#i'm so excited to get this done i'm forgetting things whew

[maxfieldparrishes]

intro to genevieve, pt. 4

Getting close to the end now!!! Only a few more to go!!! @ocelotsflatass it’s almost done!!! Here’s the reference post!!!

S: Streets 1. Viv is not particularly street smart, mostly because she’s never needed to be, but she’s pretty cautious and not dumb enough to believe everything somebody told her. That said, the streets are not her scene.  2. She’d give money to someone on the street, no question, but she sometimes wonders why there’s not a better social safety net, or why the available services are not better promoted.  3. She’s never gotten into a fight, but could be provoked enough to throw hands. Harassing her or assaulting her or her friends and not taking the hint when she tells you to stop is usually a surefire way to blow every single one of her fuses. She’s not big, but god is she pissed and when she goes feral, she goes feral. Anger at your own risk.  4. Nothing physical aside from one dude trying to grab her in a club, but she has been verbally harassed, catcalled, and followed multiple times. Definitely has one of those lipstick knives or cat-ear knuckle-duster things. Would like to take a self-defense class. Dante is more than happy to help train her.  5. Overall, yeah. Viv isn’t a big risk taker by nature and the only times she’s done something Not Smart is if she’s under the influence, but she’s pretty level-headed and at least tries to be aware of her surroundings and the people around her. But she’s usually pretty good. Even Not Smart for her is still pretty smart overall. 

T: Truth 1. Is she honest? Yes, almost to a fault. Almost to bluntness, which can be aggravating for quite a few people. It’s usually not out of meanness, she just believes in being direct.  2. She can usually tell when people are lying, or if they’re hiding something at the very least. She’s very perceptive, and very persistent if she feels someone’s not being upfront with her, which can be annoying.  3. Viv is usually honest about most things, so people don’t really think of her as someone who lies, which means she can get away with quite a few.  4. She has, but she can’t change the past. And she does believe that sometimes lies are kinder than the truth, even if keeping the lie up or telling it to begin with upsets her own conscience.  5. I’m... not really sure what this means. Has she spread rumors, or has she had rumors spread about her? Yeah, middle school sucked. She was kind of known as the weird girl in high school, but that didn’t bother her too much. 

U: Underdog 1. The bullying she experienced was mostly the bullying-by-exclusion, behind-the-back stuff that happens in middle and high school. She had enough pride to snap back at people if they insulted her to her face, which happened, but very infrequently, and people did learn quickly not to go at her directly because she would fight back.  2. She may have gone along with people who bullied other people, or taken sides in group/clique fights, but she wasn’t tormenting people in the hallway or taking their lunch money or anything. She was very sensitive and reactive in middle and high school, though, and could be a bit high strung. Viv wasn’t exactly the easiest person to deal with back then, but she has mellowed out considerably.  3. She’s never been physically attacked by a bully. She did kind of rough up some other kids as a young child, but it was mostly done out of a sense of rambunctious fun and not meanness, and she stopped when most people got bigger than her. But she does still feel bad about it. She feels that she was kind of a mean kid, which... she kind of was, but also wasn’t? It’s kind of weird. 4. Has she ever been doubted??? Uh... she has historically been dismissed about her concerns or complaints, which, for the most part, were valid and justifiable. She’s mentioned things to her parents before and been ignored, and unfortunately those things grew to be much bigger problems than they should have been. Viv fell through the cracks of her family for a long time, and she’s kind of got a chip on her shoulder about it.  5. Viv is surprisingly good with children and enjoys math as a subject, even if she sucks at actually doing it. She’s interested in a lot of activities and wants to learn a lot of practical things, like woodworking or knitting or how to fix her own car. Learning new things, however, is one area of her life where she is not particularly patient. 

V: Vomit 1. She can, particularly if she eats something that doesn’t agree with her, or during a migraine, which she gets more often than she likes.  2. She doesn’t really get a lot of stomach aches per se, but she can get nauseous pretty easily. Motion sickness is one of her nausea triggers, especially in a moving car, which is why she prefers to be the driver the majority of the time, or at least ride shotgun.  3. Viv is a mother hen to the max. She will make you soup, tea, run to get you crackers or whatever it is you need, force medicine down your throat, you name it. It makes sense, because one of her strongest love languages is caretaking and acts of service.  4. When she’s ill, Viv generally likes hot tea, a dumb movie marathon, taking as many drugs as she can stand, but mostly she likes sleeping it off. She also finds hot baths to be very soothing, if not always helpful.  5. Viv can get indigestion so her stomach can gurgle because of all the acid, but she mostly retches and coughs when she vomits. It’s very intense, and it sounds awful. Dante thought she was legit dying when he heard her vomiting for the first time during a migraine, and absolutely flipped his shit when he saw how awful she was feeling. It’s horrible to hear.

W: Water 1. She tries to, and she’s always yammering about how important it is to stay hydrated, but she can slip up with this. She’s also constantly bitching about single-use plastic, so you won’t find any plastic water bottles in DMC, and if you somehow do, she didn’t put them there.  2. She does know how to swim, but she’s no competitive swimmer. She could probably keep herself afloat long enough to get back to the boat, as long as it wasn’t going too fast or wasn’t too far away, or for someone to rescue her, but if it’s long-term survival in the ocean that you’re talking about she’s kind of fucked.  3. She doesn’t really enjoy swimming per se, she enjoys being in water as long as it’s relatively safe. Viv is actually kind of afraid of deep and open water, because she’s also kind of afraid of drowning... or any kind of death by suffocation, really.  4. She’s an... okay diver at best. She’s never gone scuba diving or snorkeling, but she does think that doing so would be fun. Viv would also like to swim with sharks, because she likes sharks. Also alligators.  5. She’s not good at rationing her oxygen, which is something her brother--who was very good at swimming--tried to help her with. Her breath control needs work. 

X: Xylophone 1. Viv likes indie music, rock music, and folk music in particular, but she’s not absolutely married to any single genre. She does not like stadium country, however, with only a few exceptions. Can roll with Dante’s metal, although she prefers symphonic metal herself.  2. She doesn’t have a single favorite song, but she does have a few long-lasting faves or songs that personally mean a lot to her. Viv will go through periods where she’ll be intensely into a few specific songs and listen to them ad nauseam, then move on to something else or have her interest in them die down.  3. She has a few fave bands and artists--Joanna Newsom, the Mountain Goats, the Decemberists, Led Zeppelin, Tom Waits, Warren Zevon, or whatever passes for them in the DMC world.  4. It’s not her talent, and she can only sing some songs well, but her voice won’t make your ears bleed. In the right circumstances it’s actually almost pretty. However, she is pretty good at piano and would like to learn guitar and cello. Again, Dante is happy to oblige, but they differ because he’s self-taught and Viv can read music... but they find a middle ground and jam together, though not without some Shenanigans. Zoe can play ukelele and guitar, and she and Viv used have some jam sessions.  5. This is one of her most closely-guarded secrets, but she does actually like some rap and hip-hop. One of her favorites comes on at a party? She’s spitting. Everyone is shocked. 

[hopefullystillatheatrestudent]

i'm so excited about you taking asks again ahhhh okay so. if you'd absolutely had to choose. what would be your top 5 cockles moments, and why? thank you ily <3

here’s the thing: there are so many routes i could go down with this, because cockles moments come in all shapes and sizes and formats. these include moments from their panels, their bloopers, the footage we get when they don’t even know they’re being recorded, stories being passed down from photo ops & autographs(one of my personal favorite ways to get cockles, tbh, because they’re all insane), and social media(tweets to each other, instagram posts & comments, etc.). 

SO! since many a list like this has already been made, and i want to stand out from the crowd, what i’m gonna do is definitively give the number one spot to each of these five categories.(i might even throw in honourable mentions because they’re so despicably in love that they warrant that. i really put my whole pussy into this, guys, i hope you’re happy.) 

disclaimer: these are my own personal opinions. but that also means i’m right. so. enjoy. 

number one: top cockles panel moment

so we’re starting off with a bang, because how do you even BEGIN to rank what atrocities jensen and misha commit at jibcon. every single one they’ve had is damning in it’s own right, for different reasons.

however, considering just how much unabashed fuckery they’ve given us to sift through, it’s a good thing i do have a personal favorite despite it all. it’s heartwarming, the sweetest thing i’ve ever seen, AND it’s jarringly cinematic - mainly because it has a whole ass arc to it that was years in the making. it might even be surprising to some people, but my favorite cockles panel moment, and what i consider the one that encompasses their entire gut-wrenching journey from 2008-2013 in the most sweepingly romantic gesture possible, is this one.

i want this burned into my retinas. i am not even joking. when i'm through with my explanation, let me convince you why this is thee most romantic cockles moment of all time.

first, some history: people call this the resume off, but many seem to forget the botched attempt at a resume off a year prior. and yes, you guessed it: it's during their break up. it's a juicy time period for a reason, guys. it came across as exceedingly one-sided and VERY awkward. let me refresh your memory as to just how bad it was, and just how hard jensen was trying and ultimately failing at winning misha over: the funniest part of the whole resume off in 2013??? every joke/bit had literally already been made/done. they were just going through the motions again, but the difference THIS time...is that misha reciprocated jensen's energy. it. is. fascinating. i want to get into it more detail in another post, and i'll link it here when i'm done, but the main takeaway, i think, and the main difference that showcases how much they've grown in a year, is that in jib 3, misha flat out refused to do an accent, and this time around, he indulges jensen for literal minutes. when i tell you they're crazy, they're crazy. i can't wait to actually dive into it later.

ANYWAY, the resume off culminates in this moment here. and, like, a million things happen in this gifset. actually, more like a million and one. the music starts playingneediremindyouthatthesongissingingintherain(h e l p), misha starts dancing, jensen 'perpetually fake grumpy' ackles lets misha think he's not going to join, misha sits down defeated, but no!!! that was jensen's plan all along(look at his stupid fucking smirk) and he offers his arm to his dance partner who immediately grins like a fool, jensen then leads misha into their kick step, they perfectly synchronise and let loose, and are then very clearly having the time of their lives, hanging off of each other with joy and ease. from their expressions alone i can tell that this moment is so. so. so. so! much more than what initially meets the eye. i mean-misha is fighting back the biggest smile i've ever seen. to me, it reads like jensen is offering something to misha, something that misha kind of gave up on expecting, and him offering his arm like that is like, a surprise to him in the best possible way(and it's so not platonic, let me just say that.) as soon as jensen did that, it ushered in a new era of cockles. this panel is jensen and misha's favourite for a reason, and i think this moment is the biggest clue as to why.

whew!!! ok. that took a lot out of me and that was only point one. moving on,

number two: top cockles blooper moment

cockles bloopers hold an extremely special place in my heart, because it shows just how fucking disastrous jensen and misha are. they are so goddamn infatuated with each other that they HOLD UP PRODUCTION ALL THE TIME TO FLIRT WITH EACH OTHER(???). let me repeat. let it sink in. jensen ackles; arguably one of the most professional actors on that show who puts everything he has into each scene, with mountains and mountains of notes to prove it: would rather hold up production to flirt with misha collins. this sounds fake. it's not. he does it. all. the. time. and here's the thing guys!!! i'm gonna let you in on a secret!!! misha loves it. he loveesssss it. on top of that-misha collins: overlooked because he's pranked and people assume he's unprofessional as well, but his only pranks are in retaliation/off-set, and he rarely if EVER causes problems if he can help it....lets himself get carried away when it comes to jensen making kissy faces at him!!! are you actually kidding me!!! i mean. misha. it's just a face. you've seen it a million times. i don't buy that it triggers something in you that strongly....you like it, and you like jensen's reaction. you can't fool me!!! lisa berry's face in that one gifset shows just how fed up the crew is with their gross, coupley boyfriend antics.

i could pull up so many examples. sooooooo many. but my favourite was sealed since the moment i saw it.

i actually already wrote an analysis on it but i can't find it :(((( which SUCKS because i really unpacked the whole thing. i'll try to summarise.

basically, a backstory is part of this too!!! jensen and misha both had a really really hard time with this scene(because it's explicitly romantic there i said it), they sat down for hours and poured over their scripts together, they were super super nervous going into filming, both of them, jensen especially, were super hard on themselves for their performances not being true to their characters but they both complimented the other's work(boyfriend moments fr). so, yeah. they weren't confident going into shooting. and how do they get themselves to feel better???? by cuddling each other, apparently.

a lot. a LOT. happens in this specific blooper. to the point that i saw it years before i knew about cockles and it raised all sorts of flags for me.

1) stop pulling my face towards your crotch(as a thinly veiled request that misha would, in fact, move jensen's face towards his crotch, considering it was jensen moving himself there in the first place. also, why so comfy down there guys???) 2) you're my baby daddy i know(in the most intimate voice i've ever heard please) 3) i know, i know, i love you too i didn't say i love you i know but you wanted to say it etc. misha's right, of course. that's what jensen meant.

it just reeks of comfort, familiarity and intimacy between the two, and it's a moment that is extremely sweet and silly at the same time. they're so <3

number three: top cockles found footage moment

WONDERFUL category. truly the culmination of the cockles experience. many people have said that shipping cockles doesn't work because 'they're just onstage you dummies!! they're playing it up for the audience!!!' here's the thing, love. i could not disagree with you more. once you climb your way up the cockles ladder, you soon learn that they are, in fact, playing their dynamic DOWN, not up. they really are just Like That™, and they could not care less about the paying audience, if we're being honest, considering how much time they take to giggle with each other and refuse to let the audience in on the joke. and i love them for it <3

anyway, my point is that this category is for all you naysayers out there, all you 'jensen and misha's relationship is just for show and is real life queerbaiting'(?????lordhelp???) oh yeah? ok, explain this.

he. he. he calls jensen sweetheart. literally enough said. there's nothing to really add here, except, misha and jared then immediately engage in damage control. jared's method is distraction and misha's is retconning('get out of the car, dude') this was what got me to buy into the cockles dumpster for GOOD good. you don't call your buddy sweetheart accidentally and sound so completely earnest while doing it! especially not when that buddy is jensen ackles!!! you think he would let any of his friends call him that? do you?

one more thing; if it was a slip of the tongue, little mouth thing or whatever, you think jared wouldn't have jumped on it immediately??? i can hear it now. 'did you just call him SWEETHEART???' yeah. that's what i thought. you know why he didn't? because it was too revealing.

number four: top cockles autograph moment

i mean, i think we all know what it's gonna be, and if you don't, well, do i have the piece de cockles resistance that is gonna send you over the edge.

if you haven't heard of this story by now, as a cockles, truther, i'm gonna go ahead and get you to read it, because there is no possible heterosexual explanation for any of it, and you're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.

spoiler alert: it's the story where phones weren't allowed in an auto session, jensen nuzzles himself in misha's hair, leans his full body weight onto him, holds his hand, etc. etc. i'm imploding just repeating this back, actually. also, just, the sheer amount of stories from photo ops where they tackle hug each other or slap each other's asses or sing romantic songs to each other or almost kiss is, frankly, a lot. if i could wish for anything, it would be to witness them in person.

and finally,

number five: top cockles social media moment

this one is super difficult, because there's obviously a lot to choose from. but you know what? full send, i'm going with this one:

i just. what to say about this. how often do misha and jensen watch sunsets together for it to qualify as ‘always’ ??? why are sunsets synonymous with their relationship??? that’s like??? a very romantic thing????? ‘this guy’??? the fact that it’s a CANDID??? i don’t know guys.

that could have been better but i am TIRED so. there you go rose ily

[kerie-prince]

lights, camera, action (m)

Draco Malfoy x Reader

requested: (anon) Draco wants to make a sextape request

warnings: nsfw, unprotected sex, filmed sex, oral (fem receiving), edging, praise kink, dirty talk, biting (? idk if it counts tbh)

summary: Draco persuades you into filming you both during sex

a/n: damn, did i really write this? i put so many descriptions for everything, it's like i'm an actual erotica novelist. they take a whole page to describe ONE vein. whew chile, anyways. here's this lmao

(gif not mine, cred to owner)

Draco laid on your bed, the orange sunlight illuminating your room as he played with your new camera. He never expected you to take interest in the muggle photography school, but he fully supported you going into it.

This new camera given to you was an anniversary gift from Draco. When he gave you the camera that you initially started saving money for, you jumped in excitement. It had wide, changeable scopes and had a professional microphone attached to it. It became your favorite toy as you took it to classes everyday and with every trip you went on with your blond boyfriend.

Right now, you were sitting on your desk looking over all the photos you took on the streets for an upcoming assignment through your laptop. They were pictures in sepia of people walking and doing everyday normal things, but in Draco’s eyes, it was pure art.

As he was going through the gallery on the camera, he came across a couple videos. They were from a trip to Italy last spring and mostly consisted of you walking behind him and focusing the lens on him walking. The next video was sweet; it was you holding the camera to film both of you together in the hotel room laughing together.

While the memory was a lovely one and brought a smile to his face, a peculiar thought flashed across his mind. He placed the camera on your night stand before getting off the bed and stood behind you seated in your chair. His slender hands came up to rub your shoulders and smiled – no, smirked – when you sighed in content.

“Darling, are you almost done?” You didn't hear the way his voice became octaves lower.

“Almost. Just a couple more edits and I'll be all done,” you told him. You stretched your neck out to the side to crack the stiffness in your bones from sitting in the same position for so long. While the relief felt nice, you didn't expect to feel Draco’s mouth to attach to the exposed flesh.

His lips were smooth, always cared for and never became chapped. As he placed wet kisses on you, your homework was left forgotten. It's not due for another few days anyway.

All you could focus were the wet kisses and little nibbles on your neck. You tilted your neck a bit further for Draco to access the dip of your neck and shoulder, biting harshly to leave a mark. When he pulled away, you turned your rolling chair around and stood up to kiss your boyfriend.

The kiss was hot, sensual and breath-taking. His hands were tangled in your hair as you held his waist, hands grasping at his shirt. His tongue easily slipped in your mouth when you gasped from one of his hands tugging at the hair on the base of your neck.

No matter how many times you've kissed your boyfriend, he never failed to send an eruption of butterflies in your stomach. It felt like the first time every time.

His legs guided you to your bed and he let you fall onto it. You were about to pull your sweatshirt off before he stopped you. You watched as he picked up your camera and opened the display screen. “Love, mind if I make a suggestion?” You nodded at his question, getting excited.

The red recording light lit up and Draco looked at you through the screen, “Just want something to remember this by for later.” There was an electric feeling making its course through your veins. If you were honest with yourself, you’ve wanted to do this for a long time but didn't know how to bring it up.

You sat up and lifted your sweatshirt over your head, gently tossing it to the side. Your subconscious cursed at you for not wearing a cuter bra, but it’s not like it mattered anyway since it was eventually going to come off. Draco licked his bottom lip as he watched you through the camera. He could feel himself getting hard in his jeans. His eyes looked around where to place the camera down and landed on the dresser across from your bed. He angled it to have a perfect view of the two of you without it being too far or too close. Once set, he grabbed his shirt from the back and threw it over in a rush and unbuttoned his jeans. He crawled on top of you and immediately started peppering kisses in the valley of your neck causing you to giggle.

Draco’s hand roamed to your back and fumbled with the bra clasps. You could feel that he was struggling with it so you lifted yourself up a little bit to make it easier. Once it was torn off, he looked into your eyes as he lowered himself into your breasts and gave them soft, teasing kisses before taking one of your nipples in his mouth. You used one of your free hands to massage the one that was free as Draco used one of his to sneak inside your leggings.

His fingers were playing with your clit over your panties, rubbing it in slow circles. A soft moan fell out of your mouth when Draco bit on your nipple. He could feel you dampening beneath his touch, “Let’s take these off.” Draco lifted himself up to hook your leggings and panties together and take them off in one go. Almost forgetting about the camera, he looked in both adoration and primal lust at the image of your sprawled out with your legs open for him. He palmed himself before getting down on his knees and pulled you closer to the edge of your bed. His fingers played with your slit to feel how soaked you had become, “You look so pretty like this, princess.”

You said a soft ‘thank you’ and blushed. “‘M gonna make you feel good,” were his last words before he leaned in and licked a long stripe on your lips. Your hands rested gingerly on the top of his head and your hips moved on their own against him.

Every now and then, he would open his eyes and stare at you, loving the way your lips quivered and eyebrows knotted in pleasure. He moaned into your pussy, the vibration adding to your arousal. Unexpectedly, Draco softly bit the skin above your cunt, causing you to arch your back up. He used this moment to smoothly enter two of his ring-clad fingers into your heat. The fingers worked to stretch you out for what was to come soon.

Your breathy moans flowed around the room as Draco's slender fingers scissors your sleek walls, “How does that feel, baby?” You tried to come up with a response, but all you could muster were needy whimpers. You were becoming addicted to the feeling of his rings brushing against a sensitive spot inside, the warm silver adding more pressure.

Draco stretched his thumb across to draw the number eight on your swelling clit. He leaned closer to spit on your pussy and used the fingers of his free hand to spread the lubricant around.

Your legs were shifting around and the telltale sign of your hips stuttering told Draco that you were close to your orgasm. He pumped his fingers faster, building the knotting feeling in your abdomen until you felt nothing at all.

Draco chuckled deeply as you glared up at him. “That’s not funny, Draco,” you scolded. He lowered his jeans to the floor and kicked them off, returning to his spot on top of you. Draco grabbed one of your hands and used it to palm himself. He was semi-hard, and you took it upon yourself to guide your hand and start jerking him off over the cotton fabric. You looked up at your boyfriend feigning innocence, knowing that it drove him crazy to watch you with doe eyes as you pretended you weren’t doing the dirtiest acts.

After a few minutes of teasing, he became frustrated and nearly ripped his boxers off. He manhandled your hand onto his bare dick again, jerking himself off at this point. You would give him little squeezes and use your unoccupied hand to massage his balls. Like he did with you earlier, you bent down to spit on the tip of his cock which had become fully hard now.

“Draco,” you moaned, “I want you in me.” He groaned at your request, pushing you down on your back and positioned himself to lie comfortably, grabbing your legs and guiding them over his hips.

Your boyfriend rubbed his tip up and down your lips, spitting once again and spread it around his dick before he slowly entered your pussy. He didn't need it, though. You were already so wet from him devouring you and from watching him work on his own dick with your hand.

Your pussy welcomed his cock, embracing how it perfectly stretched you from the inside. His hips started rocking back and forth and you moved your hips to match his set rhythm.

Draco leaned down and marked more hickeys all over your neck. His ears picked up on your groans, whimpers and moans. Sounds that were hotter than that of a porn star. You held a bunch of the soft blond hair and tugged on them to get a sound from him.

“Oh my Merlin, you feel so – o-oh! – you feel so good inside me, Dray,” you encouraged him. Your legs wrapped around his waist and pulled his body closer for him to thrust deeper into you. His thrusts became rougher and faster.

“Is that right, baby? Is my cock making you feel good?”

“Yes! Oh, Merlin, yes,” tears were threatening to spill. The familiar tightness was building up inside you. You tightened yourself around Draco, gaining a delicious groan from him. “Are you gonna cum for me?”

“I’m cumming, I’m cumming, I’m–” once again, this bastard edged you on. Draco had quickly pulled himself off and not only denied you of an orgasm, but laughed at the tears of frustration and possibly also anger on your face.

You slapped his biceps and tried guiding him back inside you. He quit the torture tactics and pushed himself back into your cunt with a harsh snap of the hips, jolting your body up. You let out a scream as he started his fast pace, pistoning in and out with only the tip ever staying in. The only words that left your mouth was ‘Fuck’ and ‘Draco’.

Draco held his head up to watch you unravel on him, proud of himself to see you in such a state because of him. As if his ego wasn't big enough.

The blond changed his slouched position into one of him sitting up on his knees and grabbed your legs and draped them over his shoulders. The stretch stung a little, making you drown in madness from all the sensations of some pain, but all pleasure.

If at all possible, you felt him even deeper in this position he had you in. Your own hands worked by themselves, one holding a leg closer to you, and the other slithering down to flick harshly on your clit.

The sight was pure erotica. Draco was breathing heavily, sweat thick on his skin and so close to his climax but he found the strength in him to keep going and get you to yours first at least.

“Dray, I’m gonna… I'm–”

“Go ahead, darling. Cum on my cock,” Draco told you between breaths. As if on command, your orgasm hit you hard with a scream of his name, a result from the denied ones earlier. Your legs twitched and your hips were moving sporadically with Draco’s.

As you were coming down from your high, Draco kept thrusting until he rushed out and spilled himself all over your chest. You opened your mouth and stuck your tongue out to catch some of his spurts of cum. The warm, slightly salty taste running down your throat.

Nearly exhausted, Draco fell on top of you. You both kept trying to gather your breaths back to normal. Once you did, your boyfriend raised himself off to grab some tissues to wipe his seeds off of both your chests. He then threw his boxers off and walked over to the camera on the dresser.

You had actually forgotten all about it, too caught up in the moment.

Draco joined you back on the bed and went through the gallery of the camera, trying to find the video he just filmed. And when he found it, he smirked at the time-stamp.

18:39

—

requests open!

[dorkzrul]

(Chapter 1)

Chapter 2

The next morning she found Luke had texted her and immediately jumped up, thinking he wanted to make amends for yesterday night. However this was all the text said:

Luke Castellan: You wanted to talk? Let’s meet at my place at 5.

No apology, not even an acknowledgement of the fact that yesterday had been their anniversary. Last night’s thoughts came back to her. She decided that she would go over, they would talk about yesterday and she would ask him why he was being so weird. Communication was important for any good couple. They would work through this.

At exactly 4:45, she left the house and reached Luke’s apartment by 5. She rang the bell and waited. Luke didn’t come to open the door. She rang the bell again. This time, she heard someone walking towards the door and fiddling with the lock. Luke pulled open the door and held up a finger. He was on a call. “K, I have to go, Annabeth’s here.” She heard a female voice saying something on the other side of the phone. “Maybe later, I have to go.”, said Luke and he put the phone down. “Who was that?”, she asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. “Noone.” “Um...okay” “Just someone from work”, Luke responded with a sigh. “So, how’ve you been”, he asked, instantly brightening. “You wanted to talk. What’s wrong?” The tone of his voice made her want to hit herself on the head. How could she ever think that he was cheating on her? He loved her!

“Oh um I actually wanted to talk about yesterday” “Sure, what about it?” Wait. had he really forgotten? “Yesterday was our anniversary Luke! How could you have forgotten? I waited for you for almost an hour yesterday!” He looked surprised and smiled sheepishly, “So sorry Annabeth! I thought it was next week. I really did. I had plans to surprise you with flowers and even bought tickets to see that movie you’ve been wanting to see. Ugh, I really messed up didn’t I?”, he shook his head, looking mad at himself. She softened. So he hadn’t forgotten. Well he did mix up the dates but that was a valid mistake. He did seem to have plans to make it special. She could forgive him. And since he’d bought movie tickets, they could go out together next week. “It's fine, it can happen. Lets go to see the movie next week and you can make up for forgetting our anniversary”, she added playfully. Luke looked relieved, “Great! Thank you!”, he tightly hugged her. She laughed. Things were good between them again!

Then suddenly she got a call from the architectural firm she worked in. “Hello?” “Annabeth, so sorry to bother you on a Saturday evening but do you think you’ll be able to send in the report right now? The date got changed to tomorrow and I still need to edit it and send it to boss” “Oh, of course. The report is complete. I'll send it to you as soon as I get home.” “So sorry Luke, I need to go”, she apologized. “It's fine, baby. Call me when you get home. Can’t wait to go out next Friday!”, he kissed her goodbye. She put on her shoes and walked out, closing the door behind her.

That night, as she lay in bed, she realised she’d forgotten to tell Luke about Percy. It’s fine though. It wasn’t really that important. Though she still felt she should’ve told him. She would have wanted to know if Luke was going for coffee with a random girl. She’d tell him tomorrow. Also, she still can’t believe that she’d actually considered that he was cheating. Luke would never do something like that, not just because it was wrong and he loved her too much but also because it would make him like his father. Luke’s dad had cheated on his mother and then just left them without a word. Luke’s mother hadn’t been right in the head since he left, leaving Luke to fend for himself. Luke loved his mother dearly and always took care of her, however she never got better. At least until she met his stepdad. She seemed brighter, happier, better mentally and physically. Until she died in a car crash a few years back. This was on the anniversary of his father leaving. Luke was devastated after that and his stepfather just took all the money that she’d left him and ran. Luke had had a tough past and he blamed his father for it all. However, he looked just like his father and every time he looked in the mirror it was his father's face he saw staring back at him. Luke swore that he would never be like his father and cheating would ruin that.

She fell asleep then, confident that everything was once again great between her and Luke.

The next morning she woke up and jumped out of bed, weirdly excited at the prospect of meeting up with Percy, considering he was just a stranger. You dont meet strangers for coffee, there's something else going on here, a part of her announced. Was there, she wondered, were they friends? She shrugged, it was unimportant. It was Monday, she suddenly realised. She was going to be late to work! She quickly got dressed and headed to work, grabbing a coffee on her way. The day passed, she felt herself get more and more jittery as it got nearer to 4. At exactly 3, she left the office and arrived home with just enough time to get dressed and leave.

She got there right on time and saw Percy already there. He saw her and waved, grinning. “Hey!”, he happily greeted her. “Hi”, she replied, slightly hesitating. He waved over a waitress. “What would you like today”, asked the waitress, clearly flirting with him. “Oh, um I’d like a hot chocolate and a chocolate muffin please”, he asked politely, almost as if he didn’t notice the waitress twirling her hair and blinking rapidly. “Um, do you have something in your eye”, she asked, annoyed. The waitress, Kelly (it was on her nametag), glared at her. “Who asked for your opinion”, she asked rudely. “You’re the waitress aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be asking for my order?” “Fine, whatever. What do you want?” “I’d like a cappuccino please” “Whatever, sure”, she rolled her eyes and walked away, swaying her hips and turning around her shoulder to wink at Percy, who had been watching this whole exchange with an amused expression on his face.

“What?”, she asked when she saw him looking at her. “Nothing, just the way you reacted” “She was just being annoying. I mean she only asked for your order, what about me. I was right there. Like hello, are you blind?!” He laughed at that. She glared at him, before cracking a small smile herself. “So, Annabeth, did you sort things out with your boyfriend yesterday?” “I did actually. It went pretty well” “Did he apologize for standing you up” “He did actually. He thought our anniversary was next week” Percy snickered a little at that. She glared at him, “Hey! It could’ve been you! Are you telling me you’ve never forgotten an important date between you and your girlfriend?” “Okay firstly, I might have forgotten a couple important dates but that’s different.”, he protested, “Secondly, I don't have a girlfriend”. Oh, Annabeth thought to herself, a guy as good looking as you without a girlfriend? Damn! But she kept that thought to herself, once again reminding herself about Luke. “How is it any different?”, she asked referring to his previous statement. “Well, it just is”, he mumbled, the tips of his ears reddening. She sensed there was an embarrassing story in this somewhere and tried to convince him to tell her.

“Fine, fine”, he conceded, grumbling under his breath. “I once forgot my own birthday and when my friend called me asking about my gifts, I thought it was his birthday, panicked and immediately went to his house to give it to him and apologise, only to find he wasn’t at his house. When I got back home, all my friends and family were there and threw me a surprise party. Imagine how much of an idiot I looked like when I entered the house with a gift from my friend and sad because I’d forgotten his birthday, only to be surprised by everyone and realise that it was my own birthday I’d forgotten”. She was doubled over by the end of the story, laughing harder than she had in a long time. “Whew”, she added, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. “That is hilarious! Did you really forget your birthday?”, she asked in disbelief. He nodded, embarrassed.

“What about you? Any embarrassing birthday stories”, he asked, grinning, his face still red. She immediately stiffened. Her birthday was a topic she liked to avoid. Percy noticed this and immediately, the expression on his face turned to one of concern, “What’s wrong? Was it something I said? I’m sorry”, he quickly added. “No, nothing you said” She debated for a moment, should she tell him? She’d only known him for a couple of days but he looked trustworthy enough. She decided to tell him. “It’s just, birthdays are kind of a hard topic for me. On the night of my seventh birthday, my mother just left, without a word. My father was heartbroken. He immersed himself into his work until he met Helen, my stepmother. On my 11th birthday, he introduced us to each other and she instantly hated me, I don't know why. I had never done anything to her.They got married soon after and had twins. My brothers, Bobby and Matthew. As I grew older, I looked exactly like my mother and looking at me reminded my father of his lost love. Thus, he shunned me and ignored me entirely. He got his own family with Helen, Bobby and Matthew and I was always the outsider, just another reminder of his failed marriage”, tears were falling down my cheeks by now, “My stepmom hated me as I was the child of her husband’s previous marriage. My stepbrothers learned to hate me. I had no one left who I could rely on… until Luke”

She kept her head down, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt Percy’s arm around her and moved closer to him, almost burying her head in his warm chest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be crying. I’m making this whole meeting really awkward.”, she noticed a couple of wet marks on his shirt, “And I also ruined your shirt!” She pulled away, quickly wiping away her tears. “No, no, it’s okay. I'm glad that you trusted me enough to tell me this and I’m so sorry. If it makes you feel better, my father also left when I was little and until a couple years back, I also had a terrible stepfather. He was really bad. He used to hit my mom and I. I still have scars on my back from his knife, and they’re still better than those my mom has.” That did make her feel better, but then she felt horrible for feeling better at someone else’s bad experiences. “Oh, I’m sorry that must’ve been terrible. You said until a couple years back? What happened” “Oh um, he died in a car accident and my mom just remarried another guy. He’s much better. He really loves her and she loves him.” She could hear the pain in his voice. He really loves his mother, she thought. “What about you? Do you like him?” He looked surprised at the question. “Well, I suppose he makes her happy so he can’t be all that bad” “You really love her a lot huh?”, she asked, softly. “I do”, he smiled at this, “She’s the most wonderful person ever. She deserves so much better than what has happened to her. She really loved my father and he left her, leaving her to fend for herself with a baby. Then came Gabe, my first stepfather. He used up all our money and left us injured and almost broke. She worked 3 jobs to support us and we finally got back on our feet. Then, she met Paul, and he’s been around for a year and it’s been great” The two shared soft smiles. “It was really great meeting you today Percy. And thank you” “You’re-you're welcome”, he replied, looking a little shocked. “You too. I hope we can do this again sometime”, he said smiling. “Sure”, she responded.

He walked her to her apartment and then left with a quick hug, momentarily stunning her. That night she fell asleep with a smile on her face, feeling better than she had in ages.

Thanks so much for reading this and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to update asap, which was today. Also, anyone got the Bad Blood reference? Lol. K thanks again for reading and don't forget to comment/review. It helps me write better and update faster!!! *awkwardly hugs readers* <3<3<3

Tagging: @rhian-not-ryan

[winterheart17]

Hey! I love your writing and I think you give the best advice ever! You are so sweet! Anyway, I am hoping for a little bit of advice myself as I am moving across the country in a week to start university for the very first time! I'm terrified to say the least. Any suggestions on how to transition (or ease the transition)?

Hello sweetie,

Aww, you’re muchtoo sweet – I do try my best to offer as helpful advice as I think possible andI’m beyond happy that others are able to find some measure of comfort in them.I think, sometimes, people just want a friendly ear and shoulder to cry on.Okay, so I’ve personally never movedaway from home before (not even for studies), but I have been away from home for an extended period of time. So, I’mjust going to list down a few things that I hope will help:

1.   Movingaway for the first time ever can be terrifying – you’re so used to being inyour comfort zone and it’s completely normal to feel as if the rug has beenpulled out from under your feet! So, before anything else, I just want to makesure you know that you don’t have to quash these feelings no matter what peoplesay and how much they talk up how exciting uni life will be. 

2.   Thatbeing said – it really is quite exciting! This is your first step intoindependence and you’re going to be finding your footing in life on your own. This is honestly, the timefor you to go forth and explore what it is you love, hate, like, tolerate(safely, of course). So, as frightening as it may be, try your best to embracethis change and next chapter of your life. The first step is always thehardest, it gets better – I promise.

3.   Don’tbe afraid to make new friends! I think the most intimidating part for me everytime I changed environment was not having a familiar face I could sort of latchonto (don’t I sound charming?), but remember that almost everyone else there isstarting afresh as well and are probably looking to form new friendships. Unilife gets a whole lot less scarier once you know you have someone there who canshare your jokes and relate to your problems on some level. But I also knowthat you’re probably going to be texting your best friend plenty as well andthat’s okay – old friends are gold and having that constant connection withhim/her is going to provide stability in your life during these uncertaintimes. So, make sure no matter how busy you get, don’t let your old friendshipsdie down.

4.   Makeyour room as comfortable and clean as possible. There’s something particularlytherapeutic about decorating and making a space as cosy and “mine” as possible.Imagine being able to go back to this warm and inviting space after tough days –you’re bound to feel a lot better than returning to cold bare walls and rubbishstrewn about. I’m not too sure about your style but go get some nice scentedcandles (if those are your thing), a nice bed spread, some plants, etc. But Ido know this, the second you move in, give your place a thorough springcleaning rub down!

5.   Bringmementos from home. Whether it’s the pillow you grew up with or a favouritestuffed toy – these are the little things that will pay off big on shitty days(and oh yes, they will come, but it won’t be anything you can’t handle).

6.   Try toestablish a routine. When you’re feeling uncertain or a little lost, that’s thething that will keep you grounded. I don’t mean following the same scheduleevery single day from the moment you open your eyes till you shut them! It canbe something as simple as waking up 20 minutes earlier than you usually would soyou can sip on your cup of coffee while you watch an episode of your favouriteshow online or pick up where you left off reading.

7.   That’salso another important tip – making time to watch your favourite shows onlinecan be one hell of a way to destress and also let you chill a little. I sort oflike making sure I get my work done as quickly as possible just so I cansqueeze in about 20-30 minutes of TV time at the end of every day. It gives me something to look forward to and a sense of control in life – because nomatter what happens, I’m always going to have that small little pleasurablewindow of time to end my day with.

8.   Stockup on food. There’s nothing more miserable than when you’re feeling homesick,tired, and hungry. This doesn’t mean I’m asking you to skip lunch or dinner,but you know how some days can get and you’d honestly just return to your roominstead of hot footing it out in search of food. So, make sure you always havea generous stash of biscuits, some savoury foods, and chocolates (if those are your thing) in your room. But again,please try your best not to skip important meals – piping hot dishes and a warmtummy will give you all the fuzzies in the world. So, if you plan on cooking,do your grocery shopping and never forget to pick up eggs and milk (again, ifthese are your staples).  

9.   Do youwork out? If yes, try to sign up for your uni’s gym or heck, just lace up yourshoes and go for a run, or even a walk. I know this is such a cliché thing tosay but exercise can perk your mood up – if anything, science does say it givesa boost of endorphins ;) Plus, if you’ve had a stressful day – you’re going tofeel a lot better just by sweating itout.

10.Callyour parents often. It’s easy to let life sort of take its own busy course –but take the time out of your day to just give them a quick ring even if it’sjust to say hi. Hearing their voices frequently will again, ground you in a foreignplace. Also, they will more than appreciate it.

11.Tryjoining social clubs! All these extracurricular activities are an awesome wayto meet new people, expand your interests, or uncover hidden talents you maynot even have known. If something piques your interest – this is the time to gofor it and experiment.

12.Studyhard. This is really crucial. I find that often people are so carried away byeverything else happening outside of studies that their grades are neglected.It can be really difficult to climb back up after a bad dip and it’s only goingto cause you unnecessary stress and pressure. So, attend lectures and beconsistent in your studies – that way, you won’t feel like drowning when examsroll about.

Whew, okay, thatappears to be about it. I was going to include a point about love but decidedagainst it simply because not everyone is going to fall in love during theiruni days. I’m not sure if you’re seeing anyone, but if you aren’t, just rememberthat being lonely is not a valid reason to enter a relationship with someone(especially with a person who doesn’t treat you right). 

The best thing you cando in university is to go in with an open heart and take whatever opportunitiescome your way (again, I know, a cliché). Do your best to enjoy your subjectsbecause nothing kills you inside quicker than having to drag yourself to classand through an exam on a subject you absolutely abhor. Remember to keep yourchin up through tough times because they reallywill not last and in time, your self-confidence will blossom after eachexperience. Alrighty then, I hope I didn’t ramble on too much and that theabove helps in some small way! Best of luck and I know you’ll ace it