#hwu states

[ask-alaska-and-hawaii]

Hey, Google? If all of my children have been in a candy coma for a week now, should I think about taking them to the hospital?

America

[gutsfics]

Meet My MC - Avalon Hammond

Pronouns: He/They

DOB: February 14, 1976

Books: Red Carpet Diaries, Hollywood U

LI: Thomas Hunt

More info below the cut!

There are two different versions of Avalon that I write about, one for RCD and the other for HWU, and while fundamentally they are the same person, there are some key differences between the two of them.

Height: Somewhere between 6'9 and 7'4

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Food: Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream

In both versions, Avalon was born in Texas in 1976 and given the name Jack Edmund Black Jr, although most people called him Eddie. He changes his name to Avalon when he starts his acting career because the Actor's Guild does not allow for two actors to have the same name. Avalon was originally a name he used for sex work, and he decided to use it full time because he felt it was more "his" than being named after his father. He is Texican, but his father is from Spain. He has an older brother named Jonathan. Both versions of Avalon are missing their right leg, although they are missing it for different reasons.

In Hollywood U, his parents divorce when he is 10. His father remarries and moves to Michigan and his mother, due to being in a very emotionally vulnerable state, joins <religion> and takes her two sons with her to Zodiac, Texas, a very small town run almost entirely by that religion. Although he doesn't believe in the religion as much as his mother, he still feels pressure to conform to it's beliefs and after returning from his mission at 21 marries his best friend/high school beard, Janey Hammond (he is also her beard). They have two kids together, twin daughters named Dawn and Lily. He is mostly a stay-at-home-dad, but he does sw to help make ends meet and he does community theater for fun when he can. He doesn't attend HWU until the girls are in third or fourth grade. My HWU story takes place in 2014, and he is 38. HWU!Avalon loses his leg mid way through his second year at HWU (yes, it will be a part of my rewrite fic)

In Red Carpet Diaries, his parents are considering divorce, but a car crash costs Avalon his leg and they decide to do what they can to make it work for his sake. They do not join the religion and move to Zodiac, but they do end up in the town which happens to have the schools that the kids in Zodiac shuttle to, so he still meets and befriends Janey. Without the pressures of religion, they do not get married but they stay very close good friends. Once he's an adult, Avalon becomes a bit of a drifter, never staying in one place for too long and earning money via sex work and drag performances. He very much enjoys this life and even though it doesn't last, he wouldn't do it any differently. In his late 20s, he ends up in San Fransisco, where he meets Thomas Hunt and they hit it off. He becomes Thomas' muse and when they move to LA, he quits sex work to act full time. Things get a little rocky between them when he is signed on to a movie produced by Montmartre and they break up. They don't really talk again until Thomas decides he wants to cast Avalon as the king in The Last Duchess and their feelings get rekindled.

[thefirstcourtesan]

I don't think Choices is about to go under. They have a more robust catalogue than they have had in years and VIP lets them focus on stories that make money. Early Access let's them determine which stories (*cough*Blades*cough*) made money because of free players saving diamonds and which books the paying base actually like and this is why we are seeing so many different genres.

Citing staffing issues for a lack of sequel for ID is a nice way of saying "the writer had no interest/left". They have never addressed that kind of thing directly (JBH was the one who clarified what happened with ACoR not JBH). They have stated that they no longer change book leads, so if a lead isn't available, a sequel doesn't happen.

They shut down HSS/HWU after four years. Meaning they have reached the point where it was no longer making enough money to be worth the cost of running it. Four years is a really long time to keep a dead app up and the fact that they kept it up so long is actually a sign that financially they were doing fine or it would have been pulled long ago.

Is the visual novel genre dying? Probably. It has been over-saturated for years but Choices has actually made some smart profit-related decisions and I personally am not particularly concerned that they are closing their doors.

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

Farewell to Hollywood U #8 : A Night to Remember

Art by the lovely and talented @/irdeinfierno (Instagram)

Characters: Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer (F!MC / OC) Book: Hollywood U (Art from Hunt Date #01, drabble takes place around Date #10) Word Count: ~550 Rating/Warnings: General (fluff) Prompts: @choicesmonthlychallenge HWU ; @choicesaugustchallenge : “you were always going to realize what I am.”

Synopsis: While moving in to his their house, Alex finds a small curious box with something familiar.

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer Masterlists] [HollywoodU]

"You kept it!" Alex marveled. Her fingers glided across the familiar silver mask in the black velvet box she had discovered while unpacking her stuff in their bedroom. 

"Of course," Hunt stated, joining her in looking at the masquerade mask. "I anticipated there would be future masquerade galas to attend and thought I could utilize it again."

"Is that so?" Her eyes narrowed at him, her lips curling up in a knowing smirk. "I've never seen you wear it since that night."

"No—" He smiled, meeting her gaze. "I suppose that night was one of a kind."

"A night to remember," she agreed.

"You were utterly enchanting." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You are enchanting. You captivate me completely."

Her finger traced down his strong jaw. "It took you a while, but I knew sooner or later that you were always going to realize what I am.”

His hand cradled hers, holding her there. Something he wished he could have done that night. "And what is that?" 

"Your perfect match!" She chewed her lower lip. "Your...soulmate."

A subtle smile tugged on the corner of his lips. His head shook to the sides. "I never fell prey to the concept of soulmates or 'the one'. The thought that two people could be perfect and completely suited for one another is implausible.” Before she could protest, he continued. “However, with you—I don't know what to say or how to describe it—with you, I feel complete. With you, I met my match. We were never perfect on paper. So much was against us, and so many people said we couldn't work, but here we are. You're the best thing to ever happen to me." His strong hands cupped her face. "Whether it exists or it's a romantic myth, I choose you to be my one." 

Her eyes misted over, but his thumb caressed away each tear as it fell. "I choose you, too. Today and every other day. No matter what obstacles we face. You are my one. Now and always."

Hunt closed the gap between them, kissing her softly. "I love you, Alex, more than I ever imagined possible."

The warmth of his confession tickled her lips as he rested his forehead against hers. "I love you too, my Thomas." She closed her eyes, letting the moment linger, their lips a breath away from one another, but this was enough. Just lost in the comfort of being together. Their noses brushed together as they gazed down at the box still open on the shelf. "It's missing something."

"What?" He questioned, turning to see what she meant. "It looks intact."

"No, not that. Hold on!" Alex quickly shuffled through some boxes, digging through her still-packed items. "Aha! Here it is!" She pulled a blue mask from a satin bag and set it beside Hunt's silver one. "There. That's better."

"A perfect match." Hunt's arm looped around her waist, pulling her in. He brushed a kiss on her temple as they both looked at the masquerade masks, letting the memories of that night dance in their thoughts. "I'll have a new case made to store them both together. They shouldn't be apart."

She interlaced her fingers with his, “and they never will be.”

The lovely artist who took this commission was kind enough to not only give me too backgrounds (one from inside the Masquerade Ball and one on the balcony from the end of the date) but she also gave me the unmasked versions as well! For your viewing pleasure :

Thank you so much for reading and viewing this art. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Thank you to everyone who likes, comments, and reblogs. I feel like a broken record at this point, but it does mean the world to me. Thank you! 🙏

[moodmusicmonday]

Fall Preview Playlist

I am so, so proud of this playlist y'all created! We have over TWO hours of beautiful music that has inspired new fics by some truly incredible writers! Not only will it get you ready for some AMAZING fanfictions, but it's just an amazing playlist to listen to while you're in the car, doing housework, cooking, or even during your workday. It's also a great list to learn some new favorite songs!

Beautiful job, everyone! Thank you so much for participating in MMM's Fall Preview 2022! We had fun--I hope y'all did to! Next week, we will return to our normal routine. Don't forget to share this list to your friends and followers!

We love y'all dearly!

@sfb123 & @txemrn

~🧡~🍂~🧡~🍂~🧡~🍂~🧡~🍂~🧡~

@aallotarenunelma

“Silta” - Happoradio; Darker Than Night, Chapter 2 [ILITW; Dan Pierce x f!MC (Rikka Yläkorpi)]

“Elämän laulu (olet runo)” - Jonne Aaron; The Gift of Love, future chapter [ILITW; Dan Pierce x f!MC (Rikka Yläkorpi)]

“Meri, tähdet ja kuu” - Jonne Aaron; Sea, Stars and Moon, future chapter [ILITW; Dan Pierce x f!MC (Rikka Yläkorpi)]

“Behind the Crimson Door” - HIM;  Untitled [Veil of Secrets; Flynn O’Malley x f!MC (Jessa Evans)]

@ao719

“Cigarette Break” - Gavin James; Vancross; future chapter (Multiple Crossover Series; Liam Rys x f!OC)

“Wrecking Ball” - Scars On 45;  Best Kept Secrets; future chapter (TRR; Liam Rys x f!OC)

“Hopeless Romantics” - James TW; Us Again; future part (TRR; Liam Rys x MC)

@charlotteg234

Don’t Break, future chapters [TRR AU; f!OC (Kelly Carter) x ??)

@karahalloway 

“Giants” - Dermot Kennedy

“I Hope You Dance” - Lee Ann Womack

“Speeding Cars” - Walking on Cars

“Mission” - Moon Taxi; (Less Than) Noble Intentions, Part 3: Extraction [TRR; Drake Walker x f!OC (Harper Gale)]

“Let It Whip” - SR-71; Sleepless in New York, Chapter 5: Let It Whip [TRR; Drake Walker x f!OC (Harper Gale)]

“You Got a Small Town” - Dalton Dover; Lone Star State, (future Drake series) Chapter 1: You Got a Small Town (TRR; no pairing) 

@kat-tia801

“Hold On Tight” - Forest Blakk; Written in the Stars; future chapter (TRR AU; Drake Walker x f!OC)

“Fire On Fire (from Watership Down)” - Sam Smith; What I Need To; future chapter (TRR AU; Drake Walker x f!OC)

“When You Were Mine” - Night Terrors of 1927 f/ Tegan & Sara; When You Were Mine; future mini-series (TRR; Drake Walker x MC; Liam Rys x MC) 

“Feel Something” - Landon Austin; Feel Something, one-shot (TRR; Drake Walker x MC)

@peonierose

“Once”- Maren Morris; Once, Chapter 1: Untitled (TNA/OH AU Crossover; m!Sam Dalton x Addison Dalton)

“I Get to Love You” - Ruelle; You make me see in colors, Chapter 1: Untitled [OPH; Bryce Lahela x f!OC (Luna Auclair)]

Untitled, Chapter 1: Wake Up Little Susie [Nightbound/Hänsel & Gretel AU Crossover; m!OC (Grey) x f!OC (Gretel von Andresen)] 

“Prisoner” - Miley Cyris ft/ Dua Lipa; Losing Game [OPH; Bryce Lahela x f!OC (Luna Auclair)] 

“Dream On” - Aerosmith

“Fuck Up the Friendship” - Leah Kate

@peonyblossom

“Love (Validation)” - CARYS; Untitled WIP (OPH; Tobias Carrick x f!OC)

“the 1” - Taylor Swift;  Willow [working title]; (OPH; Ethan Ramsey x f!MC)

“I Know Places” - Taylor Swift; Landry Finds Out (OPH; Ethan Ramsey x f!OC)

“Coffee” - beabadoobee; HWU Coffee Shop AU (Untitled) (Hollywood U; Thomas Hunt x f!MC)

@queenrileyrose

“Love You Like That” - Dagny; Irreplaceable, future chapter (TRR/RoE AU; Leo x MC; Liam x Drake)

“I’ll Be Good” - Jaymes Young; Untitled, Human Contact AU One-Shot about Leo’s Mom (TRR AU; Leo x MC)

“evermore” - Taylor Swift ft/ Bon Iver;; Evermore, follow-up to Exile  (TRR AU; Leo x MC; Liam x MC)

@sfb123

“Baby I Would” - O-Town; Untitled, new series (TRR, Liam x Riley)

“That Thing You Do!” - The Wonders; That Thing You Do, one-shot (TRR; Liam x Riley)

“Not Like The Movies” - Katy Perry; Not Like the Movies, one-shot (TRR; Liam x Riley)

@socalwriterbee

 Better In Time [TNA; m!Sam Dalton x MC (Marie Castro); m!OC (Wyatt Kent) x MC (Marie Castro)]

@txemrn

”Hideaway” - Brett Eldredge

“Where Do I Sign” - Brett Eldredge 

“Where The Light Meets the Sea” - Brett Eldredge; [Final Chapter/Epilogue]

“All I Ask” - Adele

“From Where You Are” - Lifehouse; Never Really Over, working title, future chapter [TNA post series; m!Sam Dalton x MC (Brynn Schuyler-Dalton)]

“Brother” - Anna Pancaldi - Ricochet, future chapter [OPH post series; Ethan Ramsey x f!OC (Tatum Erikson)]

“Only You” - Parmalee - Pour Two Glasses, future chapter (TRR AU; Liam Rys x MC; Drake Walker x MC)

“Would Anyone Care” - Citizen Soldier; Stay, Chapter 5: TBD [TRR AU; f!OC (Reid Ambrose) x ??; Drake Walker x f!OC (Jodi Walker)]

~🧡~🍂~🧡~🍂~🧡~🍂~🧡~🍂~🧡~

Tags:

@21-wishes @alj4890 @ao719 @atsuinawa @aussiegurl1234 @axwalker @bebepac @burnsoslow @charlotteg234 @chemist-ana @choicesmonthlychallenge @foreverethereal123 @issabees @jerzwriter @karahalloway @kat-tia801 @lovingchoices14 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @peonierose @queenrileyrose @quixoticdreamer16 @sfb123 @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn @walkerdrakewalker @zaffrenotes

[teapotart]

Omori game has awakened something in me and I think it was Hoshi wa Utau associatons, so I drew a boss fight that 100% happened in hwu canon. I'm still yelling a bit bc they fit so well, so here I come with Hoshi Wau Utau RPG Maker Game AU Nobody Asked For!

Sakuya fights enemies with her ENTHUSIASM POWER, her weapon against rain mobs is TERU-TERU-BOZU

Seichan deals most damage, her strongest attack is "OJOU-SAMA's LAUGHTER", always gives a critical hit

Chihiro's skills make enemies despressed and greatly reduce their speed, but sometimes hit his party members too

Yuuri is healer, restores hp with Yuuto's cooking and helps friends regain adequate state of mind when they get carried away with hurtful emotions and also can distract enemies by telling them random facts learned from his grandma

and Sakura is that one sad and fragile npc with love for trees and a plant in her name

Thanks for your time, I'm off to cry about both Omori and hwu--

[gutmeats]

Sunday Six

Fic Title: Nothing I Do Will Ever Have Consequences, Ever, In My Life

Fandom: Hollywood U

Pairing: Thomas Hunt x Avalon Hammond (M!MC)

Warnings: tobacco use

Im currently working on a..... very thorogh rewrite of HWU, both the main storyline and the hunt dates and i figured id share a chunk from my favorite scene in the first chapter. for context, im scrambling up the in game timeline slightly so the masquerade date happens before the MC starts attending hwu, and as of this scene im sharing neither hunt nor avalon are aware of the fact that he's about to be their professor.

also unrelated but ive made it my goal in life to give all of my fics the most ridiculous titles i can. originally this fic was supposed to b named after an ABBA song, but i like this title better.

@choicesficwriterscreations

“It doesn’t have to be that. Just… something you feel like I should know about you. What makes Thomas tick?”

“Hm.” Thomas plucks the half-smoked cigarette from Avalon’s lips and takes a slow drag off of it, then places it back in his mouth, fingers lingering against his lips for only a second too long.

Avalon short circuits.

Thomas turns his head away to blow the smoke out, then nonchalantly states, “I used to be a director. I’ve made some movies, been nominated for a few awards. I even won a couple.”

"Wow, that’s pretty impressive," Avalon says, trying to keep his cool from the indirect kiss they just shared. "But what do you mean, used to be? You don't seem any older than me, you can’t be retired already." 

Thomas sighs, lowering his head. "To put it simply, I was blackmailed."

[sarcasticace]

Okay, this might be stating the obvious, but I think the only reason Most Wanted is on the list for not warranting a sequel is because it doesn’t rely on diamond scenes to get a satisfying experience or a good ending. Finished Queen B recently, not only am I pretty sure you can’t win the award without spending diamonds, but you have to spend A LOT to win on top of picking the right choices to increase your rep. MW has maybe 3 outfits for Sam throughout the entire book and there isn’t a romance to spend diamond on every chapter. This book probably didn’t make then a lot of money.

In comparison, Zoey (the designated best friend closet) offers you a new outfit and accessory almost every other chapter. Sometimes you are shamed for not buying it. The book is very sex heavy... all diamond scenes. There’s a romantic scene with Kingsley almost every other chapter with Poppy drama inbetween to tide you over. Sometimes a diamond scene shows up to let you win one over on Poppy. All your posse members, besides Zoey, must be purchased with diamonds... even though Carter and Chloe, you’d think, siding with you would be part of the story. All but three posse members are reused character assets. In fact, the book is FILLED with reused character assets. Hello Addison from HWU and RCD. She was also an NPC in MTFL.

Also, I jut want to say,I know it sounds like I’m hating on Queen B. That was not my intent. I actually really liked it... even if there were aspects that rubbed me the wrong way. It’s just clear why one got a sequel and the other didn’t.

[storyofmychoices]

Recent Fics #10

Tumblr tags and notifications continue to be problematic for me, so I am continuing to do these recent fic summary posts every month or two for anyone who wants to keep up with what I’m writing :)

Previous Recent Fics: [List #1]  ☆  [List #2] ☆ [List #3] ☆ [List #4] ☆ [List #5] ☆ [List #6] ☆ [List #7] ☆ [List #8] ☆ [List #9]

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer

[HollywoodU]  [Red Carpet Diaries]

Thomas’s Journal: The Man in the Mirror [RCD]: Thomas awakes one morning to notice something’s changed. He reflects upon this in his journal

A Flurry [RCD]: Alex loves her new life in Los Angeles, but misses the snow of MidWest winters.

Snowfall [RCD]: Thomas promised to take Alex to Aspen for a vacation because she missed the snowy winters growing up in the midwest. This is a small moment from that trip. This takes place after: A Flurry

Inseparable [RCD]: Thomas and Alex share an intimate evening together. 🍋 

Thankful & Blessed [RCD]: Thomas and Alex take a moment to appreciate the life they’ve built together with their family.

The Moments in Between [RCD]: Thomas writes Alex a love note

The Bogart Diaries #15: Chasing Shadows [RCD]: Bogart discovers his shadow and Thomas is less than thrilled.

The Bogart Diaries #16: Santa Paws [RCD]: Alex wants the perfect holiday photo of her beloved pup.

Taking Chances [HWU]: Alex confronts Hunt about the mixed signals regarding the state of their relationship (or lack their of)

Thomas Hunt x MC/Alex Spencer [HWU] & Ethan Ramsey x MC/Ellie Shepherd [OH] Series: Love & Scotch

[HollywoodU] [Open Heart]

dx: Healing : following the events of dx: ticking clock, Ethan, Tobias, and the other doctors have administered the first dose of the cure to Ellie and they are waiting to see if it works

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley [Open Heart]

SpreadJoy: Bryce surprises Olivia with a special gift that not only brightens her day, but will brighten others as well

A Very Lahela Christmas (Bryce +Keiki) [Open Heart- Prequel]

Kanaku Hau (snowman): Bryce and Keiki spend an afternoon together celebrating the holiday on the beach.

Hala Kahiki (pineapple) : Bryce helps Keiki celebrate Christmas in her own special way.

☆ Kanakaloka (santa): Bryce helps bring some Christmas magic to Keiki and some other kids.

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light & Shadow]

An Adoption Story: [an Orphanage story] : the hard part of running an orphanage is that letting go and adoption is part of the process

Levi Schuler x Laura Day (+daughter Lily)

[Mother of the Year]

Light & Hope:  Levi explains the history of Hanukkah to Lily 

S’More Trouble: Lily and Luz find themselves in a sticky situation

A Quiet Evening: Levi, Laura, and Lily enjoy a quiet, late fall evening outdoors before winter will  inevitably set in

Justin Mercado/Mari Bishop [Save the Date]

Stage door: [Justin + Nora/sister] This may be the seventeenth production of A Christmas Carol he’s seen her perform in, but Justin is always proud of his little sister.

Other

Double Trouble [Mother of the Year]: Audriana (daughter) and Luz plan a holiday surprise for their parents 

Forever in my Heart [The Unexpected Heiress]: Amelia and Christie (MC) spend a carefree afternoon in the garden (as children).

If you wish to be tagged in any fics/pairings, just let me know :) Thank you for all the love and support! <3

[moodyvalentinestories]

Direction – Twelve | Hunt x HWU MC (Danielle)

Summary: Thomas and Danielle talk... kind of, anyway. We finally find out what's in that bloody box, too.

Words: 2300+

Notes: Uh-huh. Yeah. Remember when I said Hollywood U levels of insanity? Mhm.

❥ Previous Chapter: Eleven ❥ Moodyvalentine’s Masterlist

Thomas woke to a pounding headache and the smell of bacon. The former made sense – he remembered drinking quite a bit before he presumably passed out – but the latter only confused him. He wondered if he’d attempted to make himself dinner, which would have been a terrible idea considering the state he must have been in, and left the stove on. It didn’t smell burnt, though.

With a sigh, Thomas got out of his bed, noting that he hadn’t even bothered to change out of his clothes – and decided to make his way to the kitchen to see what was going on. He wasn’t surprised to see it was dark out when he passed the window in the hall – he’d begun his binge some time shortly after noon if he recalled correctly – but what he was surprised by was the person standing at the stove, frying several strips of bacon and two eggs.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice sounding far too loud against his headache.

Danielle turned around, arms folded in front of her chest. “You don’t remember, do you?”

He shook his head and regretted it right away when a stab of pain shot through him.

“I’m not surprised,” she said, turning back to check on the food. “You’d had over half a bottle of Scotch before I found you.” She thought on that for a moment. “At least. It’s all I found evidence of, anyway.”

Thomas cringed. He knew it must have been more as he was quite sure he’d only moved on to the fresh bottle when the other one had been emptied. He didn’t even want to think about what state she had found him in, and so he decided he wouldn’t. If there was something he’d said or done that was of importance, she would likely make sure to tell him. “I see.” He sat down at the island counter, where a glass of water and two aspirins sat. “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”

“Take them,” she said, still not giving him an answer. “How do you like your eggs? And how crispy should your bacon be?”

Thomas raised an eyebrow, though he knew she couldn’t see, and asked, “You’re making food for me?” He was fairly sure he knew why she was here – he’d turned everything he’d had on her over to the tabloids after all – and he found it quite suspicious that she would be kind enough to feed him and help relieve his hangover. “You wouldn’t be trying to poison me, would you?”

She turned with an exasperated sigh. “No, Hunt, I’m not trying to poison you. I’m going to make sure you’re of sound mind when I rip you a new one.”

“Ah,” he said, as if it was a perfectly normal thing for her to tell him. He supposed it wasn’t an entirely surprising reaction after what he’d done yesterday – or perhaps earlier today, he wasn’t quite sure what time it was – and it wasn’t like he was unwilling to speak to her about it. He did have a few choice words of his own for her, and he would make sure she would receive them, as well. But, first, he would eat. “Over easy and just don’t let the bacon turn into a brick.”

She nodded and went back to focusing on the frying pan. He remained silent, then, and decided to take one aspirin. He hoped it would help, and he was inclined to believe it would as his headache had already begun to fade before he’d taken it.

Not much later, Danielle put a plate with food down in front of him, and he didn’t have to be asked twice to dig in. He was hungry, after all, and he was relatively sure that he hadn’t eaten before he’d decided to drink himself into oblivion. Which had made it that much easier to achieve just that, and that much worse when he woke up just now. In any case, he thanked his lucky stars that Danielle had decided it would be appropriate to give him food in this situation, no matter her intentions.

She leaned back against the counter next to the stove, nibbling on a strip of bacon that was almost completely black as she watched him eat. He didn’t comment on how uncomfortable it made him to have her watch him so closely, and he certainly didn’t comment on the fact that his mind had – however briefly – entertained the idea of the two of them eating in his kitchen under different circumstances.

When he was done eating, Thomas wasn’t quite sure what to say. He felt he should have thanked her for the food – and, presumably, taking care of him before he passed out – but, somehow, he doubted she would appreciate it.

“You’re done?” she said, and though it was posed as a question, he knew she wasn’t asking.

He answered nonetheless. “I’m done.”

“Good,” she said with a nod, and she suddenly looked terribly sad. Thomas tried not to feel bad about it – she deserved to be sad, for heaven’s sake – but it proved harder than he thought. “Good. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

He did as she instructed, remaining just where he’d sat since he came into the kitchen, and waited for her to return. When she did, he immediately saw the cardboard box in her hands, and his heart nearly stopped. “Why do you have that?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, her expression even sadder than it had been when she’d left to retrieve the box. She put it down on the counter, moving his plate to the side to make room. “Why did you do it, Thomas? Why did you want to get rid of me?”

He noted the way she’d used his given name again – not affectionately, this time, but the way she sometimes had when she’d intended to have a serious conversation with him. He’d expected a fight – screaming and yelling and insults – but it didn’t seem that that was what she’d come for. It unsettled him to no small degree.

“Because you were going to do the same to me,” he said weakly.

She narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head to one side. After taking a moment to think, she spoke. “I wasn’t. I still won’t,” she told him, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Another lie, surely. “What changed after we talked? I thought we were on the same page.”

“I saw you. With Montmartre,” he said, and by the way her expression didn’t change, he knew that this was not news to her. So why did she ask then? If she was aware that he knew, why wouldn’t it be obvious to her?

She let out a sigh. “So, what? You’re telling me it didn’t occur to you that there’s more than one reason I might have gone with him? Hell, he could have made me go with him.”

“You were flirting with him, I heard. You two are… you are—”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake!” she exclaimed, finally displaying the anger he’d expected. “Are you trying to say you thought sending me to prison was a reasonable action because you were jealous?”

Thomas thought he ought to have been outraged at the assumption that it had been jealousy that drove him to hand the material over, but there was a much more interesting point in what she’d said that he needed to address first. “Sending you to prison? You’re being overly dramatic. If – and that’s a big if, mind you – you’d have been prosecuted at all, it would have been for negligence at worst. And you were a student at the time, you would—"

“You never even bothered to look through what’s in here, did you?” she interrupted, nudging the box closer towards him. “Go on, take a look.”

“Well, I saw the settlement agreement between the university and him, and…” He blanched. It was true, he had no idea what was in that box.

Danielle nodded knowingly. “It’s my signature on that contract.” Thomas felt like the rug was being pulled out from under him. “It’s my signature on all of it.”

It was obvious, from the look on his face, that this was new information to him, and she almost felt some of her ire lift, but he’d still done what he’d done, whether getting her behind bars had been his intention or not. Danielle could see his hand tremble as he reached for the box and lifted the lid off.

The first thing he took out was the settlement agreement with the victim, drawn up by the university’s lawyers. But the university had been kept out of it entirely, and it was only Danielle’s and the victim’s signature on it. Ethan had advised her back then not to let the university handle it, and if she’d listened to him, Thomas would have been right. She’d have got off lightly – because she knew that, technically, it hadn’t been her fault – and as she’d been little more than a student back then, it wouldn’t have impacted her career much, either.

But she hadn’t listened to Ethan, and she’d let the university pay him off – all in her name because, officially, the university took no responsibility for anything that happened on set of their students’ film productions – and she knew it made her look guiltier than she was.

Hunt’s quiet gasp when he reached the last page and saw that it was, indeed, her signature on the contract made her look up. He simply looked back at her, stunned, before he reached into the box again to take out another sheaf of papers.

The one on top she recognised as well – she’d signed off on everything being safe just the morning of the accident. She hadn’t checked it herself – hadn’t had the time because she’d stayed up all night working on an essay for Professor Singh – but she’d been stupid enough to trust that the freshman she’d tasked with checking everything would do so diligently. If only she’d taken the extra time to make sure… they would have known to wait until that beam had been properly secured, and nobody would have been hurt.

It was clear from the shock on Hunt’s face that this was another detail he hadn’t known of. “I thought it happened because you didn’t check everything that day.”

“It did,” she told him, trying not to be offended by the fact that he’d insinuated she might have known and simply not cared. “I signed off on it, anyway.”

She could tell he had a reproach on the tip of his tongue, but he kept quiet, and she was glad for it. She didn’t need anyone to tell her how careless she’d been – she felt guilty enough as it was. Instead, he put the piece of paper to the side and looked at the next one. It wasn’t any better. In fact, this one, she thought, was perhaps the worst of all. It had been her list of who would be doing what that day, and she’d assigned him to operate the camera just beneath that steel beam.

“It looks like premeditation,” he said, looking back up at her. “Danielle, if you hadn’t caught this before… if I’d… you could have been convicted with attempted murder.”

“There’s more in there.”

Hunt shook his head. “I don’t want to see it. I know it wasn’t that.”

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” she said, looking down at her hands. “He…” She took a deep breath. “Carson could have died, and it would have been my fault.”

Hunt shook his head again, more vehemently this time. She imagined it couldn’t have been feeling good, considering his massive hangover. “But nobody died. And you weren’t anywhere near experienced enough to know. Even if you’d checked everything, you could have missed it.”

“It was my responsibility,” she insisted. She wasn’t quite sure how the conversation had taken such a turn – she hadn’t come to talk about her guilt or any of this, really, but just to confront him and find out just why he’d done what he’d done.

She didn’t notice she’d started crying until she felt a hand on her arm, squeezing ever so slightly. She recognised the gesture as something she’d done to calm him many times before, and her tears came even harder then.

“Danielle, I’ve disagreed with this policy since I’ve started teaching at the university,” he told her. “I’ve wanted projects supervised by experts for a long time. Only putting students who don’t know their craft yet to work – and in fields they may have even less experience, at that! – has never sat right with me.”

She didn’t argue with that – he had a point, after all, though it didn’t change a thing about her feelings towards it all – but decided to go back to their original conversation. The reason she’d come here in the first place. “You were going to have me put behind bars for it, anyway.”

This statement seemed to wipe any trace of sympathy he’d had for her away and he withdrew his hand from her arm, letting it fall to his side. “I didn’t know.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Danielle said with a shake of her head. “It doesn’t. If anything, it just makes it worse – that you didn’t even know what was in there; that your only goal was to hurt me. And for what? Because you thought I had a thing with Viktor?”

“Because I know you’re working with him!” Hunt accused, slapping one hand down on the stone counter. She could tell from the expression on his face that it had hurt him, and she couldn’t find it in her to care. He really thought she could have done that, after everything? That, more than anything he’d said to her since she’d known him, hurt somewhere deep in her chest.

She swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. Then, very quietly, she said, “But I’m not. I was just… I was just going to fix things. I was going to fix everything.”

Tags: @lilyoffandoms​  @trappedinfandoms​ @oneemofungirl​ @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​ @alj4890​ @alleksa16​ @flyawayboo​ @silversparrow02​

[ask-alaska-and-hawaii]

49 Random Facts About Alaska in My AU

No one knows his actual birthday but he celebrates it on January 3rd.

He’s actually older than most states but do to his age being stunted by Russia due to not developing him in the slightest when he was his colony, he hasn’t been able to grow at all.

He’s autistic.

His only real friend is Hawaii.

He was raised by wolves for 20 years until her was brought into civilization by a group of huntsmen that killed his pack.

He fluently speaks many Yup’ik, Russian, and English.

When he first met America, he couldn’t speak a word of English so a Russian to English translator had to be brought in.

He has a bit of a rivalry with Texas since Texas hates the fact Alaska is bigger than him and will be taller when he’s in adult while Alaska just finds him annoying.

He drinks a lot of alcohol when he’s depressed.

He loves dogs and has 15.

He does not get along with his neighbor Yukon.

Alaska thinks Chris McCandless was a moron.

Alaska is somewhere between Libertarian and Republican but mainly stays out of politics.

He’s very loyal to America but not very close to him.

He’s adopted.

Alaska hates the fact he looks so much like his biological father, Russia.

His hair is actually fairly long under his cap.

He doesn’t enjoy flashy clothes and bases his outfits purely on practicality.

He’s very good at mountain climbing and hunting.

He lives nearly completely off the grid except for a landline phone and that’s only because America insisted.

He can drive a plane.

He owns many guns like most Republican states.

He could easily survive a zombie apocalypse.

He trained his dogs in Yup’ik so that they will only understand him.

Some people believe he’s raising a dog army to invade either Russia or Canada. They might be right.

America is very concerned for Alaska and has tried to get him to seek proper therapy many times but Alaska always refuses.

He hates being in large crowds as they overstimulate him in minutes.

He’s a huge bookworm.

He’s a fan of Jack London’s Call of the Wild.

He was a abandoned as a baby by his mother’s tribe since they saw him as a curse for the fact he couldn’t grow up.

Ukraine is the only one of his biological family he cares for and he’s deeply worried about her.

 During WW2, he fought off the Japanese on his own. He even gained the title of the ‘Shiori Akuma’ which literally means ‘White Demon’ because of his white camouflage uniform. 

Alaska is so self-sufficient, the nanny America hired just takes cares of his dogs when he’s at the 50 State Estate.

His nanny/dog caretaker is a Canadian-American woman named Alexis.

He also has PTSD from everything he’s experienced in his life.

No one knows he’s secretly rich because of how simply he lives.

His cabin is one room with a loft where Alaska sleeps. It’s also deep in the wood.

When he’s angry no one will ever know until it’s too late.

As much as he loves Hawaii, he is jealous of the fact she had everything he didn’t growing up.

He has a restraining order against his aunt Belarus after the 4th time she tried to to kidnap him.

He hates TV and technology since they always give him a headache.

He once had a crush on someone but she’s dead.

Alaska doesn’t like talking about his life before 1867 even with Hawaii.

He hated being called Seward’s Folly.

He will either do the world’s weirdest things when drunk or just pass out.

Alaska loves cute puppies.

He’s bisexual but has been scarred against anything romantic.

His nicknames are either ‘Laska or Nicky. Never Pete, Petey, or Nick. 

Sealand accused him of stealing his human name of ‘Peter’.

[gutsfics]

from the wedding asks!

for Thomas + Avalon: 1. Who first brought up the option of marriage? Was it an easy topic? 2. Who were the first people to find out about the engagement? How did they react?

for Baxter + Raf: 11. When do they get married? Night or day? Any specific reason for either? 19. What was the ceremony like? Any highlights?

thank you! 🌺

yaaaay thank u <3 sorry for taking so long i forgor

Thomas + Avalon

1. Who first brought up the option of marriage? Was it an easy topic?

for hwu- im not sure marriage was really something that was "brought up" by either one of them. hwu Avalon is very much a family man so to some degree Thomas knew that if they started dating then marriage was a possibility. when they got to a point in their relationship where they felt it was time to talk about it, it was a pretty easy conversation. they'd been through a lot by that point and they knew they could take whatever challeges being married would throw at them

for rcd- Avalon initially when they first dated in their 20s (it was a pretty unserious "whats your stance on marriage" conversation bc neither were ready for it), and then Thomas brings it up when theyre back together in their 40s. that conversation is a lot harder for em bc they were/are both struggling w depression and other things so it was about how things would change if they were to get married, and it would be hard sure but Thomas wants to be able to take care of Avalon in any and every way he can, including all of the financial/legal ways that marriage is for

6. Who were the first people to find out about the engagement? How did they react?

Janey (and Billie in the case of rcd at least idk if she and Janey r together by the time Thomas and Avalon get engaged in hwu) and the girls of course!!!!!!!!! Janey is really happy for Avalon for finding someone, and the twins r super excited for the wedding itself & Thomas being their stepdad (sure hes a bit odd and can be cross, but he's nice to them and he genuinely cares for them)

♡◇♡◇♡◇♡◇♡◇♡◇♡◇♡

Baxter + Raf

11. When do they get married? Night or day? Any specific reason for either?

late spring/early summer in the afternoon. no specific reason, it just feels like them. maybe for having a nice little party in good weather

19. What was the ceremony like? Any highlights?

i dont know enough about Raf's culture to go into details, but i know it was considerably more culturally his than culturally Baxter's if that makes sense (they just feel a disconnect from both the culture they were raised in & the one they were from before they would have been raised in were they not taken to the states when they were adopted). it was super lowkey though, in the neighborhood Raf grew up in, either in someone's backyard or in a local church he used to go to idk

[moodymasterlist]

❥ Full Masterlist

Organising stuff is no talent of mine, but I’m trying to keep this as organised as possible. Fics are listed in chronological order of the story unless stated otherwise.

HWU: Thomas Hunt x MC*Rachel Fields

Freshman Year. Very loosely based on some of the plot of HWU. Includes Hunt Dates #1 - #4.

❥ O Thomas Hunt, Wherefore Art Thou My Professor?     referred to as OTHWATMP in this list     ❥ Separate Masterlist due to Length     ❥ Happy Birthday, Professor. (Between Ch. 76 and 77)

❥ O Rachel, Wherefore Art Thou My Student? (Hunt’s POV)     ❥ Lenience (~ Chapter 6 of OTHWATMP)     ❥ Irrelevant (~ Chapter 9 of OTHWATMP)     ❥ Men in Suits/Sleazeballs (~ Chapter 14/15 of OTHWATMP)     ❥ Turquoise (After Chapter 62 of OTHWATMP)     ❥ A Mess (After Chapter 62 of OTHWATMP)     ❥ The Heart Wants What It Wants (~ Chapter 77 of OTHWATMP)

Semester Break.

❥ The First Date (HWU Hunt Date #5)     ❥ Part 1: Before the Date     ❥ Part 2: Dinner Date     ❥ Part 3: Date Interruption     ❥ Part 4: Their First Time (NSFW)

❥ The Morning After

❥ La Perlas

❥ Rules (NSFW)

❥ A Little More Careful

Sophomore Year.

❥ The Trials and Tribulations of a New Normal     ❥ Part 1: Rachel     ❥ Part 2: Thomas     ❥ Part 3: Change?

❥ Some Rules Are Meant to Be Broken (NSFW)

❥ Something Just Like This     ❥ Part 1: Maybe You Should Have     ❥ Part 2: Fairy Godmothers     ❥ Part 3: An Unlikely Alliance     ❥ Part 4: Elevator: Reloaded     ❥ Part 5: If It’s Not Too Late (NSFW)     ❥ Epilogue: Addi x Ryan

❥ The Exception

❥ That Backfired.

❥ It’ll Be Fun

❥ A Holly Jolly Christ-Mess    ❥ Separate Masterlist due to Length

❥ I Know the Way (Drabble)

❥ Desire and Decorum

❥ Idiotic Little Spats

Junior Year.

❥ Wedding Bells (HWU Hunt Date #9)    ❥ Rachel, Meet Rachel.

❥ Favourite Tradition (Drabble)

HWU: Thomas Hunt x MC*Natalia Tate

Years after graduation.

❥ Vacation

❥ Istanbul

❥ Friday the 13th

❥ Natalia in Istanbul     ❥ Nostalgia (Drabble)     ❥ I Miss You (Drabble)     ❥ I’ve Waited Years

HWU: Thomas Hunt x OC*Anna Wilkerson

While at Hollywood U.

❥ Gone.

Years after graduation.

❥ 2083 Days

❥ Baby? (Drabble)

HWU: Thomas Hunt x MC*Samantha Evans

Years after graduation.

❥ Hello.

RCD: Thomas Hunt x MC*Olivia Clarke

During RCD 2, while shooting in Cordonia.

❥ Must Have Misunderstood

RCD: Thomas Hunt x MC*Tara

Just a random MC I use for various fics. No continuity to be found here.

❥ Camping

❥ Something Spectacular

RCD: Thomas Hunt x Reader/You/MC

❥ A Birthday Surprise

RCD/HWU: Thomas Hunt Drabbles

Mostly just drabbles that aren’t associated with any particular OC.

❥ Happiness

❥ Falling

RCD: Matt Rodriguez x Seth Levine

❥ Under the Mistletoe

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

Farewell to Hollywood U #1 : Kiss the Cook

Art by the ever talented and lovely @bayleedrawsx

Characters: Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer (F!MC / OC) Book: Hollywood U (adapted from Hunt Date #09) Word Count: ~450 Rating/Warnings: General (all the fluff) Prompts: @choicesmonthlychallenge HWU ; @choicesaugustchallenge Spaghetti al Pomodoro 

Synopsis: After moving in, Alex and Hunt make dinner together.

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer Masterlists] [HollywoodU]

The warm and sweet scent of the fresh basil filled the kitchen as Hunt added the last ingredient to his homemade Pomodoro sauce. The bright green leaves disappeared as he mixed them slowly into his simmering sauce. 

Alex bumped her hip gently against his. Her eyes brightened, and a smirk played on the corner of her lips. "Make way for the real cook." 

"And that's you?" His brow arched as he drew closer. His hand grazed down her arm, making her shiver.

She masterfully added her uncooked pasta to her pot of boiling water, finishing with a slight flourish of the wrists as she replaced the lid. "Yup. Not just anyone can cook pasta! You know you're impressed and wanna kiss the cook."

"You seem quite certain of that notion." He inched closer, letting his fingers trail across her jaw as the pair turned away from the heat of the stove.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, turning her head into his touch. Her lips brushed against the palm of his hand. "Am I wrong?"

A low growl rumbled from his lips, his eyes darkening as he gazed upon her. "Quite the opposite."

Her mischievous smile grew as the two inched closer. "So, I think what you're trying to say is: Alex, you are right."

He shook his head, wrapping his arms around her. "Do you want me to say you were right—" his lips brushed against her ear, "—or kiss you?"

"You know the answer to that already." 

He kissed her softly, his eyes closing as he held her safely in his embrace. "Alex...you were right."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" She whispered into his lips as she kissed him again.

The low popping sound of bubbles rising in the pot of water was lost to their deepening embrace. The metal lid rattled momentarily before the fizzing sound of water boiling over pulled their attention. 

"Oh no!" Alex rushed to the stove as water poured over the rim, causing the flame beneath the pot to crackle and flicker. Quickly she grabbed a pot holder, pulling the lid from the pot. She stirred the pasta and lowered the flame. The water simmered down as the pasta continued cooking. She replaced the lid and turned back toward him. "Shame on you, Thomas Hunt for distracting the master chef at work!"

He chuckled softly, stirring his own sauce to ensure none stuck to the bottom of the pot. "Shall I make myself scarce?"

"Never." She wrapped her arms around him from behind as he tended the stove. "Now that you're mine, I refuse to let you go."

"If you insist," he stated stoically, stirring the pots once again. His lips curled up. He quite liked the sound of it, and if he was honest with himself, he felt the same about her.

I didn't intend to write a drabble for this moment, but here we are.

If you didn't know by now, I adore these two more than words can say. I am definitely not ready to say goodbye to their official story in just a few days, but I hope to continue to keep them alive through my stories and the art I commission.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting these two. It means the world to me.

[peonyblossom]

Hey! I'm back at it again with some q's!

Your MC is on Hot Ones (the show)! How's their spice tolerance like and what are their preferred hot sauces? And best of all, what "spicy" questions would they get asked?

Feel free to expand it into a HC, include your LI or even write it into a fic!

Hi!!! This is such a creative question, but I have sadly never seen Hot Ones, so I'm not exactly sure what my MCs fave hot sauces would be or what "spicy" questions they'd get asked.

HOWEVER, I can tell you about their spice tolerance!

(OH f!MC) Sadie can handle some spice! Her top comfort food is spicy ramen, so she loves some spice! She loves baking and has a real sweet tooth though, so she's much more into sweet than spicy. She loves Mexican Hot Chocolate because, even though it's spicy, it's still sweet! I think she would probably get asked about the state of American healthcare lol bc it's a hot mess and she's a doctor in America!

(OH m!MC) Sydney can definitely handle spice the best out of all my MCs. He's Korean and grew up eating a ton of Korean food, including spicy stuff! So, he has a pretty high spice tolerance. He tends to add a lot of spices to the stuff Ethan cooks, because Sydney does not cook and Ethan's spice tolerance is much lower than his lol. Probably the same/similar question as Sadie.

(RCD/HWU f!MC) Jackie does not have much of a spice tolerance lol. Her favorite spice is pumpkin spice LMAO. Being a celebrity, I think she would be asked about the effects of parasocial relationships from her POV.

[littleredroseonthevalley]

Quédate Un Ratito Más

Summary: Isadora reminisce about her life in Los Angeles, her shot at stardom and how she winded up as Chris Winters’ lover.

Rating: M -  Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Explicit depiction of extra-marital relationships. Explicit, non-graphic mentions of drug use. Reader discretion is highly advised.

Words: 2536

Notes: Remember that confession about Chris Winters and the affair and that I said I would fight the HWU!MC in a pool filled with jelly out of pure boredom? It might have sparked an idea in me.

It all became more clearly defined when I heard this song by Javiera Mena, and there you have it! Just in time for the RCD finale!

(BTW, how do you like it? I’m writing this on Sunday and I have no idea if it sucked. It probably did.)

Anyways, enjoy it. Especially @playchoicesconfessions and @nightmonster86, who is the original confessor. Look what you made me do!

Isadora cannot help herself but to stare, dead, at the roof of her bedroom.

Los Angeles was blessed with cool weather and a soft breeze blowing from the sea tonight. If the city had less luminous pollution, she was certain they would be able to admire a beautiful, late-Summer starry sky.

Her iPod was still docked at the station, low music filled the room, but it was not that she was paying any attention to what was on. The candles that lightened the place already burned out, the only source of clarity came from the flickering street lights.

It was on moments like those she wonders how she ended up like that.

When she left Iowa, she had dreams, she had hopes. Those did not last long under the Californian sun. She knows she had forgiven Chazz for lying to her, for saying he had this great gig as an agent and a big house to host her, but she cannot help but think she may have never come to the West Coast if she knew it was not the case.

She was happy back home, was she not? She had her teaching degree, a nice employment working with children, and that fantasy of hers to be a movie star was dormant, she was satisfied working on community theatre shows every once in a while.

Chazz was insistent, though. He swore she had a special spark and, with his help, she could turn that into a ‘supernova’.

She believed him. She sold everything she owed, quit her job and took a flight to La-La-Land.

For a while, she struggled to find even the lowliest of gigs. She starred on a few commercials for the worse kind of company one can imagine. It did not matter to her, she was determined. She believed it was as they used to say, it is ninety-nine percent transpiration.

Finally, Isadora got her big break. A supporting role on the indie hype of the year, Tender Nothings. Co-starring with her childhood hero, Victoria Fontaine, and the guy she admits to have had a crush as a teen, Matt Rodriguez.

Things were not as easy as it first appeared, however. Victoria was ballistic against her, feeling horribly threatened by her presence as the ‘fresh new face’, while Matt, while a decent sort, was always either stressed over Markus van Groot, the director, and his rather unstable state of mind, or shielded by his elitist, entitled entourage.

For a gregarious person like Isadora, being snubbed out, being unable to form more personal connections to her cast mates, was a challenge, but a wise person once said, you are born alone, you die alone. She could handle it.

Handle she did, extraordinarily so, one might say. She managed Markus’ genius to a point he was almost tame and predictable, she pushed towards some of Teja’s, the assistant director, ideas, she calmed Matt and helped him soldier through the numerous reshoots, and she held her head gracefully in face of Victoria’s abuse.

Her goal was to prove herself not only as a talented actor, but also as someone easy, even pleasurable, to work with, and for a while, she was regarded as such. Even Victoria started coming around to her.

One night, however, sometime along the shooting, Teja said Markus would like to treat Matt and Victoria to a nice dinner, exclusive to the stars. The other actress could not miss the opportunity to rub it on Isadora’s face, the fact she was not important enough to attend.

The next day, every major gossip headline in town mentioned that dinner. It was said their drinking got very out of hand and they ended up confessing some pretty embarrassing, tethering on career ending, secrets.

What was puzzling on the story is that the restaurant was closed off for them, and little people other than the attendees knew they would even be there that night.

Victoria, of course, jumped to conclusions and blamed the whole thing on Isadora’s alleged ambition and desire to take her off the movie and to have the lead role all to herself.

As soon as she stepped on set, the A-lister pranced on her and hit her to the point she had to get stitches afterwards, quitting the production soon afterwards. Matt, always with the herd mentality, followed suit.

Appalled with the lack of professionalism of his American colleagues, Markus talked with the studio and they agreed the best thing to be done was pulling the plug on the production.

Isadora was fired, with a generous rescission package and a heartfelt request for her not to sue. Which she did not.

Something broke inside her that day. Besides her nose and teeth, that is. She realized she did not want to be an actor any longer. She did not want to have her life displayed like that, and she did not want to deal with the Markus, Matts and Victorias of the industry.

It just was not worth it.

A few weeks later, Matt knocked on her door, saying he had figured out the whole exposé on them was work of his agent, who was adamant he dedicated himself to another sequel of an action franchise. He said he was sorry, and that he wanted to revive Tender Nothings.

She answered him she did not want to work in show business any longer. He interpreted it as hardballing, and offered to expand her part.

Looking back, it was what cemented her decision to leave. How dared he? To come to her door with a meagre apology and feel like he had the right to demand anything of her? To think that her struggle, that her acquired distaste for the industry was just some concoction of hers? That it could all be solved throwing some money at it?

Had he learnt nothing from what happened? Or was it that he felt Isadora was too insignificant to pay any heed?

Be as it may, she sent him away and she never saw him again.

After that, she rebuilt her life. With the severance, she could purchase the, admittedly shitty but very affordable, apartment she currently lives, and she found another job at a private day-care, which paid reasonably well.

Overall, her acting career was now only memories and an obscure credit on IMDb.

That is not to say it was the last she ever heard from the Hollywood folks she met during her stint at Tender Nothings. She and Teja were friends, and Markus was still trying to coax her back into his movies. He had taken an admiration for her, as it seems.

And that’s the turning point.

Learning from the resounding failure of Matt’s, Markus, instead of appealing for her vanity or ambition, decided to take the long road and make friends with her, show her while Tender Nothings was pretty awful, she still could find good people within the industry.

Isadora was unmoved, but she enjoyed her relationship with the director, and his wife was a surprisingly reasonable, easy-to-please person, quite the kind of people she appreciated having as friends.

Opposites attract, she supposed.

One night, at Markus’ birthday celebration, she was trying to treat herself to a break from the characteristic madness of a van Groot party in some unoccupied room upstairs.

It was where she met him.

Usually, when people talk about how they met their significant others, it is some kind of meet-cute, like a mismatch at the coffee shop or a bump on their way to class or to work.

It was not like that with them. How could it be? Everything about them was twisted, their first meeting would not be the one conformist thing about them.

Isadora Andel met Christopher Winters while he was having a panic attack.

Not many people know, but America’s Heartthrob was taken to cocaine use, and while he had cut down over the years, he never really stopped riding the white horse.

Continuous drug use, especially one as strong as the uncut cocaine rampant in Hollywood, often leads to undesirable side effects. Chris developed panic attacks.

Thanks to her teachers’ school, Isadora had a few psychology classes under her belt and knew how to deal with a situation like that, helping the poor man to gather himself back together.

Once again at a normal heart pace, Chris offered Isadora something to drink, very thankful and somewhat embarrassed by the whole ordeal. She accepted, after all she did not know anyone else at the party, and it was Chris Winters, another of her teenage crushes.

She may have been a movie dork at high school. May have.

They drank, and they talked, and they drank some more. Sometime, late in the night, they started kissing, and undressing, and they had a pretty good time.

The morning after, the first two things Isadora thought when she woke up was that she was beyond hung over and that she had sex with the most desired man in America.

The very married, very unavailable most desired man in America.

She started having a minor panic attack of her own, freaking out about the absurd situation she put herself. She had left show business to avoid the exposition, and she now finds herself on what could very well be the scandal of the decade.

Her hyperventilation ended up waking up Chris himself, who had the taste, or the carelessness, of sleeping beside her after the sex. Not unlike his companion, the same two thoughts ran through his mind, and he too had a minor anxiety burst over the situation.

They were grown, reasonable people, though, they were able to get a grip and face the situation with logic.

Isadora soon realized she was in no danger. Chris would not want for it to leak, he was married and a messy divorce would damage his career and, above all, his all-American boy image.

The man, in turn, concluded it was best not to corner the girl, to question her forcefully if she was some kind of paparazzi infiltrate. If she was, she would not tell him, and if she was not, it might just change her mind. He would call his publicist and they would figure out what to do.

They calmly, yet very, very awkwardly, greeted each other and traded reassurances that it was just a one-time thing and it would be best kept forgotten, the kind of thing not-so-normal people did after a one-night stand with a stranger.

Relieved, and feeling a sense of security with the young woman, Chris offered to take her home. He was driving, after all, and he felt like he owed her some kindness, due to his panic attack the night before, and for, as much as he could remember of their conversation, her being a wholesome person.

It was a long drive between Bel Air, where Markus lived and hosted his soirée, to Little Armenia, where Isadora’s apartment was located, and during the good part of the hour they were contained in close quarters they conversed.

What else would they do, after all?

Isadora talked about her life, things like what was like back in Iowa and what was like living in Los Angeles. Chris, for his turn, shared some anecdotes of his own small-town childhood and impressions on some of his work.

As the sleek car parks in front of the downtrodden apartment block, both of them wished the journey had lasted longer, even if neither wanted to admit it.

The woman smiles at him softly, thanks him for the ride, it was very kind of him, and the grace he dealt with the situation. After everything with Matt and Victoria, she was relieved for not being blamed for a PR disaster again.

He said he, too, was glad that, for everyone that could have found him at that bedroom; it had been her.

For a moment, time stood still. Neither breathed nor moved, they just looked deep into each other’s eyes.

Then they kissed.

An hour later, they were undressed and spent on Isadora’s bed and Chris notes, with a degree of humour, “What’s about us that we can’t talk and not have sex?”

So, their relationship starts. Chris would call late at night, at odd days of the week and ask to come over. Isadora would have the house ready and a hot meal waiting for him.

He came, sad or stressed, and would talk away what concerned him, a particularly difficult job or some altercation with the shrew of his wife. She would pet his hair lazily, let him eat empty calories, offer some input and perspective and suddenly he was fine again.

Afterwards, he would show his deep appreciation for her on a physical manner. It might be as good for him as it was for her, but the thought would remain.

They were fine like that for a while, it was all good for them both, but something started to change. There was not a time when they did not care for each other, but in the beginning, they were friends, people who help and like each other and have the occasional sex.

Now… it changed. Isadora likes Chris, she may growing to love him, and she was somewhat certain that he feels the same for her, too, but it does not the change the fact he is married. That she has to share him with someone else. That there is a part of his life that does not pertain her, that she is not welcome.

She longs for more. Yes, he was a movie star and that is a hindrance on itself, but even as a celebrity, they could have dinners out, attend parties, go to the cinema and have a life together.

Before Isadora could consider it further, the water noise coming from her bathroom stops. Soon enough, Chris emerges at the door, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“I should go, I guess.” He says, his voice just above a whisper.

It was a moment neither of them appreciated much. The goodbyes. The parting. The underlined assumption he would be returning to the arms of his not-so-beloved wife.

“Don’t.” She responds, turning her face to look deep inside his green eyes. “The sun will rise soon, just lay here with me until then.”

The man sighs. “Isadora, I…”

“I know what you’re going to say.” She cuts him off. “People will end up noticing, paparazzi will see, but that will only happen if you leave. They can’t find you here.”

Her childlike logic tickles him, sends some shine to the darkness, graveness of his depression, his sadness.

It was too good, too short, to let go just yet.

He lets the towel that covers his intimacy fall to the ground. He circles the bed, and lays next to his lover and kisses her cheek.

“I can’t say no to you.” He confesses, voice grave and a melancholic smile on his expression.

“I’m glad.” She responds. “I really love you, you know.”

His smile widens, his eyes twinkle. “I love you, too.”

In bed together, they saw the purple light slowly flooding the room, announcing the impending, inevitable separation.

So it may be, but for now, they could ignore it and take delight on each other’s presence.