#leo mendez

[blitsgames]

Lights, Camera, Action!

This couch is going to see a LOT of action...

[realmadridfamily]

"Happy Father's Day, daddy. I love you very much ❤️" - Luz

"Daddy's girl ❤️" - Katia Ancelotti

"Happy Father's Day. How lucky we are." - Ana Galocha

"Super dad! Happy Father's Day ❤️" - Melanie

"I have the best father in the world. Happy Father's Day ✨❤️" - Andrea

"Happy Father's Day ❤️" - Anastasia

[angelasscribbles]

Savage Love Chapter 37: Gone

Series: Savage Love

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake

Rating: R         

Warnings: Mature themes, violence, guns

Word Count: 987

A/N: Wow, I can't believe it's been five months since I posted an update for this! I've known since before I started writing it back in December 2021 how it's going to end. This is the downside of having so many ideas.... I can't work on all of them at once.

That said, this is a bit shorter than my regular chapters, but I just needed to see what Drake was doing while Riley was in Hidar in her quest to take down the Via Imperii and Leo was in Rivala getting the shock of his life. The next chapter will bring everyone back together again in Cordonia.

A/N2: I realize it's been a while and readers may be confused with all the OC's in this chapter, so here's a rundown. Nick is Riley's ex-fiance and also another GIA agent. Frederico Sanchez is Nick's informant. Saguaro Laurent is the head of The Gladius Company. Lorenzo is not in this chapter but is mentioned as a loan shark to whom Tariq owed money and who, on Saguaro's orders, leveraged Tariq's gambling debt to get him to abduct Riley (Tariq failed and was murdered for his failure, Lorenzo is in custody at the palace). Rico Mendez is the son of a former mafia don who wants revenge for Riley using him to take down his father's organization.

My other stuff: Master List.

Series Premise: Agent Riley Brooks is undercover on assignment in New York when she has a one-night stand with a handsome, mysterious stranger. Both of them hiding their true identities, names are not exchanged.  After one scorching night, they part ways, both returning to the duties they have pledged their lives to. Fast forward several months later and Agent Brooks is assigned a new case: investigate and infiltrate any Via Imperi influences in the small, Mediterranean country of Cordonia. Her cover? Posing as a suitor competing for the hand of the crown prince. Her way in? Civilian contractor and cyber security expert Maxwell Beaumont.

Drake…..

Nick and I arrived at the warehouse where we were meeting his contact in the Liberation Core. The one that had gotten me a meeting with the head of the Gladius Company.

The air in the dimly lit warehouse was thick with tension as we made our way through the maze of crates toward their rendezvous point. The echo of our footsteps ricocheted off the walls, adding to the sense of foreboding that permeated the atmosphere.

Nick's informant, a wiry man named Frederico Sanchez, stood waiting nervously near the entrance. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning for any signs of danger. As we approached, Sanchez straightened up and extended a shaky hand.

"Drake," Sanchez said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Nice to finally meet you. Nick here has told me a lot about you."

I nodded curtly, assessing Sanchez's demeanor. I could see the fear etched into the man's face, evidence of the high stakes involved in the mission. Time was of the essence; we needed to infiltrate The Gladius Company as quickly as possible.

"Likewise," I replied as I returned the man’s handshake. “Now let’s go over the plan before we meet with your guy.”

Being on the same page was crucial. If any of these guys got a whiff that this was a setup, we were both dead. Nick would stay in the surveillance van, ready as backup if necessary. He couldn’t be seen by Saguaro or any of the men he’d brought with him from New York. They’d recognize the GIA agent that had brought down their last organization in an instant.

We poured over the plan twenty times, looking for inconsistencies, committing our cover story to memory, and working out the kinks. When it was time to go, I waved goodbye to Nick and got in a nondescript sedan with Sanchez. A quick check-in with headquarters told me that they had picked up Lorenzo’s contact, but he wasn’t talking.

With any luck, we wouldn’t need him to. I was hoping to set eyes on Rico when I met with Saguaro. If he was there, I was giving the order to breach. I knew what Nick’s objective was, but I didn’t give two shits about arresting Saguaro Laurent. It was Rico I was after. The man that had sent a kidnapper, albeit a bad one, after the woman I love.

The American justice system had failed and released a known mobster, allowing him to slip through their security net. But he wasn’t in America anymore. He was on my turf, and I had a literal license to kill.

Rico Mendez would spend the rest of his life in a Cordonian prison, or he would die, and it didn’t matter much to me which one it was. All I cared about was getting him off the streets and keeping Riley safe.

We arrived at the rendezvous spot, but nothing went according to plan.

I found myself in another damn warehouse. This one was on the waterfront and, if our intel was correct, not far from the empty factory that was serving as headquarters for The Gladius Company.

We arrived first and waited. Saguaro and his men were late, which only served to ramp up the already rapidly percolating anxiety in the man at my side.

Sanchez was too damn twitchy. Saguaro picked up on it instantly. He barely glanced at me before fixing Sanchez with a piercing stare. “What’s the problem, Freddy?”

“What?” Sanchez tried to laugh it off. “Nothing. What do you mean?”

Saguaro’s flinty eyes squinted at him, then flicked to me as his hand went to his waist. I had my gun in my hand before he could pull his. “Don’t do it! I really don’t want to shoot anyone today, but I will if I have to. What’s the problem?”

Saguaro moved his hand away from his piece and put his arms in the air. A flash of metal in my periphery caught my attention. “Get down!” I hit the ground just a shot rang out. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down.

Men scattered everywhere. We were outnumbered, but not for long. I could hear Nick in my earpiece giving the order to breach. Sanchez was hit. I drug him with me out of the line of fire, ducking behind a stack of metal barrels as the rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire spattered all around us.

“Hey, Laurent!” I craned my neck to peek around the barricade.

The only answer I got was more gunfire. I retreated back behind the stack of barrels for safety as my team poured into the building.

Now they were outnumbered, and the warehouse was surrounded. Less than fifteen minutes later, Saguaro and his men were cuffed and being loaded into the back of several guard-issue SUVs.

“Johnson, hold up!” I jogged quickly across the asphalt to intercept the lieutenant escorting the head of Gladius Company to one of the waiting vehicles. I grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him roughly up against the car. “Where’s Mendez? Was he with you?”

“Fuck you!” He lurched forward in an attempt to headbutt me, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I snapped my head sideways, causing him to stumble forward.

I grabbed his shoulders to steady him, then brought my knee up hard into his gut. “I look forward to interrogating you, asshole.”

I beelined for the tactical van. Bursting into the mobile command center, I demanded, “Did we get Mendez?”

“Sorry, man, no,” Nick shook his head. “No sign of him. But the good news is, we got Saguaro and his second in command. There’s a second team sweeping their headquarters now. We successfully took The Gladius Company down!”

He was far too jubilant for what I considered a botched mission. I slammed out of the van with a huff. Goddamn it!

Rico was in the wind.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC F/AotW - Jan 14 - 20, 2024

✒️ = Fanfic | 📱= Text Fics/Edits | 🎨 = Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA | 🔹Submitted by creator

ACROSS THE VOID

Captain Pandrosion Elara 🎨🏳️‍🌈🔹 | Sol, Meridian, Kepler, Pedrosian by @/artbyainna (IG) (C: @lilyoffandoms)

BLADES OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

Complete Blades List - January 14 - 20, 2023

BLOODBOUND

Bloodbound MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈🔹by @vampirkit

Kamilah Sayeed Fanart 🎨 by @artbyalz

CRIMES OF PASSION

Babysitting the Demonic Duo ✒️🔹| Trystan Thorne x F!MC - @thosehallowedhalls

Chosen Family ✒️| Trystan Thorne - @inlocusmads

In Her Arms ✒️🔹| Vasili Thorne, Juliana Georgescu - @stars-are-within-me

Of Cloudless Climes and Starry Skies (Series) ✒️| Sebastyan Thorne x F!MC - @thosehallowedhalls Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Progression ✒️🔹| Trystan Thorne x F!MC - @thosehallowedhalls

Trystan Thorne Fanart 🎨🔹by @fairymatchmaker

THE CURSED HEART

Kieran x F!MC Fanart 🎨 by @callmebeem (C: @leafkingofbirds)

Kieran x MC Fanart 🎨Ⓜ️🏳️‍🌈 by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd (C: @lilyoffandoms)

THE ELEMENTALISTS

Tuneless Wonders ✒️🎨🔹| Beckett Harrington x F!MC - art: @/artbyainna (IG) fic: @storyofmychoices

THE FRESHMAN SERIES

The Freshman Book 2 Cover 🎨by @cassiopeiacorvus

IMMORTAL DESIRES

Cas Harlow Fanart 🎨by @roseythorne

Cas Harlow Fanart 2🎨🏳️‍🌈🔹by @aallotarenunelma

Immortal Desires MC Fanart 🎨 🏳️‍🌈 by @lilyoffandoms for @aria-ashryver

IT LIVES SERIES

Abel Flint Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈🔹by @aallotarenunelma

The Rainbow Recipe Book ✒️🏳️‍🌈🔹 by @aallotarenunelma

LAWS OF ATTRACTION

Hold Me Close ✒️🏳️‍🌈🔹| Gabe Ricci x M!MC - @choicesmc

MOTHER OF THE YEAR

Thomas Mendez Fanart 🎨 by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

OPEN HEART

Complete Open Heart List - Jan 14-20, 2023

RED CARPET DIARIES

Happy Birthday Thomas Hunt! 🎨🔹| Thomas Hunt x F!OC - @weetlebeetle (C: @theartoflovingthomashunt)

THE ROYAL ROMANCE

Anything But Common (Series) ✒️🏳️‍🌈| Hana Lee & MC - @silvermillenniumqueenneptune Magical Misadventures in Miscellany

Liam Rys Fanart 🎨 by @bayleedraws-sometimesx

Marabelle (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️🔹| Liam Rys x MC - @tessa-liam Chapter 9: The Awakening

Midnights Like This ✒️🔹| Leo Rys x MC - @queenrileyrose Chapter 14: Falling Like Stars

Single Mom ✒️🔹| Liam Rys x MC - @dcbbw

You Can Tell Me Anything ✒️| Drake Walker x F!MC - @camillemontespan

VEIL OF SECRETS

Flynn O'Malley Fanart🎨by @lilyoffandoms

Grant Emerson🎨 by @lilyoffandoms

Naomi Silverhawk 🎨 by @lilyoffandoms

WAKE THE DEAD

Eli Sipes Fanart 🎨🔹by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd (for @jerzwriter)

[eternitas]

Unseen Varia - Profiles

Jaque Mendez

Basic Info:

Full Name: Jaque Mendez

Nickname: Jacky, JJ, J man

Age: 25 / 35 (TYL)

Birthday: pending

Gender/Pronouns: cis male in a "gender is fake" way, he/him

Sexuality: undisclosed

Ethnicity: Afro-italian

Height: 188cm

Flametype: lightning, secondary mist

Weapon of Choice: swords

Affiliation: Varia, Lightning Division

Position: Second in Command

Languages: hebrew, italian (+SL), sicilian dialect, korean, chinese mandarin, norwegian, english, german, ukrainian, spanish, portugese

Strengths: coolheaded, swordsman ship, speed, lightning durability, charismatic, diplomacy and negotiations

Weaknesses: illusion spotting, trusting people, sometimes doesn't take things serious enough

Character Summary:

Not many people really know Jaque personally. He doesn't trust people easily, but he gets along with them just fine. He is open, lighthearted and very charismatic. He seems to ooze a certain coolness, capturing peoples attention with how laid back and in control he seems. This side of him is what allows Jaque to be such an effective negotiator and the go to person for mediating between different fractions. He approaches people with respect but distance, never giving them the feeling of being threatened or in a disadventagous position unless the situation asks for it. He is warm and understanding, not minding lending people an ear, but in turn never truly discloses anything about himself. Despite seeing people like Sergey and Leo as his friends they barely know anything personal about him. That is not to say that he doesn't like them or that he doesn't care- he does! A lot even! But coming from a place of constant carnige and betrayal he has learned to keep people a certain distance. The only people he seems to allow closer are Carol and Zarria. While they too do not know much about him, he seems to have a certain soft spot for them.

Background:

Jaque grew up in a rather poor neighborehood in the south of italy, where the region was plagued by constant tension between different mafia families and so Jaque early had to leanr how to survive in the underground. He became part of a group of street kids that tried to make a few bucks by thievery, but was then used as a scapegoat for the others to get away. The family that got a hold of them saw potential in him and due to the then Dons son vouching for Jaque he could afford to pay off the money that was stolen and decided to make use of his skills as a capable fighter. At age 20 he took the Varia initiation exam and passed, quickly making himself known to be not just a capable fighter but also a great specialist when it comes to mediation between fractions as this was something he learned from the Dons son back then.

Fighting Style:

Jaque uses 2 swords he carries on his back, both uncurved katana, or ninjato. He actually modified them to be extremely electricity conducting and keeps a tazerlike battery contraption in the handle so he does not have to use his flame excessively. His slashes and stabs can therefore heat up so extremely that his attacks seem as if to come from a lightsaber, immideatly cauterizing the wound. He doesn't abide by any specific school of swordsmanship and relies on brute strength to break through an opponents defense.

Just like any other lightning division member he is also an expert in hand to hand combat and can easily punch someones lights out. He of course can't get to the same powerscale as Leo, but he is still devastatingly strong.

His boxes are mostly conventional blast, shot or battery boxes.

Trivia:

He is an avid game nerd and especially enjoys games like pokemon, assassins creed, mario cart and Bioshock

Big fan of heavy metal, Hip Hop and Video game OSTs

Makes one mean grilledn corn, I am not kidding this guy does magic

like Sergey he often helps Carol with trying out new hairstyles. He also often buys her small trinkets from when he goes out for a while on mission

He smokes but very seldomly. He seems to enjoy smoke breaks with Lorenzo

Ernest Hemmingway, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen count as some of his favourite authors

After joining the Varia he went on a seach for any related family and could reunite with his grandmother, that he visits regularly. Even if she hates that he joined the Varia, he promises her to keep himself safe

Lorenzo stopped asking Jaque for any help regarding his suffering under Bel, since his response is always either "leave" or "kill him" (we all know he is right tho)

He has a chill relationship with Levi since his officer is someone who likes to handle a lot of things by himself, it opens Jaque up to do more work outside of HQ

One of his first actions once he became Second in comand was bust an old drug circle in his own hometown and set the region under Varia territory protection. Something he promised his old friend, the back then Dons son

He is happily in a relationship for about 3 years now with a woman called Sana and thinks about possible early retirement to marry her and start a family.

[baubeautyandthegeek]

Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing//Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too, - Tamerlane Usher/Verna

A/N: Day 14 for @fluffyfebruary

“For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes, Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda, Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies, Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader. Search narrowly the lines! - they hold a treasure, Divine- a talisman- an amulet, That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure- The words- the syllables! Do not forget The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor, And yet there is in this no Gordian knot, Which one might not undo without a sabre, If one could merely comprehend the plot. Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering, Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus, Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing, Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too, Its letters, although naturally lying, Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando- Still form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying! You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do….” Verna’s voice is a balm, Tamerlane’s eyes close and she breathes out the longest, most exhausted sigh, Verna has felt or seen in years. She looks, at last, peaceful. Verna’s smile is soft, her lips brush Tamerlane’s gently. She can feel the tiredness in Tamerlane, her body sings the tune, her sighs the melody, but she can see the peace, at last, sweet peace for her precious, sweet Dove. A woman so tortured by her life that even a Raven, as Verna is, can’t help but find pity. Can’t help but want her to live. “Sleep, my Dove, my beautiful Valentine… rest, my sweet. When you wake, your world will be lighter.” She will not say why, or how. Madeline has paid a high price, Roderick and Frederick, Perry and Leo. She will not rob Tamerlane of her sisters, her friends who she fights with and adores in equal measure. The Usher line will die. Camille wants no children, Victorine loves only women and Tamerlane, her beautiful Dove, Tamerlane is focused purely on her company, on keeping herself safe and well and healthy, she has no want for children. The line will die, Verna’s oath will live, the shape of it changed, but the truth still told. Lenore, dear, precious Lenore, dies to save her mother, dies to make sure her mother will keep Tamerlane and Victorine and Camille close, will find her feet. Juno’s life is taken instead, Tamerlane’s debt bouncing back on the woman fully expecting Roderick’s child. The Bloodline must end, but Tamerlane will be free to love her Raven, evermore.

[lorirwritesfanfic]

Do you have any fics in the works? Tell us about them!Looking forward to any other writer's upcoming fics? Tell us about them too!

My wip folder is never empty, darling. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing to say it, given the number of unfinished works I have there, but oh well...

I haven't had much time to write. You know... real life, bills, family, more bills... 😵 and of course I procrastinate a lot (I blame Netflix Brasil for getting Downton Abbey and all the Turkish diziler I find online 🤦🏻‍♀️). But I write sometimes. Not every day. Not most days of the week as I used to do before. But I'm still writing.

The one wip I'm actually half way through is a Hamid x MC xmas fic. I know you're thinking "but it's almost February! And Prince Hamid is Muslim!" and you're right. But Daphne is Christian, very fond of Christmas, Hamid loves a nice social gathering and finding any reason to tease his favorite girl and we do not follow the real life calendars in here, so why not?

Among the series I write, earlier this month I was working on Meant To Be (Desire & Decorum modern day AU) chapter... 27? (I lost count... 🙈) Anyway, I think the next two chapters will finally explain why I label it as a Soulmates AU. There's a Sinclaire and Daphne awkward scene here, a little Sinclaire x Alisha moment there... But nothing too dramatic for now.

There's also Jade and Liam's For The World to Know. Tbh I have no idea what chapter I am (I'm getting super lazy on this because Tumblr and AO3 count the chapters automatically for me 😅). They're just a couple of weeks away from the wedding, they're getting joint a bachelor and bachelorette party, there's some heart to heart talk with Hana (these girls need it), Leo is joining them in Vegas (and we all know he often brings drama) and there's Drake situation to be solved. I'm close to reaching the end of FTWTK and I wish I could really start Happily Ever After (instead of just posting a few one shots of them married) because I've been daydreaming about the plot for years (the story will be soooooo good, ugh!), but I don't know... If I managed to finish FTWTK (or just The Fives Stages since there's only two more chapters left), I'll take it as a win.

Last year, I also remembered I never finished my Bloodbound series. A while ago, I got a comment on AO3 from someone who wanted me to extend the series and I thought about doing it, but at this point I wouldn't know how to do it. I'd probably have to create a new plot since the one I started back then is nearly solved. But that would demand time to replay Bloodbound to find inspiration and, unluckily, that's something I don't have lately. I started planning a chapter with Adrian x OC (any Adrian stans still out there?), then I'll write one more chapter to wrap it up.

There are other Desire & Decorum AUs and a TRR AU, but I haven't touched those wips in months... I rather not make any promises regarding any of those stories for now.

Other than that, there are a few one shots planned:

A Thomas Mendez x Ayla (+ Stephanie and Luz) inspired by one of my favorite Brazilian memes and a scene of a 2010 romcom. I can't explain why I'm doing this... The muse wants what the muse wants 😂

A few ficlets (or short stories, depending on how inspired I am when I actually sit down to write) to answer some OTP asks for Hamid x Daphne and Nate x Stella (TWC). I was debating if I'd include Liam x Jade, but I might give away the plot of Happily Ever After in one of the questions, so nope 😅

When it comes to other people's stuff, I don't know... I'm not super active on Choices (or any fandom, for that matter) and I'm not familiar with most of the fandom and what people have been writing lately. I do have my faves (@missameliep @lilyoffandoms @storyofmychoices @princess-geek @noesapphic ) and they still write from time to time, but I'm not going to pester them for new fics. They have their own lives and write whenever they can. As a fan of their work, I respect their writing pace and I'm simply glad they're still here.

Thanks for the ask, anon!

[lesbiantrish]

hai bbgs im just gonna link a bunch of songies 🙏 no pressure to do them all (this ask is gonna be so long sorry dearies)

(^ solace begging me 🙏 to put it)

(i have my own lil thing on this and i wanna see ur thoughts on it 🙏)

(ALSO HAVE MY OWN THOUGHTS ON THIS ONE)

(THIS ONE STARTED AN AU I LOVE TALKING ABOUT I LOVE THIS AU SM)

(i. i also have my own thoughtsies.)

^ or any other tlo song 🙏 also maybe a hadestown song for ur valgrace i think hadestown au

hello!! here is the first one! i will continue to work on the others :3!!

okay!! so i pretty much immediately thought of percy thinking of octavian,. such lyrics as, “i just really hate your face, though i know that won’t surprise you”. there’s this idea throughout HOO (specifically SoN) that Octavian is just horribly annoying to Percy. when they first met, to my knowledge, octavian didn’t do anything right away, percy just found him HORRIBLY annoying lmao 😭😭,.

HOWEVER!! as the song goes on, i begin to think a different character fits this song more.

i have settled on, instead of percy towards octavian, jason towards octavian. “and if the world was perfect, you would be gone without a trace, but since the world could never be that great, i’ll just hate your stupid face” reminds me of jason because jason is someone who tends to settle for things.

allow me to explain.! percy is someone who fought the god of war when he was 12, he doesn’t let people just push him around. he has pretty much always been someone who has put matters into his own hands, which in my opinion, is part of what makes him such a good protagonist.

jason, on the other hand, lets himself get pushed around. he has always been a rule follower, probably since he first met lupa. yes, he did take matters into his own hands in the sense of the legions, but in some cases, jason just kind of lets things happen. when piper broke up with him, i sensed there was this kind of shrug he did regarding it all. yes, i don’t think he loved piper like that. but i do think he loved her, the way a brother loves his sister. he didn’t want to lose her companionship, but, maybe because he felt there was nothing he could do about it, he just let her go. he did his best to protect her even after that, when he thought the prophecy was about her.

coming back the the lyrics, specifically “i’ll just hate your stupid face”. kind of like what i was just talking about, since jason feels he can’t really do anything about octavian’s existence, he kind of just shrugs at the situation. if my memory serves me, when jason met percy and found out about how he kind of out-ruled octavian, he was surprised. maybe because he didn’t think there was ever anything to do about it, and then something did happen.

“i just really miss your face” ok just here me out ok. no i don’t think jason has a crush or anything on octavian. BUT. i do think he missed octavian. octavian is a kind of symbol of how things used to be for jason. they knew each other for at least a good while, probably years, if i’m being honest here though. i think a part of jason misses how things used to be, before he got his memory erased. i know he loves his friends and all, but i think it can be a kind of double edged sword. he wants to go back, maybe take his close friends with him.

“but since the world denied me one last kiss” meaning he never got to say goodbye. not to anyone, but especially not to the place he grew up in. he never got to return home, he never got to be a hero. (meaning in greek myth, the hero always returned home after the journey.) he never got to even say goodbye to his best friend, let alone his home of so many years.

what i’m getting at here is that perhaps he uses octavian as a reminder of his past. maybe of all he has lost. perhaps even all that he misses.

[karatelives-a]

#    MULTI-MUSE  ASK  MEME       :       SEND  ❔   &   I'LL  LIST  A  COUPLE  OF  MUSES  THAT  I'D  LIKE  TO  THROW  AT  YOURS!        /        @ncmcrcy​​

i   wanna   start   by   saying   your   muse   list   is         .   .   .         wonderful   actually.      narrowing   it   down?      impossible!      but   i’m   going   to   try            :            shawn   payne      /      demetri   alexopoulous   or   robby   keene      &      kenny   payne,      hawk      /      ava   schwarber-mills   or   sam   larusso      &      kyler   park,      ava   schwarber-mills   or   yasmine      &      piper   elswith,      amanda   steiner   or   daniel   larusso      &      jessica   andrews,      julie   pierce   or   chozen   toguchi      &      mike   barnes,      miguel   diaz      /      eli   moskowitz   or   johnny   lawrence      &      leo   mendez   and   nate   molina-pierce      &      dylan   finkle.         there’s   actually         .   .   .         quite   a   few   more,      but   i’d   be   here   all   night!         seriously,      throw      everyone      at      me.

[blitsgames]

Jock Studio Demo 2.0 Reveal!

Most who have been to college will know that, for freshman especially, an orientation week helps get them settled and understanding exactly what to expect for the next few years of their college life. Jock Studio Demo 2.0 does just that too – while Demo 1.0 focused on meeting the cast and knowing the starting points of their stories, Demo 2.0 will instead focus on many of the brand-new mechanics unlocked from the Kickstarter Campaign, transforming Jock Studio from a visual novel into a full-blown Dating Sim! Demo 2.0 will be providing players with one (1) playable week worth of gameplay, chock full of content!

And for those of you wondering, the storyline present in Demo 2.0 (and Demo 1.0) is mostly exclusive to the Demo, but some scenarios and scenes may be re-used in the full base game!

As mentioned in our last update, Demo 2.0 is releasing in Late 2024, so please stay tuned for more specific release info in the coming months! To view the full post and see all the details about the upcoming Demo 2.0, click here!

[identity-library]

Diverse Sexuality (Books)

A:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz)

Aristotle Mendoza (Gay)

Dante Quintana (Gay)

Aru Shah (Roshani Chokshi)

Brynne Rao (Bisexual)

A Step Towards Falling (Connie McGovern)

Richard (Gay)

Harrison (Gay)

Hugh (Unspecified MLM)

B:

Blood Like Magic (Liselle Sambury)

Keisha (Demisexual, Lesbian)

Bruised (Tanya Boteju)

Daya Wijesinghe (Unspecified WLW)

Shanti (Unspecified WLW)

C:

Cemetary Boys (Aiden Thomas)

Yadriel (Gay)

Julian Diaz (Gay)

Chaotic Good (Whitney Gardner)

Brian "Farrin" (Unspecified MLM)

Cooper Birch (Gay)

Wyatt (Gay)

Connection Error (Annabeth Albert)

Josiah Simmons (Gay)

Ryan Orson (Gay)

Crown of Feathers - Series (Nicki Pau Preto)

Anders (Unspecified MLM)

Avalkyra Ashfire (Aromantic, Asexual)

Callysta Lightbringer (Lesbian)

Kade (Gay)

Latham (Unspecified MLM)

Nefyra Ashfire (Lesbian)

Sev Lastlight (Gay)

Sidra (Unspecified WLW)

Tristan Flamesong (Bisexual)

D:

Dear Mothman (Robin Gow)

Alice (Unspecified WLW)

Molly (Unspecified WLW)

E:

Exit, Pursued by a Bear (E.K. Johnston)

Amy (Lesbian)

Polly (Lesbian)

F:

G:

Gifted Clans (Graci Kim)

Bob (Unspecified MLM)

Chae (Unspecified WLW)

Gong (Unspecified WLW)

Jangsoo Jeong (Unspecified MLM)

Girl Mans Up (M.E. Girard)

Blake (Bisexual)

Penelope "Pen" Oliveira (Lesbian)

H:

Highway Bodies (Alison Evans)

Dee (Bisexual)

Eve (Unspecified WLW)

Jojo (Bisexual)

I:

Icebreaker (A.L. Graziadei)

Jaysen Caulfield (Gay)

Mickey James (Bisexual)

I Hope You're Listening (Tom Ryan)

Delia "Dee" Skinner (Unspecified WLW)

Sarah (Unspecified WLW)

J:

K:

Keep This to Yourself (Tom Ryan)

Mac Bell (Gay)

Quill (Unspecified MLM)

L:

Learning Curves (Ceillie Simkiss)

Cora McLaughlin (Panromantic, Asexual)

Elena Mendez (Lesbian)

M:

More Happy Than Not (Adam Silvera)

Aaron Soto (Gay)

N:

O:

P:

Pahua Moua - Series (Lori M. Lee)

Ka (Unspecified WLW)

Yeng (Unspecified WLW)

Paola Santiago - Series (Tahlor Kay Meija)

Carmela Mata (Bisexual)

Emma Lockwood (Lesbian)

Kit (Unspecified WLW)

Paola Santiago (Bisexual)

Percy Jackson - Universe (Rick Riordan)

Hemithea (Lesbian)

Josephine (Lesbian)

Lavinia Asimov (Lesbian)

Magnus Chase (Pansexual)

Nico di Angelo (Gay)

Paolo Montes (Unspecified MLM)

Piper McLean (Bisexual)

Poison Oak (Unspecified WLW)

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano (Asexual)

Shel (Unspecified WLW)

Will Solace (Bisexual)

Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)

Patrick (Gay)

Pulp (Robin Talley)

Abbey Zimet (Lesbian)

Janet Jones (Lesbian)

Punk 57 (Penelope Douglas)

Manny Cortez (Unspecified MLM)

Ten (Unspecified MLM)

Q:

R:

S:

Sadie (Courtney Summers)

Sadie Hunter (Unlabeled WLW)

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe (Carlos Hernandez)

Reina Real (Bisexual)

Salvador "Sal" Vidón (Aromantic, Asexual)

Sikander Aziz - Series (Sarwat Chadda)

Daoud (Unspecified MLM)

Idiptu (Unspecified MLM)

Mohammed Aziz (Unspecified MLM)

Sidana (Unspecified MLM)

Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo)

Jesper Fahey (Bisexual)

Nina Zenik (Bisexual)

Wylan Van Eck (Gay)

Synchro Boy (Shannon McFerran)

Bart Lively (Bisexual)

T:

The Agony of Bun O'Keefe (Heather Smith)

Chris (Gay)

The Art of Saving the World (Connie Duyvis)

Hazel Stanczak (Asexual, Lesbian)

The Buried and the Bound (Rochelle Hassan)

Leo Merritt (Bisexual)

Tristan Drake (Gay)

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager (Ben Philippe)

Eric (Gay)

The Immeasurable Depth of You (Maria Mora)

Brynn (Bisexual)

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali (Sabrina Khan)

Ariana (Unspecified WLW)

Rukhsana Ali (Lesbian)

Sohail (Gay)

The Luis Ortega Survival Club (Sonora Reyes)

Ariana Ruiz (Bisexual)

Shanaya "Shawni" (Bisexual)

The Manifold Worlds (Foz Meadows)

Gwen Vere (Aromantic, Unspecified WLW + Polyamorous)

The Montague Twins (Drew Shannon, Nathan Page)

Pete Montague (Gay)

The Mortal Instruments - Series (Cassandra Clare)

Alexander "Alec" Lightwood (Gay)

Magnus Bane (Bisexual)

The 100 (Kass Morgan)

Octavia Blake (Bisexual)

U:

V:

W:

Way to Go (Tom Ryan)

Danny (Gay)

We Contain Multitudes (Sarah Henstra)

Adam "Kurl" Kurlansky (Gay)

Jonathan Hopkirk (Gay)

What Unbreakable Looks Like (Kate McLaughlin)

Elsa (Lesbian)

Winger (Andrew Smith)

Joey Constantino (Gay)

Wings of Fire - Series (Tui T. Sutherland)

Anenome (Unspecified WLW)

Burnet (Unspecified WLW)

Silverspot (Unspecified WLW)

Umber (Gay)

X:

Y:

Z:

#:

36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You (Vicki Grant)

Max (Gay)

[celebsparkin]

DJ Méndez celebra la dulce espera de su nieto/a junto a Steffi Méndez

DJ Méndez rompe el silencio tras el anuncio de embarazo de su hija Steffi. Expresa emoción al convertirse en abuelo y felicita a la futura madre y al padre. Promete estar presente para disfrutar de su nieto/a. Por otro lado, Steffi Méndez anunció su avanzado embarazo a través de una tierna postal en redes sociales, mostrando su pancita de embarazada. Su hermano, Leo Méndez Jr., reaccionó con cariño, prometiendo ser el mejor tío en esta etapa hermosa.

https://celebsparkinsider.com/dj-mendez-celebra-la-dulce-espera-de-su-nieto-a-junto-a-steffi-mendez/

[angelasscribbles]

Savage Love Chapter 31: Bombshells

Series: Savage Love

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake, Riley x Nick (past)

Rating: R         

Warnings: Mature themes

Word Count: 3,797

My other stuff: Master List.

Everyone settled in around the conference table and the meeting officially started.

“So, what can you tell us about this Saguaro character that we don’t already know?” Leo asked.

“I can tell you that he was second in command in the Condottiere for over a decade,” Nick answered, “I can tell you that he’s ruthless and I can tell you that he was close to Rico. We suspect that he had an inside source that gave him a heads-up about the raid that took the organization down and imprisoned most of its members. Only Saguaro and his most trusted Lieutenants escaped.”

“Why didn’t he tip off his boss about the raid?” Drake inquired.

“He either didn’t have enough time, or he let everyone above him go down on purpose so he could take control of whatever resources and power was left after the takedown.”

“Ruthless and ambitious,” Jared nodded.

“You said he was close to Rico,” I interjected, “how close? Because I don’t remember him at all from time undercover with the Mendez organization.”

“Because by the time you went undercover with them, we had already taken down the Condottiere, as you well know.”

He was right. I remembered. We had been together when he had worked that case.

“If they’d kept in touch, would Rico have mentioned it to you?” Drake asked.

“Not necessarily,” I drummed my fingers on the tabletop as I thought, “especially if he didn’t need anything from him at the time.”

Rico was all about using people. You only mattered if he could get something out of you.

“I’m surprised you’re still on this case, to be honest,” Nick directed his comment to me.

“Why’s that?”                 

“Uh, because you being a target endangers the operation, does it not?”

“He doesn’t know why I’m here!”

 “But he knows that you are here,” Nick said in a tone that indicated I was missing something.

“Obviously,” I returned drily.”

“What are you getting at?” Leo asked.

“What I’m getting at,” Nick looked from me to Leo then back again, “Is that you’re working on the assumption that Rico thinks this is just another undercover assignment, like any other.”

“Yes…” I turned my head to look at him, “What else would he think?”

“He did find you here, what if he knows this is your real identity?”

The bottom fell out of my stomach, “No!”

Liam already had his phone in his hand dialing, “I’m calling your father right now, don’t worry!”

Drake’s hands on me were the only thing holding me in my chair as I tried to leap out of it in panic. I looked at him wild-eyed, “Shit! I should have thought of that! My brothers! My sister! My-“

“Hey, hey, hey,” he soothed, “Don’t jump to conclusions! We don’t know if any of that is true! There’s no need to panic.”

“But-“

“No, she’s right,” Nick interjected, “the agency should have checked on her family.”

Drake shot Nick a murderous glare, “We are following up on that now, there’s no need to assume the worst!”

Nick shook his head, “There’s no need to coddle her, this is part of the job. The career she wanted over everything else.”

“You sound a little bitter there, bud,” Drake’s jaw clenched as he returned Nick’s steely glare.

“Yes, sir, Duke Brooks, I have you on speaker phone, go!” Liam placed his phone on the conference table and pushed it toward me.

“Riley? Are you okay, kitten?”

“I’m fine, Dad! Are you okay? And mom and Ryder and everyone else?”

“We’re fine,” he replied, “I’m looking right at them. What’s this about?”

“My job,” I hated the fact that my voice faltered a little, right in front of everyone. “My identity may have been compromised and-“

“We have the best security money can buy, Riley, but what about you? This is exactly why we didn’t want you doing that job!” His voice was rising in panic, “It’s far too dangerous!”

My head snapped up, taking in the faces around me. Everyone looked sympathetic but not overly so, which was good. The last thing I needed or wanted was anyone’s pity. “I can take of myself, I promise. I’m trained for this. Just double everyone’s details until further notice. And no trips! Please?”

A long-suffering sigh issued from Liam’s phone, and I swear I could see my father rubbing his temples as he answered, “Fine! But this discussion isn’t over! When this case wraps up, we really need to-“

“Okay, love you, tell everyone I love and miss them too! Bye!” I hit end call and slid the phone back to Liam. “Sorry,” I said meekly.

His mouth fell open, “Don’t be sorry, Riley! Your father obviously loves you and is worried about you, that’s all.”

“Thanks,” was all I said, suddenly aware that I had a death grip on Drake’s hand. I let go and tried to steer the conversation back to business. Turning to Jason and Max, I asked, “Do we have any leads on Lena yet?”

“We got the file two minutes ago!” Jason protested.

We spent the next hour going over information and making a plan. Nick wanted to question Lorenzo himself. I saw no issue with that, and Leo gave permission. Jason was assigned operation find Lena and Max was put on locating Rico duty.  

Nick had a mole inside the Liberation Core. It was Drake’s idea to have Nick exploit that connection to leverage a meeting with a member of the Gladius Company.

“The only problem with that,” Nick told him, “Is that Saguaro knows me. If he or any of the guys he brought with him that were in the Condottieri see me, I’m dead.”

“Okay, send me,” Drake returned evenly.

“Drake, no!” I protested, “You’re not trained for-“

“The hell I’m not!” He shot me a withering look, “I’ve done special ops in the military, and I’ve run covert security before being promoted to my current position. I’m more than capable.”

“Let him do it, Brooks,” Jared told me, “We have to find and neutralize Rico before he exposes you and endangers this whole operation.”

I sighed as I ground my teeth together. Fucking Jared was right. If my cover was blown, months of hard work went right out the window.

“Okay,” Leo decided, “We’ll temporarily divert all resources to taking this Rico guy down. That seems like the most logical course of action.”

“What can I do?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Nick answered, “You’re going to have to sit this one out. You’re here for the Via Imperii, stick to that. Leave the Gladius Company to me.”

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” I protested, jumping to my feet.

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do!” Leo told me, “You’re here at the request of and under the authority of, the Cordonian government and I’m telling you to stand down!”

I looked from Leo to Drake to Liam to Jared. No one was on my side. “Fine!” I huffed as I flopped back into my chair. “I’ll continue to work on getting Madeleine to open up.”

No one argued with me. Probably because they had no idea how dangerous she was.

Leo’s phone dinged. He glanced down at it and swiped something. His eyes widened and he sat bolt upright, face paling, “This meeting is over!”

“What’s wrong?” Liam, Olivia, Drake, and I all asked at the same time.

Leo looked at us, face ashen, “Everyone but the four of them needs to get out, right now,” he said weakly pointing at us.

The room quickly cleared.

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Drake demanded.

“I just received an email from the Via Imperii demanding I chose Riley or Madeleine for my queen.”

“Okay,” I said carefully, “We already know that’s what they want, but why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“They said if I don’t choose one of you, they will make public certain information about Olivia’s parents.”

Oh, no.

“What information?” Olivia looked around the room in bewilderment.

“Can we have a moment alone?” Leo asked the rest of us, “I want to do this privately.”

I knew that he had never wanted to do it at all. He would have spared the woman he loved this knowledge if he could have.

Drake, Liam, and I exited the room but stayed just out in the hallway until Leo opened the door and ushered us back in.

Olivia sat at the conference room table reading classified documents as tears streamed down her face.

We hadn’t even taken our seats when Leo blurted out, “I’m going to abdicate.”

“What?” Olivia turned toward him, still numb, tears in her eyes, clutching the papers to her chest. The reason why Constantine and the Royal Council would never approve her as queen was there in black and white. Operation Snow Spear. Her mother and father hadn’t died in a car accident like she’d been told, they had been killed in a failed coup against the crown. Her parents had been traitors, her aunt probably still was. It explained why she never came to visit.

“I said….” He sat down next to her and took her hands in his, “I’m going to abdicate.”

She blinked away her tears as she tried to make sense of what he was saying, “Why would you do that?”

“Why would I-“ He stared at her in bemusement, “Liv, don’t you know how I feel about you?”

“Leo, you can’t-“

“Oh, I can, and I will!” He exploded, “I’m through being told what to do, where to go, who to love!”

“Leo, are you sure-“ Drake was looking back and forth between the Rys brothers, he had obviously already processed what Liam hadn’t yet.

“Yes, I’m sure!” Turning to his brother he simply said, “I’m so sorry, Li.”

“Why are you-“ Liam stopped midsentence. His eyes grew larger as the enormity of the situation settled over him, “That’s why you’ve been having me take on so much responsibility lately, isn’t it? Were you…were you already planning this?”

“Yes,” Leo admitted, “Father was never going to allow me to marry her. The Via Imperii just pushed my timeline up, that’s all.”

“When?” Liam asked.

“Right now! I was on my way to a council meeting next anyway,” Leo grabbed his attaché case and pointed at Olivia as he made his way toward the door, “Stay here! Or, better yet, go back to my rooms and wait for me there!”

“Wait! I’m coming with you! This affects me too!” Liam hurried after Leo without a backward glance.

Drake and I looked at each other and without verbal communication, nodded to each other and then followed behind them.

We had to practically run to keep them in our sights. We finally caught up to them just outside the door of the Council Chambers.

Leo barged into the room, “I need everyone’s attention! I have an announcement to make!”

Constantine’s head turned to track each one of us as he processed the intrusion. Two of us had no business in the council chambers. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

Leo took to the center of the floor to address the entire council, “First of all, you should know that I have appraised Lady Olivia of her parent’s role in Operation Snow Spear-“

“You told her?” Constantine thundered.

“Of course, I told her!” Leo thundered back, “She had a right to know, and Olivia’s parents’ sins are not hers!”

“Son, we’ve been over this! Her knowing changes nothing! She cannot be queen! I will not allow it!”

“Yes, Father, I know, you’re insistent on punishing her parents by excluding her from eligibility to be my wife, even though they’ve already paid with their lives, and she is not them!”

Constantine rose unsteadily to his feet, face red as he huffed, “It doesn’t matter! She’s lucky I didn’t strip her lands and titles for her parent’s transgressions!”

“She was five!” Leo shook his head in incredulity before drawing in a breath to calm himself. “It doesn’t matter anyway; she won’t be queen.”

“Finally! I was beginning to wonder if you had any sense at all!”

“She won’t be queen,” Leo continued as if his father hadn’t spoken, “Because I will not be king.”

“What are you blathering about? Of course, you’ll be-“

“I’ve taken the liberty of having my articles of abdication drawn up.” He stated calmly as he pulled a sheaf of papers from his attaché case and deposited them on the table in front of the king.

The council exploded.

“This is outrageous!”

“Most improper!”

“Can’t be serious!”

“He can’t do that, can he?”

“But we need a king!”

“Excuse me,” I pushed my way past Drake, his arm shooting out to try and stop me, but he was too late. I stepped up next to Leo and the room quieted as all heads turned toward me.

“Who are you?” one of the centenarian council members asked.

“That’s the princess from Monterisso,” another one answered him.

“Why is she here?”

“This is a private meeting!”

“Who let her in?”

Finally, one of them address me, “Why are you here?”

“I would just like to point out that the king has another son, right here.” I motioned for Liam to step up next to me so that I now stood in the center of the room, a Rys brother on either side of me.

Once again, the council broke out in surprised exclamations.

“Called a spare for a reason!”

“The reliable one anyway.”

“Might be a better ruler.”

“The well-behaved one.”

“But the social season-“

“Yes, the season! You can’t just change the prince all these women came here to compete for!”

“Suitors might desert the season-“

I lifted my chin and told them clearly, “I won’t.”

“What?”

“But I thought-“

“Aren’t you involved with-“

“We were told you had a relationship with Prince Leo!”

“You were misinformed,” I replied, “That was Maxwell Beaumont’s mistake, he thought he saw something that just wasn’t there. I was never interested in Leo, that’s not where my heart lies. Even if he had proposed, I would have turned him down.”

Outraged murmurs ripped through the council.

“The audacity!”

“Any woman would be lucky to marry a prince!”

“Then why are you here?”

I waited for them to quiet down before answering, “Once I had been invited by the Beaumonts, my parents insisted I come. So, I came out of family obligation, political expediency, and diplomatic necessity, but that’s not why I’ll stay.”

“Why would you stay after this scandal?”

“What’s your game?”

“What are you playing at?”

I turned and directed my remarks to Constantine, “My interests and my affections lie firmly with your other son, Your Majesty.” I looped my arm through Liam’s. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Drake stiffen. I didn’t have time to deal with his fragile male ego right now. Either he would catch on to what I was doing, or I would explain it later, but I couldn’t worry about his hurt feelings at the moment. I had shit to do. People to convince. Traitors to catch.

I knew exactly what needed to be done, I could fix this for Leo and Liv. I knew exactly how to work a room full of power-hungry old men. And it would be easy to sell because Liam’s reactions were real, his feelings for me were real.

“Even if some of the suitors abandon ship, I won’t. I’ll reach out to my aunt and use her influence with our allies. If I stay, so will the suitors from Auvernall, Hidar, Rivala, and Spain.”

I turned back to address the council, “With Cordonia’s money and Monterisso’s technology, our two countries could forge an alliance to be reckoned with!”

I really needed to sell this so they would accept Leo’s abdication without any damage to him or Olivia. Liam was in shock more or less, but I needed a reaction out of him to seal the deal. I leaned over and brushed a kiss across his cheek, letting my breath tickle the side of his neck as I did so. His eyes widened and his pupils dilated as a smile broke out across his face. He reached out to grasp my hand in his, “I’ll do it! I’ll take the crown and I’ll marry Riley! You can send the other suitors home, I’ll propose right now!”

Constantine gaped at him, his head swiveling back and forth between us. I kept the smile pasted on my face as panic spiked through me. Liam’s reaction was a little too far. The social season couldn’t end, I hadn’t found out who headed up the Via Imperii yet, and I hadn’t found out who the secret heir was. I needed more time.

I dug my fingers into his arm, “Don’t be silly, darling, the social season must go on, it wouldn’t be fair to the other ladies who’ve traveled so far. Besides, how would it look? We must maintain proper appearances.”

The reference to proper appearances swayed them to my side. My country’s technology and state-of-the-art spy network likely had something to do with it as well.

“This could work.”

“She’s telling the truth; I saw them holding hands in the hallway the other day!”

“A better match than Leo was prepared to make…”

“Could certainly use the alliance with Monterisso.”

“Told you he was the more  suitable one.”

“Princess Riley is the people’s choice, and the council stands ready to approve her!”

“Fine, fine,” Constantine blustered, “The council will accept Leo’s abdication but there are things that must be in place before an official announcement can be made! Liam!”

Liam jumped a little, “Yes, father?”

“Are you up to this?”

This time his voice held uncompromising conviction as he transformed right before my eyes from shy and unassuming into commanding and confident, “Yes, father!”

Leo moved in front of me to place a hand on Liam’s shoulder, “I’m not abandoning you, brother. I’ll be right by your side for whatever you need me for.”

Liam returned the gesture as he replied, “I appreciate that, and I will hold you to it!”

As Constantine, Leo, Liam and the council turned to talk of press releases, lines of succession and public relations, I slipped away and went back to my spot next to Drake in the back of the room, near the door.

Of all the unreadable looks he had ever given me, the one he was giving me right then was the most unreadable of all, prompting me to whisper, “What?”

“Nothing,” he responded with equanimity, “You sure you know what you’re doing here?”

“I’m sure,” I nodded curtly.

“All right.”

I lifted an eyebrow, “That’s it?”

“I trust your judgement.”

The first smile that had graced my face since I’d laid eyes on my ex tugged at my lips, “Good.”

His mouth turned down playfully as his shoulder lifted, “Great.”

I let the smile loose and started to reach for his hand. I froze halfway through the gesture as I remembered that I had just convinced the king and council that I was in love with Liam. I pulled my hand back with an apologetic tip of my head.

“This could get complicated,” he whispered to me.

“Could? Get?” I stifled a giggle. We had blown past complicated miles ago.

“Come on,” he told me with a quick glance at the rest of the room, “This could take hours. I’ll escort you back to your room.”

We slipped out into the hallway and headed down the hallway when we were intercepted by the last person I wanted to see.

“Juniper, there you are!”

With a sigh, I stopped walking and turned to face Nick. I had known from the moment the agency asked him here that this showdown was coming. And truth be told, I suppose I did owe him some kind of closure after what I’d done.

My hand slipped instinctively into Drakes as I steeled myself for the coming confrontation. I wondered to myself when I had developed that particular habit. When had I started reaching out to him for comfort? When had such gestures become commonplace, casual….normal?

“Nick, this really isn’t a good time, I was-“

“Well, when is, really?” He was undeterred, “I think the least you can do is give me a moment of your time.”

“She said it wasn’t a good time,” Drake interjected.

I squeezed his hand and shook my head. I neither needed nor wanted him to speak for me.

He tipped his head back and blew out an exaggerated breath. I knew that standing down was working against his nature, but God bless the man for doing it anyway.

Nick’s eyes fell to our clasped hands before lifting back to my face, “This your latest boy du jour?”

Drake snorted, “Isn’t that what you were?”

Nick looked at him in surprise, “She didn’t tell you that we were engaged?”

Drake looked like he’d been hit by a truck.

Nick smirked, “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Even so,” Drake recovered quickly, “that obviously ended so she doesn’t owe you-“       

I reached across my body to place my other hand on his chest, “Actually I do.”

Drake blinked as he looked down at me in confusion, “What?”

“I kind of…left him at the altar.”

His head whipped back and forth from me to Nick then back again, “And what? You never had a conversation about that afterwards?”

“No, she pretty much ghosted me,” Nick supplied.

I glared at him, “What was left to say, Nick?” We had done nothing but argue in the weeks leading up to the wedding. “You couldn’t have been unaware that I was on the fence at best about going through with it.”

“Okay,” Drake disentangled himself from me, “You two obviously have some things to hash out. Feel free to use one of the empty meeting rooms. It’s not going to help your cover to be airing any of this out in a hallway.”

Granted, only those with the highest security clearances could even access this floor, but still. It wouldn’t do to have a council member overhear what might be construed as a lovers quarrel between the woman who had just promised to stand by Liam’s side through the scandal caused by his brother’s abdication and another man.

I met Drake’s eyes and mouthed, “Thank you.”

His eyes darted to Nick then back to me. Stepping close, he leaned down, brushed a kiss across my cheek and whispered, “We’ll talk later?”

“I’ll text you,” I promised.

Then he was gone, and I was alone with my past. And it wanted explanations.

[theoriginalmattresstester]

#10K2024 1-4-2024

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[lgbtq-rights-are-human-rights]

Warrants

These attempts aimed at reducing the rights of those in the LGBTQ+ community are unconstitutional and quite frankly extremely unethical. Homophobic individuals have caused people in this community to experience systemic oppression that spans back many years. This oppression has caused LGBTQ+ people to have a significantly reduced quality of life. Significantly more people in this community commit suicide compared to their Cis gender and straight counterparts. According to “Queer and Present Danger: Understanding The Disparate Impacts of Disasters on LGBTQ+ Communities'', by Leo Goldsmith, Vanessa Raditz, and Michael Mendez; almost half of those included in a study stated that they have thought about committing suicide within the year that the study took place. On top of that; many struggle with poverty at much higher rates. These quality of life differences cause significant distress for these people, and it's quite heartbreaking to see. Nobody should struggle to live just because of who they are or because of who they love. 

It is also important to note the continued existence of conversion therapy in our society. According to the “Effect of LGBT Anti-Discrimination Laws on School Climate and Outcomes for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual High School Students'' by Xavier Fields and Christina Min Wotipka; These days, the “therapy” focuses more on psychological applications to attempt to distance someone from their LGBTQ+ identity, and identify more with conventional sexualities and genders. Conversion therapy is an abusive tactic to make people question their LGBTQ+ status. According to the American Psychology Organization, this “therapy” has caused many of those that it has been used on to develop issues with substance abuse and issues concerning their mental wellbeing. There is little to no evidence indicating that conversion therapy actually does what it was created to do. And what is most disturbing is that conversion therapy is still a widespread practice here in the United States. 

People in the LGBTQ+ community are an abused group of people, and this is a crisis that we cannot continue to ignore any more. They need more help in order to experience a similar quality of life compared to their cis gender and straight counterparts.

Resources:

Fields, Xavier, and Christine Min Wotipka. “Effect of LGBT Anti- Discrimination Laws on School Climate and Outcomes for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual High School Students.” Journal of LGBT Youth, vol. 19, no. 3, July 2022, pp. 307–29. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2020.1821276.

Goldsmith, Leo, et al. “Queer and Present Danger: Understanding the Disparate Impacts of Disasters on LGBTQ+ Communities.” Disasters, vol. 46, no. 4, Oct. 2022, pp. 946–73. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12509.