#hoping to finish drafts and tackle my inbox

[pine-dexter]

[w1ldthoughts]

AJ’s Analysis- Week One Preview⚡️:

Raiders at Chargers

Disclaimer: I am a Chargers fan so this will obviously be biased BUT I have been a football fan for the last 12 years and absolutely love dissecting the game and making comments so I figured I would give this a try! Please feel free to make comments and let me know your thoughts in my inbox!

Players to watch:

Los Angeles

Justin Herbert QB- Oregon- Year 5🩵

Pookie. Angel. Perfect prince. Idk. He’s just my favorite player in the NFL to watch. The arm talent, the decision making, the…everything. Ok so, this is honestly his coming out year. He’s finally got a coaching staff that is competent and hopefully working in an offense that doesn’t put the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s also coming off of finger surgery and a minor foot injury so he should be healthy and ready to take over the league. Simple. I can’t wait to watch.

Stats: carried the team on his back pretty much all of last season, lost a finger nail, lost most of his sanity and then lost his season to a broken right index finger. Best game last year by far was the week 10 loss against the Lions where he threw for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Cameron Dicker Kicker- Texas- Year 3

Little angel bean. Best kicker in the league. No further comments.

JK Dobbins RB- Ohio State- Year 5

Coming off of an Achilles injury and trying to shed the “injury prone” rumors, Dobbins is set to make his Chargers debut. One important thing to note, he’s only fumbled twice in his career…iykyk

Joe Alt RT- Notre Dame- Year 1

Here we go people! Fifth overall pick, mixed reviews from the audience. I’m rooting for him and the entire o-line to be much improved so I hope this first test shows that this investment in the “trenches” was worth it.

Khalil Mack EDGE/LB- Buffalo- Year 11

Recorded six sacks the first time these teams met last year. Was drafted by the Raiders in 2014 and has 100 career sacks, last season being one of his best in the last five years with 45 solo tackles and 17 sacks.

Joey Bosa DE/EDGE - Ohio State- Year 9

Also trying to shake injury prone rumors but seems to have taken on a new outlook and a new sense of excitement and motivation due to this new regime. Played in 9 games last season, starting 5 and still finished with 6.5 sacks. Honestly, looking forward to Joey making a big impact this season.

WR Room

I’ll preface this by saying I still miss Keenan Allen BUT ready to move forward. Very excited for Josh Palmer to get his time to shine hope he can stay healthy. DJ Chark excites me I’m gonna need to see some big plays from him. Quentin Johnston needs to have a breakout season. Ladd and Brenden are rookies but I need some huge contributions from them. Simi I know will show out when his number is called and if Derius the punt return king gets some targets I know he’s gonna put on a show. Nervous but excited to see how this goes!

Las Vegas

Gardner Minshew QB- Washington State- Year 6

Played in all 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts last year, made 13 starts and somehow always seems to know exactly what a team needs to get a win when his number is called. On his third team in his NFL career, looking to prove himself so he should come out looking to make a statement to keep his starting spot over AOC. Made the Pro Bowl last year with 305 completions and 3,305 passing yards, both career highs.

Davante Adams WR- Fresno State- Year 11

Your favorite wide receiver studies his film. Six Pro Bowls, three-time First team all pro, 39 games with 100+ receiving yards and has 9,637 receiving yards over the span of his career. Will get targets, will catch the ball and will probably score a touchdown (hopefully not two but who knows) this weekend.

Brock Bowers TE- Georgia- Year 1

Rookie Tight End making his NFL debut. Voted First Team All American by just about every single sports outlet in the country last season. Had 56 catches for 714 yards and six touchdowns for the Bulldogs in a 13-1 season falling short of a 3-peat not making the college football playoff but defeated Florida State 63-3 in the 2023 Capital One Orange Bowl.

Maxx Crosby DE- Eastern Michigan- Year 6

AKA Mad Maxx, neck tats can play football. Played in all 17 games last year and started. Heart and soul of the Raiders defense with 48 solo tackles and 14.5 sacks. Did get shaken out of his shoes by Justin last time and I’m sure he didn’t forget so he’ll be coming for vengeance.

Christian Wilkins DT- Clemson- Year 6

Entering his first season with the Raiders after a very successful five years in Miami. Recorded an NFL high 9 sacks for defensive tackles last season, started all 17 games and recovered two fumbles. Wilkins makes this Raiders defense a lot scarier and this will be a great first test for the often shaky Chargers o-line.

⏳FLASHBACK⌛️

Last time these two teams met, we all remember where we were…

1. Justin was injured, fresh off of surgery and Easton’s presence in the pocket is like a kid running late for curfew, very rushed and deer in the headlights

2. Defense quit and was ready to start fresh having lost faith in the entire coaching staff

3. We were all praying on the Charger downfall on this day and got what we wanted so sorry Coach Staley but…not sorry

Had to include this because baldy is gone and I couldn’t stand him. This was very embarrassing.

That’s it for week one!!!

Bolt the absolute fuck up

[zstartrixxx]

I woke up in a cold sweat and came here immediately.

1. Shotgunning with lion. Literally screaming and crying. Not at all surprising that he just agreed to do it without even thinking it through. I love. It was weirdly cute and endearing as well as verging on the line of spicy. It was great!

2. Helping him relax before a game.

Someone sedate me. Get lion kaminski away from me (for his own safety not mine) it was so good. I have no notes right now other than I’m yelling.

I’m so excited to see what else you do with the character!!!

(Also hoping to see you tackle Stan 👎🏿 and his relationship with lion in the future. I love to hate Stan)

-🦁

OMG 🦁

first of all: YEEESSS, shotgunning with lion kaminski was such a spontaneous idea—i just glanced at the photos, remembered that movie scene + past experiences, got triggered, and RAN to write it, keeping that weirdly cute-yet-spicy vibe. and honestly? lion would hardly say "no" to certain things... especially when it comes to pretty women ☝️🤓📝😫

and secondly: GIRL, YOU WON’T REGRET IT (i hope hehehe 🤭). wrote it in two sittings while at my dear grandma’s house watching soap operas... it’s the most descriptive piece i’ve pulled out of myself lately. think it helped me break through that creative block—it’s scheduled to drop tomorrow so we can start the week STRONG ☝️🤓

(and i’ll echo your words: SOMEONE GET LION KAMINSKI AWAY FROM ME IMMEDIATELY—FOR HIS OWN GOOD ;)

now about future projects (with him): this week i can’t promise anything since i’m hyper-focused on finishing a specific remmick fic, and i’ll probably drop a couple smaller works with him too. maybe i’ll take a small lion request... but no guarantees. HOWEVER KNOW THIS: i already have a two-part fic drafted AND the sequel to "lover you should've..."—but honestly, those will have to wait because i really want to dive deep into that toxic dynamic with stan and play with the movie’s script. we’ll see...

that’s all the updates for now!!! see you soon 🦁—my inbox is always open for anything 🫂🙌😘

it is already scheduled to leave tomorrow at 5pm 🛐

[msmacabre310]

Are there any Encanto projects you're working on right now?

Hi! This message is really sweet and honestly kind of made my day to come across in my inbox, so thank you for that anon!

I do actually have some Encanto projects in progress - I've been working on them for a long time (actually, years at this point) and honestly the biggest one has more than 300k words already written and mostly just needs editing at this point. I got really derailed in my fanfic writing over the last 1.5-2 years between a really rough job, spine surgery, and some mental health stuff unfortunately, which is why I never got around to finishing it.

I've been meaning to pick it back up again soon, but probably won't be able to tackle it for a month or two, because I just took a new job and am about to move across the country next month.

For that particular fic I even got as far as coming up with a title (Children of Wax) and writing a little draft AO3 summary for it:

The materials needed to rebuild a house and a family from the ground up are the same: patience and a willingness to do the work. What distinguishes the two is that there's a natural order to building a house. No walls can go up without a foundation. But putting a family back together? Well, Bruno was never good at doing things in order anyway. ***** Love is an action, forgiveness a choice. As Alma confronts actions of her own, each day is a reminder: many things may be given, but nothing is owed. ***** Ask anybody why Casita came crashing down and they'd say: they couldn't fill in all the cracks. Ask Luz, the woman tasked with restoring Pedro's portrait after it's rescued from the wreckage of Casita, and she'd say: duh, they tried to fill in all the cracks. After all, any idiot could fill a crack. But deciding whether a crack needed to be filled in the first place? That required an artistic eye, an appreciation for the beauty of ugly things, and an understanding that in imperfection there is truth. And what is art about, if not the truth? ***** An exploration of the many ways in which we can hurt, apologize to, love, and forgive the people most important to us.

Anyway, I'm hopeful that it will be able to see the light of day someday soon. It's a really special story that I've enjoyed working on.

[captivemuses]

Okay my game plan for the rest of the night and this weekend has a decent amount of stuff to do but I'm hoping to get it all accomplished.

-Finish 2.7 update (and cry) -Finish any MoC/PF/AS I'm missing and can get through -Get through new Imaginarium Theater season bc peepaw funds need anything I can get before Tuesday lol -Finish Kinich icons (including editing my personal use ones) -Laundry (still can't do more than a half load at a time bc of lifting restrictions and I cry) -Tackle inbox and drafts (had some new things come in this week and things are starting to pile up and I don't like it).

Overall my first week back to work wasn't all that bad, but prepping for the entire month of December in December was a huge time crunch while on the clock and I still have over two weeks worth of crafts for my classroom but I'm praying I can have everything ready to go by the end of next week, but I was just beyond pooped by the time I got home from work every single day so that's why Kinich icons still aren't finished like I wanted them to be. I'm gonna reblog a meme or two maybe but we'll see.

As always I'm down for small RP's and chatting on Discord while I get stuff done, I'm still accepting icon requests/commissions (from people who are not sending them via anon I have to add, I'm still very annoyed at whoever sent me the bs Mona icon request and wasted my time with that, and spreading the word about it would be helpful bc it's gonna be another three weeks or so till I'm getting full paychecks again so any work to earn some money would be very much appreciated!

[synthezcid]

Ok I’m gonna go and take a gaming break and then I’ll continue writing drafts stay safe stay hydrated stay lit

[mrskurono]

I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or sound impatient or ungrateful for your work; it's difficult for me to express myself. I never liked so much someone's writing style and you seem cool so I guess I was overly excited to share my thought with you but it didn't really matter to me if you answered or not my ask because you have every right to not answer an ask, it was more like "I hope they see this" but it came out really wrongly (1/2)

Generally speaking when someone sends something in through an ask it's because they want something written. I get so many daily that writing and responding to everything is impossible and trying to burns me out real quick. It happened with my last blog and I stated early on and in my rules that not everything is going to get answered simply bc I didn't want to feel like this was a job. Of course I welcome anything but on anon lots of ideas/thirsts just meld together one right after another. If its something you really wanted to share/thirst over my dms are 100% always open. But just understand thru my ask box doesn't mean I'll get to it or see it or Tumblr might eat it. If its something really important you wanna share just dm me bc chances are unless it speaks to me I won't outright tackle it in my inbox. I'm getting less and less time to write as my son gets older so a lot of this is purely for me to unwind in the short stints when he's sleeping. Which isn't often. You're totally fine and don't need to apologize just know that it tends to leave a bitter taste in a lot of creators mouths when you ask about things like that. But pls if you really want to tell share with me just shoot me a message! I won't be getting to a lot in my inbox recently bc I have 20 some drafts I need to finish.

[thelreads]

And that the end of the chapter. Jesus this one gave me anxiety. I can’t wait to read the next one.

The battle has just began, both for Ida and Midoriya as for the pro heroes that are dealing with the Nomu. Chaos is running rampant, and Shigaraki couldn’t be happier about it. There’s a lot going on...

Ida got throw into the dirt almost died because of his quest for vengeance, he almost crossed the line, what I called the point of no return. He almost got so consumed by his anger and hatred that he was willing to kill another person. Sure, it was a crazy psychopath, but that doesn’t change the facts. And what is worse was that he didn’t stopped because he realized how wrong he was, he just stopped because Stain bet him up and he was able to fight back. The moment of revelation came waaay after that.

Goddammit, Stain is such a bastard, still, he giving Ida that breaking-speech was more than well deserved. Sure, he was the one that first instigated the later thirst for vengeance, but I think that if it didn’t happened now, it would happen someday in the future. After this day, Ida will never again stray from the path of the hero.

Shigaraki also got some focus this chapter. Not much, but it was enough to shine a light on his character and his relationship with Karen-Sensei. They are starting to look like a foil of All Might/Midoriya relationship. Both are young and aspiring for greatness, but in completely opposite directions, both are trying to grow, and their mentor figures want this, but while one is lovingly and full of incentives, with All Might always trying to suggest something that could work, the other is rather cold and distant, with Karen-sensei basically giving him the tools to build a shack and then telling him to figure it out by himself.

I’m curious to see if I’m the right path on this one, or if I’m just overthinking that little interaction.

ALSO MIDORIYA WALL-JUMPING AND KICKING ASS FUCK YEAH

But anyway, today there isn’t a character sheet for me to read, but there’s something... “peculiar” I would say.

It’s the draft from chapter 39, the moment that Todoroki remembers about his past, and the reasons that pushed him towards the Hero path. That’s sooo cool. I love to see the rough sketches and the unfinished product that one day become a amazing story, be it book, a cartoon, a movie, a game, or a manga.

There’s something that intrigues me about seeing the different ways that a piece of the product could’ve been different, the other alternatives to tackle on the same moment in a story. Maybe it’s because I’ve been rewriting the same story for years now, always trying to see all of the different ways that I could do it, and never settling down for one.

But anyway, that’s it for now. Hosu is burning, Shigaraki is laughing, Ida is bleeding, and Midoriya is ready to punch a bastard to save his friend. Will his punches of friendship be enough to defeat Stain? Will Shigaraki shut up and go home to play some video-games instead of sitting around just watching the chaos? Find out, next time, on Chapter 52: Cinnamon vs Edginess - The alleyway of unexpected friendships.

Oh... Actually, I think I’ll answer some of the asks on my inbox. I’ve been saving some of them for after I finished the chapter,  but I didn’t realized that there were so many lol. That’s okay, I’ll answer some of them now, and the other part when I have the time. Probably not tomorrow, because I’ll go out with some friends from work, but we never know, maybe they’ll cancel it. At least I hope they do.

[ouranking]

Good morning turtle doves!!  I am here for a little bit ( I have a kids party today), and my main goal today is tackling my inbox that has gotten quite a few things in it. Yesterday I managed to finish all my drafts! Honestly i’m down right proud of myself because it’s been one hell of a hot second since I managed to get all of Tamaki’s stuff done. 

With that being said I have a thread tracker! So everything I have is added to this tracker. Check it out to ensure that I have your thread added! 

Thread Tracker!!

If I’m missing something please let me know! Everything I did has been tossed into a queue and should be coming out in a decent pace. Once I have Tamaki’s inbox empty my goal is to get all my other blogs caught up, then some plotting calls. 

I love you guys! I hope you are all having an amazing day/night. <3 

[w1ldthoughts]

AJ’s Analysis- Week Three Preview⚡️: Chargers (2-0) at Steelers (2-0)

Disclaimer: I am a Chargers fan so this will obviously be biased BUT I have been a football fan for the last 12 years and absolutely love dissecting the game and making comments so I figured I would give this a try! Please feel free to make comments and let me know your thoughts in my inbox!

Players to watch

Los Angeles

#10 Justin Herbert QB- Oregon- Year 5🩵

14/20 and threw for 130 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception last week. Suffered a high ankle sprain but did finish out the game and has played through more pain so I would be surprised if he didn’t gut it out and play tomorrow.

#27 JK Dobbins RB- Ohio State- Year 5

Leading the NFL in rushing yards. Looking to add to his recent dominance this week.

#26 Asante Samuel Jr. CB- Year 4

Haven’t heard his name much yet this season (7 total tackles, one assisted) so I’m sure he’s due for a breakout game. Played in all 17 games last year with 63 total tackles and 2 picks.

Entire Offensive Line

My brothers might be in for a long-ish afternoon and with a quarterback who’s mobility is sure to be limited if he plays so keep an eye on them and what the pressure looks like. Good luck to them.

#70 Rashawn Slater LT

#75 Bradley Bozeman C

#76 Joe Alt RT

#77 Zion Johnson LG

#79 Trey Pipkins III RG

Will Brenden Rice make his debut this week and how will the WR room do?

Steelers

#2 Justin Fields QB- Ohio State- Year 4

First year as a steeler after being kicked to the curb by the Chicago bears this past offseason to draft Caleb Williams and take away most of our offensive weapons like Keenan Allen and Gerald Everett. But moving on, he deserved better and I hope Pittsburgh is a wonderful fresh start for him.

Went 13/20 last week throwing for 117 yards and one touchdown. Dual threat QB who rushed for 1,143 yards in 2022 so we need to watch out for that too.

#22 Najee Harris RB- Alabama- Year 4

Has yet to score a touchdown this season so we should keep it that way. 17 carries for 69 yards last week but did have a 1000 yard rushing season last year with 255 carries, 1,035 yards and 8 touchdowns.

#14 George Pickens WR

Also has yet to score a TD this season. Two catches for 29 yards last week but had 63 catches for 1,140 yards and 5 touchdowns last year so I would keep an eye on his production tomorrow as they continue to open up their offense.

#97 Cameron Heyward DT- Ohio State- Year 14

He is only on here because I am messy. Last time these teams played Cam basically used Justin’s body to stand up and it looked like he punched him in the stomach. Seven tackles so far this season, 33 tackles and 2 sacks last season in 11 games played.

*Here is the 2021 play for reference*

#90 TJ Watt LB- Wisconsin- Year 8

Six Pro Bowls. Four time DPOY finalist, one win. Four time First team all-pro. 3 seasons leading the league in sacks and tied for most sacks in one season with 22.5. 7 tackles and 2 sacks on the season so far. Will be an issue and make his presence known.

#39 Minkah Fitzpatrick S- Alabama- Year 8

Four Pro Bowls. Three time first team all-pro. NFL interceptions co-leader in 2022. 14 total tackles, no picks so far on the year.

[gg-astrology]

Astro asks PSA🔮

oof guys 💕 ill be taking a break from answering compatibility/synastry/astro asks (I’ll answer the ones I’ve received 💕)--- so pls keep that in mind while I clear everything out tmr (pls don’t send me more astro asks/other asks is ok if u want to interact) 💕 

Thank u for all the interests in the astro stuff 💕💕 i hope u got something useful out of this blog/the contents 💕💕

but yeah, im just looking to (1) clean out my inbox before the new years (2) cut down on some draft/posts I’ve been meaning to write (3) work on commissions so I can give ppl some presents around this time of the year

My new years resolution is to be better at taking compliments, change my mindset a little (towards not fearing something but seeing it as something to be proud of) learn/incorporate a little more Libra lessons in my life (personally) as well as focus on tackling my fixed/mutables by driving up my cardinal a lil 💕

Anyways I’ll answer the asks and then finish the post I want to do 💕💕 I hope ure having a happy holiday 💕💕💕 

[adonis-koo]

Missy I’m so glad you love my long winded reaction/reviews on each of your chapters! It had been a hot minute since I’d sent it(not that I’m complaining take all the time you need to answer ur inbox bc you’re a human with other things going on and sometimes it takes a lot of energy to answer asks!) so I worried a bit that maybe you didn’t like it anymore bc it takes so much time and energy to respond too,,,, so glad to hear that’s not the case!! But I need to be more patient like it takes time to answer long asks hhh it did make me really happy to see your response also🥹💜 anyways,,, excited for the new ch and expect a long message from me again once it’s out! But like everyone else has been saying honestly f those ppl who complain about time in between chapters you’re literally giving us GOLD and PURE ENTERTAINMENT for FREE !!!!!!!!! So whoever can’t appreciate that needs to leave and stfu 🙄 like I’ve got a half finished screenplay sitting in my laptop that I haven’t touched for a month and a half sometimes you just,,,, can’t write bc the inspo isn’t there🤷🏻‍♀️ not to mention time and energy to do it esp if you’re working other day jobs to survive and that doesn’t even include taking care of yourself or having fun or social things so like,,,, idk it makes me mad when people demand stuff,,,,, so ignore them! You have a large audience of people who will wait forever for your masterpieces!!! ily and I hope your week goes well!!! Take care of yourself!!!🫶🏻 -💜💜💜

Please I will NEVER not love your long reviews my dear!! I actually had replied to it quite awhile ago but forgot to post it 😥 it had been sitting in my drafts along with quite a few other asks because I like to answer in bulk but my memory got the best of me 😭 so I apologize for having you and so many others wait for so long!! And it’s totally okay to worry when I take a long time to answer!! I wanna try harder to stay on top of my asks because you and so many others take time out of your day to send me the sweetest and kindest messages and I’ll never be able to thank you guys enough for it!! 🖤

Writing truly can be a beast to tackle and inspo comes and goes but I have full confidence you’ll be back to writing your screenplay when the timing is right!! But I TOTALLY know the feeling of having to take a step back for awhile! I had to do it several times with chapter 14! Seriously though I can’t thank you and so many others enough for your kindness and support like I can’t even comprehend how I managed to gain yours and so many other peoples following on my stuff 😭🖤

Take care of yourself love and thank you for being a total doll! 🥹🖤

[captivemuses]

Okay I really have to get into bed even though I don't want to. Of course I get motivation to tackle some of my drafts or inbox when I responsibly shouldn't stay up and do so. My game plan for my free time tomorrow when I'm not playing more Genshin is just finish up my Gorou icons so they're totally done and properly add him to the muse list. But this week I'm going to be trying really hard to clear out older things that I haven't answered by now (especially any headcanon or ooc prompts) because the numbers are bothering me and I hate deleting things unless I really and truly have no inspiration on what to write for it. I'll be on Discord while at work like usual, I'm hoping for an easy week at the daycare since it's spring break for students here in NY so I'm hoping to see less kids both in my room and the center overall so it'll be less stress for me. But night all, hope you have a good rest of your night and a good morning!

[choicesfanatic86]

TTS:  Part 10 (Liam x MC)

DISCLAIMER:  All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except characters unique to my story.  Those belong to me. ;)

PAIRINGS:  Riley (MC) x OC, Riley (MC) x Liam, Liam x Riley (MC) x OC, Olivia x Drake, Bertrand x Savannah, Maxwell x OC

SUMMARY:  Even when all she had wanted to do was forget, all she could do was remember.

TAGS:  @herladyshipxx @theroyalweisme @blackcatkita @devineinterventions2 @hopefulmoonobject @captainkingliam @pbchoicesobsessed @queencatherynerhys @mfackenthal @cocomaxley @boneandfur @crayziimaginations @grapefrults @pessimystic-fangirl @bobasheebaby @dralenamax @mspaigemoore @drakelover78 @kaitycole @jayjay879 @hhiggs

If you are new to the series and would like to catch up by reading previous parts, please check out my master fan fiction listing.  CATCH UP HERE

If you want to be added to the tag list, please let me know, and I can update you.

Okay guys, thank you so much for following along. I’m really enjoying the ride with ya’ll.  Thank you for being so patient.  I know you all are dying for their reunion to happen, and I promise.  It’s coming.  VERY SOON.  <3 

Part 11 will be dropping later today!

PART 9 - Whiskey & Apologies

When she awoke from her nap, most of the day was gone.  She had planned to wake up and try Paul again, which she did, but once again, his phone went straight to voicemail.  She threw her phone onto the bed.  “So much for that,” she said to herself.  She decided to catch up on some work and check in with Alicia instead.  She grabbed her laptop deciding to do her work outside on the veranda.  On her way outside, she stopped to make herself a cup of coffee to help keep her energized.  When she was done in the kitchen, she caught Maxwell walking by.

“Busy?” Maxwell asked seeing Riley juggling her cup of coffee and her laptop.

“Work,” she sighed.  “My assistant is great, but I still have to check in and make sure we haven’t had any meltdowns.  Event planning can be so unpredictable.”

He nodded, “Don’t stay up too late now; we have ourselves a big day tomorrow.”

She nodded, although she still hadn’t decided if she were going to go to the derby at all.  “You don’t stay up too late, either.  Andy told me you were going to watch a movie tonight,” she smiled coyly.

Maxwell blushed.  “Only because it’s the last weekend in theaters and Drake didn’t want to go.  He told me he’s reached his weekly quota of me.”  He was flustered, and it was adorable.

“Maxwell . . .” she said, a smile playing across her lips.  “Have fun,” she winked at him.  He smiled in return before rushing off to get ready for his date with Andy.  Riley wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about Maxwell taking Andy out on a date.  She knew it was entirely innocent.  Having known Maxwell for as long as she did, she knew he couldn’t hurt a fly.  She was happy that her two friends had found their own happiness . . . but it didn’t stop her from worrying about Andy.  She could see Andy falling for the same Cordonian spell she had fallen for over two years ago.  She wanted to protect her, but at the same time, she didn’t want to spoil her excitement.  She was a big girl, and Maxwell was a big boy, both fully capable of making their own decisions.  Still though, there was a part of her that worried about when it was time for them to go back to New York.  Would Andy endure the same fate she had?  Traveling eight hours on a plane leaving with a broken heart?  She shook the thought from her mind.  She was being ridiculous.  She said it herself a few hours ago . . . it was just a movie.  It wasn’t like it was a marriage proposal.  Her mind drifted back to work as she slid the door to walk outside to the veranda.

As Riley sat at the glass dining table, she started to draft responses to the dozens of emails that had sat unread in her inbox.  Alicia had been doing a wonderful job of apprising her of work happenings, and everything seemed to be under control.  Alicia was just having some trouble putting together some new client bids, and had asked if Riley could draft a few when she had a spare moment.  She enthusiastically had responded that she’d love to work on them.  It would be a welcome distraction that she so desperately needed.   She chose to work out on the veranda because the view of the connected gardens was stunning.  Something about being outside soothed Riley’s soul.  

As she started to tackle the first client bid, she heard the sliding door leading from the main house open carefully.   She glanced up, noticing that it was Drake from out of the corner of her eye.  She ignored him.  She wasn’t in the mood for another argument.  She needed to work on these bids, and fighting with Drake would just cause her to lose focus.  She could hear his footsteps get closer.  She heard him place something in front of her on the glass table.  She didn’t bother to look up.  Whatever game he was playing at, she wasn’t interested in participating. He cleared his throat loudly.  “Lawson.”

She looked up from her laptop, narrowing her eyes at him.  “Did you come here to yell at me again?” She asked annoyed.  “Because I’m a little busy right now, but maybe I can pencil you in tomorrow sometime,” she snapped.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, stopping in front of her.  “Mind if I sit?”  He asked, motioning to the chair on the opposite side of the table.

“Yes,” she said quickly, turning back to her laptop to start typing again.

He ignored her reply, pulling the chair out and sitting across from her.  She looked up at him in annoyance, and as he saw the irritation written across her face, he couldn’t help but smirk.  

“Maxwell told me that I owe you an apology,” he started.

“You don’t owe me anything, Drake,” she replied curtly.  “No one owes me anything.”

“Yeah, well, Savannah seems to agree with Maxwell,” He ran a hand through his hair staring at her.

“So they’re forcing you to apologize?”  She raised an eyebrow.  “I didn’t think you were the type of guy who took kindly to people telling you what to do.”

“Maybe I thought it was a pretty good idea, too,” he shrugged.  He slid something over to her from across the table.  “So I came with a peace offering.”

Riley looked around her laptop, she noticed the tall bottle of amber liquid and the two glasses next to it.  “Whiskey?” she asked.

He nodded.  “We seem to have a good track record for talking things out over alcohol,” he replied.

She contemplated his words.  He was right.  The first night she had gotten to know Drake . . . truly know him without all the pomp and ceremony of court . . . was when they snuck off to Olivia’s wine cellar early on in the social season.  She didn’t know much about the broody commoner, just that he was a bit rough around the edges and a little stand offish.  When she first met him, she didn’t want to let on that she was slightly intimidated by him.  He wasn’t afraid to say exactly what was on his mind, and didn’t care about what any of the nobles thought about him.  That night in Olivia’s cellar, she saw a different side to him - a softer side.  Not that he’d ever admit it, but she knew he had opened himself up to her, probably more than he had ever opened up to anyone in quite a while.

In a way, she envied him a bit.  Being at court had her constantly holding her tongue, which was something she just wasn’t used to doing.  She was a lot like Drake back home.  She worked in a bar after all.  She had to be able to hold her own.  Somehow, being at court had changed her.  She was falling into the cookie-cutter image of what the perfect suitor should be, losing herself in the process.  

Well, Riley wasn’t that girl anymore.  She smirked, grabbing the bottle.  She poured some into his glass, then some into hers.  For a while, they sat across from each other in complete silence, nursing their whiskey slowly.  

“So about that apology?” she asked slowly.  He pulled the whisky bottle back over to him, pouring moer into his glass.  He threw his second glass of whiskey back swiftly.  

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.  “I was an asshole,” he shrugged.  “I guess I didn’t appreciate getting blindsided about you coming back, and I took it out on you.”

She nodded.  “That was my fault.  I didn’t want anyone knowing I was coming back.  Didn’t really want too many people catching wind of it,” she explained.

“Including Liam?” he asked.

She nodded.  “Yeah,” she shrugged.

After a while, she spoke again.  “I’m sorry, too.  What you said the other night . . . you were right.  I didn’t handle things well, but I was so hurt, and so tired of all the sneaking around, and I guess I just lost it.”  She finished her first glass, pouring herself another.  “I wanted to hurt him,” she gripped her glass.  “I wanted him to feel how I felt.”  She looked down into her glass.  “I guess I didn’t realize that I ended up hurting you guys in the process.”

He listened intently as she spoke, taking it all in.  “I missed you when you left.  I felt like a huge part of me left with you,” he said sadly.  “I know I’m a hard ass, and don’t say it much, but I really cared about you.  I still care about you.  Probably a lot more than I should have.”  He looked into her eyes deeply before turning away.  “It’s probably why I took you leaving so hard.”

She blushed, nodding, understanding exactly what he meant.  “I hope that one day you can understand why I had to leave,” she said.

“Riley, of course I understood.  I understand it now,”’ he reasoned.  “What Liam did . . . it was wrong.”

“Really?  The other night . . . it seemed like you didn’t understand why I had to leave,” she said sadly.

He ran his hand across his neck, deep in thought.  He paused for a moment before speaking.  “Liam’s my best friend,” he began.  “I guess I had some twisted sense of loyalty to him even though I knew he was wrong.  Hell, he knew he was wrong, too,” he laughed hollowly.  “I still shouldn’t have come at you the way that I did, you didn’t deserve that.  I want us to be friends again.  You think you’ll ever be able to forgive me?” he asked hopefully.

She nodded.  “We’re good,” she smiled.  They sipped their whiskey happily, chatting as they used, as if no time had passed.  It was funny how right Drake had been . . . a little alcohol was all they needed to get through all the bullshit and awkwardness between them.  

“So, time to talk about the elephant in the room,” she giggled, already feeling a bit tipsy from her third glass of whiskey.

He looked at her strangely.  “I thought we were good?”

“I’m not talking about us . .  . I’m talking about you and Olivia.”

He blushed, trying to play it cool.  “What are you –“ he paused, clearly not expecting the turn in which their conversation had taken.  “How’d you –“ He growled, thinking about something.  “Did Maxwell tell you?”

She shook her head.  “I saw you guys at the masquerade ball.”

Recollection spread across his face, a small smile playing on his lips.  “Oh,” he blushed more deeply.

“So, I didn’t see that coming,” she laughed.

“Yeah, neither did I,” He shrugged.  “We’re not exclusive or anything; we’re just two people who happen to tolerate one another’s company having a bit of fun.”

“It sure looked a lot more than just fun,” Riley teased.

He shook his head as he poured himself another glass, drinking it in one swig.

“Does she make you happy?”  She asked.

He looked at her thoughtfully.  “It’s not like that between us.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t really understand what that means.  It’s a simple question.  Does she make you happy or not?”

“Of course she does . . . it’s just our situation isn’t built that way.”  He tried to put the right words together.  “We didn’t start off wanting anything more than a quick hook up.  Then somewhere along the line it just  . . . blew up into this thing.  It’s not like I’m her boyfriend or anything.” He explained.

Riley smirked.  “Keep telling yourself that,” she laughed.  “So you’re the reason she spends so much time at court?  Maxwell said she’s got a little set up going on at the palace.”

He blushed.  “One of the reasons I suppose.”  He took another swig from his glass.  “Liam . . .he appointed her to be the Ambassador of International Relations.  I don’t even know what it is really.  He just gave her another damn reason to act all domineering around everyone,” he sighed.  

She snorted.  “Olivia as an Ambassador of International Relations?”

“I know, I couldn’t picture it at first either.  I kept having this idea in my head that some foreign diplomat would piss her off, and suddenly she’d be declaring war on their country,” he laughed.  

Riley laughed, too.  “That’s the same thought I had.”

“How about you?  Anybody making you happy nowadays,” he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Don’t be gross,” she intoned.  She thought of Paul again, a small smile creeping on her face.  “I am seeing someone,” she said softly.  “He’s pretty great.”

“Greater than Liam?”  He asked.

She narrowed her eyes.  “Drake . . .”

“Okay, I’m sorry alright.  Old habits die hard,” he said.  “Let’s blame it on the alcohol.”

She laughed.  “Things are going pretty well . . . he’s a good guy.  That alone is a rarity nowadays.  We’re in a good place.  In fact, he just asked me to move in with him before I left,” she mentioned.

Drake’s eyes widened.  “Wow, that’s . . . huge.  Congratulations, I guess?”

She tilted her head slightly.  “I haven’t said yes yet . . . we’ve only been dating for eight months.”  She shrugged.  “Isn’t that too soon?”

Drake stared at her for a moment and threw his hands up in the air.  “Geez Lawson, I’m not the best person to ask that question to,” he said honestly.  “Especially after I’ve had a few drinks in me,” he chuckled.  He stared at the almost empty bottle of whiskey, contemplating what to say.  He licked his lips.  “Here’s the thing . . . I always thought that when you met the right person, you’d just know.  Fireworks, butterflies, you’d get the whole shebang.  It wouldn’t matter how long you were with them . . . you’d just know if things were right, instantly, right off the bat.”  He shrugged, looking at her carefully.  “You can be in a relationship with someone for two years and never feel the way you feel with someone you’ve been with for two months . . . The difference is if they’re the right person, it doesn’t matter how quick things move, if you’re meant to be together, you’ll just know.”  He looked at her carefully.

She thought about his words, nodding in agreement.  “I guess I never really looked at it like that, “she said.  She had been in Cordonia for about a month when she had started to suspect she was falling head over heels in love with him.  She thought she was going crazy.  None of her other relationships back in New York had felt that way.  She had been a serial monogamist who only had long-term relationships, but none of those relationships, some of which had lasted over a year, had felt as right and true as with him.  Here she was with Paul at eight months, and she didn’t know if he was the right one.  Did that mean he wasn’t?  But things felt good.  They felt comfortable, and easy.  Wasn’t that what she had wanted?  Alcohol was supposed to eliminate her worries, not add to them.  

“For what it’s worth, he never stopped loving you,” he said softly.  “He may have married her, but he didn’t love her.  Not even a little bit.”

The statement came out of nowhere.  She looked up at him, trying to see if it was the alcohol talking.  It wasn’t.  She wished it were.  He was staring in her green eyes, waiting for her to respond.  She looked down at her hands, suddenly very self-conscious.  “Thanks, I guess.”  She gave him a weak smile.  How was she supposed to respond to that?  What was she supposed to do with that tidbit of information?  It was nice to think that he still cared about her after all this time . . .  after all, if she had learned anything during the masquerade ball it was that her feelings for him wasn’t quite as easily explained as she had believed them to be.  But what did it change?  He was still married, he had still chosen Cordonia over her, and she still had her life in New York.  

“Hey, Lawson,” he whispered lowly.  She looked up again, noting the seriousness in his voice.

“Y-yeah?” She hesitated, holding her breath.

“It was you out there last night.”  He stated simply.  “Out on the balcony.”

She clutched her whiskey glass tightly, her knuckles turning white.  She looked up at him.  “Huh?”

“Last night  I couldn’t really tell at first, what with the mask and all.  Then I saw how you ran out of there when I got up there, and I knew.  I just knew it was you,” he continued.  

She knew there was no point in denying it now.  Drake wasn’t stupid.  As much as she wanted to pretend that last night on the balcony didn’t happen, it did.  “Did he know it was me?” she asked, a bit worried about the answer.

“If he suspected anything, he didn’t say anything to be about it.”  He ran his fingertip over the rim of his whiskey glass.  “And I didn’t volunteer anything to him if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She nodded slowly.  “Thank you for that.  I’m not sure how he would have reacted to me being back.  You don’t plan on telling him I’m back do you?  I know you talked about loyalty tonight, and I understand that he’s your best friend . . . it’s just . . .” she trailed of, not really knowing how to finish her train of though.

“No,” he said softly, understanding what she was saying.

She breathed a sigh of relief.  “Thank you.  I’m just not ready to deal with him just yet.”  

“Will you though?  Deal with him?” he asked seriously.

Riley wavered.  “I honestly don’t know.”  

“Fair enough.”  He nodded, deciding not to push it any further.  He hesitated briefly, he opened his mouth, then closed it, debating whether to continue, as if going through an internal struggle with himself.  After a moment, he reached out across the table gently picking up her hand.  “Riley, there’s something you should know .  . . about Liam.”

She raised her hand up.  “I don’t want to know.” She said defensively.  “I don’t need to know,” she clarified a little more gently.  “It won’t change the past and it won’t change the future, so there’s no point in dredging any of those old feelings up again,” she said decisively.

“But –“ he started, as she cut him off.

“Thank you . . . for the whiskey and the apology,” she smiled.  “I’m glad we’re good again.”  She unsteadily stood up, picking her laptop up off the table.  She leaned over giving him a small kiss on the cheek, and a pat on the shoulder.  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

As she was walking toward the sliding door to go back inside, she heard him mumble something under his breath.  She was tempted to turn around and ask him what he said, but even in her drunken state, her mind urged her to let it go . . . because she was right . . . no matter what he told her, it wouldn’t change anything.

[yourhero404]

Hey guys!

Just a little heads up, I've only got one more finished writing sitting in my drafts that I'll post tomorrow!

But, however, tomorrow is also my 21st birthday so I'll be taking a few days off from writing! Hope you all don't mind ♡

I'll get back to tackling all the requests in my inbox later this week!! Promise!! ♡ฅ(ᐤˊ꒳ฅˋᐤ♪)

[easkyrah]

Please lmk what youre working on next!!!! I can't get enough of your writing

Currently I’m struggling to write the epilogue for my elorcan werewolf au fic, Words of Werewolves. I’ve been through so many drafts I’m just hopeless at this point. I’m trying hard to write within this certain category.

After this, I’ll be tackling the prompts I’ve neglected for so long in my inbox. Also, @the-little-dragon-faery will be collaborating on a surprise Nessian fic that I’m absolutely excited about I can’t wait for it to be posted!! 

I’m not sure if I’ll continue my Nessian AU series, An Assassin’s Affection. If so, it would probably be with another collaborator as I lack all motivation to finish this piece. Frankly, I’ve kind of forgotten about it (oops).

I’m also thinking about having a separate masterlist for my drabbles written in the night. I’ve been compiling all my quotes, from prose to poems, and will call this collection “excerpts of ea”. (My dream is that it’ll be published one day hehe)

Also, I’ve been sorely neglecting the Elorcan Possessive Billionaire AU (I must find a separate title other than its’ abbreviation of EPB. Feel free to suggest any!) I have so many ideas and turns for this fic it goes nowhere. 

Once I make it past these rounds, I’ll probably update the Aeonian or Antiscians series. For these two, I have the middle plot in mind, and connecting the beginning to it is sooooo arduous and boring. 

With that in mind, also know that I’m a horrible updater. This is the order I’m thinking about posting but it is prone to change knowing myself. I’m really hoping to gain some motivation to write in the meantime.