#i spent 2 hours putting this together and i'm meant to be sleeping

[hoarah-babylon]

I had to make a BIG post going over everything that's got my brain whirring after watching the story trailer - it's all my speculation and personal opinion so don't take it as fact yada yada IT'S FUN SPECULATION TIME

(I'll put it under the cut bc this is gonna be a LONG one)

“Miquella the kind spoke of the beginning. The seduction. And the betrayal. An affair from which Gold arose. And so too was Shadow born."

My interpretation of this scene is that we are seeing the creation of the Golden Order by Marika. She plucks grace from something dead and fleshy, and holds it up to the Greater Will, beckoning in her new age. It would make sense to me, considering the voiceover, that this is a dead god that has been betrayed by Marika so she can pursue her Order and claim power. It does like quite reminiscent of Kos from Bloodborne to me. The fleshiness of the corpse also reminds me of the godskins/snakeskin. However, I don't believe this is the Gloam Eyed Queen. From my understanding of the timeline (mainly thanks to @eldenringslut) the GEQ didn't come about until later on during Marika's reign - if we are seeing the creation of the GO, and my understanding of the timeline is correct, I don't think it would make sense for this to be the GEQ. I can't deny different aspects of this do allude to things related to her though - the dusky sky, the godskin-like flesh. But I almost think that would be too 'perfect' for it to fit together like that, especially with how much people want to know more about the GEQ, I think fromsoft would want to keep us in the dark and surprise us. Whatever we are seeing here, Gold and Shadow seemingly came about at the same time.

We get our first look at what appears to be Messmer's army. They appear to all wield spears which ties into Messmer's whole Impaler thing, along with the shot of the person(?) impaled on the steps. I wonder who these people were, if they had to stay in the Shadow Realm after the battle was done (if it is?). I find the design on the helmet interesting - at first glance I thought it could be a tree or roots, but actually doesn't it kind of remind you of the black tendrils that shoot out of Messmer's flame? I think it could be either, or both, or maybe it's a chicken and egg situation and they're related somehow... my first thought when the initial gameplay trailer came out was that the dark tendrils in Messmer's flame could be deathroot or something similar to that. Maybe I wasn't far off?

We get our first shot of Messmer here. His pose pretty much solidifies to me that this is his army - this is the pose of a character commanding an army. It's so classic fantasy, the composition and everything, I love it. Messmer is awesome. I'm obsessed with the snake-like flames flying above the carnage.

"What followed was a war unseen. One that could never be put to song. A purge without Grace, or honour. The tyranny of Messmer's flame."

My take on this is that once Marika had won her battle/betrayed the God we see her pluck Grace from, she had her opponents banished and/or wiped out at the hands of Messmer. I have to say, it does surprise me that it seems Messmer was around and fully grown at the creation of Marika's Order. The implications there leave me with so many questions. Who is his other parent? Marika is Numen, and they seldom give birth. This is not an insignificant thing for her to have a child, especially if the theory of births being governed by the Erdtree/Golden Order is to be believed, and this must have came about before then. It would also go against the idea that Messmer is the full brother/secret triplet of Miquella and Malenia, considering that Miq + Mal were not born until Marika had left Godfrey for Radagon. I find that detail so intriguing... especially because I was so on board with the butterfly theories.

No idea who this is, but they're cool and that definitely looks like the kind of weapon we'd be able to pick up. It just looks like a PVP weapon, know what I mean? Very reminiscent of Vyke as well imo, similar pose to the box art of him along with the billowing cape. This reminds me, I'm noticing an emphasis on hair in this trailer too - I never took much note of Marika's hair before but in this trailer there was a lot of emphasis put on how long it is, how similar it is to threads of Grace, and Miquella's hair too. It's making me think of the bible story of Samson but let me not go too off the rails

Here we have some of the coolest shots in the trailer imo. This posits the Lion/Omens as enemies of Messmer to me - which to me supports the view that Messmer is aligned with Marika. The Lion/Omens always came off to me as if they were making a mockery of the GO - positioning themselves as enemies to Marika/the GO. We get another good look at his Flame, with the tendrils. They almost remind me of thorns actually. That final shot looks like a victory scene to me. It also really hammers home the Impaler thing. The man knows his brand!

Then we pan up to see what hangs above this burned city - this 'shadow tree'. THIS IS MARIKA'S RUNE.

I think we are seeing the origins of her rune as part of the modern Elden Ring here - Grace/blessings dripping from the bough of this tree. I have to say given the imagery relating to motherhood on the run up to the DLC, the rune does look vaguely yonic, especially on the seals. I think references to motherhood are in this trailer too - Marika taking something from a fleshy orifice with a voiceover talking about seduction, I can't imagine that wasn't intentional. So far the main character we have seen is her child, after all. The whole story of Elden Ring revolves around Marika's children. I have a feeling Marika's relation to motherhood and childbearing is going to be a big theme in the DLC.

I remember when the first gameplay trailer dropped, people theorised that this was Ranni's rune, and I was happy to believe that because of the similarities to Rennala's rune. But now I believe it's Miquella's rune, for several reasons, one being it reminds me of Malenia's rune, and they are twins after all. Although Rennala and Malenia's runes are oddly similar, it just makes more sense to me that it would be Miquella's, considering we are following in his footsteps. I think these rune spikes are going to be our DLC equivalents of sites of grace.

"And so kindly Miquella would abandon everything. His golden flesh, his blinding strength..."

Abandoning his flesh is very reminiscent of Ranni... but why would he need to abandon his flesh? Perhaps after Mohg stole him away? Though I have to say, I'm warming up the idea that Mohg never actually had Miquella, he just thought he did. That might not make sense considering that body in Mohg's palace is how we get to the Shadow Lands, but I don't know, something about it doesn't sit quite right with me for some reason. The line 'his blinding strength' is a bit odd. I can't take credit for this next idea, I saw it on twitter, but someone suggested that this is referencing him potentially abandoning Malenia - his strength, his blade. For Miquella to abandon Malenia though, it doesn't exactly align with what we know of his character. This is the person that turned his back on the GO because it could do nothing for Malenia's sickness. He'd need a really good reason to do that to her. Maybe it was his only option? I'm so intrigued about why Miquella is even in the Shadow Lands to begin with. What are his motivations? Perhaps it's something to do with his proclivity to want to welcome all, especially those outside of Grace, I suppose those in the shadow lands fall under that mantle.

"Even his fate."

Now THIS is super interesting - our first look at St. Trina! In her usual purple - associated with sleep. It does also look like she's sleeping here, sinking... What on earth does it mean to say that Miquella abandoned his fate as we are shown an image of St. Trina? Was he meant to eventually become Trina fully? We don't know much about her, but we do know Trina is an aspect/alter-ego of some sort of Miquella. Considering his parents were one in the same body, it's not a stretch to assume this could be the same case here. But in Marika/Radagon's case, it doesn't seem completely intentional - with the Ring shattering, I always got the impression they each fought to be in control of their singular body. Perhaps Miquella/Trina worked together rather than against each other? The queer part of me can't help but think of some kind of allegory to transition and Miquella having to walk away from it for whatever reason... but I really don't know enough to figure anything out from this.

I saw someone point out that this shot of Trina looks like Trina's lilies too, which is super cool (sorry I don't remember who that was).

"But we are not deterred. We choose to follow. Will you walk with us?"

I'm honestly surprised to see all these characters that we saw in the previous trailer just hanging out, I assumed they'd all be enemies of different factions. But here they look like allies, and from the voiceover they sound like it too, asking if we will join them. I think the voiceover is one of these NPCs. Seeing the fighting guy second on the left has got me super excited, what if he teaches us the hands-on combat we saw him do in the first trailer? I also think the crouching character on the right is the one we saw sleeping in the purple area (Trina?) from the last trailer:

Anyway, these are my thoughts, I hope they resonate in one way or another. I can't wait to come back in a couple months and see how wrong I was <3 yayyy

[ferrstappen]

everybody wants a taste vol. 2 l Lando Norris

a/n: i just had to write this to have a clear mind. it'snot the best, i'm sorry but i hope you like it anyway <3 i have a project in mind that I CANNOT WAIT to share so i needed to write this after months of promising, i'm sorry.

summary: everybody wants a taste part ii

Lando did everything he could to stop his mind from thinking about you and why you still weren’t in the hotel room. 

You were wrong, you were oh-so-wrong from walking away like that in the middle of an argument, especially when he was trying to let you know how he was feeling, letting out the repressed emotions boiling in his chest for weeks, maybe he didn’t want to say out loud that they had been gnawing his insides for months now.  

But when he noticed the expensive velvet dress lifeless on the floor, his heart beat faster and his hands started sweating as he reminisced about the FaceTime call while he was racing in Mexico and you were in Paris, trying to get the phone to stay upright to show him the different gowns for the multiple red carpets awaiting, planning on the color of his bowtie and shoes, whining when you insisted he had to shave, at least for the Oscars. 

He was sad, yes, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed off still. Lando was not going to back off, not this time. The problem was, neither were you while you walked towards the hotel room to collect your things. 

It probably was the most silent plane ride either of you’d ever been on, with Lando putting on his headphones and playing a random video game as you pulled the covers and tried to get some sleep, dreading the moment you stepped inside your precious home in Montecarlo, with fans, mostly Lando’s, trying to get a peek inside the luxury car carrying you, and the painfully obvious discomfort and sadness that would go beyond the polarized windows and bright flashes.

Because that was it for the rest of the time. 

Silence.

It’s not like you decided to sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened, no, it was lingering in the air; whenever you woke up, when he texted “I love you” when you let him know you got a new role, when he spent some days in England and only texted once he was there, when he felt an enormous surge of pride when your name was announced as a nominee for the Golden Globes, but seconds later his name was announced as well. 

And it all came back. 

Rumors started flooding, and you weren’t stupid, making an extreme effort to fly to Abu Dhabi to support him during the last race of the season, even if it meant not sleeping for almost 48 hours and flying from one continent to the other in the middle of a press tour. 

Maybe that was the beginning of starting to feel like yourself again, when he spotted you and gave you his thousand dollar smile, with his eyes shining so bright in the night, his arms embracing your body as your lips found his forehead before his traveled to their home on your lips. 

It was blissful, going Christmas shopping together hand in hand, carrying a list to not forget something, walking hand in hand in the cold weather, and smiling at anyone who recognized you, even if the security guard walking a few steps ahead of you warned you weren’t stopping for photos that day.

The problem was the loud places outside and cute gifts, mixing families and kisses over the helmet, were just a moment during the loud silence, the plastic smiles, falling asleep alone on your bed while you listened to his high-pitched laugh through the walls. 

And in the blink of an eye, Hollywood called back and you were gone again. 

It was hard to hide the fact your boyfriend wasn’t with you during his free time as he usually would, he was more than acquainted with movie critics and journalists, just as you were in the different tracks, whenever possible people knew Lando would be by your side and you’d be right there next to him. 

Maybe the saddest part, you thought, was the text you received saying he wouldn’t be able to attend the Golden Globes, the night you were expected to win and keep hyping up the way to the golden statue. 

“can’t go darling, they need me in HQ and then some quadrant stuff”

You ignored the pain when the stylist asked the color of your dress and if Lando was gonna wear a matching bow tie, when fans asked where he was and you had to answer he was busy even if there were videos of him on TikTok driving around Monaco and spending nights at Jimmiz. 

Lando swears he didn’t start acting like that to hurt you, things just happened that way. The likes under some random beautiful girl on Instagram were just a thing of the moment, she was the girlfriend of a friend and could use the boost, or she was super nice during a night out, or she was at the apartment of some random person you’d never heard about before. 

Testing started and you weren’t there, but it was easier for Lando to explain your absence: “She’s getting ready for the big night, the Oscars are around the corner and none of us need the distractions right now”

User1: yikes, not Lando saying his girlfriend is a distraction ON A LIVE INTERVIEW

User2: I give them 3 months, tops. 

User3: nah I think they broke up already, they’ve been miserable since her movie premiered

User4: you mean y/n’s been miserable bc I know my boy Lando has been hitting the clubs and the likes

User5: he deserves it after his gf fucked tom holland though

User6: it’s called acting. 

User5: it sure as hell didn’t look like it

User7: what was the name of that portuguese girl again????

You swore you wouldn’t see comments, but it was an impossible task, even if the result was you crying in a hotel room, alone, helpless as all you received were heart emojis, blue tickets, and voicemail. 

The Oscars came and he promised he’d be there. 

It was tense, but you tried your best to ignore it and say it was nerves, you’d never been nominated before and it felt like you were going to be sick. 

Then, a streak of light appeared the night before when he held you tight, kissed your forehead, and said you were the best, that you were going to win and if you didn’t it wasn’t important because this was the first of many. 

And then, your mind cleared of all the comments, the seen messages, and the little white lies. 

You both walked the red carpet, with big smiles, and sparkly eyes as the crowd swooned while watching Lando help you with the dress, fixing your hair, carrying your purse. It was all a blur until they called your name.

Lando was the first one up, ignoring etiquette and bending and kissing you while you were processing what had just happened. The thing is, even in that hazy moment you noticed the grip of his hand on your waist tightened when Tom congratulated you before you started the short walk to the stage.

You thanked the crew, the producers, fellow actors, and Lando for his unconditional support. Even if you and he knew it was a blatant lie because of the months of uncertainty if he was with someone else, the miserable feeling of doubting yourself because maybe, just maybe, you weren’t enough for him; beautiful, rich, talented, exceptional Lando Norris. 

Lando maybe suspected it but didn’t say anything as the flight from Los Angeles to Monaco repeated itself, but one thing was different. Yes, it was quiet, but not tense, he saw you concentrated on reading a book, not giving him much attention. 

The car ride was the same, with flashes and people trying to reach both of you, but Lando more as he stayed behind. 

You were inside the car and observed him, the beautiful women asking to have five seconds with him and he did everything with a smile. Maybe you could throw a tantrum because he was always surrounded by beautiful and smart girls who wanted a little bit of his attention, a part of his job? The answer was bitter. 

The apartment was tranquil, the view of the marina breathtaking, but you knew this was the last of you there, this wasn’t home anymore.

And Lando knew it right when he saw you standing in the middle of the living room, not letting go of the luggage you were carrying, and your eyes were watery as your lips reddened. 

“Please don’t,” he whispered, you were barely able to hear him. 

Tears were streaming down your face as you shook your head, “You know it has to be this way. It’s not fair for us…” You took a deep breath. “No, you know? It’s unfair to me because you’re living your life, which is fine, but you left me behind because of what? Jealousy? No, Lando, just…”

Lando was silent: “I know, I know it was wrong I’m so sorry,” he mumbled.

“I know you are, but I think… I’m done for now, I deserve better and you do as well, you have to be with someone who makes you feel secure and that’s not me… I’m sorry.”

So you left Monaco, left Lando, hung the VIP McLaren lanyards, and said goodbye to the track.

You didn’t feel better, Lando didn’t feel better, but it was for the best.

Or something like that. 

[strongheartneteyam]

I wish I could

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x female!curvy!human reader

CW: lots of fluff, angst, jealous neteyam, sexual tension, confession of feelings, heated make out session. I think that's all lol

Chapter 3

♡

Chapter 2

♡

Two days had passed. Neteyam goes to sleep at night thinking about the wonderful time he had spent with you that day. You had come over again. He always got to spend time with you because you were really close to Kiri, his adoptive sister. He was actually jealous of how much time you spent with her. But you would always come to their house to visit because of her and Tuk, so he considered himself lucky that he got to spend so much time next to you. With all that time you spent close to each other, maybe you could start seeing his qualities and see him as "mate material", like the human girls would refer to na'vi they were interested in. It came from "boyfriend material", an old human expression. He found that out when he asked Kiri what "mate material" meant and she fell to the floor laughing at him. He thought that reaction to be so dramatic but again, it was Kiri, after all. She was so goofy.

That day you guys had spent many hours together and had a great talk. You weren't as close as when you were children but you were still really good friends. He cherished every moment he had spent with you, hearing you laugh at his jokes, eating fruits together, watching the nature below as you sat at the edge of a tree next to the Sully's home, your four legs bouncing in the air as you talked about trivial things.

He fell asleep thinking about that and was woken up in the morning by Lo'ak.

"Hey, dude. Time to wake up and go train with dad. He's waiting for us outside. You know he's not that patient."

Neteyam sighed and started to rise his upper body from his mat. It seemed to weight a ton since he was so sleepy.

He went back to his normal routine as you spent some days without visiting. He always suffered when it happened. But what could he do? You already spent so much time at his parents house that if he asked you to come over more often it would be so weird.

One day he was walking through the trees and he found you, laying on the floor and listening to music with those odd devices humans had. They were called earbuds. You were always with a pair of those. Neteyam knew you loved music and that was something you two bonded over. You introduced him to music from the planet Earth. There was a song that you had shown him one day that he really liked. It was called Stairway to Heaven, by a band that lived on Earth more than a century ago, called Led Zeppelin. The melody was really beautiful and he knew you loved that song too.

He slowly walked closer to you so that he wouldn't startle you, as you could not hear him with the earbuds on. He slowly appeared at your sight when you were staring into the sky and you smiled and took your earbuds off.

"Hey! Do you wanna lay by my side?" You said, a big smile on your face

"I would love to." He said and lied close to you

You took one of your earbuds in your hand and looked at him, signaling that he could listen to music with you if he wanted to.

He took the offer and put the small device in his ear.

The song that was playing was really beautiful and he asked you what was its name.

"It's Enchanted by Taylor Swift. She was a very successful singer at her time on Earth, in the 21st century. I love this song so much."

Neteyam listened close to the lyrics that went like this:

The lingering question kept me up

2 AM, who do you love?

I wonder 'til I'm wide awake

And now I'm pacing back and forth

Wishing you were at my door

I'd open up and you would say

Hey, it was enchanting to meet you

All I know is, I was enchanted to meet you

It was almost funny how those lyrics defined how he felt about you.

"It's a really beautiful song." He said

"I love it too." You smiled at him "I understand the lyrics very well. It's hard but exciting at the same time to love someone and not know if they love you back and stay up until late thinking about them."

Neteyam was now jealous. Did you choose a mate and he didn't know? Were you courting someone and he never noticed? Or was he a human and you were talking and spending time together, as humans did instead of bringing gifts and food to their love interest like the na'vi did. It couldn't be... He wished so hard it wasn't real.

"A-are you in love with someone?" He asked you and weirdly enough you could hear the nervousness in his voice

"Hmm..." the question and the way he sounded was a surprise to you. Could it really be what you were thinking? Did the boy you love, love you back? Your heart jumped with excitement at the thought.

"I never even told Kiri about it but... I trust you can keep my secret. I am in love with a boy."

Neteyam looked sadly at you. His heart ached when he thought about any other male calling you his mate.

"Do I know him?" He asked

You felt something in your belly and wanted so bad to tell him it was him the boy you were talking about. Should you? You pondered.

"You do know him. He's a very handsome and well respected na'vi young male. He comes from a very good family."

"You seem to really like him..." Neteyam said, looking down

"I do. So much." You said while your heart broke seeing him in pain. It was so obvious, you could see it written all over his perfect face. He really seemed to be in love with you.

You wanna throw in the towel and tell him. You guys are listening to a beautiful romantic song, alone, in the middle of the forest. What moment could be more appropriate?

You decide that "screw it". You are gonna tell him you love him. He seemed so sad that you were in love with someone that wasn't him. But of course it was him, he just didn't know that.

"I've known him since forever..." You said, hoping he would know who you're talking about "We would run through the trees when we were 5 as his grandma would keep an eye on us in case any dangerous animal appeared."

Neteyam's heart started to pound inside his chest. Did you say what he thought you had said? Was he the boy you were in love with?

He smiled and with a wide-eyed gaze he said:

"I don't know if I'm going crazy here but..." he swallowed his saliva before proceeding "Could you be talking about me?" He asked, hoping you would say "yes"

"Maybe this will answer you" You leaned closer to him and kissed his lips

You didn't know what came over you. You were definitely not that confident. What if somehow you were wrong and he wasn't in love with you too?

This thought was soon washed away from your head when Neteyam grabbed your face with one hand and kissed you back. His lips were burning with desire for you. He couldn't believe that was actually happening.

He started moaning into your lips as it felt just so good to kiss your sweet mouth. He pulled you closer grabbing your leg and bringing it over his own.

You felt so high feeling his big hand in your leg, like you had dreamed of so many times, irradiating heat in the skin your shorts left uncovered. You lived like the na'vi but you still wore human clothes. It would be too weird for you not to. But you didn't wear clothes that covered much skin and wore accessories your na'vi mom had made for you, like a big necklace and beautiful bracelets. So, your style still made you look similar to the na'vi girls.

Neteyam opened his lips wider and took your bottom lip inside of his mouth, kissing it passionately. It was so good that you moaned in his lips. He gave you some more wet kisses and said "I love you, (y/n). This seems too good to be true. I can't believe you kissed me. I can't believe you want me too."

"I love you, Teyam. I want to be yours. Forever. Do you wanna be mine?"

"I already am, my sweetheart." He said as he surprised you by laying on top of you. You could feel how heavy he was even if he was trying not to put all his weight on your frail body, supporting himself on the floor with one of his arms.

"Oel ngati kameie" He said, his hand touching his forehead. You knew that meant "I see you" in the na'vi language. Your heart started beating at the speed of light and tears filled your eyes

"I see you, Teyam." You answered

Neteyam's hand traveled from your thigh to your hip, grabbing it and then going to your thigh again and opening one of your legs so he could get between them. He leaned closer to your face and kissed your lips. He then put his tongue in your lips and you opened your mouth and let it touch your own. Feeling his hot, wet tongue licking yours felt so feral. You were starting to get really horny for him. It felt even better when he started sucking your tongue.

☆•.°☆•.°☆•.°

Sooo. What do you guys think? Leave any opinions at the comments. I love reading your comments 🥰 Next chapter is gonna be smut 😈

I'm a tagging some really nice people that left a comment on the chapter 1 of this story asking to be tagged.

@lik0

@behindthearcane

💙💕

[yourmomni]

Jake thoughts...💭

Yall enjoy 😇

Argument pt2

This is another situation and how jake and you get into a serious argument

We all know when Jake does something he puts his whole heart into it no matter what it is . But I feel like he would be to invested into one thing that he forgets about the one thing that actually matters

Like he's trying his best for you but you're missing him physically

You slammed the door in his face kicking your shoes off your feet

He opened the glaring at the back of my head

" real fucking mature y/n" you completely ignored him slamming your clutch on the counter by the door and storming farther into the house

Jake isn't known to egg on an argument but in this situation he wanted all the smoke

He followed after you hot on your heels

" I can't believe you acted like such a dick especially in front of my family." You swugged opening the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water

" I couldn't decline a work call especially when we're in our business season."

You huffed and poured the water in a glass. " All I asked was for an evening with my husband, a calm peaceful non-working evening."

To be honest you've never been this mad at him before for as long as y'all been together

" and instead he decided to sneak off into the man's room and hold a meeting." You threw the bottle in the trash

" Babe I know you're mad but -" you cut him off " You think I'm mad jaeyun Im way past mad okay mad is letting you sleep on the couch I'm freaking furious with you right now I'd rather you sleep outside then anywhere else." You snatched the cup and began walking up the stairs to your room

" Okay you definitely overreacting." You flung around staring him dead in the eyes. " overreacting." You started walking down the stairs and he started backing up

" I spent months trying to have my parents here to have my husband OFF of work so they can spend time together."

He visibly swallowed his spit. " and my husband literally leaves to handle some business for not 1 not 2 but 3 damn hours." He looked away from you clenching his jaw

" Then that's not even the icing on the cake " You pushed his shoulder. " You have the nerve to compare me to the other wives you argued with my father and brother and you completely ignored my mother ."

Jake huffed " it was just to make conversation and I didn't-" you stopped him again

" Jake, I don't know what you think this is." You motioned towards him and you." But I'm your wife, I'm not your girlfriend, I'm not your side hoe or whatever I'm your wife. You made an oath to me when I walked down that aisle that you would protect me from anything and everything and to also appreciate me for who i am today, I didn't feel protected nor appreciated."

You whipped your eyes quickly " you humiliated me in front of my parents and in front of our friends."

He scoffed. " I'm the only one making the money in this house so I'm sorry if I jump at every opportunity that's thrown at me. I do it for you. I do it so you can live in this beautiful house and wear designer clothes and be able to plan as many parties as your little heart desires"

You gasped. " I never wanted this!" I cried out. " your the money hungry one so don't spin it on me you're the one who couldn't see that i would have been with you no matter what. You're the one that decided to take over your dads company" The tears were now pouring out of my eyes.

" All I wanted was a life with you, that's it, nothing more. I just wanted to be with you."

He was biting the inside of his cheek. " now i can't even look at you." You ran up the stairs to your room slamming the door leaving jake on the stairs.

He huffed grabbing the railing and sitting down on the steps. She'll get over it. He thought

Oh he was so wrong

When y/n said they were furious she meant it.

That night Jake slept on the couch but not the one in the living room, the one in the guesthouse that was outside.

Y/n meant what she said, he was lucky enough she allowed him to even sleep on the couch

When Jake woke up he was still wearing his dress shirt from the night before and boxers. She wouldn't even let him back into the main house to take a shower

Jake knew he was fucked.

He stretched and felt the pain in his back hurt more with ever reaching. He got up and walked towards the main house he rushed pass the pool and too the slide door pulling on it but it didn't move

" She has to be joking right now."

She locked him out.

He was wearing a shirt and some boxers and his wife locked him outside at 8 o'clock in the morning

The worst part of all was that he could see through the house from where he was standing and the kitchen was in full view

And so was his wife

Standing their all pretty making herself some coffee in an oversized shirt and panties

Was she teasing him right now?

" Baby open the door."

She looked at him with the most innocent glance sweetly waving to him

" Good morning babe I would ask how you slept but I can see it all over you."

She smirked leaning on the counter with 2 mugs in her hand sitting one beside her

On it read " I'm the boss." It was Jake's mug

" Do you think it's funny to lock me out of my own house?" She nodded

" I find it very humorous." She sipped the coffee out of her mug that had a picture of him and her on it from their honeymoon

Thunder was heard over him and he looked up at the sky. It was a soft Gray which meant rain would come any second

" Okay okay what do you, you want the Prada bag I said no to last week or that Black BMW."

I rolled my eyes. " Jake, you still haven't learned anything. You can't buy me."

He anxiously looked up at the sky." No no I listened i did but you don't understand honey it's going to rain and I have an Important meeting today at 3 that I have to make and I'm no help if I'm sick."

You groaned, slamming your mug on the table. " See your job is still your number 1 priority you learned nothing from last night"

You crossed your arms looking at him. He was biting his lips. " Yeah figure out how to get inside yourself I'm going back to sleep."

His eyes widded "Wait baby no don't go please" She walked up the stairs disappearing from his view sending him a flying kiss as she closed the door to the room

" No no no no." He slammed his fist to the door. His forehead rested on the glass cursing himself for being such an idiot

His blonde locks covering his eyes now as he looked up at the sky and felt the first drop of rain hit his cheek

Then it started pouring

[doudouneverte]

This night | VW 2023 (d-three)

a/n: day three of the valentine's week, I hoped you had a great valentine's Day, I spend my day at school and I spend my night in front of the Champions Leagues, it's a another story. I'll see you tomorrow for the [W.M] fic, I'm excited.

*not my GIF*

Kara Danvers/Supergirl x Female!Reader

Summary: you planned to spent a beatiful night with your girlfriend but when she came late because of her super stuff you met someone who seem important to her

Type: fluff

Warning: nothing

word count: 1505

day one | day two | day four | day five | day six | day seven

-----------

You were running late; you spent the last night watching movies with your girlfriend, Kara Danvers. Yeah, Supergirl. Usually she would wake you up before going to work, but she had an emergency, and she headed to Catco just after. You succeeded in coming on time, but that didn't really matter for your boss; you just came to your desk, and Cat Grant needed you to interview a witness to a robbery. You almost saw your girlfriend before you went out. The rest of the day was not better, but you knew you would have the whole week to complain. Tonight you had to prepare for Valentine's Day with the vigilante.

"Okay, Y/n, you have to do something for tonight; you can do that," you whispered to yourself. You opened the door of Kara's apartment; you've been dating for 2 years now, and 6 months ago, you decided it could be great to live together. You started to search for some ingredients, but there was nothing, so now you had to go to the grocery store.

After a half hour, you were back in the apartment. You started to cook when you heard someone lending at the window. "Hey, Kara, I hope you had a good day," you said without turning around, but when the person didn't respond, you started to worry and suddenly turned around to meet a woman with black hair and a single white lock. "Who are you?" You asked, and you grabbed a knife.

"I don't know for you, but I'm sure it will not hurt me," she said, pointing the knife.

"You didn't reply. Who are you?" You repeated, "I know Supergirl." You added it like a threat, and she chuckled.

"I hope you know her; I need to speak with her, and when I came, I found a stranger in her house," you gasped.

"I'm not a stranger; I'm her girlfriend. You, you're a stranger." She took a few steps toward you.

"I'm not a stranger; I'm her aunt." She imitated you.

"What?" You frowned, your eyebrows raised. "What do you mean by her aunt?"

"And what do you mean by her girlfriend?" she replied

"What do you mean by what I mean?" This conversation was one of the weirdest you've had with someone. "I'm her girlfriend, you know; I sleep with her; we cuddle; and we do some couples things in bed." You both started to blush at your last word.

"Okay, I was not expecting to hear about my niece's sex life when I came here," she said, and you both laughed; it was very strange. "And I'm her aunt, you know, I'm her mother's sister," she said.

"Can you stop imitating me, please? It's weird," you replied, and she smirked. You put the knife on the table and took a deep breath. "Okay, so you are her aunt, but Alex didn't tell me that Eliza has a sister."

"Who is Eliza?" The older woman asked, and you were more confused.

"What do you mean, who is Eliza?" You could tell by the look on her face that she was not lying. "Kara's mom. I mean, when she lent here," and the black-haired woman seemed to start to understand

"Oooh, I see now. But no, I'm not the sister of this Eliza," she replied, and it took you some seconds to understand what she said and what that meant.

"Wait, you are her Kryptonian mother's sister?" You asked, and she nodded. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." You reached out a hand. "I'm Y/n by the way."

She shook your hand. "Nice to meet you, Y/n by the way, I'm Astra." you laughed.

"No, my name is Y/N Y/L/N, not by the way," and she laughed with you.

"I'm sorry, I'm new here, and I don't know all of your customs." Your eyes were now wide open.

"Wait, you just came here and I treated you with a knife; I should be the one who apologizes." Your hands started to shake nervously. "I should have a talk with Kara after that; she didn't tell me you were going to come. I just came from the grocery store, and I didn't finish cooking."

"Oh no, don't worry, darling, it's alright; I wanted to make a surprise," she assured you, and you sat on the couch in the living room. You quickly opened the door, grabbed something to drink, and brought some snacks. You put them on the cafe table and sat next to her. "Thanks, sweetheart, but you don't have to."

"Oh, come on, I can't let the aunt of my girlfriend like that."

"But you were cooking something when I came; I don't want to bother you."

You looked at the oven and the timer you put on your phone. "Don't worry, we have some time. And I have some questions about Kara and her childhood."

You spent the next thirty minutes talking, and she helped you with the cooking, and she looked at the clock "I'm sorry, Y/N/N, but I think it's time for me to leave."

"Oh noo, you can't stay a little longer? Plus, Kara hasn't come yet; you can't leave without seeing her, right?" You started to like her; she was an amazing woman, she was so kind, and you loved to share some stories about your girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, but don't worry, I'll see her the next time." You nodded and hugged her.

"Be safe," you said.

"Thank you; you too," she replied, and she flew away. She just left, and the front door opened. You smiled when you saw Kara.

"Hey babe, I missed you." You ran to hug her, and she wrapped her arms around your waist and kissed you. "Why are you late?" You asked when you pulled away.

"Mrs. Grant needed me, and after that, there were some problems with aliens, but I brought you flowers." She handed you a bouquet.

"Oh, they're beautiful; thank you, Kara." You showered her face with a lot of kisses, and you mumbled, 'I love you' and 'you're the best'. You dragged her on the couch and started to purr wine in glasses. The Kryptonian looked at the table and found a glass and snacks.

"Did you have guests?" she asked, and you looked at her to find your girlfriend with a glass in her hand.

"Oh yeah, it was Astra, your aunt," you replied, focusing on the food. You missed the confusion in her face.

"What?" was all she could manage to say.

"Yeah, she left just before you came; she is very kind; I like her; we should invite her to have dinner the next time, no?"

"You were here alone with my aunt? And you didn't tell me?" You looked at her, and her anger almost scared you.

"Sorry, babe, she told me how much you love her, but I was sure you were busy with your super stuff. But don't worry, I'll call you the next time she comes, I promise."

Kara rushed to you and examined you. "Did she hurt you?" she asked, and you frowned your eyebrows.

"No! Why would she hurt me?" You caressed her cheek. "Kara, are you okay?" she hesistated

"Euh, yeah, don't worry," she smiled.

"Okay, because I start to think I did something wrong," you said shyly.

"No, of course not, honey; you never do something wrong It's just, I was... surprised; the last time I saw her, it was on Krypton, so." You nodded. "But don't worry, I'm sure I'll see her soon."

"Yeah, me too," you replied. "She seems busy, but she really wanted to see you."

"What did you talk about it with her?" she asked carefully.

"Oh, we talked about you, but not in bad terms; don't worry." A smile appeared on Kara's face. "She was so kind; she told me about your childhood. I told her about our first meeting, and she was like, 'oh I know you can't hurt physically, but if you broke her heart, I'll find you' She was scary, but it's normal for everybody to be overprotective for your little beautiful head." You kissed her forehead, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

This night, the new National City's vigilante didn't know why she felt proud to know you talked with her aunt; maybe she was glad that she liked you, and she found out why her niece loved you too.

This night Kara didn't see her aunt, who was watching you across your window and smiled at the sight of her niece happy.

This night, even with her super hearing, your girlfriend didn't hear Astra say, "I'm happy for you, and I wish she could stay with you to maintain your smile," and this night the blond didn't sense her aunt fleeing away, wishing her happiness.

But this night, you became more close to Kara. This night you received another approval from her family; this night you were sure you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Kara (Danvers) Zor-El.

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

[mcalhenwrites]

Personal update, because... I don't know how things are going to go. I don't know when I'll update things. I don't know when I'll sleep properly and get any writing done. This hit when I was having a bit of a lapse in mental health, and I was discouraged about writing (but trying to keep myself from being pulled under!). I spent about 30 minutes pacing around my bathroom since it's further inside the building, trying to figure out if we were in the path of another tornado while the sirens blared. We were not. My town didn't get hit this time, like it did two weeks ago. Anyway. Two hours later, I'm face to face with a bed bug for the first time, and that fucked me up.

I broke down crying in a panic when I realized what it was and what it might meant for us. We're still searching through belongings because guess how much stuff we own? A LOT! (Someone advised me to go through each of my hundreds of books, page by page, to look for any hidden in them. I'm going to die.) But so far, it has only been the one. I haven't been mentally well. We're not rich over here, money is tight for my roommate and they're paying for all the bills. I just try to keep the place moderately clean, cook a few meals, and write my stories and hope they might sell a bit so I can make a little money to help out. I have been job searching and put in an application to one job that would've worked well for my disabilities, but I didn't get the job. I'm still waiting another month until my appointment to see a specialist about one of my severe health issues. One that can be treated and dealt with! But it's pretty bad! Things have been awful. Like seriously, I cannot catch a break. I don't know how to find the spoons I barely have to do all the work that needs done. I wanted to make progress on Seasons - and I still will, but I don't know how much this will slow that down - and I plan to finish up all those short stories for Geckos so I can publish them together. Geckos isn't really selling, but I am grateful it has sold a few copies. The apartment manager is aware of our situation. My library books are in gallon ziplocs to return in person Thursday and notify them that they might want to treat them or hold them back until they're certain they're safe for circulation again. Can't hurt. I just don't want anyone else to deal with this. I vacuumed this morning but I'm so sore and I can't sleep... tomorrow we are going to buy some things to help deal with this, like storage containers and bags and covers and whatnot. Seeing a lot of people mention steamers. I don't know how to live with this. Scabies during the beginning of covid was bad enough. Scabies being immediately followed by a fucking brown recluse bite that got badly infected and required me seeing a surgeon REALLY fucking sucked. Brown recluse infestatinos are awful! We left our shit apartment and broke lease to move here. It was decently good. Not the perfect place, but y'know. So seeing a bed bug in a building that's only about 2 years old... I worry we have neighbors who are dealing with it and won't say anything. It's a concern. I really don't want to live like this. The problem is I don't want to live at all now, because nothing ever lets up. My roommate is worried about me, so I have agreed this week to do some calling around for psychological help, but I am afraid to go to urgent care and pass along little fucking hell creatures. I'm afraid I might GET MORE OF THEM. Also, the one time I was in a psychiatric hospital was so bad, I had nightmares consistently about having to go back to one for over a year. I still get them sometimes. But I'm feeling suicidal in a "I can't deal with bed bugs" kind of way. I need help. I don't know how to get it. I'm mad that there are millions of other people in this same state. Why is our fucking country so into weapons and selling them to countries that blow up innocent people and starve them to death, so into guns it's appalling, but like... developing new antibiotics and housing people and looking for ways to take care of bed bugs? Nah. Why do that? Fuck the little people I guess.

[eventide-13]

Bad Luck Birthday

Bruno knew what he wanted his birthday to look like. Him and his family, with maybe a few extra friends, enjoying cake and spending quality time together while having fun. A nice, small, calm celebration. Yet no matter how tight he kept his fingers, how long he held his breath, or how much wood he knocked on, his wish never came true.

Ever since he could really remember, his and his sisters birthdays were not just a family celebration- but also the whole town's. The "few extra friends" always turned out to be the ever growing population of Encanto, all crammed into the rather overworked Casita.

He hated it.

Bruno knew it wasn't the best that he had come to hate his own birthday, but he couldn't help it. Like everyday of his life it seemed, it was a show. Julieta spent the upcoming days making enough food for the whole town, Pepa had to focus to keep the skies as clear as they could be. And he… well, he didn't really do anything. Anymore at least.

To that, due to some terrible luck or cursed irony, every year something bad managed to happen, and it was all because of him. Whether it was him helping Julieta cook and almost burning the kitchen down, or mixing up what was the juice and what was the wine- he never seemed to be very lucky on that day.

Bruno sighed. All this worrying and it wasn't the day of the event. No, instead here he was, pacing around the room at… he squinted his eyes. 2:30 in the morning.

Great.

It didn't help that his friend of many years, recently made novia, Sandra wasn't allowed to come to the celebration. Not that she ever was, with her father being one of the few who saw the Madrigals gifts as 'unnatural', but the ever increasing trouble she got in by coming to his birthdays (or just seeing him anyways-), meant that the day before he assured her that he would be fine and that she shouldn't come to it.

"So you're saying I shouldn't come to your own birthday?!".

To say that Sandra wasn't too eager about what he said would've been an understatement. He had been trying to reason with her for a good solid 10 minutes now.

"No, no! Of course you can come, it's just we both know you'll get into trouble for it!" Bruno said.

She scoffed. "I don't care if I get into trouble, I always seem too get into it anyway, but there is no way I'm missing your birthday!".

He sighed. "Look its not even that much of birthday, its just some boring formalities in front of the whole town- Last time it took me a full hour to find you! So lets just- we can just celebrate it the day after, that way we can do what we actually want.".

"But-"

"Sandy please" he cut off her protests, taking her hands and looking up at her with puppy dog eyes. ""I've done this before- 22 times to be exact" he weakly chuckled. "I'll be fine".

Oh how wrong he was.

After managing to get a few hours of sleep, Bruno's day started like the days years earlier. He got up, already tired from the lack of sleep the night before, and got dressed into the most formal attire he had, a fancy white shirt with a neat pair of trousers, topped with a green vest bearing his signature hourglass symbol.

Not that anyone would really see his formal attire anyway, he thought, putting his rather oversized ruana on.

As he combed his raven hair Bruno frowned, already seeing a few silver strands. He honestly hoped he didn't go grey by 30, remembering a vision he’d done for a now upset townsperson.

He'd probably see that person today. And everyone else he managed to spite.

He gulped.

Bruno reached to open the door but found he was frozen in place. He could almost hear his heart pounding against his chest. Miercoles. He wasn't even out of the door and he could barely breathe?!

Taking a step back, he sighed before springing into action almost like it was automatic. Fingers crossed, deep breath in, and 3 knocks on the door. He was ready to go.

Once downstairs (he could swear they were getting longer everyday-) he followed the smell of fresh foods into the kitchen.

"Woah!"

Even if this wasn't a common sight for Bruno, he'd be lying if he weren't impressed at not only the variety of food his sister made but also how much of it. The table was lined with full plates of all sorts of foods, but his eyes wandered over to the cakes. Torta Negra, the vibrant red of rollo rojo de guayaba, the silky cream on top of the torta de tres leches and more- it was enough to make his mouth water.

Humming a song to himself, his hand reached for a tasty looking tortita negra only for it to be smacked away.

"Uh- hey!" He looked up to see Julieta.

"These are for the later, when the guests arrive"."

"Aww come on, I can't even have cake on my own birthday?!" He whined in protest, still eyeing the cakes and trying to grab one whenever Julieta looked away.

"Of course you can, just not these and not yet! mamá wants everything to be perfect for when the guests arrive!" Julieta replied while organizing the kitchen counter.

With her back turned, his hand moved to swipe a piece.

'Clink clink clink'

The Casita moved its tiles, alerting Julieta who swatted Bruno's hand away, again.

"Gracias, Casita"

Bruno just looked shocked. Did the Casita really just snitch on him?

Realizing that he wouldn't be able to snatch it, he turned to phase 2;-pleading with her.

"Oh Julie please, you have no idea how hungry I am!"

"Well then you shouldn't have skipped breakfast!" Julieta replied, unphased.

He groaned, getting right in front of her, doing the best puppy eyes he could. "Please Julie?-Think about it, for your hermanito?"

While Julieta fully knew that he only used the 'hermanito' card to get what he wanted (usually arguing that a few minutes didn't make him the 'little' sibling), partly because she had a soft spot- and to get him out of the kitchen, she gave in.

"Fine, you can have one, of course I can't say no to my little Brunito!' She cooed teasingly, squishing his cheeks as he squirmed away from her, taking the tortita negra and eating it with a satisfied smile.

"Mmm, those cakes look delicious!" Pepa walked in, instantly eyeing the display of food, Julieta audibly groaning.

"You can have one, then please- get out!" Julieta said, Pepa and Bruno giggling. Even as adults they'd be lying if they said they didn't enjoy annoying each other.

"Gracias, Julie!" Pepa said, grabbing one. Then two. Bruno pocketed some for his rats.

"Ay, I said GET out!" Julieta took a rolling pin, chasing the two giggling thieves out the kitchen, Casita making sure to close the door on them.

"Ah, I'm sure she'll forgive us," Bruno said before bursting into laughter with Pepa. For a short, sweet moment, Bruno didn't worry about the party and the expectations on his shoulders, he felt just like he did when they were kids, running around and causing mischief-together. However, it was short lived, as Pepa saw Felix enter the Casita.

"Felix!" With a sudden rainbow above her head, she instantly ran over to him, leaving Bruno alone awkwardly holding too many pastries.

"Hola mi amor!" He twirled her around before giving her a kiss. "Are you ready for your big day?"

"Oh yes! You should see the decorations Casita has around, and the food..."

Their voices faded in the distance as Bruno sighed, walking away and sitting on the steps of the stairs. He watched them two from afar, seeing just how happy Felix made her (as always), and couldn't help but wish that Sandra was by his side. Of course, he and everyone realized that Felix was always allowed over so much so that mamá didn't have to worry about the weather, but Bruno still missed her company, anyone's company really. The scared and spiteful townspeople didn't count. He was alone for his own birthday.

'Squeak!'

Well, not entirely.

Bruno couldn't help but smile as he looked down. "Hola, Bonita," He said quietly, petting the curious rat behind her ear. Two others scuttered out from his ruana, one sitting on his shoulder and the other grooming itself on his lap.

"At least I can always count on you." he weakly chuckled, breaking off pieces of the ponque and giving them to the rats who ate them quickly before looking up at him expectantly for more.

"Heh, always hungry, never satisfied." He mumbled in between bites of his piece of torta negra, letting the rats have the rest.

"Bruno! Pepa!"

His rats perked up, immediately hiding back inside the ruana (something he had totally not taught them).

"Ah, there you are!" Alma huffed as she walked over, hands together like- they always were when she meant business. "Where is your sister- PEPA!" She called out.

Bruno sat on the step, pretending that he didn't have a mouth full of the cake that he-totally-wasnt-supposed-to-be-eating-or-anything.

"Coming mama, coming!" Pepa called back a little wearily, but she couldn't help smiling giddily with Felix by her side.

With the three there, Alma cleared her throat before speaking. "The guests will start arriving shortly, as always I want you to be there to welcome them inside. Make them feel at home here..."

Bruno gulped quietly while listening to her. Even if the whole town didn't seem to hate, him it was still awkward and nerve wracking for him. Make them feel at home? How was he supposed to do that? Just tell them they could nap anywhere and let them use his toothbrush?!

"Bruno."

His attention was brought back as he realized, in his worry, he hadn't been exactly focusing on what his mamá was saying.

Alma sighed. "As I was saying, Pepa and Felix will wait outside to welcome our guests, you.." she evidently faltered. He wasn't exactly a people-person to begin with, and with his negative visions, the townspeople were either scared of him, angry, or both.

She smiled, so obviously forced that even Bruno could tell. "Bruno, y-you can go and greet them with Julieta when she's finished in the kitchen.".His stomach fell a little as he felt conflicting emotions. On one hand he was scared of greeting the guests that disliked him so, but on the other he could feel his mother's disappointment in him, knowing she told him to wait for Julieta in case any of the guests acted out.

"What are you waiting for? Get a move on!" Alma clapped her hands. "And remember, we're la familia Madrigal!"

"La familia Madrigal!" Pepa and Bruno said, Pepa walking off with her novio and Bruno getting up from the steps, walking down, and eyeing his mother a little wearily as he passed her to get to the kitchen.

"Bruno-"- Mierda, what was it this time?

"Si mamá?..." he turned to face her with a rather nervous smile.

"Why are you wearing your ruana, no -one can see your nice clothes under it!" She put her hands on his shoulders, looking at the admittedly slightly worn and rat chewed ruana.

"Eheh, I- I like it mama! It's comfy..." he trailed off in a nervous chuckle. The last thing he wanted on his birthday was an argument with his mamá, something that was happening more often these days. Yet the thought of taking his ruana off...he just couldn't. He knew he'd sound crazy trying to explain, but he -needed- it. He could hide his rats in there to keep him company, fiddle with the little tussles and material when he was overwhelmed or bored, and hide his scrawny body from others, and himself.

"But it’s not what you should be wearing for your own birthday! The whole town is going to be there, you have to represent the Madrigals." Alma said firmly, looking at him to make sure he'd actually do it.

Bruno really didn't have the energy to argue right now, and every word from his mamá just reminded him of the expectations he had to uphold- ones he often failed to do.

"Si mamá-" he smiled weakly, trailing off and looking down. Alma smiled, glad that he agreed to it.

"Go to Julieta now, Brunito, you can help her with the kitchen before the guests arrive." She said, he nodded, softly saying "Si..". As soon as he turned back from her his fake smile dropped as he quietly sighed and looked down. Her words rang through his mind. 'The whole town is going to be there, you have to represent the Madrigals'. They only made him more nervous than he already was.

He took a deep breath, holding it as he knocked on the kitchen’s door frame a few times before walking in.

"Hola." He smiled awkwardly, giving a small wave to Julieta, knowing she wouldn't exactly be pleased to see him after he stole the food and was subsequently kicked from the kitchen.

"Bruno, I swear to god-" Julieta turned round, rolling pin clutched threatingly in her hand.

"Woah woah! It's okay! I'm not gonna eat more, I promise. Mamá sent me to help you clean up and then welcome the guests." he weakly chuckled, holding his hands up defensively.

"Ah alright then, Casita will still keep an eye on you though." she said, the Casita moving one of its cupboards in a gesture like it was a finger telling him off.

He just chuckled awkwardly, honestly finding himself too nervous at the moment to even eat the temptingly good cakes.

Walking over to where Julieta was, he helped her put the ingredients back to their cupboards. Julieta could tell that he was anxious, his eyebrows furrowed in worry and the complete silence from him was always an indicator something was wrong.

"Hey, it'll be okay hermanito." She smiled reassuringly, putting her hand on his shoulder. Bruno looked up at her, almost surprised at first that she had noticed so quickly, but he figured it was in her nature- and that he wasn't exactly the most subtle..

"Heh, thanks Julie." He smiled back weakly, really more to reassure her that he'd be okay. Secretly he doubted it.

She smiled, looking into his eyes reassuringly. She had always had a motherly instinct towards others.

"Let's go and welcome the guests inside, okay?" She said, looking at him partly as if he were about to make a run for it- something he admittedly felt like doing.

"Si.." he trailed off, following Julieta out of the kitchen and to the entrance of the casita. Just walking through the empty house that would so soon be filled to the brim gave him shivers. The roar of their distant chatter grew louder and louder as they approached the entrance, and for a moment Bruno found himself frozen, just staring ahead and trying to breathe. Already it seemed so loud, so much. Was it more than before? Of course, it always was. Maybe he could just go back up to his room and hide? Maybe nobody would notice-

"Bruno?"

He snapped back into reality, seeing Julieta right in front of the entrance, looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion.

Bruno held his breath and crossed his fingers. Uno…dos…tres …4…5…6…and exhale, he knocked on the wooden pillar lining the wall, finally walking up to Julieta.

Here he goes.

He stepped outside with her, having to go to the side of the guests that made their way indoors. Just like before, it seemed the whole town was here to celebrate. All apart from Sandra. Of course he didn't blame her, but he wished she was here, to see her face among the crowd...at this moment he'd be overjoyed.

That wasn't going to happen though.

"Welcome inside! You don't have to worry about your belongings, the casita will order them all up!" Julieta smiled as she warmly talked to the guests, and Bruno remembered that he wasn't here to sadly stare at people.

He mentally prepared himself as a couple were about to pass him. This was his chance!

"Ahem, h-hola!". He cleared his throat, greeting them with a smile obviously too wide to be natural. Then he just stood there. Go on, say something!.

They stood there, slightly startled, chuckling very awkwardly as they walked past him.

He sighed. Why did this seem to come naturally to everyone but him?.

He relegated himself to just awkwardly smile and wave at the rest of the incoming townspeople, trying his best to appear as if he didn't want to run away.

Julieta looked at him, honestly pitying her brother and his poor social skills. After a few moments of him awkwardly trying to greet guests and not look hurt at the looks they gave him, Julieta, who had been helping people sort out where to leave their donkeys, called him.

"Hey Bruno!"

Bruno turned, seeing Julieta next to some donkeys and the odd alpaca. He practically scurried over through the crowd to her, ignoring the looks people gave him as he did so.

"I was thinking you could show the Gonzalez's and Lopez's to the stables?" She smiled, trying to actively involve him into actually doing something and not just awkwardly waving at guests.

"Oh! Um yes- follow me!" He told the two families who exchanged cautious looks between each other before following him, taking their animals with them.

This was easy, just show them to the stables, there's no way he could mess it up! Bruno thought to himself, feeling the closest he'd been to confident that day.

"Here they are! You can just leave them in there and come back after." He showed them, chuckling awkwardly. Without saying much they started to gather their animals inside, Bruno just left uneasily standing there.

Deciding to push himself and actually be more helpful, he took a deep breath, gathering the courage to offer help.

"W-would you like some help?"-

The townspeople made a surprised "Hmm?" Before turning back to see him standing there, holding his arm as he often did when nervous, and in general.

"Oh!-Y-yes please, that'd be wonderful" one lady said, clearly a little hesitant at first along with the others, who exchanged skeptical glances before accepting his help.

"Here, you can hold Francesca and Simone." The lady handed him the rope around the two donkeys necks.

"Ooh, could you take Carlos and Paco as well?"

"And Rafeal and Pescado!"

"Woa!-" Bruno didn't even have time to comprehend that someone named their alpaca "fish" when he found himself holding the ropes around the majority of the animals.

"Uh alright, okay." he said more to himself, untangling the ropes. "This is fine, you can do this- I can do this" he quietly muttered to himself.

The first family began to sort out their remaining animals, not long after though they turned their heads back at the sound of music, the party was really starting to get raging.

The family members looked at each other, all seeming to contemplate whether or not to ask Bruno to sort the rest out while they went to the party.

Bruno however didn't notice this, trying to keep 2 donkeys from kicking each other, while awkwardly avoiding eye contact with a rather menacing alpaca, Pescado.

It loomed over him, ominously, looking at him as if the two were long greatest enemies. Bruno just looked down, not wanting to fight an alpaca. Why did it seem to be so filled with hatred towards him? He was confused, making people angry was something he had gotten used to, but admittedly he never thought he'd find himself being loathed by an alpaca.

"Ahem."

His attention was brought back as he looked at the family. "We, were wondering if you could maybe organise the rest of them while we went to the party? -It's just, some of our friends are waiting for us there, that's all!" The woman awkwardly chuckled, wearing a slightly overly sweet smile, as if she knew making the person whose birthday they were celebrating do work while they partied was a little morally ambiguous to say the least.

"Oh! Sure." Bruno however didn't mind at all, this meant he didn't have to be at the party earlier, but he also remembered what his mamá would say. 'It is your job as a Madrigal to help the people of Encanto'.

"Great! Gracias." the people left, leaving him with the donkeys and rather murderous alpaca.

He wasn't concerned though, instead just turning to the animals. "Well I guess it's just you and me, ay amigos?" He sighed, in that moment narrowly missing a hurtling ball of spit from none other than Pescado.

"Wow". Bruno just blinked his now wide eyes in surprise. "I think I'll put you in first."-

He nervously chuckled as he approached the at least 7 foot tall creature, taking the rope and leading the tall hateful creature into the stable.

He wasn't concerned though, instead just turning to the animals. "Well I guess it's just you and me, ah amigos?" He sighed, in that moment narrowly missing a hurtling ball of spit from none other than Pescado.

"Wow". Bruno just blinked his now wide eyes in surprise. "I think I'll put you in first".

He nervously chuckled as he approached the at least 7 foot tall creature, taking the rope and leading the tall hateful creature into the stable.

With quite a bit of effort, he managed to pull the alpaca inside, dodging yet another ball of spit it sent this way. "Not today amigo." he weakly chuckled, knocking on the wooden pillar before grabbing the rope to tie it around.

Huh. Why did others always make it seem so easy?- He furrowed his brows in concentration, trying "There!" He said triumphantly, chuckling in relief. Seeming to set off by his happiness the alpaca jumped towards him, making him yelp in fear as he fell back into the hay.

Bruno closed his eyes and curled into a ball, expecting the hooves of the angry alpaca next, only, that fortunately didn't come. He opened his eyes, confused. The knot seemed to have loosened, but by some miracle still held on, saving him from becoming the alpacas piñata.

"Whew" he chuckled shakily in relief, standing up, and running past Pescado as quickly as possible. "Hah!" He laughed in triumph again, this time out of range of the alpaca that eyed him with pure hatred.

"You! And me!-Not amigos!" He declared, genuinely confused as to why the creature disliked him so much. He remembered how earlier he gave a young girl a vision that her fish would die. Bruno cringed at the memory. It had been a rather big deal, another vision as usual gone bad. He began to wonder if fish in general were just bad luck to him.

"Alright, now the rest of you." he turned back to the couple of donkeys, most idly minding their own business, apart from two that kept trying to kick one another.

Bruno made a point to separate them first, bringing them by their ropes and then tying them to pillars. One by one, he sorted out each donkey, the process very quickly becoming mundane, but he preferred it over the unpredictable alpaca.

"Whew." He stopped to catch his breath, wiping sweat off of his forehead. Now he wasn't so surprised that the people were more than eager to leave them. Bruno turned around, finally! The last one.

He took the rope around the donkey, walking to the stables. "WoA-" Bruno yelped as he fell back, once again into the hay. He sat up, confused and by this point rather frustrated as he turned to the donkey that hadn't moved a muscle and was now looking at him with the same unbothered expression as before.

He sighed, leaning towards the stable and knocking on the wood, before taking a deep breath.

With his nerves somewhat settled, he got up, grabbed the rope and pulled again, at first thinking perhaps he just thought the donkey was still in place like a statue.

But as Bruno pulled and heaved the donkey didn't even budge from its place. He got behind it, trying to maybe push it to the stable, but nothing. Not even the slightest inch. The donkey had rooted itself, and had no intention of moving.

"Aurgh!" He kicked a bucket and held his face in annoyance. Of course, it seemed that there always had to be some kind of a problem.

Maybe he could bribe it?-

Bruno furrowed his brow in thought, trying to remember where the food was kept. Aha!, he smiled as he remembered they kept it in the first pen, the smile fading as he also remembered that was where he had put Pescado in.

He gulped, trying to weigh what he valued more, going to the party?- or his life?-

Bruno took a deep breath, knocking on the wooden pillar 6 times. He frowned as he thought about his mother, her and the townspeople's disappointment and anger with him when they'd find out he just let one donkey go. It seemed all he was good for was disappointment nowadays.

He sighed, walking over a little to the stable containing the potentially murderous alpaca in it. The food wasn't so far away. Yet Bruno knew he couldn't do it, he wasn't brave enough to even dare to. But Hernando was.

With a swift motion, Bruno put his hood up, 'becoming' Hernando. He walked towards the stable with a confident gait. It was almost as if he could hear western music, at a stand off with his arch nemesis, Pescado.

‘Hernando’ took a deep breath before sprinting quicker than he had in his life and grabbing the carrot from a bucket, narrowly avoiding yet another ball of spit hurtling his way.

"HA!" He yelled triumphantly, hood falling down as he jumped up, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. By now the knot had loosened even more, but was still enough to contain the ferocious creature. Bruno knew for sure he wasn't going to go back and redo the knot anyway.

The carrot seemed to do the trick, the donkey following him back into the stable where he promptly tied the rope into a knot. There! Now after avoiding near death he was faced with an even bigger, much scarier challenge- the party.

After picking out some of the hay in his hair and straightening his ruana, he ran back to the casita, knowing that at any time now his mamá would be making her announcement, and oh boy, she wouldn't like it if he was late.

Bruno went through the side of the house, avoiding the people out in the courtyard as he stopped to catch his breath, honestly worn out from trying to arrange the animals into their stables.

"There you are!"

Bruno turned around to see Julieta running over to him. "We've been looking for you for ages! Have you any idea how worried mamá is?!"

Bruno gulped, imagining his mamá’s angry face. "L-lo siento, just had a little run in with the donkeys.." He chuckled wearily, Julieta just rolling her eyes, regretting giving him the task in the first place.

"Come, mamá's about to start!" she said, and he couldn't help but quietly gulp again, nodding and following her up the stairs.

As he walked out to stand by his mother, Pepa already waiting there, he looked down at the people below. There were hundreds at least, all of them staring at his sister, and him. 'You're alright, this is fine-' Bruno tried to calm himself down, now uncomfortably sweating.

On top of that, he could feel his mama's disapproving gaze when she saw he was still wearing his ruana, despite of what she had said.

Not wanting to mention it aloud in public though, Alma didn't comment, instead turning to the crowd of people below, her disapproving expression turning into one of warmth and friendliness in an uncannily short amount of time.

"Everyone!" She began, the crowd of people quieting down. "I am so glad that so many of you made it here on this very special day". Her gaze visibly saddened, as she took a deep breath. "23 years ago, we all had to run away from our homes, looking for a safe place to take refuge in. As you all know, my husband Pedro… gave his life to protect us, giving us this miracle, the Encanto" she smiled sadly, clearly deep in thought.

Bruno couldn't help but look at his mamá with a frown at the mention of his papá, Pedro. He had no recollection of the events, him and his hermanas too young to remember, but everyone knew what had happened. How his papá gave his life for them. He was a hero.

Bruno looked down, unable to think to himself what his papá would think of him. He wanted to imagine that he'd be proud, but it seemed he could only disappoint.

Bruno subconsciously clenched his fists. Why couldn't he be better?

"With the Encanto and the Casita came another miracle, my children's gifts". Bruno looked down again, unable to look at the townspeople, knowing how many he had managed to anger.

"Because of the miracle, me and my children all swear to serve this community, to show how thankful we all are for our amazing gifts.."

Thankful? Bruno couldn't help but think to himself, by each sentence he managed to feel worse and worse. He couldn't help but feel guilt creep up on him, his papá had died for this, and he wasn't even grateful for his gift?

"And as every year passes we grow to help this community more and more, as our gifts grow with us, to help the people of Encanto" Alma smiled, the people below cheering and clapping.

"Now, let the celebrations begin!" She finished her announcement, immediately the music began to play as the casitas tiles moved enthusiastically. Everyone cheered, everyone but Bruno.

The celebrations were supposed to be the fun part, and yet it never felt that way anymore. Slowly Bruno slid through the crowd, keeping his head low as to avoid eye contact.

Everyone was conversing with one another, leaving him awkwardly standing there as he couldn't integrate to any conversation.

"Hey!" He saw someone smile and wave in his direction. Bruno wondered if he knew them, about to greet them when they walked past him, having been addressing the person behind him.

He frowned, deciding the best way to spend his time would be if he sat at good tables, and ate Julie's food. A grin grew on his face as he once again saw the cakes, taking some on his plate and sitting down in one of the few empty spaces.

Bruno ate the food, at least able to enjoy his hermana’s cooking as he hummed to himself. All seemed to be going well, until he looked down, seeing the rats he bought peeking their heads out, smelling the opportunity in front of them.

Two squeaked at each other, already fighting over the crumbs on his lap. "Shh! No, get back!" He whispered hastily, not noticing the few odd looks he got from the unknowing townspeople, now internally questioning why he was talking to and covering his lap.

As he focused on stopping the two from making too much noise, unbeknownst to him, one was already on the table.

Once he looked up he gasped, immediately snatching the rat back into his ruana before it could be seen. Seeing the weird looks people gave him he chuckled uneasily, deciding with the rats it would be best if he kept away from the food.

"This is absolutely ridiculous" he quietly reprimanded his rats as he walked through the crowd, eventually making it to one of the casita’s walls which he leaned on, pretty disinterested but glad that no one was paying attention to him

Before he knew it, it was now Bruno's least favourite part of the entire celebration. He had always thought of this part as a sort of "showcase" of their gifts. Julieta handed out food to people, Pepa made a rainbow, and he…just sort of stood there, away from them as if he wasn't even invited to the party.

"Woo!" He heard the cheer of people, Felìx as always ever so supportive of Pepa, and a now injured Agustin back with Julieta, who just rolled her eyes before stuffing an arepa into his mouth.

Bruno frowned and sighed. He thought about the fact that he was basically being ignored at what was partly his own birthday party, he supposed it was better that way, the painful memory of what had happened when he was 15 flashing in his mind.

He was doing visions for people, sat out on the floor with his equipment and a bucket of sand. When he had been younger this had been seen as the 'main event', and Bruno could see why.

The dramatic twirl of the sand, the bright glow of his eyes, and before you knew it, an emerald tablet in his hands. It was the quite the spectacle.

It seemed as time passed on though the visions only seemed to get worse, and who was to blame in their minds but him?

15 year old Bruno sat down, doing a vision for another person in the formed line. The glow of his eyes, the small dome of sand, and it was done. He didn't even have time to process what was on the vision tablet when he felt a fist hit nose, hard.

Gasps, followed by the angry man being pulled away, angrily yelling obscenities at the now bloody teenager. He sat on the floor, eyes wide in shock as he looked down at his bloody hands that had been instinctively over his broken nose. "Bruno are you okay?!" Said Julieta's voice, he didn't answer.

"Bruno!'

"Ah!" He yelped and jumped up a little, seeing Julie in front of him. He realised he had been so deep in thought that he didn't see her walk over to him, now looking at him with concern as he didn't answer her question.

"Oh!, oh yes!-hehe sorry…yea, I'm fine" Bruno chuckled weakly in an attempt to reassure her, yet her eyes were still filled with concern. Before she could say anything though, a loud crash was heard through the casita.

Everyone went silent, looking up at where the noise had come from.

They heard an ever so long scream, growing louder as a terrified and incredibly disheveled man ran into the courtyard.

"PESCADO- PESCADO HAS ESCAPED!".

Most people looked at eachother, incredibly confused. "Fish?" A few people muttered, others shrugging it off.

Bruno held his breath. Had the knot finally slipped loose?

In that moment though, the aforementioned Pescado had arrived, in the same place the screaming man was seconds ago, and with a murderous intent, charged towards the crowd.

Chaos erupted as people screamed, trying to get as far away from the four legged towering creature of rage as it rampaged around the courtyard.

Bruno was among the people, more than eager to escape, fearing what Pescado would do when he recognised him.

In a matter of seconds, a crowd had formed of people trying to squeeze through the doors of the Casita, and Bruno was stuck near the end of it. Pepa's weather didn't entirely calm anyone's nerves, a rain cloud surrounding her and drenching the guests as she quietly apologised, brushing her hair with her hands in an attempt to calm down.

He turned back to see how close Pescado was, seeing him fling over an unlucky bystander. That's when he noticed something. Strangely, it wasn't everyone who got to feel Pescados wrath, and as he looked over at the people the enraged alpaca targeted, he realised something. They were all wearing green.

"Huh.." Bruno said at the realisation, yelping as he got pushed forward by the people desperately trying to escape. He didn't really know why, perhaps in an attempt to fix his wrong, but with unnatural courageousness he ran back to the courtyard, calling everybody's attention.

"Hey! Everybody!" He yelled at the top of his voice, the people glancing back at him, clearly questioning his sanity. "Bruno get away from here!" Julieta yelled at him, he however ignored her.

"It's alright you can come back, it's green- he hates the colour green!" He gestured to the group of injured people by Julieta, all indeed wearing some form of green.

His voice had called the alpacas attention, as it turned to him, eyes like fiery coals. Bruno gulped, figuring there was a way to test out his feeling, but moreover knowing that running was futile.

He took off his ruana, the rats scurrying away from him. Bruno kissed his ruana, muttering a quiet "sorry" to his beloved garment.

Like a bull, the alpaca charged at him. He threw his ruana as far as he could, still closing his eyes in fear of impact, it however, didn't come. He opened his eyes, seeing Pescado had followed the green item of clothing, now angrily stomping at it.

He chuckled in disbelief, for once amazed at his luck. "Hehe… see! We can put him back in the stables now- just probably don't come out if you're wearing green..".

The people look at eachother, all nodding in agreement. In that moment, a little girl who had been hiding behind a wrecked table jumped out, crying out "mamá!" As she began to run back to the crowd.

The problem was, she was wearing a green dress. The crowd immediately gasped, her mamá’s far cry of horror as she realised what was happening. Pescado turned, charging at the little girl who just stood there, paralysed in fear.

Without thinking twice, Bruno threw himself in her direction, putting his arms around her, covering her with his body. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel the hard hooves of the alpaca, but he didn't.

"Huh?" Bruno dared to open his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Pescado was just…there. Standing there with a disinterested expression, like a completely normal alpaca. He figured with the child out of view, the alpaca simply just gave up.

Within seconds a group of men (not wearing green) threw new rope around the alpaca, swiftly taking it away from the courtyard.

It was over.

Bruno let out a short sigh of disbelief, uncovering the girl. He turned, hearing the mother running over to her child, grabbing her and holding her, crying from the overwhelming emotions.

Bruno stood up, not really minding that the she didn't seem to acknowledge his presence.

As people gradually started to refill the courtyard, Bruno went over to his now, very, wrecked ruana, putting it on purely out of need for comfort.

"How did the alpaca manage to get out in the first place?!" Asked a voice.

"Yea!-aren't the animals supposed to be tied up?" Said another.

Bruno gulped, quietly and subtly tried to get through the crowd of people, something that was taking very long due to the size of it.

A few questions later his heart sunk as he heard. "Who dealt with the animals anyway?"

A moment later and he froze as he heard the answer.

"I left him and the others with Bruno!" Said Pescados owner, the crowd now talking amongst themselves. "Us too!"-

"He said he'd deal with it all fine and look what happened!"

-"Uh, what did you expect- since when does anything good happen when it's Bruno?"-

They slowly ganged up as the people around Bruno stepped away, leaving him in singled out of the crowd.

He laughed, very nervously, feeling as if his heart would explode. He would honestly pick Pescado anytime over this.

"Hehe…everyone, it was an accident" Bruno said, instinctively shrinking away from the eyes on him.

"Oh, just an accident, like that time you saw my business would close down?" A voice sneered, followed by murmurs of agreement.

"Or perhaps that time a cat ate all my chickens!".

By this point Bruno was terrified, his whole body trembling as his eyes looked like those of a prey about to get caught.

"Why are you laughing?, do you think this is funny matón?".

"Yea! A little girl could have died because of you!".

Bruno’s quiet response, more of a murmur really, that he "laughed when nervous" was unheard, the crowd of people turning into a mob as they expressed their anger.

"You can't just blame him for everything! He didn't mean for this to happen, it isn't his fault!" Julieta spoke up in defense of him, feeling guilty for the whole situation as it was her who told him to help with the animals in the first place. "Right mamá?" She turned to her for support. If the crowd would listen to anyone, that someone was Alma.

Alma opened her mouth to say something but didn't say anything, she looked at him conflicted before frowning and looking away.

Bruno had enough. Of this party, of the people treating him like a curse, and most of all his mamá’s disappointment in him.

Wiping his tears with his tattered sleeve he ran off, the people parting for him, watching as he disappeared from view. No one went after him.

After going up the stairs, Bruno slammed the door to his bedroom. He slowly slid down until he was sitting, bringing up his knees to his face as he sobbed. Why did he even try to make things different?! Of course it was going to end this way, it always did.

The three rats he fed before came to his side, bruxing with concern as they could tell something was very wrong. One jumped up onto his knee, burying its face through his locks of hair before tilting his head at him worriedly.

"Hola Bonita" Bruno quietly croaked, petting the rat as it licked the tears off his cheek. He chuckled, unable to not smile a little. "I'm afraid not even you can make this day any good".

As if on cue he heard a loud smack against the window, jumping and ever so slightly fearing for his life again when he squinted his eyes, seeing a face and the oh so familiar red hair. Sandra!

Wait.

"SANDRA?!" His eyes widened as he ran over to the window, immediately opening it for her. What in the world was she doing outside his window?!

"Ah, thank you" she said breathlessly as she went inside, making sure to throw in the box she had been holding, adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

"What- what are you doing here?..." he asked in genuine puzzlement, still looking at her with wide eyes as he recovered from the shock. Even if it weren't for her entrance he was still shocked to see her, how did she manage to leave the shop? And hadn't he told her not to come?

"Oh!, erm, too many people outside hehe- and inside, so I took a shortcut-" she chuckled, thinking he was just referencing the window. Before she even got to finish her sentence however, Bruno had wrapped his arms around her in a tight, affectionate hug.

She looked a little surprised at first, before hugging him back.

"I'm so, so glad you're here" Bruno weakly chuckled, but meant it more than anything. Despite his words and effort to convince her to stay away, he wanted nothing more than for her to be here with him.

"Of course, mi amor" she smiled, speaking ever so softly. Sandra pulled away, not fully, just enough to see his face. Her smile turned visibly sad as she gently wiped a tear under his eye. "I'm so, so sorry". She was beyond heartbroken to see him like this, cheeks stained with tears, beloved ruana tattered almost beyond recognition.

Bruno sniffled, smiling back sadly. "Wait" he began, puzzled. "How did you know?...". Not only did she seem not surprised to find him in such a miserable state, but also knew exactly where to go- or in this case, climb.

"I saw everything…" She weakly chuckled. "I was going to come later anyway, it took me like, a full hour to get close enough to see the courtyard, and then suddenly everyone was trying to leave!, b-but…I managed to stay close enough to see the alpaca, and you, and what happened after…"

Bruno looked down and frowned. "Nothing can just seem to go right, can it?" He let out air through his nose almost as a sort of snort.

She looked at him, with concern. "Well I mean…I did manage to scale the Casita without falling to my death so…that's a plus?" She chuckled, trying to find her eyes and at least get a smirk out of him.

That didn't happen though, as he eyes remained on the floor, clearly in thought. "Do you think…my papá…would be disappointed with me?" He asked quietly, looking up at her with sad defeated eyes.

"What?!" Sandra's eyes widened a little, shocked by the question. "A-a-are you kidding me? Of course not! First you went out and bull-fought that alpaca, and then, then you jumped to save that little girl!, risking your own life!"

She held his hands, bringing them up as she looked into eyes. "Your papá would be so proud of you, no, he is so proud of you!, an-and I don't care what your mamá says!, you risked your life to save that small child, is that not giving back to the community?”

He looked up at her, taken aback and at a loss for words.

"Listen to me, they are the problem. They ask for more and never stop to appreciate what you already give! You are a hero, Bruno".

Bruno’s eyes widened even more, a small blush forming on his cheeks. "Hehe, I wouldn't say that.." He chuckled quietly, scratching the back of his head.

"But you are! You're like the great heroes you write in your telenovelas, I mean- that alpaca was terrifying…" she chuckled weakly.

"Yea… Pescado definitely is something else, I'll give you that" Bruno weakly chuckled, looking back at Sandra whose lips curled upwards as she tried not to laugh.

He sighed and she burst out in laughter, not able to hold back. "I-I'm sorry…but, Pescado?" She looked up at him.

"Look I don't know, that's what the guy said-" now that Bruno thought of it it was a very amusing name for an alpaca, unable to not laugh himself.

"That's like something out of a telenovela!" She wiped the tears of laughter under eyes.

"Pfft- I ought to write a story about it now" Bruno chuckled at the realisation.

"Please do, I'd like to watch it very much- ooh!, which reminds me-" Sandra perked up, looking over at the box on the floor.

She took it, sitting down on the bed and gesturing for Bruno to sit down with her, which he did. "Oh Sandy, you didn't have to.." Already he couldn't help but smile as he awaited her present with excitement.

"Shh! I didn't even open it yet!" She chuckled, jokingly pressing her finger against his lips. "Alright, close your eyes".

Bruno did as she said, unable to not giggle like a small child from the excitement.

"Alright, you can open them".

Bruno’s eyes dilated like a cat. His mouth was wide open, yet he was lost for words.

"MY RUANA?!" He asked in disbelief. In front of him Sandra held a perfect replica of it, just new and untouched- unlike the one he had on. She handed it to him and he buried his face in the material. "Oh my god" he muttered. It was so soft.

After a few moments of just holding it to his face he discarded his old destroyed ruana on the floor, putting the new one on. Making rainbows was part of his sister's gift, but in that moment he looked like he exuded them.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-" He hugged her again, speaking rapidly from excitement but genuinely grateful.

He pulled away, looking down at it. "I just- woo" his arms automatically waved a little from happiness, making Sandra chuckle.

His rats instantly climbed onto the bed, eagerly going in the strangely familiar but also new garment of clothing.

For the first time today, Bruno was beyond overjoyed. His hands felt the softness of the fabric as he basked in its glory. "S-so what do you think Sandy?, do I look good?" He asked excitedly.

"You always look good, Bruno" Sandra softly chuckled, earnest in her words as his cheeks heated up.

"Hehe, thank you, you too" he quietly mumbled, shyly leaning forward to leave a small but loving kiss on her lips.

One of his rats popped its head out of his new ruana, and Sandra who had been caught up in the moment as well, remembered that there was more in the box.

"That's not all! I doubt it'll make you as insanely happy as this, but still.." she chuckled, handing him over the box.

He looked inside curiously, eyes lighting up once more as he saw the contents. "Sets and prompts for my telenovelas! Thank you" he smiled, taking them out.

The backdrops were painted in painstaking detail, many from recent books he had read and particularly enjoyed. As for the props, small household items were reused and remade to look real, pencil shavings made to look like fancy headpiece and more.

Bruno noticed one more item on the bottom, gasping a little as he took out a well crafted leather bound notebook.

"You mentioned your other ones getting full, so I thought why not?-" Sandra chuckled, once again unable to finish her sentence as Bruno hugged her, her hugging him back.

"Thank you" he smiled gratefully.

"O-of course" Sandra smiled back, happy that he was happy, especially after the days unfortunate events.

Her fingers stroked through his hair and she chuckled quietly from amusement. "Mi amor, you have hay in your hair" Sandra carefully took them out.

"Ah yes, fell into a lot of hay when I dealt with Pescado.." Bruno chuckled, content in just sitting there on his bed. After the unpredictable day he was happy to have some normal piece with the woman he loved.

Well, almost everyday peace.

"Sandy?"

"Hmm?"

"Please just use the stairs the next time-"

"...Alright".

[iviarellereads]

Nona the Ninth, John 8:1(1)

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(No icon) In which we learn why the fandom keeps making reference to cows.

The ash sometimes makes them black out together.(2) He doesn't like losing control. He can't be coaxed to sleep unless she stands in the doorway to guard him. In the dream she doesn't fear sleep, but she doesn't know how to do it, she just collapses to sleep and then wake wherever he puts her.(3)

They make multiple trips down and back up the hill, on the side the waters aren't rising, to bring their things to a concrete building he found.

When they were settled he said: We got some attention up-front, ’cause people thought we were trying to get media jobs with some excellent deepfakes. They thought we were playing a game or giving people a puzzle, maybe doing some branding. Branding, then?(4) Talk about late-late-stage capitalism, right? How far can consumption as praxis go?(5) But I mean, fair enough. It didn’t look real.

As a result, very few people even took them seriously enough to come see them. Out of the few, only five could be convinced to come in and help with tests, on tape. After, two of them walked away, one said nothing, one said he'd call the cops, and only one accepts what he saw as truth.

He said, Then we took off. Thread after thread on message board after message board. People wanting proof. People asking what the fuck it meant. People talking about the LUCIFER telescope and saying we were aliens. People calling me the Antichrist, which was a trip. People writing up these long posts on how the trick was done, how I got the meat into the pie. Was I fake? Was I real? If I was real, what did it mean? Suddenly there were hundreds of people, all there at our front door. They came in caravans, they were sleeping in their cars or putting up tents. A hell of a lot of them had flown out internationally.

Some of those who showed up wanted to witness a miracle. They asked him for help, for faith healing. The odd thing is, he could do it.(6) He could do a whole lot, though not regrowing limbs.

But I spent hours and hours a day playing Jesus. That was nice, those were some of the nicest hours I got to spend.

Eventually, though, he had to start turning people away. M- brought in her nun friend, and John worried he'd get the Antichrist talk from her too, but she pointed him back at the Bible and said, Jesus not being able to say no was his whole problem. He never said no, he never asked anyone to pay, he got too much attention and brought the system down on everyone near him.

After that, John limited "Jesus stuff" to just one hour a day, but some of the damage was already done.

He added, We knew it was going to be a big problem. You’ve got this guy with an army of upward of forty walking corpses that he acquired legally but was meant to bury a while back, it’s time for some hard conversations. He’s curing cancer, that’s great, but he’s bookended by two zombies that they’ve dressed in outfits, that’s bad. You’ve got a wizard out in the wop-wops(7) who’s now got blanket bans from nearly every video upload site(8) and a whole bunch of people have entered the country because of his YouTube channel, the government isn’t all, Love that small-business entrepreneur spirit. The government says, This is a cult.

As the pilgrims and the tourists and the CIA started to close in, it's the nun who saved them. She applied to the Vatican, to petition for John's acts to be considered a miracle because he'd been baptised. He says he'd "only gone to Parachute(9) ’cause of the underage drinking" but the nun was a lifesaver. Then A- brought in his little brother, a hedge fund manager, who was useless but beloved by the group. John knew they were gathering their loved ones, feeling the final confrontation coming.

He said, At that point the government asked us to come in quietly, with our hands up.

His friends didn't want to go, but stopping the cops was all on John. The others weren't an army, not even P- with her sharpshooting. He had the corpses, and a lot of tissue samples, but nothing he could think to really do with them.

Eventually, P- betrayed the police, calling ahead to say the riot squad was on the way.(10) John knew he needed to wall the place off, so he made huge walls, three foot thick, of what the necromancers now call perpetual bone. The cops couldn't get through with any of their tools, and John caught that he hadn't put in air holes before anyone suffocated.

He fell quiet. After a while she prompted, You made it from your bodies? He said, Nah. I decided I didn’t want to touch any of the bodies, not only Titania and Ulysses. They’d all been through a lot. It was at this point that he had the grace to look embarrassed. He said, I’m not proud of this. But, well—like, we were on farmland. With farm animals. Big things with mass to spare. The field just over the road from us had over eighty head of cattle, field over that had a lot of sheep, and the bush was full of old bones. I had to—get creative. We had to lock C— in the kitchen when she found out so she could throw up in private for a while, and we wouldn’t let her look at it. Thankfully it was dark, so there wasn’t too much to look at.

You could even see it on satellite images on Google Earth, and he thought it was kind of pretty.

And then the government agreed to talk. The world took them seriously after the cow and sheep wall, though they also treated him like some kind of evil, or like he'd done some crime. Which he acknowledges he had in fact done, turning several hundred animals inside-out and not complying with the cops, but, he had extenuating circumstances.

He said, I didn’t care what they thought, I wanted the attention.(11) I wanted to break my NDAs. I wanted to let them know about the cryo plans and how we got shut down. I wanted to talk about you. About how we’d been going to save the world and then the cash dried up for no reason. And now we had a platform, so maybe the cash could come back, somehow. But we’d scared a lot of people. We also had more enemies than we’d ever had before. He said, I guess you could say … we had beef. When she did not laugh he said, “I can’t believe nobody’s ever going to laugh at my jokes again. I can’t believe it. It’s all gone, I’m the only one left.(12) It’s just me and you and no more jokes.” She said, “I still love you.” And he laughed and said, “That was a good one.” Then he wept again.

=====

(1) John 8:1 is "And Jesus went unto mount Olivet." Which doesn't say much itself, but its context is much greater: John 8:1 begins (or, well, continues, as it began in the previous chapter) the sequence with the infamous bit about "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7) Mount Olivet, or the Mount of Olives, is where the Pharisees try to catch Jesus out in his faith, they test him with the adulterous woman, and he says, alright, she's done wrong, but whomst among us has not? Feels fairly relevant, for a chapter in which John is tempted to become Jesus, and is tempted to unleash wrath on his enemies, but instead he shows his power defensively. Not quite as biblical as responding in verse and parable but y'know, considering I think the point was the letter translation, it's not bad! In A1Z26, we have THETOWERHA. I got nothin' clever this time for that, we'll have to see where else it goes. (2) Everything that happens to one, happens to the other, at the same time. Inextricably linked. So, if we think John's talking to who we think he's talking to (hint: not Harrow, but someone he's known for somewhat longer than ten thousand years) how does that line up with this sort of link? What sort of dream logic is that? (3) John once admitted to Harrow that Alecto was never quite a normal human being. Mercy wasn't even convinced she'd ever had a genetic code to speak of. She and August referred to her in veiled and not-so-veiled terms as a monster, barely human in behaviour or composure. Like she didn't understand how to be a person. (Also, this paragraph includes the line "baby-soft skin hammocks" which is given a whole new dimension when you remember that his sign of office is a crown of baby finger bones. I'm not inserting it into the summary just to say this in a separate footnote, though, so it goes here.) (4) Five years ago the whole internet revolved around establishing branding, now it's far less firm of a concept, as far as I can tell. (5) References to some deep lefty beliefs held by John. How many people outside the leftmost quarter of the political compass call anything "praxis"? It's a very specific word to choose here, to say a lot about John. And, there's nothing inherently good about being a leftist, politically speaking. People have done immense harm in the name of communism and socialism. And Muir can invoke all this with a single word. (6) The same healing we see necromancers doing with thalergy. (7) NZ slang for the back-of-beyond, the more rural than rural spots. (8) At best, what he's doing at this point can be termed defilement of a corpse by anyone who's not a true believer. It's not even an unfair interpretation of the truth.

(9) Parachute: A Christian music festival that ended in 2014. (10) This is really important: Americans, and perhaps the rest of the non-NZ world, probably think of like, the big famous Christian cult raids when they read this, but my many thanks to the writer of this post who outlines that there's actually a really important context of colonial forces raiding Maori faith healers in NZ which is entirely different. (11) Attention, social influence, an addictive sort of power in its own right. (Not all attention-seeking is toxic, but I feel it's fair to look at the man who made himself emperor and say yeah, he might be toxic. That is, in fact, one of his most compelling character traits.) (12) He's the only one left... but what about her? Which is it? Of course, it's both. If this is Alecto, then she's no longer with him either, not really. All his friends have left him in one way or another. By his hand or their own or someone else's. He locked Alecto up, whoever and whatever she is or was or will be, in the Locked Tomb that gives the series its name, the tomb around which the whole trilogy quartet revolves. So of course, there's no one left, it's just him... and her, at the end of all things, because of their connection, whatever it means that he keeps calling her Harrow in these dreams of Nona's that she can't remember.

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

Someone once sent me an ask or something where they told me their HC had Magnolia and Kent paired. I cannot find that ask currently, but when I do I'll link it. I've had 2 hours of sleep. No sleep makes brain pudding.

Anyway

Magnolia and Kent pairing? Y'all have no idea how much I squeed at that.

And, if the person who sent me that ask will forgive me, for some reason my pudding brain Really wanted to see this scene. Please, if you are that person, I do this in honor of you, and you are fully free to use any or all of this conversation if it suits you, although I might ask leave to use it in my fic later if you don't mind. I do consider it your idea, so I will ask permission:

Magnolia and Kent have had a lovely night in bed together. But, afterwards, Kent is...concerned.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kent sighed in a way he thought was quiet when it really spoke volumes.

Magnolia, sitting up and stretching: Okay, you can't hide it from me. I can tell you are having conflict.

He doesn't answer.

Magnolia, shifting towards him and putting her chin on his shoulder: Talk to me, dear. None of this was meant to make you uncomfortable.

Kent, sighing again, but not trying to hide it: Well, I did...this...hoping it would...I mean...people say you should do this when you care for someone...but...and...it was great and all!...but...I mean...I don't think...it's my...thing...

She can feel his whole body tense.

Magnolia: Oh, hon. There's nothing wrong with that! I did this for you because you asked. You were trying something. It's okay to do that! It doesn't have to be you're Thing. But, now at least you know.

She pauses for a moment before adding:

Magnolia: And, I much rather you figure it out with me than anyone else.

Kent, his shoulders slumping, completely missing her subtle remark: That's great. Except...I mean...it's not my thing, but...

Magnolia: Not your thing, but...?

Kent, dreading every moment of this, having used all his courage to get this far, but feeling what else is their to lose at this point...except everything: ...Well...I mean...people talk...wait that's not a nice thing to say...um...

He can't see that Magnolia is smiling lovingly at him.

Magnolia: But, people talk and know that I do like sex. A Lot.

Kent's shoulders crawl over his ears and turn bright red even in the dimness of the room.

Magnolia hugs him for a moment.

Manolia: It's okay. This isn't anything I am ashamed of, nor do I think I should be ashamed of it. As far as you not caring for it, that is perfectly okay, too. You asked. I obliged. There doesn't have to be strings attached.

Kent, closing his eyes and trying to not just run from the room: But...I mean...the problem is...I...

He breaks off. Courage spent.

Magnolia, however, has courage to spare.

In a swift motion, she slithers around him and sits on his lap so he has no choice but to look in her deep, dark eyes.

Magnolia, whispering: I know, my dear.

Kent's eyes widen, in that innocently endearing way: You do?

Magnolia: Do you think I would've done this otherwise? You were trying to figure something out. I wanted to help. That's all there is to that. And, I mean that. Sex doesn't have to be a part of your life to be loved, Kent.

Kent, blushing even harder if that's possible: But...I mean...you're so...I just...I mean...I...

Magnolia, leaning forward to kiss him gently on the lips, then his nose, then his forehead before pulling him to her bosom and holding him tightly: I know that, too. And, I feel it, too.

Kent, finally willing to wrap his arms around her and hold her close: But, I can't give...

Magnolia hushes him by pulling back enough to cup his face in her hands and pierce his being with her eyes: You are worried about me dealing with the fact you aren't interested in sex. I'm trying to figure out how to tell you that sex is just an appetite I want to fulfill sometimes, and while physically and psychologically it's great it's not the end all be all of my world. How do I explain that to someone so lovely and endearing and right now in my arms? How do I tell him who came from another time that sex doesn't have to be a big deal. That I can find my needs fulfilled and still make sure he is the most important thing in my life? I'll give it up for you either way.

Kent, almost horrified: ...but that doesn't seem fair...

Magnolia, shrugging: You come from a different world from me. In my world, it's not a big deal, but in your world, it's basically binding of souls. Which, to be frank, I think is silly. It's just sex. But, in your world, it was more. I'm not sure how to reconcile that.

Kent, a being who can only handle one moment at a time: So, you're...you...like me?

Magnolia, letting him see the loving smile he missed before: I find myself deeply in love with you Mr. Kent Connolly.

Kent, falling into her, happily: Then, I think, we can figure it out.

[thecagedbirdsingsoffreedom]

What was supposed to be a two day trip ended up being five.

I had the strangest talks with M.

We had some awkward moments, too.

I don't think he's used to the space I put around me.

I could tell it really threw him off.

I don't think I'm used to it either, to be honest.

We've always been so touchy, it's so natural. I've always been a physical person. I enjoyed it and welcomed it.

It was strange for me when I realized I had something around me now. Something that doesn't permit others to touch me quite so easily anymore, not even my boys.

I noticed it first at E's.

But M and I had never held back so much before. There was no reason, too, we knew what and how much.

And yet here it was, ever present.

I couldn't fully relax until I'd gone back into the room.

I spent hours buried in his sheets, bathing in his perfumes and soaps and smells.

I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave you and those four walls.

The last three days M and I talked.

We talked so much.

We're so broken. Something is broken now.

And she didn't, isn't, helping him at all.

I was so mad. She who could offer him such uncondifional comfort without restraint and measure was only making it worse for him.

I was upset for a long time.

Upset that I'd lost my person. Upset that I knew, deep down, that I will never have this again in my life. It's not me being dramatic either.

This was a bond 30 years in the making. This was a person who grew up with me and knew me so well. Took the time to know me. The kind of knowledge that can only come from time and experiences.

Losing that has overwhelmed me. Lately, anything that isn't anger or frustration or despair isn't at the forefront anymore.

My feelings feel so muted. Like they're a sound stuck behind a wall. I know that they're there, I can hear them, but they're so muted and drowned that Im not sure if I can actually feel them anymore.

I'm not sure what I am anymore.

I don't know if I'm upset. I don't know if I'm anything.

But it was blatantly obvious that M wasn't M anymore. I wonder if this is what E meant when he said my energy was different.

It was so plain to see.

It was so clear to my eyes what he hid behind smiles and laughs.

I'm glad I didn't have to pretend around him either.

He called me on my bullshit the moment he laid eyes on me.

I'm glad he said it.

It spared me the trouble of even trying.

And I'm relieved he recognized it for what it was and just took me in without giving me any lectures what so ever. That's more of E's domain, anyway.

I'm glad he said his piece though. It took us getting drunk as fuck to 1) fall asleep on the floor and 2) sleep together.

At least now I know I'll welcome touch while shit faced.

I didn't want him to hold me, but I could tell he needed the contact. He probably needed it more than I do.

And he could cry.

I'm so glad he can still cry.

I wouldn't wish these muted feelings on anyone. I wish I could have cried too.

But that's how we spent the rest of night. Curled in each other. Getting comfort for very different and yet similar reasons.

I don't know if I came back better or not.

I still choke thinking about you.

I'll probably still stay up at night wondering, reminiscing.

Like I am right now.

Que bueno que no estas aqui.

Como nos hubieras chingado...

But we miss you.

We miss you.

[scandinavianfairytale]

Long way home

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Reader

Warnings: Very cheesy 🧀 so I hope you're not lactose intolerant 😁

"You won't believe this, Bradley, but before we started dating, I used to walk alone all the time." You smiled as your boyfriend patiently waited for the end of your shift.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that you still have to do that." He smiled. "I'm here now." You blew him a kiss and handed the last receipt to the customer. As the last person left, Bradley started putting away the chairs and moped the floors. You stared at him and tried telling him that it's not necessary and that you could do it in the morning before your next shift, but he was unmoving, even though he hated moping the floors. He had you sit on the bar and together you laughed at the situation.

"Bradley, I'm serious. Please go back to the base, you have training in the morning." You said after giving him a kiss at the closed Hard Deck door.

"I can't in good conscience let you walk home alone in the dark." Bradley put a hand over his heart, making you roll your eyes and smile.

"I know a short-cut. I'll be home in 15 minutes. I'll even send you a text when I enter my house."

"How about we take the long way home and I sleep over?" He smirked at you.

"Lieutenant Bradshaw, did you just invite yourself over? You slapped his forearm in disbelief.

"I was waiting for you to invite me, but I'm getting restless." He paused for a second, blushing. "That being said, I would really like to make you breakfast." Bradley scratched the back of his head.

"Come on, wise guy, let's go home." You smiled, grabbing his hand, pulling him after you.

The walk home was much longer than the one you were used to, but it was still a pleasant night walk. You were used to just listen to waves crashing with the shore as you walked along the ocean, but this road was paved with a few street light illuminating the path. Walking along the houses you voiced your opinion on a few houses and you were more than tempted to just stop and stare at some of them.

Just before you were about to turn down the last big street, you let out a big yawn.

"Getting tired?" Bradley pulled you into a hug and as your hands went around his body, you sagged into him. Has he always smelled so good? So calming?

"Mhm. This 'long way home' after a full shift at the bar is really exhausting." You tried rubbing your eyes.

"Come in, I have an idea. This is the last big street before we come to your little street. So let's play a game. At each street light you have to give me a kiss." He smiled at you. "That way we'll walk a bit and then take a break."

"That actually sounds nice." You smiled back, but still pulled him back into the hug, ducking your head into the crook of his neck.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you home." Bradley laughed, your breath tickling him.

As you turned the corner, you came to an abrupt stop.

"What's the matter?"

"You planned this, didn't you?" You accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Your boyfriend smirked as he followed your eyes down the street. There were so many street lights. More than there were throughout the entire walk.

"Bradley." You lifted one of your eyebrows.

"Think of it like this. Each one of these street lights is a month that I haven't spent with you. A kiss I didn't get because I didn't know you."

God, your boyfriend was so cheesy. But adorably cheesy.

Grabbing his hand and turning to him while walking with your back to the street, you pulled him to the first street light and kissed him sweetly.

"One month / One kiss down." You turned to look at the street. "Ten thousand to go."

His brilliant idea of taking the long way home meant you entered your apartment almost 2 hours later. Giggling, you finally separated as your umpteenth attempt at finding your keys proved unsuccessful.

"So this is the place you so wanted to visit and I have been 'keeping' from you." You giggled as Bradley followed you into your cozy apartment. You were wondering whether he first went to the kitchen and checked the fridge just for show or he actually wanted to make breakfast for you.

"I can work with this." He smiled as he closed the fridge.

"You really just want to make breakfast for me?" You asked as you put your jacket and keys away.

"Yes."

"And that's it?"

"Everything else will come at its own time." He leaned on the dining table. "I'm not going to pressure you into something like that."

Making your way to him, you cupped his cheek. "Where have you been Bradley Bradshaw?"

"Searching for you." He smiled and kissed your palm.

Thank you for reading! 😊💙

The GIF belongs to the amazing creator! 🙏😊

I think I told everyone that I fell in love with Top Gun, I think it was suprising because I haven't see the first one before going into the new one 😅 but it's really not that hard to understand the references 🙈 Anyway the Lieutenants were all GORGEOUS and I now have too many drafts that are waiting to be written. But today I had a really tough day so this was my treat for myself 💙

[actualbird]

Hello!! I'd just like to say I love your blog, thank you for existing, it has brought me so much joy you have no idea!! 💕 Your comedy posts about the NXX team are some of my favourite things to exist on the internet, just aaaahhhh I love seeing them just exisiting and being cracky idiots together!! The best kind of shenanigans are team shenanigans <3 Thank you for bringing so much laughter into my life!!

Whille on the topic of team shenanigans though, I've always wondered where the NXX team members would fall on the scale between "i have a 10 step skincare routine that I follow religiously" to "facial soap?? Why do I need special soap for my face??"

I initally pegged Luke as type number 2, but Luke has spent a good chunk of his life living with MC, and she seems like the type that would insist on him actually using proper products because omg Luke that soap is meant for your body it's not the same you can't use that for everything!! So now he just keeps using the routine she recommended when they were younger because it just lowkey reminds him of her 🥺 I'm curious where the rest of the NXX boys would fall on this scale though!! You totally don't have to respond to this, I just thought it was an interesting idea! Bye for now!! 💕

awww, this ask is so sweet! thank you for your kind words, anon, im happy to make other people in this fandom happy :DDD now onto your ask bc THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER.

i dont take care of my skin at all but in the past ive chatted with a bunch of medical doctors/dermatologists (n if u take anything from this post, let it be this: all u need is wash face w/ water and sunscreen everyday even if ur indoors. thats it) so like. IT IS TIME FOR ME TO RAMBLE FOR A KILOMETRIC AMOUNT OF WORDS ABOUT SKINS OF THEMIS!!!!

nxx boys' skin......care routines

wc: 1.6k words about skin

vyn richter: supple and enraging, his skin is great and im suing him for it

vyn is fancy, vyn is prissy, vyn knows how to make MACARONS, so like obviously his skincare routine is high end as all fuckin hells. but like?? he doesnt even NEED IT TO BE!!! because his skin is naturally amazing

see, i may not know about vyn's diet (i assume it's delicious and balanced) or vyn's general physical health (he seems like a general physician's dream come true) but i do know one thing vyn richter gets a lot of: SLEEP.

sleep is like the best thing u can do for ur skin, passively. lets ur skin repair damage and thus reduces wrinkles or age spots. as marius loves to remind us every single second, vyn wakes up at 9am. prev canon content tells us that vyn sleeps at around 11pm, giving vyn's skin (skin richter...) 10 wholeass hours to take care of itself. recommended sleep hours for a person of his age is 7-9 hours. vyn adds on another hour. for the INDULGENCE OF IT ALL.

but yes, his skincare routine is the following in this order: gentle facial cleanser, toner, moisturizing lotion, sunscreen. pretty simple tbh, still on the scale of "chill" skincare routine but definitely near the line of "10 steps i will follow to my grave." important to note tho that all the products he uses are stupid fancy.

i think maybe sometimes, like after a busy or stressful day, he'll do a face mask. still fancy, but he doesnt rlly go after the ones that do too much, he likes the aromatic ones. fragrant face mask on, his antique gramophone crooning Rainy Days and Mondays by The Carpenters, and vyn is living the life.

luke pearce: skin thankfully was saved by mc, but before that it was TERRIBLE

i ONE HUNDO PERCENT agree with ur headcanon!!! it's SO SWEET HHHHH. i can imagine that once mc's skincare routine is drilled into his mind and heart (and she rlly made sure he remembered it!!! it's quite basic, not truly bare minimum, but on the chill scale of daily skincare: a gentle facial cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. "that's it!!! that's all, luke!!! LUKE, STOP DODGING ME, IM JUST PUTTING ON THE DAMN SUNSCREEN!!!" these two together in the bathroom during their teen years was frigging world war 3) he really sticks to it!! and he uses the exact same products mc had used before EXACTLY for the emo reason u brought up.

luke pearce during his 8 year disappearance be like: shes watching over my......skin.....

aaron: when you say it like that, it's INCREDIBLY CREEPY

luke: SHUT UP, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!!

and thats luke's skincare routine for basically the rest of his life. so since thats all been set up, i do wanna talk about Before The Salvation Of Luke's Skin---

---because LMAOOOO YEAAAA. bros, he was using not just normal body soap for his face. that was him on a good day. canon suggests that luke was a messy person, in his childhood. his room a mess yet he finds what he needs. that kind of philosophy is something i see bleeding into a lot of what he does. aka hes like "i mean my face doesnt get dirty, and it's still doing what a face is sposed to do, so i just wash it with just water in the shower."

mc, horrified: not even. soap?

luke: why would i need soap?

mc: "WHY WOULD YOU NEED SOAP"??????????

(im projecting on luke here lol. listen, just water is fine. ur not gonna win any awards with it but it's fine. and like, luke pearce sure as hell doesnt need more to help for him look GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL!!!!)

marius von hagen: skin so good it's infuriating, we have to steal it, IT'S TOO GOOD FOR HIM

now this is a mf knows skincare stuff from front to back. PAX has cosmetics branches but thats not why he knows imo, he knows because hes a fruity guy. and a vain one, sometimes. the point here is that he's KNOWLEDGEABLE. you cant scam this dude with subpar or overhyped skincare products. snail cream face mask? yeah ofc he knows about that [marius_von_scoffing.mp3] but youre saying this snail cream mask is the be-all-end-all of skincare? oh he KNOWSSSS UR WRONG, BUDDY!!!!!

that being said, since hes quite knowledgable he also knows skin differs from person to person. he did his research to figure out his skin type and what routine fits it best and makes him look sexy pretty hottest.

marius' skincare routine changes sometimes (theres one he does daily and one he does every 2 or 3 weeks, gotta exfoliate, duhhhh)

but his daily one is the following (after a shower): micellar water, toner, moisturizing lotion, sunscreen.

honestly, marius' biggest trouble is eyebags. he sleeps much too little and i am always gonna be stressed about that. hes stressed about it too bc he cant LOOK like hes having a hard time bc thatd mean ppl would be sincerely worried about him and marius is allergic to positive sincerity. hes got some products to protect against noticeable eyebags but hes not above using some concealer if it's a Bad Fuckin Week

additionally, marius often wears makeup for fun (gender feels) or for profit (business gatherings where theres a bunch of bright lights) so he always makes sure to prep his face for makeup and clean it all off after. regular makeup without the correct protection and aftercare is a death sentence for ur skin...

artem wing: it aint much but it's honest (skin) work (but forreal, artie, do a face mask sometime...)

artem is a guy who strikes me as a "does what has to be done" type of person with an added dash of "me? indulging? is that not what will send me to hell?" artem's idea of indulging is buying high quality whetstone to sharpen his kitchen knives with. he orders it online in advanced for his birthday and is pleased when the deliveryperson drops off the LITERAL BLOCK at artem's apartment. brick brick brick, it's fun! (whatever floats ur boat, artem)

anyway, he doesnt do anything about skincare until hes 20 years old or something in law school and good ol' mentor neil hume is like "artem, if you keep frowning and furrowing your brows like that, you're going to get wrinkles at 25" and artem is like "i dont care about...wrinkles" and neil is like jsdbfsdjkgjsd of course. but the conversation Does make artem curious enough to research about wrinkles, then about face skin, then about skincare and then hes like. IM DOING FACE SKIN THINGS ALL WRONG (I.E. I HAVE NOT BEEN DOING ANYTHING)

after that, artem does the following daily skincare routine: gentle facial cleanser particularly for dry skin (artem realizes his skin is dry, and that uh. HES DRY IN GENERAL. like have u seen how much coffee this dude drinks??? drink some water, sir??? hes toeing the line of dehydration, i know it, and his body is having trouble creating most liquids. dry skin. dry skin for artem wing), soft cream, sunscreen.

he does not enjoy...Strong Fragrances. or Intense Face Sensations. or just anything that feels like his face is going through something chemical, in the bad way. gentle products all the way, artem wing must be placed in a swaddles of softness ONLY...

bonus: nxx investigation team skincare bonding

marius and luke are the ones most open and game and HAPPY to have chill face mask friday night funtime with mc. granted, luke is gonna be like "THIS FEELS WEIRD AND COLD AND SLIMY" once mc slaps the mask onto his face. but he gets used to it pretty quickly. esp after marius teases him like "super spy can handle everything but aloe vera, huh?" and then after that marius has to dodge luke's tackle attack. friday night funtime with the boyz!!!

vyn and artem are invited to friday night funtime but theyre both hesitant. vyn because hes like "i dont look handsome when theres a face mask on my face" and artem because hes like "what if i get a bad grade at having fun on a friday night with friends. this is something both normal to fear and possible to achieve"

but i think mc has some great puppy eyes (she grew up with luke, of course she'd have great puppy eyes, im sure he TAUGHT HER) and so vyn and artem eventually get over themselves bc theyre both whipped as hell

once that happens, it's a lovely bonding disaster. marius is trying to ramble BETTER about the science of skincare vs. luke who did research because goddamnit, he's not going to let marius win so easily. artem prepared a relaxing spotify playlist and vyn takes potshots at him when a spotify ad plays and hes like "dont have premium? shame." and artem holds back on pelting the phone at vyn's clear skinned face. mc is just happy all her friends are here being dumb and having fun

all in all the nxx skinvestigation team is doing GREAT in terms of face skin. im sure random stellis citizens look at them walking around like "...he doesnt deserve his skin...i....deserve his skin..."

[watchyourbluesturngolden]

I'm OBSESSED w/the Howard Stern fic and I was wondering if you could write another interview w/ Howard like matbe it's the first interview after you had gone pubblic... there's a line in your fic “I remember though, at first we were all a little uncertain about her. She’s not exactly like the other women you have a history with"...just like building on that and "I just mean, we were used to seeing you with models and actresses.."where yn is introvert,normal grl who helped H w/his mentalhealth

first of all thank you so much 🥺 it means a lot to me that you liked that other fic that much! i changed your request a little bit because i honestly couldn't picture harry opening up this much in an interview with howard stern slkfjdslkfj but i hope you like it!

tysm to @ssacalumsg0lden for beta reading for me :)))))

zane lowe

warnings: mentions of bad relationships

word count: 1.6k

"So what have you been up to, Harry?" Zane asked, leaning his arm against the picnic table.

"You know, the usual. Some music stuff," Harry said. "But I'm also trying to spend a lot of time with my family and friends. It's so hard to do that when you're on tour or working on a new album, it kind of takes over your life. So I like to try and make sure to do that whenever I'm able to."

"That's good, it helps to stay grounded."

Harry nodded. "It's very easy, I think, to get swept away from your normal life. So I try to surround myself with the people I love as much as possible, for the sake of my sanity," he laughed.

"That's good, it's important to do that," Zane nodded. "Do you notice a positive change in your mood now that you do that?"

"I do, very much," Harry nodded, a light blush tinting his cheeks as he smiled. "I've... There's a few new people I've gotten very close with, and it's made me so much happier."

Harry was, of course, talking about you. His girlfriend of one year. The woman who had changed his life.

Harry knew his relationship with you was different than ones he'd had before. Before, relationships weren't relaxing. They weren't something that made him feel safe, or a space for him to unwind after a long day. They were just something else he had to expend energy on. He was always performing, always trying to make his girlfriend happy, even if that meant sacrificing his own sleep, or comfort, or happiness.

But with you, it was different. For once, he didn't have to be anyone except himself. He didn't have to force himself to stay at afterparties for hours and hours, drinking too much and talking to people he didn't really know. He didn't have to come home after a long day, only to get cleaned up and get ready to go out for a fancy dinner. He didn't have to fake anything, not with you. He could just... be. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could completely be himself, no changes needed.

He had never really been with an introvert before; his previous relationships were always go go go. The next party, the next after party, the next after after party. It was exhausting, if he was being honest. Of course he appreciated the opportunity to celebrate with his friends and meet new people, but sometimes he was just tired. He was tired of being Harry Styles, the pop star who parties constantly. Sometimes he just wanted to come home and decompress, talk to his girlfriend about his day, and ask about hers. He was tired of being on all the time.

Which is why he loved his relationship with you so much. With you, everything seemed easy. Since you were decidedly an introvert, the majority of your evenings with him were spent watching movies in either one of your living rooms. On the nights you did go out (usually suggested by Harry, because you would honestly be fine to stay in every night) you didn't go to extravagant gatherings or five star restaurants. You preferred to explore smaller local shops and cafes, or old book stores, or antique stores, or walk around in a park, or go for a picnic. Places where you and Harry could just be together, without the pressure of others around you.

Harry was happier than he'd ever been. He didn't realize exactly how tiring it was to go out every night until he stopped doing it.

At first though, you were a little concerned about his sudden change of habits. You worried he would begin to resent you for keeping him in every night, since you really weren't interested in going out. After you had been dating for about 2 months, you decided to ask him about it.

"Harry, if you want to go out and... get drinks with your friends, or just meet up with them, you can," you said encouragingly. "I don't want you to feel like you can't do anything just because I don't like going out, I promise I'm not going to be upset if you want to do stuff like that." You were a little shy speaking about this, because it had been an issue before. It's really hard to sustain a relationship when one half wants to go out and have fun every night, and the other just wants to stay in and watch Netflix.

His eyes widened a little and he shook his head. "That's not- I mean if you're sick of having me here..." his voice took on a teasing tone.

"Yeah, because the way I cuddle you constantly really makes it seem like I want you to leave," you rolled your eyes. "But I'm serious, I don't want you to feel like I'm keeping you from doing stuff."

"You don't," he said quickly. "I feel like in other relationships I’ve had, I had to be on all the time. I was ready to go out whenever, we would shut down every party, we were just running around constantly, and I... was so over it," he dropped his head against your shoulder, laughing. "I would so much rather stay in. I mean, I still like going out sometimes, but I really don't have any desire to be like that anymore. I felt like shit all the time because I was always hungover and sleep deprived. Also... I kind of felt like the only reason people wanted to be with me wasn't because they liked me, they just liked the idea of me. They liked the friends and connections I had, they liked the parties I could take them to. I felt... kind of used, I guess. I never felt like I could just be myself, because that's not why they wanted to be with me."

You frowned, bringing your hand up to run your fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve that. I don't want you to feel like that anymore, okay? I want you to feel safe enough with me that you can just be yourself. And I really hope you know the reason I want to be with you. I want to be with you for you, not parties or connections or anything else."

You heard a quiet sniffle, and although his head was in your neck, you could tell he was crying.

"Baby, don't cry," you cooed soothingly, continuing to play with the little hairs at the back of his neck.

"I just... I love you," he said quietly. "And I know it's soon, but I do. I've never been more sure of anything. You don't have to say it back-"

"I love you too," you cut him off quietly. "Very, very much."

-----

Harry smiled as he thought back on that conversation. "Yeah. Definitely a positive change in my mood.

"I'm very glad to hear that," Zane said. "The right person can really change everything."

"They can," Harry agreed. "And that shows, in my music as well as my personal life. When I was writing Fine Line, I was having some of the lowest points of my life. Some of the highest too, but that just goes to show that I had no stability. I was just constantly up and down, thrown from super high highs to very low lows. I just felt... bad, a lot. But now I'm in a much better place, I think, and I think you can really hear that on this new record."

"Well, I'm very excited to hear it!" Zane smiled. "I think we all are."

"Thank you," Harry blushed. "There's a few songs on there that I'm very excited to share. Some very personal ones, so that's a little nerve wracking, but overall," he laughed lightly. "Overall I think they're some of my favorites that I've ever written."

"And are these songs about a certain person?"

"They are," Harry smiled. "She's the reason I'm in this better place. She's the reason I've been able to process so many of my emotions and put them into songs like this, so really she's the one you'll have to thank when the album comes out."

"She sounds wonderful," Zane smiled, looking out over the waves crashing on the shore.

"She is," Harry nodded, following the other man's gaze. "She's really... she's everything."

-----

"Harry, that was amazing," you grinned, launching yourself into his arms. The interview had concluded about an hour ago, and Harry just arrived home with takeout from the Chinese place you both loved.

"Thank you," he smiled, setting the bags down before he hugged you back. "Missed you, though."

"Missed you too." You leaned up to kiss him, but pulled away before it could go too far. "But I'm hungry. Let's eat?"

"Sure," he laughed, picking up the bags to bring them to the table. "Uh- I'm sorry if I said anything too personal, I didn't mean to take it so far. I was just thinking about how much I love you-"

"It's okay," you cut in. "I loved it, I promise it's okay."

"That's good," he leaned over to kiss your cheek. "I honestly had to hold myself back a lot, once i start talking about you it's hard to stop."

Your cheeks burned from the compliments, and you moved to return the tender gesture. "You're so sweet," you smiled. "But I'm, like, starving, so can we talk about this later?"

"Sure we can," Harry laughed. "Anything for you. You're everything."

[let-them-read-fics]

Blackpink HC / One Shots: Enemies to Lovers, College AU (2/2)

Requested: Yes

Warnings / Misc. -- Bickering, Rivalry, Fluff

A/N: Hey everyone! This is the second half of the request, featuring Rosé and Lisa. If you want to see the first part, with Jisoo and Jennie, click the link below. I hope you enjoy!

Click for Jisoo and Jennie

♡ Happy Reading ♡

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Rosé

Park Chaeyoung: The girl who hung with the wrong crowd.

Your problem lied more so with the people she associated with than her herself. You couldn't wrap your head around why such a kind person like her would spend time with the class clowns and bullies, and to make matters worse, she would stick up for them as well.

She spent most of her days in either the art or music room, creating the masterpieces that her brain came up with.

But as soon as school was over, she'd be hanging out with them again and getting into trouble. For instance, because of her talents, they would invite her to go with them and graffiti various hot spots around town. She never vandalized any monuments or landmarks of importance -- she typically stuck to bridges or abandoned buildings -- but after getting caught with them multiple times, it was inevitable for her to be held accountable.

She was given a week's detention to make up for her actions

You, coincidentally, had a teacher that absolutely loathed you for no reason at all. No matter how good of a student you were for him, he didn't care; he had a vendetta against you for some reason, and he patiently waited for the opportunity to ruin your day.

You came in literally 10 seconds after the bell rang, putting the breakfast sandwich you stopped to get on the way into your mouth so you could open the door. He was standing at the front with a smug grin on his face, and you already knew what was coming.

You were also given an ungodly sentence of a week's detention.

Turning Point

"If I see you on your phones, I'm taking them." The monitor informs before sitting at the desk, reclining in the chair and putting his feet up soon after. You sigh and lean back in your seat, attempting to find a way to pass the next two hours without getting in trouble. Your eyes scan across the room, eventually landing on Rosé, where she sits a couple rows away from you. Sunlight is streaming in through the window next to her, its golden rays peeking through the breaks in the clouds above to shine on her. She looks gorgeous as she doodles away in her notebook, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear when it falls in front of her face.

After waiting on the monitor to fall asleep and sending one last glance to double check, you quietly stand from your seat and go sit next to her.

You barely know each other, but she's your only hope of remaining sane and occupied.

"Hi," you greet, looking into her eyes.

"Hi," she copies, a tiny smile forming on her lips when she notices your impressed expression upon gazing down at her paper. You have to hand it to her -- she's really talented.

"You're really good," you compliment, still admiring the artistry. Seeing as how you're looking down, you fail to notice the blush that works its way to her cheeks. Coming from you, the simple remark meant a lot to her.

You spend the rest of the day making small talk and getting used to one another, leaving detention later with the hopes of sitting together again.

----

The Next Day

"Hi again," you whisper, glancing over your shoulder to ensure that the coast is clear. The monitor is out like a light, with his mouth hanging open and an obnoxiously loud snore coming out.

"Hi," she giggles, watching as you dive into the floor for cover when the man shifts in his sleep. You thought he was waking up, and if he finds out you moved seats, he'll definitely have something to say about it.

"The coast is clear, cadet," she nods like a soldier, assuring you that it's okay to move back after a minute.

"That was close," you breathe out in relief, glad to live to see another day.

You share a laugh, though it has to be hidden behind your hands and kept a minimum. It's cute though -- like a little secret between the two of you, only for you to know.

"What're you drawing today?" You ask later, laying your chin in your palm as you gaze down at her work. Her reply comes out stuttered at first when she feels your leg innocently brush against hers under the table.

"D-dalgom. My friend's dog." She manages out, mentally smacking herself for looking like a fool.

You smile, thinking she's adorable. "I bet it'll be great," you encourage. She grins back as her eyes scan over your face, committing the memory of you to heart. She's always had a thing for you, ever since the time you were paired up in Biology last semester, so she's been enjoying detention more than she thought she would. Seeing you makes the time go by faster, though ironically, she wishes it would slow down a bit.

You make her feel appreciated for more than just what she's capable of producing, and the divide between you and her friend group is blaringly obvious. They like her because of the rush she can help them achieve; you like her because of her.

That thought persists in her mind for the rest of detention, and before she knows it, the monitor is releasing you again. She bends down to put her notebook in her bag when a thought pops into her mind: she wants to ask if you want to go to the park with her. When she's done zipping her bag up, she looks back up at you, only to find you on your phone, talking to someone.

"Yeah, mom. I'll stop by on the way home. So milk, cereal, ramen, and paper towels, right?"

She watches as you wait for a reply, tucking the phone into the crook of your neck as you move to write the list down on a spare piece of paper.

"Alright, love you, too. See you later." You hang up before looking back at Rosie. She looks a little down, and you have no idea why.

You pause for a moment, silently psyching yourself up for what you're about to ask. "This is gonna sound really strange, but do you want to come with me to the store?"

Her heart's pace increases at that, happy to know that you want to spend more time with her, just as she does with you.

"Actually, yeah. That sounds like fun."

You grin at her before spinning around and doing a little celebratory dance, which wins you a strange look from the monitor. You stick your tongue out at him before grabbing her hand and rushing out of the room, hearing his disapproval shouted after you.

--

"Milk?"

"Check."

"Ramen?"

"Check."

"Cereal?"

"Nope."

You nod at her words, now reminded of what you were forgetting. You push the buggy towards the aisle of cereals, gazing around in wonder at the huge selection. Rosé is just the same, eyeing all of the options like a kid in a candy store. After grabbing your mom's favorite kind, you decide on one for yourself and bring it back to the cart. Rosie scoots her leg over, making room for them beside where she sits, reclined in the cart.

You grin when you see her eyeing a box of fruit loops. Huh; fruity. Go figure.

You wordlessly grab the box and hand it to her, feeling your heart melt when she looks up at you like you hold the key to the universe.

"Thank you, Y/N."

"No problem, Rosie." You say, putting your hands on the bar as you begin pushing the buggy again. "Now, I say we see how long it takes to get to the paper towel aisle. My last record was 30 seconds."

She looks at you, clearly impressed, with her eyebrows raised. Without question, she pulls her phone out and gets the stop watch feature ready to go.

"3...2...1... GO!" She shouts, commanding your legs to start pumping as you race down the long strip of store before you. A couple kids dart out of the way just before getting smacked into, quickly turning around and cheering you on as you charge forward.

Her giggles fill the air as you drift around a corner, shouting apologies to the lady you almost bumped into.

"Sorry ma'am!"

A few seconds later, chest heaving and legs sore, you come to a stop in the aisle, dramatically collapsing in a heap next to the buggy. Rosé checks her phone as she reaches down to poke you.

"22.18 seconds, champ," she declares victoriously, smiling when you magically regain enough energy to stand up and celebrate.

"Woohoo! Team Y/S/N (Your Ship Name) for the win!"

She laughs along at that, joining in on your celebration, but she's blushing like crazy on the inside.

-----

The Last Day Of Detention

Ever since your trip to the store, you and Rosé have grown closer and closer. You traded numbers and text occasionally, though nothing beats having her all to yourself for 2 hours straight with no distractions. She feels the same; when she's in class, she can't wait for the bell to ring and signal your reunion. Part of her wants to get in trouble again, just to see you more often.

So, as you'd expect, it's really no surprise that you're sat right in front of her again, telling jokes and asking about her day. You've grown a bit more bold with every step closer you've taken towards her heart, and now you reach down to intertwine your fingers with hers.

She happily accepts, even bringing your hand up to her lips to press a kiss to the back of it. She smiles against your skin after it, making butterflies take flight in your stomach. She's got you wrapped around her finger, and you don't even try to fight it anymore.

The sound of the classroom door opening alerts you, making her lower your hand. She doesn't let go of you, though, and that fact warms your heart for some reason. The squeaky hinges groan out again as the door opens wider, revealing about 4 or 5 people from the friend group that she hangs out with. They motion for her to sneak out with them, but she just shakes her head.

"Come on, Rosé!" They whisper-scream, offering her a way to freedom. Little do they know that she'd take this imprisonment over freedom any day, so long as you're by her side.

"No! Get out before he wakes up!" She whisper-shouts back, eventually convincing them to leave.

"Why didn't you go?" You ask once they're gone, toying with her fingers as your hands rest on the desk.

"Because I like spending time with you." She admits, letting her defenses down.

"I was hoping you'd say that," you smile, letting her know that you feel the same.

The Fallout

After detention, the two of you walked out of the school, hand in hand

"Would you maybe, I don't know... wanna go to the park with me?" She asks nervously, glancing up at you.

"You read my mind, Rosie." You smile at each other and head towards the parking lot.

You started hanging out more, and she distanced herself from her old crowd

You encouraged her to enroll in your school's art program and show her work that way

"You're really talented; it deserves to be seen."

Your support meant the world to her, and she never failed to let you know

"Thank you, Y/N. Having you behind me means the world to me."

At one of her art shows, where she was tasked with unveiling a new piece that she'd been working on for months, you got the biggest surprise of your life.

She created a mural of you, all decked out with every color of the rainbow, utterly gorgeous

She lit up when she saw your reaction

"This piece is titled 'Mine', which I hope the girl in it will soon be." She says into the microphone, looking at you with hope shining in her eyes.

You nod your head with a smile and walk up to her, pressing your lips to hers in a kiss that was long-overdue. She wraps her arms around your waist, pulling you in closer with her sweater-padded hands and kissing you again and again.

The crowd claps for you, happy to see such an ending.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Lisa

I couldn't choose between these two gifs so enjoy both for the price of one ^^^

Lisa Manoban: Cocky, smug, and self-assured. The dancer knew she was hot shit, and she wasn't afraid to show off.

You're all for people being confident and happy with themselves, especially when they're talented, but something about Lisa always seemed to rub you the wrong way.

Whether it be her lack of a filter or the arrogant swagger that she naturally exuded, you weren't sure. People wanted to either be her or be with her, but you fell into neither of those categories.

She always left you frustrated in one way or another, whether it be from her teasing or her witty comebacks

The teachers loved her, as did the students. She was the class clown, so her position was pretty sacred in the grand scheme of things

You, on the other hand, irritated her for other reasons. You were the only person she couldn't get to crack; you never gave into her charms, and it infuriated her to no end. She wasn't used to not getting what she wanted (as childish as that may seem) and having you, one of the most attractive girls at school, turn her down? Well that was a massive blow to her ego.

You weren't afraid to say your piece, and that both pleasantly surprised and upset her.

She constantly tried to flirt with you in class, but you knew it was all for the attention. She just wanted to make her friends laugh, which they always did.

"Y/N, come here babe. There's an empty seat next to me," she coos, batting her eyelashes as you walk in the door. It's a free day, so everyone is sitting with their friends, wherever they like.

"I'm good," you decline, deciding to sit against the wall beneath the large window of the classroom.

"Oooo, denied," Lisa's friends laugh at her this time, chuckling harder when she sticks her middle finger up at them.

"Yah, shut up," she says, nursing her bruised ego as she turns around and opens her phone.

You smile as you continue working on the homework you cracked open, scribbling an answer down onto the notebook paper in front of you. Your fingers glide over your textbook in search of the definition of the term you're on, and Lisa secretly watches from afar. Without realizing it, she grins when you light up upon spotting the answer.

Sometimes her flirting does work, though, and you turn into a blushing mess

*whistle* "Damn, Y/N. You're looking fine today," she exclaims, fanning herself. You worry that she doesn't really mean it, but when her eyes remain on you a second too long to just be friendly, you blush. She's taking in all of you, looking impressed all the while.

"Right back at you, Manoban." You wink, sitting down in your seat across the room. She lightly blushes back, though she does a good job of concealing it.

Considering you share a couple classes and the class sizes are relatively small, it was pretty likely that you'd end up paired together eventually

You weren't happy about it, especially not after the way she had acted that week. Her cockiness had been at an all time high as of late, leaving you frustrated and upset. She was so full of herself; all you wanted to do was wipe that stupid smirk off her face.

"Y/N, you'll be paired with Lisa," your photography teacher informs, pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose.

"But Mrs. Ta--"

"Pairings are final," she cocks her head at you, persuading you to give in. With a sigh, you respond, "Yes ma'am," and attempt to ignore the sound of Lisa's friends high fiving each other in celebration.

The Turning Point

"My parents are gone for the rest of the week..." she says, holding the door open for you as you carry in your equipment. A hint of suggestiveness lies in it; she's alluding to exactly what you think she is, and you push her shoulder upon realizing it.

"Knock it off, Manoban."

"Okay, okay," she chuckles, listening to you for once. The surprise is clear on your face.

She leads you towards the backyard, where you set up one of your highest power cameras and turn it on. You have to create a gallery of different photos, all under the same theme. You both agreed to do a time-lapse of the sunset, and take pictures of the stars after.

Once she makes sure that the timer is set correctly and that the auto shut-off feature is enabled, she motions for you to follow her back into the house. You do, and she leads you into the kitchen.

"Do you want a snack?"

"Sure, do you have any ramen?"

She nods, quickly busying herself by bending down and searching through the cabinets. After she finds it, exclaiming a pleased, "Aha!", she tells you to go get comfortable in the living room.

Three minutes later, from your place on the couch, you begin to smell something burning. You scramble up and rush to the kitchen, only to find Lisa running around like a headless chicken, attempting to put out the small fire she started.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO BURN RAMEN?" You shout, though your tone isn't angry. You're just very shocked, and loud about it. You push her away from the pot, albeit gently, and get the flames to go down relatively quickly. You turn the burners off and put the pot in the sink, leaning against the counter to recover from the adrenaline rush.

"Oops?" She asks more so that says, with a growing smile evident in her voice.

You shake your head and chuckle despite yourself, turning around to face her. "You can order a pizza now to make up for that." You point a finger at her, grinning stupidly when she presses the tip of hers to it.

"Your wish is my command, princess."

Thankfully you're already walking away as she says that, so she doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing you blush.

---

"Lisa, I can't keep going." You groan out, sweat dripping down your face. The pizza you ate earlier is giving you a stomache ache, paired with the physical activity you're doing.

"Y/N, just a little longer, we're almost there," she huffs out, keeping her movements steady somehow. You're a mess by now, so you don't understand how she's still going.

A couple minutes later, the TV in front of you lights up, saying, "Awesome moves! You win!" as you collapse to the ground in a heap.

Why you agreed to play Just Dance with her after eating is beyond you.

"Good job," she compliments, grabbing your hand to high five herself with it.

"Yeah, yeah," you roll over, catching your breath.

She lays down beside you as you recover, telling jokes to hear that laugh that she loves so much. She prefers yours over anyone elses, so it's always such a reward when she gets you to crack up.

"We should probably head up now," she notes, realizing that the stars will be coming out soon. You agree, and she carefully helps you up.

"Here, I'll carry you," she turns, bending down so you can get on her back.

"Lisa, you can't carry me," you brush off, feeling insecurity bubble up again like it always does when you're offered a piggyback ride.

"Y/N, I promise that I can. Trust me," she reassures, looking into your eyes sincerely.

"Alright," you sigh, standing onto the couch to get on easier.

"See?" She asks, sliding her warm hands up your thighs to keep you secured against her. "I've got you, babe."

You tuck your head into the space between her shoulder and neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.

"I'm gonna punch you if you drop me," you whisper, feeling her laugh against you.

"Fair enough."

-----

Later, On The Rooftop

"Careful," she instructs, outstretching a hand to help you climb out the window. Her camera hangs around her neck, and she takes the cap off of the lense once you're both safely sitting on the roof.

"Wow," you sigh, gazing up at the sky in wonder. Her house is far enough away from the city that you're rewarded with a gorgeous view of the stars, unburdened by the industrial fog that hangs over the cosmopolis.

"It's beautiful out here," you say, looking back at her. You tense up a bit, not expecting her to already be looking at you.

"Sorry," she laughs at herself, looking away once she gets caught admiring you.

"It's okay," you reach down and gently squeeze her hand, making her blush lightly.

"Let's get started," you conclude, pointing at the camera. She nods, knowing that she'd never get the assignment done if you didn't step in to tell her to (considering she'd rather admire you), and she points the device to the sky.

After snapping a few pictures, she lays back in order to get a better vantage point of one of the star systems. She hands it to you after she's satisfied with her work, and you take your turn with it.

She notices that you keep brushing your hair out of the way when it falls in your face, so she decides to help you.

"Here," she says, saddling up behind you. She gathers your hair up, running her fingers through it to neatly pull it up for you. Thankfully she always keeps a spare tie on her wrist.

"Thanks," you smile, snapping another picture. The simple act warms your heart; she's being selfless for once, and helping you without even being asked. It's a refreshing change of pace.

"You're welcome." She chirps, sitting back down beside you.

-----

Later, In Her Bedroom

"Oh, I really like that one!" She says excitedly, pointing at the TV. Her phone, which is connected via Bluetooth and automatically receives pictures of her choosing from the camera, is displaying some of your best shots.

"Yeah, you did really well with that. I think we might beat everyone else if we use that as our cover piece."

Your compliment makes her momentarily shy, and she quickly realizes how much she loves your praise.

The two of you continue like that, reviewing the different pictures and choosing your favorites. She always finds ways to compliment yours, noting your technique or the filter you used, and it always makes you smile. She's different than you're used to, and it's throwing you for a loop, pleasantly surprising.

---

Lisa steps out of the room to go to the bathroom a few minutes later, leaving her phone connected to the TV. A ding sounds out across the space, pulling your attention away from the stack of notes laid out before you. Your eyes dart up to the screen, reading the text message that appeared at the top of it.

Austin ⛓: "Dude, did you get into her pants yet? We're literally betting over here 😂"

You blink a few times as their words sink in, making your chest hurt. You were really beginning to believe that you had been wrong about Lisa; clearly, though, your instincts were right.

Feeling betrayed, you shove your folders back into your bag and stand from the chair, willing yourself not to cry. The sound of the sink turning on lets you know that she's almost done, so you hurry your movements and make your way towards the door. She steps out into the hall just as you exit her room, looking at you with wide eyes.

"Woah, woah, woah, what's going on?" She asks with furrowed brows, approaching you. One of her hands lands on your arm, and you shrug it off as you brush past her without another word.

"Y/N, did I do something wrong?" She asks from the top of her staircase, watching as you walk towards her foyer.

"Why don't you ask Austin?" You bitterly call over your shoulder as you turn the knob, slipping out the front door. She hangs her head upon registering your words, realizing what must've happened. She makes a mental note to give him hell when she sees him again.

Tears sting your eyes as you exit the house, wrapping your jacket tighter around yourself. You should've known something like this would happen. The chilly night air bites at your skin, stealing more of its warmth away with every step you take. The temperature doesn't change your mind, though; you're upset, and you'd rather freeze out here than be face to face with her right now.

"Y/N, wait!" She calls after you, blasting out the front foor. Her footfalls sound off behind you, announcing her rapid approach, but you don't turn around. Realizing this, she darts in front of you, keeping you from walking any further.

"Please, don't go. He's an idiot, Y/N."

"He might he an idiot, but that doesn't take away what he said," you scowl, clenching your jaw. "Betting? Really, Lisa?" You ask quietly, hurt evident in your voice.

"It was a stupid thing they tried to convince me to do. I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop them from talking once you and I were paired up. That's not what I want, though. I'm not just in it for that."

"How am I supposed to believe that? This is your M.O., Lisa."

"It's different with you, I don't know why." That's a lie; she knows exactly why you're different than anyone else she's flirted with in the past.

You stand there before her, silently weighing your options. After seeing the pleading look in her eye, her dark orbs full of sincerity, you relent. "Just take me home. We'll work on it another day," you compromise, allowing her in just enough to take you home, but not enough to stay at her place any longer. You're still weary after a text like that, and you will be for a while.

"Thank you," she breaths a sigh of relief, clasping her hands behind herself as you begin walking back to her house. She notices you shiver on the way, and she slips her jacket off without hesitation to cover you. Neither of you have to say anything; one glance from you is enough for her, and she's content knowing you're warm.

The Fallout

From there on out she was always honest with you and actually spoke out when her friends tried to do something stupid

She still remained the charming class clown that she naturally is, just getting rid of the not-so-nice parts of herself

You slowly let her regain your trust, little by little

She did nice things for you on the daily, whether it be holding the door, carrying your books, or offering to buy you some lunch

"Morning, Y/N. Wanna grab some breakfast?" She asks, moving her head to the side towards the café at the center of campus.

"Sure," you smile, laughing when she celebrates.

She invites you to her dance perfomances

When she goes to championships, you're always first on her list of invites

"I want you there." She declares, handing you the flyer.

"You've got it," you decide, knowing there's no where you'd rather be. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

At said championship, she won the highest title and claimed victory for your school

You joined the rest of the team on the stage to celebrate, congratulating the solo dancer on her achievement.

"I'm so proud of you, Lis--"

She suddenly kisses you, clearly high off her win. She pulls back when she realizes what she just did, a worried look on her face.

"Shit, I'm sorry." She looks between your eyes, attempting to gauge your reaction.

"Get your ass back here," you order, feeling butterflies take flight when she eagerly presses her lips to yours again, wrapping her arms around you to spin you.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" She mumbles against your lips.

You squint, pretending to think about it. "Maybe... or maybe not."

Her subsequent gasp is quickly muffled by your kiss, which she can't seem to get enough of.

[a-vild-bluemyrtle]

Gaea - The blooming Spirit

Seth Clearwater x Female OC | 10 years after Breaking Dawn | OC with Earth Powers

Also on: AO3 - FF.net

________________________________

Request from @purpledragon04: Can you write a Seth Clearwater x reader where she has earth elements.

I'm sorry it took me all this time to write this down, but I fell into a rabbit hole and I just lost all my creativity. I still hope you like this :))

Requests are still open, Twilight Wolfpack only!

It took me all my mental strength to finally go out from the house, from my garden in particular and get some fresh air. Lately, all I have been doing is lying in our glasshouse and taking care of my flowers. I didn’t adapt that much to the new town, to the cold and rainy days, to the lack of sunshine and especially the lack of flowers. Green was the predominant colour, together with grey. Green was all I could see since we moved to Forks. And grey was all I could feel, no matter how hard I tried.

Leaving my beloved Alsace was harder than I thought, especially because of my powers. They grew there, they got stronger there, I could move mountains, trees, I could grow roses, lilies, tulips wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I could make strawberries and cherries gems bloom in autumn If I wanted. While in Forks... it was like they just got weaker and I was getting weaker with them.

There was something in that town that just sucked the life out of me, I couldn't feel any connection with the grass, the trees, with the animals and no one could figure out why.

I was used to attracting animals, playing with them, to cuddle them in those endless French summers. There was this innate curiosity in them for me, because of my powers. Controlling the element of earth meant not only being able to let nature grow around me or on me – uncountable were the times I let flowers grow in my hair - but it also came with the ability to be connected to animals, understand them even without speaking the same language. I was used to birds flying to me and sit on my fingers or shoulders just with a tiny whistle or ladybugs quickly crawling on my bare feet.

In Forks I could whistle as much as I wanted, no one ever came. I could stay sit on the grass and no flower could grow.

“This forest considers you a treat, ma chérie. You’re a stranger here, a frightful one I would say. The trees and the animals do not know your powers, it is something never seen here.” My father used to say the first days but the more those days passed the more concerned he became. To not talk about my mother, she was almost hysterical and when she saw me dressed up to go somewhere different from the usual glasshouse, she almost cried.

“Isn’t it a little too much, Maman?” I asked furrowing my brows and questioning if mental sanity was still present in our house.

“You have not gone out since we moved, mon chou” – she started while I rolled my eyes.

“And I haven’t seen you wearing something different from sweatpants and t-shirts for 2 months. I’m just happy to see you in one of your colourful dresses”. She said, gifting me with one of her sweetest smiles.

My mother was the epithet of sweetness and kindness and it was from her that I inherited my powers. On my 16th birthday they flowed from her to me and, if I’ll have a daughter, one day it will happen to us too. My powers will be hers and she will pass to her daughter, and her daughter to her daughter and so on. All the women in our bloodline will always carry the Nature genes (another of my father’s names, who was really into X-Men).

“Anyway, I’m going exploring. Don’t wait for me. If we are lucky enough, I’ll find out why my powers do not work here”, I said while grabbing my pink purse and opening the front door.

“Don’t let the trees catch you, chérie”, my father said smirking. I was waiting for the day in which he’ll finally stop saying such horrible dad jokes. Especially the inside jokes only we could understand.

It was raining outside, like every day in that town, but bringing an umbrella with me was out of discussion. I have never felt so distant from Mother Nature since we moved here, so a little bit of rain pouring down on my bare skin would have been a blessing in disguise. The best sensation in the world: being outside while it was raining, especially during the summer. The only problem was that it was autumn in Forks, and I could have easily caught a cold… still I didn’t mind at all.

----

Hours? Months? Years? I don’t even remember how much time I spent that day in the forest strolling around without really thinking where I was going. At some point, while it was still raining, I also took off my shoes and started walking on the muddy and cold soil with bare feet – which may sound disgusting, but once you try how good it feels to just walk without shoes and feeling every inch of the forest under your feet, you’ll never stop doing it.

As I imagined, no traces of animals or plants moving or whatsoever. There was a strange and ominous silence throughout the forest. No birds were chirping, no snakes slithering, no deer jumping around.

When I got out of the house, I was full of hope, I truly believed that all that negative energy was all in my head, that I could fix whatever was happening at that time. But the more I walked the more I started losing that hope. I couldn’t feel anything.

Arrived at a river, I decided to sit down for a moment. The rain stopped a few moments back. I sat on the riverbank and let my feet fell into the cold – freezing – water as I wasn’t enough wet from head to toe. I sat there, sighing and biting my bottom lips in frustration. Why? Why my powers didn’t work? Was it my fault? Of course it was, it’s never Mother Nature’s fault, it’s always mine. Whatever I was, a collateral effect, a special genes carrier or simply a freak, that forest knew.

Another louder sigh came out of my mouth, almost in a desperate attempt to not start crying. I laid down, on the pebbles surrounding the riverbank and what my eyes saw at that moment freaked me out in ways I could have never imagined.

Two dark brown eyes were looking at me, were curiously observing me from the treeline and they did not belong to another human being. I froze in that position, lying on the pebbles with my nose up in the air and my eyes locked into his.

Only years later I understood what was happening at that moment, only after a couple of months later I found out who was hiding in the treeline, to whom those eyes belonged.

At that moment, though, my brain just shut down and there was nothing I could think of. I was scared but at the same time excited. After two months I finally felt something, and even if it were not positive emotions at least they were some kind of emotions.

I slowly got up on my feet, trying to be as subtle as possible so to not instigate the wolf t – or horse, better – to attack me. Our eyes were still onto each other's, my gaze never leaving his and there was something in him that tangled me.

The rain started pouring down again the moment I decided to take a step forward towards him. At the same moment, he seemed to be scared of me and took a step back, his head tilted to one side, his eyes digging into mine trying to figure everything out.

There was some sort of connection happening between me and that wolf, which fur reminded me of the colour of the sand, or more precisely of the colour of the light in the late afternoon in Alsace. And I would have never imagined what that moment meant for my future, not really far as I imagined it was.

We stayed like that, frozen in time and space, under the rain, looking at each other until we realized, or at least he realized – I would have realized a lot later, I had all the hints in front of my eyes and still didn’t have a clue. No words were spoken, not a single one, the only sounds were the thunders and the rain falling from the sky, and our heartbeats – his way faster than mine.

----

“Still daydreaming, darling?” His sweet voice wakes me up and I shake my head smiling when he puts his warm hand on my shoulder. I don’t think I will ever get used to his warmth, every time he touches me I sweetly shiver.

“Mh… yes”. I whisper, more to myself than to him, absolutely sure that he can still hear me clearly.

He hugs me from behind, trying to find the exact spot I’m still looking at outside our window.

“What is it? A deer? Again?” he whispers to my ear, leaving soft kisses on the side of my neck.

I intertwine his fingers with mine and tilt the head a little, so he has more space to kiss me.

“No, no deer at all, baby”, I reply, closing my eyes and enjoying the overwhelming sensation his kisses and hugs were making me feel. He holds me closer and I can’t help to smile more, thinking about everything that happened since the moment we met.

“It’s raining, exactly like that day”. I turn my head to look at him, at those same eyes that turned me upside down on that pouring day years ago.

Those same eyes that haunted me in my sleep until I found out to whom they belonged: to a sweet, gentle man, with arms and legs covered in tattoos, with hairs longer than mine who I fell in love with instantly and married one night on a beach without telling anyone else. A wonderful man I'm lucky enough to call my husband, the love of my life.

[massivetyrantduck]

incorrect quote generator part 2

Reminder, some of these are inaccurate, I only excluded the really bad ones. I put all of their names in and let it choose.

Legend: Onion rings are vegetable donuts.

Sky, unsure of where this is going: Sure...

Legend: Your stomach thinks all potatoes are mashed.

Sky: Okay?

Legend: Lasagna is spaghetti flavored cake.

Sky:

Legend: Lobsters are mermaid scorpio-

Sky: Hylia, that one is a little-

Four, interested: No no, Legend, keep going.

~

Hyrule: We are not mad. We are just disappointed.

Four: No, we are mad.

Hyrule: Yes. We are. We are livid. But we are going to let this one slide.

Four: No, we’re not!

Hyrule: I am not a mind reader, Four!

~

First: You spent all our money on THIS??

Twilight, putting tiny raincoats on ducklings: They live outside. They need this.

~ (hell yeah i'm adding Spirit Tracks Link)

Spirit, who just joined: As someone who has a long history of not understanding anything, I feel confident in my ability to continue not knowing what is going on.

~

Spirit: I failed my safety training course today.

Twilight: Why, what happened?

Spirit: Well one of the questions was "In case of a fire, what steps would you take?"

Twilight: And?

Spirit: Well apparently "FUCKING LARGE ONES" isn't an acceptable answer.

~

Four: I currently have 7 empty notebooks and I have no idea what to put in them. Any suggestions?

Spirit: Put spaghetti in it.

Four: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you.

Legend: Put spaghetti in it.

Four: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you two.

First: Put spaghetti in it.

Four: I am no longer taking suggestions.

~

Legend: How did none of you hear what I just said?!

First: I've been zoned out for the past two and a half hours.

Spirit: I got distracted halfway through.

Four: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.

~

Sky: If you put 'violently' in front of anything to describe your action, it becomes funnier.

Sky: Violently practices.

Four: Violently studies.

First: Violently sleeps.

Warriors: Violently shoots pictures.

Legend: Violently boxes.

Spirit: Violently murders people.

First: Violently worries about the previous statement.

~

Spirit: Thanks for not telling Twilight what happened.

Wild, dumbfounded: I wouldn’t even know where to begin trying to explain this.

~

Hyrule, after having a nosebleed: Welp. Time to wash the blood off my hands.

~

Twilight: What did you guys get in your yearbook?

Wind : 'Prettiest Smile'

Spirit: 'Nicest Personality'

Warriors: 'Most likely to start a bar fight'

Legend: 'Least likely to start a bar fight, but most likely to win one'

~

Four: My stomach growled super loud in French.

Four: I would like to clarify, my stomach did not speak in French. It growled during French class.

First: Bonjour.

Warriors: Le growl.

Sky: Hon hon hon, feed me a baguette.

~

Spirit: I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan.

Four: We could attack them with hummus.

Spirit: I stand corrected.

Four: Just keeping things in perspective.

~

Wild: Like, no offense to myself and all, but what the fuck am I actually doing?

~

Hyrule: Your smile? It makes my day.

Wild: Your happiness? I live for that.

Warriors: A room? Get one. (he meant it as a joke. i do not ship any of them together)

Sky: Hotel? Trivago.

~

Spirit: "It's easy to forget what a sin is in the middle of a battlefield."

Wind : Opposite over hypotenuse.

Wind : Dipshit.

~

Hyrule: Sometimes I drink milk straight from the container.

Four: The cow??

Hyrule: What?

Wild: Four, W H Y?

~

Spirit: *walking around disappointed after visiting an aquarium*

Time: Spirit, what did you think a tiger shark was?

~

Legend: *sees someone doing something stupid*

Legend: What an idiot.

Legend: *realizes it's Hyrule*

Legend: Wait, that's MY idiot!

~

First: Why don't humans have a specific noise that means "there are bees here, let's leave immediately." Why are elephants more advanced than us.

Legend: We do have a specific noise for it. It sounds like this:

Legend: "There are bees here, let's leave immediately."

~

Warriors: New year, same me. Because I'm perfect.

~

Hyrule: Okay, two person huddle.

First: You can't huddle with two people. This is just a hug.

~

Hyrule: Yeah I'm LGBT.

Hyrule: cuLt leader.

Hyrule: God hates me personally.

Hyrule: cowBoy hat.

Hyrule: *sniffles* Trying my best.

~

Four: What situation is not instantly improved by the addition of fishnets, I ask you.

Hyrule: Being a fish.

Four: Well, shit.

~

First: So, did everyone learn their lesson?

Legend: No.

Sky: I did not.

Wind : I may have actually forgotten one.

Warriors: Also no.

First: Oh good, neither did I.

Twilight: *Exhausted sigh*

~

First: What are your three best qualities?

Warriors: I’m hot, I have soft hair, and sometimes I cry because I love my friends.