared his throat and interrupted their happy moment. The girls turned to him as he stated, “I hate to break all of this up -- I really do. This is like the totally awesome stuff I live for -- but we’re pressed for time now. Our friend Drake is already on the plane waiting and isn’t above leaving without us.”

“Oh good. Doesn’t he sound like a little ray of sunshine?” Alyssa scoffed, causing Riley to snicker and drawing half a smirk from Rashad.

The guys headed down to the limo while the girls rummaged through their rooms, stuffing as many of their things as they could possibly fit into suitcases and bags. After taking turns getting quick showers, being vigilant of the time, they double checked to make sure they had what they needed for an extended trip, planning to call friends and family on the drive to the airport to let them know where they would be.

Alyssa slipped on a pair of sunglasses as she stepped into the hallway, while Riley locked the door to their apartment behind them. “And you’re sure this Liam is worth all this?”

Riley regarded her thoughtfully before letting out a contented sigh, “Yeah. He’s worth it.”

Alyssa shrugged and pushed the sunglasses higher on her nose. “Well, if we don’t die, we’ll have a hell of a story to tell.”

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Fearless Tags (Let us know if you wanted add or removed from this taglist, it won’t be our regular permalists)

@dcbbw @ao719 @texaskitten30 @janezillow @mskaneko @callmeellabella @queenjilian @sirbeepsalot @forthebrokenheartedthings @bebepac @kingliam2019 @amandablink @choiceskatie @annekebbphotography @ofpixelsandscribbles @alyssalauren @cordonianroyalty @mom2000aggie @princessleac1 @kimmiedoo5 @graceful-leah @thegreentwin @gkittylove99 @pink-diamond13 @tinkie1973 @queenrileyrose @zaffrenotes @no-one-u-know @sammie0220 @shanzay44 @yourmajesty09 @bitchloveskcbaseball @kat-tia801 @openheart12 @drakeandkatherine @marshmallowsandfire @masterofbluff @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @msjr0119 @hopelessromanticmonie @sanchita012 @gabesmommie1130 @charlotteg234 @jessiembruno @debramcg1106

In case your interested: @sweatyrysconnoisseur @neotericthemis

#liam x mc #prince liam #liam x riley #king liam #Liam Rys #the royal romance #trr #choices #choices the royal romance #choices fanfic #trr fanfiction #trr liam x mc #trr liam #fearless #bbrandy2002

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twdmusicboxmystery · 4 years

Text

99% Sure Leah is a Hallucination

Okay, I REALLY wasn’t going to post anything else. I know the two template posts I gave you yesterday were a lot to chew through. But something happened last night that made this come together for me and my buddies, and I just couldn’t sit on it. I promise I’ll keep this brief, though.

After watching the episode yet again last night, @frangipanilove found an article in which Norman says something interesting about this episode. Well, maybe interesting isn’t the right word. More like BOMBSHELL.

Remember how we at first thought she might be a hallucination? Well, we moved away from it because we learned that Carol knew about her. That, and I thought it was safer for us all to make our peace with the idea of Daryl having a relationship with this woman. Just accept it and move forward, you know?

But after watching the episode, yes, Carol knew about her, but only what Daryl seemingly told her. She never met Leah. Not a single soul in the world other than Daryl ever saw her. Hmm.

So, here’s the article @frangipanilove found:

I honestly wouldn’t have gone back to the hallucination theory, if not for reading this. But now Norman is saying that nothing in this episode is what it seems. And he’s specifically referencing Daryl’s relationship with Leah.

(P.S. I have to laugh that fans are asking him what’s wrong with him. Um...he’s not Daryl? He’s Norman. And he doesn’t write the show. The writers do. Lol. But also notice that he talks about staying true to Daryl, and we all know that this Leah thing is the opposite of that. Unless....)

So, let’s look at some weirdnesses in the episode. And @wdway deserves most of the credit for this. Once we started discussing the article and brainstorming, she came up with most of this.

1. When he meets Leah. My fellow theorists and I were actually talking about this before the episode aired yesterday. Why does he just run into her cabin? He follows Dog, but the funny thing is, Dog doesn’t run into the cabin. Only Daryl does. How does he know there’s not 47 walkers in there? How does he know there aren’t a dozen armed people? You’d think he would stop and observe and evaluate. But he doesn’t. He just charges in. And that’s very unlike Daryl.

And of course we could come up with some sort of explanation. Like maybe he heard Leah yelling while fighting the walker in the back bedroom and thought she needed help. Maybe, but the show doesn’t actually suggest this. There aren’t any subtitles or anything that give us any clue as to what his thought process was for just charging in.

2. When he brings Dog back to her, when his eye scar has appeared, if you listen to the dialogue between him and Leah, it’s a little bit odd. Maybe not quite as odd as him charging into her house at first, but still it leaves some questions. About the eye scar, she says, “looks like you got the raw end of the deal.” He just says, “yeah.” Well, that scar isn’t jagged or shaky at all. It’s very straight. Clearly made by a knife, not a walker. So, it’s a little strange that she doesn’t ask what happened. If she wants to be left alone, wouldn’t she be concerned that there might be someone else out there. Why doesn’t she just ask about it? Why doesn’t he just tell her about it? In a way, it almost sounds as if Leah knows more than she’s saying in this scene.

3. When she opens up to him about her family and her past, all the stories she tells are almost like amalgamations of Daryl and the characters on TWD. Obviously everyone noticed the similarities to Carol. That’s a big one. But the story of the blood and the running could be them running from the prison, or the deaths of a lot of different people Daryl has had to say goodbye to. When she talks about meeting and fighting with her squad and how they gave her hope? TF in a nutshell. And even that she hints at having an abusive family. Daryl. Carol, too. But mostly Daryl.

4. It’s still odd that no one else ever met Leah. Yeah, she said she wanted to live out there alone. And we talked about how this makes it an unhealthy relationship, because if she really loved him, she would want to go meet his friends and family and know about every part of his life. Into this, I’m going to lump the fact that she never seems to have gone with him to search for Rick. Once again, if you love someone, you participate in their lives. And she’s just alone at the cabin anyway. Why not go with him?

5. Outside the show Weirdness: Look at that top pic I used for when he met Leah. Remember when we discussed that there is someone kneeling behind her? I assumed it was her son, because spoilers didn’t reveal when or how he would die. But that’s not the case. This person looks to be a teenager or an adult (much older than Matthew was) and we never learn who it is.

People have said it might be a set person or a mic guy who accidentally made it into the shot, but I don’t buy that. They scrutinize these pictures and could easily have fixed that with the computer if they’d wanted to. I don’t know if we’ll ever find who it is. It might just be a hint that there’s more going on here than meets the eye.

But then I found this pic:

There’s someone lying dead on the ground behind them, and we didn’t see this in the episode. @wdway thinks it’s just Leah. That she was dead when he arrived, but he made up this story about how she was this strong, survivor woman and could have become his companion. I think that’s a super-viable theory, but of course we won’t know the details until they actually show us.

There are more weirdnesses than this, but I’m sure you get the idea. The more we think about it, the more sure we are that she’s a hallucination. And obviously that would make more sense anyway from the “why would the writers handle Daryl’s love life this way and piss off the entire fandom” perspective.

One thing we also noticed was that on TTD, the writer emphasized that this story is told from Daryl’s perspective. We’re seeing his PERCEPTION of it, and that’s important. I heard her say that, and wasn’t quite sure of what to make of it. Before realizing the hallucination thing, I thought she might be hinting that there was more we hadn’t see, or Leah might not be who he thought she was. Something like that. But if she’s not real, that makes way more sense, doesn’t it.

So, some things to consider. The strong parallels to Carol. The exact ones, actually, like spear fishing and all the identical dialogue. That’s because he’s taking those things from his time with Carol and incorporating them directly into Leah’s story.

Everything I said yesterday still applies. Mostly because that’s the symbolic template and here, we’re talking about the reality of what’s happening, so the two don’t affect each other directly. But while Leah’s personality is based on Carol’s (probably because that’s who he spends the most time with these days) the romance element is definitely molded out of his time with Beth.

Real:

Hallucination:

The cross that represents the grave? The one Chris Hardwick said would make some people think Leah is dead? Yeah, we think that really is her grave. We do think she probably really existed, and he met her, but she died relatively quickly, and the rest of the relationship didn’t happen. It’s all in his head. I’ll give you some more possibilities on that in a minute.

We think she’s the one who gave him the eye scar. If we’re right about that, I’m sure they’ll show it to us eventually. I mean, if she’s a hallucination, they’ll have to tell us that eventually, but probably not until S11. Think about the dialogue. “Looks like you got the raw end of the deal.” Daryl: “Yeah.”

This is also why the ending makes little sense. His argument with her about where he belongs is really him arguing with himself. That’s why he cries when she asks where he belongs, and he says he doesn’t know. But then later, we see him charging off to look for Rick, and not seeming at all sad or conflicted about anything. It’s because there is Leah. There never was. He’s just looking for Rick.

@frangipanilove also said something insightful about Carol. I think I took most of my mentions of the Carol flashback scenes out of my meta yesterday. Only because it was already so long and I wanted to focus on laying out the symbolic template for you. But while watching the episode, I actually felt kinda bad for Carol. Every time she came to see him, she seemed so upset. Like she felt as abandoned by him as he does by her. And I’m not saying she doesn’t deserve a taste of her own medicine, but I guess that sadness from her kind of surprised me.

But what @frangipanilove said is that maybe her worry for him really was warranted. Because he’d been out there on his own so long, it started to mess with his head and he really was losing his sanity. Carol might have been starting to see that, and she really was terrified for his mental health, which is why she kept trying to get him to come back.

And you know, it creates an interesting sort of irony for Daryl and Carol’s fight at the end in present day. He says that when things get tough, she runs, and he’s sick of dragging her back. And that’s true. We’ve seen that he’s right and Carol does do this, so I was 100% behind what he said to her. Was it harsh? Sure. But it still needed to be said.

But the irony is that during these 6 years after Rick, Daryl was doing exactly the same thing. Him staying out there to look for Rick, when after years, it would have become clear that he wouldn’t find the body, was him running away from the pain of what happened. Carol kept trying to drag him back, but he wouldn’t go with her.

Also, the two of them on opposite sides of the river here could represent the divide between reality and Daryl’s hallucinations.

The note. It’s a little hard to know exactly how to interpret the note from a PTSD perspective. Symbolically, I’d say the note he left was for Beth. Maybe he doesn’t even realize that in the episode, but with all the Beth parallels, it’s just about him wanting to belong somewhere. He wants to belong with someone who loves and needs him.

But I talked yesterday about how the cabin was trashed, and the picture was gone, right? By the time he wrote that note, Leah was long gone. Dead, I mean. The fact that the picture wasn’t there is especially significant. Why would the picture have disappeared, unless it wasn’t real to begin with.

Another thing I noted was Carol’s somewhat bizarre reaction when Daryl suggested they go down toward the river to hunt. She looked worried about that, but agreed. At the time, I was thinking she was worried because he’d spent so much time down there before looking for Rick, and she didn’t want the obsession to resurface. And that’s probably still true, but it’s even more interesting now, isn’t it? And maybe that’s why she’s always wanting to go out with him when he goes hunting or looking for supplies or whatever. She just doesn’t want him falling back into that mindset and disappearing again.

And it will make what I said yesterday about what will happen in the spinoff—her wanting him to stop looking for Rick and come with her—make more sense, too, won’t it?

Okay, I’ll stop now. I really haven’t covered everything we could possibly talk about with this. I’m sure you’ll all think of tons more. But you get the idea. And remember, this isn’t just my theory or our theory. I wouldn’t have come back to this at all if I hadn’t read that article where Norman hinted at it. And he would know, right?

And hey, if this turns out to be incorrect, I’ll be okay with that. I’ll eat my words (not literally 😉). But Norman is referring to SOMETHING here, and given how few characters were in this episode, and that he was directly talking about Leah in that quote, there really aren’t many things he could actually mean.

Special thanks to both @frangipanilove and @wdway. Honestly, they did way more work on this one than I did.

Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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heavyweighthappy · 3 years

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@ordinaryspidey

24 June 2018

Happy really wasn’t prepared for how... frail Tony looked after a month starving in space. Rhodey, the good guy that he was, tried to explain, to warn him. Tony looked worse off than he really was. Happy figured it wasn’t going to be a picnic, seeing his former boss hooked up to IVs and all that. But he was prepared for the amount of emotional heft it would have. The last time he saw Tony he had argued with him about his court date. Why he was stressed over that, well, that was stupid. They had the best lawyers, the guy who had tried to snag pics of Tony and Pepper on the highway would end up taking the blame even if Happy had side swiped him on purpose... just to scare him. Happy was stressed trying to do his job, getting harder by the second with Tony and Pepper’s engagement announcement and prolonging the date. People wanted to get close, hoping to pick up something any time Pepper and Tony were out.

And Happy had bitched at Tony before he disappeared for a month. And then the world fell apart. More people reported missing, presumed dead. The only family Happy had anymore were in and out of the building. Mostly accounted for.

Happy was usually up before most people, especially Tony if Tony hadn’t pulled an all nighter. Pepper hadn’t slept since Tony got back to Earth and was making up for that now. Happy sat at the end of Tony’s bed, playing solitaire with a deck of cards he found in a desk drawer. Avengers themed. But ever so often his eyes would drift from the King of Diamonds, the minimalist artwork of Tony Stark and Iron Man in the reverse, to the real thing a few feet away. Remembering the first few days of his employment, how Tony seemed to just wanted a fucking friend more than anything else. Rhodey was off fighting in the Gulf War, maybe that scared Tony. Tony parents had just died the year before. Maybe the racetrack accident had scared the hell out of him too. It had scared Happy, but he had jumped in anyway, pulling Tony from the car, ultimately saving his life. Tony had offered him money, but... well, Happy still to this day wasn’t sure what made him think of saying so... Happy had asked for a job. Working at the racetrack wasn’t something he particularly liked. It wasn’t the working with cars thing he really had in mind.

Drag racing down the LA river with Tony was more like it. Day one, officially employed by Tony Stark. He knew his life would never be the same.

#ordinaryspidey #never be the same: tony #I really like the comic canon meeting between them so I hope that's ok #Also the idea of Tony drag racing with his new bodyguard/chauffer is just a great image #And greatly inspired by me listening to the Exboyfriends' cover of Blinded By The Light and picturing young Tony and Happy #ordinariums

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drawing-way-outside-the-lines · 4 years

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Indefinite Hiatus.

To anyone reading this, I ask that you respectfully do not reblog this post, as it is very personal, thank you. That being said, the post is long, I’m a writer, what do you expect? But there were so many things I needed to get of my chest, whether anyone reads it all or not, simply doesn’t matter. I had to speak it all out, in order to move on. I will as such hide it under a cut, in case anyone should be curious why I am going on hiatus. Which I don’t usually do, I tend to just take off for a couple of days when things bother me enough to leave. But I thought this time I had to make an announcement, as it is quite possible I am simply just done with this place, and wont be returning. I simply don’t know at the moment, and none of what I write in this post, is written as a form of attention seeking, nor a way for me to get people to show me attention or beg me to stay. If I’m going, I’m going, and there’s nothing anyone can say that would make me stay. I simply make the announcement out of the respect for the few followers I still have some respect for. I wont just up and leave with no word when there’s people on here I still care about. So to be abundantly clear. This is a hiatus. I might be back. I might not be back. Only time will tell. I may some days hang around to check up on cc, you may even see me reply a person here and there, and not reply others. This isn’t anything personal towards anyone. I am simply a person who constantly bend over backwards for everyone else, then push myself repeatedly aside. And I am officially done with it. From now on if you see me online, on any sort of platform, I will not feel bad in any sort of way for not being available, simply because I am online. From now on I will only engage in things that resonate with me, when they resonate with me. Anything else steals my peace. And I no longer want to allow that. I might be gone a couple days, I might be gone a month. Maybe you wont ever see me return, and that’s that. I will take the time I need, even if that means for good. I will no longer put others before my own well being. I might even come by to reblog this post a few times, simply for the fact that I spent many hours, weighing my words, trying to make them as polite, yet clear as possible. I spent lots of time and energy on this, so if I during my hiatus come by to reblog it, it’s not a way to seek attention, or more likes/comments. It’s simply that I made a large effort, and I want as many of my followers to read this, so there’s no confusion as to why I am suddenly gone. If you want me to clarify further than that/you’re curious what finally made a “kind” person give up, it’s all below the cut:

I’ve been sitting on this for a couple days. Debating on whether I should say something or not. But I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to be as transparent as possible, in hopes that, it may, help someone else avoid being in a similar situation. Maybe someone will learn something along these lines of words I so carefully have put together. Preventing someone else from getting hurt. One can hope. And I also hope by speaking up, I can release the negativity I have been carrying, and set it free. Preventing it from weighing me further down. A few days ago, I entered one of my oldest characters, Odette, into a model casting, for Billsims. An experience that should have been fun and enjoyable, but instead resulted in making the decision to pull Odette out of the casting, to avoid Billsims potentially getting in trouble. You see, on the application info post, Billsims mentioned that it would be nice if a bit of info would be written about the sim we would enter, but it wasn’t a must. I decided, as a writer, to write a bit about my character, cause you betcha, as soon as someone mentions they might want a few words about a character of mine, -and my words start spilling like iced tea on a hot summers day! So I added the basic info I thought Odette herself would find important. Among that, I mentioned she’s a ‘Romanian Gypsy’. I did this to best clarify what Ethnicity she has, and what she classifies herself as. If I had simply written ‘Roma/Romani’, many people might not have understood what was meant. And I wanted to be as clear as possible about her, plus the word Gypsy, is simply what she has chosen for herself. I furthermore added she’s a proud woman, and a Pagan. Surprise surprise, someone didn’t like this info, and decided it was okay to point that out on my application post. I still don’t understand some people’s need to constantly nitpick at anything they see online, specially in public, and specially when it comes to people simply having a hobby, enjoying said hobby peacefully, without harming anyone. Now, the post is still up on my blog, the comments are still there. Anyone is free to go have a look if they wish to know exactly what was said. But that being said, I hope and would like to think my followers are old enough to not attack anyone. Please. It wont solve anything. I also ask that no one bother Billsims about the matter, he was perfectly wonderful about it all, and had no issue with neither me, nor Odette. I was the one who decided to pull her out of the casting, in order to protect him, he even told me I was more than welcome to enter someone else. I decided against that however, to protect my peace. Something a very wise person told me to do. Thank you. I stopped replying to the person after my first reply, simply cause I saw no reason to engage in a debate that would lead nowhere. It seemed as if they already had a rather twisted view of me or my character or what was going on, quite possible a mix of it all? So I let them stay in their belief. Trying to convince them otherwise seemed like a tedious task, I had no energy to take on. And I instead went for advice from a trusted person, and enjoyed a long peaceful and uplifting conversation, rather than a fruitless quarrel with someone that was already so sure I was out there doing all sorts of harmful things through my character. I suppose the person commenting wasn’t a follower of mine, and if they were, I cannot imagine them to be a longtime follower. You see, I am aware Gypsy by now is often seen as a ‘slur word’, as this person was trying to educate me. I do not write something into my characters without making at least some sort of research first. Had this person been a long term follower, they would have known, I rarely ever use that word. As a matter of fact, not so long ago, I posted the bio of another character, Gabriella, she was also listed as ‘Romanian Gypsy’. So is the rest of the Lupei clan that both Odette and Gabriella belong to. They have always been listed as such. Ever since I started on Simblr 5 years ago. No one has ever commented on it before. And when I posted Gabriella’s bio earlier this Autumn, I was even met with surprise that I have Roma characters. So it seems, even long term followers hadn’t noticed. Which must mean, I am certainly not a person spreading the word around. It’s not the first time, I have had to get ‘whipped over the back of my head with a wet newspaper,’ by someone who thought I needed some schooling. I have had that experience twice before. So 3 times in total the 5 years I’ve been here. What a rebel I must be, since I have had to be corrected so many times. Once for having many gay characters in Polyamorous relationships. Once for having twins/blood related characters dating each other, and was as result accused of saying incest is right and spreading it as if everyone should be doing it. Which I never did, and never would. We have Game Of Thrones doing that already. First of, I simply don’t agree with that. I don’t think incest is right. However, I also don’t think it is wrong, if the people involved love each other and can make it work. And yes, that is possible. The person getting their panties in a twist over River and Jackall being a couple, did mention they had experienced incest close hand, so I do wanna defend them, and give them their space to be outraged, since I could understand it was a trigger for them. However, I cannot prevent everyone’s triggers, nor is it my job to do so. It is up to you to avoid your triggers, and to find a way to deal with them, so when someone does trigger you, you can handle yourself the best way possible. The whole world is never gonna wrap you in cotton. You need to wrap yourself. It took me no more than 2 minutes to find a very informative Wiki article about how incest IN FACT can be between two consensual adults, which the individual claimed could NEVER exist. Furthermore it can happen between two consensual adults whom happen to love each other just as dearly as two people in a completely “normal” relationship can. Two minutes research was all it took. Imagine if people would do just a minimum effort of research BEFORE they start attacking other people. Imagine a world like that. By all means, if I were out there on the street corners of the world, with pamphlets promoting incest, drag me to a side and slap me. That aint cool. But I am just over here, in my quiet little corner, doing my own thing, which btw you are more than allowed to disagree with, but don’t come knocking on my door with your disagreement. The very few posts I have ever shown of my incestuous couples, have all been very tasteful. And although it is mentioned on each characters bio, whom they are in a relationship with, I think it’s been years since I last even posted a pic of any of said people. I have posted far worse things, and no one ever mate as much as a squeak about it. Still, you are allowed to disagree, I just wish you would handle it in a better way than schooling everyone who does something you mildly (or even strongly) disagree with, and save the schooling for the real issues such as child pornography, Nazi’s, global warming, racism, whether people should wear a mask or not, and any sort of abuse/bullying. Here’s three alternatives I welcome on the other hand: 1. Scroll on. (I have talked with several of my long term followers, and they have confirmed they don’t always agree with the things I post, but they follow anyway, because they enjoy the majority of what I post, and the rest they simply scroll past. It doesn’t ruin their day, or their enjoyment of following my blog in general.) 2. Unfollow. You are always more than welcome to unfollow A-NY-THING on social media, if you do not like what you are seeing. When you subscribe to something/someone, the moment you no longer enjoy what you are seeing, you always have the chance of unfollowing. It’s not a permanent subscription for the rest of your life. Nor a chance for you to try to change what others are posting about. Specially as long as it isn’t harming anyone. 3. Block. The button exist on the vast majority of social media for a reason. Use it if you believe something or someone is so bad that it/they steal your sunshine. Block block block, and move away from it. If you keep hanging onto something you have blocked, what’s the point really? You’re still allowing it to affect you. Move on. And for the umpteenth time, even if my characters does something/say something/engage in something, doesn’t necessarily have to mean I agree with them/their choices/their lifestyle. With some things I do, others I don’t. I’m a writer. I enjoy writing things that challenges me, and challenges the reader. I simply don’t find joy in writing the typical white picket fence story where everyone fits into society, and everything is butterflies and Dandelions. But at the same time, I also don’t run around nitpicking at the people who do enjoy writing or reading these types of stories. The thing is, it’s fiction, right? I’m not writing about real life characters. So I ask you, do you believe every piece of fiction you have ever read? Does Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter align with real life? If you can say no to that, then why on earth are you so dead sure that the fiction I write align with reality? For the last time, I do NOT agree with incest. For my characters, which btw doesn’t end at just River and Jackall, I do believe in it, simply for the circumstances of how the relationships happened. But you would have to read my whole story to finally understand it all. But I am not cramming it down your throat, specially if you have already made it clear you disagree. To that I once again want to add, my story is nowhere public, so I am really not in any way educating anyone on incest or ‘Gypsies’ or polyamory or anything else. I think polyamory is cool for the people who enjoy it. Have I personally ever been in a poly relationship? No. But I am at the belief people can do with their private life what they wish, as long as they aren’t harming anyone and everyone involved agrees. And to get back to what this post originally was intended to be about, the matter on Odette’s post, I have a few last things I need to say before I put the matter to rest: I'm not representing all of Romani, when I speak for my character(s). I never once mentioned this is how all Romani is. So if that’s what you read, that is on you and the words you add to mine, not my actual words or intention. I'm simply allowing my character and her family to be whatever they want to be, and call themselves however they see fit. As long as they are good kind people, it shouldn't matter much what they call themselves, as long as they don't use slur words for others. I never once claimed that all Romani is Pagan. Odette is. Her father or twin brother, isn't. Odette comes from a mixed background, and is as such a mix herself. And how beautiful is that? Wouldn't it be a shame, if we were only ever allowed to be just one thing in this life? I am not out here educating people on Romani culture, I am not calling people Gypsy in real life, nor do I do it online. In fact I don't call anyone anything in real life, cause people's skin tones simply doesn't matter that much to me. We are all just shades. No shade is more important than the other. We are all decaying plant food. Really. Odette has proudly chosen this word for herself, just as her family before her has been proud to do so. I have in no way portrayed my characters in the meaning of any sort of slur word. They are all highly intelligent well educated people. Odette is under education as a nurse. Her father is a well known and well respected doctor. Furthermore, they are all shape-shifters, whom can shift into very large wolves. Odette’s father being the Alpha. Wait, does that mean I am calling all Romani werewolves? It’s fiction. I am not standing on some stool somewhere preaching to anyone. I’m just me and my characters. I keep it between them and I 99% of the time. My roomie has a friend whom proudly calls herself a Gypsy. She has family whom proudly call themselves Gypsies. So not everyone views this word as bad. And yes there are real life people out there, who sees the word as positive and call themselves by it. Are you going to run after them too, and dictate what they are allowed to call themselves? Or is that only reserved for Simblr’s you disagree with? You simply can’t box up a whole minority like that and claim the word is always offensive and no one is allowed to use a specific word to describe themselves. Furthermore: Mixed background/ethnicity/religious beliefs/spiritual beliefs is a thing in the real world too, not something I made up over night to harm anyone. 'Gypsy' has never been said as a slur word coming from me, it was never ill-intended, and never will be, just like gay never will be said as a slur or ill-intention coming from me. Yet gay is also a word that has quite often been used as a slur. And still is. So, should we stop using it all together? No. It can be said in good intention, and in bad, it all depends on the person using the word. And people should surely be allowed to call themselves gay, shouldn’t they? Never have any of my Romani characters been portrayed in a bad light. (Or gay characters for that matter, but that's not what the subject is about) And if they ever would be portrayed in a bad light, it would certainly have nothing to do with them being Romani. I personally see no point in that. My story and my characters are a source of joy for me, I have no intention of bringing racism into it. Now, we can agree that the word Gypsy is by now used as a slur, but it wasn't originally a slur, and once again, I do believe a person is allowed to call themselves whatever they may wish. Odette and her family wouldn't call other people Gypsies, unless they knew they were okay with it, and proud. Added to that, I do not believe a word can be racist or a slur in itself. A word is just a word. A string of consonants and vowels tied together to create a sound. It's the person using the word, who gives it ill-intentions, not the word itself, unless it was deliberately created with the only intention of hurting. Which as far as I am aware, wasn't the origin of the word Gypsy. 'Roma (Gypsies) originated in the Punjab region of northern India as a nomadic people and entered Europe between the eighth and tenth centuries C.E. They were called "Gypsies" because Europeans mistakenly believed they came from Egypt. This minority is made up of distinct groups called "tribes" or "nations." Most of the Roma in Germany and the countries occupied by Germany during World War II belonged to the Sinti and Roma family groupings. Both groups spoke dialects of a common language called Romani, based on Sanskrit (the classical language of India). The term "Roma" has come to include both the Sinti and Roma groupings, though some Roma prefer being known as "Gypsies." ' - Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/roma-gypsies-in-prewar-europe So to really boil this whole thing down to the bone, so hopefully this wont ever be an issue again: I do not use the word Gypsy in my day to day life. By creating a character who addresses herself as Gypsy AND also happens to be a Pagan, I do NOT in any way indicate that all ‘Gypsies’ are Pagans. I simply state that my character is. Nothing more, nothing less. I do not agree with incest in real life, though I do believe people are allowed to do with their private life as they see fit, as long as they aren’t harming others, and everyone involved is agreeing. I do not promote Poly relationships. Although once again, I’m a firm believer that people are allowed to do with their private life as they see fit yadda yadda... I do not promote being gay or any other sort of sexuality for that matter. Not that I have ever been accused of that, but I wanted to cover it anyway, cause who knows, it might be the next one I should get corrected for. I have a few times mentioned being trans, that was also not in any way a promotion. I do not promote Necrophilia. And here I really must snort. Some years ago (on an old blog, not this one) some very dear followers of mine, gently persuaded me to make some rather graphic pictures of my character Raven, literally f*ck*ng some corpses. It was posted in October as some satirical Halloween-ish post, as far as I remember, and was started from a simple question of, IF, it could be done in ts3? I was then challenged to do it. I did. People clapped. I’m sure others cried. But to my surprise my follower numbers didn’t drop, they increased? No one came running to ‘teach me a lesson’. No one came around to tell me what my demon was allowed to do or not. He was free to do whatever/whomever he wanted. And that’s the thing. There’s so many things in my story, and about my characters, that you don’t know. Cause I don’t post it out there for everyone to see. Cause I am not trying to promote a thing. I am simply here to challenge myself, and along that line challenge the few people I ever trusted to be my readers. You see, I don’t write for the numbers, meaning I don’t write a story that is meant to have a large following. I write for me, cause it is one of the only things that has ever helped me get through life, and fight some of my inner demons, to fight complications, to fight grief, to cope with all sorts of personal things I’m going through, and to have a place to escape to when life is too scary. I write for the content, the depth, for me, not for the fame, not for likes, not for anyone else. This is mine, and I don’t promote it on any scale, I keep 99% of it in private, and the rest I do air in public I air on a very minimal scale. If you decide to get offended about the fact that I drizzled a specific word once on a post, and a handful of times on my personal bios, well, that’s on you. It’s not a word I am out there spreading like a wildfire. People that has followed me for years never saw it till recently. Which should really speak loud of how little that word has ever come from me. I’m a respectable person. I do my best to respect everyone around me. At any time. Even when people don’t deserve an ounce of my respect. But that does not mean I should be weighed down with the burden of never offending anyone, cause then I might as well never speak again. Fact is, now more than ever, people are so offended by almost anything they can come across on social media. Jumping to conclusions here and there, when all they could do is simply ask, before getting offended and as a result decide to school or attack everyone around them. For no one to ever get offended again, we should all log out, and never sign in again. Why does it have to go to these extremes where no one can speak a word any longer, cause everything is an offense, a trigger, a slur? So I stay here in my little corner, doing me, doing my characters the way I like them. It is up to you to agree or disagree. You are free. But don’t come at me expecting I’ll change a thing for you. Cause you will only get disappointed. These people and their story is my way to cope with life, and as long as I am not out there shouting slur words at people or promoting certain ways of lifestyle, or deliberately harming anyone in any form of way, I cannot see why I shouldn’t be allowed. Just as you are allowed to do your own coping. Just as you are always allowed to scroll on, unfollow or even block things/people, you disagree with. Odette stays the way she is. So does the rest of my characters. It wont ever change because someone disagrees. The only way my characters change, is by character development, which mostly they decide for themselves. And I simply don’t see it in the cards that Odette will wake up and not feel Gypsy or stop using that word to describe herself, cause she personally sees nothing negative in it. Nor will she stop being Pagan because her mixed religion/background is making you uncomfortable. There’s plenty Christians out there, with Jesus or Bible quotes tattooed on them, yet Leviticus 19:28 say: Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord. Interpret that the way you want it. But allow my character to do her religion the way SHE sees fit, simply for the fact that I am sure you want the same respect. I will not ever change my characters or my story for anyone but myself. You can express your dislike from here and until you get tired of repeating yourself, you can unfollow, you can block, you can even report me and get my posts taken down. You can even take it as far as getting my blog shut down. It wont make a difference. My story has been written for 6 years, some characters was written even longer than that. The story is over 200 book-length-chapters, close to 300 as a matter of fact. If I should change anything for a person I don’t even know, it would be almost 300 chapters I would have to reread and rewrite. Would you do that for some person that came by a post of yours, disagreeing with the way you portrait your own original character? If your answer is yes, I truly feel sorry for you. Lastly I want to say, try to be kind. Try to breath before you go and attack someones way of doing their own thing. Before you accuse someone of portraying something a certain way, maybe take a look at the persons previous work. Is it a one time thing, or is it a reoccurring matter? It may just be an itsy bitsy thing that you are blowing out of proportions, sorta like entering a conversation you know nothing about and then start correcting people left and right. It makes little to no sense, and in most cases, even if you might be meaning well, you end up doing more harm than good. Like in this case. You didn’t get to teach someone something they didn’t already know. You didn’t stop someones inappropriate behavior. What you did on the other hand, was extinguishing someones last spark. Their last will to keep going. You take that to the bank now, and be proud of yourself. Was it worth it? You can always accuse and assume. You’re free to do just that. But maybe in the future, try to replace accuse and assume with politely asking if your ‘concern’ is valid or not. Try to be mindful, try to be kind, try to consider that maybe the person you are about to put on the school bench/attack/bully or whatever you are about to do, is fighting an invisible battle you know nothing about. Maybe you are going to be the last straw for them. So try to weigh it all, is your righteous crusade worth it? Is it worth it to spill your two cents on a possible harmless matter, just so you can feel you fought a righteous battle and took someone ‘evil’ down, whom in fact were just trying their best to survive, by doing the one thing that helps them through it all, in their own little corner, harming no one. You know, there are tons of people like that out there. Making someone online feel so absolutely useless/worthless that they end up taking their own lives. Then blame the victims for it. Now, I might be a pretty strong person, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be at the end of my rope, and you simply don’t know. Do you? Thank you for taking your time to extinguish my last spark.

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ssdreamswritings · 4 years

Text

Plaything

Their lips crashed into each other with a passion that neither one completely understood. Baekhyun doesn't really remember how he got into the bedroom with the bad boy. All he knows is that he was ready for him. He had been for a while. Baekhyun wrapped his arms around the boy's neck as the other pushed them back to the bed. He felt himself relax under the boy's touch, all his worries quickly turning into nothing as the boy slowly moved his hands under Baekhyun's shirt.

"Wait," Baekhyun said, breaking the kiss. The two looked at each other as they both breathed heavily. "You have to swear not to tell anyone about this."

"What?" The other questioned.

"I don't wanna be known for the class slut or anything after this. This is casual and no one knows," Baekhyun explained. "I'm just a plaything like all the others."

"Okay," the other agreed. "Whatever."

"You have to say that you swear," Baekhyun said, not wanting to go any further until he swore. The boy above him looked down at Baekhyun before leaning in close, as if wanting to tell him a secret.

“I swear baby boy," the bad boy said, making a wave of arousal go through Baekhyun. Before he could think, the bad boy attached his lips to the other's neck, immediately causing the other to let out a soft moan.

________________________________________________________________

"Baekhyun!" The boy heard from behind him. He turned around to see Luhan and Xiumin running through the hallway towards him. Kyungsoo and Lay were calmly walking behind the two.

"What's up?" Baekhyun asked as they got closer.

"What's up?" Xiumin repeated as if he was offended by the comment.

"How are you?" Baekhyun asked, confused about what was so wrong about what he said. The two simply sighed and rolled their eyes. "What?"

"That's all you have to say after this weekend?" Luhan asked. Baekhyun just gave the man a confused face.

"I think what they're trying to ask is what happened to you? Halfway through the night, you just ghosted," Kyungsoo explained.

"We were worried sick," Lay added, looking at the boy with a concerned face.

"I'm sorry. I just wasn't feeling the party so I left," Baekhyun said.

"Because V was there with Jimin?" Lay asked.

"Well, that. And the fact that my friends who dragged me there were getting freaky with your soon-to-be boyfriends," Baekhyun said catching the boys by surprise.

"Soon-to-be who now?" Xiumin said.

"No way," Luhan denied.

"You're fucking insane if you think that," Kyungsoo cursed as his cheeks turned a light pink.

"I'm sorry. I have to deny that claim," Lay said.

"Oh come on." The boys turned as they saw Tao walk towards them. "Even an idiot could tell there was something at that party. Even if it was just sexual tension."

"What are you talking about Tao?" Kyungsoo asked.

"How would you even know?" Xiumin asked, confused where this new Tao has come from.

"I've been enlightened. I can now see your cravings like its a sign over your head," Tao stated.

"You and Kris got back together last night didn't you," Baekhyun asked. Tao nodded as the others sighed.

"No wonder you're all high and mighty," Luhan added.

"Anyways. My point is that now I can tell different things. For example, looking at Baekhyun makes me want to know who he got with this weekend," Tao said, shifting the conversation to the relaxed boy.

"Unlike you guys who could only think about sex all weekend, I didn't do anything." Baekhyun began walking down the hallway while the others followed.

"Nope. He did a lot," Tao added.

"I left the party early. Where would I have met anyone?" Baekhyun asked.

"Baekhyun. It's you. You could find a supermodel and not try," Xiumin said.

"Not true," Baekhyun said.

"It happened 3 times," Lay said.

"Anyways. Doesn't matter how you met him, the fact is that our little Baekkie lost his innocence this weekend," Tao said.

"You lost it? With who?" Luhan said.

"You guys are crazy," Baekhyun said.

"He didn't deny it!" Xiumin yelled.

"Tell us who it was!" Kyungsoo said.

"Guys, nothing happened," Baekhyun said.

"Now that you mention it, he does have a new glow now," Lay pointed out. Baekhyun rolled his eyes as his friends laughed.

"But seriously, who was it?" Tao asked. "You were the last virgin in our group. You have to tell us."

"You know what," Baekhyun said turning around to face his friends. "If you all can remember the question after a minute, I'll answer."

"Deal," Xiumin said, shaking the other's hand. "How hard can that be?"

"We'll see," Baekhyun said. His attention suddenly turned to the 5 boys at their lockers close by. "Hey, guys!" He yelled. Chen, Kai, Kris, Sehun, and Suho all turned to meet the surprised looks from Baekhyun's friends. Kyungsoo turned quickly to glare at the boy who wore a simple smirk.

"You play dirty," he said before feeling Kai's arms slide around his waist, melting at the contact. Baekhyun watched for a second as his friends were pulled into the bad boy trance, something that they are known for in their school. After counting down the time, Baekhyun turned to leave for class, only to be stopped when he walked into someone's broad chest. He looked up to see two big brown eyes staring down at him without care. Baekhyun moved back to look at the boy's full face. His hair was silver and messy as if he just got out of bed. A look that shouldn't have affected him the way it did.

"We need to talk later," the boy said, his voice deep and commanding. Baekhyun didn't respond. Out of the fear he had of saying something stupid, he just nodded, agreeing with the boy. With that, the tall boy walked past Baekhyun, telling his other friends that they needed to go to class, which made them release Baekhyun's friends and leave.

"When did you start talking to Chanyeol?" Lay asked, thinking about what just happened. Baekhyun took a deep breath before turned to walk to class.

"We have a project to do for chemistry," Baekhyun said.

"Only the project?" Luhan asked, wanting to see how exactly Baekhyun would react to thinking about Chanyeol. The other was disappointed to see Baekhyun's relaxed mood hadn't changed in the slightest.

"Only the project Lu."

________________________________________________________________

Baekhyun met Chanyeol by the gate after school. Without any real conversations, the two walked to Chanyeol's house without interruptions. Once they got there, Baekhyun placed his bags on the couch and sat beside them.

"Your friends seem interesting," Chanyeol said, bring up the random topic.

"What makes you say that?" Baekhyun asked.

"They came to talk to me at lunch today," Chanyeol said. "Asking about our project for class." Baekhyun put his books on the coffee table as he let out a small laugh.

"They're like that," Baekhyun said, not really knowing what else to say. He was flipping through his chemistry book when Chanyeol suddenly turns the boy's head to look at him.

"So you haven't been bragging about me?" He asked.

"I... I told you that no one can know..." Baekhyun said, trying to keep his composer.

"Yeah, I know. But even with that, most people talk about their first time with their friends." Baekhyun's eyes went wide as Chanyeol smirked. "They happily mentioned that part to me."

"They told you that?" Baekhyun asked, embarrassed that his secret was out.

"I heard them talking about it," Chanyeol clarified.

"I didn't think that was--"

"You should've told me anyway," Chanyeol cut the boy's excuses. Chanyeol sighed before letting Baekhyun's face go and placing him oh his lap. "But its okay."

"Why?" Baekhyun asked.

"Because... That gives me more reason to punish you later," Chanyeol whispered in Baekhyun's ear. The boy thought about the man's words, feeling himself getting excited as he thought about them.

"I thought I was just you're..."

"You're my baby boy," Chanyeol said. "Which means you'll get punished." Chanyeol took the chemistry book and lifted it so that both could read. "Now let's get to work."

________________________________________________________________

"Uh oh," Tao said, walking up to Baekhyun in the lunchroom. The boy looked up from his food to see his friends walking toward him, taking a seat I their regular spots. "Our baby Baek has lost his glow."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Baekhyun asked.

"It means that you've obviously been doing it with someone for the last week and now it's obvious that you guys have stopped," Luhan said. Baekhyun scoffed, wanting to deny their claims once again. "Come on Baekhyun. We told you about our firsts. Why can't you be honest about yours?" Luhan asked. Baekhyun stopped playing with his food before looking to see his friends, all seeming to be disappointed. Baekhyun had been trapped in his own little world for so long, he forgot about his friends. He sighed before putting down his fork.

"After I left the party, I decided to just walk around and I ended up walking down by the river. I recognized him from school and he recognized me so we started talking and he walked me home and I kissed him..."

"You made the first move?" Xiumin asked.

"Bold," Kyungsoo commented.

"Anyways, one thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together that night... And the morning after... And the night after..."

"And the rest is history," Luhan said.

"But who was the guy?" Tao asked. Baekhyun looked around before motioning for his friends to come closer. After stating his name, everyone gasped.

"Park Chanyeol?" Xiumin repeated in a whisper. Baekhyun nodded. "Baekhyun, he sleeps with like everyone."

"I know. That's why this isn't serious," Baekhyun said.

"Then why do you look so disappointed?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Because we were fine for like a week and then he just ghosted last Friday... No calls or texts at all. Not even a late night dick pic or anything..." Baekhyun said, letting out all his worries.

"Do you think that might be why?" Lay asked looking across the room. Baekhyun followed Lay and looked to the table by the window to see Chanyeol sitting on the window seat, his arms around a girl's waist as he kissed her neck. Something inside Baekhyun broke, but he wasn't sure why. He knew the kind of guy Chanyeol was. He knew what he was getting into... So why did he feel so hurt by what he was watching?

"That's Seohyun. His regular," Kyungsoo pointed out the girl. Baekhyun simply took in a breath, picking up his fork once again.

"Did you say something that ran him off?" Luhan asked.

"It doesn't matter what he did. Chanyeol is a user and a pig," Xiumin said. "Someone should beat his ass."

"Calm down Xiu," Baekhyun said.

"No. I'm serious. He deserves to a good--"

"Is a little someone upset?" Chen whispered in Xiumin's ear, making the boy freeze. Baekhyun looked around only to realize that the boys they had been looking at moments ago were all around them, all except for Chanyeol.

"What are you all so upset about?" Sehun asked. Baekhyun saw the small look in Luhan's eye. He had no backbone when it came to the blonde boy beside him.

"Don't say a word," Baekhyun warned his friends. His friends tried to stay strong as the ones around them tried to temp them but it seemed to be very difficult. The last strike was when Kai kissed Kyungsoo behind his ear.

"What happened baby?" He whispered, making Kyungsoo lose all sense of self-control.

"Chanyeol slept with Baekhyun," Kyungsoo said starting the chain reaction.

"He was his first," Tao said after.

"They were fine until Friday and then Chanyeol stopped talking to him," Luhan explain.

"And now Baek is really upset," Lay finished, feeling Suho's hands stop around his waist. Baekhyun looked at his friends wide-eyed.

"You guys are so weak..." Baekhyun said.

"We're sorry!" Xiumin said.

"Don't kill us!" Tao asked.

"I'm leaving," Baekhyun said. Without another word, Baekhyun left the cafeteria, throwing his food in the trash before walking out.

________________________________________________________________

Chanyeol walked down the hallway, bored out of his mind, when the small brunette began pulling him down the hallway. He wanted to protest the boys actions but decided against it, realizing the boy wasn't in the mood. They finally stopped when Baekhyun found an empty classroom.

"Ummm... Hi?" Chanyeol said as Baekhyun closed the door to the room. Baekhyun took a deep breath before turning to the male. "You know, if you wanted some, you could've texted."

"Really?" Baekhyun asked. "I would've assumed your phone was broken? You know, with you not saying a word for a week."

"Oh... Well... That's just--"

"Just what? Oh. Maybe it's not your phone. Maybe you're just too busy with your new plaything to even tell me," Baekhyun said as his anger built up.

“Are you talking about Seohyun?" Chanyeol asked.

"Yeah. Seohyun. You remember her name. What an improvement for you,"

"Look Baekhyun--"

"Don't 'look Baekhyun' me," The smaller said, walking closer towards Chanyeol, pointing his finger at the boy's face. "You know, I know how you are. I know how guys like you work. So I shouldn't be surprised. Maybe its because I just thought even with your playboy ways, you'd have the decency to at least tell me you're dropping me instead of just running around with another girl."

"Baek--"

"And I shouldn't really care but you know, it's a little hard to not care when you freaking took my virginity," Baekhyun yelled. He took a deep breath to calm yourself before looking up at the boy. Chanyeol just looked down at him with wide eyes, not expecting the boy's rage. " This might be a game to you and all of your friends but to some of the girls and guys that you play with, being dropped suddenly just hurts. At least have the heart to tell them the truth!" Baekhyun turned to walk out of the room when Chanyeol grabbed his arm suddenly. Baekhyun turned around to meet the boy's gaze when his lips crashed into the others. Baekhyun pushed against the boy's chest to get him away but that only made Chanyeol pull the boy closer. Baekhyun melted into the kiss, though he wished he hadn't. He stopped pushing the boy away and simply slowly put his arms around the boy's neck, pulling him closer. After a couple of moments went by, they pulled apart from each other.

"You're nothing like the others Baekhyun," Chanyeol said in a whisper. Baekhyun looked up at the boy confused as he continued. "You were innocent and I took advantage of your innocence... I thought we could just mess around a few times and it would be done but... I found myself dreaming about you and thinking about you all the time... I couldn't stop myself from wanting my hands on you, but I know I'm not good for you. That's why I ignored you. That's why I found Seohyun..."

"What are you talking about?" Baekhyun asked.

"Baekhyun... I think I have actual feelings for you... But I know it can't happen so I ran away instead of facing it. I know I hurt you and I'm sorry, but there wasn't another way and there isn't anything else to do except for leaving." With those last words, Chanyeol left Baekhyun alone, confused with the information he was just told.

________________________________________________________________

"Chan." Chanyeol lifted his head up to face his friends as they all sat on the picnic tables outside of school. Chanyeol looked at his 5 friends as they had their arms wrapped around their lovers, still unofficial to everyone else. Chen looked at his friend with concern as Xiumin laid back into Chen's chest, playing with his fingers. "Dude, what's wrong?" Chen asked.

"Nothing man," Chanyeol said pushing off his thoughts.

"That means it's something," Kai said, looking up from Kyungsoo who sat on his lap.

"No, it means nothing." Chanyeol corrected.

"If you wanna talk about it alone, we could go," Lay said, wanting to be considerate.

"No way! I wanna hear what's wrong," Tao said from Kris's side on the ground. Kris smiled before pulling the boy over on his lap, making Tao smile as well. Chanyeol rolled his eyes as he tried to hide his small smirk.

"You guys can stay," Chanyeol said. "You're cool. I like you guys being around," Chanyeol admitted.

"You'd like it more if Baekhyun was around," Luhan said, playing with Sehun's hair from his lap. Xiumin looked down at Luhan before giving him a good smack on the head.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes he forgets to use his filter." Xiumin said, apologizing for his friend.

"That's probably who he was thinking about anyways," Suho remarked. Chanyeol looked at the boy and glared as Suho simply laughed. "You know I'm not wrong."

"You're totally wrong. Why would I be thinking about Byun." Chanyeol scoffed, dismissing the idea. Kyungsoo laughed a little, making everyone look at him.

"I'm sorry. But the similarities are just uncanny," Kyungsoo remarked.

"Similarities?" Chanyeol asked.

"The fact that you two obviously like each other. Duh," Tao said. "I swear, Baek thinks that he's the best at seeing couples but he can't even see the ones in front of him."

"Baekhyun doesn't like me," Chanyeol stated out loud, getting up from his spot on top of the table. He turned to face his friends and their guest as he stretched and looked around the park. "Byun Baekhyun probably hates my guts about now."

"You should really get your head out of your ass, Park Chanyeol," a voice called behind the taller. Chanyeol turned around as the boy in question walked up to him quickly. Chanyeol looked at him in confusion before he was pulled down to the boy's height, staring the boy face to face. Their friends watched in awe. "You always walk around like you know everything but you really don't know shit." Chanyeol snapped out of his trance and smirked.

"Is that right?" Chanyeol asked cockily. The smirk he gave only made Baekhyun angrier.

"Yeah, that's right. Spewing shit about what's best for me and your feelings and how you can't do anything. That's all bullcrap and you know it." Baekhyun said. "You don't choose what's good for me. I do."

"What are you saying Baekhyun," Chanyeol asked, wanting the boy to get to his point, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol up and down before crashing their lips together. Chanyeol didn't hesitate to respond, putting his arms around the smaller's waist. As Baekhyun placed his arms around Chanyeol's neck, the taller lifted him so that he could stand tall, Baekhyun having to wrap his feet around the man's waist.

"We should give them some privacy," Lay said as he and Suho stood up from their seats. The others followed their lead, picking up their things as they began walking back into the school.

"Does this mean I get to tell him I told you so later?" Luhan asked as they walked back inside. His only response was a slap on the head from Xiumin.

#exo fanfic #exo #chanbaek #exok #exom

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eiirisworkshop · 4 years

Text

InuYasha Fic (working title “Sesshomaru The Babydaddy)

For Good Intentions WIP Fest, details of which can be found @goodintentionswipfest

Years ago I had an idea for a fic about Sesshomaru having a half-demon kid; like I think I might have been in middle school when I first started this. I’ve poked at it a few times over the years, but now that the InuYasha sequel is out and brushing close to my idea in some key ways I doubt I’m ever gonna find the motivation to finish it, just feels redundant since it’s been so thoroughly jossed. And I also don’t want to watch the sequel, because it’s too close and I know I’ll like my idea better, because it’s my idea.

***

He ran his fingers through her long, raven hair and she ran hers through his white. No one in the world could see them—no one needed to. Only the sliver of moon bore witness as it shown through cloud and canopy, bleaching the earth in pools of silver. She was soft, fragile, unafraid. She very nearly frightened him, and she knew it. He liked it.

In the dark it was easy to forget—or, at the very least, ignore—that they were from opposing worlds. In any case, they didn't have to forget for long.

She woke to the warmth of morning sun filtering through the boughs of the wild cherry tree beneath with she lay on a white kimono that was not hers. She knew without opening her eyes that she was alone.

Inuyasha yawned and stretched as he walked.

[The gang talks, Kagome is on break from school. They get to a little, remote villiage.]

Sango glanced around, eyes narrowed. “You know how people tend to stare at InuYasha like they're worried he's gonna eat them?”

“Yeah...?” Shippo said.

“The people here are hardly noticing him.”

[IY says something about prefering this situation to being attacked/chased]

“Sure, but it's strange.” Sango frowned. “It makes me nervous.”

[Miroku drags IY over to question an old lady at a well.]

Miroku: “Hello, ma'am. My friend here is a half-demon, did you know that?”

The woman set her now-full bucket on the ground. “Mhm, figured so, him looking like that.”

“Hm.” Miroku released his grip on the squirming honyou. “And that's not....interesting or alarming or anything?”

The old woman shrugged. “Sort of used to it.”

InuYasha stopped himself a hair's bredth from throttling the monk. “What d'you mean you're used to it?”

“Inn keeper's daughter's the same way. Pretty little thing, real sweet long as you don't make her mad.” The woman laughed, grabbed her bucket and started down the street. “Folks 'round here can't agree if that girl's fire comes from her mama or whatever dark thing begot her!”

[The gang decides to go to the inn]

InuYasha kicked the inn door open with a bang. The only person in the dimly lit room didn't even jump. She just looked up with a smile from wiping down a table and bowed politely. “Good afternoon, welcome. Do you need a table, a room, or both?”

The girl was slim, young—no older than thirteen—but tall for her age, with a thick white braid hanging down to the small of her back. She was dressed in pale blue umanori over an orange kimono with tied up sleeves, a bright spot of color in the mostly drab room. Small, canine ears poked out from the bandana tied around her head, and she looked through her too long bangs with large tawny eyes.

InuYasha stalked up to her, invading her personal space, and started sniffing. She leaned away from him, eyeing him like he was crazy. “Uh, I'll get my mother.”

She darted to the stairs and out of sight.

“You didn't have to scare her like that,” Kagome chided.

“It smells like my brother.” InuYasha crossed his arms and made a face of disgust.

[The girl (Hoshi)'s mother comes down, introduces herself as Akiko, mention's Hoshi's name too]

“Why the hell does your kid smell like my brother?”

“No idea.” Akiko crossed her arms. “Why does your brother smell like a twelve year old girl?” She shifted her focus to the rest of the group. “You here for supper or for the night? Or are you just here for your friend to make trouble?”

[So much stuff and things happen. Not sure how long passes. The gang leaves town. They're not far out of town when they happen to run into Sesshomaru]

“You!” InuYasha stabbed a finger at his brother. “You hypocritical son of a bitch!”

Sesshomaru leveled a look of disdain at his father's younger son. “What are you talking about?”

“You've got a half-human kid!”

[Sesshi has a “pics or it didn't happen” reaction so they all head back into town.]

Akiko looked up from were she was keeping book at one of the dining tables. “I thought you were heading out of town.” She spotted Sesshomaru. “Oh.” She stood gracefully. “You.”

Sango tilted her head toward the demon. “Told you.”

“It means nothing that this woman recognizes me,” he said coolly.

“You're full of shit.” Akiko rolled her eyes. “What the hell happened to you arm?” After too long a beat with no answer forthcoming, she shrugged. “Well, I guess you only need one....”

InuYasha cringed, catching the [sexual] side of her meaning. “Do you have to say things like that?”

“Can you get over it that I slept with your brother?” she shot back quickly then crossed her arms and turned to the full demon. “

[Stuff and things. Hoshi comes in.]

“I'm done with inventory—” Hoshi stopped talking abruptly and went very still. One of her ears twitched.

Beside Kagome, Sesshomaru stiffened, eyes widening. For a long moment, no one breathed. Then, in a single flash of motion almost too fast to follow, Hoshi had crossed the room, stepped up onto a chair to augment her height, smacked her sire across the face, and fled upstairs. Instantly, Sesshomaru bristled and snarled; a drop of blood oozed from one of the three long welts on his cheek where Hoshi's nails had caught him.

“Hey!” Akiko shouted and banged a hand on the table. “Calm down. You break anything in this building, so much as gouge a table, and I'll take your other arm off. You put a single scratch on my daughter and I will end your life. You hear me?”

He clenched his fist but otherwise feigned composure. “I hear you.”

“Good.” Akiko headed for the stairs.

[much stuff and things, IDK]

[Sesshi gets drunk at some point]

“Can we talk?” Akiko asked softly.

“Cruel, giving me the illusion of choice.”

“Oh, you have a choice.” She crossed her arms. “You can say no and walk away. I wouldn't suggest it, though.”

He inclined his head slightly.

She nodded. “Walk with me?”

“Very well.” He offered her his arm. She took it and they set out along the path.

[Akiko explains that Hoshi does have valid reasons to resent Sesshomaru for]

“I don't blame you for not being here, even if I sometimes wish you had been. I never expected you to stay. I knew when I lay with you that you wouldn't.”

“Then why did you?”

She smiled. “It was exciting.”

They stopped on the path in the shadow of a large conifer. He disengaged their arms and touched her face. She met his gaze unwaveringly.

“Why aren't you frightened of me?”

She shrugged. “My mother used to say that you don't avoid the river just because you can drown.” She smoothed one of her sleeves. “One need not fear something just because it's dangerous so long as you respect its power.”

“Mm.” He studied her a moment before leaning to kiss her.

She pulled away. “Don't do that unless you mean it.” He started to respond but she cut him off. “I mean, unless you care.”

He took a small step back.

“Things are different than they were. I'm different. I'm a mother, a business owner. I have obligations and responsibilities. Before, I was girl with next to no prospects and no expectations. All I wanted from you was whatever you were willing to readily give.

“For now, you're just passing through. But if you kiss me, or anything else, you make yourself a part of things here. You do that, and you'll be making a promise you had better not make unless you've every intention of keeping it.”

The corner of Sesshomaru's mouth twitched. “I want you.”

“Too bad.”

He grabbed her shoulder roughly. She smacked him across the face and took several steps back, away from him.

“Don't you dare!” Akiko shouted. She lowered her voice to a snarl. “Do not manhandle me. You've no right. You get to touch me only if I let you and only how I say.” She straightened her clothes, drew herself up regally, and started back toward the inn.

InuYasha hopped up over a bolder, and there was Sesshomaru, sitting on the ground, eyes closed, back against a cherry tree. A soft breeze blew through the clearing, stirring both their hair. Without opening his eyes, the elder brother said, “What are you doing here?”

“Heh.” InuYasha crossed his arms. “I was sent to go make sure you're not killing anything important.”

“I'm not killing anything at all.”

“Good. So, tell me to fuck off and I'll go back and say you told me to fuck off and I'll leave you alone and you can leave or whatever.”

Sesshomaru opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. “Humans are soft.”

“Uh.” InuYasha blinked at the non sequitur. “Yeah, they're squishy and fragile and weak—all the shit you give me hell for being when I'm not. So what?”

“I didn't mean to frighten her.”

“So tell her that.” He snorted. “I don't care.”

“I could kill you.”

“Sure you could.” Akiko put away the freshly scoured cups. “So could your brother or any of his friends or my brother. The ability to kill is not unique, Sesshomaru.”

“I would enjoy killing you.”

She rolled her eyes and reached for more dishes. “Are you trying to make some kind of point?”

“I could kill you. I know I would enjoy doing so. But I don't want to.”

“Mhm?”

“I would prefer you remain alive.”

She snorted, halfway to a laugh. “If you're trying to be affectionate, I appreciate the attempt, but you're really bad at it.”

“I've little practice.” He stood, crossed the room, took a bowl from her hands, set it down, and touched her face. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“Watch the claws.”

“I know.” He tilted her chin up gently.

“You've done much for me,” he said softly. “Borne and raised my child, when you need not have kept her....”

“If I'd given her up, who would have taken her? Most childless bakers aren't looking for hanyou babes.”

“That's not what I mean by 'kept.'”

“What do you mean then?”

He fingered the ruff at his shoulder and glanced at her sideways. “I know women have methods for...handling situations.”

Akiko looked to the floor. “Yes.... But they're unreliable and dangerous and, I decided, not worth it.”

#fanfic #inuyasha #sesshomaru #good intentions wip fest

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whenimgoodandready · 4 years

Text

*SVTFOE Bloopers, Finale Season Epilogue

—The Departure—

(Star and Marco slowly walk up to each other and stop once they are face to face)

Marco:(softy) “Hey”

Star:(softly) “Hi”

(they stare at each other fondly as the final music score plays and the camera pans up to the “Earthni” sky)

Director Daron:(heard off-screen) “And that’s a wrap!”

(the alarm rings)

(Star starts to cry. Marco looks concerned)

Marco:”Star? Star what’s wrong?”

Star:(wipes away her tears) “Oh, nothing” (sniffles) “I’m just so happy I went through all this. With my friends, family and even a bunch of celebrities I never thought I’d meet”

Marco:(confused) “But, you’re a celebrity yourself, don’t you already know everyone?”

Star:(laughs) “Marco, just cuz I’m a celebrity doesn’t mean I know everyone! I never thought I’d meet band members like the lead singers of “Fall Out Boy” and “98 Degrees” (turns to see Ruberiot (Patrick Stump) and Justin Towers (Nick Lachey) who are next to each other and smiling at her) “Or have insanely detailed cosplayers (shows Marco a cosplayer dressed up as Star on her iPhone) “Or even a big namer like Toffee!” (turns to look at Toffee)

Toffee:(about to sip his coffee, but stops when he hears his name and turns to Star) “What, what?”

Marco:(blushing) “Oh, right” (nervously laughs) “And here I thought I was the lucky one starring in a hit tv show with the actress from “The Middle” (Star smiles) “Or doing my karate on camera for everyone at home to see” (turns to look at Jeremy is shown next to Sensei)

Jeremy:(waves frantically smiling) “Hi Marco!”

Marco:(waves back at Jeremy smiling then turns back to Star) “And best of all, I got a TV Star girlfriend!”

(Jackie comes in putting her arm around Marco)

Jackie:(teasingly) “Whoa there! Don’t go putting me on a pedestal bringing me offerers now”

(Marco laughs)

Janna:(stepping into the scene with all her sass) “Quick the water works Star, we’re still gonna see each other again tonight for the big farewell party here”

Tom:(walks into the scene as well) “Yeah, there’s gonna be music, food, the cast of “The Owl House” gonna show up! I’ve seen sneak peaks of that, looks awesome!”

Pony Head:(flies in) “And champaign!”

Star:(her face lights up) “Really!”

Pony Head:(with a sour look) “Yeah, but only for the adults” (blows a raspberry)

(Moon walks in)

Moon:(playfully) “Oh hush Pony” (she puts a hand to Star) “Star, I know you can be sensitive to these things. Much like how you were when your show, “The Middle” ended. You saw the cast as your family and I understand. I may be your TV Mom, but I love you like a real mother does. I’ve seen you at your best and worst on set, but in the end, I still love you cuz that’s how family is. It’s like being on TV. You mold yourself into the character you want to be and take each step of your life as a scene. If the “scene” turns out bad, then you “review” it so as to not make the same mistakes for a better ending. To me, this ending turned out well cuz I did it with my family”

Eclipsa:(walks in on the scene) “It’s true. I felt like the cast of my show “Game of Thrones” were like my family and sadly” (sighs softly) “It’s ending too. I’m going to miss everyone there. It was so much fun, but I’ll be honest. I liked working here better. I loved my character and working with all these talented children, doing something cute and family friendly and being on Disney and of course, you Star”

Star:(looks around the people that she’s worked with for her show smiling and sniffles) “You guys are the best. I’m gonna miss you all” (her face lights up with an idea) “Wait! I wanna remember this moment!” (she pulls out her iPhone and starts waving her hand in the air) “Everyone! Gather around! I wanna get a picture!”

(Star holds her iPhone in the air with selfie mode on as she pushes in Marco, Tom, Jackie, Janna, Moon and Eclipsa together as Pony Head flies in closer and Star gestures for them to stick together as she walks off to grab more people)

Tom:”Ow” (turns to Janna) “You’re stepping on my boots!”

Janna:”Well scoot over!”

Pony Head:(pushes aside Marco) “Move over Karate Kid, I wanna be next to Star! This pic is gonna go viral!”

Marco:”I’m the star!”

Pony Head:”Yeah, co-star! There’s a difference!”

(Star comes in dragging Toffee who’s reluctant)

Toffee:(trying to pull off Stars hand from his arm) “Star! This is Armani!”

Star:”Oh Toffee, it’s a rental!” (she pushes Toffee in with the group and runs off to grab Starfan13 and Oskar who position themselves in the group photo with everyone ready and smiling. Stars about to take the picture when suddenly she stops) “WAIT! Wait! Wait! Wait! I’m missing some people!”

(the group groans as Star runs off to grab others. As they wait, Jack wraps her arms around Marco, Janna attempts to give the middle finger only for Tom to lower it down and glare at her shaking his head going “MmMmm” and Janna blaring back at him and Oskar giving the “Rock On!” sign. Star brings in River, Buff Frog, Alfonzo, Ferguson, Angie, Sensei, Rafael, Ludo, Brittany, Jeremy, Kelly, Mina, Hekapoo, Globgor and even Brian H. Kim and more importantly, Daron Nefcy herself who get into position next to their closest characters companions (ex.Alfonzo and Ferguson next to Marco) and Star gets in the center to finally take the picture)

Janna:”You know Star, there’s a poster of all of us in it, right!? I mean, it’s what’s saving the trouble for this”

Star:”Alright Everyone! Say, “Narwal Blast!”” (quickly takes the picture before they could say it) “Eat your heart out Ellen”

Marco:”Wait I think I blinked!”

Janna:”You suck”

Jackie:”Janna!”

Janna:”What!?”

Director Daron:(claps her hands to get everyone’s attention) “C’mon people! We need to clear out to prepare this place for party tonight!”

(the group breaks loose (except Daron) and walks away as the camera crew leave along with the make-up artists, special effects team and the script writers. Star stands in place watching everyone depart smiling and waving)

Moon:(waves at Star) “Bye dear! See you tonight”

River:(waves) ”Bye TV daughter!”

Eclipsa:”See you tonight sweetie!”

Globgor:”Bye”

Janna:(holds up a peace sign) “I’ll see you tonight at 7!” (winks at Star for the reference)

(Star gives a thumbs up)

Daron:”Star!” (Star looks up to Daron) “I just wanna say thank you for being “Star Butterfly”. There was a reason I named the character “Star” and that’s cuz seeing your character, Sue Heck, an optimist and eccentric girl going through life no matter how God awful it got, made me wanna create a girl who was actually like that and making it better by giving her magical powers! So I saw your name in the credits, Star Sher, and I thought about my character and said, “I want her blossom and grow”. That’s when the word butterfly came to mind. Star Butterfly. I was like you once. Guess I just saw a bit of myself in you and wanted let that same little be do great things” (Star’s eyes light up) “I also wanna apologize for my outburst before our final shooting” (looks away embarrassed) “I was under a lot of pressure from making sure everything went perfectly and I guess I turned into a dragon lady or something. Heavy is the head that wears the crown” (makes a small laugh. Star’s face comes to a realization of that, but goes back to her smile for Daron) “I hope we’re okay so that we can have fun at the party tonight”

Star:”We’re great!”

(Daron was so touched, she hugs Star and Star quickly hugs her back. Daron gently breaks them apart and softly looks at Star)

Daron:”Thank you my rebel princess” (she lovingly puts her head on Stars head and then walks away. Star fondly watches her leave and heard Marcos voice)

Marco:”Star!” (Marco runs up to her followed by Pony Head, Jackie Tom, Shonda and Shinda) “Guess what!”

Star:(eagerly) “What!?”

Marco:”We get to choose the songs played at the party tonight! We can play whatever music we want!”

(they all cheer)

Shonda:(pulls out the records she and Shinda have been playing during the bloopers) “Which one should we play!”

Shinda:(enthusiastically) “OOh! OOh! OOh! I say-“

(Pony Head gasps and grabs the records with her teeth, slams them on the ground and smashes them with herself repeatedly with Star, Marco, Tom, Jackie, Shonda and Shinda staring at her as she does it)

Pony Head:(flies right in the twins faces) “NO MORE MUSIC FOR YOU TWO! I.have.HAD IT! You hear me!? Had it! I’m getting your parents!” (pushes the two ponies away away)

Marco:(points to the broken pieces of the record on the ground shocked) “Those were my records!”

(Toffee passes by to pick up his black jacket on a make-up chair)

Star:(runs up to Toffee whose texting on his iPhone (actually Toms iPhone since he confiscated it) to someone) “Hey Toffee! Toffee!”

Toffee:(looks up from Toms phone) “Hmm”

Star:(holds her hands behind her and looks down on the ground) “I just wanna say that I’m sorry I gave you a hard time during the show. Especially from “Battle for Mewni”. I just got so stressed with working on the show and all. Heavy is the crown and” (pauses) “And uh.......uhhhhhhh, whatever they call it. I mean, I was the star of the show, but you” (looks up and gestures to Toffee) “You were the real “Star”! For “Star vs. The Forces of Evil” How could I measure up to that!? Huh?” (laughs) “And I still do respect you! I just didn’t wanna us to part on bad terms. Sooooooooo, are we good?” (sheepishly grins)

Toffee:(stares at Star for a moment and then laughs) “Yeah, sure, we good”

(Stars face lights up)

Toffee:(chuckles) “I mean, I can’t tell you how stressed I was when I was on my show, “Dexter”. So yeah, I know the pressure of stardom and be toxic and you’re young, so it’s a lot harder on you I guess, but I still do respect you as well. From one “Star” to another”

(Star happily stares at Toffee then gives him a big hug that startles him. He’s bewildered by this sudden embrace, but then hugs her back)

Marco:(comes in with his arms wide open) “Hey, can I get some of that action over here!?”

Toffee:(looks sternly at Marco while hugging Star) “Back off Diaz, I’m still recovering from my shoulder injury”

(Marcos smiles disappears and he still keeps his arms wide open, but lowers them down. He hisses embarrassingly while scratching the back of his head remembering how he went too hard on him during his big punch on “Battle for Mewni”)

Toffee:(breaks free of Stars hug and goes into Marcos face with a creepy smile) “Surprise!”

(Marco screams and backs up)

(Toffee laughs and pulls Marco in under his arm giving him a nuggy)

Marco:(is scared at first, but eventually laughs) “Okay! Okay! Yes, we’re cool too!”

(Toffee lets go of Marco and Marco straightens out his hair)

Toffee:(turns to Star) “Oh and Star” (Star turns to Toffee) “Don’t think too “high and mighty” of me just cuz I’m a huge star. I’m not all that big. I don’t even have a Star on Hollywood! I’m still person like you and Marco and everyone else”

Star:(sing song voice) “Okay”

(Toms iPhone beeps and Toffee looks down at the screen. He puts the phone away and starts to walk out swinging his jacket on his shoulder)

Toffee:”Well, see you kids tonight, I gotta go”

Marco:”Where you going?”

Toffee:”Heading over to my agents place. He’s got my tickets for Ontario later”

Star:”Ontario?”

Toffee:”Yeah, I’m flying over there to Canada to shot a new movie (“In the Shadow of the Moon”) where I play a detective” (in a stereotypical Canadian accent) “Eh” (he laughs to himself)

(Toffee walks away typing in Toms iPhone he and Tom runs after him)

Tom:”Hey, Toffee!” (we hear him from off-screen) “Can I have my phone back now”

Toffee:(heard off-screen) “No”

Jackie:(gasps in realization) “Marco!” (puts her hand in his shoulder) “We gotta go too!” (runs out to the studio door) “Bye Star!”

Marco:(his eyes widen in realization) “Oh yeah!” (runs after Jackie)

Star:(calling out) “Where you going!?”

Marco:(stops at the door where Jackie already ran out from to turn back to Star) “Oh” (laughs. Points behind him with his thumb) “I need to go help Jackie rehearse for her role on “She-Ra”

Star:”Oh! Right! I love that show!”

Marco:”Yeah, well, see you at the party tonight!” (runs out the door)

(Star smiles as she hears Marcos footsteps fading away. She was all alone now. Felt like only yesterday it was the premiere of her show with cast members off-screen watching, the special effects crew making all that glitters (literally) fill the air with magic and praise the show gained from the fans. It was all over now, but Star was happy that she got to try this new show and how it became a hit like her show, “The Middle”. She looked around and saw everything in the large studio quiet and colorful. The light up vanity mirrors, the camera stands and sound equipment and finally, the set of “Earthni” with the green screen in the back. Star found it hard to believe this place passed off as fantasy dimension full of eccentric make believe creatures with backstories. It would all be cleaned up soon. The custodians will be here to pick up everything and redecorate it for the shows farewell party tonight. Star saw a few things that needed to be cleaned up and walked over to do so)

Star:(singing softly to herself)🎶She's a princess winning battles, Through the break of dawn🎶(pushes a chair away from to form a passage. She walks over to the light up vanity mirrors)🎶Don't worry when it's night, 'Cause she will keep the lights on!🎶(turns off all the vanity mirrors. She walks towards the studio doors, but stops half way there to pick up a props box and move it to the other side)🎶Ohhhh, there goes a shining star!🎶(walks towards the studio doors again and stops a quarter of the way to turn off the set lights on “Earthni”) 🎶Evil won't deter her🎶 (echoes the back-up singers) 🎶(No, sir!)🎶🎶(gets to the studio doors, but stops in between it) 🎶’Cause magic flows through her🎶 (echoes the back-up singers again) 🎶(Star Butterfly!)🎶 (slowly looks back at the studio shedding a tear)🎶She is a shining staaaaaaar!🎶(she sighs wholeheartedly getting a good look at it and lastly, flicks off the ceiling lights with the room now dark. Star turns back and closes the door)

The End

#svtfoe #svtfoe bloopers #svtfoe season 4 epilogue

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shyeehaw · 5 years

Text

Long Black Veil - 1/3

Abigail + Arthur posing pic from Meloo’s YouTube channel.

A pairing no one asked for yet I was inspired by a song.

Her blue blouse merged with the horizon, with the sky. But not her eyes. Yes, they were blue, but not only that. Arthur searched her eyes as if he walked on thin ice, they seemed cold and hardened, but emotion insisted on resurging to the surface. How he wanted to have a peek through those thoughts and contradictory feelings. How Arthur wished those eyes wore not framed by puffy eyelids, tired of crying when no could see.

Oblivious to his mom’s sighs, the little boy crawled around her, playing with the dirt. It wasn’t anything extraordinary to those who passed them by around camp, talking about money or lack of food. To Arthur it was. His justified anger towards John became fondness for the family he left behind. It had to be a cruel joke. He, who had a family before, was now forced to watch his best friend throw it all away.

Arthur couldn’t force his eyes to look at the gun he was cleaning, to the woods he was supposed to be watching. A magnetic force kept dragging him to Abigail. The same could be said about her. The moving picture show kept running through his head with pauses. The first months after John left them, disbelief uniting them. The late nights that came not long after, Arthur would rock Jack to sleep. And finally, the moment he hesitated for holding Abigail’s hand for a moment too long.

“That’s such a beautiful drawing, son!”, she said running her fingers through the boy’s light hair.

“Pa!”, he said pointing to the creased sand in front of him, “Pa?”

Abigail’s smile fell apart in an Instant, the well-composed face she had been wearing, vanished. She was strong, no doubt about that, but in days like these, she would ask her self why. Why must a child be subjected to the changing will of a man?

“Pa is working right now, Jack. He’ll be back soon, alright?”

It was hard to tell how much of it Jack truly understood, but in his toddler world, the oddly shaped rock held more importance for now. Getting up with clumsy steps, he left his mom alone.

“That goddamn prize idiot”, the words escaped Arthur before he could think them through.

Abigail looked up, now unable to keep pretending Arthur wasn’t there, when in fact, he was the only one who was.

“I’m the idiot one, for thinking he would be a man and help me raise the boy.”, there was no resistance left on her voice, even a sturdy tree has weak branches. Saying that, Abigail hid her face, she wouldn’t cry, she couldn’t.

“No Abigail, you ain’t.”, his hand hovered around her shaky shoulders, “You ain’t nothing but strong for doing all of this alone.”

His judgment was clouded by the need to comfort her. Seeing her suffer like this, so unfairly, placed a dark cloud on Arthur’s heart.

“But you ain’t alone... you know that right?” the question on his eye met the uncertainty on hers.

Even if he was there, how could this be? How to explain to Jack that the father he saw three days ago was not the one who cared about him?

“I wish he would just leave me then, leave me to choose who...”, she sighed, “each time he comes back I get my hopes up. And for nothing.”

“I won’t make excuses for John... he’s scared, I was too...”, the thought of Isaac always got Arthur’s voice to shake, “but I wish he could see he’s not the only one. We’ll make this work, alright? The boy will be fine.”

For a moment or so, Abigail believed him. A future where they all would be safe. Jack would go fishing with Arthur, she would cook them dinner and the boys would tease her about her lack of skills... That future smiled at her around the corner, yet it seemed so wrong. John was the boy’s father. Not Arthur.

That’s why when she leaned closer, as close as she ever dared, it surprised her as well.

“Abigail, I don’t want it to seem like I’m taking advantage of what’s going on...", Arthur said to her lips, almost rubbing them together, “But it would be a goddamn lie if I told you I don’t want this.”

Her lips were cold, he didn’t expect that. Abigail was frozen and he could tell by bringing her back, by breathing life into her. It was her first true kiss.

“And I wouldn’t ever want to lie to you.”

“I’m not in my right mind, Arthur. I should... I should wait for John, he’ll come around, right?”

He didn’t want to tell her what was on his mind. It was plain for them both to see, yet she would escape him like sand between the fingers. Jack’s cry broke their spell.

“I should... go.”, exhaustion got her stumbling. It must have been days since she had a proper sleep.

“One night Abigail. Let me take you to town, you and Jack. We’ll go somewhere no one knows us.”, he helped her up, “Let me show you what I think you really deserve. Not what you got used to.”

Her mouth was open, then it wasn’t anymore. Abigail Roberts never was a woman of few words, but there she was, speechless by an immoral offer that she had every intention to agree with. This wasn’t some crazy teenage runway. Arthur saw her for who she really was - a mother, a lady. And he wanted every aspect of it.

“I’ll pack my things.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning broke hazy, another reminder of her clouded judgment. Blaming all in exhaustion and revenge was easier than facing her true reasons. Jack slept peacefully, wrapped in his woolly blanket. Hosea asked no questions and was happy to look after the boy for a day or two.

The feeling on her gut screamed that things already started wrong if she had to lie to Hosea about where she was going. To the excuse of teaming up with Arthur to find John, she left camp.

“I feel bad for leaving Jack behind...”, Abigail sighed, her arms wrapped around Arthur’s torso, “He doesn’t deserve this... his stranger of a father, this selfish mother.”

“We can still bring him with us, but I won’t blame you for wanting to rest for a bit.”, there was indissoluble tension between them, he kept wishing to caress her tired face, let her rest her head in his shoulder, but Arthur wasn’t sure of how much of it was wished by her.

The comfortable rocking of the horse’s gallop made her eyes weight tons. Abigail’s head kept bobbing, and the cold forest around made their proximity even more tempting.

“It should be somewhere around here... The feller said to take the right or the left?”, he wasn’t counting on getting lost in the falling afternoon, wasting time on the road when they could be together.

“Left.”, she grew silent, probably doubting if she should have ever followed him there, “Mighty fine inviting me someplace you don’t even know how to get to.”

Those sharp words would have worried him if not spoken by Abigail, there was humor in her voice.

“That’s the girl I know! But don’t let sassiness get over your head just yet, that sign over there says Strawberry.”

The cold breeze blew the last of the sunlight, dissipating a few clouds to reveal a starry sky. The city was much more a painting than a real-life scenery. Truly beautiful.

“That’s some fancy town you brought me to.”, said Abigail under her breath, impressed by how the moonlight seemed to stream down along the river that split the town in two.

“Are you hungry? There must be a saloon around here where we-“

“Starving! Can we have dinner somewhere?”, her eyes lost a bit of the tiredness around them. For the first time in months, Abigail’s face was just like Arthur remembered, full of light.

#arthur morgan #rdr2 #rdr2 AU #rdr #rdr2 imagines #abigail marston #abigail roberts #arthur x abigail #arthur morgan x abigail roberts #jack marston #fanfic #rdr2 fanfic

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vvclascos · 6 years

Note

6, 9, 15, 27 !

6. what unconventional superpower would you like to have? (ie no flying or super strength)

“Well, all things considered, is the ability to take away and give hangovers unusual enough? Because I know a few lightweights that’d absolutely benefit from that power—myself included. Oh, that and can you imagine just getting an enormous hangover during a sword fight, because I can and I could almost smell the victory and upchuck.”

9. in your mind, what is your happy place?

“There—well, during a summer, a real shit summer, Dante took me to a nice mall with his fancy getup. I was in a funk because of some stuff with the neighborhood kids, so he dragged me out of my room and into the car, which he could barely drive himself. Mom was off doing some stuff in the hospital, something real serious, so she gave Dante some cash for lunch and dinner so we wouldn’t starve to death when she was gone. I love the man, but he can’t cook at all. He took me to an arcade first; DDR was a thing, and shoot-em-ups, and stuff. Then, he made me get a wool sweater, which was never going to be cool, ever. Afterwards, we ate some nice food at the court, laughing and sending mom pics over text.”

“We spent all day at that mall. I’d never admit it to the guy, but that’s my happy place. My mom, in spirit and my big brother close by. Some days I miss them. I make promises to go back, but I don’t think I might. Better not to make any at all.”

15. are you superstitious?

“Oh, dude. No. Well, sort of? Comes with the territory of being a demigod, I think? Paying heed to all of the mystical mumbo-jumbo that everyone always talks about; you never know which god you’re going to offend if you step on a river or something. Man, you don’t mess with the gods, and I’ve seen enough unlucky demigods in the path of some messed up curses.”

27. what do you hate the most?

“Oh gods, uh. Shit—well, I don’t know. Myself. Easy answer, but you know, ‘s true. I’m sort of a ways away from the other thirteen, so I guess I hate the fucking way I don’t measure up in terms of skill or experience. Gotta, well, I gotta work on that.”

#( asks. )#aeipaths

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because-of-a-friend · 7 years

Text

Time Travel Series Pt. 2

MASTERLIST

YOON JEONGHAN

-Ok so Jeonghan time travels purely for the #aesthetic

-He sees a pic of a really cool sunset back in 1984?

-He’s going to travel there

-He sees a Renaissance painting he really likes?

-You can bet he’s gonna travel back in time and somehow worm his way into seeing it painted

-One of the other boys comes back from the future and tells him about this really cool architecture they found?

-Jeonghan is gonna be there to see it

-Jeonghan just uses his ability to see all of the beauty in all of the times in all of the world

-His #1 spot to travel to tho

-Is back to like the Dark Ages

-As in like, King Arthur and his knights type time period

-Jeonghan lowkey has always had a fantasy of being a brave knight in shining armor who rescues a princess

-He knows it’s kind of ridiculous

-But he still likes going back to this time period

-Cuz he just likes seeing it all

-All the castles, and kings, and queens, and knights

-He goes so often that they start to recognize him

-When people start asking who he is, he just comes up with some random story about how he’s from a kingdom farther away from what any of their maps have charted

-He’s like ya, I’m just one of the court officials that was sent out to chart more land

-And they’re like kind of suspicious at first

-Cuz what if his kingdom is gonna start a fight

-But like, he did come alone, without any knights

-And once they start talking to him they obviously just kind of love him instantly

-He has them calling him “Sir John”

-He thinks it’s like the greatest/ funniest thing ever

-He also does chart out the land

-Cuz now he’s got a cover to keep

-But he also kind of really likes drawing out maps and seeing how the world was once laid out

-He also loves how nature still has a hold on a lot more of the land

-How you can still see the stars super clearly at night

-How plants worm their way into every crack and crevice in the town

-How there’s a river that flows happily and freely

-He spends a lot of time at the river

-Like a lot

-That’s where he meets you, actually

-Cuz you’re coming all the way out to collect water

-Cuz the well in town is crowded and you’re not about to wait in line

-So you trek to the river

-And Jeonghan sees you but you don’t see him

-He decides to just stay quiet and continue his drawing so you can continue your work

-He happily sketches but he suddenly hears a splash

-He looks up instantly and sees that you’re not there anymore

-Obviously you can’t swim

-Cuz you know, the Dark Ages

-And Jeonghan is like ooooooh wait, they need help

-So he rushes down to the bank and dives in

-It takes him awhile to find you and he just about has a heart attack

-But he does grab you eventually and drag you out

-Once he gets you out he sits you up and starts looking all over you, trying to see if you’re ok

-And then he gets a good look at your face and just thinks “wow ok, they’re beautiful”

-So no, Jeonghan never got to be a Knight rescuing a princess

-Just a kpop idol saving someone with no ties at all to the royal family

-He doesn’t really care tho, cuz this felt just as cool

-So after you’ve kind of recovered he helps you up

-Grabs his stuff, fills your bucket up for you, and carries it back into town for you

-When he gets back to your house, he’s dragged inside because obviously you’re gonna tell your whole family and get him some sort of thanks

-And your parents just like, insist that he stays for dinner

-So they can at least give him something in return for saving your life

-The more he speaks to you at dinner, the more he likes you

-Like wow how can he be your friend pls

-He like makes an offer to help you with the water next time you need to get some

-”But I heard you never stay terribly long Sir John”

-”What???? Where’d you hear that????? Of course I’m staying awhile!!!!”

-Jeonghan isn’t always a good liar

-He ends up staying like, a month

-Which he’s really not supposed to do

-But he can always jump back to the day after he left

-So he’ll be fine

-Meanwhile he’s growing much closer to you

-He goes with you everyday to get water

-He says it’s just cuz he doesn’t want you falling in

-But obviously he just wants to spend as much time with you as possible

-So one day you two are just like, chilling

-And you’re kind of ranting to him

-You’re just telling him how you never fit in with anyone in the kingdom

-How you’re expected to marry, but no one ever seem to be interested

-How you don’t really have friends

-How stressful life is and how much you wish you could change it

-How much you wish you could just switch lives with someone else

-Or maybe just travel to a different world

-And in his mind he’s like “don’t tempt me Frodo”

-Like for real

-He’s just staring at you, like I could just tell them

-I could do that right now

-And he opens his mouth to speak to you

-He’s so close

-But then suddenly he just hears “GRAB HIM!”

-And suddenly someone is actually grabbing him

-And he’s like freaking out cuz it’s one of the knights

-And you’re freaking out cuz what deep shit did he even get himself into?

-And the knight just takes him back to the castle

-You try to run behind but you lose him quickly

-Jeonghan is forced into an audience with the king

-The king is like “so you’re a fraud”

-Some guy comes in and dumps all of his stuff on the ground

-The one thing he has going for him is the fact that there are in fact maps that he’s charted

-That’s really the only thing tho

-Because he doesn’t have an official seal from his “kingdom”

-He doesn’t have letters from his colleagues like he said he did

-There isn’t any record of where he came from

-And his cell phone is on the floor

-He kind of groans because now it’s broken and he’s gonna have to buy a new one

-He knows he should just jump now

-Before he gets like executed

-But he knows he can’t come back here

-He knows that this’ll be his last time seeing this kingdom

-He knows that you’re still out there someday

-So he just kind of... runs

-Literally has like the whole kingdom running after him

-And he finally finds a decent hiding spot

-And he like just catches his breath and thinks about where to find you

-”Sir John?”

-His heart stops as he turns

-Like wow did he just get caught

-Is he gonna die because he was stupid?

-But it’s you!!!

-And you’re like “What’s going on?”

-”I promise I can explain it all, but please just answer me one question”

-”What would that be?”

-”You said you wanted to go to a different world, if I could take you right now, would you go?”

-Time stops for you for a moment as you stare at him

-He’s offering everything you want

-He’s you’re only friend

-You’re still not sure what’s going on

-But you know you’d rather be with him than with anyone else in the kingdom

-So you agree

-He nods and grabs your hands

-You can hear people approaching

-Someone is almost on you now

-And you’re wondering what he even has planned here

-And then suddenly, everything is quiet

-And you’re now in this room?

-But it’s way different than any other room you’ve seen before

-And you’re just like shook

-Because what even is this room

-What even is anything in this room

-Wait... how did you even get here???

-So you slowly turn to the boy still kneeling on the floor

-”I’m Jeonghan by the way”

-It takes you a loooooooong time to get used to Jeonghan and his time period

-Like a good year or two

-The first time you encounter a blender you literally try to fight it

-Because what is that thing

-And Mingyu is rolling his eyes because

-1. They all know Jeonghan never should have brought you

-2. “Hyuuuung now we have to buy a new blender”

-But you get used to it eventually

-And the boys warm up to you because

-It’s not your fault Jeonghan broke one of their rules

-And it’s pretty cute how you find everything so fascinating

-Jeonghan never travels alone now

-Seeing all of the beautiful things in the world is 10x better with someone who gushes about all of it constantly

-Jeonghan is pretty happy he wasn’t a knight in shining armor, but a kpop idol in disguise

-Because he met you since that’s what he was

-And everything’s better with you

-Seeing that sunset from 1984?

-It was better than ever since he was sharing his first kiss with you underneath it

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